Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

Soon, the day arrived to set off back to the capital. On that day, just as dawn was breaking, Su Qianrou and the others were already sitting in the carriage, heading towards the dock.

Because the luggage had been packed and loaded onto the ship a day earlier, there were only three carriages traveling on the street at this time.

The first car carried Su Jing'an and Lin Rong, the middle car carried Su Mingxuan, Su Qianrou, Su Haoyu, and Song Shiyu, and the last car, needless to say, carried Su Wanshan and Aunt Liu.

As for the servants, they could only follow on either side.

After walking for a while, Su Mingxuan felt something was wrong, so he lifted the curtain and found that the street was deserted and unusually quiet. He couldn't help but wonder, "Strange, why is there no one on the street?"

Upon hearing this, Su Haoyu also lifted the curtain on his side, glanced at it, and echoed, "Yes, logically speaking, there should be many people on the street at this time, but why is there no one here? Could something have happened?"

Su Qianrou also found it strange, but couldn't figure it out.

Just then, the carriage stopped.

"Why did it stop?" Su Haoyu asked immediately.

"Young Master, Young Miss, Second Young Master, Young Mistress, you should come out and take a look for yourselves," Li An's voice rang out from outside.

The four people inside, bewildered, looked at each other in confusion. "Let's go out and see," said Su Mingxuan, who was the first to walk out, followed by Su Haoyu, then Su Qianrou, and finally Song Shiyu.

At the same time, Su Jing'an, Lin Rong, Su Wanshan, and Aunt Liu also got off the carriage.

Upon exiting, they saw the street ahead filled with people, and everyone was so shocked they couldn't speak.

"This..." Su Haoyu was at a loss for words.

Even Su Jing'an, who was usually very knowledgeable, was stunned at this moment. He stared blankly ahead, then reacted and walked over without saying a word.

Seeing this, the others followed suit.

“What are you doing here…” Su Jing’an began.

An elderly man, who appeared to be over sixty, was standing right in front of him. He was being helped by his son and replied with a kind smile, "We knew you were leaving today, so we came to see you off." As he spoke, he took the vegetable basket from the little boy beside him and handed it to Su Jing'an. "This is corn that we grew ourselves. Please take it with you on your journey."

"No need, sir. This corn is so good, you should take it home and keep it for your family."

"Thanks to you, sir, this year's harvest is quite good, so we have plenty at home. These are just some small tokens of our appreciation; please don't find them offensive."

"Really? Then I won't be polite. Thank you, sir," he said, accepting the gift.

Seeing this, the others rushed forward, vying to give him the things they had brought.

"Sir, these are eggs laid by our family's hen. You can take them and eat them."

"Sir, these are the pancakes I made. Please try them."

"grown ups……".

Seeing this scene, Su Qianrou and the others were deeply moved.

Su Mingxuan couldn't help but say, "Father's efforts over the past ten years have been worthwhile."

“Sincerity begets sincerity. Over the years, your father has truly kept the people of Yangzhou in his heart, and naturally, the people have kept him in their hearts as well,” Lin Rong said.

Su Qianrou also said, "My father truly embodied the principle of putting the people first when serving as an official."

Although Su Haoyu didn't say anything, he became even more determined to join the army in the future and protect the people in his community.

Because everyone was so enthusiastic and he couldn't refuse, Su Jing'an finally had his servants accept all the gifts, and only then did the people happily clear the road.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the people, Su Qianrou and the others walked step by step through the crowd toward the dock. The ten-mile journey took them a full quarter of an hour.

When they arrived at the dock, they found even more people, crowding the dock so tightly that it was impossible to pass. However, everyone consciously made way for them.

Then, he saw the crowd standing at the bottom of the steps, including county magistrates from various counties in Yangzhou, as well as wealthy merchants and gentry, all gathered here.

Su Jing'an looked at the familiar faces and walked down.

"This humble official greets Your Excellency."

"Greetings, Lord Su."

"Why are you here?"

“Since Your Excellency is leaving Yangzhou today, we should naturally come to see you off,” said Magistrate Xu.

"Yes, we have been fortunate to be here today thanks to your care over the years. Now that you are leaving, how could we not come?"

"After today's parting, I don't know when we will meet again. I hope you will take care of yourself."

"Thank you all for your hard work and assistance over the years. If I have done anything wrong, please forgive me."

"You flatter me, sir."

Then, a highly respected local gentry stepped forward and said, “Over the years, Your Excellency has devoted yourself wholeheartedly to the people of Yangzhou, punishing corrupt officials, building water conservancy projects, reclaiming wasteland for farming, and so on. All of this is for the benefit of the people. Your Excellency is a good official who is wholeheartedly devoted to the people. Therefore, we have prepared a gift for Your Excellency, and we hope you will accept it.”

After he finished speaking, someone took out the item and handed it to Su Jing'an.

"This is……".

"Umbrella for Ten Thousand People"

"I cannot accept this umbrella for the people; it is too precious, and I cannot bear the responsibility."

"Please accept this, sir. It is a token of the people's goodwill in Yangzhou."

"Yes, if it weren't for you, sir, how could Yangzhou be as prosperous as it is today? You deserve the title."

While Su Jing'an was still declining, Su Qianrou saw Xu Linlin, Yu Qilian, and the other children, and quietly said to Lin Rong, "Mother, I'm going over there."

Lin Rong followed her gaze and saw Xu Linlin, only saying, "Come back quickly."

Su Qianrou replied, "Okay," and then walked over.

"Qianrou"

"Miss".

"elder sister".

"Why are you here?"

“Of course I’m here to see you off,” Xu Linlin said.

"I'm entrusting everything here in Yangzhou to you. Thank you for your hard work."

"We still need to say these things to each other."

Su Qianrou smiled but didn't say anything. Then, she looked at Yu Qilian and the others and asked, "How have you been lately? Are you doing well?"

"We're doing fine, much better than at the Luo residence."

"Before, I lived in the Luo family mansion, I was always in fear. Now, I can finally get a good night's sleep."

"Yes, we don't have to worry about getting beaten up anymore."

"right".

"Did you live such a miserable life before?" Xu Linlin asked.

"Yeah, that's terrible."

"That's why we say, Miss, you saved us from the fire."

"That's right, thanks to you, Miss."

"I'm glad you're all doing well."

At this moment, Yang Mingli tugged at Su Qianrou's clothes and asked curiously, "Sister, they said you're leaving. Where are you going?"

Sun Mingqian hugged her leg, his eyes brimming with tears, and said, "Please don't go, I'll be good."

"Sister Qianrou, please don't go."

"Sister Qianrou, don't you want us anymore?"

"I'm not abandoning you, it's just that I have to go home. If I have the chance in the future, I will come back. And when you grow up, you can come to the capital to find me."

“I’m all grown up now. I can go to the capital with you and protect you,” Li Peiyi said.

"You're only thirteen years old, it's not certain who will protect whom."

Li Peiyi was rendered speechless.

Just then, Su Haoyu walked over and said, "Sis, it's time to go."

"Then I'll be going now. Take care."

Li Peiyi pulled her along, meaning she should take him with her.

At present, Su Qianrou does not know much about the capital city, and if something happens, she will not be able to protect him at all. Therefore, she did not agree, saying, "You can go in two years."

When Su Haoyu saw him holding his sister's hand, he frowned and unceremoniously shook his hand off.

Li Peiyi gave him a displeased look.

Su Haoyu not only ignored him, but also blocked his way, saying, "Sister, let's go, Mom and Dad are waiting."

"Ok".

In the end, Li Peiyi could only watch helplessly as she left.