Chapter 546 - 316: A Family That Accumulates Good Deeds Will Surely Have Abundant Blessings

Xiao Wan’er naturally wasn’t worried about his safety, but she still instructed Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang to keep an eye on his whereabouts.

Chen Yi went along with it. Bypassing the crowd, he approached Zhang Dabao and the others. Cupping his hands, he asked with a smile, "I heard from those returning to the city that you have grain on hand. Which of you is the Steward?"

Liu Lang slightly raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but saw Zhang Dabao rush ahead of him to bow.

"This humble one greets Mr. Qingzhou," Zhang Dabao said respectfully. "You can discuss any matters directly with me." As he spoke, he winked and signaled with his eyes, indicating that he was at Chen Yi’s beck and call.

Chen Yi glanced at him and nodded with a smile. "There are too many eyes and ears here. Why don’t we find a quiet place?"

Zhang Dabao naturally had no objections. Pushing past Liu Lang, he invited Chen Yi into the courtyard.

Watching the two of them close the wooden doors behind them, Liu Lang couldn’t help but grumble, "He isn’t even a member of the Xiao family, yet he comes knocking to ask for grain? Am I right, guys?"

Xue Duanyun nodded with an awkward smile, not daring to utter a single word. He only dared to peek at Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang from the corner of his eye.

Since Chen Yi and his group had arrived, Xue Duanyun, along with Zhang Sanhu and Zhang Sihu, had been acting like mice meeting a cat, completely silent. They were terrified of being discovered by their two senior martial sisters, as they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves.

Noticing their strange behavior, Liu Lang curled his lips. "Are they really that scary? If we’re talking about scary, it has to be our boss. His Martial Arts are so domineering! I couldn’t even take a single move from him. If he hadn’t shown mercy that time, I would have died eight hundred times over."

Speaking of this, Liu Lang caught sight of Xiao Wan’er. He stared at her carefully for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Say, do you think the boss fancies her?"

Xue Duanyun and the other two looked over. Realizing what he meant, their faces revealed a hint of ambiguous understanding. It went without saying.

Liu Lang lightly slapped his thigh and chuckled. "As they say, even heroes struggle against the allure of a beauty, and the boss is no exception! Otherwise, facing dangerous people like the horse bandits, how could he dare to charge in alone? Yes, definitely. Next time I see the boss, I’ll be sure to ask him—"

Inside the gates, Zhang Dabao heard his voice and shook his head inwardly. "Brother Liu is a lost cause," he thought. "It’s bad enough he previously called His Excellency frail, but now he dares to gossip about His Excellency and the Eldest Miss of the Xiao family. The worst part is that His Excellency is right in front of him..."

Chen Yi had also heard Liu Lang’s words, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "It seems one beating wasn’t enough," he thought.

Then, while casually asking Zhang Dabao for his surname aloud, Chen Yi traced a few characters in thin air: [Is everything going smoothly?]

Zhang Dabao nodded in understanding and traced back: [Smoothly. Lin Zhenghong will gather grain from the other families today. After Midnight tonight, they will find a way to transport it out of the city and trade it two hundred miles to the west.]

After Midnight...

Chen Yi noted the hour and gave a slight nod. [You don’t need to keep an eye on Lin Village anymore. The matter with Lin Zhenghong is more important.]

Since he had come here with Xiao Wan’er, the grain here would naturally not be lost. Besides, Xue Duanyun and the others were still present.

Once he had a clear picture of the situation, Chen Yi felt more assured. He chatted with Zhang Dabao for a few more moments before walking out of the courtyard.

Seeing the two of them come out, Liu Lang cupped his hands with a smirk. "Is Mr. Qingzhou leaving so soon?"

Chen Yi ignored him, walking straight toward Xiao Wan’er and the others.

Liu Lang’s smile froze. Recovering himself, he shook his Punches at Chen Yi’s retreating back. "What Mr. Qingzhou? He’s just a fraud fishing for fame!"

Zhang Dabao shot him a helpless look. "Brother Liu, you should really speak less." The more he spoke, the more mistakes he made, and his ending would be miserable.

Liu Lang scoffed disdainfully, "What can he do to me?" Then he changed the subject, "By the way, what did he want? Is he after the grain?"

"Yes, that’s right..."

"Unless the boss gives the word, who dares touch it? Not even Mr. Qingzhou!"

"The problem is that the boss has already given the word," Zhang Dabao thought. He shook his head, deciding to keep his distance from Liu Lang after tonight to avoid suffering any unprovoked disaster.

Chen Yi acted as if he hadn’t heard anything, rejoining Xiao Wan’er and the rest.

"I’ve asked. They do have grain over there, though I don’t know which family from the Prefecture City it belongs to," Chen Yi said. "However, seeing that they were selling grain at fair prices earlier, the master of that household must be a charitable and generous person."

Xiao Wan’er’s face lit up with joy. "How much grain do they have?"

"He didn’t specify, but there should be at least ten thousand shi."

The incident had happened so suddenly; if Chen Yi hadn’t reacted quickly, not even these ten thousand shi of grain would have been left.

Xiao Wan’er was not disappointed. Instead, she calculated eagerly, "Then we can hold out for another five days."

"Probably..."

After discussing the matter, the group split up. Xiao Xuanshuo took his men and the grain to exchange for coarse grain with the nearby Noble Families, while the others continued to busy themselves with distributing porridge.

It wasn’t until the sky grew dark that Chen Yi and the others took a carriage back. Passing by Jishi Medicine Hall, they saw Ma Liangcai leading Yuan Liu’er, Yuan Hao, and the others out to bid their farewells. Chen Yi purposely took another look at Yuan Hao. Seeing nothing unusual about him, he patiently followed Xiao Wan’er and the rest back to the Marquis’s Mansion.

Watching the carriage depart, Yuan Liu’er pulled Yuan Hao along as they followed Ma Liangcai. Her mind was still recalling the Methods for treating illnesses and saving lives she had learned during the day.

Yuan Hao, on the other hand, occasionally glanced at the carriage flying the Xiao family flag, his face full of envy. "Sis, the people from the Marquis’s Mansion are all good people."

"They are also highly capable people," he thought. "Not only is the Eldest Miss beautiful, but she is also very kind-hearted, always treating the refugees outside the city with gentleness. The Second Son-in-Law—my sister’s grandmaster—is exactly the same. He is just as described in books, gentle and refined. Then there are the Guards, every one of them tall and burly, clad in Iron Armor and wearing long Blades at their waists, looking incredibly majestic."

"Mm," Yuan Liu’er replied absentmindedly. "Grandmaster and the others are our benefactors. Remember not to act recklessly when you see them in the future."

"I know, Sis..."

A short while later.

After finishing dinner at Jishi Medicine Hall, Yuan Liu’er and Yuan Hao bid farewell to Ma Liangcai and made their way back to Kangle Lane.