Su Xiaoning was dumbfounded when she saw the villagers kneeling before her.
She stood there somewhat bewildered, stunned for a long time before she and Su Qingcai hurriedly helped the villagers up.
Seeing the fear in the villagers' eyes, who were unwilling for Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai to touch them, Su Xiaoning had no choice but to explain helplessly:
"Don't be afraid, everyone. We're not ghosts, we're all living, breathing people! I was too reckless to go out to sea alone before. Our boat hit a reef and sank, but I was lucky enough to survive. Now that I've found a chance to come back, I hope you can all look at us normally!"
Su Xiaoning recounted everything that had happened during this period to the villagers, who were all astonished.
Aunt Xu mustered her courage and tremblingly touched Su Xiaoning. Upon feeling the warmth of a living person, she burst into tears of joy and hugged Su Xiaoning tightly.
"Good child, it's so good to see you alive. We thought you were all gone. We were even arranging funerals for you. I'm so happy..."
“Auntie…” Su Xiaoning felt a warmth in her heart and nestled in Aunt Xu’s arms, feeling very comforted.
Upon seeing Su Xiaoning "come alive," Ru Xing froze on the spot. After a long while, she came to her senses and burst into tears and laughter, holding Su Xiaoning's hand and choking back sobs, unable to speak.
The villagers huddled together in joy, cheering for the return of Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai. The white banners and paper money in the village were quickly removed, and the village returned to its former peace and tranquility.
Wang Fan and his group followed Su Xiaoning to Carp Village. Su Xiaoning quickly arranged accommodations for them and took them to see the model boat she had made.
"This is a ship model I made before. Do you think we can build a ship of the same size based on this model?" Su Xiaoning handed the ship model to Wang Fan, her bright eyes sparkling as she looked forward to his response.
Wang Fan examined the ship model carefully, turning it over and over, marveling at its ingenious craftsmanship.
"Your Excellency is indeed very skillful. I doubt I could even make such a small model myself! I can make the same ship as you requested, but shipbuilding requires a lot of manpower and resources. I wonder if you are prepared?"
"Human resources and financial resources..." Su Xiaoning looked at Su Qingcai with some hesitation.
Although Carp Village has become much wealthier during this period, it is only slightly better than before when it was extremely poor. Even if the entire village pooled its resources, it probably wouldn't be able to accumulate so much money, and the villagers have no obligation to build boats for them.
Su Qingcai seemed to have anticipated this problem. He stepped forward and said, "I can no longer stay in this village. I will return to the capital and use the accumulated wealth to build a qualified navy to fight against the Seventh Prince. I should leave soon."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Su Xiaoning. "Last time I didn't think things through and tried to force you to leave Carp Village. I've figured it out now. If you want to stay here, then stay. You don't have to force yourself. I will definitely come to see you in the future."
Su Qingcai had already considered this. He shouldn't impose his ideas on Su Xiaoning. If she didn't want to, he wouldn't force her.
Unexpectedly, Su Xiaoning suddenly smiled gently. She returned Su Qingcai's gaze with a firm look, raised her chin, and said, "Do you think I haven't considered this matter? I've already thought it through. You're someone I saved, so naturally I'll see you through to the end. Chief Wang and the others all understand my intentions, and I'll definitely go to the capital with you!"
"real?!"
Su Qingcai was both surprised and delighted, never expecting that Su Xiaoning would actually come to her senses!
“I’ve already said it all, do you think I’m lying?” Su Xiaoning raised an eyebrow, her expression enthusiastic and flamboyant. “I also want to see the sights of the capital, and see how the things sold on the streets of the capital are better than those in Qinghe Town. Don’t even think about leaving me behind halfway!”
"No matter how many people I leave behind, as long as you stay by my side, that's enough." Su Qingcai smiled slightly, his gaze towards Su Xiaoning seemingly filled with boundless affection.
His gaze was intense, as if it burned Su Xiaoning. A blush rose to Su Xiaoning's face, and she covered her face with her hands before hurriedly running out.
"I'm not talking to you anymore. I need to inform the villagers about this. Once I've handed everything over, I'll go back to the capital with you immediately!"
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."
Su Qingcai watched Su Xiaoning leave with a smile on his face, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze, refreshing and delightful.
...
Su Xiaoning is temporarily staying in Carp Village. She has been very busy lately, often discussing matters at the village chief's house until very late before returning home.
One night, as Su Xiaoning was returning home late as usual, she suddenly felt herself stepping on something as she passed the site of her burned-down home.
By the moonlight, Su Xiaoning looked down and was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
There was a person lying on the ground!
Su Xiaoning thought it was a corpse and was too scared to move, but she found that the "corpse's" chest was still rising and falling slightly, as if it was still breathing normally.
She mustered her courage and approached the "corpse," placing her hands under his nose to check for breath. To her surprise, she found that the man was indeed still breathing.
Upon closer inspection, a strong aroma of alcohol filled the air. The man reeked of alcohol and lay unconscious on the ground. He was probably some drunkard who had wandered into Carp Village by mistake.
It wouldn't be good to leave this person here unattended, so Su Xiaoning sighed and had no choice but to call Ding Yi and have him carry the drunkard back to her room.
Su Xiaoning gave her bed to the drunkard, while she pitifully wrapped herself in a quilt and sat on a chair, dozing off.
In the middle of the night, the drunkard mumbled that he was thirsty. Su Xiaoning didn't complain; she simply poured him a glass of water and gently patted his back to ease his discomfort. The drunkard seemed to sense something, glanced at Su Xiaoning for a moment, and then fell back into a deep sleep.
After a night of commotion, the drunkard finally woke up when the sun was high in the sky the next day.
Upon seeing Su Xiaoning sitting on the bed, the drunkard grabbed her hand, his expression filled with excitement.
"I know you're the one taking care of me, so I'll follow you from now on!"
The drunkard didn't say who he was, and after sobering up, he actually stayed at Su Xiaoning's house. He was unruly and unrestrained, spending all his time with Su Xiaoning, completely ignoring the strange looks from the villagers.
Su Xiaoning was too busy to pay attention to the drunkard. Since he wouldn't leave anyway, she gave up and allowed him to stay by her side.
She didn't seem to feel anything, but Su Qingcai was furious.
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