Xiao Yunying's return to the village naturally caused another sensation.
Her family kept her imprisonment a secret very well. Even though some villagers guessed something, they had no evidence and only dared to watch the Chen family's carriage from a distance and gossip, but no one dared to go up and say anything.
Xiao Yunying was happy to have some free time and returned home without any hindrance, much to the surprise of Madam Luo and the others.
She only briefly mentioned that she was fine and asked Zheng Yunwan to run errands to her parents' home to let them know she was safe. She then found the things she had bought on her way back from the capital, sorted them out, and asked Ling Qi to load them onto the carriage and take them back with her.
After seeing Ling Qi off, Xiao Yunying had just entered the courtyard when she heard many footsteps behind her.
When she turned around, she saw that her entire family had come over.
Mu Lianrong looked at her with concern: "Yunyun, what's wrong with you?"
Xiao Yunying had no choice but to explain again that she was allergic to fennel buns.
Mu Lianrong examined the rash on her face closely: "Didn't you used to not eat fennel? How come you can eat it now?"
Xiao Yunying made an excuse: "The jailer who extorted your silver notes took the money but did nothing. He kept the food that Sister Cheng Yue brought me. It was another kind jailer who secretly brought me the food. I was lucky to have anything to eat, let alone have anything to choose from."
"My poor Yunyun, have you seen a doctor yet?"
"I checked and even bought some medicine, so Mother, don't worry."
At this moment, Xiao Yunbai brought over a basin of water, and Xiao Shanhai took the mugwort, dipped it in the water, and flicked it onto Xiao Yunying.
Xiao Yunying didn't dodge, but asked curiously, "What is this?"
Mu Lianrong explained, "This is mugwort water, used to ward off evil spirits and purify the air. You just came out of prison, so it's good to get rid of the bad luck."
After finishing this task, Mu Lianrong pulled her into the reception room: "You have no idea how awful that jailer is. He charges a hundred taels of silver just to see you, and the next day the children have to pay an extra thousand taels. It's clearly an attempt to raise prices on the spot."
Xiao Yunying comforted her, saying, "Mother, don't be sad. He has to return the silver notes to me in the same way he took them."
Standing beside her, Zheng Yunwan said timidly, "Sister Yunying, I didn't mean to touch those silver notes..."
Xiao Yunying didn't let her continue explaining, but took her hand and squeezed it: "I know, no need to explain."
Seeing that she didn't seem to be blaming her, Zheng Yunwan relaxed and smiled at her.
Mu Lianrong said, "This time, Cheng Yue went to great lengths. The very next day, she sent five hundred taels of silver notes to our family to help with the arrangements, fearing that you might suffer in prison."
I heard that the girl just bought the shop next door and wanted to expand her business. It's really kind of her to send so many silver notes, but we don't need them for the time being, so I let her take them back.
And then there's your Aunt Yang's family. I'm close to your Aunt Yang, and she knew something was wrong as soon as she saw my expression. I complained to her a bit, and when she got home, she had Tianyun bring you three hundred taels of silver, hoping we could use our connections to see if we could bring you back first.”
Xiao Yunying was surprised that they would be so willing to spend money. You have to know that several hundred taels of silver is no small amount. Many peasant families have never seen a silver note worth one hundred taels in their entire lives.
This truly shows that true friendship is revealed in times of adversity.
"I understand. I will thank Aunt Yang and Sister Cheng Yue."
Cheng Yue probably learned that the jailer was deliberately making things difficult for them, charging a hundred taels of silver even for meals, not to mention anything else.
Her clothing shop only started to make more money after she joined. Recently, she bought the shop next door and bought some fine fabrics. It seems that these banknotes are all she has.
Needless to say, the Yang family owes most of their savings to her. The fact that she would willingly give it away shows the depth of their affection.
Mu Lianrong continued, "Most people in the village say you went to the county government to collect a reward, while a few malicious people guess you committed a crime and were arrested. We haven't told them the truth, so they don't know. At most, they'll gossip behind your back. Don't let it slip, or you'll ruin your reputation."
"I know."
Xiao Yunying hadn't slept for a day and a night and had been forced to stand the whole time, so she was indeed quite tired. She couldn't help but yawn and rub her eyes.
Mu Lianrong asked, "Are you tired? You must not be sleeping well in prison. Eat something and take a nap. We can talk about other things after you've rested."
Xiao Yunying was indeed sleepy: "Then I won't keep Mother here."
She didn't tell her family that she had been hung up for a day and a night. Telling them would only make them worry, so she preferred to let them misunderstand that the prison environment was bad and that's why she couldn't sleep soundly.
After seeing her family off, Xiao Yunying took a bath and changed into clean clothes. She asked Zheng Yunwan to burn the clothes she had taken off. After eating a bowl of noodles cooked for her by Granny Chang, she planned to go back to her room to sleep.
She also specifically instructed everyone not to wake her if she wasn't fully awake, so that she could sleep as much as she wanted.
After coaxing Luo Xin, she went back to her room, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), rolled over in a carefree manner, and fell asleep in the most comfortable position.
I slept for an exceptionally long time, from the afternoon until the next morning.
When Xiao Yunying opened her eyes and saw that it was almost dawn, her mind was still a bit foggy from sleeping for so long. It took her a while to realize that she had slept for more than a full circle.
The door opened, and she squinted at the other side from under the covers. She saw a small head peek in, followed by a large head.
Luo Xin whispered, "Is Mother still sleeping?"
Zheng Yunwan replied softly, "She's still sleeping. She's probably really exhausted. Let's go out first."
Xiao Yunying found it amusing and deliberately asked loudly, "What are you two doing?"
The two were startled, and Luo Xin trembled with fright: "Mother, you're awake."
Xiao Yunying sat up: "What are you two doing in my room like little thieves?"
Luo Xin came in and knelt down by the kang (a heated brick bed): "Mother has been sleeping for too long, and Xin'er was worried, so I came to check on her from time to time."
Xiao Yunying scratched her messy hair: "You slept for quite a long time."
Zheng Yunwan asked, "Sister Yunying, are you hungry? I made some wontons, would you like me to cook you a bowl?"
As she spoke, several more small heads peeked in through the door, but seeing that Xiao Yunying wasn't dressed properly, they shrank back inside.
Luo Li called from outside, "Mom, get up quickly! Aunt Yunwan's wontons are delicious!"
Xiao Yunying smiled and replied, "Okay, you guys eat first, don't be late for school, I'll go wash up first."
She put on her shoes, got out of bed, quickly washed up, and then took Luo Xin, who had been following her around, to the living room for dinner.
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