Su Hua had planned it well, and Da Niu was also fast on her feet. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she returned from the valley in the belly of Fuhu Mountain to the hillside behind the small courtyard at the end of the village. But man proposes, God disposes. Su Bai's inspection of bricks and tiles in Cangwu Town went particularly smoothly today, and she returned home half an hour earlier.

Therefore, when Su Hua sneaked back from the backyard with her two kittens, she found the courtyard eerily quiet.

Her heart skipped a beat.

As I passed by the kitchen, I peeked through the window and saw Zhao standing by the stove, stirring something with a spatula. It smelled like beef bone stew with radish, but she looked a little listless and her eyes were a bit red.

Su Hua frowned. Her sister-in-law was gentle and never got into arguments with anyone. Could it be that she had a quarrel with Su Dahu?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she immediately dismissed it. Today was Su Dahu's first day at Baichuan Academy. When she left, Su Dahu was already in the carriage. He should still be at the academy at this hour, so there was no time for them to bicker or quarrel.

However, when she saw the situation in the front yard, her doubts seemed to clear up a bit.

Su Bai was sitting on the stool with her back to him, so his expression was not visible. All that could be seen was a row of people standing opposite her, from left to right: Su Sanhu, Su Erhu, Qian Shi, Chunhua, Erlang, and Dalang. Next to Dalang was a small, dark-skinned child.

Each one stood as straight as a verdant bamboo in spring. Unlike bamboo, however, both the people and the dogs had their heads drooping, and even the little bit of their foreheads that were exposed exuded a strong sense of dejection.

With her hands on her hips, Su Bai took a deep breath and then pointed at the opposite side, scolding, "Look at you all, the oldest is almost twenty and the youngest is three or four years old, and you can't even keep an eye on a person. What use will you be in the future?"

All they do is rely on Hua'er for food, clothes, and supplies. Now look what's happened! With so many people at home, more than a dozen eyes in total, they can't even see where she went. Are their eyes just for show?

I told you to look for it, but you couldn't find it. You didn't even know which way to go. How could I, an old woman, have given birth to such a useless bunch of you?!

I'm telling you, if anything happens to Hua'er, you can all expect to collect our corpses together..."

Perhaps out of consideration for the villagers working on the land outside the courtyard, Su Bai's voice was noticeably suppressed. If Su Hua hadn't had sharp ears, she wouldn't have been able to hear it at all from the kitchen.

As she continued her tirade, she could even hear the sobs in her voice.

The woman's outstretched fingers trembled even more in the sunlight.

Su Hua stood there, suddenly hesitant to move forward. She hadn't expected that Su Bai and the others would return so early today...

Just then, the black ball that had been looking gloomy twitched its nose and then scratched the ground with its paws as it darted out.

Seeing this, Su Bai became even angrier, grabbing the dog by the neck tightly. "And you, you black thing! Hua'er treats you so well. Fish and meat are never lacking, and you can have as much fruit as you want. Tell me, which dog in the surrounding area lives better than you? And what do you do? All you do is lie in your kennel all day, and you can't even keep an eye on your owner..."

"Woof woof woof! Woof woof! Woof..." Little Black was scolded and felt wronged. He didn't dare to struggle too much and just kept barking softly at the kitchen.

Su Bai snorted angrily, her slanted eyes filled with cold light, "Still barking??? Now that the master is gone, you still have the mood to play? It seems that my Hua'er not only raised a bunch of people who roll their eyes at you, but also a dog who rolls its eyes at you..."

Su Erhu and Su Sanhu, who were being punished by standing, finally realized that something was wrong. This dog was usually most active only when Hua'er was around.

They looked in the direction of the little black dog's low bark and saw a girl in a beautiful lake-green dress standing gracefully at the end of the courtyard. The two were overjoyed, "Mother, she's back, she's back!"

“What did you say…” Su Baishi’s cursing paused, and then she suddenly turned her head.

Through the slanted eye, one could see a man and two tigers under the eaves.

She stood up abruptly.

Because he got up too quickly, he stepped on the leg of the stool and fell straight backward.

"Mother!" Fortunately, Su Erhu and Su Sanhu reacted quickly and grabbed Su Baishi, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Su Hua didn't dare to delay any longer. She quickly walked to the woman's side and tried to help her sit down. "Mother, it was my fault today. I went into the mountains and made you worry. I'm so sorry..."

She was speaking when her hands were suddenly grasped, and then she fell into a warm embrace that smelled of soap. "It's alright, it's alright, it's good that you're back safe and sound..."

Su Hua was held tightly and could even feel the woman's body trembling, which made her feel even more guilty.

After encountering a wild boar on the back hillside, Su Baishi repeatedly warned everyone in the family not to go to Fuhu Mountain. However, the blooming season of the Red Cloud Flower was approaching, and it was something that couldn't wait. She could only sneak into the mountain when Su Baishi was not at home, but she did not expect that Su Baishi had already returned early, and the whole family was worried about her.

Moreover, she still couldn't find the Red Cloud Flower, so she had to go to Fuhu Mountain again.

Just as she was caught in a dilemma, the person she was holding loosened their grip and glanced at the sweet potatoes in the basket on their back. "Hua'er, I know you're different now than before. You're smarter and you think things through on your own. But I want to say that whatever you want to do, I will support you. You can go to Fuhu Mountain if you want, but you can't run off alone like you did today. I'll worry, you know?"

Su Hua met Su Bai's bloodshot, slanted eyes and felt a lump in her throat. She nodded slightly.

Seeing this, the Su family members standing nearby also thumped their chests loudly.

"Hua'er, if you ever go to the mountains again, you must take your second brother with you!"

"Yes, yes, and Third Brother too! Third Brother will go with you!"

"Big Brother is going too! Big Brother will clear the way for Little Aunt!"

"Erlang helps his aunt carry the tree!"

"And Chunhua, Chunhua helped her aunt fight the tiger..."