Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 63

After all the commotion, it was nearly dark. The little girl in Ying Su’s arms had already fallen fast asleep, probably from exhaustion, her tiny hand still clutching tightly at the front of Ying Su’s clothes.

Ying Su gently pried open the child’s fingers, pulled her clothes free, and laid the little girl down on the bed inside the guest room Officer Zhou had arranged for her at the yamen.

“This time you’ve made great contributions. Once the human traffickers’ den on Beishan is destroyed and the magistrate holds court to try the case, you’ll be officially credited with a merit,” Officer Zhou said, glancing at Ying Su’s porcelain-white face, his brows slightly raised.

Ying Su shook her head carelessly. “It’s late already. I’m going home.”

An unnatural look flashed across Officer Zhou’s face, but he still nodded. “I’ll take you back.”

“There’s no need,” Ying Su refused directly.

“I already had a carriage prepared. If I drive you back, it’ll be quicker,” he insisted.

Since there was a free ride and she didn’t have to walk, Ying Su didn’t refuse again.

The carriage was the simple kind the county magistrate usually used. After Ying Su got in, Officer Zhou hopped up as well, picked up the whip, and drove toward Dongjun Village.

Neither of them were talkative, so the journey was quiet. After a long while, Officer Zhou finally spoke, “Those three we caught today, that big fellow seemed to know a little martial arts. How did you subdue all three of them?”

Ying Su didn’t bother hiding anything. “I know some martial arts.”

Officer Zhou’s face showed a trace of excitement. “Really? Not many women know martial arts. How skilled are you? Maybe someday we can spar!”

Ying Su found it amusing and didn’t refuse. “Sure!”

That opened the conversation. Still, it was mostly Officer Zhou doing the talking, with Ying Su responding here and there.

While they were speaking, suddenly the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from behind, mixed with shouts, “Officer Zhou! Officer Zhou!”

Ying Su’s ears were sharp. She turned to him and said, “Sounds like they’re calling you?”

Officer Zhou reigned on his horse, stopping the carriage. Looking back, he saw one of his men from the yamen galloping toward them, a child cradled in his arms.

The horse stopped beside the carriage, and the constable leapt down. In his arms was none other than the little girl Ying Su had rescued. The constable, face flushed, explained, “The little girl woke up. She kept crying for the young lady, and wouldn’t stop. The magistrate was so pestered he couldn’t bear it. He had me bring her over to let the young lady take her home for now. Once her family is found, she’ll be taken from your place.”

Ying Su rubbed her temples and glanced at the tear-filled eyes of the little girl who was staring at her. “I already told you, the magistrate will help find your father. What are you following me for? I can’t find your father for you!”

As soon as she finished speaking, the little girl burst into fresh tears. “Wuwuwu… I’m scared… Auntie, don’t leave me…”

That one word “Auntie” softened Ying Su’s heart. Seeing the child’s face smeared with tears and snot, she could only say, “Fine, stop crying already, you’re giving me a headache. If you want to come home with me, you can. But when the time comes, don’t go crying to go back to the yamen!”

The little girl immediately stopped crying, her face breaking into a grin. “Auntie is so nice! I knew you wouldn’t abandon me. I’m so obedient and cute, Auntie is sure to like me!”

Her words made both Officer Zhou and the constable laugh, and even Ying Su’s expression softened as she picked up the child and placed her into the carriage.

Seeing the girl in high spirits, Officer Zhou took the chance to ask her about her family while driving.

What he heard shocked him. The girl had come from Jiangnan by boat. Her father was doing business in Shili Town, and because she missed him, she’d snuck out of her house alone and boarded a northbound ship.

Ying Su was astonished at the girl’s boldness, sneaking out just like that. Why hadn’t her family sent anyone after her?

The girl said her surname was Bai, her name was Bai Lefu, and her father was called Bai Er, known as “Second Master Bai.” Their Bai family was a wealthy clan in Jiangnan.

Officer Zhou’s expression shifted slightly, and he asked carefully, “Is your father’s full name Bai Chuyu?”

Little Bai Lefu tilted her head, thinking hard. No one had ever used her father’s full name in front of her, only Great-Grandmother sometimes called him “Yu’er.” She vaguely recalled last year, when an important guest visited, her father had spoken with him, and she had run over, she seemed to remember that person had called her father “Chuyu”…

She bit her finger, struggling to recall if that was really the case.

Officer Zhou, seeing her struggle, changed the question, “Is your family very large? Very wealthy?”

The little girl nodded. “Our family is huge. I heard the maids say our Bai family is so rich that just what leaks through our fingers is enough to feed an ordinary family for a lifetime.”

She had overheard this while the maids were gossiping. Being young, she didn’t know if it was praise or mockery, only that it meant her family was rich.

“Do you have an aunt who’s a noble consort in the imperial palace?” Officer Zhou pressed.

The little girl nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick. “How do you know? Last time Father said an important person was coming to our house, and that person brought Auntie with him. I heard she lives in the palace with him.”

At this, even Ying Su couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. So this little girl had such an extraordinary background, her aunt was a Noble Consort, and the Emperor himself had visited their home.

Officer Zhou finally confirmed Bai Lefu’s identity, sucking in a sharp breath.

The Bai family of Jiangnan, the foremost imperial merchants of the Daqing dynasty.

Merchants were ranked among the lowly “nine trades,” yet the Bai family’s wealth rivaled nations. Half their annual income went straight into the national treasury. Though they held no official positions, their status was significant enough that even the Emperor gave them face. The Emperor’s favored Consort Ning was related to them, her elder sister had married into the Bai family, so there were even family ties between the Bai clan and the throne.

The Bai family’s Second Master, the current head of the clan, was a man of remarkable talent. A former Minister of Revenue once praised him as a “genius among merchants,” proof of his brilliance in business.

Though merely a merchant’s son, he was decisive, shrewd, and resourceful. At just twenty, he managed the vast Bai estate with perfect order, expanding their business ventures everywhere to flourishing success.

Several years earlier, when he had just turned fifteen and taken over the family business, a great flood struck Jiangnan, followed by famine north and south. Against the objections of his own stewards, he took it upon himself to lead disaster relief, opening the Bai family’s granaries and distributing porridge. His deeds earned him immense goodwill among the people.

After the disaster, the Emperor personally summoned him, showered him with rewards, and even commanded the entire court to learn from Second Master Bai. From that time on, whether in the government or the martial world, everyone knew his name.