As soon as Lin Wanwan emerged from the forest with a basket on her back, she was spotted by Liu Rushi, Kun Lun, and the others waiting near the mountain’s base.

The crowd eagerly cheered and ran towards Lin Wanwan.

These ten days had been somewhat difficult for everyone, as Lin Wanwan’s safety was tied to their future, and they couldn’t help but be concerned.

"Village Lady, next time you enter the mountains to gather herbs, let us accompany you. Even though we may not know about herbs, we can still ensure your safety. The wild beasts in these deep forests are ferocious, and the dangers are numerous. You were gone for ten days, and we were all worried sick," Liu Rushi expressed after paying her respects, unable to hold back the words she’d been holding in.

Everyone’s indenture contracts were in Lin Wanwan’s hands. If anything happened to Lin Wanwan, none of them would have a good life.

Lin Wanwan understood their concerns and handed her basket to Kun Lun, who silently approached. She nodded cloudly to everyone, "This is a special training method from our sect, so don’t worry too much. See, I’m back unharmed? Let’s go home."

"Alright!"

The group responded in unison, knowing that having a representative complain once was enough, for who dared to truly criticize the master’s actions?

This was the Great Tang, where distinctions were clear and hierarchies firmly established, not the modern day where everyone is equal.

Lin Wanwan mounted her horse and led the group towards the nearby Lin Family Manor.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, they met Lin Mengxing, who was waiting there. He immediately approached Lin Wanwan, bowed from a distance and said, "Wanwan, you’re finally back. We’ve all been worried sick."

"Haha, yes, I’m back. Sorry for making you worry," Lin Wanwan replied with a smile.

Her family and servants weren’t the only ones anxious while she was in the mountains; the entire Lin family, which now depended on her, was concerned too.

If something happened to Lin Wanwan, the whole Lin Family Manor would suffer. They might not fear the commoners, but they definitely couldn’t handle the watchful eyes of the gentry and local powers.

Only with Lin Wanwan, who held the title of Secondary Fifth Rank Village Lady, as a stabilizing force, did the restless factions in Mao County dare not act recklessly.

Lin Wanwan was grateful for everyone’s concern and reassured them of her safety while passing villagers sitting at their doors weaving fishing nets.

Even the clan leader came over when he heard the news, and after confirming Lin Wanwan was unharmed, he placed his hands behind his back and strolled steadily back home.

As Lin Wanwan greeted people along the way, she received small snacks like dried shrimp and squid strips from the elders in the clan, treating her like a sweet-toothed child.

With the approach of the New Year, every household had ample dried seafood supplies. For the yearly gifts sent to numerous relatives and friends, dried seafood comprised more than half.

Everyone knew Lin Wanwan loved these snacks, so naturally, they gave them to her when they saw her.

They didn’t give too much; once her hands were full, they stopped, since their gesture was what mattered most.

Lin Wanwan loved the feeling of walking down the road with countless people greeting her with cheerful smiles.

Whether or not she received snacks didn’t matter, as long as she was met with bright, sunny smiles, she was equally happy.

Compared to being revered like a deity in ancient Lion City, she found it more comfortable to be cherished and adored within her own family.

After all, while a god must maintain a certain air, a treasured family member can be spoiled, play coy, and act silly.

Today, the village was relatively quiet because most of the women had gone to work in the workshops.

The cotton collected in the cotton workshop had mostly been used, and soon everyone would stop working and start weaving fishing nets.

Today, Lin Mengbo and Lin Mengjin, who were responsible for fluffing the cotton, started their downtime.

This year’s cotton blankets were already fluffed, and after finishing the last one yesterday, it had already been shipped out.

Not enough cotton had been collected. If they’d gathered more cotton, they wouldn’t have to stop working so early.

Both Lin Mengbo and Lin Mengjin felt it was a pity; earning less is essentially a loss.

During the twelfth lunar month, going to the sea wasn’t ideal as it was too cold, and there wasn’t much to do in the fields, so the two headed up the rooftop to do some repairs.

Every summer, the coastline of Mao County experiences typhoons, a tradition that continues for over a thousand years.

No summer is complete without typhoons.

Thus, homes near the coast needed their roofs repaired every year, and the two Lin cousins, who were the most prudent about planning ahead at Lin Family Manor, were never idle.

"Cousin Mengbo, are you repairing the roof?" Lin Wanwan called out to Lin Mengbo as she neared her home.

"Wanwan, you’re finally back. You were in the mountains for so long this time," Lin Mengbo said, hastily descending the ladder as soon as he saw Lin Wanwan. "Yesterday, my brother-in-law picked some truffles in the mountains and brought them to my home. I remember you like them, so let me go get them for you."

Truffles, known as white truffles, are considered a delicacy. Though, compared to the hyped-up European white truffles, domestic ones could be considered as cheap as cabbage.

Lin Wanwan indeed liked white truffles, particularly because the quality in the Great Tang was high!

Even in the Great Tang, wild white truffles were hard to find and not easy to preserve, so they were scarce.

Lin Wanwan didn’t often receive such gifts, so it was a pleasant surprise today.

"Ah, that’s wonderful, thank you, Cousin Mengbo." Lin Wanwan accepted the gift with a smile and thanked him without any pretense.

Villagers often gave her things like dried fish, fish glue, and wild goods, and Lin Wanwan gladly accepted.

Reciprocity was essential; she contributed to the clan and naturally accepted the villagers’ gifts in return.

One-sided giving was not sustainable.

After waiting by the wall for a moment, Lin Wanwan took the basket containing four goose egg-sized white truffles from Lin Mengbo and gracefully stepped across the threshold into the courtyard.

Today was an ordinary school day, and from the front of Lin Wanwan’s house, the sound of students reading aloud from the schoolhouse could be heard.

Little Qingyu was among the diligent students in class, so even though Lin Wanwan was already at the door, there wasn’t anyone rushing into her arms like a little cannonball, and she felt somewhat disappointed.

Lin Wanwan returned to her room, tossed her medicine basket into the newly established herbal medicine room, and ignored everything else.

It was daytime in the Great Tang, but modern times had long entered the night. Lin Wanwan had chosen to travel at night, so she was essentially staying up late.

As soon as she stepped into her home, she immediately went to her bedroom to catch up on sleep, instructing her personal steward Hong Yan not to disturb her beauty sleep unless it was urgent.

While Lin Wanwan slept, a rider was swiftly heading towards Lin Family Manor.

Ma Zhou had been inspecting Mao County for over ten days, and after seeing everything he needed, he was preparing to leave. But before departing, he certainly wanted to bid farewell to his new sworn sister.