Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 689 Xiao Ruiyuan’s Little Calculations (2)_1

Chapter 689: Chapter 689 Xiao Ruiyuan’s Little Calculations (2)_1

Mo Yan politely declined several times before she went with him and had Lixiu and a few others bring out plenty of melons, fruits, and pastries to entertain the villagers.

Since they didn’t see what they had hoped to, the villagers were inevitably a bit disappointed. However, when they tasted the delicious pastries and fruits on the table and saw that Mo Yan’s demeanor towards them remained unchanged, without any airs of a County Lord, that bit of disappointment quickly vanished. They then excitedly started to inquire about the reason behind Emperor Huian’s two reward-giving Imperial Edicts.

Mo Yan was bombarded with questions to the point of frustration. The high-yield rice was easy enough; she simply made up an excuse to gloss over it. As for rescuing people with five beasts—

She still had her pride; she needed to maintain not only her reputation but also her sister Xin Er’s. She couldn’t plainly say it was to save her beloved; instead, she opted to conceal the truth. In a sudden flash of inspiration, she concocted a story, simply saying that there were many rare medicinal herbs in Phoenix Mountain. That day, she went with the five beasts purely to gather herbs. Unexpectedly, she entered a hunting ground and, through a series of coincidences, saved the Princes from being besieged by a herd of beasts...

This story sounded like it was riddled with "coincidences," giving the impression of a fabricated tale. However, upon closer inspection, it somehow made sense and no one could pinpoint any faults in it.

The villagers didn’t harbor any suspicions and instead marveled once more at Mo Yan’s good fortune, truly a person blessed by the deities. Not only did she tame the five fearsome beasts, but her beasts had also performed a great service, catching the eye of a sovereign ruler. Lastly, she received such a generous reward, thanks to the high-yield rice. Such luck was not something an ordinary person could attain!

Xiao Ruiyuan, who sat quietly to the side, sipping tea while paying close attention to Mo Yan’s every word and deed, suddenly felt the tea he was drinking turn a tad more bitter!

How much longer would it take before he could rightfully stand by her side and tell everyone that she was his and he was hers, so that she no longer had to frown and think of ways to hide their relationship?

This scene also caught Mo Qingze’s eye, but his perspective was entirely different. The corners of his mouth twitched as he watched his daughter keep a straight face and skillfully bamboozle everyone in the room with her father right there, wondering if his girl had ever pulled the wool over his eyes in the same slick manner.

Before Mo Qingze could get too caught up in his thoughts, searching his memories for facts that might indicate he’d been duped by his daughter, Yang Bao came over, visibly excited, and slapped him so hard on the back that he nearly coughed up a lung.

"Haha, Mr. Mo, your daughter certainly has done Liu Yang Village proud, haha!" Yang Bao said with a hearty laugh, his face, which only had a few wrinkles, now creased all over with joy, clearly showing how genuinely happy he was!

Having someone from his village become a County Lord—how could he not be delighted? Setting aside whether or not this brought him any tangible benefits, just the reduced hassle when dealing with the Government Office and the higher regard from other village chiefs were enough to lift his spirits.

Moreover, the County Lord had received eight words of praise from the monarch: "Pure as jade, upright as a pine, profoundly virtuous and benevolent." Because of this, the village girls might also benefit, at least reputation-wise, making marriage much easier for them in the future.

"My daughter has always been good!" Mo Qingze’s face showed a hint of pride as his slightly raised eyebrows conveyed his satisfaction.

If someone else showered him with praise, Mo Qingze would normally be modest; but when it came to his children, he would agree wholeheartedly, joining in the praise to affirm that his children were indeed exceptional.

Yang Bao certainly knew this and cheerfully continued to extoll Xin’er Zhen’er and the others. Then, he tentatively asked, "With the Yan girl having received multiple rewards and being newly named a County Lord, this is indeed a cause for great celebration. Mr. Mo, do you have any plans to hold a banquet in honor of this occasion?"