Su Ming, who was standing nearby, reminded him, "Dad, let my cousins ​​go to the ancestral hall first."

Uncle Su snapped out of his daze, "Yes, yes, everyone, follow me."

He led the group to the ancestral hall in Maocao Village, where not only the ancestors of the Su family were enshrined, but also the ancestors of other surnames in the village. The Su family had paid for the renovation and expansion of the ancestral hall back then, all for the sake of what it is today.

Women were not normally allowed to enter, but the women of the Su family were an exception, and the village chief and several clan leaders had no objections.

The two Su brothers knelt down, and the clan chief held incense to announce the two brothers' contributions and official positions to their ancestors, and finally asked the two brothers to offer incense.

After the ceremony, Su Yi waved to Liu Huan, who knelt down beside him. The two bowed three times to the ancestors of the Su family, and everyone around them smiled with satisfaction.

"The villagers of Maocao Village have prepared a simple feast. We hope that all the guests will not find it offensive and will enjoy themselves."

Once outside the ancestral hall, a banquet had been prepared in the courtyard. Because it was a grand affair, the pork dishes were prepared in various ways, and Uncle Su had even reported to the government office that a cow had been slaughtered. Of the twelve dishes, only two were purely vegetarian.

Because the announcement had been made long ago, people from the neighboring village came to join in the fun. There were so many people eating at the feast that it took several rounds of banquets to finish.

The mayor offered some words of congratulations and left politely. Once the mayor was gone, the guests followed suit and left one after another.

Only the villagers were left to clean up the mess. When Su's mother went to help, her aunt grabbed her and teased her, "Scholar's mother, don't get involved. Go and rest."

Some of the aunts who used to be on good terms with Su's mother all said, "That's right, it's not appropriate for you to do this now that you're in a position."

Su's mother laughed and scolded, "You guys are all so eager to pursue me, why am I not suitable? Didn't I also come from Thatched Village?"

As he spoke, he joined in tidying up with them, and he visibly became happier.

The maidservants beside Su's mother wanted to help, but Liu Huan stopped them, saying, "We have enough people, so you don't need to go. Go back and clean the house first."

The leader was Li Lian, who had gone to the Su family years ago. She married Changsheng, and the two worked together for the Su family, one handling internal affairs and the other external affairs. They were both extremely loyal to the Su family. Even her younger brother, Li Yang, has now married a wife and is running a small business with the help of the Su family.

After everyone finished cleaning up, Auntie distributed the remaining food to the villagers. Su's mother said, "If you have nothing to do, please come and visit us. We have many happy occasions in our family today, so we will have to trouble you all for a while."

Everyone probably guessed what it was about, and they pulled her aside and whispered, "Is it about your son Shitou getting married?"

“Nothing can be hidden from everyone’s eyes. They’re not young anymore. Their father and I thought we should just take care of things for them so we wouldn’t have to worry about them every day.”

Everyone agreed, "That makes sense, but why not hold the meeting in Beijing instead of going back to their hometown?"

"That's right, I'll never have the chance to visit the capital in this lifetime."

Su's mother didn't take it to heart. "No matter how successful he is, he's still someone from Maocao Village. This is his root, so naturally he wants to come back."

Everyone started praising Su Yi again for being promising and capable.

Another auntie rolled her eyes and asked, "Hey, your Xiao Shi seems to be seventeen or eighteen now, right? Does he have a wife yet?"

Before Su's mother could even speak, someone else chimed in, "Little Shi is a military officer, no matter what. You guys shouldn't even think about it."

The auntie gave an awkward laugh, "How could I dare to hope for such things? I just wanted to show some concern."

Su's mother said with a smile, "I can't control his affairs. He said that his two older brothers got married late, and he's not in a hurry, so I'm too lazy to care."

Everyone agreed, "That makes sense. He's successful; he can find any woman he wants."

Su's mother just smiled and didn't say anything. In this thatched village, everyone said she was lucky and that all the sons she raised were excellent.

"Alright, everyone, stop talking. Let the top scholar's mother go back and rest. She'll come to see you again tomorrow."

Mother Su returned home still wanting more, and Fang Yi and her maids had already cleaned the entire Su residence.

The Su residence was built later. It's a three-courtyard house with everything you need. With the help of the eldest uncle's family, it only requires a simple cleaning before you can move in.

The old house next door wasn't demolished, but it was on the verge of collapse because no one lived there.

That's how houses are; once they lose their human presence, they won't last long.

Liu Huan and Su Cheng went into the courtyard to look, and there were still some of the toys they used to play with when they were little, all made of wood.

Looking at those broken beds, and imagining the two of us playing around on them, I felt mostly nostalgic, nostalgic for who I was back then.

After they left, the two remarked with emotion, "We don't know when we'll be back next time."

Liu Huan thought about it and realized that their purpose in returning this time was to bring Su's parents to the capital, and they might not have much time to come back from here.

Liu Huan held Su Cheng's hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "Brother, it's so good to have met you guys."

Su Cheng patted her head, "We are also very fortunate to have you here."

My eldest cousin's eldest daughter, Niu Niu, whose real name is Su Ci, came over and said shyly, "Auntie and Uncle, you're here."

Liu Huan pulled her aside and asked, "What's wrong?"

The little girl was very shy. "It's nothing, I was just looking around."

A sturdy boy came rushing out from next door, carrying the toys they had bought and running around, just like Su Cheng back then.

"Su Zhuangzhuang, what are you doing?"

Su Zhuangzhuang scratched his head sheepishly when he saw Liu Huan, "Auntie, I was just playing."

After saying that, he ran away as if something was chasing him.

“He looks exactly like my brother when he was a child.”

Su Cheng's ears turned red. "I was much more well-behaved than him when I was a child."

Su Yi and his father finished their business and came out to find them. Seeing that the two of them didn't seem unhappy, he said, "What are you still doing there?"

Liu Huan stepped forward and took his hand. "My brother and I are looking at our old house. There's a beaded flower that you gave me inside, but the color is no longer visible."

Su Yi grabbed her hand, leaving Su Cheng behind, and said, "Hey, why didn't you wait for me?"

Su Yi glanced back at him and said, "Stop clinging to Huanhuan all the time. How old are you?"

Su Cheng said, feeling wronged, "When we were little, Huanhuan and I were the best of friends."

...

Since the two were returning to get married, they couldn't live together. Liu Huan was arranged to stay at Uncle Su's house and get married from his home.

The Su family then began preparing for the wedding and decorating their home.

The two newlyweds cannot meet before the wedding, and Liu Huan is anxious because she doesn't have a wedding dress.

Su Ci stayed with her the whole time, but to her surprise, Su Ci was already embroidering her own wedding dress.

When asked if she wanted to see her wedding dress, Liu Huan smiled awkwardly, "I...I haven't prepared one."