After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Xue Mao curled his lip, unconcerned, "Aren't those two maids going back tomorrow? Just have them lead the way!"

"Hiss! You treacherous villain! You even planned everything!" Xue Xiang gritted his teeth and glared at him.

And so the shameless plan was accomplished.

The next morning, Alan and Chuncao got up early to check the shop's contents and packed their luggage before waiting for the car outside. Yu Dong had taken his master back yesterday, and Yu Bei hadn't left yet; he would take them all back to Shenjiazhuang later.

The two shivered in the cold wind, squatting on the ground drawing circles. When they heard the sound of the carriage, Chuncao looked up excitedly, then her expression changed to one of disbelief. "Young Master!"

Murong Jue lifted the carriage curtain and said thoughtfully, "I have something to discuss with your young master. Lead the way for us in a moment."

Chuncao and Alan exchanged a glance, at a loss for what to do.

Yu Bei arrived shortly afterward.

The two men shakily boarded the carriage.

As soon as the carriage started moving, Yu Bei noticed the carriage following behind and asked Alan, "Sister Alan, who are they?"

Alan was almost in tears. "I don't know either. I only know that they are important people in the shop, and they said they wanted to go back with us to find the young lady. We didn't dare to refuse. What should we do?"

Yu Bei listened with growing concern, "Then should we shake them off?"

"No, no, no!" Chuncao quickly stopped them. "They look very powerful. Those big guys could kill several of us with one hand. Don't anger them. We should report to our master first when we get back. We can't make decisions on our own."

Everyone was helpless.

Yu Bei sped up and arrived at Shenjiazhuang before noon.

Xue Mao and his group were astonished by the impressive village.

"Master, I never imagined that such a remote place as Lizhou would hide such a wealthy village!" Xue Xiang exclaimed in surprise.

Murong Jue looked thoughtfully at the high courtyard walls along the road.

The carriage arrived at the village entrance.

The grand gate was a sight to behold once again. Once inside the village, the roads were surprisingly smooth, with red lanterns hanging on both sides, and the sounds of children's laughter filled the air.

Murong Jue lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the children dressed like lucky dolls, and his mood brightened up a bit.

"It seems the villagers of Shenjiazhuang are indeed living quite well," Murong Jue said casually.

Of the four basic necessities of life—clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—clothing is the most important. One can make a preliminary judgment about a person's circumstances from their clothing. The children in the village were all dressed warmly without any patches on their clothes, which showed that their families were well-off.

Yu Bei parked the carriage outside the Shen family's house. Alan and Chuncao jumped off the carriage and rushed inside in a panic. Once inside the main room, the two hurriedly knelt down before Su Tai and Shen Yi, "Master and Madam, something terrible has happened! That young master has come back to the village with us!"

Shen Yi's expression changed, and he quickly strode out.

The moment he saw Xue Mao, his expression was incredibly complex. "Lord Xue!"

Xue Mao, acting as if they were old friends, stepped forward and greeted Shen Yi warmly, "Lord Shen, how have you been? It's like this..."

He gave a brief explanation of the situation.

Shen Yi suddenly realized, "Does Lord Xue mean that your cook doesn't know how to cook seafood, so you specially brought seafood to my house to cook?"

"Smart!" Xue Mao laughed heartily.

Shen Yi was utterly speechless.

Yet they still had to respectfully invite the person into the house.

Xue Mao looked around the Shen family courtyard and said in surprise, "I didn't expect that Lord Shen, who is so rich, would live in such a simple courtyard."

Shen Yi said gently, "I come from a humble family. My family was poor in my early years, and I built every brick and tile of this house myself. This house has great significance to me."

Xue Mao was surprised again and looked at Shen Yi with new eyes. "I didn't expect Lord Shen to have such abilities. I came here uninvited today and have disturbed you privately. Please make yourself at home, Lord Shen."

"Yes!"

Shen Yi led them into the main room, leaving the door ajar. The room instantly warmed up considerably. Murong Jue looked around but didn't see a charcoal stove. Curious, he asked, "Why is the room so warm?"

Shen Yi pointed to one side of the wall, "Behind that wall is the stove. The heat comes from there, so it will be warmer in winter."

Murong Jue then noticed that there was a display shelf in front of the wall, but nothing was placed on it, presumably for protection.

Everyone admired Shen Yi's ingenuity once again.

Su Tai looked at the seafood and asked, "Does anyone have any dietary restrictions?"

Xue Mao glanced at Murong Jue and shook his head. "Madam Shen can arrange it as she sees fit."

Su Tai immediately had the seafood carried to the kitchen.

I plan to cook it myself.

Just as Murong Jue was about to inquire about Shen Yuezhang, he heard terrified cries from outside.

"Dad! Help! My older sister is going to beat us to death!"

Shen Yuean and Shen Congyu scrambled into the courtyard.

Behind him followed Shen Yuezhang, who was holding a rattan cane and looking menacing.

"Get over here! Who gave you the audacity to draw a turtle on the gentleman's face?!"

Shen Congyu and Shen Yuean ran to the left and right, teasing Shen Yuezhang so that she couldn't hit anyone.

Shen Yue'an retorted defiantly, "Big sister, what we drew was clearly a turtle, a big turtle!"

"You still dare to talk back! What did your mother teach you? Respect for teachers and the way of the master! Have you all learned nothing but dog food? Get over here!" Shen Yuezhang was furious, pondering which one to chase first.

She had no idea that a pair of eyes were peering at her through the crack in the window.

The girl's delicate and beautiful face was flushed with anger, and her puffed-up expression did not show any fierceness, but rather a touch of cuteness, making her irresistible.

No wonder those two naughty kids weren't afraid of her at all.

Three black dogs took turns barking once.

Shen Congyu argued, "Big sister, look, Dahei, Erhei, and Sanhei don't like to study either. A dog's belly can't hold respect for teachers."

"Pfft!" Xue Mao and Xue Xiang both spat out the tea in their mouths.

Murong Jue forced himself not to laugh out loud.

Shen Yi couldn't take it anymore. With a dark face, he walked out of the main room and shouted, "All of you, come here!"

"Father!" Shen Yuezhang was so aggrieved that she almost cried.

Shen Yi patted her head and comforted her gently, "We have guests at home. You go back to your room first, and leave them to Dad."

"Yes!" Shen Yuezhang obediently replied, then turned around and saw Murong Jue, instantly freezing in shock, "Young Master!"

Murong Jue smiled and nodded at her in a good mood, "Young mistress, how have you been? The New Year's gift you sent is excellent, but unfortunately no one in my family knows how to cook, so I had to come to your door to ask for your advice."

Shen Yuezhang blushed, so embarrassed he wanted to scratch his toes.

She had originally intended to give a gift to express her gratitude, but instead it had made things difficult for her. Feeling too ashamed to stay any longer, she quickly apologized and left.

Murong Jue didn't say anything, but turned around to look at Shen Congyu and Shen Yue'an.

The twins were currently clinging to Shen Yi's legs, one on each side, acting all cute.

Shen Yue'an, in particular, even started crying hypocritically, like she was putting on a theatrical performance, "Dad! The teacher is inhuman! It's the New Year! Everyone else has dropped out of school! Why are you still targeting us!"

"Hahaha"

Xue Mao and Xue Xiang were amused and burst into laughter. (End of Chapter)