The Ye family of Shigong City and the Zhong family of Huaizhou City faced similar predicaments as the Yu family.
Having received the information, the head of the Zhong family was pacing back and forth in the council hall in agitation. "Mr. He, do you think it's feasible for us to befriend Longtan?"
"This..." Mr. He was somewhat speechless.
He wasn't sure about these things, after all, they had once instigated the Chi'an bandits to try and take Longtan.
Zhong's eldest son believes that there is nothing that cannot be cooperated with if there is mutual benefit. "Dad, what are you afraid of? We are sincere in cooperating with them this time. I don't believe they will not be tempted by the benefits."
Mr. He rolled his eyes. Last time you really wanted someone to die, but he didn't dare say it out loud.
Aside from suffering losses at the hands of the Yu family, the head of the Zhong family had never been in such a predicament in recent years.
One of the stewards shifted the blame onto the two guards.
"It's all Ah San's and Feng Shan's fault. They didn't explain things clearly when they came back. I guess Long Tan asked them to bring things because he wanted to cooperate with the master. But they ran away, so Long Tan cooperated with Chen Xianming."
The steward's words only made things worse, as they caused the Zhong family head even more distress. Why couldn't he produce a capable person under his command?
"Mr. He, what do you think?" The head of the Zhong family looked at Mr. He expectantly, waiting for him to offer advice.
Mr. He stroked his beard and pondered, "The only solution now is to go to Patriarch Chen. He has a good relationship with Longtan. Let him put in a good word for us and introduce us to the Lord of Longtan City."
"Yes! Yes! Butler, go and prepare the car immediately, and also prepare a generous gift. I will personally pay a visit to that old scoundrel Chen Xianming."
"yes!"
The steward accepted the order and left without daring to delay for even a moment.
Seeing Feng Shan and A San standing outside the courtyard, he couldn't help but scold them a few times.
Feng Shan was speechless after being scolded. It was indeed their fault for causing such a big problem for the family head.
He was furious, so after finishing his shift, he asked the supervisor for a few days off.
Back at their lodgings, Ah San asked in confusion, "Brother Shan, why did you suddenly ask for leave?"
As Feng Shan packed his luggage, he said, "I caused this trouble, and I will personally go to Longtan to beg for their forgiveness."
"Brother Shan, is this going to do any good? Do you think Longtan will forgive us so easily?" Although Ah San was a bit slow, he wasn't stupid.
"Whether I forgive or not, I have a clear conscience."
As he spoke, Feng Shan tied the bundle behind his back, slung it over his shoulder, and strode out the door.
Ah San thought that Feng San was smarter than him, and that following in his footsteps would be the right thing to do, so he hastily tied a bundle together and chased after him.
"Brother Shan, wait for me!"
Inside the Longtan County government office, everything is progressing smoothly.
Lin Yinan finished reading the letter and handed it to Yun Mo. Yun Si sent a message saying that the Yu family head had vomited blood and fainted again upon hearing the news, and that Yu Qiutao had given birth to a daughter.
"Things in Nanzhou Prefecture are progressing smoothly. It seems that Xihe County has attracted all attention, and Yu Shida may once again gather a large army to attack."
Yun Mo put the letter away. "It's alright. I believe my second brother has received the letter as well."
"A batch of medicinal herbs will be delivered in the next couple of days. We'll also take the weapons that Yun Er has finished making with us."
"Okay, leave it to me."
The two walked out of the county government office, and Shanque brought Dali over, now wearing her patched cotton-padded jacket.
"Lord of the City, I have come to bid you farewell. I am returning to Chi'an."
Lin Yinan looked at her, a gentle smile appearing in his eyes, "Don't you want to stay a couple more days?"
The titmouse shook her head. "No, if I don't go back soon, my parents will worry."
"Mountain Sparrow is such a sensible and good child!" Lin Yinan said, patting her head.
The titmouse pouted and huffed, "I'm eleven years old, not a child anymore."
“Yes, she’s a big girl,” Lin Yinan said, going along with her words. “Would you like to ride a horse? I’ll have someone take you home.”
The titmouse nodded vigorously, "Yes! I've never ridden a horse before."
Just then, Qianwu caught up with a bundle in her arms, "Mountain Sparrow, you're running so fast."
As she spoke, she stuffed the bundle in her hand into Shan Que's arms, but Shan Que quickly refused, saying, "Sister Qianxia, I can't take the clothes. My cotton-padded coat has already been mended."
"Take it, consider it a reward for bringing you the news. If you don't accept it, I won't let Qianwu ride you back on horseback," Lin Yinan said with a smile.
Qianwu was skilled in martial arts and had also learned riding and archery well. Upon hearing this, she said, "Then I'll go get the horse now."
"Sister Qianwu, let's go together." Shanque quickly followed with Dali.
Watching the two people and the dog walk away, Lin Yinan said, "Once things settle down, it will be almost time for spring planting. I'll go to Chi'an."
"What will happen to Nineteen if you leave?" Yun Mo frowned.
"I plan to wean her in the next few days. My mother says she can already eat rice porridge."
As the two were talking, Lin Yi'an came running over like a gust of wind.
"Sister, go and see! Brother Yunzhi has made paper!"
Lin Yinan was stunned for a moment before she realized what had happened; she had almost forgotten about it. "They really made paper?"
"Why would I lie to you? Go and see for yourself." Lin Yi'an said, panting heavily as he ran.
Lin Yinan turned to look at Yun Mo, "Are you going?"
Yun Mo thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, I still need to go up the mountain."
Although he didn't like his wife contacting her ex-fiancé, he couldn't keep following her around like a thief every time, lest he become a laughingstock.
"Go home early after you finish reading, or Nineteen will be crying and looking for you again." He came up with a perfect excuse to remind her.
Lin Yinan chuckled, knowing perfectly well what he was thinking. "Okay."
Afterwards, she followed Lin Yi'an to the house where Su Yunzhi was conducting experiments. The yard was filled with various tools.
Master Dao, Zhou Linzhao, and the children who were on holiday all gathered in the courtyard, chattering away.
Seeing her come in, Master Dao held up a sheet of Xuan paper and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Anan, come here and come and see the Xuan paper that Yunzhi made from sugarcane residue."
Lin Yinan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, a smile on her face, and stepped forward to take the Xuan paper from Dao Fuzi's hand and examine it carefully.
"I didn't expect you to actually make it, and the quality is really good!" she praised without reservation.
Su Yunzhi looked at her, his face beaming, his eyes clear and gentle. Hearing her praise him like that, he felt a little embarrassed.
Hu Shao quickly stepped forward to introduce, "Sister, we made this after several trials. Look at my hands, they're swollen from crushing sugarcane pulp."
Master Dao stroked his sparse, graying beard and said, “It’s really not easy. Not only do you have to pound the sugarcane pulp into a paste, but you also have to try many times. Just mixing the pulp takes a lot of effort. Then the thickness and quality of the Xuan paper depend entirely on this special technique of soaking and lifting. The angle, speed, and height of lifting the screen must be just right. Too much and it will be too thick, too little and it will be too thin. If you make a slight mistake, you have to start all over again.”
With Master Dao's explanation, Su Yunzhi recalled each step of the process to achieve success.
I never would have guessed that Su Yunzhi was a technical researcher in addition to studying. Perhaps he is more suited to technical research work?
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