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

After Chu Zhiyi arrived in Xiaoyao Village and got engaged to Shen Man, he did not stay in the border town for long. He needed to return to the capital as soon as possible to prepare for the wedding and arrange for a reliable person to take over the affairs in the border town.

Shen Man has been busy preparing her dowry at home these days.

The room was filled with the linings of her wedding dress that she had sewn herself. Although they were not as luxurious as the one Chu Zhiyi had sent, every stitch and every thread was filled with her hopes for the future.

“Man’er, in our poor, remote area, even if we have money, it’s hard to buy good things.”

"After the Mid-Autumn Festival, we'll go to the border town. Mother will prepare a better dowry for you." Lanxiang said earnestly, holding Shen Man's hand.

Shen Man felt a warmth in her heart. She knew that her mother was doing it for her own good and wanted her to have a grand wedding.

She smiled and nodded, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

The day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lanxiang and Shenman loaded the dowry prepared by their families onto a carriage and set off for the border town. Just as they were about to leave the village, the village head arrived with a large group of villagers.

As the village head walked towards her, he shouted, "Man'er, this is the dowry that everyone has prepared for you. You must accept it!"

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Man lightly leaped down from the carriage and saw the village head holding a thick gift list. The edges of the paper were slightly frayed, clearly indicating that it had been repeatedly copied and revised.

Behind him, the villagers stood in an orderly fashion, each with a sincere smile in their eyes. The objects they held were tied with bright red ribbons, which swayed gently in the autumn wind, as if conveying endless blessings.

Sun's wife held up a brand-new set of bed sheets and quilts. The bright red silk was embroidered with patterns of twin lotus flowers and mandarin ducks playing in the water. Although the stitches were not very neat, they were full of her earnest expectations for Shen Man to have a "happy marriage and a long and loving relationship".

Sun Wang carried a whole rack of smoked, glistening cured meat and laughed heartily, "Man'er, I was worried that you wouldn't be able to eat the village's cured meat when you went to the capital, so I specially smoked this for you."

The aroma of this meat can last for six months; may you and His Highness the Crown Prince enjoy a life full of flavor!

Grandma Li, standing to the side, held a delicate little cloth bag in both hands. Inside were shoes she had sewn herself, embroidered with the words "May you have a son soon and live a peaceful and prosperous life" in gold thread. Every stitch and every thread conveyed her best wishes for Shen Man's married life.

"Man'er, these are shoes Grandma made for you according to your size. I hope that every step you take from now on will be steady and secure!"

Shen Man took the cloth bag from the old woman, her heart filled with gratitude.

Several young men were carrying a carved camphor wood box with a large "囍" (double happiness) character pasted on the lid. The box was filled with dried fruit and roasted melon seeds that the villagers had dried themselves, symbolizing that Shen Man's married life would be sweet and prosperous.

The children skipped and jumped to the front, handing over a large bag of dried wild chrysanthemums, and called out in their clear voices, "Sister Man'er, these are wild chrysanthemums we picked for you on the mountain to help you beat the autumn dryness."

When you get to the capital, don't forget about us!

"Alright. You must study hard with your teacher. I'll be waiting for you in the capital!"

The whole scene was warm and lively. Every gift carried the villagers' most simple and sincere feelings, and every blessing was filled with their deep expectations for Shen Man's future happy life.

The air was filled with a festive atmosphere, but also with the sadness of parting.

Looking at the scene before her, Shen Man's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Although she was abandoned by her biological parents at a young age, she was cared for as their own child by these simple and honest villagers. Without them, she would not be who she is today.

Shen Man knelt down, her forehead hitting the ground with a crisp sound. Her eyes were full of piety and gratitude: "Man'er was abandoned at a young age and should have been lonely and helpless. Fortunately, my mother and fellow villagers did not abandon me and treated me as their own daughter, taking good care of me. Only then can I have the peace and stability I have today."

Although Man'er is going to the capital, this place will always be my home, the place I long for. I will never forget your great kindness.

If you ever need anything in the future, just send me a message, and Man'er will do everything in her power to repay this kindness! Her voice choked with emotion, but every word was firm.

"Man'er, get up quickly! You are the lucky star of our village. Without you, how could we live such a good life now..." The village headman hurriedly helped Shen Man up.

His words expressed the sentiments of the entire village. Over the years, Shen Man has no longer been the one being taken care of; she has used her wisdom and kindness to lead everyone to improve their lives.

Shen Man stood up and turned to the Meng family army that had escorted her to the capital: "Please, gentlemen, carefully load all these things onto the vehicle."

Looking at the mountain of local produce, the Meng family soldiers' originally serious faces showed emotion, and they hurriedly loaded the gifts given by the villagers onto the horse-drawn carts.

As the carriage slowly started moving, Shen Man lifted the curtain and looked back.

Under the old camphor tree at the village entrance, the villagers were still waving, their shadows stretched long by the sunlight.

Those sheets, blankets, clothes, shoes, socks, and cured meats, still warm from their bodies, now became dowry more precious than gold and silver, heavily filling the entire carriage, and also carrying her deep affection for this land.

When the convoy passed through Qiufeng Town, it once again attracted the attention of the locals.

Most of the people in Qiufeng Town had consulted Shen Man for medical treatment. Upon learning that Shen Man was about to marry far away to the capital, they all rushed to see her off.

Shen Man got off the carriage and went to Yu's Medical Clinic to say goodbye to her master and fellow disciples.

Inside the Yu family clinic, Dr. Yu, though his hair was gray, was still very energetic. Although he had a bad memory, he recognized Shen Man at a glance.

He looked at Shen Man, his eyes filled with relief and reluctance: "Man'er, I taught you medicine, hoping you would practice medicine and save lives. Now that you are going to marry into the capital, don't forget your original intention."

Shen Man knelt respectfully on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "Master, rest assured, your disciple will never forget. Please take care of yourself, and I will come back to see you when I have time!"

The senior brothers gathered around, and Lin Yu said to Shen Man, "Junior Sister, Master said that you have no brothers and no one to accompany you to your wedding, so we will be your brothers. This time, we will accompany you to the border town to see you off to your wedding."

Upon hearing this, Shen Man's tears welled up again.

When she left Yu's Medical Clinic, she not only had an extra cartload of dowry, but also several brothers who came to see her off.

These extra gains made her journey to marriage even warmer and more fulfilling.

Shen Man boarded the carriage again and continued on her way.

Just as the carriage was about to leave Qiufeng Town, a figure suddenly rushed out from the crowd and blocked the carriage.

Shen Man looked closely and saw that it was the owner of the steamed bun shop next to the clinic. He was panting and carrying a basket of freshly steamed buns: "Dr. Ding, these are freshly steamed buns from my shop. They're your favorite fresh pork buns. Take them with you on your way."

His face was covered in sweat, but he had a genuine smile on his face.

Shen Man felt a warmth in her heart, took the steamed bun, and thanked him repeatedly.

The steam from the steamed buns filled the air with a familiar aroma; it was not just a food, but also a deep sense of nostalgia.

Then, the carriage slowly drove away from Qiufeng Town and headed towards Biancheng Prefecture.

But Shen Man's heart was still immersed in the warmth and emotion of the journey.