The person unloading the basket from behind stiffened slightly but didn't say anything. Instead, he spoke to Jiang Mingzhu, "Tie up the beaks of these chickens and throw them into the cellar first."

The order was strange, but Jiang Mingzhu immediately agreed. She found the leftover scraps of cloth, tied them up with the chicken wings, and wrapped them around the head twice to secure it.

The pheasants glared at each other, as if to say, "We may be chickens, but you are not human either."

Gu An'an looked at the pheasant, who was tied up and lying on the ground, no longer even having the strength to struggle, and couldn't help but laugh.

Watching the brother and sister go out and throw the chicken into the cellar, she hugged the two children and asked, "Tell your mother, did you beg your brother to come up the mountain to find me?"

Jiang Mingxu chuckled, "Brother, you're amazing, aren't you? He said he could find Mother, and he did."

That's really true.

Looking at the proud little boy, Gu An'an pinched her youngest son's cheek and said, "Yes, our Mingxu is also very capable."

After praising the two children, Gu An'an got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

In the courtyard, Jiang Mingzhu was puzzled. "Why did you hide the chickens? Did your second uncle and the others find out?"

Jiang Mingyi nodded, "I ran into them on the way back. They should have realized it. I'm afraid they'll come and cause trouble later."

Jiang Mingzhu pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Shameless."

"It's pretty shameless. In the countryside, some people are stingy, while others are warm and friendly. You can't generalize. We should repay those who are good to us in every way, and we should also remember those who are always scheming against us."

Gu An'an looked at the two young children who had turned to look at her. "Mingyi, Zhu'er, remember this: repaying evil with kindness is not the way to go. We should repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge, understand?"

The young man pulled the girl to her feet and slowly stood up. "Okay, I understand."

He discovered that Gu An'an was indeed someone who didn't like to suffer losses, and lately, she would always seek revenge whenever she was wronged in the slightest.

That's good. As long as she's still willing to protect them, he appreciates her personality.

The prerequisite is that she is still willing to acknowledge some of their children.

Jiang Mingzhu wasn't quite sure what had happened, but she felt that the atmosphere between her mother and brother was a bit strange. Just as she was about to speak to break the silence, her mother said, "I asked Mingxu, and he said you went up the mountain to find me. Why didn't you explain to me when you were on the mountain?"

These words reminded Jiang Mingyi of the scolding he received just as he was feeling fortunate to have survived the ordeal, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a little wronged.

Just like before, his stubbornness kicked in, and the young man said with great pride, "There's nothing to say."

Gu An'an got angry when she heard this. What did she mean by "there's nothing to say"?

But when she noticed the young man's head was slightly lowered, Gu An'an quickly realized that the child was feeling wronged.

How could I not feel wronged? Anyone would feel wronged in my shoes.

I was worried about you, so I risked my life to go up the mountain to find you, and I even almost fell off a cliff and died.

As a result, you immediately launched into a tirade of abuse.

I feel so wronged.

After putting herself in his shoes, Gu An'an realized that she was indeed terrified at the time, which is why she acted impulsively.

Although the original intention was to prevent the child from taking risks, it did hurt the young man's feelings.

"I'm sorry, Mingyi. I was wrong when we were on the mountain. I scolded you without asking any questions. I apologize to you."

To show her sincerity, Gu An'an even bowed deeply to the young man.

This action startled Jiang Mingyi, who quickly dodged to the side.

Jiang Mingzhu was also stunned by this. After realizing what was happening, she quickly helped Gu An'an up. "Mother, what are you doing?"

She was used to Gu An'an's sarcastic remarks about them being children born of a mother but raised without a father, and she was used to Gu An'an beating and scolding them whenever she was unhappy.

But this was the first time I had ever seen Gu An'an like this.

Is this an apology to his elder brother?

Although she didn't know what had happened, Jiang Mingzhu quickly came over to help Gu An'an when she saw her brother step aside.

This is against etiquette and propriety. How can a son accept his mother's deep bow and apology?

“When your brother came up the mountain to find me, a small accident happened, and in my haste I scolded him. I was too impulsive and should apologize to him.”

Gu An'an looked at the young man seriously, "If Mingyi feels uncomfortable, he can also curse a lot."

These words made Jiang Mingyi's eyes twitch slightly. The snow in the courtyard had not been cleared, and the ground was covered with a layer of white.

Gu An'an stood there, her expression more solemn than ever before.

She wasn't joking; she was clearly serious.

In that instant, a feeling of grievance welled up in my chest.

Jiang Mingyi thought that if Zhu'er hadn't been there, he might have completely lost his responsibility as an older brother and, like his younger brother and Bao'er, rushed into Gu An'an's arms to cry out his grievances.

But he wasn't a child. Apart from his young stepmother Gu An'an, he was the oldest person in the family.

How could he easily shed tears?

"I accept Mother's apology." The young man controlled his slightly hoarse voice, which was choked with sobs. "Mother saved me too, so we're even."

Looking at the still aloof young man, Gu An'an suddenly felt an unprecedented pang of heartache.

In this family, there are two older children and two younger children.

Bao'er is innocent and naive, but she is also very well-behaved and adorable, which makes people feel sorry for her.

Jiang Mingxu suffered many hardships in his childhood, and his disability caused her great heartache.

Jiang Mingzhu is the eldest daughter, the second child in the family. She is a delicate young lady who later marries the old emperor. Although she is a favored concubine, her heart is always with the male protagonist. She never receives true love, which makes her just as pitiful.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!