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Chapter 37: They Have Arrived
Chapter 37: They Have Arrived
37 Chapter 37: They Have Arrived
After about as long as it takes to make a pot of tea, the Sun Family was the first to give in, collapsing on the road, panting heavily from exhaustion.
A moment later, Qiao Changfu himself also couldn't keep going, his run turning into a walk, his mouth starting to let slip a string of curses.
With the two of them coming to a stop, Qiao Xiaomai slowed down as well, maintaining about twenty meters distance from Qiao Changfu, leisurely on her way.
If before she had been merely trying to scare the Sun Family, to keep them from stirring up trouble for naught, then now, she truly wanted to get to town to find Sun Junyan's master.
The Sun Family was always causing uproar over nothing, she may well cause a major uproar in return!
"You wretches, stop!", exclaimed Qiao Changfu when he saw Qiao Xiaomai walking again and, gathering his breath, started running after her.
Seeing this, Qiao Xiaomai also began running again, maintaining a distance of no more than thirty meters from Qiao Changfu.
Seeing her handling the situation so well, Qiao Changfu was so frustrated he felt light-headed, but he was helpless.
To race after her, but not being able to catch up.
But to not chase her, that was absolutely out of the question. After spending ten years of his earnings on Sun Junyan's education, holding out hope that Sun Junyan would make a name for himself, Sun Junyan's future absolutely could not be ruined by Qiao Xiaomai!
The Sun Family also held this belief, thus they doggedly panted after Qiao Changfu, running a bit and walking a bit, always following behind Qiao Changfu.
Soon enough, the three of them had travelled half the distance and the town wasn't far off.
At this point, the sound of a bullock cart and a voice calling out from behind them reached their ears, "Miss Qiao, wait a moment!"
Hearing a voice that was becoming all too familiar, Qiao Xiaomai widened her eyes in disbelief, stopped in her tracks and turned to look behind her.
Tong Sanlang was seen driving the ox cart, crossing in front of Sun Family and Qiao Changfu, and was heading towards her, on his handsome face was a trace of urgency which was hard to detect.
Qiao Xiaomai's eyes widened even more, this man was actually in pursuit on an ox cart!
"Ah!", Tong Sanlang reined in his ox cart as soon as he pulled up alongside Qiao Xiaomai, making the cart stop.
"Brother San in the Tong Family, why are you here?" Qiao Xiaomai asked, her voice filled with wonder.
"Dami went to find my grandfather, then my grandfather and I went to your home, heard what transpired, and my grandfather asked me to come after you," Tong Sanlang explained. Once he reached her and saw that Qiao Xiaomai had only broken out in a light sweat with no signs of exhaustion, the urgency on his face disappeared.
He returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor.
"Let's go back. My grandfather will be there and he will see that justice is done."
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother San in the Tong Family, and Grandfather Tong. However, I still want to go to the town," Qiao Xiaomai said, her lips tightening as she watched the Sun Family and Qiao Changfu running towards her.
"This is not the best solution, and it's not good for your reputation," Tong Sanlang said disapprovingly.
Although the Sun Family went overboard, they were elders, and they had the advantage of seniority. In rural communities, it was normal for elders to reprimand or scold younger generations.
As a younger generation, Qiao Xiaomai's running to town and disrupting the Qiao family's hope would only make her seem ruthless in the eyes of others.
Even if some people sided with Qiao Xiaomai, with the Qiao family visibly in distress on one side, and Qiao Xiaomai perfectly fine and full of energy on the other side, the contrast was far too stark.
Only when there is no other option should one act in such a way.
Qiao Xiaomai understood the ins and outs of this. Unlike future times where one could close their doors and live life on their own, in ancient villages, it was important to maintain good relationships with the villagers, and having a good reputation was crucial.
Moreover, she was planning to sell tofu and conduct business in the village.
She took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright."
This time, she chose to back down!