At the construction site, Wu Erhu was leading a group of craftsmen in a bustling and enthusiastic work.

Qiu Dafu inspected the entire site and found nothing to be overlooked, which satisfied him greatly.

Hearing hearty laughter coming from not far away, Qiu Dafu turned around and saw that it was Old Mu who was late. He and Old Meng sat down and chatted together.

To his surprise, Elder Meng and Elder Mu were old acquaintances.

"Changsong?"

"Wen Yuan?"

Old Master Mu: "Haha, it really is you. Changsong, I heard from that girl Qiu Yan that Lord Xu's father-in-law is living in seclusion in these mountains, and I guessed it was you. I didn't expect that I was right."

Old Meng: "It's been forty years since we last met. We've both changed so much. I thought we wouldn't recognize each other if we met again."

Old Mu: "How could that be? The appearance has changed, but the person hasn't. Back when we were studying together in Baiyang, we were only teenagers. In the blink of an eye, we've both grown old."

Old Meng: "Later, we went to Tianjin together to take the imperial examination and became officials together."

Old Mu: "Yes, back then, you stayed in Shangjin, while I was assigned to Huaiyuan."

"..."

"..."

Old Madam Meng sat quietly to the side, wiping away tears every now and then as she thought of Shangjin.

On the small boat, Gu Xiaoran, accompanied by Qiu Yan, was immersed in the joy of catching fish.

His cheerful laughter echoed around the lake.

"Did the old man raise all these fish?"

"It should be."

"This place looks really fun! Can we stay here?"

"Can't."

"But I like it here."

"..."

Seeing that Qiu Yan and Bai Lu were having a good time, Qin Susu got a fishing rod from Old Meng and dragged Bai Lu onto the boat to fish with her.

However, she didn't know how to fish. Because she was too anxious, she kept changing her position, and when she saw a big fish swimming by, she would often make a big fuss.

He could only watch helplessly as Qiu Yan and Gu Xiaoran caught fish one by one.

"Sister Bailu, why won't the fish take the bait?"

"You scared all the fish away," Bai Lu said silently, sitting at the bow of the boat without turning her head.

"Sigh, how boring." Qin Susu sighed. Her life was so miserable; whatever she did, she failed.

Just as she finished speaking, Qin Susu saw a large carp swim past her and exclaimed excitedly, "Sister Bailu, look! There's a big fish here..."

However, she was met with quiet silence.

Bai Lu remained silent, intently appreciating the beautiful scenery in the distance.

From afar, Gu Xiaoran's silvery laughter rang out once more, "Mother is amazing!"

"Hmph, what's there to be proud of? Catching fish, anyone can do that."

Qin Susu muttered something, and suddenly, with a splash, she leaped into the lake, her target being the large carp.

The next moment,

"Ah, help me..."

Bai Lu looked back and admired Qin Susu's courage. "She can't swim, yet she dared to jump into the water?"

She had never seen a woman as stupid as Qin Susu.

Qiu Yan and Gu Xiaoran heard the cries for help and quickly turned around to check.

In the blink of an eye, Bai Lu had already jumped into the water and carried Qin Susu onto the small boat, while she herself was in no hurry to get on the boat.

Qin Susu, looking utterly disheveled, kept spitting out lake water.

She was soaking wet, and her face was deathly pale.

A gust of autumn wind swept by, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"Sister Bailu, come up quickly."

Bai Lu shook her head, took a deep breath, and instantly disappeared into the shimmering lake.

"Sister Bailu..." Qin Susu was shocked, her face turning even paler. What was wrong with Bailu?

"Sister Bailu, where are you?" She cried out, disregarding everything else.