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

Xie Youchang said coldly, "Last night, the young lady of your household was unable to leave the county town and caused a scene at the county gate, so she was sent to the county government office. The inspector took pity on her as a lone woman and allowed her to stay overnight at the county government office. I was merely passing through Zhaoyou Village on official business today and gave her a ride. I really don't know where the old lady got these words from!"

Xie Youchang was inherently proud and arrogant. When she spoke with a cold face, even the unreasonable and argumentative Old Madam Song dared not pester her any further.

Grandma Song could only smile apologetically and said, "I see, I see. Please don't be offended, sir. It's just that there are too many gossips in the countryside. Everyone saw you take my granddaughter home. If I didn't ask in front of everyone, it would be bad if people started talking about it again."

Xie Youchang said coldly, "If anyone is gossiping, just tell them to go to the yamen and ask them!"

Grandma Song nodded and dared not bring it up again.

Xie Youchang was about to leave when Song Pan'er became anxious: "My benefactor...why don't you come to my house for a cup of tea before you go?"

Xie Youchang declined indifferently: "No need. I have official duties to attend to."

Song Pan'er looked somewhat dejected.

Xie Youchang pretended not to see it and turned to get into the carriage.

Turning around, I saw Song Yanyan and her mother, Tian Denghua, eating melons in the crowd.

Xie Youchang: "..."

Wait, why does Song Yanyan love to join in the fun so much?!

Song Yanyan smiled and pretended not to know Xie Youchang.

Xie Youchang felt inexplicably annoyed, his face grew colder, and he turned and left.

Tian Denghua also secretly complained to Song Yanyan, "That official has such a handsome face, how come it's as black as the bottom of a pot?"

Song Yanyan shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

As soon as Xie Youchang, this "nobleman" dressed in official robes, left, the villagers who had come to watch the spectacle became lively and gathered around to ask what had happened.

Song Yanyan was still somewhat lost, but everyone around her was asking her all sorts of questions, and she experienced what it meant to be the center of attention. Her face lit up again.

"Oh my, Pan'er, you're living in the county government office now? What's it like living in the county government office?"

"Hmph, you guys definitely haven't stayed there. The county government office is so clean and beautiful, and I've never seen any of the furnishings before. Even the bedding smells wonderful!"

"And what about that inspector? Have you seen him?"

Song Yanyan also asked a question with great interest.

Upon seeing that it was Song Yanyan, Song Pan'er's lips curled up even higher: "Of course I've met her! The Inspector is a high-ranking official from the capital! You'd never see him in your entire life!"

Song Pan'er made a big splash.

Grandma Song and Zhao Laidi seemed to have forgotten what happened before, and the whole family looked at Song Pan'er, who was beaming with pride in the crowd.

Until someone asked quietly, "By the way, Pan'er, everyone was looking for you all night yesterday. What did you do in the county town?"

Song Pan'er froze instantly.

She stammered, "I... I'm going to the county to clear my head, is that not allowed..."

No one called her out on it.

Song Pan'er seemed to remember something, her face turned ugly, and she turned away, saying, "I'm not talking about it anymore! I'm going back to rest!"

She strode into her own yard.

Zhao Laidi raised her voice, addressing the villagers who were watching the commotion: "You all heard it just now, our Pan'er was at the county government yesterday, not some shady place! If you go around spreading rumors, don't blame me for not showing any brotherhood!"

"Alright, alright, what do you take us for! Just make sure your daughter comes back safely, who has time to gossip about her!"

The villagers scattered in all directions.

Tian Denghua went home with Song Yanyan. Not long after, Li Xiuli came looking for Tian Denghua. The two chatted amongst themselves, not bothering to hide it from Song Yanyan.

"...Song Laosan's family really asked for twenty taels of silver?"

"Of course it's true! That family even went to my brother-in-law to ask him if this was the standard rate in our Zhaoyou Village. My brother-in-law was completely baffled!"

"So what happened next?"

"What else can we say? The young man from the county was so eager to ride away that very night. His family said that it wasn't that they couldn't come up with twenty taels of silver, but the woman's family was so unreliable, daring to ask for twenty taels of silver without any conditions. If they got married, there would definitely be other troubles. They didn't dare to talk about it anymore."

Tian Denghua couldn't help but think of her own ten taels of silver.

To be honest, if the other party really wanted twenty taels, she might have gritted her teeth and agreed. After all, it wasn't easy for Zhai's mother, a widow, to raise her daughter alone, so she could barely accept if the other party wanted more money to support herself.

But the Zhai family not only wanted ten taels of silver, they also wanted a marriage alliance!

And she even wants her precious daughter to marry him!

This was practically a slap in the face for Tian Denghua!

Even now, Tian Denghua still feels somewhat indignant about it.

Tian Denghua and Li Xiuli cracked melon seeds and chatted about other gossip for a while.

Song Yanyan listened for a while, but got a little tired of it and went out to play.

……

As soon as Song Pan'er entered the house, Zhao Laidi pinched her ear: "Song Pan'er! You've got some nerve! Daring to run away from home?!"

Song Pan'er couldn't dodge in time and cried out in pain, "No, no, no!"

Song Chengzong added fuel to the fire, saying, "Mother, you'd better not hit her. She ran away after you only said a few words to her. If you hit her now, she might come back and make a scene and threaten to hang herself."

Zhao Laidi's anger flared up, and she slapped Song Pan'er twice across the face with both hands before she felt relieved: "You little bitch!"

Song Pan'er's face instantly turned red and swollen, and she covered her face and cried.

Grandma Song looked disapproving: "That's enough, stop hitting him, be careful with Pan'er's face! Look at that official, he's come to our house twice, he must be destined to be with our family—in my opinion, this might be a great fortune for our family."

Zhao Laidi hadn't reacted yet: "Fortune? What fortune?"

Grandma Song thought Zhao Laidi was incredibly stupid.

That stupid woman is not worthy of her youngest son at all!

But what can you do when your youngest son likes her? Sigh!

Old Mrs. Song snorted coldly, heartbroken and indignant: "And you call yourself Pan'er's mother! Look at Pan'er's face! ... I'm not bragging, but when I was young, I was a famous beauty for miles around! My youngest son is the one who looks most like me out of my three sons and two daughters, Chengzong looks most like him, and then there's Pan'er, who has inherited some of my youthful beauty! Do you think that official was so kind as to send Pan'er back?!"

Grandma Song concluded unequivocally, "He definitely has feelings for Pan'er!"

Song Pan'er's already swollen face became even more flushed.

Zhao Laidi frowned.

Grandma Song waved her hand: "Don't be so short-sighted! That official came from the capital with that inspector, and that's the capital! If our Pan'er goes with him, let alone becoming his wife, even if she becomes a concubine, our family will be set for life! Then, Chengzong's future will be guaranteed!"