An Ding glanced in the direction of the doorway but didn't see anyone behind it.

"Grandpa, didn't Mom and Dad come back with you?"

"There are a few families who are still watching the commotion over there. They'll come back after we've seen your uncle and aunt off."

Anle asked with a smile.

"Oh, I see. Grandpa, how much do you think our family should give as a wedding gift for An Manyi's wedding?"

"Who gives money? You can't give money here. We're not like those big families outside. We can't do that. We can only give things."

"Just give her some makeup, or sew her a dress, or send her some fabric, or make her a pair of embroidered shoes, or give her some jewelry or something."

I'm at peace now.

"Hey, is that so? That's easy. I have a few embroidered handkerchiefs here. How about I give her a couple? They'll be presentable and elegant."

An Ning clapped her hands.

"Ah, this is good. Sending an embroidered handkerchief is a good idea. My little sister is so clever. How come I didn't think of that?"

Anjing raised the corners of her mouth slightly.

"That's good. Our mother's needlework skills are quite good. This is a fine piece of clothing."

As Qiao Qiuniang entered, she happened to hear her eldest daughter mentioning her.

"Jing, what are you saying? You're praising your mother already?"

Anning grinned and yelled.

“Oh, Mom and Dad are back. We were just talking about what to give Auntie. I thought of the embroidered handkerchiefs you made and wanted you to give Auntie two of them.”

Qiao Qiuniang pursed her lips. "Lewa really thinks the same way as me. I don't have any dowry items to give you, except for an embroidered handkerchief."

An Ding glanced at the curtain in the middle of the room with a preoccupied look on his face and coughed lightly.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, um... today my little sister went into the mountains and met someone who had been bitten by a snake, so Uncle Yifa, who was hunting in the mountains, carried her back."

When Grandpa Shoushan found out about this, he came over.

She seemed quite angry when she left, saying she wanted Grandpa to come over.

An Dalin's old face froze upon hearing this.

"What? What did you say, grandson?" The granddaughter carried someone back.

An Mancang and Qiao Qiuniang stared blankly at An Ding.

"What's going on?"

Anle smiled sheepishly, touched her nose, stood up, and clenched the hem of her clothes, looking a little nervous.

"Father, the person is lying in the inner room. He was bitten by a poisonous snake and is resting here for a while. He said he will leave soon."

I saw he'd been bitten by a poisonous snake and was almost dying, so I dragged him back. I couldn't just stand by and watch him die, could I?

An Dalin couldn't sit still any longer and stood up as well, walking straight into the inner room. "I'll go take a look."

The An Mancang couple followed closely behind.

Once inside the room, the three of them stared wide-eyed at the person lying on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Anle followed her in. "Grandpa, Mom and Dad, don't worry, he won't cause any trouble. He said he'd leave."

An Dalin's expression showed no sign of softening as he scrutinized Yu Rong, asking, "Kid, where are you from?"

Anle said awkwardly, "Grandpa, this person... he... he doesn't like to talk."

Qiao Qiuniang opened her mouth, about to speak, when she caught a glimpse of a wooden plaque in the hexagonal basket on the kang table and picked it up in surprise.

"This little fish-shaped wooden sign, isn't it from our fishing village?"

Anle was taken aback. "Huh? Mother, what did you say?"

An Dalin's old eyes flickered as he glanced at the plaque clutched in Qiao Qiuniang's hand. "Isn't this yours, Qiuniang?"

Qiao Qiuniang shook her head, "No, mine has cracks, but this one doesn't."

Anle blinked. "I found this on him. It's with the other things in the straw basket."

Upon hearing this, An Dalin's expression immediately softened.

"This kid is from the fishing village, huh? That puts my mind at ease. Why did he come all this way?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiuniang's gaze remained fixed on the basket, or rather, on the worn-out blue purse inside the hexagonal basket.

"This purse—" Why does it look so familiar? The embroidery on this purse…

"Ah, I remember now!"

Isn't this the purse I embroidered for Ah Hong?

How did I get here?

Qiao Qiuniang excitedly picked up the purse and examined it carefully. When she saw the stitching of the dragonfly pattern on the purse, her eyes lit up.

"That's right, that's right, it really is!" Qiao Qiuniang's excited face suddenly stopped, and she stared at Yu Rong on the kang.

"How did you get Ah Hong's purse?"

Anle looked at Qiao Qiuniang in surprise, "Mother, did you make this purse?"

Qiao Qiuniang nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"Yes, it was me who did it. This purse was originally part of a batch of work that was sent to be sold, but it got torn, so I kept it. Later, I sewed it up and embroidered a dragonfly pattern along the seam before giving it to Ah Hong."

Anle asked, puzzled, "Mother, who is Ah Hong?"

Qiao Qiuniang smiled, "Back in the fishing village, when we were still young girls, we were the best of friends who played together."

She is four years older than me and takes good care of me, always treating me like a younger sister.

Unfortunately, she was a person with a hard life. Ever since her father sold her, he has never seen her again.

Later, I married your father and moved to this Qushui Village, and after that, I never heard from her again.

Anle's lips stiffened as she listened.

"Huh? I was... I was sold?" This wicked society!

Qiao Qiuniang sighed, her eyes reddening.

"Yes, Ah Hong's father became addicted to alcohol and became a drunkard, which led to the family's decline. In order to get money to buy alcohol, her father sold her to a passing merchant from the capital."

Even now, thinking about poor Ah Hong still makes me feel terrible. I wonder how she's doing. I've always thought about her all these years.

Anle scratched his head, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.

"So, this thing was taken from him. What's his relationship with that Ah Hong?"

Anle looked at Yu Rong with suspicion and raised her voice to ask.

"Hey, who is this Ah Hong to you? Why do you have Ah Hong's purse?" Anle asked, then muttered something else.

"Could it be Ah Hong's child or something?"

Upon hearing Anle's suspicion, Qiao Qiuniang became even more agitated. "Yes, yes, yes! If he has Ah Hong's purse and the fishing village's sign, then he might be Ah Hong's child."

Seeing Yu Rong closing his eyes and ignoring everyone, An Le felt a surge of anger—

"Hey, I'm asking you a question, why don't you say something? Are you Ah Hong's son?"

An Dalin ruffled An Le's hair. "Alright, granddaughter, don't get so worked up over this kid."

This kid looks like a quiet type. If he's Ah Hong's child, why don't we just go to the fishing village and ask?

I'll have someone ask around.