Yan Qingqing looked at Li Xinniang's angry expression and said with a smile, "You don't need to be so angry. There are many shady dealings among these wealthy and powerful families."
But you don't need to be afraid. As long as you have enough strength, no one can touch you.
Li Xin's mother nodded in agreement. She now understood why her mother had urged them to practice martial arts: without sufficient strength, they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves in such a situation.
They used to live in Canghe Village. Although there were some people of bad character there, it was extremely rare to find someone who would frame another person for no reason and with such vicious methods. In this day and age, a woman's reputation is far more important than her life.
The news that Chen's second daughter was having an affair with someone at an inn behind her husband's back spread throughout Xuancheng Prefecture. Although the He family had declined, they still had connections. So they filed a lawsuit against Chen's second daughter in the prefectural government, demanding a divorce.
The He family had always known what kind of person Miss Chen was, but because Miss Chen was the older sister of Magistrate Shen, they never dared to mention divorce. Now that they finally had a chance, they naturally wouldn't let it go.
Because the matter involving Miss Chen Er had become so serious, even the prefect couldn't side with the Chen family. However, out of consideration for Magistrate Shen, he ultimately granted them a divorce. Since Miss Chen Er's family was at fault and had damaged the He family's reputation, Miss Chen Er's dowry was awarded to the He family as compensation.
Yan Qingqing guessed that Magistrate Shen was also furious. He had just gotten involved with his sister-in-law, and now she was in someone else's bed. Moreover, he had to go and bail her out because he was afraid that Miss Chen would turn on him again, which would probably end his position as magistrate.
After listening to enough gossip, Yan Qingqing told Li Xinniang and A'da to pack their things. She planned to return to Canghe Village. The last day of the Chamber of Commerce was meaningless, since all the necessary contracts had already been signed.
However, what Yan Qingqing didn't know was that some people were like persistent ghosts, and she couldn't escape them just by returning to Canghe Village.
When Wu Jingzhi saw that Yan Qingqing was leaving, he wanted to go back with them. Yan Qingqing smiled and said to him, "Jingzhi, if you have something to do, you don't need to go back with us. We can go back by ourselves."
Not to mention that Yan Qingqing herself is quite skilled, she also has Shadow Six and Shadow Seven with her, so their safety is definitely not a problem.
However, Wu Jingzhi was unaware of this situation, and he also had his own selfish motives, so he replied with a smile: "Auntie, you don't need to be so polite. I'm not doing this entirely for you. The last day of the Chamber of Commerce is actually meaningless for our Jinsheng Pavilion. I need to go back to Chengyang County to explain some things to Manager Wu."
Since Wu Jingzhi had already put it this way, Yan Qingqing couldn't refuse any longer, so she followed Wu Jingzhi back to Chengyang County.
Yan Qingqing was wary of the Chen family's retaliation along the way, but fortunately nothing happened. Perhaps she was being too cautious, or perhaps the Second Miss Chen was too busy with her own problems to bother her.
Three days later they entered Chengyang County. Wu Jingzhi went to Jinsheng Pavilion to find Manager Xue, while Yan Qingqing returned to Canghe Village.
It took her seven or eight days to get to the prefectural city. After being used to the hustle and bustle of the city, she still felt more at home in Canghe Village.
As soon as Yan Qingqing and her group entered the village, the villagers greeted them warmly. When they arrived at their doorstep, Yuan Huiniang and the others were already waiting. As soon as Li Yueniang saw Yan Qingqing get out of the car, she rushed over and hugged Yan Qingqing affectionately. Yan Qingqing tapped her forehead and said, "You're such a big girl now, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you? Alright, Mom brought you gifts, come on, let's go home."
As soon as Yan Qingqing entered the courtyard, she saw Madam Ren walking over with Li Xiangyang. To be honest, of the seven children in the family, this was the only one Yan Qingqing had given birth to, but she had spent the least amount of energy on her. At this moment, Yan Qingqing felt somewhat guilty towards Li Xiangyang.
So she reached out to hug Li Xiangyang, but Li Xiangyang just stared straight at Yan Qingqing and didn't seem to want her to hug him. Yan Qingqing frowned. This child used to cling to her every day before he left, and now he doesn't recognize her after only a few days?
Yan Qingqing coaxed, "Little Seven, it's Mommy! Mommy's back. Come here and let Mommy give you a hug."
Only when Li Xiangyang heard Yan Qingqing's voice did she dare to confirm that it was her mother whom she had been longing for day and night. So she burst into tears and looked at Yan Qingqing with teary eyes. Her aggrieved little face made Yan Qingqing's heart ache.
Madam Ren said, "Miss is feeling aggrieved because she hasn't seen Madam for many days. She probably thinks Madam doesn't want her anymore."
Yan Qingqing interrupted her, saying, "Every child is my precious treasure. I will never abandon any of them. Although she is still young, I must never hear you say such things again. And you must never say them in front of the young lady. Hui Niang, you should give the order that no one in the family, even when playing with the children, is allowed to say such things again."
Anyone who doesn't learn their lesson should be sold off immediately.
Yuan Huiniang immediately agreed upon hearing Yan Qingqing's words.
Madam Ren quickly knelt down and said, "Please forgive me, Madam. I absolutely did not mean to sow discord between the young lady and you."
Yan Qingqing helped her up from the ground, then took Li Xiangyang from her and said, "Of course I know you didn't mean that, but what you said today reminded me. Don't worry, I'm not targeting you with this."
Hearing this, Madam Ren finally felt relieved. She was now eating and living well in the Li family and no longer had to live a life of wandering. Naturally, she didn't want to arouse suspicion from her master and be sold off.
Yan Qingqing took Li Xiangyang's kiss and kissed her on her rosy cheeks. Li Xiangyang then hugged Yan Qingqing's neck and giggled. Yan Qingqing was happy to see him laughing so happily, and even the fatigue of the past few days vanished.
Seeing everyone standing in the courtyard, Li Xiangping said, "Mother, let's not stand here. Let's go inside and talk. You must be tired from the journey."
Yuan Huiniang echoed her sentiments, and Yan Qingqing nodded and went into the house first. Although she hadn't been home for the past few days, the house was spotless. Yan Qingqing looked at the attentive maid beside her and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Ruyi."
Upon hearing this, Ruyi's eyes immediately reddened, and she said, "This servant is not tired, but I beg Madam to take this servant with her when she goes out in the future, so that we can look after each other."
Yan Qingqing saw that she spoke sincerely. Moreover, this girl had been diligent and hardworking ever since she came to follow her, so Yan Qingqing was willing to say a few nice words to coax her.
Yan Qingqing asked about the situation at home during the few days she was away. After learning that everything was fine, she briefly recounted her achievements in the prefectural city, omitting the part about Miss Chen.
Then Yan Qingqing distributed the gifts she had bought in the provincial capital to the children. Each girl received a set of expensive jewelry, and each boy received a jade pendant with a wisteria flower design. Of course, there were other trinkets as well, but they were insignificant compared to these gifts.
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