Li Laosi was in a panic. He turned around and saw the woman getting up. He went up and kicked her.
"Who do you think you are? I haven't even spoken a word to you! I'd rather my mother beat me to death than have you interfere! Get out of here, or I'll kick you to death if you dare to come back and cause trouble again!"
The woman was terrified. Clutching her stomach, she scrambled away.
At this moment, Young Master Ye also arrived. Seeing that Jiayin still had tears on her eyelashes from crying, he was also unhappy.
He took Jiayin's hand and coaxed her, "Why are you crying, Fu Niu? Let your dad rest today, and Uncle will take you to the city to play tomorrow, okay?"
Jiayin glanced at the woman who was fleeing in a disheveled state, sneered inwardly, but still replied with a pitiful expression, "Fine, I won't take my father. He doesn't want me and my mother anymore. He likes female demons!"
Young Master Ye couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Li Laosi, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"Okay, let's not take him!"
Grandma Li glared at her son and coaxed her granddaughter, "Your father is a blockhead, let's ignore him!"
Li Laosi shrank back and quickly explained.
"Mom, I really don't know her. I rescued them in the valley. I regretted it on the way here; they're just a bunch of troublemakers. I didn't even speak to them, really, Jiayi and Liu Yang can vouch for that!"
Jiayi and Liu Yang, fearing they would get into trouble, nodded frantically, "We didn't say anything, not a single word!"
Grandma Li then told them to get in the car, "We'll talk about this back home, don't embarrass yourselves here."
"Yes, I'll listen to my mother." Li Laosi quickly agreed, hurriedly moved the books to the cart, helped his mother up, and was about to hug his daughter when Jiayin hugged Young Master Ye's neck and wouldn't let go.
"I want to ride the horse with my uncle!"
Young Master Ye smiled, nodded to Old Man Li, and then mounted his horse.
Not far away, Hua Ruyue was annoyed that her schemes had repeatedly failed, and she wanted to take the opportunity of apologizing to say a word to the Marquis.
As a result, before she could even step forward, everyone got into their carriages or mounted their horses and quickly drove away.
She glared at Young Master Ye with such rage that her eyes seemed to be on fire.
Jiayin, nestled in Young Master Ye's arms, saw everything clearly. She tugged at Young Master Ye's collar and whispered, "Uncle, look over there! There's a female demon trying to eat you!"
Young Master Ye was confused and frowned as he turned around to look.
Hua Ruyue's carefully chosen dress was now wrinkled like a rag, and her long hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders. She had no elegance or beauty whatsoever; instead, she looked like something that lurked in the night.
Especially now, with her eyes practically sparkling, it looks even more lifelike...
Young Master Ye patted Jiayin on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Uncle isn't that easy to eat!"
Having said that, he pulled on the reins, walked beside the carriage, and went straight back to the military camp.
Military camps are restricted areas and should not be entered casually, especially by women and children.
Fortunately, throughout the year, people were brought over from Jiangbei, and they needed to be temporarily settled for a few days, so some simple thatched huts were built on one side of the military camp.
Not wanting to trouble Young Master Ye, Old Lady Li chose the room closest to the military camp for a short stay of one day before heading home, as her family was still thinking of her.
By now, it was already dark.
Yeshan lit a bonfire, illuminating the surroundings.
Young Master Ye's personal guards went to the cooks' camp to fetch food, and everyone sat around in front of the thatched shed, eating and talking together.
The cooks' skills were average, but the ingredients were purchased by Young Master Ye in advance, so the simple wooden table was laden with chicken, fish, vegetables, steamed egg custard, white rice, and steamed buns—a very sumptuous meal.
Others were fine, but Li Laosi, Jiayi, and Liu Yang ate roasted rabbit and dried biscuits in the forest for almost a month. They even rinsed the bamboo tubes used to store pickled vegetables several times with water.
When they finally saw the food, their eyes lit up and they ate with gusto.
Grandma Li no longer had time to complain about her son, and kept serving them food. Even Jiayin shared half of her steamed egg custard with her father and brothers.
After finally eating his fill, Li Laosi had time to talk. He recounted how he encountered the women in the valley, how he retrieved the books, and how difficult and troublesome the return journey was, and every word he uttered was filled with regret.
Jiayi and Liu Yang nodded as they ate, occasionally adding, "Even more delicate than Fu Niu!"
"They treat us like servants, it's so annoying!"
Grandma Li finally believed that her son had no ulterior motives and felt that she could explain things to her daughter-in-law when she got back, so she stopped asking questions.
Young Master Ye smiled as he picked out the fish bones for Jiayin, saying, "Auntie, I've already sent someone to rush back to Suijintan to inform them, so you don't need to worry about home. Tomorrow, I'll take you around the city, and we'll go back the day after."
When Old Mrs. Li was about to refuse, Young Master Ye said again, "Auntie always thinks about me and takes care of my food and clothing. Since Auntie has come all this way, let me do my part."
Jiayin clapped her hands happily, "Go, go, Grandma wants to go!"
Grandma Li wiped the soup from her granddaughter's mouth and scolded her playfully, "You, all you ever do is play."
Young Master Ye smiled, knowing that the old lady had agreed, and then asked about the trivial matters at home.
They were chatting, laughing, eating, and drinking happily, while not far away was where Hua Ruyue and the others were staying.
Soldiers brought them a bucket of sorghum porridge and a pot of stewed cabbage for dinner.
The women had already washed up and changed into clean clothes. Believing they had regained their beauty and deserved to be pampered, they stamped their feet and complained, "What is this? We're not eating it!"
"Exactly, this looks like pig swill, how can anyone eat it?"
The soldier glared angrily, "Is this the kind of food we eat for our entire camp of ten or twenty thousand men? Are you saying we're all pigs?!"
The women, their mouths gagged, pointed indignantly at the Li family's dining table, "They all come from the mountains, why do they get to eat meat?"
The soldier rolled his eyes, his face full of disdain. "Those are our Marquis's family members. The food was bought with our Marquis's money. How dare you compare yourselves to them?"
Having said that, he threw down the wooden bucket, turned around and left. "Eat it or don't, it's up to you. The imperial court didn't say we were supposed to provide grain to support anyone. We've done all this good, and it's been a complete waste of our kindness!"
The women were left standing there, their faces turning pale with anger.
"Teacher, look at these soldiers! They're so rude."
"Yes, we just came from Jiangbei, it wasn't easy for us, and they're still being so aggressive!"
Hua Ruyue kept looking at the Li family's side, and the more she looked, the more regretful she became.
If she had known that the Li family was so close to the Marquis, she should have kept everyone in check in the mountains and left a good impression on Li Laosi.
At the very least, Li Laosi should introduce her to the Marquis and praise her highly.
Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now; all we can do is try our best to make amends.
She scolded the women, "Stop arguing! What time is it? Stop throwing tantrums! Go eat and rest, and I'll think of a solution later."
The women were still dissatisfied, but dared not say anything more. They ate their meal hastily and went to bed.
The next morning, Hua Ruyue busied herself with dressing up and changing her clothes, making herself look gentle and dignified before going to the camp gate and speaking to the guards.
“Young brother, we were rescued by the Marquis yesterday and were able to escape danger. We have come today to express our gratitude. Please help us to convey that I am Hua Ruyue, the troupe leader of the Flying Sky Dance Troupe.”
After saying that, she slipped a piece of silver to the soldier.
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