The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

Siqi followed behind, expressing her admiration for the prince's martial prowess all the way. The prince was truly amazing; only someone like him was worthy of their young lady's lifelong commitment.

Ning Yi also put aside his prejudice against the King of Chu at this moment. His young lady had a tragic fate since childhood. If she had a prince like him by her side to protect her, she would surely be happy in the second half of her life. A good person like his young lady deserves to be cherished and protected.

Soon, guided by Achen, they descended the mountain and returned to the place where Gu Qingwan and the others had initially started their ascent. Ning Yi raised his hand and whistled, and four horses slowly emerged from the woods.

Gu Qingwan breathed a sigh of relief. The horses hadn't run away or been led away; they were just waiting here obediently. It was truly heartening.

Gu Qingwan looked down at Achen and asked, "Achen, do you want to come with us?"

After thinking for a moment, Achen said to Gu Qingwan, "Sister, I no longer have parents. If you don't mind, I'm willing to stay by your side. But I still have a younger sister at home, and I'm worried about her."

Xiao Jingchen certainly didn't want this little brat following Wanwan around, so he waved his hand and ordered Xiao Bing.

“Go with him and bring his sister to the city to find me.”

"Yes, Master!"

Xiao Bing led A Chen toward the village where he lived.

"Hey, Little Chen's back!" An old man carrying a hoe greeted Chen with a smile.

"Hello, Uncle, are you going to the fields?"

"Yes, go and see. You should go home quickly. I just passed by your house and heard your stepmother seeming to be bullying your sister again."

Upon hearing this, Ah Chen was furious. He was extremely anxious. That vixen was the most wicked. She treated her daughter, whom she brought with her, incredibly well, but treated his sister like a servant, making his sister serve her daughter.

Ah Chen ran home as fast as he could, and as soon as he got to the door, he heard his sister crying and the woman's vicious curses.

"You good-for-nothing! Why didn't you just die with your short-lived brother? You can't do anything at home and you're just wasting my food!"

“My brother is alive and well, why are you cursing him? Besides, I picked these wild vegetables before dawn. How could I not work? Waaaaah.”

"Hey, you little brat, how dare you talk back to me?" The woman stepped forward and grabbed the girl's ear.

"Aaaaaah, it hurts! It hurts so much!"

"It hurts? Shut your mouth! You're just going to dig for some wild vegetables and you're making such a fuss. I bet you're just like your brother, using hunting as an excuse to go off somewhere wild!"

"Stop!" Ah Chen shouted, just as the woman's slap was about to land on his sister's face.

Xiao Bing stepped forward and stopped the woman's slap from landing, shoving her away with force.

The woman rubbed her aching arm, frowning as she was about to start cursing, but then she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the man was still young, handsome, and had a strong build.

Instantly, the woman's expression changed, becoming incredibly alluring. Her body, which had previously resembled a demon, now transformed into a water snake, swaying and twisting as she walked.

"This brave man, I wonder where you came from, and how you have the good fortune to come to this young woman's courtyard." The woman seemed to have no bones, and she almost leaned against Xiao Bing.

Xiao Bing dodged away with some disgust, causing the woman to almost fall to the ground. However, the woman was not angry; she just smiled shyly and kept flirting with Xiao Bing with her alluring eyes.

"Hehehe, this brave man is really shy."

"Pah! Stop being so flirtatious! What a jerk you are, unable to move when you see a man!"

The walls in the village are all quite low. An older woman carrying a basket couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of phlegm in their arms.

Upon hearing that she had been scolded, the woman put her hands on her hips and yelled at the older woman, "What's it to you! You're so bored, if you're so capable, control your husband and stop him from sneaking over the wall to peek at me all the time!"

"I really don't know what sins Ah Chen's father, such a good man, suffered in his past life to meet a promiscuous woman like you!"

"What? Is it bad that he met me? He must have accumulated a lot of good fortune to meet a woman as beautiful as me!" The woman, seeing the growing crowd of onlookers, posed and adjusted her hair.

Ah Chen held his crying younger sister on the ground, looking her over from left to right, and saw a slap mark on her face.

"She hit you again!"

"Brother, it's okay, brother, it doesn't hurt." The girl quickly covered her face. She didn't want her brother to have any conflict with that woman, because her brother never got the better end of the deal.

Ah Chen clenched his hands tightly, thinking that his father was gone. If he couldn't protect his sister, he would be a worthless man. But even if the woman in front of him was hateful, she was still his stepmother in name. If he really resisted, he would be branded as unfilial, and then even his sister would not have a good reputation.

He didn't care; she was a man who could roam freely across the country. But his sister, his sister still had to get married.

Thinking of this, Achen's eyes reddened, and his chest heaved with frustration at his own powerlessness.

People outside the courtyard sighed for the brother and sister inside. Ah Chen's family was known as the kindest in the village. His father was especially warm-hearted. After finishing his own land, he would help the neighbors with their farming. If anyone was sick, he would run errands to take them to the clinic without hesitation.

If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have been able to save that mother and child at the village entrance. Such a beautiful woman came from outside the village, and although the villagers were all talking about it, no one dared to provoke her. They were about to starve to death when Ah Chen's father kindly took them home and gave them some food.

The woman said that she should repay the life-saving grace with her body. Coincidentally, Achen's father also had no wife, so the two of them got together. Even after marriage, Achen's father treated that girl like his own daughter.

But this woman was different. All she did was bully Ah Chen and his sister, especially her daughter. She treated the younger one like a maid, which the villagers couldn't stand.

If Ah Chen's father dared to make decisions for his two children, then this woman would start to make a scene and cause endless trouble in the family.

Moreover, this woman is like a vixen; she can't help but seduce any man she sees.

"Hmph, if it weren't for me, you two little brats would be begging for food by now. You dare to yell at me here? Get yourselves together and get inside! You're a disgrace!"

At this moment, Xiao Bing stood in front of the brother and sister, looked down to check that they were not seriously injured, and then said to the woman, "Our master wants these two children."

"What? Did I hear that right? Where is your master? I can't see him."

“You are not worthy to see my master. I am taking these two children with me.”

"Hey, hey, hey, you look like a gentleman, how could you snatch someone else's child in broad daylight?" The woman panicked. She didn't know if the child's father was alive or dead. Even if she didn't like A-Chen, he was still a man who could earn money for her. Her sister could also do housework for her at home. If he left like this, she would really lose out.

Seeing that Xiao Bing didn't say anything else, the woman started to shout in a somewhat dramatic manner, "Help! Help! A savage has come from somewhere and is trying to snatch our child!"

Although the villagers despised the woman's behavior, she was still their stepmother, and they naturally wouldn't stand idly by when someone came to snatch their child. Seeing this, several young villagers carried farm tools and tried to surround Xiao Bing and the others.

Xiao Bing could tell that the woman probably wanted money. He snorted inwardly and reached for a bag of silver at his waist, but when he touched it, he found that his waist was empty.

He thought for a moment and figured he must have lost him on the mountain. What to do now? If he couldn't come up with the money, he could just take him away, but with so many villagers, it was going to be a bit troublesome.

Seeing that Xiao Bing couldn't produce any money, the woman became even more arrogant, crying and shouting, and tried to take A Chen and the other person away.

Just as Xiao Bing was about to take Achen and his sister away, Achen stepped out from behind him.

“The master has already bought my brother and me. Here’s the money for you!” A-Chen threw the bag of silver that Gu Qingwan had given him on the ground without any expression.

The woman was somewhat incredulous, but quickly picked it up and opened it to find it full of silver. She was overjoyed and beamed with happiness.

Seeing her like that, Ah Chen sneered, "Fellow villagers, everyone has seen how my stepmother has abused my sister and me for years. Now that my father is missing, she's forcing me to go out and earn money for her, or she'll sell my sister and me. Ah Chen doesn't think he's capable, and he can't bear to leave his sister behind, so my brother and I sold ourselves together. In the end, we're all in this together."

"Chen! Don't worry, we can talk things over." The neighbors comforted him as they saw his distress.

"Thank you, uncles and aunts. Achen has met a good master. Achen is following the master willingly. I came back for two reasons: first, to take my sister away, and second, to ask all of you, elders and villagers, to bear witness that we are now severing all ties with this woman!"

After speaking, Ah Chen and his sister bowed to everyone.

"Good child, what will your father do if you leave? What if he comes back..."

“Uncle, my father probably won’t be coming back…” Achen lowered his head.

The woman was beaming with joy as she held the silver. This was more money than Ah Chen could earn even if he stayed at home for a long time. It was even better that his father was dead. He was useless. Now that he was gone, she could sell the house and land here and take her daughter to the city to find a rich man to remarry.

Thinking of this, she couldn't wait for those two brats to leave, afraid that if they stayed too long they would start thinking about dividing the inheritance. Although it wasn't much, she just didn't want to give them a single penny.

The stepmother wiped away non-existent tears with a handkerchief; "Child, why are you so foolish? What will I do if you leave?"