Both being from scholarly families, Mr. Liu and Mr. Guo, and even the late Scholar Cui, were acquaintances. Their meeting here was naturally lively and intimate.

Mr. Guo specially thanked Mrs. Cui, who practically gave him a manor for free.

Old Master Liu then spoke on behalf of Madam Cui, "Brother Guo, you are being too kind to the younger generation. Back when the Grand Secretary was still alive, he held you in high esteem. You founded Taihua Academy, which is well-known in the capital and ranks among the best in the country. Countless students respectfully call you Headmaster. It is fate that Jinrou can live next to you now."

"From now on, it won't be convenient for me to come over from the city. But since you'll be living next door, I'll have to ask you to take extra care of Jinrou. Poor child!"

Mr. Guo quickly nodded in agreement. Before buying the estate, he had inquired about it and vaguely heard some things.

At this moment, he promised, "A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. We should visit each other more often. If Jinrou needs anything, just send someone to the estate to let us know."

Madam Cui quickly stood up to express her gratitude, and then introduced Mr. Wen, Li Laosi, Liu Biaotou, and others to the old man.

Mr. Wen was a top student of Scholar Cui, and Mr. Guo had also met him and vaguely remembered him.

But when it came to Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou, he had some doubts.

Because they didn't look like scholars at all, but the boy standing behind them, holding the baby girl, had a calm and scholarly air about him.

As for Doctor Zhang, he fell asleep as soon as he entered the room and completely ignored everyone.

Madam Cui, however, did not neglect Li Laosi and the others in the slightest, and spoke to Mr. Guo in detail.

"Headmaster, I was delayed in my southward journey due to some matters. The road was fraught with danger, but fortunately, I was rescued by kind people and was able to arrive in Jiangnan safely. The Li brothers, Chief Escort Liu, and Doctor Zhang are all my saviors."

Mr. Guo seemed to be thinking about something, his expression was very complicated, and he said with emotion, "You are lucky. In that time, it is really rare to have someone lend a helping hand."

Mr. Wen was about to say something when Mrs. Cui interrupted, "Headmaster, Uncle Liu, let's start the meal first, and talk while we eat."

"Alright, let's talk while we eat." Old Master Liu nodded, inviting Old Master Guo, "We haven't seen each other for many years, how about we have a couple of drinks?"

"Alright, let's have a couple of drinks." Old Mr. Guo forced himself to cheer up and said with a smile, "I'm just recovering from a serious illness, so I can't drink too much. Just two drinks will do. Once I'm fully recovered, I'll visit you at your residence, and we'll drink until we're completely drunk."

"Okay," Old Master Liu replied with a smile.

Soon, the banquet was set up.

Madam Cui was the hostess, but as a woman, she faced many inconveniences, so only Master Liu could entertain the guests.

Old Master Liu sat in the main seat, with Mr. Guo to his left, and Mr. Wen, Liu Zhiheng, Guo Qing (Guo's nephew), Doctor Zhang, and Chief Escort Liu (Li Laosi) sitting down in that order.

At the other table, Madam Cui brought Jiaren and Guo's grandson Wenhao, along with Jiayin.

Madam Cui received her dowry back and was not short of money at all, so the banquet she prepared was very lavish.

Jiayin ignored everyone else and ate until her belly was round and full.

After Jiaren removed the fish bones from his sister's fish, he went to take care of Guo Wenhao, but Guo Wenhao didn't touch a bite, and in the end, half a bowl of fish ended up in Jiayin's stomach.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Cui asked Sister-in-law Qiong to bring the pastry box.

Sure enough, Wenhao picked up a butterfly pastry and finally started eating it.

After Jiayin finished eating and drank half a bowl of chicken soup, her gaze towards Guo Wenhao carried a hint of envy and jealousy.

This child must not have experienced the hardships of fleeing famine, otherwise he certainly wouldn't be so picky about food.

At the main table, Mr. Guo would occasionally glance over and sigh.

“My grandson has always been a picky eater. I hope he can eat heartily like this chubby little girl next to him someday.”

As Dr. Zhang was struggling with a piece of boiled chicken, he heard this and said, "You were born with internal heat and your spleen and stomach are not in harmony. Careful treatment for a year should be enough to cure it."

Mr. Guo was taken aback and then looked at Mr. Wen and the others.

Mr. Wen said, “This is Dr. Zhang, whose medical skills are quite exquisite. We came all the way from the north, crossing nearly a thousand miles of mountains and forests, and we relied on him to save our lives.”

"Really?" Mr. Guo was overjoyed and quickly stood up to bow, asking Dr. Zhang to treat his grandson.

A hint of hesitation flashed in Guo Qing's eyes, but she ultimately said nothing.

Having eaten his fill, Dr. Zhang decided to get right to work. After examining the patient with his eyes, nose, throat, and palpation, he wrote a prescription.

"Take one dose of this medicine a day for half a month, then come to me to change the prescription. If all goes well, take the new prescription every five days thereafter, and you'll be fully recovered in a year, able to eat, sleep, and grow normally."

Mr. Guo quickly expressed his gratitude, but Guo Qing suddenly interjected, "Will this prescription work? We've consulted more than a dozen doctors and treated them for half a year, but none of them have been effective."

This was a questioning of Dr. Zhang's medical skills. The old doctor glanced at him and sneered, "Are any of those dozen or so doctors imperial physicians? When I was disciplining imperial physicians like grandsons, you weren't even born yet."

Guo Qing was unconvinced and wanted to argue back, but the old doctor Zhang said again, "Also, if you want to save your life, you must abstain from sex and alcohol and eat vegetarian food. Otherwise, if you continue to indulge in sensual pleasures, you will become impotent after a year and die after three years."

The room was deathly silent. Guo Qing's face was as purple as an eggplant as he snapped, "I don't understand what nonsense you're spouting!"

The others dared not let the two continue arguing and quickly tried to persuade them to stop.

"Come on, let's drink!"

"Yes, the weather is nice. In a few days, when spring arrives and the flowers bloom, let's go out for a spring outing."

The atmosphere gradually improved, but Guo Qing didn't say another word, and Old Master Zhang also left his seat and found a chair to sit in, disdaining to get involved in the drinking party.

Jiayin climbed off the chair, then onto the old man's lap, and with a smile, stuffed a piece of osmanthus candy into his mouth, making him beam with joy.

"Our Fu Niu is such a good girl, such a good child!"

Jiayin smiled, revealing a set of small white teeth, looking both festive and adorable.

After this interruption, Madam Cui and Mr. Wen were afraid that Dr. Zhang would leave in a fit of anger, so they ate a few bites hastily, then canceled the banquet and replaced it with tea and snacks.

Mr. Guo also felt that his nephew had been reckless and had lost face, so he thought he should take his leave as soon as possible.

But Old Master Liu suddenly changed the subject, "Brother Guo, I heard that your children and grandchildren are still wandering around Jiangbei. Have you heard anything from them?"

Mr. Guo's face suddenly fell, and he shook his head and sighed.

"There has been no news. The barbarians are so close, yet we can't send anyone to search for them. I'm so anxious every day, it's like I'm being fried in oil, which is why I fell seriously ill before. If it weren't for my little grandson who I have to raise, I'm afraid I... wouldn't be able to hold on."

Guo Qing quickly replied, "Uncle, don't worry. Once the barbarians retreat, I will immediately lead people across the river to the north to find my brother and the others."

Mr. Guo was pleased to hear this and nodded in agreement, saying, "We'll talk about it when the time comes. You're not a martial artist, so if you really go to Jiangbei, I'll still miss you."

Madam Cui and Mr. Wen exchanged a glance, and Mr. Wen said, "Headmaster, please take a look at this jade pendant. Do you recognize it?"

As he spoke, he took out a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it over.

Mr. Guo took the jade pendant with a puzzled look, and after taking a closer look, he stood up excitedly.

"Where did you find this? This is my son's personal jade pendant, his favorite piece!"