She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

After Chu Zhiyi and Zhi Mo embarked on their journey back to the capital, Shen Man did not linger in Rongzhou. She resolutely led a portion of the Meng family army onto the large steamship that had been seized from Dabenzhou and headed towards the border town.

The rest of the group followed Cui Jinrong back the way they came. Because they needed to prepare provisions for the journey, they would have to wait several days before setting off.

Before leaving, Shen Man generously gave all the cannons that the Meng family army had brought to Li Mufeng without reservation, and promised to send him cannonballs and other firearms as soon as she returned to the border city.

In this way, the newly established navy was like a tiger with wings, possessing powerful weapons that could intimidate all sides.

Filled with gratitude, Li Mufeng and his wife personally escorted Shen Man onto the boat. Standing on the shore, they kept their eyes fixed on the boat until it became a small black dot at the horizon and disappeared completely. Only then did they turn away with a sense of loss and return to the government office.

The waterway from Rongzhou to the border town was completely unfamiliar territory for Shen Man and her group.

Although he held the compass tightly in his hand, the vast waters and ever-changing weather made it difficult to accurately determine the course of their journey with just this small compass.

Just as everyone was filled with worry, the harpy eagle flew to Shen Man's side and told her that it could lead the way for them.

Shen Man was overjoyed and immediately ordered the soldier at the helm to follow it.

Guided by the harpy eagle, the group miraculously returned to Xiaoyao Village, which Shen Man longed for, after more than ten days of sailing.

It was May, the sun was blazing, and the heat was unbearable.

When Shen Man returned to Xiaoyao Village, it was noon, and the sun was shining down without any obstruction. Under the large camphor tree with its lush branches at the entrance of the village, many villagers had gathered to cool off.

They either held palm-leaf fans to ward off the heat and mosquitoes, or chatted idly in twos and threes.

Suddenly, sharp-eyed villagers spotted a huge boat slowly entering the Qinghe River at the village entrance, and exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

"Hey, what's that thing?"

An old man stared wide-eyed, his pipe unconsciously stopping near his lips.

Upon hearing the sound, Grandpa Sun stood up and looked carefully at the river.

A moment later, he said excitedly, "That's the big ship I told you about! But this ship is bigger than any I've ever seen before, and it even puffs out gas. It's really rare!"

"What's such a big ship doing here?" a villager asked worriedly.

"Go and inform the village head quickly, someone might be plotting something while Man'er is away!" someone suggested.

Amid the villagers' discussions, several strong young men took off running towards the village to find the village head.

At this moment, Shen Man stood on the deck of the steamship, looking at the familiar scene on the shore, her eyes slightly red.

She took a deep breath to calm her excited emotions and shouted loudly to the soldiers of the Meng family army: "Everyone, move quickly and get ready to disembark!"

Meng Jiajun was well-trained and acted quickly, lowering the rope ladder from the side of the ship.

Shen Man was the first to walk down the rope ladder. As soon as she stepped onto the riverbank, she was recognized by several sharp-eyed children.

"It's Sister Man'er! Sister Man'er is back!" The children cheered and rushed towards her. Shen Man smiled and hugged them one by one, feeling this long-lost warmth.

At this moment, an elderly man with gray hair but a vigorous spirit stepped out from the crowd; it was none other than Grandpa Sun.

With a broad smile, he strode up to Shen Man and said, "Man'er, it's you who's back! You've been gone for months, and we've all been so worried about you!"

Shen Man quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Second Grand Uncle, it's been a long time. You're still as healthy as ever. I brought you a large ship with me this time. What do you think?"

"You silly girl, you're always so thoughtful, you actually took the old man's words seriously!" Old Master Sun's eyes reddened with emotion. "This boat is better than any I've ever seen before!"

"Second Grand Uncle, this is what we stole from the Japanese!" Shen Man said proudly.

Just then, the village head rushed over, looking somewhat anxious. Upon seeing Shen Man, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Man'er, you're finally back. Everyone was worried something bad would happen when such a big creature suddenly appeared in the river."

Shen Man smiled and explained, "Grandpa Village Head, this is a steamship that Meng Jiajun and I brought back from Dabenzhou. It will be much more convenient for our village to communicate with the outside world from now on."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with excitement, and one of the bolder young men asked, "Man'er, can we go up and take a look?"

"Of course! But be careful not to fall into the water!"

Shen Man gave her careful instructions, and then looked around in the crowd, but did not see her mother.

"Grandpa Village Head, where is my mother? Is she alright?"

The village head's face darkened slightly, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly said, "Man'er, your mother... isn't well. A few days ago, the silkworms in the weaving workshop suddenly died in large numbers."

As you know, that weaving workshop was the culmination of your hard work, mother and son. After this incident, your mother was so distressed and anxious that she fell ill.

Shen Man's face turned deathly pale instantly, her heart clenched, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

She asked anxiously, "Where is my mother now? Is she seriously ill? Have they called a doctor?"

The village head quickly comforted her, saying, "Your mother is at home. We invited your master to come and take a look. He prescribed some medicine, but this illness came on suddenly and won't get better anytime soon."

Without saying anything more to the others, Shen Man turned and ran towards home.

Soon, Shen Man arrived at her doorstep. She pushed it open, and a strong smell of medicine filled the room. She quickly went into the bedroom and saw Lanxiang lying weakly on the bed, her face as pale as paper and her lips cracked.

Shen Man could no longer hold back her tears, which rolled down her cheeks.

She sat gently on the edge of the bed and took her mother's hand in hers. Her hands were so thin they were skin and bones, and they were ice cold.

"Mother, I'm back. Wake up and look at me," Shen Man called softly, her voice filled with pain and self-blame.

Lanxiang slowly opened her eyes and saw Shen Man. A look of relief appeared in her eyes. She wanted to raise her hand to touch her daughter's face, but she didn't have the strength.

“Man’er, you… are back, Mother… It’s alright, don’t worry,” Lanxiang said weakly.

Shen Man shook her head desperately: "Mother, it's all my fault. If only I had come back sooner. How could you be so foolish as to exhaust yourself for the sake of the weaving workshop?"

Lanxiang gave a bitter smile: "The weaving workshop is the foundation of our family, and the livelihood of many people in the village. Mother can't watch it collapse. Alas, it's all Mother's fault, I don't understand anything..."

Shen Man held her mother's hand tightly and said, "Mother, don't worry, I'll definitely handle the weaving workshop matter well this time I'm back. Don't think about anything now, just focus on getting better. By the way, where are Aunt Fang and Uncle Meng? Didn't I ask them to take care of you?"

"Your Uncle Meng went to Lin County to fetch Doctor Xu for me, and your Aunt Fang is busy in the backyard! Man'er, don't worry, I'm really fine!"

"Mother, you're in this state, and you're still telling me you're fine?" Shen Man said, sitting down beside Lanxiang's bed and taking her hand to check her pulse.