The head steward couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Shut your mouth! The Lord only allowed you to make the bed in his sleeping quarters; he has never favored you."

"You've been deceiving people all along, and now you bring this disgrace upon yourself! The Marquis has already shown great mercy by sparing your life. Otherwise, they would have chopped off your head! Who would dare to stop them?!"

Yuxue was so frightened that she couldn't speak, she could only sob and whimper, regretting it to the point of her intestines turning green.

Had she known it would end this way, she would have gladly served those two bumpkins on her knees.

It's a shame, there is no medicine for regret in this world...

The old woman, leading her granddaughter by the hand, strolled around the mansion for about half an hour. They looked at various flowers and plants, and then sat in the pavilion to eat a few snacks. The head steward then personally came to invite them.

By this time, Yu Xue and the others had been beaten half to death and were dragged out to be sold.

There was no trace of them in the Hou residence anymore, as if they had never existed at all.

All the maidservants, female attendants, and little servants were respectful and obedient, bowing their heads and behaving themselves flawlessly.

Upon seeing the old woman and Jia Yin, everyone bowed, greeting them with, "Greetings, Miss, Greetings, Madame."

The old woman was a bit reserved, after all, this kind of atmosphere, she had never seen it before.

Jia Yin wasn't at all afraid. She raised her hand slightly and replied, "You may all stand up."

Her chubby little face was always smiling, with a row of white teeth showing, radiating joy.

Such a serious and cold expression truly exudes the majesty of someone in power.

The Lord, seeing her inside, couldn't help but chuckle. He bent down and scooped her up, poking her chubby little face and asking, "How is it, is the Marquis's residence fun?"

"Little Fu shook her head, "Foster father, our home is still more fun. There are too many houses here, no hot springs, no mountains."

The Lord not only didn't get angry, but instead smiled helplessly and indulgently, "You, you are a wild girl, still like to run around the manor, aren't you?"

"Mmm!" Jiayin nodded and hugged the marquis's neck, "Father, let's go home. My brothers are waiting for me to bring them delicious food."

The old woman was also thinking about her family, “These two mischievous boys, Jia'an and Jiaxi, I wonder where they went with their cat?”

The Lord asked the head steward, "Are all things packed?"

"Everything is ready, Master." The steward quickly replied, "We've prepared food and packed an extra carriage. We'll send it to the estate with you in a while. The children have had snacks and sweets, so they are satisfied too."

The Lord nodded, "Good, you've worked hard. If there's something in the manor, send someone to report it to the estate."

"Yes, Master Hou," the steward replied. Jia Yin waved her hand, warmly inviting him, "Uncle Steward, whenever you come to Fu Niu's house, Fu Niu will have Mama cook some delicious food for you!"

"Good, thank you, Miss." The head butler's face bloomed into a smile as he hurriedly replied, "Another time, I will certainly go to kowtow to the young lady."

Soon, everyone got into the carriages. Ye Shan still drove the carriage in front, followed by two small stewards in another carriage.

Twenty guards rode on horseback, and they returned to Suijin Beach in a grand procession.

In the Suijin Beach, everything remained as usual. The Onsen Valley was still bustling with people coming and going.

And most of the villagers gathered not far from the village entrance, busy building a school.

Bricks, tiles, stones, and lumber have all been prepared long ago. Due to the delay caused by the autumn harvest, construction has only just begun now.

Many hands make light work. Working together, they finished the task very quickly.

This morning, there was only the foundation. In just half a day, the walls had already been stacked up to a person's height.

Meow-ge'er had originally been following his father, and seeing the carriage return, he dashed forward and shouted loudly, "Grandma, little sister!"

The old woman got off the car, hugged her grandson and scolded him, "You're all dirty! Have you been naughty again? Did you have lunch?"

Little Meow quickly replied, "Yes, Grandma. Fourth Uncle brought it back from the mountains for me and Father to eat. I saw Father eat medicine too."

"Our little Meow is so helpful, already able to help Grandma with chores," the old woman said, stroking her grandson's hair. Thinking back to Wang E's demeanor, she felt an immense sense of relief in her heart.

Fortunately, Sun Zi has returned to the Li family. If he had grown up under Wang E's care, who knows what he would have become like.

Li Zhensheng also walked forward and bowed to the Marquis.

The family slowly returned to the courtyard. Mao Ge'er and Jia Yin carried a large box of snacks and ran back to the schoolyard to share them with their friends.

When Li Lao Tai saw so many silks being carried off the carriage, she said to Dong Mei who was helping, "Is this Lord Hou bringing all of the Hou Mansion's storeroom with him? I thought he only brought some food, there are so many precious things!"

<<< Dongmei had just spoken a few words with Yemou, learning about what happened at the Hou's mansion. She now advised: “Old Madam, you should just put your mind at ease. Now that Fu Niu is the eldest Miss of the Hou's mansion, she will likely have to go out with the Marquis in the future. It wouldn’t do to let people say that the Marquis is stingy and won't even give his daughter a few sets of clothes, would it?”

"Oh, you're right!" The old woman patted her forehead. "I'm getting so old and forgetful! I completely forgot about this. Well, let's cut out two sets later. We can sew them when we have time. Fu Niu is running wild at home, a simple cotton dress will do. But she needs to be dressed up nicely when going out."

When everything was unloaded, the old woman personally took out two silver coins and rewarded the young steward who had come along.

The two junior staff members wouldn't dare to ask, but the old lady insisted on giving. In the end, they not only received the silver, but each was also given a big, bright red apple...

At dusk, families all over ended their busy day and went home to eat dinner and chat.

The old woman and Tao Hongying were mending clothes by lamplight, listening to the men talking about school and the valley.

Jia Yin jumped down from the bed and said in a sweet voice, "Grandma, I'm going to sleep with my godfather tonight."

The old woman’s needle almost poked her flesh, and she quickly asked, “Why? Why didn't you sleep with grandma?”

Jiayin put on her chubby hands, "Grandma still has cats and brother, but stepfather only has himself. Funiu goes to accompany the stepfather."

"This child, he knows a lot of great principles, and he even knows how to feel for others."

The old woman scolded, but didn't stop him either. "Go ahead, but don't cause trouble for your godfather, understand?"

"Okay, Grandma, don't miss me too much. I'll be back at dawn." Jia Yin planted a big kiss on the old woman's cheek and then kissed her mother before skipping merrily next door.

Li Laosì was uneasy and chased after her, scooping up his daughter and putting her on his shoulder. He carried her out the door.

Li Zhensheng saw that his mother had been off since earlier, so he inquired about the matter at Houfu.

The old woman thought for a moment, then told him how the maidservants of Hou Mansion looked down upon her and her grandson, how the Lord Hou punished them, and how he made all the servants in the mansion acknowledge their master.

Li Zhensheng and Li Lao'er both had grim expressions. Although the Marquis had taken care of the situation, their mother and niece being so humiliated still made them clench their fists in anger.

The two brothers looked at each other, though they didn't speak, the guilt in their hearts was the same.

The old woman knew her sons best, seeing their expressions she said, “Don’t overthink things, our family are just ordinary farmers, how could everything always go smoothly? Things are already pretty good now, some things you can't rush, take it slow...”