Su Cheng couldn't leave on his own, so he could only write a letter and send it to Su Yi by fast horse, telling him that the child had already returned home.

When Su Yi received the news, Liu Huan and An Ran had not returned yet, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. "Changyun, go and see where they are along the way."

He couldn't leave his post without permission. He had already sent Changbai along, but he was still worried after receiving Su Cheng's message.

"Yes, Master."

Changyun led his men out on horseback and encountered a mother and son returning home a dozen miles from Nanchang County.

"Madam, young master."

Liu Huan didn't seem to mind the title, but An Zhi's eyes were filled with wariness, as if he was very dissatisfied, though that displeasure quickly disappeared.

Why are you here?

Changyun explained, "It was a letter written by Third Master that arrived. The master was worried, so he asked me to come and take a look."

Liu Huan looked at An Zhi in surprise, "You saw your uncle?"

An Zhi shook her head, recalling Su Cheng's overly bright smile. "No, I don't know him. I did see someone named Su Cheng, but when he heard my name, he just dumped me at the Song family's place and left."

Liu Huan trusted her son's words, but considering the younger brother's character, she felt it was impossible.

"Your uncle isn't that kind of person, is he?"

Anzhi didn't want to listen to her and changed the subject, saying, "Mother, I miss my sister. Let's go home quickly."

Changbai saw all of Anzhi's actions and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that it wouldn't be so easy for his master to get the young master to call him "father."

As soon as they arrived at the yamen, An Ran jumped onto An Zhi like a little rabbit, clinging to him with her arms and legs and crying, "Brother, waaaaaah, my brother."

Anzhi hugged her tightly, his eyes also reddening, and it took him a while to find his voice, "Okay, be good."

Upon hearing this, Liu Huan burst into tears. She remembered that when she was little, Su Yi's favorite phrase was "Be good."

When her brother came back, Anran even needed Anzhi to carry her home. Liu Huan felt sorry for her son and wanted to take her daughter, but Anzhi put her down and turned around to carry her on his back.

"It's alright, Mother, I'll carry my sister back."

Su Yi was treated like he was invisible, except for Liu Huan who said before leaving, "I'll be back for dinner later."

Su Yi, who had been rejected by his son and daughter, finally came back to life and asked Chang Bai, "Where did you meet An Zhi?"

Changbai said, "When we were almost at Wushan, the young master was escorted back by the Song family, the richest family in Wushan. We met him on the way."

Then Su Cheng and Changbai said, "It seems that the young master has concealed his identity, which is why the third master did not know that it belonged to the young master."

Su Yi smiled wryly, "He's still complaining about us. Alright, go and rest first. We'll go have dinner at your young lady's place later."

That evening, Anzhi hosted a peace feast. The two children sat side by side, and Anran held her brother's hand tightly, as if afraid that her brother would disappear again.

The two didn't separate until dinner, but the older brother still had to serve them all the food.

Su Yi and Changbai Changyun couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only eat with forced smiles.

Everyone in the city knew that Anzhi had returned, and the news quickly spread to Heshui Village. Zhang Gouwa's second uncle went to find the village chief.

"Brother, now that the child has returned, shouldn't Gouwazi and Feng Shi be treated leniently?"

They believed that as long as everyone was safe, everything would be fine.

The village chief was very inquisitive, but he didn't dare to go himself, so he could only ask Gouwazi's second uncle to go to the yamen to inquire.

That evening, Gouwazi's second uncle returned, bringing even more shocking news: the child's father was the county magistrate, and the man also said that the mistress they were talking about was actually the county magistrate's wife.

The village chief was horrified when he heard this; how could he possibly plead for mercy now?

Thinking of Liu Huan's actions in the village, he felt extremely heavy-hearted. He had offended the county magistrate, which was probably bad for the village.

When the villagers heard the news, they all blamed Gouwazi and Fengshi, saying, "If it weren't for those two, we wouldn't have been able to drive Liu Niangzi out. Now look what's happened, we've been directly implicated by the county magistrate."

"That's right, I think Lady Liu is quite nice, I don't know who insisted on driving her away."

Whoever kicks people out and ends up getting the house, that's who they are.

The village chief's daughter-in-law felt she had been wronged in silence and couldn't say anything.

Meanwhile, after dealing with the matter at Changning Temple, Su Yi's work consisted of running errands at the government office and trying to please the two children.

Of course, only An Ran needs to be flattered; if An Zhi were so easily flattered, he wouldn't be him.

After letting things take their course, Liu Huan revealed that Su Yi was their father.

Anzhi already knew this, so he remained calm. Anran, on the other hand, burst into tears. After crying, the little girl put her hands on her hips and said, "If we hadn't come to the county, I really wanted to take my daddy to Heshui Village so they would know I have a daddy."

Su Yi was very happy that his daughter recognized him, but he couldn't smile when he was with his son.

"Anzhi, these are the Four Treasures of the Study for you. I hope you will like them."

Anzhi didn't even glance at it, gently pushing it aside, "Thank you, but I don't need it."

Upon hearing that her brother didn't want it, An Ran immediately pulled him into her arms, saying, "I like it even if my brother doesn't want it."

Liu Huan didn't interfere too much with the two's attitudes. She knew that An Zhi had a lot of ideas, and saying too much about some things would only backfire.

The emperor's decree was issued quickly. The messenger was a military officer from the court. His purpose was to take away the privately confiscated weapons and, incidentally, to inform the emperor of his intentions.

"His Majesty already knows that Madam Su and the young master are here, so he instructed me to tell you that you can stay here for a full three-year term before returning."

Su Yi felt relieved upon hearing this. He had been worried that the Emperor would order him to return now, but he wasn't sure if Liu Huan would be able to bring the child back to the capital with him, and he didn't dare to hope for it.

This is a very good result.

Su Yi didn't hide this news from Liu Huan. Liu Huan said on the surface that it didn't matter, but in her heart she still hoped that Su Yi would stay.

She didn't want the father she had so happily gained to be just a fleeting moment.

Because of the attack on the students at the gate, the academy hired several thugs to guard the gate. After Liu Huan recovered An Zhi and An Ran's health, at their strong request, Liu Huan allowed them to return to their studies.

Now, the people picking up the child are Changyun, Changbai, and Ermo taking turns. Anran has become much more assertive at the academy now that she has a father.

Many children from wealthy families were told early on to please the two siblings, but An Ran was completely unaware of it and even thought that she had scared them.

Life returned to normal, and on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Huan was greeted by someone she never expected.

"Excuse me, is this Liu Huan's house?"

Xiao Hei looked at the several people of all ages outside and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"We're looking for Liu Huan; she lives here, right?"

Hearing the noise in the courtyard, Liu Huan came out and exclaimed in surprise, "Big Brother?"