She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 53 Sharing weal and woe

When a person is wealthy and successful, many friends will surround them, but none of them are truly sincere. The truth will be revealed in times of hardship.

Master Nangong never dreamed that his concubine, who had been enjoying a life of luxury with his second daughter, would actually return. Moreover, the concubine was very considerate in feeding him and giving him medicine. After his acupuncture treatment, she even pushed his wheelchair to the courtyard to bask in the sun and breathe fresh air.

Master Nangong asked embarrassedly, "My concubine, I never cared about you before, so why did you come back to take care of me?"

The concubine smiled gently and replied softly, "My lord, it's because you're the only one in my heart. Even living a life of luxury without you doesn't make me happy. I feel more at ease and secure by your side."

At this moment, Master Nangong was moved to tears, "Waaah~ I'm so touched! True friendship is revealed in times of trouble. It turns out you are the most important person to me. Thank you for never abandoning me."

The concubine smiled gently as before, "We are husband and wife, it's only natural that I treat you well."

Master Nangong solemnly promised, "For the rest of my life, I will only be good to you and love you! That bitch actually betrayed me, I have already divorced her, from now on you will be the official wife of the Nangong family, and all affairs will be handled by you."

The concubine was extremely surprised and overjoyed, and thanked him profusely, saying, "Thank you so much, sir! I will do my best to fulfill your arrangements!"

At this time, Su's parents, having inquired their way to the northern desert, arrived. When they learned that their daughter had been poisoned and was unconscious, Su's mother almost fell over in her anxiety, and Su's father was furious. He immediately ordered Ye Beichen to call his father over for questioning.

Upon learning that his in-laws had arrived, the old lord of the Northern Desert came over to greet them, looking quite nervous.

"Welcome, in-laws!"

Old Su showed him no respect whatsoever, asking angrily, "What did my daughter do to offend you? How could you, at your age, give my daughter poison?"

The old lord wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, then patiently explained, "My dear father-in-law, you've misunderstood. I didn't know the herbs were poisonous, which is why Miss Su was indirectly poisoned. I'm so sorry!"

Old Su was furious and wouldn't listen to his explanation. She retorted angrily, "Don't you care about your own child? My daughter has been unconscious for so long, why didn't you find a doctor to treat her?"

At this moment, Ye Beichen hurriedly came over to explain on behalf of his father, "Father-in-law, please calm down. The antidote has been found, and the doctor personally came to brew the medicine and feed it to Yu Ning. Don't worry, she will get better soon."

"Shut up! Children shouldn't interrupt adults!" Old Su retorted angrily, and for a moment, neither the old lord of Mobei nor his son dared to utter a sound.

At this moment, Su Yuning slowly opened her eyes and replied impatiently, "Stop making noise, okay? It's so annoying."

A group of people gathered around, eager to see Su Yuning.

"Daughter, you've finally woken up! That's wonderful!" Su's mother replied with great joy.

The old lord responded, "Daughter-in-law, it's good that you're awake. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have sent you the medicine indiscriminately."

Su Yuning responded generously, "It's okay, I'm all better now."

Ye Beichen was so moved that he burst into tears on the spot, "Yu Ning, it's all my fault for not taking good care of you! It's good that you've woken up. I will definitely take good care of you from now on."

Su Yuning smiled slightly, "Yes, I believe you."

It was already late at night, and Su's parents hadn't eaten yet. Su Yuning, who had just woken up, also felt hungry. So the two families went to the old lord's tent together for a whole roasted lamb. At the dinner table, Old Su and his in-laws drank together and ate the roasted lamb heartily. In the end, the two families reconciled over the meal.

In Xinghua Village, the village chief's nephew, who was on vacation, was having dinner with Chestnut Girl, while Chestnut Girl's grandmother had already returned to her hometown. So, it was just the two of them at the table.

Suddenly Jun Dong came to visit. The sensible Chestnut Girl quickly brought him a chair to sit down and also gave him a bowl and chopsticks.

The village chief's nephew asked curiously, "Jun Dong, how's the matter I asked you to inquire about going?"

Jun Dong replied, "The caravan leader who came back from the grasslands told me that Nangong Xiawu and the grassland leader have already gotten married."

"She's just a silly girl. The climate on the grasslands is harsh, and she's unfamiliar with the place. She won't be happy for the rest of her life," the village chief's nephew retorted angrily.

At this moment, Jundong noticed that Chestnut Girl's face had turned pale, and she was about to cry. So he quickly reminded the village chief's nephew...

"Alright, let's not talk about unimportant people anymore. When are you and your sister-in-law getting married?"

The village chief's nephew responded indifferently, "What's the rush? Miss Chestnut will help me manage the household while I earn money outside. We can talk about marriage in a few years. No rush, no rush."

Finally, Chestnut Girl couldn't take it anymore and ran to the foot of the mountain to cry her heart out.

Jun Dong angrily accused, "Tian Qi, you're so foolish! You ignore the beautiful Chestnut Girl and keep asking this and that to a stranger. You're practically siding with outsiders! You'll regret this!"

The village chief's nephew looked nonchalant. "What's the big deal? I'm a top-tier bodyguard at the escort agency now. I'll find a good girl even if I lose Chestnut. I don't need her."

Jun Dong couldn't stand it anymore and ran out to comfort Chestnut Girl.

The night was pitch black, with only a few stars in the sky. Not only was it dark at the foot of the mountain, but a cold wind was also blowing. Chestnut Girl cried alone for a long time.

She stopped crying when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Miss Chestnut, this is Jundong. It's getting late, you should go home and rest. It's too dangerous outside, home is safer!" Jundong advised kindly.

At this moment, Chestnut Girl replied, "Tianqi's attitude towards me is so cold, where do I have a home? Otherwise, I'd better go back to my grandmother."

Jun Dong kindly reminded her, "Grandma is old. If you cry and tell her you've been wronged, she'll worry so much. Listen to me, hurry home. It's cold outside."

Chestnut Girl shook her head, crying, "I'm not going back!"

"Why don't you come stay at my house? I have a spare room." Jun Dong kindly invited her, and Chestnut Girl finally nodded in agreement.

The village chief's nephew is really muddle-headed; he got drunk and just fell asleep without caring whether Chestnut Girl had come home or not.

It was already the second day in the blink of an eye.

The village chief's nephew then remembered to look for Chestnut Girl, but after searching the house and surrounding areas, he couldn't find her. He muttered to himself,

"This girl is so willful. She goes to her grandmother whenever she's unhappy. Oh well, let her be!"

Afterwards, the village chief's nephew cooked some plain noodles, then chopped a small plate of pickled vegetables, mixed them into the noodle bowl, and finished them off in no time. Afterwards, the village chief's nephew shouldered his bundle and drove back to the city.

In the city, Nangong Xue'er was a little bored at home alone, so she headed towards the princess's residence, hoping to go shopping with Princess Wan'er and buy some new clothes.

However, she encountered the First Madam and the steward on the way. The two were arguing, and the First Madam was asking the steward for some of her silver. The steward kicked her far away and then quickly left with the valuables.

At this moment, the First Madam saw Nangong Xue'er and immediately knelt before her, crying and begging for help.

"Xue'er, I am the First Madam. The steward is heartless and ungrateful. He promised to elope with me, but he ran away with all the money. Can you give me a place to stay? I promise to repent and treat you well."

Nangong Xue'er coldly refused, "It's all your own fault. I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"We are mother and daughter after all, please help me, I really have nowhere else to go," the eldest wife pleaded helplessly.

Just then, Princess Wan'er came out for a walk and met them. Nangong Xue'er then told the princess that the steward of the Nangong family had stolen gold and silver treasures from the mansion and run away, asking the princess to help chase after him.

Princess Wan'er readily agreed, then led the guards of the manor in a chase, eventually recovering the valuables and arresting the steward.

"Although I am a princess, I have no right to punish foreigners," Princess Wan'er told them in detail. "If you want to punish the steward, you need Master Nangong to do it."

At this moment, the steward kept kowtowing to Madam Nangong to apologize, and Madam Nangong softened and forgave him.

"The butler treated you unfairly, yet you still forgive him?" Nangong Xue'er asked, puzzled.

Madam Nangong answered truthfully, "I have been divorced by Master Nangong and have no home. Since the steward has returned the property, I think we should let this matter rest."

"You can decide for yourself." Nangong Xue'er curled her lips, then left with Princess Wan'er.

As for Madam Nangong, she bought a shop in the capital and discussed with her steward that the two of them planned to start a small breakfast business together.

Although the northern desert region cannot compare to the prosperity of the Song Dynasty, it has its own unique scenery, such as high snow-capped mountains, herds of cattle and sheep, endless snowfields, and camel caravans traveling north and south.

After their daughter recovered, Mr. and Mrs. Su were relieved. Their son-in-law then arranged for them to build a snowman in the snow, experience dog sledding, and visit a camel caravan.

Because it was too cold, Su Yuning, who wanted to go out and play, was stopped by the servants. She had no choice but to warm herself by the stove in the tent and eat roasted oranges.

Just then, the playful and adorable Little Bean appeared uninvited, "Hello! Hello, Sister Su!"

Su Yuning asked, looking completely bewildered, "Who are you?"

Xiao Doukou introduced herself with a smile, "My name is Xiao Doukou, and I am the third young lady of the Nangong family. It was Xiao Doukou who found the antidote for Sister Su."

Su Yuning was immediately moved upon hearing this, "Thank you so much, little sister! I heard from Ye Beichen that you offended your father while trying to find the antidote for me, and you don't even dare to go home anymore."

Xiao Doukou replied nonchalantly, "It's okay, it's okay. Anyway, I don't like that family. My dad only cares about money and doesn't care about his children's important life events. It doesn't matter if I don't go back."

“You can’t say that. You can’t hide forever. You’ll eventually have to go back and face everything,” Su Yuning objected. “How about we wait for Ye Beichen to come home and have him take you back to the Nangong residence?”

Little Cardamom shook her head, "No, no."

Seeing Xiaodoukou's nervous expression, Su Yuning couldn't help but chuckle. She blew on the roasted orange, then handed it to Xiaodoukou.

"Little sister, here's an orange for you!"

"Thank you, Sister Su!" Little Doukou was still a child after all, and she kept laughing and giggling when she received something delicious.

Afterwards, Ye Beichen arrived, and Su Yuning suggested to him, "It's not good for the little sister to always be hiding outside. Why don't you take her home?"

Ye Beichen nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Little Bean stomped her feet angrily, "No! I'm not going home! I'm not going home!"

Ye Beichen replied with a serious expression, "Try to control your temper, we're doing this for your own good!"

Seeing that Brother Ye was angry, Xiao Doukou immediately became more restrained.

Finally, the old lord and the new lord, accompanied by a group of guards, escorted Little Cardamom home.

"Little Doukou, how dare you come home? I'll beat you up!" Master Nangong angrily threw a pillow at his third daughter.

At this moment, both the old and new lords appeared, and Master Nangong immediately became much more obedient. He hurriedly sat up from the bed with difficulty and responded earnestly.

"Welcome, Your Highness and Lord!"

Ye Beichen asked coldly, "Do you know why Xiaodoukou stole medicinal herbs from the Tibetan Medicine Pavilion?"

Master Nangong shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"Someone sent a lot of medicinal herbs to the lord, including many nourishing and health-preserving herbs such as ginseng and lingzhi. There were also commonly used herbs for dispelling cold and inducing sweating. As a result, the lord kindly sent his own herbs to Su Yuning, causing her to be poisoned! Lord Nangong, what is the punishment?!" Ye Beichen asked angrily, enunciating each word clearly.

Master Nangong turned pale with fright and stammered, "I didn't know there was a problem with the herbs. There must be some misunderstanding. I'm so sorry."

"Hmph! You're more cunning than a fox, how could you not know that?" the old lord sneered and retorted.

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Master Nangong had no choice but to confess all the wrongdoings he had committed. As a result, the paralyzed Master Nangong was taken away to be punished.

As for Xiaodoukou, not only was she not scolded, but she also returned home safely.

In the days that followed, the newly promoted wife spent her days in tears, fearing that Master Nangong would not be able to withstand the punishment and would leave her.

"Auntie, don't cry. Let's take the medicine and jewelry from the manor to atone for Father's sins," Xiao Doukou suggested warmly.

"Alright, let's hurry and save the master!"

The old lord had initially harbored resentment towards Master Nangong, but seeing how arrogant he had been all his life and now confined to a wheelchair, he decided not to bother with him anymore. Furthermore, with Madam Nangong and Xiaodoukou pleading for him, the old lord accepted the medicine and treasure and released Master Nangong.

Afterwards, Ye Beichen couldn't help but complain, "Father, have you forgotten how difficult Master Nangong made things for you? Why did you let him go so easily?"

The old lord replied with a wry smile, "It's all for your own good. I got a large amount of medicinal herbs from him, which can be left for the Northern Guards to use as a backup. Besides, he also handed over a lot of his treasure. Let's be lenient when we can."

"In that case, let him go," Ye Beichen replied helplessly.