"Mother, mother, look how happily it drinks the milk powder!" Little Qingyu circled around the little elephant, full of amazement. The goat milk powder had been prepared in advance by Lin Wanwan, knowing the little elephant would soon arrive. Based on the size of the little elephant, she researched a lot of information online and estimated it wouldn’t be more than three years old and probably hadn’t been weaned yet, so she bought dozens of boxes of goat milk powder. As expected, the little elephant acted like it had found its mother the minute it caught the scent of milk. Raising such a little elephant costs as much as raising ten children, but luckily Lin Wanwan was not short of money now. The little elephant drank the goat milk powder obliviously. Since it left the herd, it hadn’t had any milk, and now it practically buried its face in the bowl. After finishing the goat milk powder, the little elephant began to munch on the pile of carrots and vegetables in the bowl, which made Sun Chuyao’s heart race. He quickly hurried the little beggar children along with Hua Nong to the front yard. He couldn’t bear to watch any longer for fear of heartache. On the ship, this little elephant ate the most, consuming as much as all of the little beggar children combined. In his twenty-plus years of life, Sun Chuyao had never seen anyone eat as much as the little elephant. Compared to an elephant, humans seemed to eat so little! If it weren’t the master’s beloved pet, he would have been tempted to starve it without food. Nobles of the Great Tang loved to keep pets, including eagles, dogs, monkeys, white cranes, parrots, and wild beasts, in diverse varieties. Lin Wanwan bringing home a little elephant was not the least bit out of place, blending perfectly with the customs of the upper class of the Great Tang. Regarding good things like cotton, Lin Wanwan couldn’t find the time to discuss them with the clan leader yet, as it was New Year’s Eve tomorrow and there were many preparations to make; she would talk about it after the New Year. The clan’s school had already started its winter vacation the day before yesterday, lasting until the twentieth day of the first lunar month. Although the holiday meant one less meal at the school, this year, thanks to the income from selling steamed cakes and the low-cost grain subsidy provided by Lin Wanwan, the clan had a much better year compared to previous years. The entire Lin Family Manor was enveloped in a joyful New Year’s atmosphere. The ten children who had come by boat from Qiong State to Mao County now slept in a dormitory converted from the school’s side room. It was a clean, communal bed, and although the weather was colder than Qiong State, they finally had a place of shelter. Back in Qiong State, they used to curl up randomly on the side of the road with the sky as their cover and the ground as their home. On rainy days, they would have to huddle under someone else’s eaves to avoid the rain and were often chased away. The broken temple in the county was packed with big beggars, leaving no room for this group of orphaned little beggars. Now, lying in warm, soft quilts with full stomachs, still able to savor the taste of the white rice they had for dinner, it seemed like a dream to everyone. Not only did they feel like they were dreaming, but Sun Chuyao and his family also felt as though they were in a dream! They were assigned to two rooms, one for the grandparents and one for Sun Chuyao. Next to them was Kun Lun’s room. Never in their lives had they imagined living in a house with glazed windows and eating mutton soup with pepper! Now it was deep in the night; his old mother and little daughter were asleep. Today, his daughter was given the name Rongrong by the young lady of the house, Lin Qingyu, because Little Qingyu’s favorite food was dissolved beans. With a new name comes a new beginning. Although the work involved serving others, they were serving an Immortal after all! It’s a blessing others could only dream of. Sun Chuyao was very satisfied with their current situation. Since having dinner with Hua Nong, Yun Shang, and some other servants, he had no more doubts about Lin Wanwan’s divine status! He could infer from listening casually that Lin Wanwan had been home all month! Clearly, a month ago, she had still been in Qiong State, personally instructing him to follow the boat north. It took them nearly a month to travel from Qiong State to Mao County by ship. So how did the master manage to stay in Mao County all month? She must have flown back! There was no other explanation. The thought that he might also ascend to the Heavenly Court, along with his chickens and dogs, filled Sun Chuyao with vigor, eager for daylight to come to work hard and impress the master. Sun Chuyao’s mind drifted off, fantasizing about the affairs of the Heavenly Court, and in his semi-conscious state, he seemed to hear the rustling sounds of immortals talking. The moon climbed high in the sky, veiled by drifting black clouds that obscured its already dim light. Shadows flickered past the servants’ quarters by the window. "Is someone there?" Sun Chuyao muttered groggily on his bed, without a soul as he questioned himself. The next moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and sat up with a jolt, shouting, "Thieves! Catch the thieves!" The entire servants’ quarters at Lin Mansion were awakened, and fighting sounds could already be heard outside, indicating that Kun Lun had gotten into a fight with the burglars. Sun Chuyao scrambled to get up, glanced left and right, grabbed a small table, and headed for the door. His mother appeared at the door, calling out with concern, "Son, I saw they have knives." Sun Chuyao paused, turned back, and said in a low voice, "Mother, lock the door and brace it with the table, don’t come out!" With that, he carried the table and rushed out. The two maids were living in the small building and, upon hearing the commotion, lights began turning on there one after another, though the master’s room remained dark, leaving the situation unclear. Lin Mengbo’s family, who lived near the west side door, was the first to hear the noise. As soon as he opened his eyes, he turned over, grabbed the fishing spear from the corner, and headed out. "Mengbo, be careful!" Lin Qin called out worriedly into the darkness as she watched his figure. "Alright, after I leave, shut the door tight and don’t let the thieves in." Saying this, he grabbed the fishing spear, shouted, and rushed to the gate of Lin Wanwan’s yard, pounding on the door, "Are there any thieves inside? I’m going to break the door down!" He was about to smash the door when it suddenly opened from the side. A pale-faced Yun Shang quickly said, "Mengbo Langjun, quickly gather people, several thieves got in, they have knives, Kun Lun seems to be injured, there’s a smell of blood everywhere!" "Bang bang bang!" The sound of a copper basin being struck echoed starkly in the darkness. Hua Nong, guarding Lin Wanwan’s door, was pounding it per Yun Shang’s orders. Soon, the entire Lin Family Manor was in chaos. One by one, oil lamps lit up in the dark night, doors opened with "creak" sounds, and a dark crowd gathered, all armed with long fishing spears and large fishing nets, converging towards Lin Wanwan’s residence. The large ship must have attracted attention, and under the cover of darkness, they were scoping things out! At the end of the year, some mountain dwellers struggling to get by were bound to try something big. Lin Family Manor, located in a remote coastal area, made it an ideal target. Lin Clan Leader, with a grim face, quickly dressed and rushed to Lin Wanwan’s house, shouting as he went, "Daring to bring trouble to our Lady Wan, beat them to death without mercy!" Follow current novels on novel⟡fire.net "Yeah! Beat them to death without mercy!"