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

The others also felt that Song Yanyan's words made sense, nodding in agreement and saying, "That's right, that's right, Song Laosan's wife, people are just worried about your daughter. How can you talk like that?"

"That's right. No matter what, Tian is still your second sister-in-law. You shouldn't have done this."

Everyone sided with Tian Denghua, which angered Zhao Laidi so much that her expression froze, and she didn't want to say anything polite anymore!

Song Laosan's neighbor also came out to join in the fun after hearing the commotion. He glanced at Zhao Laidi and said, "I think I heard the mother and daughter arguing this afternoon. But I only overheard it and didn't hear it very clearly."

Zhao Laidi became nervous.

"You, you're talking nonsense! My daughter and I just had a little argument..." Zhao Laidi was clearly putting on a fierce front but was actually quite weak.

Originally, her neighbor was just there to join in the fun, but Zhao Laidi tried to take the initiative and even dared to say that she was talking nonsense—the neighbor and Zhao Laidi didn't get along well, she was a shrew and had always looked down on Zhao Laidi.

Previously, when Song Yanyan and Song Xingming came to deliver food to Old Madam Song on New Year's Eve, and Zhao Laidi refused to open the door, it was she who stood up for the brother and sister and scolded Zhao Laidi with her hands on her hips.

The neighbor, no longer caring about the details, sneered and brought it all up: "Stop pretending! I was just being polite in front of everyone. I heard you say that your daughter finally found a good match with a young man from the county, and now you're planning to ask him for twenty taels of silver as a betrothal gift!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

Tian Denghua couldn't help but think of the ten taels of silver her resentful second son had given her, and her face immediately fell.

Sun Xiangmei had a good relationship with her, so she didn't go around telling everyone about how the Zhai family dared to ask for ten taels of silver and also wanted Song Yanyan to marry Zhai Yongnan in exchange for a marriage.

But who would have thought that, coincidentally, Zhao Laidi would also dare to ask for a dowry of twenty taels of silver for Song Pan'er's marriage?

The neighbor sneered:

"Twenty taels of betrothal money! I heard it all. Your daughter got really angry and questioned you, asking how much dowry you had prepared for her if you dared to ask for twenty taels of silver as a betrothal money. What did you say again? You scolded your daughter for siding with her husband's family before she was even married, saying that the twenty taels were all left to your family's Chengzong, so she wouldn't even think about getting a single penny!"

The villagers around started gossiping about it.

The Song family really dares to ask for it!

That's twenty taels!

Even more outrageous is that Song Laosan's family demanded twenty taels of silver from the young man's family, but they didn't intend to prepare a single penny of dowry for their daughter!

Is this a case of taking the betrothal money and then ignoring the daughter's well-being in her husband's family?

Zhao Laidi's face was also very ugly. She was furious and trembling all over. If she hadn't been stopped by others, she would have rushed up to fight Zhu Qiaolan: "Zhu Qiaolan! I'll tear your mouth apart! How much dowry my family asks for is my daughter's business. What does it have to do with you!"

Neighbor Zhu Qiaolan sneered and glared back defiantly: "It's none of my business, but your daughter ran away because of your twenty taels of silver dowry! Everyone's in this cold weather, coming into the mountains to help you look for your daughter, and you're still here talking nonsense!"

Zhao Laidi was furious, but she couldn't refute Zhu Qiaolan, so she could only clutch her chest and wail, "My heartless daughter, look at her, look at her, how much suffering you've caused your mother..."

Then everyone remembered Song Pan'er, who had not yet been found, and they didn't know what to say anymore.

Another hour passed, and the teams that had gone into the mountains gradually returned.

Song Pan'er could not be found.

Zhao Laidi's face turned truly pale. She couldn't even cry anymore, clutching her clothes and struggling to breathe.

It's so late, and Song Pan'er still hasn't returned. Could something have really happened to her?

As a mother, she only wanted to exchange her daughter for a dowry of twenty taels of silver, but she never thought that something would really happen to her daughter!

Tian Denghua didn't look too good either, and she took her son and daughter home.

Qi Lian brewed a hot bowl of ginger soup at home and invited Song Risheng and Song Yueping to have a bowl each.

Song Yanyan whispered, "...Mother, I think, judging from my cousin Pan'er's temperament, she's very likely to have gone to the county to find the young man she was supposed to meet."

Tian Denghua was taken aback: "The county?"

She felt that her daughter's words made some sense, nodded, and muttered to herself, "Yes, yes, she must have gone to the county."

Tian Denghua, still worried, became somewhat angry: "Your cousin Pan'er is such a worry! Doesn't she have any self-awareness? No matter how angry she is with her mother, she can't risk her reputation like this! It's so late and she's still not back, what is she trying to do!"

Tian Denghua grew angrier the more she thought about it.

She was genuinely worried about Song Pan'er's safety, and also, if something bad happened to Song Pan'er, it would inevitably affect Yan Yan's reputation.

Although Song Yanyan often got hit with a rolling pin, Tian Denghua was the one who doted on her the most in the family.

The thought of her Yan Yan being dragged into Song Pan'er's mess without doing anything wrong made Tian Denghua extremely anxious, and she didn't sleep well all night.

Fortunately, Song Pan'er was brought back early the next morning.

Song Yanyan and her family had just finished breakfast when they heard a commotion outside. Song Yanyan, who couldn't hide her curiosity, ran out to see what was going on, still holding a steamed bun in her hand.

Tian Denghua hadn't slept well all night and didn't have the energy to deal with Song Yanyan right now. She just cursed Song Yanyan, saying she had thorns on her butt and couldn't sit still.

Not long after, Song Yanyan ran back to her mother with a look of surprise and reported: "Mother, Mother, don't worry! Song Pan'er is back! She's fine, and she was brought back by Xie... you know, that official who came to our house for water last time!"

Now it's Tian Denghua's turn to be restless because of the thorns growing on her butt.

She hurriedly ran out to see what was going on.

Song Yanyan also ran out.

The mother and daughter ran together towards Song Laosan's house.

In front of Song Laosan's house, Xie Youchang's carriage was parked. Zhao Laidi was crying and hitting Song Pan'er at the gate: "You wretched child, where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Song Pan'er dodged repeatedly, crying out urgently, "Mother! Stop hitting me! The master is still here..."

When Song Pan'er called out these words, her cheeks flushed, and she looked shy and timid. Zhao Laidi, who had also been a young girl, felt a pang of unease when she saw her daughter's appearance.

Grandma Song pushed the mother and daughter aside, grinning from ear to ear with her missing tooth.

"My esteemed guest, my granddaughter is so grateful for your care!" Old Mrs. Song's voice was so loud that it seemed everyone within a ten-mile radius could hear her exaggerated tone.

Xie Youchang was wearing a black official robe today. Although it was the same color as his colleagues' robes, it made him look exceptionally tall and handsome.

Xie Youchang said, "Old man, you're too kind..."

Before he could finish speaking, Old Mrs. Song excitedly interrupted him, "Our granddaughter didn't come home all night. Is she at your residence? Then, this, this..."

For a moment, Old Madam Song, Zhao Laidi, and even Song Pan'er all looked at Xie Youchang with great anticipation.

Xie Youchang understood the unspoken meaning behind the words of the old lady Song.

He found it utterly absurd, and even felt a bit offended and annoyed—what did these country women take him for!