Di Ming

Chapter 124 Farewell to Caiwei

Ning Caiwei was a year older than Zhu Yin and slightly taller. Like an older sister, she patted the dust off Zhu Yin's knees and asked softly:
"How was your first day of school? Did the teacher test you? What did you have for lunch?"

Zhu Yin laughed, "Not bad. I took the exam, but I won a prize. The cafeteria food wasn't very good..."

As they talked, they helped each other into the carriage, crossed the Pearl River, and headed south.

The Zhu family's carriage, adorned with imperial bells, moved at a leisurely pace under Lancha's control, with the faint sounds of children's laughter emanating from inside.

In September, the autumn colors of Nanjing are already strong. The trees on both sides of the street are covered with colorful leaves, and the fallen leaves on the bluestone ground are like brocade.

The sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with the fragrance of autumn.

The warm autumn sun shone on the ancient and bustling city. Suddenly, an autumn wind blew up, scattering leaves and causing flocks of birds to flutter about.

The cicadas, fed on wind and dew, are making their final cries, expressing the sorrow of the king of summer insects.

Pedestrians trudged through the sun-drenched fallen leaves, their footsteps making a soft rustling sound. Vendors setting up stalls under the big trees were too listless to hawk their wares, listlessly picking lice.

An old man dressed in a Taoist robe, wearing a thorn hairpin and carrying a wooden cane, slowly walked with his cane and recited aloud:

"Fallen leaves drift from the branches, white hair falls from the head, autumn clouds drift, golden wind blows and crows fly away..."

A crow that had flown from the City God Temple landed on the Zhu family's carriage, tilting its head as if eavesdropping on the conversation inside. It remained as still as if cast in iron.

Suddenly, a string of silvery laughter rang out in the carriage. Startled, the divine raven let out a loud "caw," and as if from stillness to motion, spread its wings and flew towards the temple.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a beautiful face with delicate features, capable of both joy and anger. Watching the flying crow, she smiled and scolded, "You're so annoying. You startled me."

Just then, a leaf that had just fallen from the branch drifted past her with a sigh. She gently reached out her small hand and caught the sorrowful leaf.

The warmth of the sun still lingers above, a perfect autumnal feel.

This is a smoke tree leaf, shaped like a round fan. The leaf is thick, with clear veins, and is fiery red, making it even more exquisite and lovely than a maple leaf.

"What beautiful smoke tree leaves." Ning Caiwei examined the leaves for a while, then gently sniffed them. "They have a kind of ink-like fragrance."

She placed the leaf in Zhu Yin's hand and said with a smile, "This is for you. All the blessings of autumn are in this leaf. If you miss your sister in a few days, just look at this leaf."

The implication was that she would be leaving soon.

Zhu Yin then realized that the leaves of the smoke tree were so beautiful.

Zhu Yin stroked the leaves of the smoke tree, sensing the warmth in Ning Caiwei's words, and recited in perfect harmony:
They gave me smoke tree leaves.
A heart full of sorrow at parting.

I dare not refuse the autumn wind,
Because it is shaped like a round fan.

Ning Caiwei's clear eyes lit up, her expression slightly moved, and she understood what Zhu Yin meant.

"Little Tiger, is this a poem written for me? Hehe, you really are a poet."

Zhu Yin nodded, fanned himself with a small, round fan-like smoke tree leaf, and said with a smile, "This is the poem I gave you. After you go to Guangxi, when you think of me, you will recite this poem."

Ning Caiwei's eyes sparkled as she tossed her hair and said, "Little Tiger, what you said was too sentimental. Hehe."

Zhu Yin said seriously, "Really? Didn't you start by getting emotional? I was just playing along."

"Giggle!" Ning Caiwei laughed so hard she almost fell over. "You're so annoying!"

Zhu Yin blinked, finding it hard to reconcile the mischievous, lively, and cheerful young girl in front of him with the dignified CEO who had previously kept his emotions hidden.

It just feels a bit out of place.

"Hey." Ning Caiwei rubbed her stomach. "Where were we? Oh, we were talking about building a factory. Let's get back to the topic."

"I spent half the day at the dental clinic today haggling over the price, and finally we settled on a deal."

She took a scroll of contracts out of her purse. "Look, the documents have already been signed."

Zhu Yin opened it and saw that it was clear at a glance.

The construction company supplied fifty bricklayers, thirty carpenters, ten stonemasons, five bamboo weavers, five lacquerers, and one hundred laborers.

Completed in three months.

The total wages were six hundred taels, which were paid to the construction brokerage firm, which then paid the craftsmen and laborers.

They also purchased bricks, tiles, timber, stone, iron pots, paint, and other items, spending four hundred taels of silver.

The total cost was one thousand taels of silver.

But what kind of factory building could be built after spending a thousand taels of silver and taking three months? A factory is not a residence.

"What about the sample?" Zhu Yin asked.

Ning Caiwei took out another piece of paper from her purse. "Here's the design. I designed it myself, and the architect made a prototype based on it. The factory building is quite simple."

"I estimate the sample will be ready in two days at most. But I don't need to go to the dental clinic to pick it up; they'll bring it with them when they go to work in the village."

Although the hot sample hasn't been produced yet, Zhu Yinguang can tell what the factory will look like just by looking at Ning Caiwei's design drawings.

It covers an area of ​​more than 30 acres and is a separate courtyard. The courtyard wall is only a hundred meters away from the Zhou family villa.

The factory is designed as more than twenty independent units, including production workshops, finished product warehouses, raw material warehouses, canteens, artificial ponds, dormitories, administrative buildings, fire departments, and other different areas.

The crucial production workshops were divided into several different areas, clearly for the sake of secrecy, and were used for separate production.

Although the houses are fully functional and well-planned, they are very simple, designed with the concept of modern factories. They are unadorned, simple and practical, and quite different from residential styles.

Ning Caiwei explained, "This candy factory can accommodate thousands of employees working at the same time. It can meet the requirement of an annual output of at least 500,000 jin."

Zhu Yin nodded. "I can't find any fault with it. I work in intelligence, and the most important thing for me is to keep the formula secret."

"Don't worry," Ning Caiwei yawned. "Do you think making milk candy is that easy? Even if the recipe is made public, they'll still need to experiment for years."

"Putting everything else aside, just the two essential ingredients, gelatin and dextrin, are their two major hurdles."

"You need gelatin and dextrin?" Zhu Yin was a little surprised. "Isn't it just sugar, milk powder, and starch?"

Ning Caiwei scoffed, "Brother, it's not that simple. That's milk candy. Gelatin and dextrin are essential, so there needs to be a workshop specifically for making gelatin and dextrin."

"Tomorrow I'm going to various butcher shops and slaughterhouses to sign long-term agreements for the supply of pigskin. This gelatin is mainly made from pigskin, so it's the cheapest option."

"However, the process of making gelatin is not simple. People know that I buy large quantities of pigskin, but they don't know what we use it for or how we use it."

Zhu Yindao suddenly noticed that in the southwesternmost corner of the blueprint, there was a completely isolated area, covering only four acres, which also contained a workshop.

"This enclosed area in the southwest corner, is it not a candy production area?"

"Smart." Ning Caiwei smiled. "This is used to produce that male enhancement drug. Once the Little Demon Doctor develops a low-cost alternative, that place will be able to produce it."

"Of course, we'll have to wait until the confectionery business is on track before we can talk about making drugs, which will take at least a year or two."

Zhu Yin's expression was strange. "You're a woman, why can't you just make candy? Why make aphrodisiacs for men? It's embarrassing to even mention it, isn't it a bit lewd? It doesn't suit your image at all. This kind of money isn't very respectable."

Upon hearing this, Ning Caiwei immediately objected.

Her face fell. "Sister, are you serious, little tiger? What do you mean by 'sexy'? If I didn't do this kind of lucrative business with principles, wouldn't I be crazy?"

"Silver can be clean or dirty. But if you're too picky and only want to earn clean money, refusing to touch anything even slightly dirty, how much money can you actually make?"

"It's true I'm a woman, but in the business world, I'm a businesswoman first, and a woman second. Can't women make that kind of medicine? You're just passing up big money, aren't you? You think you're so high and mighty? Humph."

"Oh, Mr. Ning." Zhu Yin slapped his forehead. "I was being lewd. I just said it offhand, don't take it to heart. I was being aloof and out of touch with reality."

Ning Caiwei chuckled, "Come on, I'm not going to argue with someone as upright and righteous as you. You have a professional mindset, and the psychological burden of being a secret police officer is too heavy."

Zhu Yin quickly changed the subject, asking, "Have you decided? When are you leaving?"

"I'll leave on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year," Ning Caiwei said. "I can only stay at home for three days."

Zhu Yin put the smoke tree leaves into his purse. "Why not wait until after the Double Ninth Festival to leave? It's only a few days short."

Ning Caiwei shook her head: "No. You and the Little Demon Doctor can spend the Double Ninth Festival together. On that day, you can carry the Little Demon Doctor up Dongshan Mountain, look south, and recite a poem."

At this point, she couldn't help but laugh.

The two returned to Qingqiao Village and walked along the wide village road, attracting the attention of many people.

Nowadays, more and more people know that Zhu Yin and Ning Dajiao, who rented the Zhou family's villa, are people with important backgrounds.

Kong Jiulang, the village's gang leader, had offended them before and has been missing for several days now.

Not far from the village road, in a river bend, stands a mansion covering hundreds of acres. On the watchtower in the front yard of the mansion stands a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes.

He was Wang Chaoque, a hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and one of the local tycoons.

He gazed at the Zhu family's carriage slowly making its way along the village road. Although he smiled, there was no real joy in his eyes.

Kong Jiulang went to Baohua Mountain to invite the Green-Headed Monk to slaughter the Zhu family, an outsider.

The Zhou family's villa was wiped out and became an ominous place, giving him the opportunity to buy that precious land that was believed to produce great figures.

But to everyone's surprise, Kong Jiulang disappeared without a trace.

What exactly is going on?

He was certain that Kong Jiulang's disappearance was related to the Zhu family boy.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yin is backed by Magistrate Zhuang, a fact that is now beyond doubt. At present, the Wang family cannot openly target Zhu Yin.

Wang Chaoque had no enmity with Zhu Yin; he simply wanted that piece of land.

Now that Zhu Yin has preemptively rented that piece of land, it's like ruining his plans.

It was only a few days late.

"My lord," a deep voice sounded behind him, "what are your orders?"

Wang Chaoque turned around, looked at his close advisor, stroked his mustache, and said, "Old Ba, assign three tasks."

"First, send someone to investigate whether Kong Jiu is dead or alive. If necessary, go to Baohua Mountain to take a look."

"Second, send someone to investigate Lao Gong."

"Investigate Lao Gong?" The advisor's gaze sharpened. "Does our lord suspect Lao Gong's background?"

Wang Chaojue nodded. "I suspect Old Gong is dishonest. He dismissed all the servants as soon as he arrived and started recruiting new ones. I think there's something wrong with that. Go to his hometown and investigate secretly to see if what he said is true."

"Yes, sir!" the aide replied. "And the third one?"

Wang Chaoque pointed to the Zhu family's carriage on the village road and said, "Go to the Zhu family's son in someone else's name and tell him that you want to sublet his courtyard. You can increase the price by 20%, as long as he is willing to sublet it."

The aide said, "What if he doesn't want to sublet?"

Wang Chaoque sneered, "Unwilling to sublet? Heh heh, then you should know what to do."

"Yes!" The staff member understood.

He knew very well that his lord was determined to get that piece of land.

If the young man from the Zhu family knows what's good for him, then everything will be fine. If he doesn't and insists on not subletting, then I'm sorry.

So what if it has a history?

The autumn air is crisp and dry, making it easy for a fire to start.

Wang Chaoque was quite relieved. The Wang family mansion had a group of guests and advisors who lived in luxury, and among them, Lao Ba was the most reliable in his work and the most loyal.

"Old Ba," Wang Chaoque patted the other's shoulder, "you've been with me for fifteen years, haven't you? Life is short, how many fifteen-year periods can one have?"

He spoke with concern, “We are master and servant in name, but brothers in reality. I should have released you long ago and found you a position as a clerk in the sixth department of the government office, which would have been a perfect ending.”

"But I can't bear to part with you! I've stayed for fifteen years. You were originally a respectable scholar, and I've really held you back. I can't bear it."

“My lord…” Old Ba’s voice choked with emotion, “I don’t want to be a clerk, I only want to serve you. When I was down on my luck, it was you who took me in.”

Wang Chaoque waved his hand, "We're brothers, why are you saying these things! I'm a hereditary martial artist, not as meticulous as you scholars. There are many things I still need you to handle."

"Old Ba, if you help me get that piece of land from the Zhou family, then go to the county government office as a clerk in the military affairs department. I'll arrange everything for you."

The clerk of the military affairs office! That's the head of the six departments of the county government. A lucrative position!
Upon hearing this, Old Baht became quite excited. Had he finally made it through all these years?
As the two were talking, a young servant in blue robes stepped forward, knelt down, and reported:
"Father, our in-law, Old Man Wang, has passed away. He just came to the manor to report the death. The Fourth Young Mistress has already cried herself to death."

Originally, "薨了" specifically referred to the death of a feudal lord. But nowadays, it can be used to describe the death of anyone.

However, this father-in-law was from a hereditary family that lived in Chaotian, and his great-aunt had been buried with the founding emperor. Although his family's status was not what it used to be, they were still prominent officials and gentry in the area.

"That's it?" Wang Chaoque sighed. "How pitiful. Life is truly unpredictable. How did he pass away?"

"Replying to Father," the servant knelt on the ground, not daring to get up, "it is said, it is said that he drank wine last night and died drunk on his concubine."

Wang Chaoque almost laughed out loud, but instead stamped his foot with a sorrowful expression, "What do you mean, 'died from drunkenness'? This is a stroke on horseback! My father-in-law is so old, how can you not take care of yourself!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he said, "I'm going to check on Fourth Brother's wife. Her father is gone; she must be heartbroken."

But in his heart he thought, "Good riddance! With that old scoundrel gone, there's no more trouble." He was overjoyed, and his steps became much lighter.

Wang Chaoque entered the magnificent inner courtyard filled with pavilions and towers, and easily found an exquisite and elegant courtyard, entering a vermilion building.

This vermilion building was the boudoir of the fourth daughter-in-law, Madam Wang.

The fourth son has gone to Suzhou to oversee the goods, leaving his wife to temporarily stay in the empty house. Now that her father has died, she has fainted from crying.

Both out of compassion and reason, we should try to persuade them.

Many people had already arrived at the mansion, some pinching her philtrum, others massaging her feet, but the fourth young mistress, who was not yet twenty years old, remained unconscious.

"You may all leave," Wang Chaoque said, waving his hand. "She's just overwhelmed with grief after hearing the terrible news and has fallen into a state of suspended animation. Let her sleep for a while, and she'll wake up naturally. Don't disturb her."

"Yes!" A large group of people left with complicated expressions, and no one dared to utter a single word.

Once only the father-in-law and daughter-in-law remained in the room, Wang Chaojue closed the door, sat down by the embroidered couch, and looked at his fourth daughter-in-law, who was sleeping peacefully like a begonia in her unconscious state, and said softly:
"Little Si'er, I know you're not unconscious, you're just faking it."

Wang's eyelids twitched slightly, her breathing suddenly became heavier, and her eyelashes trembled a little.

Wang Chaoque chuckled and said calmly, "You don't want to go back for the funeral, do you? Aren't you a filial daughter? Why don't you want to go back for the funeral? What are you afraid of? Hmm?"

"Let this old man guess. Hmm, is it that 'pregnant women shouldn't face the coffin,' as it would disturb the spirit of the deceased, bringing bad luck to both the living and the dead?"

There's a saying that unmarried people shouldn't carry coffins, and pregnant women shouldn't rush into a coffin. According to local custom, pregnant women are not allowed to attend funerals, even those of their parents or other close relatives.

Because pregnant women have a strong yin energy, they are believed to be prone to offending evil spirits, which is considered very unlucky.

Wang was always a filial daughter, but upon hearing of her father's death, she fainted and remained unconscious for half a day. This could be hidden from others, but not from Wang Chaoque.

Upon hearing Wang Chaoque's words, Wang's eyelashes trembled even more violently.

His breathing became heavier, and his towering chest heaved.

Wang Chaoque smiled like a fox spirit.

"I know, the fourth brother is no good. Although it's a secret, no one knows a son better than his father, and he's destined to be childless. So, whose child is in your belly?"

Wang finally opened her eyes, revealing a pair of eyes filled with extreme shame and indignation, her whole body trembling.

Looking at her father-in-law, she felt as if she were seeing a ghost.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to tear his face apart, but she didn't dare to do it.

Wang Chaoque smiled indifferently, "I never expected that you would get pregnant after just one touch. Alas, I'm still as sharp as ever."

"The hearts of parents are always full of love and concern. You think I'm doing this for the sake of incest, that I'm disrespectful to my elders. But actually, I'm doing this to ensure my fourth son has an heir!"

He looked heartbroken and said, "But who knows the painstaking efforts I've made?"

"I have nine beautiful concubines, each one as lovely as a flower, young and beautiful. I can't even take care of them all, so why would I covet you?"

"If it weren't for wanting to leave a son for the fourth son, and keeping the good stuff in the family, would I have touched you? I'm not after women."

Wang gave a bitter, mocking laugh, nearly fainting from anger.

That's utterly shameless, absolutely shameless.

She planned to go back to her parents' home and tell her father about this shameful affair, hoping he would make the decision. But then her father died.

Wang Chaoque leaned down, "You want to have this child, don't you? A woman can't survive without a child. If you submit to me, your future will be filled with happiness..."

Wang dared not resist, but tears flowed silently.

She wanted nothing more than to kill Wang Chaoque, that beast in human clothing, but she dared not!

……

On the fourth day of the ninth lunar month, Zhu Yin had already been going to school for three days.

He became much closer to his classmates. In just three days, he had mastered all the Four Books and Five Classics and memorized them perfectly.

His reputation as a child prodigy has spread beyond Chongshitang and even into lower-level classrooms.

These past few days, he has been training students as soon as he gets home from school, teaching only two classes each night.

The training program for trainees is finally on track.

The construction craftsmen that Ning Caiwei had hired arrived the day before.

Horse-drawn carriages carrying bricks, tiles, and timber arrived at the Zhou family villa.

After setting off a few strings of firecrackers and sacrificing a rooster to the God of Crafts, the two men went to the temple to offer incense according to custom, and the Ningyin Trading Company's factory broke ground.

Before construction began, the head of the family, Zhu Yin, formally ascended the stage to pay homage to the craftsmen.

He personally poured a cup of rice wine and presented it to Master Liu, who was in charge of the construction, and then gave him a red envelope. The simple ceremony was over.

The villagers soon learned that the Zhu family was building a workshop. It was said to be a weaving workshop.

But with two hundred people working together, how big of a workshop would it take to build such a large operation?
The trainees that Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei bought also began to take on logistical tasks as the project started.

They cooked, delivered water, and washed dishes for the craftsmen.

In short, no one was idle. Even Jin Yunniang took on the role of cook.

The area around the Zhou family villa was bustling with activity, attracting many villagers to watch.

That evening, construction had already stopped. A guest arrived at the Zhu family's house.

He claims his surname is Tian.

After some rambling conversation, the visitor revealed his purpose: he wanted to transfer ownership of the Zhou family villa and hoped Zhu Yin would sublet it.

You can add money.

They were even willing to help Zhu Yin find a better courtyard and a better place to build a workshop.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei resolutely refused. The visitor tried every means to persuade them, but seeing that Zhu Yin remained unmoved, the visitor resorted to threats:

"Young master is so stubborn, he doesn't do others any favors, and he doesn't do himself any favors either. I'm afraid that things will go wrong in the future, and it will be too late to regret it."

After the visitor left disappointed, Zhu Yin sneered:

"Wang Chaoque is obsessed with this land. Kong Jiulang confessed that he wanted it too. Could there be treasure buried here?"

Ning Caiwei laughed, "Is it because of feng shui?"

Zhu Yin said, "Whether it's feng shui or buried treasure, he's just deluding himself. If soft tactics don't work, he'll have to resort to hard ones."

Ning Caiwei frowned. "Now that you mention it, I really don't dare go to Guangxi. If I leave, what about you and Qingchen..."

Zhu Yin said, "Don't worry about going to Guangxi. I'll be careful and take good care of Qingchen. It's true that Wang Chaoque is a local tyrant, but he can't do anything to me. On the contrary, if I retaliate, he, the hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will be unable to withstand it."

"My informants are starting to work; the Wang family is now under my surveillance. The money wasn't wasted. As the intelligence network matures, my understanding of the village will only increase."

After arriving in Qingqiao, Zhu Yin spent a lot of money, but he also set up eighteen informants, led by Fang Jian, and initially established an intelligence network to monitor the various forces in Qingqiao.

The identities and professions of these eighteen people are all those most conducive to spying and gathering information.

Besides mirror polishers, there were also itinerant doctors, matchmakers, monks, midwives, sorcerers, fortune tellers, nuns, prostitutes, pageboys, maids, servants, and thugs.

Information about these people would be passed on to the Kangxi brothers from time to time, and then reported to Kangxi himself.

It can be said that Zhu Yin became increasingly familiar with all the major and minor events in Qingqiao.

Ning Caiwei thought for a moment, "How about I go see my aunt before I leave and ask her to look after me?"

Zhu Yin shook his head without hesitation, "Forget it. Don't use this kind of relationship lightly unless necessary. We should try to handle things ourselves as best we can. Favors are the hardest to repay."

Ning Caiwei was still worried. "Little Tiger, you have to walk 10 or 20 miles to and from school every day. Even though Lan Cha is protecting you, I'm still worried."

Zhu Yin patted her head. "Don't worry... uh, you can go to Guangxi without worry. I guarantee that Qingchen and I will be safe and sound, without losing a single hair. You have to believe me, I'm a former special agent."

"Don't forget, Instructor Gong, the head of the Wang family's guards, is also one of our people. Even if the Wang family wants to do something to me, it will be difficult to hide it from Gong Ji."

"If he were to resort to underhanded tactics, it would be nothing more than hiring someone to do the despicable thing, setting fires at night, poisoning well water, or using someone else to do the dirty work. None of those methods would work on me."

“Alright.” Ning Caiwei was convinced. “Then we won’t tell your aunt. Just deal with whatever comes your way. But remember, don’t be careless.”

Zhu Yin stood up and looked at the makeshift craftsmen's shacks not far from the courtyard. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

Even if the Wang family can't deal with me, what if they target these craftsmen?

If the craftsmen suffer heavy casualties, I will also be implicated.

Even if they don't lose everything or get implicated, they can't stay here any longer.

Seeing that Zhu Yin's expression was strange, Ning Caiwei couldn't help but follow Zhu Yin's gaze and saw the newly built craftsmen's hut.

Her expression also turned serious.

"A craftsman?" She understood.

Zhu Yin nodded, "That's right. Craftsmen are our biggest weakness!"

Ning Caiwei's gaze hardened.

“I knew you would have a way. Now that you’ve thought of it, it’s no longer a weakness.”

Zhu Yin smiled faintly, his meaning clear without a word.

Wang Chaoque, if you're courting death, you might not be the only one to die.

It might destroy the entire Wang family!
……

Early in the morning of the fifth day of the ninth lunar month, Ning Caiwei, having made all the preparations, was finally ready to set off.

Luggage, gold and silver, carriages and horses are all ready.

Those who escorted her to Guangxi included Ding Hongying and Galo, as well as Xue Susu, who was born into a horse-farming family and was skilled with a slingshot.

This is Ning Caiwei's best friend whom she met during a village opera performance; they are now very close.

Besides the three women, there was also Zhou Desi, who was skilled at sailing, and Liu Shan'a and Zhang Dingzhu, who were recalled from Baohua Mountain.

For safety reasons, we decided to go to Daishan Island first, then transfer to a larger ship there to bring more people, before heading to the South China Sea.

The section of the Yangtze River leading to Daishan Island is frequented by many merchant ships and is now considered relatively safe.

Zhu Yin carried Ning Qingchen and escorted Ning Caiwei all the way to the Qinhuai River to board a boat.

The sand barges, moored for a long time, were covered with autumn frost. The Qinhuai River rippled with a cold, melancholic autumn light.

Ning Caiwei picked up her younger sister, kissed her, and whispered:

"Little sister, you must listen to your brother-in-law and not be stubborn with the little tiger. We'll be reunited soon."

"Have a safe journey and take good care of yourself." Zhu Yin said with a hint of reluctance, "Personal safety is always the first priority, and surviving is the most important thing."

Ning Caiwei's eyes welled up with tears. "I understand. No matter what danger we encounter, the first priority is to survive."

Ning Qingchen's tears also flowed uncontrollably.

"Sister, can we not leave?"

Ning Caiwei shook her head, "No, for the sake of our future well-being, I must go. Just wait and see how incredibly wealthy you become."

After Ning Caiwei finished speaking, she forcefully pulled her younger sister off her and handed her to Zhu Yin to hold.

"Little tiger, your little sister is in your care now."

After saying that, he gave a bright smile and boarded the sand barge.

The sand barge finally left the riverbank and slowly sailed away.

"Uncle Tiger! Take care!" Ding Hongying waved.

Zhu Yin said, "Protect your Aunt Ning well!"

Ding Hongying called out crisply, "I know! With a knife in hand, I can take on ten men! With me here, Aunt Ning is safe!"

"Hehehe!" Ning Caiwei stood at the bow of the boat, waving and laughing. Her silvery laughter was carried by the autumn wind and floated on the river.

The autumn morning light shone on her, leaving a beautiful, golden silhouette on the bow of the boat.

"Waaah..." Ning Qingchen finally couldn't hold back her tears and started crying.

Zhu Yin held Ning Qingchen in his arms, standing on the riverbank, watching her receding figure, speechless for a long time, oblivious to the chill of the autumn wind.

Caiwei, the winds and waves of the rivers and seas are cold; please take good care of yourself!
P.S.: This is a long chapter of over 7,000 words. Thank you all for your subscriptions and votes; you are my only remaining motivation. Goodnight! By the way, is the ruler of the Summer Insect Kingdom a cicada or a cricket?

(End of this chapter)