After hearing Jiang Yuwei's instructions, everyone lost their appetite and quickly ate the wontons in their bowls before going home to prepare.
Just as Liu got up to leave, Jiang Yuwei grabbed her hand and said:
“Mrs. Liu, things are too chaotic outside right now, and I’m worried about you and your child living alone in the old house. Why don’t you stay in the courtyard tonight? There are empty rooms here anyway. Let Gou Dan stay in the idiot’s room for now, and when the idiot comes back, we can let the two of them share a room.”
Then Jiang Yuwei pointed to another room and said:
“I originally planned to convert this room into a study for Zhao’er, but I’m not going to think about that now. You can stay here for now. It’s dark now, so there’s no need to go back. Tomorrow morning, take Gou Dan back to pack your things and move here. We’ll talk about it after this storm passes.”
Liu was already panicked after hearing Jiang Yuwei's words. She didn't even have a man in her house, and if bandits really came, she would be powerless to resist. She never expected that Jiang Yuwei had also made plans for her. So, she was grateful and pretended to pull Gou Dan to kneel down before Jiang Yuwei.
Fortunately, Jiang Yuwei reacted quickly and caught Liu Shi.
"What are you doing? Get up quickly."
With red eyes, Liu said:
"Yuwei, I will never forget your kindness. You helped me when I was in the most difficult time. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it this far. Don't worry, I will listen to you from now on. I will do whatever you say. My dog, Gou Dan, will do the same."
As Liu spoke, she patted Gou Dan on the head, and Gou Dan nodded hurriedly in acknowledgment:
"Aunt Yuwei, I'll listen to you too!"
Jiang Yuwei burst out laughing when she saw the two of them like this:
"Alright, stop with the nonsense. You guys go back inside and tidy up. We still need to dig a tunnel in the backyard later."
Upon hearing this, Gou Dan scratched his head and said:
"Aunt Yuwei, what does 'authentic' mean?"
Jiang Yuwei patted Gou Dan's head and smiled:
You'll find out in a moment.
After settling Liu and her son in, Jiang Yuwei went to the backyard to find Ning Daya.
"Da Ya, given the current situation, we might have to flee at any time. I'm most worried about you here. If one day we are forced to move our whole family, would you be willing to come with us?"
Upon hearing this, Daya rushed forward, grabbed Jiang Yuwei's hand, and cried:
“Sister Yuwei, wherever you go, I will go. I am willing to be your long-term servant for life and follow you. I just beg you not to throw me into that den of wolves again.”
Jiang Yuwei looked at Ning Daya with pity and said:
“Da Ya, I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time. If you want to come with us, I might as well go directly to your grandmother and tell her that I want to buy you. Otherwise, if your grandmother says that I kidnapped her child, it will be very troublesome to explain later. I’m afraid I can’t bear such a crime.”
Upon hearing this, Ning Daya quickly said, her eyes reddening:
"I... I really don't know how to thank you, Sister Yuwei. You've been so good to me. I'm willing to follow you around from now on and do anything for you!"
Seeing Ning Daya's red eyes, Jiang Yuwei patted her hand tenderly and smiled:
"Alright, stop talking nonsense. We have cows at home, so you don't need to be my slave. Go and get ready and come out to dig the tunnel with us."
Ning Daya nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Jiang Yuwei went out again and closed the gates to the front and back yards. Then she went to the front yard to check if the crossbow mechanism she had made that afternoon was working properly. After everything was done, Jiang Yuwei called everyone into the yard.
"Huaizhi, you and Ningwan are in charge of carrying lanterns for us. Liu, Daya, and Gou Dan, the four of us will dig the tunnel according to the blueprints I drew. If we don't finish digging tonight, we'll continue digging tomorrow. This tunnel will be our escape route in the future, so we must hurry up and finish it to avoid any emergencies."
Following Jiang Yuwei's instructions, everyone went to the backyard to dig tunnels. Jiang Yuwei had prepared several large pots of hot water in advance so that everyone could take a bath after finishing their work and sleep more comfortably. To help everyone relax, Jiang Yuwei also added a lot of spiritual spring water to the pots.
Jiang Yuwei thought it was time to give Ning Zhao a medicinal bath, so she first moved the bathtub into Ning Zhao's room. Seeing that Ning Zhao's spirits had recovered well, what made Jiang Yuwei most gratified was that Ning Zhao's fever had subsided and he hadn't become mentally impaired. He only needed to take another medicinal bath to consolidate the effect.
Seeing that Ning Zhao was already able to take care of herself, Jiang Yuwei let Ning Zhao take a bath by herself.
"Zhao'er, soak for a while, dry yourself off, and then quickly get into bed to warm up. Don't worry about the bathtub or anything else; I'll clean it up when I get back. This is honeysuckle water; drink plenty of it after your bath, and you'll feel better tomorrow."
Ning Zhao nodded obediently.
Jiang Yuwei went to the kitchen to add some wood to Ning Zhao's kang (heated brick bed), and then went to the backyard to dig a tunnel with Liu Shi and the others. They stayed up until midnight, and then Jiang Yuwei told everyone to fetch water to take a bath and go back to their rooms to sleep.
next day
Jiang Yuwei had just gotten up when she saw Ning Zhao practicing martial arts in the courtyard, so she smiled and said:
"Zhao'er, are you fully recovered? Make sure you're dressed warmly, so you don't sweat and catch a cold again."
Ning Zhao nodded and said:
"I feel completely recovered now, thanks to Mother's thoughtful care. Father has told me about the bandits. Now I need to practice my kung fu more so that I can protect Mother and Wan'er in the future."
Seeing Gou Dan come out of the side room, Jiang Yuwei quickly said to him:
"Dog Egg, go and learn a few life-saving skills from Ning Zhao. That way you can have some self-defense skills and protect your mother in the future."
Upon hearing this, Gou Dan happily stood behind Ning Zhao and followed her to practice her basic skills.
Jiang Yuwei prepared breakfast and then said to Ning Huaizhi:
"I won't go to the shop today. Put all the goods in the back warehouse there, then stop issuing new memberships. Just say that the membership quota is full right now, and you can apply again when it reopens."
Ning Huaizhi naturally knew Jiang Yuwei's plan, so he nodded in agreement. Seeing that the lotus flowers in the pond in the backyard had all bloomed, Jiang Yuwei called Liu Shi and Daya to the backyard to pick the lotus flowers and lotus seeds. She then went to the front yard to demonstrate to Ning Huaizhi how to wrap a lotus flower bouquet.
Jiang Yuwei thought that since the shop was open for business for one day, she should run it well, otherwise the money she spent on buying the shop would be wasted.
After giving instructions at the shop, Jiang Yuwei asked Liu to take Gou Dan and Ning Zhao to the old house to move, while she took Ning Daya to Granny Sun's house. As soon as they reached the gate, they saw Granny Sun throw a basin of dirty water outside.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei grabbed Ning Daya's hair and scolded Granny Sun with a fierce look on her face:
"You heartless old hag! You knew perfectly well that your granddaughter was a good-for-nothing who couldn't do anything right, yet you still sent her to work as a farmhand for me! And you even cheated me out of two taels of silver a year! I've sent her back to you! Give me my money back now!"
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