Xiao Yu lay beside her, staring at her with eager eyes.

As for Lu Wenzhao, Xiao Yu could barely remember him anymore—not even his face.

When she first heard that her father had returned, she had been excited.

Over the past few days, Lu Wenzhao had treated the two children fairly well.

However, after what had happened today, Xiao Yu felt some resistance toward this biological father.

Compared to Lu Wenzhao, they preferred to stay with their mother, Shen Qingwan.

“Mother, will you abandon my brother and me?” Xiao Yu asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Shen Qingwan looked at the little girl gazing at her intently, pinched her nose gently, and smiled. “If you could only choose one, would you want to stay with your mother or your father?”

“Mother, I want to stay with you!” The little girl answered without hesitation, warming Shen Qingwan’s heart.

“As long as you want to stay with me, I will keep you by my side. Even your father won’t be able to take you away,” Shen Qingwan reassured her.

She had made up her mind to keep the two children.

Even though Lu Wenzhao was their biological father, she would still fight for them. If he genuinely cared for them and did not force them, she wouldn’t mind letting him live for the sake of their parents.

If Lu Wenzhao could win the children’s hearts and they willingly followed him, she wouldn’t stop them. After all, they were his family.

However, based on how he treated them today, she felt he was unworthy of being their father.

That’s why she promised Xiao Yu that if they did not want to go with Lu Wenzhao, she would protect them.

Perhaps Shen Qingwan’s promise put Xiao Yu at ease, and the little girl soon fell asleep.

After coaxing both children to sleep, Shen Qingwan finally rested.

Since they had not yet moved into the new house, and many things were still missing, she stayed at her second brother’s new home for the night.

Her second brother and his wife had specially prepared a large room for them, with a spacious heated brick bed over three meters long.

It was more than enough for her and the two children to sleep comfortably.

The next morning, Shen Qingwan left for the city early.

She had many things to take care of and no time to wait at home for Lu Wenzhao to show up. With Old Master Lu and Old Madam Lu watching over the house, she wasn’t worried that Lu Wenzhao would take the children by force.

However, she underestimated Lu Wenzhao’s cunning.

By the time Lu Wenguang arrived in a hurry to find her, it was already afternoon.

Shen Qingwan had just returned to the shop from Meng Xingzhou’s training grounds and was planning to check on her mother before heading back to the village.

Just as she was about to leave, Lu Wenguang rushed into the shop.

“Sister-in-law, something terrible has happened! Big Brother forcibly took Father, Mother, and Little Sister away. Xiao Yu and Xiao Chen were taken too!”

Lu Wenguang had come by mule cart, sweating profusely from the urgency.

Shen Qingwan’s heart sank. “How long ago did they leave? Which direction did they go?”

She thought she might still have time to chase after them.

“They came not long after you left this morning. Big Brother brought his guards. They tied up me and Hui Niang without giving us a chance to resist. Even Xiao Juan was locked in a room. Big Brother used the children as leverage to force Father, Mother, and Little Sister to leave with him. They had no choice but to get on the carriage. We were tied up for a long time. If it weren’t for the village chief noticing my absence in the fields and checking on us, I wouldn’t have been able to come and tell you.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingwan exhaled slowly. If they had left in the morning, they were likely already out of Suzhou’s borders. It was too late to chase them now.

“Second Brother, go back for now. Once I take care of my matters here, I will bring them back,” Shen Qingwan said calmly.

After all, Lu Wenzhao wouldn’t harm his own parents and children. Since he was so eager to take them away, she would let him—for now.

She knew they were headed for the capital, but she had more pressing matters to handle first.

She couldn’t leave immediately because the army in the northwest, tens of thousands strong, was still waiting for the grain supply she was responsible for delivering.

At least she knew their lives weren’t in danger, so there was no need to rush.

Lu Wenguang hesitated but eventually returned home.

While he had initially been happy about his elder brother’s return—hoping for another strong man to help with family affairs—he hadn’t expected Lu Wenzhao to abandon his wife and forcibly take their parents and siblings away.

Now, the once-lively house felt empty with only his own small family left.

His wife, Zhou Huiniang, was so upset that she wiped away tears all evening.

The villagers had also learned about Lu Wenzhao’s actions.

Some had seen the carriage leaving the village but had assumed he was just visiting his parents again, as he had been doing daily.

No one had expected him to take them away by force. If they had known, they would have tried to stop him.

Now, it was too late.

What angered everyone even more was that Lu Wenzhao had taken his parents and children but left his wife behind.

Such behavior was truly outrageous.

Back at her residence in the city, Shen Qingwan informed Ye Minglan that she would be away for some time.

She didn’t mention her trip to the northwest, partly to avoid worrying her mother and partly because she needed to travel quickly, making it inconvenient to bring her along.

She also wanted to see for herself what kind of man her father was.

According to her mother, her aunt had abandoned her on the way to the northwest.

That meant the woman had already reached the military camp, clearly aiming to find her father. If her father had any kind of relationship with that woman, Shen Qingwan might still deliver the grain but would never acknowledge him as her father.

However, if he remained loyal and upright, she would do everything in her power to help him overcome his difficulties.

Ye Minglan was naturally worried about her daughter leaving, but knowing that Shen Qingwan was not an ordinary woman, she could only remind her to be careful.

With Rong Yunshuang and Rong Yunfei watching over the house, Shen Qingwan felt at ease.

The next morning, she mounted her horse and set off for Yuzhou City.

The journey between Yuzhou and Suzhou was not short. Even riding at full speed, it took her a day and a half to reach Yuzhou.

For convenience, she was still dressed in men’s clothing.

Outside Yuzhou City, many refugees had gathered, most unable to enter due to the 20-wen entry fee.

Inside the city, however, there were few refugees.

Shen Qingwan paid the fee and led her horse inside.

Murong Wushuang had told her that Ning Huai’an was staying at the largest inn in Yuzhou. After asking around, she finally found the Yunlai Inn.