Just when everyone thought Su Shi was about to throw the rock at the Old Madam—
She suddenly turned and hurled it at someone else.
Lin Yixiao.
The man who had been standing nearby without saying a word.
The rock struck him squarely in the chest before he could dodge.
It seemed that Su Shi had originally wanted to attack the Old Madam.
But with so many witnesses present, she had chosen a safer target.
Her own husband.
“You useless coward!”
“If it weren’t for you, would our family have suffered like this?!”
Having nowhere else to vent her anger, she unleashed it all on Lin Yixiao.
Lin Yiyuan of the Third Branch, who rarely spoke during the journey, finally lost his patience.
He felt genuinely sorry for his elder brother.
“Su Shi.”
“When you were living comfortably as the Prime Minister’s wife, why didn’t you complain about my brother then?”
“Now that disaster has struck, suddenly everything is his fault?”
“If you’re so capable, go ask your imperial cousin to clear his name!”
His words struck home.
Lin Yixiao had spent his life serving the court honestly.
Yet now, when he needed support the most, his own wife was attacking him.
Lin Yixiao had already been injured the previous night.
The unexpected blow left him momentarily stunned.
When he finally recovered, his own anger erupted.
“You crazy woman!”
“All you do is blame others for everything!”
“I’ve tolerated enough!”
“Be quiet for once!”
That only made Su Shi more furious.
She immediately threw herself into another screaming tantrum.
Chief Chen had already been irritated by the disaster.
Listening to Su Shi’s shrill complaints pushed him over the edge.
“You damned woman!”
“Can’t you let anyone have a moment of peace?”
His roar instantly silenced the crowd.
Nobody dared speak anymore.
Everyone returned to digging and rescuing survivors.
After this incident, the Old Madam finally realized something.
Su Shi was no longer useful.
Inwardly, she began calculating new schemes.
Unfortunately for her, most people had already stopped listening.
After hours of exhausting labor, everyone who could be rescued had finally been dug out.
The final count was grim.
More than twenty people had died.
Many others suffered injuries ranging from minor wounds to severe trauma.
Lan Luoyun spent hours treating everyone one by one.
By the time she finished, the sun was nearly gone.
Finding another shelter was impossible.
The group had no choice but to spend the night outdoors.
March nights in the wilderness were bitterly cold.
Everyone shivered uncontrollably.
Even the guards suffered.
Seeing the twins huddled together, Lan Luoyun grew concerned.
“Dabao. Erbao.”
“Would you like Mother to send you to sleep in the villa?”
The darkness was complete.
No one would notice two children disappearing.
The twins immediately lit up.
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“We want to go!”
Then they asked:
“Aren’t Mother and Father coming too?”
Lan Luoyun smiled.
“Mother and Father still have things to do.”
“You go ahead first.”
The next moment, she quietly transported them into the villa inside her storage space.
The twins landed directly on the enormous soft bed.
Within minutes, both were asleep.
Outside, Lan Luoyun spread two small quilts on the ground.
She and Lin Nancheng lay down together.
They covered themselves with the blanket her younger sister had given her during their farewell.
Even so, she still felt cold.
Finally, she gave up.
Quietly reaching into her storage space, she pulled out several heat packs.
Two went onto Lin Nancheng.
Several more onto herself.
Instant warmth spread through their bodies.
Much better.
At least they still had blankets.
Many others weren’t so fortunate.
The previous day’s fire had destroyed numerous bedding supplies.
Some people were left with only charred scraps.
Unable to stay warm alone, they huddled together in groups for warmth.
Lan Luoyun couldn’t help feeling grateful.
Having the storage space made all the difference.
With the heat packs attached, she felt perfectly comfortable.
Before long, she and Lin Nancheng drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, everyone woke unusually early.
Not because they were rested.
Because they were freezing.
After getting up, people immediately resumed the task they hadn’t finished the previous night.
Burying their dead.
Exhaustion had prevented them from doing so earlier.
Now, one by one, families said their final farewells.
Many cried quietly as they covered the graves.
Then the journey had to continue.
Suddenly, Lan Luoyun remembered something.
The shovels and hoes used during the rescue effort had been borrowed from nearby farmers.
They needed to be returned.
She approached Chief Chen.
“Sir.”
“We borrowed those tools from local villagers yesterday.”
“We should return them.”
Chief Chen nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Then, after a moment’s thought, he added:
“Actually… let’s all go to the village.”
“We might be able to buy some farm carts.”
The past few days had convinced him of something.
Traveling entirely on foot was far too slow.
Besides, these people weren’t hardened criminals.
They were merely stripped of their status.
Allowing them to ride carts wasn’t unreasonable.
More importantly—
Chief Chen himself was tired of riding horseback all day.
A cart sounded appealing.
The announcement was met with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Everyone cheered.
They were no longer noble lords and ladies.
At this point, even a simple ox cart felt luxurious.
“Thank you, Sir!”
“You’re our savior!”
Someone shouted.
Soon everyone was praising Chief Chen.
The group set off toward the nearby village.
Lan Luoyun first returned the borrowed tools to the elderly farmer.
Then she purchased a farm cart from him.
She even paid several extra taels of silver.
Chu Yi-niang and the others pooled their money and bought one as well.
The Second and Third Branches did the same.
Su Yuping naturally wanted a cart too.
But when she searched for her money—
Her face turned white.
The banknotes were gone.
All of them.
Only a few scattered pieces of silver remained.
Altogether, less than one hundred taels.
Beside her, Lin Yaru didn’t dare make a sound.
Because she knew exactly where those missing banknotes had gone.
And if her mother learned the truth…
Another beating would surely follow.
“My banknotes!”
“Where are my banknotes?!”
“Who stole them?!”
Su Yuping frantically searched through everything she owned.
The sight delighted Madam Han from the Second Branch.
“Oh?”
“I thought your family gave you plenty of money?”
“So where did it go?”
“Don’t tell me you were just pretending to be wealthy?”
Madam Han never missed an opportunity to mock Su Yuping.
Su Yuping immediately snapped.
“Han Shi!”
“Did you steal them?!”
At that moment, everyone looked guilty in her eyes.
She lunged toward Madam Han’s luggage.
Madam Han instantly blocked her.
“Su Yuping!”
“Don’t you dare touch my belongings!”
“You think I’d care about your pathetic little stash?”
She wasn’t wrong.
Madam Han’s family were among the capital’s wealthiest merchants.
Everyone had seen the generous supplies they provided during the farewell.
Compared to that, Su Yuping’s missing banknotes were insignificant.
The surrounding crowd quickly joined in.
“That’s right.”
“She doesn’t need your money.”
“Searching her bags won’t help.”
“Besides, all banknotes look the same.”
“Did yours have your name written on them?”
Laughter spread through the crowd.
Even Su Yuping eventually realized they had a point.
Madam Han probably wasn’t responsible.
Just then, Lin Yaru leaned close and whispered something into her mother’s ear.
Nobody else heard the words.
But the effect was immediate.
Su Yuping’s eyes widened.
Then, slowly—
She turned her head.
And fixed her gaze on a new target.