As soon as she turned the corner, Meng Zhao saw her parents weighing meat for people in front of their shop. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Father, Mother, I'm back!"

The two people who were talking heard a familiar voice and immediately looked towards the street corner. After confirming that it was their beloved daughter, they were very excited and put down their knives to go and pick up Meng Zhao.

The old lady who was waiting to buy meat quickly stopped Meng Dashan, who was two steps behind, "Hey, why are you running? You haven't weighed my meat yet."

Meng Dashan was in a hurry to pick up his daughter and had no time to weigh the meat for her. He said impatiently, "Ten coins, ten coins, take it away quickly."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face, which had been carrying a hint of complaint, instantly lit up with a smile. The piece of meat she had chosen was almost top-quality pork belly, with a piece of lard attached. If it were weighed, it would cost at least twenty or thirty coins.

She was secretly delighted, but fearing that Meng Dashan might change his mind, she quickly put the meat into her basket, then took out ten coins from her pocket and handed them to Meng Dashan.

In the short time it took to collect the money, Xu Yunrong had already picked up Meng Zhao and Xu Ping and walked to the shop.

"Zhaozhao, when did you get home?"

Meng Zhao said cheerfully, "I just got home, changed my clothes and came over. Dad, did you miss me?"

Seeing his daughter return unharmed, Meng Dashan was moved to tears. "I missed you so much, my darling daughter. Next time you go out, you have to let me come with you. Otherwise, I'll be worried sick at home all day and won't be able to sleep peacefully."

Meng Zhao was amused by her father's appearance and chuckled. She turned to Xu Ping beside her and gestured for him to bring over the two jars of wine he was carrying.

"I miss you too. Look what I brought back for you."

Meng Dashan took the wine jar, peered into the mouth of it, and smelled it. He exclaimed in surprise, "This is pine flower wine?"

Meng Zhao was surprised, "Father, how did you know?"

Meng Dashan straightened his back. "I tried a few sips when I was drinking with friends before. This liquor is very strong. I got drunk after only a few drinks."

Hearing this, Xu Yunrong couldn't help but roll her eyes. "With your alcohol tolerance, you can get drunk no matter what you drink. Zhaozhao, why did you buy him such good wine? It's such a waste of money."

Upon hearing this, Meng Dashan smiled knowingly and teased, "Wife, are you jealous because Zhaozhao bought me a gift?"

Xu Yunrong blushed slightly and immediately retorted, "I would envy you. Zhao Zhao probably bought me even more things. These two jars of wine you brought back were just something you brought back on the way."

Meng Dashan protested, "How could that be? Zhaozhao must have known I like to drink and specially chose this for me."

Meng Zhao found it particularly amusing to watch her parents bicker like children. She exchanged a glance with Xu Ping, then each found a place to sit down and drink tea, quietly watching her parents continue their argument.

After the two argued for a while, Xu Yunrong was the first to react, saying, "I must have been stupid. What am I talking to you about?"

After saying that, she quickly turned around, walked to Meng Zhao's side and sat down. Her eyes were full of concern. She took Meng Zhao's hand and said, "Zhao Zhao, was the journey smooth? Did you encounter any danger?"

Looking at her mother's worried eyes, Meng Zhao felt a warmth in her heart, smiled and shook her head, and began to vividly recount her experiences along the way.

When they talked about how they had gone to many places but hadn't been able to sell the starch, the two of them were also very nervous. It wasn't until Meng Zhao told them that things had finally taken a turn for the better and they had sold all the remaining starch in one go that they were able to relax.

Meng Dashan said with deep emotion, "Zhaozhao has really worked hard. Doing business is really not an easy thing."

Although the journey was arduous, Meng Zhao was quite happy to return safely. She took out the gifts she brought back and showed them to them one by one.

"Mom, look, this is an incense ball I bought for you. You can hang it by your bedside, and even if you accidentally bump into it, you won't have to worry about the ash spilling out."

Li Yunrong was captivated by the exquisitely crafted aromatherapy ball, and Meng Zhao was happy to see her so pleased.

Xu Ping, who is usually eloquent, was a little shy at this moment. He took out a red cloth bag from his pocket and said, "Aunt, I also bought some things for you and Uncle on this trip."

Seeing that he was still a little embarrassed, Meng Zhao handed over the gift for him. Xu Ping had bought Xu Yunrong a silver hairpin. After Xu Yunrong looked at it, Meng Zhao put it on her head.

"Wow, Mom, it's so beautiful! Xu Ping has a good eye; this plum blossom carving is so lifelike."

Xu Ping's gift to Meng Dashan was a knife holder. He originally wanted to buy a suitable kitchen knife locally, but his cousin told him that people who use knives often have their own little habits, and it was best to try it on the spot, so he gave up.

Later, he remembered that his uncle had many knives of various sizes, which were usually piled up together. So, based on his memory, he had a knife rack custom-made so that he could put all of Meng Dashan's knives on it.

Xu Yunrong's eyes were full of pity. "You child, it's not easy for you to earn money. Why did you buy these things? You should take them back to your grandfather. It wasn't easy for him to raise you."

Hearing this, Xu Ping's eyes reddened slightly. "My aunt and uncle felt sorry for me and took me to the county. They even taught me a trade. I will never forget their kindness. Now that I can earn money, it's only right that I buy you and my uncle something."

"Besides, I'm working in a workshop now, and I earn quite a bit of money. I can afford to buy these things, so don't worry about it."

Meng Dashan placed his hand on Xu Yunrong's shoulder and said softly, "Don't let the children down. Besides, this hairpin looks so good on you."

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