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It was our turn to laugh now.
The enemy had been defeated, the cause had been discovered, and the grandson had recovered. This was indeed a great joy celebrated by both heaven and earth.
Old Lady Fang burst into laughter.
Although Yuxiu couldn't laugh so heartily, she smiled with her lips pursed and slowly wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
"Yes, we need to laugh," she said. "No matter how sad the past was, it's over now. It's time to be happy, and we should laugh."
Fang Chengyu nodded with a smile, pulled Yuxiu up, and then helped Old Lady Fang to her feet.
Old Lady Fang gazed at Fang Chengyu, feeling like she had a thousand questions to ask—questions about the past, the present, this and that—bubbling up in her mind and at her lips.
"Grandmother, this is not a place to talk. Let's go back and talk there. Mother and big sister are waiting anxiously," Yuxiu said.
Yes, this was not a place to talk, Old Lady Fang nodded.
"Let's go, let's go," she said, grabbing Fang Chengyu's hand.
But Fang Chengyu did not move.
"Grandmother, wait a moment," he said, his face showing a hint of grievance and shyness. "My face and clothes are dirty; I need to change and wash."
Yuxiu and Old Lady Fang were stunned, looking at him.
After what had happened earlier, Chengyu's face and body were stained, especially with blood, looking a bit frightening.
"It doesn't look good going outside like this," Fang Chengyu continued. "It would be so embarrassing if people saw."
Dare to kill without hesitation, yet so concerned about his appearance, feeling very embarrassed indeed.
Old Lady Fang and Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, go change and wash up," Old Lady Fang said.
.................................
When the three of them reappeared, the officials sitting in the hall noticed they looked completely refreshed.
They already knew that the grandmother, grandson, and granddaughter had washed and changed their clothes because the trio had boldly used the inner quarters of County Magistrate Li's residence without any courtesy, using his furnishings as well.
"The enmity is deep, but also satisfying for revenge," an official explained to himself, "They're not concerned, so we shouldn't care."
Old Lady Fang stepped forward and knelt in gratitude.
"Thank you, wise and noble officials," she said, her voice choked with emotion.
Fang Chengyu followed closely behind her, obedient as the Fang Family's Miss, seeming as if a single extra glance would make him blush.
If they hadn't witnessed him personally interrogate, torture, and kill someone, they would have taken him for a sickly child.
Even so, many present wondered if this child really acted out of a boiling impulse, just a frail child at heart.
After all, his stance holding a knife clearly showed it was his first time, extremely inexperienced.
And it was killing, after all.
Most people wouldn't even dare kill a chicken, let alone a person, and some who do might get sick or scared.
Yet this young man remained calm as if it were nothing, as if he were used to seeing death.
Truly inconceivable.
However, they did hear that some people who seem honest are indeed very fierce, commonly referred to as "a dog that doesn't bark bites hardest."
Fang Chengyu and Yuxiu also thanked them with bows.
"You may go back now. We will classify this matter quickly and make it public," Prefect Ma said.
Old Lady Fang and her grandchildren thanked them again, and Chengyu and Yuxiu hurriedly helped her up. The three of them supported each other as they left the hall.
Seeing them approach, the soldiers guarding the county government stepped forward to open the door.
The door slowly opened, and just as the three lifted their feet to step out, a shout was heard.
"They're out!"
With this shout, a hubbub flooded in like a tide.
"Quick, look."
"Where, where?"
The three members of the Fang family were startled. They stopped and looked up to see a dense crowd in front of the county government, as if the entire population of Yangcheng had come out.
What was going on?
Old Lady Fang looked at the crowd.
The army had entered the city, pushing down the county government, and the people were so terrified they almost fled the city. After much reassurance, they dared not come out of their homes.
It hasn't been long since peace returned, and the people were skittish like startled birds. Why did they all come here before fully understanding the situation and ensuring their safety?
This was a place full of soldiers, after all.
Yuxiu suddenly chuckled.
"Little brother, they're all here to see you," she said.
Old Lady Fang turned to Fang Chengyu.
"Oh right, I did walk into the city," Fang Chengyu said with a slight smile, "Some people probably..."
He didn't finish the sentence, "recognized me," because the crowd erupted into a commotion.
"He's smiling!"
"I saw him smile!"
"Is it the same as during the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth?"
Various shouts and questions flooded in overwhelming waves.
This left the three standing on the threshold looking bewildered.
Yuxiu sighed.
"What do we do? We've missed a great opportunity," she suddenly said.
Old Lady Fang and Fang Chengyu both looked at her.
"We didn't bring a flatbed cart," Yuxiu said seriously, "We can't load fruits."
A handsome man goes out, attracting fruit offerings that fill the cart.
Old Lady Fang and Fang Chengyu laughed.
Fang Chengyu observed the crowd watching the spectacle, a sparkle in his eyes.
"There are more people than last time," he said. "Grandmother, you see, it was right for me to wash and change."
This was the second time Fang Chengyu was surrounded, the first being during the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, though then he was in a carriage, waiting for death.
People came to see someone nearing their end, but now it was different.
The tears Old Lady Fang had held back surged again.
She shed more tears today than in all her previous years combined. When did she become so sensitive and prone to crying? It would be laughable if others saw her now.
"Grandmother, don't worry. From now on, whenever you feel like crying or laughing, just do it. No one will notice," Yuxiu said beside her. "Everyone's looking at Chengyu."
Old Lady Fang was both amused and annoyed.
"Are you saying I've grown old and ugly?" she said.
Yuxiu pursed her lips, reaching up to gently touch her face.
"Even young and pretty, I can't compare to little brother," she sighed. "In the future, let's not go out with him."
Fang Chengyu laughed.
"You won't have to go out. Let me handle things, grandmother, second sister. You can ride the carriage while I walk back. I'll take a good look at Yangcheng, where I've lived for fifteen years," he said. Once he finished, he brushed his sleeves and stepped gracefully over the threshold. "Let's also let Yangcheng get to know me."
He let go of Old Lady Fang and walked out of the county government step by step. As he emerged, the previously noisy crowd quieted down, countless eyes focusing on him.
"Are you the Young Master of Fang?" an elderly man at the front asked curiously.
"I am," Fang Chengyu replied with a smile.
Although they already knew, hearing it from his own mouth, the crowd erupted into a commotion.
"Are you well?"
"Where where have you been?"
"How did you recover from your illness?"
Countless questions and people surged forward, and the guards stepped in to stop them. Fang Chengyu did not quicken his pace but continued walking while answering the questions he heard one by one.
"I went to receive treatment."
"I'm better."
"Really better, look at my leg."
He even lifted his robe, extended his leg for everyone to see, and then even jumped a little.
His amiable nature mixed with a certain childlike innocence immediately caused uproarious laughter in the crowd.
"Young Master Fang, Young Master Fang, do you still recognize me? I saw you when you were little."
Someone farther back shouted while standing on tiptoe.
Fang Chengyu smiled back.
"I was too young and sick to remember much, but now that I'm older and will often come out, I'll recognize you," he replied loudly.
The crowd burst into laughter again.
More onlookers flooded in from the streets, but their expressions were different from those at the Lantern Festival. Last time, it was pity or curiosity; now, there was amazement and admiration.
Because of the crowd and his stops to speak, what should have been less than an hour's walk from the county government to Fang Mansion took over an hour.
The gates of the Fang family were already open, and the guards at the entrance, visibly excited, shouted inside as soon as they saw Fang Chengyu approaching.
"The Young Master is back!"
"The Young Master is back!"
The Young Master was back.
The once healthy Young Master who bore the hope of the Fang family was back.
Fang Chengyu paused at the gate, looking at it before stepping forward.
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