With a click,

A pig's head, with part of its neck stuck to it, lay limply to one side.

Before anyone could react,

Wangchuan delivered another blow, and the pig's head rolled down, tumbling to its feet...

The fat pig didn't even have time to react before it died.

Gu Qian heard the sound and looked over, completely bewildered.

Why does Xiao Ran have all sorts of people around her?

This was the first time he had ever seen a pig slaughtered like this.

In an instant, not only Wangchuan, but also Li Zheng and two butchers beside him, were covered in blood splattered on their faces and bodies.

At first glance, it looks as if a bloody incident has just occurred here... but it's not a human murder, it's an animal murder.

The bloody scene stunned He Jinran, who was standing not far away, as well as Xuanming, Xuanying, Mu Bai, and Mu Xiao behind him. Then, they burst into laughter.

Finally, Gu Qian and Li Zheng noticed and he quickly stopped laughing, continuing to shovel manure...

The two butchers beside Li Zheng were already terrified.

At this moment, their legs went weak.

Especially seeing the pig's head on the ground and Wangchuan's cold, murderous intent,

They collapsed to the ground with two thuds.

Even after they fell to the ground, their teeth were still chattering and their bodies were shaking uncontrollably.

Li Zheng was furious. He clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

His sudden, chilling aura caused Wangchuan, who had initially wanted to claim credit, to retreat involuntarily.

Wangchuan finally stopped, clasped his hands, and looked at Li Zheng:

"How many pigs are waiting to be slaughtered? Hand them over to your subordinates."

Li Zheng wiped the blood from his face and looked at Wangchuan, whose face was stern and expressionless.

Seriously speaking,

"From now on, do not appear on my ranch!"

One sentence left Wangchuan at a loss.

"It is His Highness who wants me to come and help."

"Leave now, immediately!" Li Zheng roared, Wangchuan backing away and glancing at He Jinran.

He Jinran waved to him, signaling Wangchuan to leave quickly and not to upset his grandfather any further.

Li Zheng: "Aren't you leaving yet!"

Although Wangchuan didn't know what he had done wrong, he still clasped his hands in farewell to Li Zheng and took his leave.

"Please don't be angry, I'll take my leave!"

Covered in blood, Wangchuan silently departed.

He Jinran watched his departing figure, shaking his head repeatedly.

This shadow guard is good for nothing but killing; he's clumsy and incompetent.

Then, suddenly, a woman's shrill scream came from outside the ranch.

"ah……"

"Murder..."

"Help!"

"..."

Immediately following was the sound of hurried running.

He Jinran sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He imagined the thrilling scene outside the ranch.

Presumably, it was a group of young girls carrying baskets, preparing to go up the mountain to pick wild vegetables, who were so frightened by Wangchuan's blood-stained body that they almost fainted on the spot.

Presumably, they will take a detour when they see the River of Oblivion from afar in the future.

When Qiu Yan saw that scene at the River of Oblivion, the corner of her lips twitched slightly.

Upon seeing this, Ye Qiuyun's expression changed, and then she sighed.

"Xiaoyan, let's not go to the ranch. Let's go to the vegetable garden in front instead."

Suddenly, she felt more resistant to her own ranch.

“Okay.” Qiu Yan did not step forward, but followed Ye Qiuyun to the Li family’s vegetable garden.

Although it was nearing winter, the Li family's small vegetable garden was a greenhouse.

The vegetables inside are growing fairly well.

"Xiaoyan, let's have hot pot tonight," Ye Qiuyun suggested, looking at her lush green vegetables in the garden.

“Okay.” Qiu Yan readily agreed. Although she was still breastfeeding, she decided not to eat spicy food.

As she spoke, she dug into the lettuce beside her.

Suddenly, she thought that perhaps she could go to India in the future to find some vegetable seeds that were not available in the Central Plains.

Before long, the two had filled two baskets with fresh vegetables.

After returning home, Qiu Yan began preparing the hot pot base and sauces.

Feng Hua and Liu Sha helped wash and cut the vegetables.

They had originally planned to go with them today, but Ye Qiuyun said that they didn't need that many people.

In reality, since Qiu Yan and the others had finally managed to come home, she wanted to spend some time alone with Qiu Yan during that short period of time.

Ye Qiuyun started a fire to boil water.

After Qiu Yan prepared the sauce, she started slicing raw lamb, tearing oyster mushrooms by hand, and slicing tofu...

Everyone took on their assigned tasks and worked for most of the morning.

As soon as Li Zheng, Gu Qian, and the others entered the house, they were greeted by an irresistible fragrance.

He Jinran's stomach had been growling loudly for a long time.

After a busy morning, they hurriedly washed away the dirt and fatigue from their bodies.

At noon, the family sat down together for lunch.

The servants, men and women alike, sat at separate tables and ate with great relish.

Li Zheng and He Jinran sat facing each other, neither of them mentioning what had happened that morning.

This is the happiest day ever.

Simple, unpretentious, and full of joy.

Wangchuan, still unaware of what he had done wrong and at a loss, kept glancing in Li Zheng's direction while dining with Xuanming, Xuanying, Mubai, and Muxiao.

Only then did they begin to eat the food on the table cautiously.

He was the first to finish his meal, then stood alone by the stream at the courtyard gate, gazing blankly at the gently flowing water.

Even when He Jinran arrived, they didn't notice.

"What are you thinking about?"

He Jinran's sudden words caused Wangchuan to abruptly stand up.

"Your Highness, it's nothing."

"If you have something on your mind, feel free to speak it out." He Jinran sat down beside Wangchuan and also looked at the gently flowing stream.

As far as I can remember, whenever his father mentioned Lingnan Village, he would always mention this stream.

He Jinran thought the stream was just so-so, nothing special.

"Would Grandfather possibly dismiss his subordinates?" Wangchuan dared to ask.

He's been thinking about this all morning.

"That's my maternal grandfather!" He Jinran corrected, and Wangchuan quickly knelt down to admit his mistake.

"Your subordinate knows he was wrong."

This scene was witnessed by Zhao Chunhua and Zhao Qiuyue, who had come from afar and were about to wash clothes by the stream. They thought to themselves, "Xiao Ran has really made something of herself now, her subordinates are all so respectful to her."

They quickened their pace.

But as he ran forward, He Jinran's figure had already disappeared.

What remains is Wangchuan's expressionless, world-weary face.

The two girls screamed in fright and ran away.

The image of Wangchuan emerging from the ranch covered in blood was still vivid in their minds. Recalling it now, coupled with Wangchuan's cold gaze, they were even more terrified.

After that, because of the River of Oblivion,

The girls no longer dared to approach He Jinran.

This led He Jinran to begin to doubt himself.

What did he do to upset the girls? Why do they all avoid him?

For nearly a month before the Lunar New Year, Qiu Yan spent almost all her time with Ye Qiuyun, except for tending to her business in and around the village.

The two of them went in and out of the vegetable garden together, cooked together in the kitchen, soothed the child together, and tended to her medicinal herb field together...

However, it was He Jinran who did most of the coaxing and comforting of the children.

Therefore, Gu Chengyin followed He Jinran around all day long, like his little tail, calling him "brother, brother."

He Jinran would sometimes take Xiao Chengyin to the pasture to teach him to identify livestock.

Sometimes she would hold Xiao Chengyin in her arms and teach him to play with a slingshot.

More often than not, we would take Xiao Chengyin to play in the mountains and forests.

Soon, Lunar New Year's Eve arrived, and Gu Qian and his wife reunited with their master and mistress for a New Year's Eve dinner.

In the first year of junior high, three-year-old Gu Chengyin had already learned quite a few words, and her little mouth had been taught by He Jinran to be sweet and charming.

"Mother looks so beautiful today."

Throughout the Spring Festival holiday, 27-year-old Qiu Yan maintained her good habit of daily morning exercise.

Because of this habit, she maintained a great figure after giving birth.

During this trip home, Qiu Yan and Gu Qian stayed for almost half a year at Ye's request.

It wasn't until Zhao Yuanyuan gave birth to a son, and the spring weather arrived, that they decided to leave Baiyang.

However, before setting off,

Qiu Dazhi has returned to the village.

And when he returned, there was another person beside him: Zhang Yuyan.

My second uncle and his wife, along with my aunt, also returned.

Qiu Dazhi returned home this time because Zhang Yuyan went to Shangjin again and dragged him home to get married.

When Zhang Yuyan tilted her head back and acted like an elder in front of Qiu Yan, Qiu Dazhi felt so embarrassed that he wanted to disappear on the spot.

When Master Zhang learned that his eldest daughter was about to get married, one can imagine how excited he was.

In particular, his future son-in-law is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations).

He was always proud and looked down on ordinary people.

Later, because his daughter had become an old maid, he, being a man, wanted her to marry into the family.

So much so that the gap is so huge that he was so excited he couldn't sleep all night.

Thank goodness, Master Zhang is finally about to marry off his eldest daughter.

The marriage between Qiu Dazhi and Zhang Yuyan was set for one month later.

As for the wedding location, Qiu Dafu had already given Qiu Dazhi a house deed beforehand.

This time, Qiu Dafu and his wife, along with Qiu Yumei, accompanied Qiu Dazhi home to prepare for his wedding.

Qiu Dazhi always thought about repaying his second and fifth brothers, which was one of the reasons why he studied hard for so many years and passed the imperial examinations.

Therefore, Qiu Yan and Gu Qian had no choice but to postpone their trip.

Ding Tian arrived the day after Zhang Yuyan left.

Of course, she heard from Zhang Yuyan that He Jinran had also returned to Lingnan Village, so she came to find him to play.

He Jinran, still full of fun, accompanied Ding Tian to his maternal grandfather's ranch. Ding Tian, ​​who had grown up in luxury and had never experienced rural life, immediately fell in love with the place.

Wow, this place is huge!

Suddenly, she pointed to a small foal in the horse stable not far away.

"Brother Crown Prince, can you take me riding a horse?"

“Okay.” He Jinran readily agreed, but his target was a majestic and powerful chestnut horse.

Ding Tian was extremely excited after getting on horseback.

After wandering around the mountains and forests, they ended up taking He Jinran to Baiyang, to the Ding family.

Ding Mansion

Mrs. Ding was at home, giving Zhang Yuyan a dressing-down.

"Yan'er, tell me, where did Tian Tian go?"

Zhang Yuyan shrank back sheepishly, "This... how would I know?"

"My perfectly good daughter has been corrupted by you!" Madam Ding was extremely anxious.

Zhang Yuyan carefully stepped back before awkwardly saying, "Perhaps, they went to Lingnan Village."

"Lingnan Village?" Madam Ding asked suspiciously, when she heard a horse neigh.

Immediately following was a clear, crisp call.

"Mother, look who's here."

When Ding Tian and He Jinran appeared together before Madam Ding and Zhang Yuyan...

He Jinran clasped his hands slightly and said, "Madam Ding."

Madam Ding was shocked, but after a moment, the anger on her face finally subsided.

"Xiao Ran, it's you."

Suddenly, a couple walked into the courtyard.

"Yan'er, oh dear, you're almost getting married, why are you still running around everywhere?"

The speaker was none other than Madam Zhang.

As soon as she arrived, she grabbed Zhang Yuyan's wrist, unable to suppress her smile.

But his smile froze the moment he saw Ding Tian.

"Sweetie, don't take Sister Yan'er running around like this anymore."

Ding Tian... She glanced awkwardly at He Jinran. Over the years, she had always felt that her uncle and aunt were not close to her.

The latter also looked at her, thinking to himself, "What is Madam Zhang saying?"

Master Zhang was also beaming with joy. "Yan'er, the Qiu family has come to propose marriage. Why are you still here? Come home with your parents."

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to add a sentence.

"Yan'er, your mother is right. Tian Tian has been spoiled by your aunt. Sigh, let's not say anything more and not keep the Qiu family waiting any longer."

He knew that all these years, his sister had always doted on the daughter who had been abandoned by him and his wife.

As a result, Sweetie gets whatever she wants, whether it's wind or rain.

He felt that even if Tian Tian wanted the bright moon in the sky, her sister would have to find a way to pluck it down.

Ding Tian pouted, looking aggrieved, and pulled He Jinran's wrist over.

But Madam Ding pulled her into her arms, saying, "My sweetie is the best."

Looking at her brother and sister-in-law again, her eyes turned unfriendly.

"Father, Mother, it's not like that." Zhang Yuyan's face immediately fell.

However, the one who was most angry was not her, but her aunt.

"Sister-in-law, what do you mean I've spoiled Tian Tian? Our Tian Tian is very well-behaved. It's clearly Tian Tian who's been fooling around with Yan'er all day long! Get out of here and stop loitering in my yard!"

As Madam Ding spoke, she directly pushed Mr. and Mrs. Zhang out of the courtyard.

After being driven away, Master Zhang sighed helplessly, wanting to say something, but then shook his head.

Let's leave it at that. We're all family; let's not hurt our harmony.

But Mrs. Zhang was different.

Thinking of her daughter's success today, she deliberately spoke loudly to Madam Ding:

“Aunt, my daughter is quite extraordinary now. She’ll soon be the wife of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). From now on, you shouldn’t let her take care of your children anymore. Sigh, our Yan’er is so decisive. She knows that Qiu Dazhi will make something of himself sooner or later.”

"You're the wife of a scholar who has passed the imperial examination, right? Our family is far too unworthy to be associated with you," Madam Ding was completely enraged by Madam Zhang's words.

"Yan'er, don't come here again!"

She pushed Zhang Yuyan, who was standing still, out of the Ding family's courtyard, slammed the gate shut, and her eyes turned bloodshot with anger.

Outside the courtyard gate,

"Auntie," Zhang Yuyan called through the crack in the door, but received no response.

He glanced at his mother with displeasure.

"Mother, you've gone too far!"

"I'm doing this for your own good. Your aunt spoils that crazy girl too much."

Because her daughter was originally supposed to be her own, she was raised by Madam Ding to be exquisitely beautiful and praised by everyone, which made Madam Zhang jealous. Although she was clearly her own daughter, no one praised her.

Everyone says that Madam Ding is very good at raising children, and that she must regret it now that she sees the abandoned girl.

These words made Madam Zhang feel extremely resentful.

She didn't even spoil her daughters like this, so why should an abandoned girl receive such treatment?

She didn't know why, she just didn't like this daughter for no reason.

At this moment, Madam Ding inside the door was seething with anger.

Finally, her gaze fell on He Jinran once again.

"I'm sorry you had to see this."

"No." He Jinran had no idea that he would witness such an unknown scene involving the Ding and Zhang families today.