Zhang Mei raised her head and said, "Mother, can I call myself Song Mei from now on?"
Song Anxin said, "Of course! From now on, you will take your mother's surname and be called Song Mei."
She turned to the villagers and said, "Everyone! Did you hear that? From now on, my daughter-in-law's name is Song Mei."
Seeing that Zhang Mei was alright, the onlookers smiled and said, "Great! Song Mei's voice is so beautiful."
"That's right, Song Mei sounds much better than Zhang Mei."
Immediately, everyone joined in the conversation with ease. Some children, not understanding what was going on, clamored that they wanted to change their surnames too, only to be beaten up by their parents.
The farce at Song Anxin's house was over, and the villagers all went back to their own work. There was so much for them to talk about after lunch that morning: the county magistrate, the rewards that Aunt Lin's family received, the Zhang family, Lin Gangzi, and Zhang Mei—oh no, she should be called Song Mei now.
Meanwhile, at Song Anxin's home...
After everything was settled, Song Anxin was sitting in her courtyard drinking tea with the county magistrate and Master Fan. It was Uncle Bai's tea. Song Anxin thought that now that she suddenly had so much money, she should buy some tea. Otherwise, it wouldn't be good to keep relying on Uncle Bai.
She originally wanted to call Uncle Bai over, but Uncle Bai said there was nothing interesting about that kid. Song Anxin was immediately speechless. This was completely disregarding her as an outsider. She was really curious about the relationship between Uncle Bai and Magistrate Yan.
The magistrate of Yan County, dressed in his official robes, sat beside her, which made Song Anxin feel a little uncomfortable. But when he spoke to her in his usual tone, Song Anxin felt more at ease.
“Ever since my sister-in-law had Uncle Bai present the waterwheel to me, I have been wanting to talk to her, but I have been busy with official business and haven’t had the chance. Now that the imperial reward has been given, I finally have the time,” Yan Shuping said.
Song Anxin said, "Thank you for coming here to reward me, sir. You can come and discuss the waterwheel with me at any time. I also have something to ask for."
Song Anxin was not flustered at all when she said this. She thought that Uncle Bai had already told her that since everyone had something to ask of each other, wouldn't it be better to be more open?
Master Fan, sitting to the side, even trembled slightly. This second sister-in-law of the Lin family really has a lot of courage!
"Hahaha, my sister-in-law is indeed very magnanimous. Don't worry, my sister-in-law, the court is really too stingy. They're just trying to fool you with a mere eight hundred taels of silver. I wonder how much money the court has made from those two items of yours. They haven't even given you a single official position. These old stubborn people." Yan Shuping said without any restraint.
Master Fan anxiously said from the side, "Sir, be careful what you say!"
Yan Shuping didn't care at all: "There are no outsiders here, what are you afraid of? I've scolded them quite a bit before. What can they do to me in this remote mountain area? Master, just relax. They'd be happy to see me like this."
Yan Shuping's lips curled into a faint smile.
Master Fan couldn't do anything with him. This man could be reckless one moment and calm and collected the next; he really couldn't figure him out.
Song Anxin: "......" I'm an outsider!! If you offend someone, don't drag me into it, okay?
And you actually said eight hundred taels is stingy? Fine, I guess I was just ignorant.
Although she was internally grumbling, she remained outwardly calm: "Then I thank you, Magistrate. I only wish to find a safe place to live and protect myself."
Yan Shuping looked at her with a smile and said, "Sister-in-law, just wait here. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now. If you ever think of anything new or interesting about that book again, be sure to report it to me immediately."
This Sister-in-law Lin really did a lot for him. Especially the waterwheel blueprints she presented, which were simply an exquisite water conservancy project.
It is important to know that water conservancy has always been a top priority in every dynasty since ancient times. There are also departments and officials in the court who are in charge of this matter. If this research is successful, his achievements will be greatly recorded, and his return to the capital will be just around the corner.
She had something to ask for, and he had something to ask for; it was a mutually beneficial relationship, which was good.
Song Anxin thought to herself, "This must be the magistrate's real purpose in coming here. It seems I need to think more carefully about what else I can think of that can contribute to the country."
The Song family saw off the magistrate and his entourage at the door. Song Anxin felt relieved. This Magistrate Yan had been demoted from the capital, so he must have connections there. With his help, she had a good chance of getting the title of Lady.
Song Anxin's family had a very exciting morning. After lunch, everyone relaxed and took a nap.
Song Anxin slept very soundly, mainly because the cooler weather made it easier to sleep. Around 3:30 PM, she slowly woke up and, seeing the setting sun slanting in the west, jumped up in surprise. Opening the door, she went to the main room and saw Mei Zifeng and several others packaging marinated delicacies. She said:
"I slept so late, why didn't you wake me up? Mother had to get up to help, didn't she?"
Song Mei, who had just received her new name, said, "Mother, we thought it was okay since you were sleeping so soundly, so the rest of us could too."
The younger children all told her to rest well, and that they could do the work.
Song Anxin looked at Zhang Mei, or rather, Song Mei now. Zhang Mei's expression was relaxed, and apart from her slightly swollen eyes, there were no visible signs of injury.
Song Anxin thought that she must have let go, let go of the harm that her family of origin had caused her.
Song Anxin didn't say much, and sat down to help them pack the items. Although her family now had a huge sum of eight hundred taels of silver, life still had to keep improving.
In the evening, he heard from the villagers that Lin Gangzi had returned, but left again shortly afterward. After an investigation, the county authorities found no evidence to prove that Lin Gangzi was the mastermind, so they released him.
However, some villagers still pointed fingers at him. He probably couldn't stand that the country bumpkins he looked down on could criticize him, so he packed his things and left Linjia Village immediately.
Zhang's parents were each given several lashes and then released, while Zhao's wife also received several lashes. The county officials made them sign a document stating that if they continued to harass the Lin family, they would be imprisoned and forced to do hard labor.
Song Anxin knew that the county magistrate was preventing any future trouble for their family. Meanwhile, Zhang Daniu's crimes were confirmed, and he was exiled to the harsh borderlands.
After Song Anxin's family found out.
Lin Fengshou said, "It's outrageous that Lin Gangzi got away like that! I was even thinking of dressing up as a ghost and beating him up tonight!"
Song Anxin didn't speak. He had originally wanted to teach Lin Gangzi a lesson, but now that Lin Gangzi was no longer in Linjia Village, he probably posed no threat to their family. He then thought of Aunt Tietou and said:
"Let him go, as long as he doesn't show up in front of us again."
Zhang Mei's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and she said nothing. In her heart, these people were already dead.
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