Xiaoyue glanced at Lu Xiaomei, who was still adding firewood. She squatted down next to Lu Xiaomei and saw that she was still wearing the same old clothes, which had been washed until they were faded, and her hair was oily, but Lu Xiaomei didn't seem to care at all.

Xiaoyue's heart skipped a beat as she watched Lu Xiaomei add fuel to the fire and begin chopping vegetables. Xiaoyue had eaten Lu Xiaomei's cooking before; her knife skills were excellent. As she chopped, a smile she herself didn't recognize spread across her face.

Lu Xiaomei was clearly happy. Now that she was better, she worked faster. She quickly finished chopping the vegetables, then moved the fire back into the stove, scrubbed the pot, and scooped a spoonful of lard to melt it.

I added some chopped green onions, minced garlic, and spices, and while adding fuel to the fire, I stir-fried the vegetables with nimble movements, completing the task in one go without needing anyone's help. I stir-fried them until they were just cooked through, then added a ladle of water. The water poured into the pot bubbled white and sizzled around the edge.

Xiaoyue sighed softly to herself. Everyone has their own choices, and choosing one's own path doesn't necessarily mean one is right. Although Xiaoyue worried that the Ge family might resort to their old tricks, she was, after all, an outsider to them.

Xiaoyue glanced at Lu Xiaomei again and noticed that her complexion had improved; her face was no longer gloomy, and she seemed more energetic than when she was at Xiaoyue's house. Oh well, ultimately, she had to live her own life!

Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Lu Xiaomei hadn't paid much attention to her since she arrived in the kitchen, her eyes turned cold and indifferent. She tentatively asked, "Is Ge Sanlin not leaving?"

Lu Xiaomei put the lid on the pot, bent over, one hand on the crossbar of the wooden lid, the other wiping it with a rag, and replied without looking up, "We're not leaving. Ge Sanlin was shot by an enemy arrow during a battle and fell off his horse."

The horse trampled over Ge Sanlin's feet again. He had lost a leg; it wasn't outwardly visible, but he could no longer do heavy work, so he stepped down.

Lu Xiaomei wiped the pot lid clean, stood up, glanced at Xiaoyue, and said with satisfaction, "It's good that Xiaodouding can have his dad with him now. The three of us are doing well. With Sanlin at home, Mom won't be so harsh on me."

Xiaoyue saw Lu Xiaomei busy tidying up the firewood pile again, without stopping for a moment. She frowned slightly, feeling a little awkward. She wanted to reach out and pull Lu Xiaomei away to talk to her, but then withdrew her hand.

Thinking to herself, "Forget it, you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep. Since Lu Xiaomei thinks it's good to go back to Ge Sanlin's side, let her be. There's no point in saying anything more." Xiaoyue made up her mind.

She walked to the kitchen door and looked out. She saw Old Mrs. Ge picking vegetables in the garden. Seeing that no one else was coming, Xiaoyue took out one tael and four mace of silver.

Xiaoyue pulled up Lu Xiaomei, who was working, and found that Lu Xiaomei was obviously frightened by Xiaoyue's actions and hurriedly hid back. Xiaoyue couldn't help but laugh and said, "If you want to stay by Ge Sanlin's side, then stay by his side. I'm not taking you back."

Lu Xiaomei looked bewildered, which infuriated Xiaoyue. She forcefully handed the silver to Lu Xiaomei, who looked up at Xiaoyue with wide, puzzled eyes.

Xiaoyue said impatiently, "This is all I can do. You should hide it and don't take it out. If you run into any trouble in the future, I won't be able to help you. This is your money to save your life."

Although Xiaoyue resented that she had been tricked by Ge Sanlin into returning to the Ge family, she forgave Lu Xiaomei because she thought about the child Lu Xiaomei had. However, this did not mean that forgiveness would lead to reconciliation.

Tears welled up in Lu Xiaomei's eyes instantly. She hugged Xiaoyue tightly and wouldn't let go for a long time. Xiaoyue patted Lu Xiaomei's shoulder, pushed her away, and said, "Take care of yourself. Actually, I also hope you're doing well."

Ignoring Lu Xiaomei calling her from behind, Xiaoyue rushed out the door.

After running out of the Ge family's gate, Xiaoyue felt a mess in her heart, like weeds growing everywhere. She thought of all the little things she had done with Lu Xiaomei, how she fed Lu Xiaomei her medicine spoonful by spoonful, and how no one in the Ge family cared for her when she was sick.

She can't even get enough to eat, how could she possibly want to go back to the Ge family? Has she been unkind to her?

Xiaoyue was in a daze when she arrived at her doorstep. But then she realized that no one was waiting for her at home. Lu Xiaomei was gone, and Xiaodouding had gone with her mother. She sat on the main road, feeling lost for a while.

Remembering that Liang Qi hadn't gone up the mountain that morning and that she hadn't seen him yet, Xiaoyue was still a little worried and wanted to confide in him. So she returned to the village and went straight to Uncle Liang's house.

Xiaoyue strolled leisurely to the gate, hesitating whether to go in or not, when she heard voices coming from inside the courtyard. Xiaoyue didn't know what she was thinking, but she found a shady spot and hid.

The woman in front, bathed in moonlight, had long, dark hair. Her head was bowed, and it was vaguely visible that she was slender, about half a head taller than him. Behind her followed a plump woman and a man and a woman. The plump woman had a smiling face and a clear, loud voice.

"I found this handsome young man for our third daughter, isn't he great? He looks so different from those other farmers. Every move he makes, every smile he gives, oh my god!"

The voice, the expression, the gesticulating manner—he slapped his thigh, laughed, and looked at the middle-aged woman beside him, saying, "If I were a young woman, I would have snatched this handsome young man away." He then laughed heartily.

The man and woman chuckled awkwardly in response. The middle-aged woman, looking ingratiating, said to the plump woman, "Auntie Pang's judgment is spot on. Who would have thought that a phoenix would actually emerge from this remote mountain village? It's truly fate that we've stumbled upon such a perfect match."

The middle-aged man seemed to have been drinking; his legs were swaying and he wasn't walking in a straight line. He slurred, "I just don't know what Old Man Liang thinks of my daughter. Although that young man was very polite, he didn't say much. Could it be that he's not happy about it?"

The plump auntie smiled obsequiously, pulled the two of them closer together, and whispered to them, "When we came out, I asked the old man, and he kept nodding. You tell me, if he was nodding so much, how could he disagree?"

As he spoke, he put his arm around the middle-aged woman's waist and chuckled, "This matter is settled, don't worry, Gu San's mother. Our girl is also a top-notch daughter. That boy is really lucky to be able to marry our third daughter."

Xiaoyue listened to the fat aunt's increasingly outrageous words. As she passed by Xiaoyue, the fat aunt reeked of alcohol and boasted, "Just let the groom's family come to your door. Just watch, the betrothal gifts will be exchanged in a couple of days, and then you can set the date."

The plump aunt's face looked like a bulging steamed bun, and it even glowed in the night.

As Xiaoyue watched the group leave, she felt as if she had been doused with ice water, staggered back two steps, and leaned against a poplar tree.