Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

Old Man Chen's hands trembled as he touched the heavy silver ingots, and his eyes immediately reddened. "Miss Tao'er, this...this is unacceptable!"

"You're a young lady traveling alone with Ayan; you'll need money for everything. We can't accept this money!"

He spoke firmly and pushed the money back.

Chen Pingan quickly waved his hand, "Yes..."

Miss Peach, it's only right that we help you, how could we possibly accept your money!

Besides, it's fifty taels...

"Take it back quickly... quickly."

Tao'er shook her head, her tone unusually firm.

"Uncle Chen, you must accept this silver."

The kindness your family has shown to me and Ayan cannot be measured in money.

Ayan and I are in a difficult situation right now, but we can manage for the time being.

Uncle Chen, since Uncle Ping'an and Cuihua are in love, why don't you grant them their wish?

Uncle Ping An is not young anymore. Can you bear to let him spend his whole life without a wife and children, and grow old alone?

She believed that Mr. Chen wouldn't have the heart to do that, after all, he only had one son.

Old Chen glanced at his son and felt a pang of guilt: it was all his fault for being incompetent and having no money to get his son a wife.

If he had been able to afford twenty taels of silver as a bride price back then, his son wouldn't still be...

Seeing that Old Man Chen remained silent, Tao'er paused, then raised her voice, her tone firm and unwavering: "Old Man Chen, Uncle Chen, if you insist on not accepting our offer, then Ayan and I will leave tonight."

Since neither of you is willing to accept any help from us, we feel it would be impolite to continue bothering you here.

"This..." Old Chen was speechless for a moment, caught in a dilemma. He couldn't accept the silver, nor could he refuse it.

He knew Tao'er was serious.

Her eyes were clear and her expression resolute; it was no mere politeness.

He looked at his son again. Chen Ping'an's face was also full of struggle. On the one hand, he really didn't want to accept such a heavy gift. On the other hand, Tao'er's words touched his deepest desire. He wanted to give Cuihua a stable home and also wanted his elderly parents to live a good life.

Ayan put down his wonton spoon, tugged at Tao'er's sleeve, and whispered, "Sister Tao'er..."

Tao'er gently patted Ayan's hand to reassure him, and then continued to say to the Chen family father and son, "Uncle Chen, please accept it without worry."

We do have enough money on us, so you don't need to worry about us going hungry on the road.

I assure you, I will not let Ayan go hungry, and of course I will not let myself go hungry either.

To be honest, when we left the Prime Minister's residence, we made some preparations; we still had some money on us.

"On the contrary, you are struggling to make ends meet. Do you want to live like this forever?"

Of the fifty taels of silver, twenty taels were for Uncle Chen to get married.

With the remaining thirty taels, you can have your mother-in-law and Uncle Ping An take over a small shop, or you can rent one.

I just ate the wontons my mother-in-law made, and they were very good.

Your family can happily open the wonton shop.

My mother-in-law makes delicious wontons, so her business is sure to be good.

This way, the skills of Grandma and Uncle Ping An won't go to waste.

"With this shop, your lives will gradually become stable, and in the future, you can buy land, estates, and courtyards when you make money."

If Ayan and I have the opportunity to come back in the future, we'll have a place to stay. Wouldn't that be better?

Please accept the money as if it were just the two of us, okay?

"Can I consider this my advance payment to you?"

Only if Tao'er said this would the father and son be willing to accept the money.

Looking into Tao'er's clear and determined eyes, and then at the silver on the table that could change the family's fate, Old Man Chen choked up, finally sighed, and stopped refusing.

"Miss Peach..."

What are we supposed to say?!

This kindness...we, the Chen family, will remember it forever!

We will not let down the kindness you and the Xiao family have shown us.

We'll do as you say. We'll open shops, buy fields, estates, and courtyards, and wait for you to come back.

His hands trembled, but he finally gripped the silver tightly, as if he were holding onto a heavy weight of hope.

Chen Ping'an was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He bowed deeply to Tao'er and Ayan and said, "Miss Tao'er, Ayan, thank you, thank you!"

I...I, Chen Ping'an, swear that I will live a good life, open this shop, and live up to your kindness!

On behalf of Cuihua, thank you all!

"Uncle Chen, please stop doing this."

We are happy to see that you and Aunt Cuihua have lived up to each other's expectations, and that our mother-in-law's skills can be passed down.

However, matters concerning opening a shop and getting married should wait until this current situation calms down before proceeding; we must be extremely cautious.

Tao'er thought to herself that once the Xiao family left, the two of them would also have to find a way to leave this place.

The longer we stay here, the greater the danger will be.

"I know, I know!"

Chen Pingan nodded repeatedly, his face radiating a long-unseen glow of energy.

Old Man Chen wiped his eyes, carefully put away the silver, and solemnly said, "Miss Tao'er, Ayan, it's getting late. After you finish the remaining wontons, go back to your rooms and rest early."

I'll go out on the street tomorrow to ask around.

"Alright, you two must be tired too, go back inside and rest!"

Tao'er smiled and replied.

After finishing their wontons, Tao'er and Ayan felt warm both physically and mentally.

Tao'er and Ayan returned to the small house where they had temporarily settled down. Although the road ahead was uncertain, they felt particularly at ease at this moment.

Helping the Chen family today is a way of returning the favor. Perhaps they will become a reliable network for Ayan when he returns here in the future, which can be considered as paving the way for Ayan's future.

"Sister Tao'er, thank you..."

Ayan suddenly spoke up.

Tao'er looked at him in surprise, "Ayan, what's wrong?"

Why are you suddenly thanking my sister?

"Sister Tao'er, thank you for letting me see my father and say my final goodbyes to my grandmother. It leaves me with no regrets!"

Although today's farewell to my father and grandmother was rushed, it was something that Sister Tao'er managed to do by doing everything she could and risking her life.

He didn't know where Sister Peach went tonight, but he knew she must have done something very dangerous.

"So that's why..."

Silly Ayan, Tao'er is like your older sister now, you don't need to be so polite with me, it makes us seem distant.

It's getting late, go to sleep. You've only just recovered.

Tao'er covered Ayan with the blanket and patted him gently.

"Okay, I'll listen to Sister Tao'er."

You should go to bed early too; you've had the hardest night tonight.

After Ayan finished speaking, he closed his eyes.

Tao'er also lay down, closed her eyes, and thought that the Xiao family would be exiled on the third day.

I just don't know if the ban on entering but not leaving the city gates will be lifted on that day.

At this moment, in the Peace Conference Hall of the Imperial Palace.

The fifty-year-old Emperor Wenchang was in a fit of rage, and he grabbed a blue and white porcelain cup and smashed it directly at Prince Cheng, Xie Jingxing.

"waste!

"King Cheng, how did you handle this?"