As soon as Xu Zhi finished speaking, she saw Zheng Boyuan's face, which was already somewhat dark, turn completely brown.

Xu Zhi smiled at Zheng Boyuan, making Zheng Boyuan a little embarrassed. He swallowed and looked up at the carriage not far away. Xi Jing'an had already helped carry the food box down from the carriage, and the yamen runners on the embankment had already called him down to eat dumplings.

Ping knew many of the yamen runners. Xu Zhi didn't go out much in the past. Although Zheng Boyuan had a lot of prestige among the yamen runners, of course, this was thanks to Zheng Boyuan's many years of leading troops. Men are naturally interested in the spirit of soldiers. However, because Xu Zhi didn't go out much, not many yamen runners came over to thank her this time.

Madam Ping smiled and invited the yamen runners to eat dumplings. Each of them held a bowl and a pair of chopsticks and ate quickly. The dumplings in their bowls were soon gone. Madam Ping then called out, "Eat slowly, eat slowly. We'll make sure you have enough dumplings today."

Xu Zhi urged Zheng Boyuan to eat quickly, while Xi Jing'an ran over with two bowls full of dumplings, saying, "Sir, hurry up and eat, otherwise there won't be any left. Those people are like wolves, they won't eat one dumpling at a time."

Zheng Boyuan ate one, nodded, and said, "This dumpling filling is really fresh."

Xu Zhi sat on a rock under a tree, propping her chin up with her hand as she watched Zheng Boyuan eat dumplings. When she heard him say that they tasted delicious, she smiled and said, "The dried shrimp inside were given to me by my brother last time. I prefer the pork and cabbage filling. I won't get tired of eating them every day in winter."

Zheng Boyuan nodded to indicate that he understood, swallowed a dumpling, and said, "I like them no matter what the filling is."

Thinking back to Zheng Boyuan's childhood, although he was the eldest son of a marquis, he didn't live a very comfortable life. He probably thought that even if he wanted to eat, the kitchen wouldn't be willing to cook for him.

Thinking of all this, Xu Zhi felt a pang of heartache and said to Zheng Boyuan, "I learned to make dumplings and steamed buns from my mother when I was little, and I'm pretty good at it. If you ever want to eat them, I'll make them for you, okay?"

Upon hearing Xu Zhi's words, Zheng Boyuan grinned, his white teeth shining even brighter in the sunlight.

Xu Zhi waited until Zheng Boyuan finished eating before returning to the carriage. Everyone was on the embankment, worried that the Miao River might breach one of the embankments at any time. The Miao River's water level had risen considerably due to the previous rains.

After exchanging a few words with Feng Shaoli, Ping pulled her three children over, wiped away her tears, and said to Xu Zhi, "Let's go. Staying here is just causing trouble for others."

Xu Zhi smiled and helped Miao'er to the carriage. Seeing that Ping Shi's face was not good, she knew that she had quarreled with Lord Feng. However, how could a couple not quarrel when they lived together? Otherwise, there would be no saying that quarrels at the head of the bed are made up at the foot of the bed.

When Ping reached the mountain of the carriage, she wiped her eyes and turned to look at the scenery outside the carriage. When they were almost at the city gate, she whispered to Xu Zhi, "My husband is not in good health. He has been working hard on the embankment lately. I told him to come back and rest, but he scolded me."

Everyone has their own stance, their own ideas, and their own goals. When these conflict, it's inevitable that the couple will argue.

Ping wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "I understand him. Over the years, he has been working and studying at the same time. He is the pillar of the family. I am really afraid that he will ruin his health because of overwork. But this time, you saw it yourself. His face was so dark and he was so thin that he was skin and bones. I was really afraid that a gust of wind would blow him away."

Miao'er, who was sitting next to Ping, looked up and retorted, "Mother, Father is so tall, he won't be blown away by the wind."

Ping couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Yes, yes, how could your father be blown away by the wind? Your mother is wrong."

Ping was just feeling frustrated and wanted to say what was on her mind. Once she said it, she felt better. By the time the carriage entered the alley, she had cheered up and told Xu Zhi with a smile that she would make vegetable pancakes for dinner and have He'er bring her a few over.

The carriage stopped at the door. Xu Zhi got off the carriage and looked up to see a short boy standing at the door. He grinned when he saw Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi ran over, lifting her skirt, and said in surprise, "Brother Bai? It really is you! What brings you here? Oh my, Brother Bai has grown taller again. In a while, he'll be taller than his sister."

The young boy was Xu Bai, who was being held by the hand by Xu Zhi, who was looking him up and down. When they last parted, Xu Bai wasn't very tall, but this time, Xu Zhi discovered that he was only half a head shorter than her.

Xu Bai smiled and said, "Of course it's me, sister. I've come to see you. Did you miss me?"

With tears in her eyes, Xu Zhi nodded repeatedly and said, "I miss you, I miss you, how can I not miss you? I raised you from a young age. You didn't even come home for the New Year, and your brother-in-law had an accident. I can't even bear to look at you."

"Well, here I am. I've heard about my brother-in-law's situation. I was planning to go back to the capital right away, but I was delayed by some things. This delay lasted for several months. Later, my elder brother wrote to say that you and your brother-in-law came to Miaozhou. My uncle happened to be free, so I begged Ayuan for a long time before he finally brought us over."

When Xu Zhi heard Xu Bai say that her uncle had also come, she quickly lifted her skirt and walked into the courtyard, saying, "Uncle has come too! Come on, let me go and kowtow to him."

Wu Muyue stood under the sycamore tree in the outer courtyard. The afternoon sunlight was very gentle, and the dappled light that fell through the gaps in the leaves onto Wu Muyue made Xu Zhi feel as if Wu Muyue was carrying countless lights and descending into this world.

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