Seeing the intoxicated look on Liu Ji’s face, Qin Yao twisted her wrist, really wanting to punch him again to wake him up a bit. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Someone seemed to sense danger, straightened his back, and returned to normal, but those affectionate peach blossom eyes looked down at her, softly asking, "Wife, did you come here specifically to pick me up?"

Before she could answer, he raised a long index finger in front of her, signaling her to hush, not to speak.

Talking to himself: "Wife, you would definitely say no, but I know you definitely did, otherwise, how else would you appear so coincidentally at this hour on our way!"

See, she really does care for him immensely!

Qin Yao opened the finger in front of her eyes, "If you say so, then it is."

Qin Yao approached the Qi Family’s carriage, with Ah Wang looking at her excitedly, as if finally relieved.

Qin Yao knew he had a lot to say to her, but please hold on for now.

"Master, Young Master Qi." Qin Yao came to the carriage window, giving a friendly greeting to the teacher and disciple inside.

Qi Xian smiled and nodded in response, as it had indeed been a long time since both sides had met.

Gongliang Liao was relatively restrained, but it was clear that he was quite relaxed.

Qin Yao said with a smile, "Knowing that you would be arriving today, I’ve already cleaned up the Lotus Courtyard. All the meat, grain, and vegetables for consumption were also sent to the courtyard this morning. Once you return to the village, just take your rest at ease."

Gongliang Liao sighed with emotion, reminiscing about the comfort of the Lotus Courtyard and feeling quite pleased.

With the journey being urgent, Qin Yao didn’t exchange too many pleasantries and signaled the Qi Family’s entourage to follow her back to her carriage to lead the way.

Liu Ji wasn’t going back, as when Qin Yao boarded the carriage, he had already sat himself on the carriage shaft, saving her half of the shaft.

"Wife, take a rest, I’ll drive the carriage." With a bright smile at her, Liu Ji flicked the reins, and Old Huang began to move.

Qi Xian and the others followed behind, and the group headed majestically towards the Liu Family Village.

The closer they got to the village, the more excited Liu Ji felt, tentatively asking, "Wife, there won’t be another surprise waiting for me in the village this time, right?"

Qin Yao curled her lips, "There indeed is, waiting for you at home, a big surprise."

Liu Ji’s eyes lit up, curious to ask, "What surprise? Could it be that wife has already arranged a banquet, inviting the whole village, just waiting for me, the scholar, to dine?"

Qin Yao snickered, "Then you’re overthinking it. It’s only been a few months since we last held a grand banquet. I think it’s better to be low-key this time."

"Then what’s the surprise?" Liu Ji finally sensed something was amiss, asking cautiously.

Qin Yao turned her head and smiled at him, "There’s no harm in telling you. The Mo Family came yesterday. Old Master Mo, Old Mrs. Mo, and your brother-in-law’s family of three are currently waiting in the study for you, the son-in-law, to attend to them."

"What?" Liu Ji’s smile immediately disappeared.

Seeing that Qin Yao didn’t seem to be lying to scare him on purpose, Liu Ji became so nervous that he started sweating on his temples, and seeing that Qin Yao’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, his heart sank halfway.

"Wife, they didn’t upset you, did they?" Liu Ji asked cautiously.

Qin Yao shrugged, neither saying they did nor they didn’t.

Liu Ji thought to himself, this is trouble. If he can’t handle this properly, he’s in for a bad time at home.

"Why did they come?" Thinking of the Mo Family, Liu Ji felt annoyed; he thought after he drove them out last time, they would not return.

"Of course, they came for you, the scholar son-in-law." Qin Yao seemed somewhat gloating as she relayed the Mo Family’s three requests to Liu Ji and then fell silent.

Liu Ji’s eyes widened, "Have they gone mad? Who do they think they are? Do they still want to live in my house, eating and using my things?"

Realizing he might not have used the right words, he quickly corrected, "Our things, accumulated by your hard work, wife. Anyone who dares to take advantage of you, I’ll deal with them!"

The Mo Family is really shameless. When they cursed him back then, they said all sorts of unpleasant things. How could they now have the nerve to come to him for a favor?

"Wife, you should have just kicked them out!" Liu Ji said bitterly.

Qin Yao did not pay him any attention; the Mo Family came to find their son-in-law, it had nothing to do with her.

Besides, what’s the use of making such a fuss now? When he actually meets the Mo Family, if he can maintain this anger, then he wouldn’t be Liu Ji.

"Wife, what kind of look is that?" Liu Ji mumbled softly.

Qin Yao: "Nothing."

Liu Ji stared at her suspiciously for three seconds, admitted defeat, and gritted his teeth, secretly plotting how to deal with the Mo Family later.

However, no matter how much he calculated, he did not expect that the Mo Family would kneel down and say that it was their fault in the past.

...

The group parted at the bridgehead, with Qi Xian and Gongliang Liao returning directly to the Lotus Courtyard to rest.

Ah Wang returned to his own carriage, driving his wife and the master back home.

The familiar courtyard seemed to have undergone some changes.

The mud ground they left was now paved with bluestone slabs, the courtyard was neat and clean, giving a sense of spaciousness and brightness.

Not only that, the courtyard had expanded with another section extending to the back mountain, and Song Yu’s family of three had moved there.

Many new pieces of furniture were added to the home, the courtyard walls were repainted white, and the thatched roof of the kitchen and bathroom was replaced with blue tiles, making the entire courtyard style more unified.

Qin Yao had also taken Yin Le as a disciple and lived with the master’s family, so although the courtyard became larger, the population also increased accordingly.

After parking the carriage, Qin Yao led Liu Ji and Ah Wang into the yard, and Mrs. Li and Yin Le came out to greet them after hearing the commotion.

"Master!" Yin Le greeted openly and gratefully smiled at Ah Wang.

She knew that if it weren’t for Ah Wang’s strong recommendation, the master wouldn’t have considered accepting her as a disciple so quickly.

Ah Wang nodded gently and strode towards the back garden’s vegetable garden.

Qin Yao exchanged a somewhat guilty glance with Mrs. Li, who comforted her with a look, reassuring her that they indeed managed to grow a few rows of vegetables.

Liu Ji didn’t have time to pay attention to Qin Yao’s new disciple. He put down his luggage and peeked into the backyard, as expected, seeing the Mo Family’s presence in his study, instantly pulled back his head, and strode into the living room to drink a glass of water to calm down.

"Master?" Yin Le looked at Qin Yao, pointing to the backyard, asking if she should still go and guard the door.

Qin Yao waved her hand, signaling her to move Liu Ji’s luggage and then retreat.

Yin Le understood, picked up the two large boxes of luggage on the ground, and went to the study.

Not long after, Old Master Mo’s excited voice came from behind: "The son-in-law is back!"

"Quick! Quick! Bao’er, come, go with Grandpa to greet your uncle!"

The footsteps of the Mo Family were heard, and Liu Ji subconsciously looked up at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao retreated to the kitchen door with a cold expression that said, "Let’s see how you handle this."

Liu Ji’s heart trembled, and remembering the Mo Family, he felt a surge of anger.

He had just stepped through the door and hadn’t even had time to fully sit down before they came to bother him, and they still expected him to do things for them? Dream on!