Seeing her brother's flustered expression, the mistress's eyes grew even sharper as she took a step closer, scrutinizing him:
"Did you sneak out to play again? If Mom and your brothers find out, they'll break your legs!"
Xiao Si shuddered, and the words he was about to say immediately took a different turn. He quickly denied it:
"No, no! I've been... I've been staying here the whole time, I haven't gone anywhere!" If they find out he secretly went out to deliver a message, they'll skin him alive!
The mistress looked at her younger brother suspiciously, but then thought of his usual honest and unassuming demeanor and figured he probably wouldn't dare to lie.
"That would be best! You keep a close eye on things, I'm just going to get a drink of water and I'll be right back."
The mistress turned and left, and the fourth mistress secretly breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest—thankfully, she had escaped a disaster!
Gan Tao, who was inside the house, also breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease.
Seeing that her younger brother hadn't let anything slip, Gan Tao finally felt relieved.
As dusk approached, Gan Tao Niang returned, carrying large and small bags filled with wine and meat—a feast even more abundant than during the New Year.
Her sons swarmed around her like a swarm of bees, but Gan Tao's mother slapped them away:
"Go away, go away, this is for entertaining our distinguished guests tomorrow! By the way, after I left, did your eldest sister cause any trouble?"
The eldest and second eldest brothers shook their heads guiltily upon hearing this.
The younger sister took a step forward, not daring to tell her mother that her brothers had sneaked out to play. She only said, "Big sister got up and ate breakfast!"
Gan Tao Niang was somewhat surprised—she got up to eat? Had she come to her senses?
She went to Gan Tao's room to talk to her daughter, but Gan Tao was lying in bed and still ignored her.
Gan Tao Niang snorted coldly, looking like she hadn't come to a realization!
Who cares! As long as she's eating! Young Master Wu is coming tomorrow, and she's really worried that if her daughter is too thin and pale, Young Master Wu won't be interested.
Thinking of this, she happily went to the kitchen and cooked a meal. As usual, she sent a portion to Gan Tao, then hid outside the door. Only after seeing Gan Tao get up and eat did she feel relieved enough to eat herself.
Night had fallen, and Yuxi Village was utterly silent, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog. Gan Tao lay in bed, listening to the sounds coming from outside, her mind in turmoil.
Shopkeeper, can you understand her distress signal?
She tossed and turned, drifting in and out of sleep, until the sky gradually began to lighten with the first light of dawn. A new day had begun, but Gan Tao felt no hope whatsoever.
She knew that today would be the most important day of her life.
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