Chapter 10

“Silver…”

Everyone was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t that they found her request for silver odd. For common folk, payment in silver was perfectly normal. They were just surprised by how unabashedly she expressed her desire for money, even coming across as somewhat unrestrained.

Yan Fang opened his mouth to say something but was swiftly pulled back by Wu Qi beside him.

Even Jiang Xiao fell into a strange silence before he finally responded, “Alright.”

Immediately, everyone’s expressions grew more complicated, some even looking like they wanted to speak but held back.

Yun Shuang: “…” Seriously? These men were supposed to be powerful and authoritative—yet the moment money was mentioned, they all lost their composure. Surely they weren’t broke? No way!

“I’ll have someone deliver the reward to Madam Yun shortly,” Jiang Xiao said calmly, as though he hadn’t noticed the discomfort around him.

Yun Shuang could tell by his tone that this was his way of saying she could leave now. She suddenly regretted not naming a specific amount earlier, seeing how easily he agreed!

Who knew how much he’d actually give her? What if he turned out to be stingy and handed her just a few copper coins?

But the conversation had gone this far—there was no good way to press further without seeming pushy. So she simply thanked him, took the children, and left.

As she walked away, Wu Qi chuckled and rubbed his forehead. “That madam really hit us where it hurts. It’s already autumn, and Jinmeng Kingdom is stirring again. The court’s military stipends haven’t arrived yet, and we’re all tightening our belts just to get by. Where would we even find extra funds to pay her?”

The General probably agreed earlier as a way to gauge her character further. But who would’ve thought she was so normal? Too normal, even.

Yan Fang shot a disapproving glare at Wu Qi. “Why did you stop me just now? If we don’t have money, we should just say so! Miss Yun doesn’t seem like someone unreasonable!”

Wu Qi: “…”

Sure, money’s tight—but they could scrape together something. To admit outright that they had no funds? That would be a blow to the General’s dignity!

After all, he was the commanding officer of the Xiazhou garrison.

Jiang Xiao suddenly pulled his reins and said, “Wu Qi, this reward will come from my private funds. Send it to her shortly.”

Wu Qi was momentarily stunned.

Without another word, Jiang Xiao spurred his horse forward and rode ahead.

Yan Fang immediately sidled up, looking worried. “General, didn’t you say the silver in your private vault was meant for marrying that woman from six years ago?”

Wu Qi’s mouth twitched. Fed up, he snapped, “Idiot, shut up! Just because the General wants to find that woman doesn’t mean he’s already stashing money to marry her!”

After all, his connection with her had been sheer coincidence. His desire to find her came from his usual sense of responsibility—not deep affection. No one knew what that woman looked like, how old she was, or even whether she was still alive. Wu Qi genuinely admired how the general persisted for six years under such uncertainty, even refusing to consider marriage.

Of course, Wu Qi suspected that this “devotion” might just be the General’s excuse to dodge relentless matchmakers. He seemed cold and detached—marriage never seemed like something that truly interested him.

Wu Qi added, frowning, “Anyway, don’t say stuff like that in front of the General. If he catches wind of you gossiping about his personal business, you’ll regret it.”

Yan Fang huffed indignantly. “Do I look that stupid to you?”

Wu Qi: “…”

Still, for someone with questionable brains, Yan Fang had a decent knack for reading the room. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted this long in the General’s service.

—

After turning to leave, Yun Shuang focused on the real task ahead: finding ingredients for tonight’s meal.

Though that difficult man had promised her a reward, Yun Shuang didn’t believe in relying solely on others. Until he delivered on that promise, she was going to keep handling things herself. But she soon noticed the two little rascals with her were constantly glancing back over their shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are those uncles really that good-looking?”

Erya shook her head and stole another glance, her little face tilting up. “That really, really tall uncle looked awesome! I think he’s even more awesome than Grandpa Village Chief!”

Yun Shuang opened her mouth, about to respond—when Goudan cut in coldly, “What’s so great about that? I’ll be even better than him one day!”

That way, he’d be able to protect his mother and Erya.

Yun Shuang blinked, then turned toward Goudan with a smile. “Alright, I’ll be waiting for that day.”

Goudan looked up at her and gave a firm nod, almost like making a solemn vow.

Just then, a saccharine and sarcastic voice rang out from nearby. “Heh. Yun Shuang, I never knew you had such a cunning side. One moment you’re stringing along Brother Changyong, the next you’re cozying up to all those military men. What—can’t stop craving male attention?”

Yun Shuang’s brows drew together. She looked up coolly to see Liu Pei’er stepping out from behind a large tree.

“Watch your tongue,” she said icily. “I don’t want my children picking up garbage talks.”

Liu Pei’er had always kept an eye on Yun Shuang—for one simple reason. She used to be the prettiest girl in the village, with nearly every man falling over themselves to court her. But everything changed when Yun Shuang arrived. Men still said Liu Pei’er was pretty, but now they always added, “…though she’s not quite as striking as Yun Shuang.” Even Brother Changyong, whom Liu Pei’er had admired, was now completely smitten with that little vixen. Ever since Yun Shuang showed up, he hadn’t spared Liu Pei’er a proper glance.

The more Liu Pei’er thought about it, the deeper her jealousy festered. She twisted a handkerchief in her fingers and lashed out nastily, “Who was it that did something indecent first, huh? Don’t pretend to be all high and mighty, Yun Shuang! It’s those poor kids who have to suffer having a shameless mother like you!”

No sooner had she finished than Goudan bared his teeth, ready to charge—but Yun Shuang firmly held him back. Her eyes went cold as she stared at Liu Pei’er; she was just about to retort when a sweet, innocent voice chirped beside her.

“Big Sister Pei’er, what does ‘pretending to be high and mighty’ mean?” asked Erya, blinking wide-eyed. “I heard from the villagers that lots of people asked to marry you, but you said no. And then you kept dressing up all fancy and heading to town. That’s pretending to be high and mighty, right? Is that a way of saying you look pretty?”

Liu Pei’er’s face froze, about to explode. “You little—!”

But Erya suddenly put her hands on her hips and declared with righteous conviction, “Even if you say nice things about my mother’s looks, you still shouldn’t say bad things about her. That’s wrong! My mother’s super clean. Unlike last time, when Big Sister Pei’er had a big booger in her nose! All the village kids laughed about it for days. Now that was dirty!”

Liu Pei’er didn’t even get a word in—her hands flew to her nose as her face turned pale with shock. A booger?! When did that happen? Had those rotten little kids been mocking her behind her back all this time?

Please let this rumor not have spread to the rest of the village…

And just like that, after her barrage of verbal bombs, Erya suddenly turned solemn. “But I didn’t make fun of Big Sister Pei’er,” she added sincerely. “Mother says it’s wrong to talk behind people’s backs. We should be good kids like Wuyi (Never think).”

Yun Shuang: “…”

This little girl looked so sweet and innocent. Who would’ve guessed she’s a natural-born chaos agent with a killer smile?