The moment all eyes were on them, even Duan Ye, a socialite, felt a little awkward, let alone the others.

John: "Hey everyone! We're Yang Hao's friends! We're here to see Yang Hao's mother!"

Luo An and Xiao Wu wore enigmatic smiles.

Soon, an aged voice rang out: "Who's looking for me?"

Duan Ye and his companions looked up and saw two young men helping a woman who looked to be over fifty, with half a head of black hair and a slight limp, out of the house.

Duan Ye quickly led them over: "Are you Haozi's mother? We are your son's friends, and we've come to see you on his behalf..."

As they spoke, everyone placed their belongings at the doorway.

Mrs. Yang smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, but Xiao Hao hasn't been back for a long time, and I haven't heard him mention you..."

Luo An: "Auntie, we haven't seen him in a long time either. We only heard him mention him before, so we came to see him. We thought he was at home when we arrived."

Mother Yang: "Come in, everyone in the yard today is a relative, don't be too reserved..."

So, everyone went into the main room together.

The main room was very empty. Apart from a sofa and a table, there was only a statue of Guan Yu placed at the front, with three sticks of incense sticks stuck in a jar in front of it.

Mrs. Yang: "Everyone, please sit down..."

So Duan Ye and the others sat on the sofa. Just as they sat down, several tall and burly men walked in from outside, found a few small stools, and sat down casually in the room.

Duan Ye: "What are you doing...?"

Mrs. Yang: "They're all neighbors, just having a get-together at home today, please don't mind."

Duan Ye and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance.

That's a lame excuse...

Duan Ye: "It's no problem at all. We just didn't expect the house to be so lively without Haozi. We were overthinking it. We brought some food, and we hope Auntie won't mind."

Mrs. Yang seemed very happy: "Thank you so much. Even though Haozi isn't here, you still remember to come and see me."

"Hey, do you guys even know where Haozi is?"

As soon as Mrs. Yang asked the question, a plain-looking young man next to her coughed.

Mrs. Yang's expression stiffened for a moment, then she immediately changed her tune: "Oh, it's alright. Since you're here, let's all eat together. The food will be ready soon..."

Duan Ye immediately stood up and went over to help Yang's mother: "Auntie, there's no need to go to so much trouble. We ate outside before coming..."

Mrs. Yang: "Yes, yes, we've come all this way, we're all guests..."

Duan Ye: "Really? Haozi said something similar..."

Mother Yang's eyes lit up immediately. She wanted to say something, but seemed to be mindful of the people in the room. In the end, she patted his hand with tears in her eyes and said, "Okay, okay."

Xiao Wu: "Auntie, where's the kitchen? Let's go help..."

No sooner had Xiao Wu finished speaking than a voice came from outside: "Dinner's ready!"

The four of them looked at each other and then followed Mother Yang outside. There were three square tables in the yard. The other two tables were occupied, but the one in the middle was empty.

Mrs. Yang led them to sit down.

Duan Ye and his three companions, along with Yang's mother and two young men, were supposedly relatives, but they all looked at Duan Ye and his group with wariness from beginning to end.

Duan Ye and the others could only pretend not to see it.

We couldn't skip the meal, so everyone ate while listening to Yang Hao's mother's rambling monologue.

"Haozi hasn't come back for almost ten years. He's my only son, and I haven't seen him or heard from him at all. Sometimes I even have fantasies, wondering if this son is just a figment of my imagination..."

"Haozi was so cute when he was little. When he was five, some kids outside called him a fatherless child. He got into a fight and got beaten up, but he still wouldn't accept it when he came back..."

"By the time she was fifteen, she was already taller than me, her mother, and much more sensible. She would even save up her allowance to buy me gifts..."

"I got into the best university in the city when I was eighteen..."

Mother Yang talked on and on about Yang Hao, until people around her gradually got up and left, and until it got dark. Duan Ye and the others only occasionally chimed in with a few words.

It wasn't until 6 p.m. that everything on the table was finally cleared away.

Mother Yang: "You can stay in the village tonight. We're guests, and we have rooms available."

Luo An glanced at the door and said, "It's late. Since Haozi isn't here, we won't bother him any longer..."

But no sooner had he finished speaking than someone closed the door.

Although he had expected it, Duan Ye still laughed when he saw how blatant they were.

"Aunt Yang, what...does this mean?"

Mother Yang: "The sun has already set. According to custom, guests who come to our village should stay overnight after sunset."

"The rooms have been prepared for you."

Duan Ye and the others remained silent for a long time. Finally, Duan Ye smiled and said, "Alright, since Aunt Yang is so hospitable, let's stay for the night."

Mother Yang: "Please come with me."

So, Mother Yang led the way, taking them through the main room and into the room behind it.

"This is your room. The bed inside is very big, so you can share it with one other person."

After finishing her speech, Yang's mother was about to leave when, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back with a smile and said, "Yangjia Village has a curfew. After midnight, people are not allowed to wander on the streets. Although you are guests, please respect our customs."

Duan Ye: "Alright, we understand the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the host does,' Aunt Yang, please make yourself at home—"

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