Transmigrated into a minor official in a county government, with children at home waiting for rice t

A-Yun stood by the threshold, holding a wooden tray with several small dishes, a pot of wine, and a stack of porcelain bowls on it.

She wore a slightly worn blue cloth short jacket, and the light from the lanterns under the eaves enveloped her in a thin, warm glow.

Zhou An's gaze moved from her face to the hand holding the plate, and then back to her drooping eyebrows and eyes.

A-Yun's gaze fell on Zhang Sanlang's face, a faint smile on her lips, before she quickly lowered her eyelids. "There's still soup on the stove, I'll go get it."

"Miss Yun, let me help you carry this." Zhou An looked at A-Yun without blinking, and while speaking, he had already taken two steps.

A-Yun sidestepped his outstretched hand, took a half-step back, and almost tripped on the threshold. She quickly steadied herself and said, "No need, Young Master Zhou, you can just sit down."

She placed the tray on the corner of the table, turned around, and walked towards the kitchen.

Zhou An stood still, his gaze following her as she circled the pillars and disappeared behind the kitchen curtain. His eyes lingered on the ripples of the swaying curtain for a moment before returning to his gaze, a smile playing on his lips.

Zhang Sanlang sat in the main seat, taking in the entire scene from beginning to end.

The others in the main room put away their writing brushes and ink, some talking in hushed tones, while others tidied the papers on the table to make room for the wine and dishes.

Zhou An reluctantly sat down again, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the kitchen.

A moment later, A-Yun returned.

This time she was carrying a ceramic basin filled with steaming hot fish soup, with scallions floating on top of the noodles.

She placed the bowl in the middle of the table, then arranged the dishes on the tray one by one, and neatly arranged the chopsticks and bowls. She did these things with light and quick movements, her efficiency carrying a quiet and steady demeanor.

After the meal, the Xu brothers returned to the Sun residence, while Lu Qiucheng and Huangfu Ce went back to the east wing. Only Zhang Sanlang and Zhou An remained in the main room, the table littered with cups and plates.

Zhang Sanlang glanced at Zhou An, then gestured with his chin toward the west room, "Come with me."

Zhou An was stunned for a moment, then followed him into the west room.

Zhang Sanlang sat down on the edge of the bed and pointed to the old armchair opposite him. Zhou An sat down, his back ramrod straight. "Uncle Zhang, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Zhang Sanlang didn't beat around the bush, "You've taken a liking to A-Yun?"

Zhou An blushed, scratched the back of his head, and looked to the side. "Uncle Zhang, I... I can't really explain it. I just feel that she's different from all the young ladies in the city."

"She's quiet and efficient, and seeing her makes me feel at ease. I just wanted to look at her a few more times; I didn't think about anything else."

Zhang Sanlang looked at him calmly. "It's best if you haven't thought about it too much. But I need to get this straight. First, what's your family's social standing, and what's hers?"

"If you want to marry her, can you get past your family's objections? Will your maternal grandparents agree? Will your father give his approval? If not, you should give up on the idea as soon as possible and stop trying to seduce her."

"She's from a respectable family. If you flirt with her and then don't marry her, you're ruining her life. Ah-Yun treats Xi-Mei well, and I consider her my niece too. If anyone dares to bully her, I'll definitely step in!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou An pursed his lips, his expression becoming serious. "Uncle Zhang, what if... I mean, what if my family agrees?"

Zhang Sanlang snorted coldly, "That's the second thing I wanted to mention. Even if your family agrees, it still depends on whether A-Yun is willing. Besides, I think she's still too young; it should be at least two years before we can discuss marriage."

"For the next two years, you are not allowed to lay a hand on her, cross any boundaries, or coax her into doing anything she shouldn't. Otherwise, I'll chop off her hand or foot, understand?"

Zhang Sanlang paused here, his gaze slowly moving downwards until it settled on Zhou An's waist and abdomen. There were no extra movements, no emphasis in his tone; he simply glanced at him.

Zhou An felt a chill run down his lower body and instinctively brought his legs together, straightening his back even more. "Uncle Zhang, don't worry. I'm not that kind of person. Two years is two years. I won't touch a single hair on her head."

Zhang Sanlang withdrew his gaze. "Remember what you said today. Alright, go."

Zhou An wiped his sweat, glanced at him furtively, and asked, "Uncle Zhang, what do you think of her...?"

Zhang Sanlang waved his hand impatiently, "This child is well-behaved, shy, kind and sensible... In short, if you dare to use any spoiled tricks on her, I will definitely not let you off."

Zhou An hurriedly responded and went out, lifting the curtain.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Sanlang couldn't help but wonder, "Zhou An grew up in the city, what beautiful young ladies hasn't he seen? I wonder why he took a liking to A-Yun."

Wang Yue'e and her mother lived a hard life in the past, which is why she hasn't grown up much.

This young girl is flat-chested and lacks everything. Compared to the ladies of wealthy families, she's not even as charming as any random courtesan you grab from the brothels.

Uh, charm?

Zhang Sanlang quickly understood, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly, feeling even more that he was right to warn Zhou An.

As he was pondering this, the courtyard gate creaked.

When Lü Sanbao opened the door, he saw He Lantou and Liu Sandao from the street. He glanced at Zhang Sanlang, and when Zhang Sanlang nodded, Lü Sanbao quickly stepped aside to let the two of them in.

The two men each carried a fish basket covered with an oilcloth, looking no different from fishermen who had just returned from the docks.

Liu Sandao paused for a moment as he stepped over the threshold, as if the basket on his shoulder made him unsteady. He then steadied himself and followed He Lantou to the corridor.

Zhang Sanlang gestured with his chin toward the backyard. Without saying a word, the three of them entered an empty shed filled with miscellaneous items. Liu Sandao unloaded the fish basket, glanced at He Lantou, and casually closed the door, standing guard outside the backyard gate himself.

He Lantou placed the two fish baskets on the ground, squatted down, and lifted the oilcloth. Inside the baskets, gleaming silver coins were neatly stacked, one layer on top of the other.

He stood up, took a thin booklet from his pocket, and placed it on the wooden cabinet. "Third Master, this totals two thousand three hundred taels. The accounts from the dock have all been collected, and they're all here."

Zhang Sanlang reached out and touched the top silver in the basket, pressing his fingertip against the silver surface. "Tell me what's going on."

He Lantou opened the booklet and ran his finger across the page. "As you instructed, all the brothers at the docks and the shops we know who owe money to the Kong family have had their principal waived."

"I went through this matter with San Dao and the others one by one, and everyone was extremely grateful to San Guanren. San Dao said that Old Man Lin from Lin's Grocery Store kowtowed several times towards the east of the city on the spot, and they couldn't be pulled up."

Zhang Sanlang leaned against the window frame, nodding but not saying a word.

He Lan turned the page. "The total amount waived is around five hundred strings of cash. As for the remaining shops and vendors, as you said, all interest will be waived, and only the principal will be repaid."

"For those who couldn't repay, and after my investigation confirmed that they were indeed in difficulty, half of the principal was also refunded. In total, I collected 2,300 strings of cash, which I converted into silver and sent to the Third Master."