Inside the head carriage sat Gu Qian, Jiang's father, and Qiu Dafu.

Mr. Jiang remained silent with a tense expression.

That's because he felt a little restrained with Gu Qian around.

He really wouldn't want to go if it weren't for his daughter's happiness in her later years.

He was very respectful to Gu Qian, but he always had a stern face when he saw Qiu Dafu.

After the carriage had traveled for a while, Gu Qian became somewhat bored.

He really didn't want to ride in the carriage with these two, so he got up, got off, and rode a horse.

Now, only Qiu Dafu and Jiang's father remained inside the carriage, and the atmosphere seemed even more awkward than before.

Qiu Dafu had already gotten used to Jiang's father's attitude towards him.

Whenever he encountered a cold shoulder, he would respectfully cup his hands and say, "Uncle Jiang."

When he returned to the village this time, Jiang's father treated him the same way, and Qiu Dafu accepted it calmly.

It was a fact that Jiang's father looked down on him, and Qiu Dafu did not argue. He just focused on doing his own thing, studying hard to enrich his mind.

Qiu Yan would occasionally glance at the other carriages outside the carriage, and every now and then she would close her eyes and take a nap.

She was originally sitting in the carriage with Bai Lu, her aunt, and the Jiang family mother and daughter. When she saw Gu Qian riding a horse, she got out of the carriage and sat in front of it.

"Gu Qian, why are you out here?"

"It's too stuffy in the carriage, let's get some fresh air."

Gu Qian rode his horse to Qiu Yan's side.

Seeing Qiu Yan get out of the carriage, Bai Lu also got out and sat down next to Qiu Yan.

She also felt that it was too stuffy inside the carriage.

Gu Qian really disliked this eyesore of a woman; his serious gaze was filled with dissatisfaction and disgust.

He was terrified that if he wasn't careful, this woman might try to assassinate his daughter, Yan Yan.

Bai Lu, however, paid no attention to how Gu Qian viewed her, and focused solely on protecting Qiu Yan.

Because Gu Qian had always harbored hostility towards her, she also found Gu Qian extremely unpleasant.

Unlike other women, Bai Lu showed no fear whatsoever in the face of Gu Qian's domineering pressure.

At the end of noon, Bai Yang and Zhao Yuanyuan were threading a needle when suddenly someone patted their shoulder.

She was startled; the needle tip accidentally pricked her fingertip, drawing a bead of blood.

It really hurts.

Turning around, she saw Qiu Dayu's radiant face, and glanced at him sideways.

"Qiu Dayu, why didn't you say you were coming!"

"I was just trying to surprise you, Yuanyuan. It's the middle of the day, everyone else is resting, why are you still busy?"

Looking down, Qiu Dayu noticed that Zhao Yuanyuan had pricked her fingertip. He smiled sheepishly, picked up her small hand, and gently wiped it.

Zhao Yuanyuan glanced hurriedly at the staircase and quickly pulled her hand away, saying, "It wouldn't be good if someone saw us."

It's more of a shock than a surprise.

Qiu Dayu followed Zhao Yuanyuan's gaze to the stairs. "What are you afraid of? Nobody's coming up at this hour."

"Do you know that I'm getting married in just a few days?" Zhao Yuanyuan said, then kept her distance from Qiu Dayu.

She cried and made a scene over this inexplicable marriage, but to no avail.

"I know, but we're not married yet. Before the wedding, anything can change." Qiu Dayu smiled, beaming with joy.

Zhao Yuanyuan felt a tightness in her chest and a sense of grievance. "What variables? Are you suggesting I run away from the wedding?"

"Running away from the wedding is not a bad idea," Qiu Dayu thought to himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

Zhao Yuanyuan snorted coldly, "Hmph, do you want to make me the laughingstock of the whole village?"