A lucky little peasant girl is reborn and brings prosperity to her entire family.

Song Yanyan was genuinely startled and nearly fell.

Xie Youchang even used the blade of his sword to touch Song Yanyan.

Song Yanyan was a polite person. After regaining her balance, she was about to say thank you when Xie Youchang's quiet remark almost made her fall again.

Xie Youchang said, "Song Yanyan, right? You were the one who slipped the note into the county government office yesterday, weren't you?"

Song Yanyan's eyes widened!

She realized almost instantly that Xie Youchang wasn't bluffing her.

He told her the result with great certainty.

Song Yanyan subconsciously looked around.

Fortunately, there was no one else at the foot of the mountain.

She took a deep breath.

Reporting a notorious thief isn't illegal or disorderly conduct, so she has nothing to be afraid of.

"How did you know?" This was the only thing Song Yanyan was curious about right now.

Since people had come to her door asking questions, they must have solid evidence. She was too lazy to argue with them anymore and decided to ask some key questions instead.

Xie Youchang chuckled.

He said with a hint of smugness, “When I got close to you yesterday, I smelled the cheap ink on you, just like the ink on that piece of paper… After I went back in the evening, I visited some people near the yamen and finally found one person who had seen a girl with a similar figure to you near the yamen in the early morning, dressed exactly like you yesterday.”

"..." Song Yanyan didn't expect it to be leaked in this way.

Does it smell like cheap ink?

Hmph! When she has money in the future, she'll buy her third brother the best writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones!

She's so angry!

Song Yanyan was a little angry and didn't want to talk anymore.

Xie Youchang asked seriously, "How did you know that the notorious bandit was hiding in that cave?"

Song Yanyan naturally couldn't tell Xie Youchang that she had dreamt about it.

Ha, I'm afraid it'll scare him to death if I tell you! She not only dreamed of the cave where the notorious bandit hid, but she also dreamed of him, the spirited youngest son of the Marquis of Changxin, who was actually just a fish in Luo Jinyu's fishpond!

“…I saw it when I went into the mountains to gather firewood. In a secluded cave in the shady side of Qishan Mountain, a wounded man with a knife and a fierce appearance went in. He looked like a desperate criminal.” Song Yanyan stated frankly, “Although it could also be just an innocent, injured civilian, I thought about it again and again. My home is at the foot of this mountain, and for the safety of my family, it’s better to be cautious. So I bravely went to report it.”

"Bravely report it?" Xie Youchang's expression was a little strange. "Then why are you acting like a thief, hiding and concealing yourself?"

He didn't even want to talk about that scribbled map!

Song Yanyan looked at him speechlessly: "Sir, my family is just an ordinary family. What if that notorious bandit escapes from your hands and finds out that I was the one who reported him, and then comes back to retaliate?"

Xie Youchang was speechless.

Song Yanyan laughed again, her eyes sparkling: "Sir, you are so young, and you are so kind as to ask me in private. I guess you won't tell that notorious bandit who reported him, right?"

Xie Youchang looked at Song Yanyan and raised an eyebrow.

She guessed correctly.

After he became suspicious of this young girl yesterday, he naturally went to investigate her thoroughly.

After realizing that Song Yanyan was indeed an honest local resident, Xie Youchang's wariness towards her completely subsided.

After hesitating, Xie Youchang decided to ask Song Yanyan privately.

I must say, that was a really good question.

That Song Yanyan is incredibly cunning.

If he hadn't been sensitive to other people's eyes and smells since childhood, he probably wouldn't have discovered by chance that Song Yanyan was the one who secretly slipped the note to him.

"Take it."

Xie Youchang casually tossed something towards Song Yanyan.

Song Yanyan caught it instinctively and found it was a sachet.

The sachet felt heavy in my hand, and it made a certain sound...

Song Yanyan's heart skipped a second as she untied the knot in the sachet.

Hey!

It was filled with lots of loose silver!

This bag must weigh at least ten ounces!

"That notorious bandit has a bounty," Xie Youchang said, then turned and left.

Clutching her money pouch, Song Yanyan called out to Xie Youchang's retreating figure, "My lord!"

Xie Youchang stopped and turned to look at her: "What is it?"

Song Yanyan asked him again to confirm, "Will you keep this a secret, sir?"

Xie Youchang almost laughed out of anger.

Is he really that untrustworthy?

He secretly asked her about it behind her back, and even took the initiative to pay the bounty for the notorious thief out of his own pocket!

Although this notorious bandit could be counted among his and his uncle's achievements, so this was not a loss for him... but no matter what, she shouldn't distrust him like this, right?

Perhaps sensing the accusation in Xie Youchang's eyes, Song Yanyan felt unusually guilty. She shuffled her toes on the ground and whispered, "No... this is a very important matter. I just... I just want to confirm with the adults again."

Xie Youchang was genuinely amused and exasperated: "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know!"

He turned and left!

I don't want to look at this ungrateful country girl again!

……

Song Yanyan quietly returned to the Song family home with a basket full of firewood on her back.

Tian Denghua was tending the fire and heating the oil, preparing to fry some tofu, dried fish, and other New Year's goods.

Song Yanyan shuffled in carrying a basket on her back and called out, "Mother."

Tian Denghua didn't even look up: "You're back? Go wash your hands, and come try the New Year's treats I just fried."

Song Yanyan chuckled and pulled the money bag, which was hidden deep inside her basket, out and presented it to Tian Denghua.

A money bag embroidered with cloud patterns suddenly appeared in front of Tian Denghua's eyes, and she hadn't even reacted yet.

"Where did this come from? Did you find it? This cloth looks very expensive." Tian Denghua hissed.

Song Yanyan whispered, "It was given to me by the official who questioned me yesterday."

Tian Denghua didn't react for a moment: "Did the official who questioned you yesterday drop it?"

Song Yanyan emphasized: "It's a gift!"

Upon hearing those two words, Tian Denghua jumped to her feet in excitement. Overwhelmed with emotion, she slammed the money pouch to the ground: "He...he really did have designs on you!"

"You, you actually accepted it!"

Song Yanyan was dumbfounded: "Mother, no, what are you talking about..."

Before Song Yanyan could finish speaking, she saw her mother raise a rolling pin to hit her!

Terrified, Song Yanyan covered her head and ran away, screaming, "Ahhh, Mother, let me explain! It's not what you think!"

After Song Yanyan finally managed to explain while fleeing that this was her legitimate income from reporting a notorious thief as a law-abiding citizen, Tian Denghua put away the rolling pin with some skepticism: "Really?"

“It really is, it’s more real than real gold.” Song Yanyan nodded vigorously.

Her mother is still got it! She wields the rolling pin with incredible speed and skill! It's terrifying!

As a result, Tian Denghua weighed the money bag in her hand, her expression changed again, and she raised the rolling pin again!

This time, Tian Denghua was trembling with anger: "With this amount of weight, that notorious bandit must be someone with a murder record! Song Yanyan, you really dare to do this!"

As Tian Denghua spoke, she grew angrier and swiftly grabbed Song Yanyan's arm and punched her twice with a rolling pin.

Song Yanyan was stunned.

It took Tian Denghua two blows for him to react before he let out a miserable howl.

After beating her, Tian Denghua felt a pang of regret and heartache. She threw down the rolling pin, hardened her face, took a deep breath, and scolded, "Song Yanyan, notorious bandits are no joke! Where did you get the guts?"