The jackal took the silver, weighed it in his hand, then grinned: "Miss Yang, aren’t you afraid I’ll take the money and run?"
"If you planned to flee, would you still be lingering in the prison? And..." Yang Ruxin smiled, "if you don’t want to be harassed every day by snakes, rats, bugs, and the like, or hunted by wolves, tigers, and whatnot, you’d best not entertain such thoughts, otherwise... the only one who’ll suffer is you..."
The jackal’s mouth twitched, recalling the swarms of mice that had made his skin crawl. He quickly nodded: "I’ll definitely come to look for you..."
Watching the jackal stride away, Yang Ruxin let out a breath. She had been nervous too, afraid that if Xiaolun didn’t perform well, she’d be in danger. Fortunately, it seemed that luck was always on her side. Although such people were a bit harder to win over, once they truly followed her, they would undoubtedly be loyal.
Of course, whether she really had them in her thrall, whether they would truly be loyal to her, all that still required assessment. That was also why she wouldn’t let them go directly to her home; she wouldn’t fully trust anyone she hadn’t met in person.
Xiaolun indicated that it was quite beneath him to be underestimated like this—they were using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Later, Yang Ruxin instructed Fang Dehua to keep an eye out for any official slaves that came their way, and then, after refusing the Fang Family’s invitation to stay, nor allowing Qian Er to escort her, she hired a carriage and returned to the town.
The town’s shop was now managed by the husband and wife duo, Wang Laibao, who also took care of Old Man Qian. Liang Zi had been dispatched to the county town to prepare for the opening of the pancake shop there, for he had the experience and the skill, and he would be able to bring Guan Qingyue along when the time came.
Indeed, she planned to let Guan Qingyue manage the pancake and fruit stall in the county town, which was close to the academy, so she could see her brother from time to time.
On her way back to the village from the town, Yang Ruxin didn’t hire a carriage but ambled back at her leisure. Although the road was a bit slippery, it didn’t affect her good mood. Since arriving in ancient times, she had truly enjoyed aimlessly wandering about, breathing in the pure, natural air, and delighting in the lush greenery—it was hard to be in a bad mood.
But just as she turned onto the cobblestone path leading to her house, she saw several people standing at the entrance from afar. Although they were dressed in plain clothes, she could tell they were anything but ordinary folk.
"Who are you?" Yang Ruxin walked swiftly towards them and scrutinized the several people, "What are you doing at my doorstep?"
One of the men who looked like a minor leader sized Yang Ruxin up and down: "Miss Yang?"
Yang Ruxin nodded: "You know me?"
"My General has been waiting for you for a long time," Lin Weiming replied respectfully.
Yang Ruxin glanced at Lin Weiming, then stepped through the gate.
"Big sister..." At that moment, Sanni rushed out and threw her arms around Yang Ruxin’s waist, seemingly upset.
"What’s wrong?" Yang Ruxin stroked her head, "Who’s bothered you?"
Sanni shook her head.
"Sister Ruxin..." Zhou Xiao followed out of the main hall, her eyes strangely red.
Yang Ruxin looked up and saw the man following Zhou Xiao. She instantly understood and couldn’t help but smile, "General Zhou has finally found you, that’s good news..."
"Sister Ruxin..." Zhou Ying ran out too and clutched Yang Ruxin’s legs tightly, "I don’t want to go..."
Zhou Jiang sighed helplessly. Heaven only knew how he had made it through these days. Just when he’d finally found his children, they didn’t want to leave. This was...