After the agreement was reached, Manager Qian instructed the waiter to bring pen and ink, and then went to the account to fetch the silver. Tian Yu had read the books left at home, but she didn't recognize many of the characters, such as the ancient traditional characters. So she dictated the classic recipe for braised pork to Manager Qian, who then copied it down. After reciting the recipe, Tian Yu reminded Manager Qian to pay attention to controlling the heat: simmer over low heat and reduce the sauce over high heat. Before serving, remove the spices, both for aesthetic purposes and to prevent others from copying the dish. Manager Qian noted everything down, saying he would remember it well. He then curiously asked why star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, which he believed were Chinese medicinal herbs, were used in the dish. Tian Yu explained that this was called medicinal cuisine; pork is considered cold in nature, and these herbs could remove the fishy smell, enhance the aroma, and counteract the coldness of the pork. Manager Qian immediately understood, put away the recipe, and handed over the prepared silver. Tian Yu accepted the silver—a hundred taels, a small bundle in total. Without counting it, she stuffed it into her pocket. Manager Qian reminded her to check the amount, but Tian Yu said she trusted him and there was no need to count; it was getting late, and they needed to continue their journey. Manager Qian respectfully saw Tian Yu and her companion to the restaurant entrance, offering them pastries prepared in advance by the waiter as a token of his appreciation. Tian Yu repeatedly declined, but finally, unable to resist Manager Qian's enthusiasm, she accepted them politely in return and bid him farewell. Leaving the restaurant, seeing that it was getting late, Tian Yu dared not delay any longer. She grabbed Tang Yuan and quickly headed towards the city gate with Chen Chong, hoping they still made it in time.

Fortunately, since the things were still in the carriage, they could only wait a little longer. The driver didn't say much. There were already three people in the carriage. Tian Yu hurriedly got into the carriage with Tangyuan in her arms. Before she could even sit down properly, the driver whipped the horse and drove off. Tian Yu fell next to Chen Chong, and Tangyuan pressed against her chest. The silver was pressing against her chest, and Tian Yu felt so much pain that she wanted to cry. Chen Chong asked what was wrong. Tian Yu thought that she couldn't say that the silver was pressing against her chest. This was ancient times, and people weren't that open-minded. Besides, she couldn't let people know that she had so much silver on her. So she could only say that she was fine and gritted her teeth to bear it.

After they sat down again, opposite them sat a middle-aged woman in red and a young man who looked rather sleazy. Tian Yu found him sleazy, not just for his appearance, but also for the look in his eyes and his lewd smile. Tian Yu didn't want to look at him and turned to the back of the carriage. There sat another middle-aged man, judging from his clothes, who was carrying a basket that morning, though the basket was now empty. At the city gate, they were subjected to another round of questioning and investigation. Finally, they were out of the city. Just as the driver was about to speed up, he was stopped again. Tian Yu looked up and saw Li Yong. She wondered what this guy wanted; he didn't seem to be looking for a ride. Seeing Li Yong's driving style, the driver was quite frightened and quickly got out of the carriage to bow and inquire. Li Yong pushed the driver aside and walked straight towards Tian Yu and Chen Chong, bowing and thanking them profusely. Tian Yu and Chen Chong had no choice but to get out of the carriage and politely return the bow. Li Yong explained that he had been waiting for someone and hadn't had a chance to express his gratitude earlier. He also asked if he knew the names of his two benefactors and said he would repay them when he had the opportunity. Tian Yu thought to herself, "Without you, I wouldn't have earned so much money. I should be thanking you." After introducing herself to Chen Chong, she asked Li Yong if he was trying to avoid paying because he was broke. Li Yong nodded sheepishly, but explained that it wasn't intentional; he had lost his travel money due to some trouble on the way. Having spoken with him twice, Tian Yu felt that although he looked fierce, he was actually a kind and somewhat simple-minded man. She took out the few taels of silver she had left over from her previous purchase, emphasizing that this was all she had and offering it as travel money, asking him not to dine and dash next time. Li Yong immediately knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in thanks, but said it wasn't necessary, as his older brother should be arriving soon and he would be waiting. "Older brother?" Tian Yu thought, "How old must he be to deserve that title?" She assumed it was a much stronger and more robust man, so she didn't insist and took the silver back. Seeing the driver in front so anxious but afraid to speak, and the three people in the carriage also worried, but seeing Li Yong's posture, they all shrank back. Tian Yu stopped exchanging pleasantries, bowed, and gestured for Chen Chong, who had remained silent, to get into the carriage and leave. The carriage then sped off, and Li Yong's shouts could still be heard from afar—what an honest and straightforward man!

Because Tian Yu and the others had wasted a lot of time, the carriage sped along, not daring to delay any longer. Just as they were leaving the tunnel, Tangyuan suddenly looked ahead and shouted, "Mommy, look ahead! What beautiful horses!"

When Tian looked up, the horse was already in front of her. She glanced at the rider, but before she could see him clearly, he was gone. When she looked again, she only saw his back—quite handsome, a tall black horse, and the rider dressed in black like a knight-errant. For a moment, she thought of the long-haired scholar in blue robes from her dream, but then Tian thought it didn't make sense. He was a scholar, how could he be a knight-errant? Besides, this was ancient times; there should be many such knights-errant, so even if their backgrounds were somewhat similar, it would be normal.

"Mommy, that uncle is amazing! I saw him and he saw me too!" Tangyuan was excited about the moment they made eye contact.

"Hmm, Mother didn't see it clearly, but the horse was quite beautiful."

"Mommy, what does he do? He looks really impressive."

"He must be a chivalrous person!"

"What does a knight-errant do?" Because the carriage was still moving quickly, she unconsciously raised her voice. Tian Yu whispered in Tangyuan's ear, "It's a long story, Mother will tell you when we get home." Tangyuan's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously.

Amidst the driver's shouts, they finally arrived back in the village before sunset. The others got off the cart and hurried home, while the lecherous man lingered, watching Tian Yu without intending to leave. Tian Yu didn't want to deal with such a person and ignored him. She unloaded her belongings and paid the fare for the three of them. Chen Chong disagreed, but Tian Yu insisted on paying, saying she would also trouble him to help her take her things home. If he didn't accept, then he wouldn't need her help. Chen Chong had no choice but to accept.

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