Lele called out in a clear voice, "Hello, Second Uncle. Please tell Grandpa that we're back and will come to see him tomorrow."

Looking at his always energetic niece, Si Ming nodded happily and agreed, "When we get back, I'll tell him that you had a safe journey, right?"

Si Yongle usually liked his second uncle quite a bit, and said with a smile, "It went very smoothly. The outside world is so wonderful. I can talk to you about it tomorrow."

Seeing his niece so excited about going out for the first time, Si Ming also chimed in, "Then you should listen carefully, otherwise, staying in the village every day, you'll start to think that this is the only place in the world."

Seeing that the gate to Hutiao Village had already been opened, the two siblings waved goodbye to Si Ming. As for their parents, who had not yet caught up, they had completely forgotten about them by this time.

They greeted acquaintances along the way, and the two siblings had never felt so close to the people of Hutiao Village before, as if they were seeing long-lost relatives.

Lele's sweet little mouth called out to everyone, making everyone love this little princess of Pinghe Village even more.

Because of the village gate at the entrance of Hutiao Village, the village gate connecting the two villages is usually just for show. As soon as Lele rushed into her own village, she started shouting, "I'm back! I'm back!"

Her loud shouts were no less powerful than a gong, and the once quiet village even echoed with her voice.

Before long, people rushed out from every household, young and old alike, and began to gather around.

"You naughty child, you've made a name for yourself as soon as you entered the village."

Hou Yunhai, who was handling matters here, scolded her. If it weren't for the smile on his face, Si Yongle might have thought that her uncle, who had always been on her side, had changed.

"Uncle Hai, I've missed you so much!" Si Yongle exclaimed, clutching his heart as he looked at him. "Every time I see the seawater shimmering in front of me, I wish Uncle Hai were here, so he could take me to conquer that vast ocean..."

Hou Yunhai raised his hand to stop her, "Stop it, you monkey, do you think you'll remember us after leaving this village? If it weren't for your grandparents in the village, you might have forgotten about this village altogether."

Si Yongle shouted, "I'm so wronged! I've been thinking about you day and night. Look at my face, doesn't it look much thinner?"

Hou Yunhai looked directly at Si Yongjun beside him and asked, "What kind of weird books has your mother been showing your sister lately? And what kind of role-playing is it this time?"

Si Yongjun looked speechlessly at the bag of books on the horse's back. "Now, some people in the south have started selling books, and there are even writers there who create stories. She learned all of this from there."

Hou Yunhai looked at him in surprise, "You're already printing books? It seems that human potential is truly enormous. We've only been at peace for a short time, and even intellectual nourishment is already emerging."

At this moment, Si Yongle couldn't care less about Hou Yunhai and her brother chatting so enthusiastically, because all her friends were surrounding her, chattering and showing off their gains from this trip.

When Si Cheng and Yun Qi entered the village, they saw their daughter surrounded by a large group of people, while their son stood aside chatting idly with Hou Yunhai, his eyes occasionally glancing into the village.

Looking at his thoughtful son and then at his oblivious daughter, Yunqi couldn't help but sigh again.

Si Cheng followed her gaze and knew what she was worried about. He patted her shoulder reassuringly, "Let's go home first."

After all, this trip was just a solo trip for the family. After saying goodbye to the villagers gathered there, the couple walked home hand in hand.

Seeing his parents abandon him and leave, Si Yongle, who was still chatting away, hurriedly said goodbye to his friends, ran over, grabbed his brother's hand, and rushed home.

She thought her mother would rush to complain to the elders in the family first, but when they arrived, her grandparents ignored them and ran straight towards her.

"You two slow down," Yunqi reminded them worriedly from behind. "Don't you realize you're getting on in years? Why are you running so fast? Those two little brats aren't going to run away. Is it really necessary to be in such a hurry?"

But her angry shouts didn't get their attention at all. The four of them held hands tightly, looking each other over to see if anything was wrong.

This was the first time Yunqi had ever been treated so coldly upon returning home. His parents, who used to shower him with warmth and care, had now shifted their attention elsewhere.

Seeing the four of them, grandfather, grandmother, and grandson, getting along so well, Yun Qi felt a pang of unease. "The difference in treatment is just too great."

Si Cheng walked over and took the horse reins from his son, putting his arm around his wife's shoulder. "Come on, let's go back and wash up properly. We'll have a big feast tonight."

Hearing this, Yunqi felt no more pressure and nodded happily, "We're running low on stock anyway, so let's enjoy this one ourselves."

Si Cheng didn't believe her at all. He thought that if he had secretly eaten this meal, he would definitely make it up to the two children tenfold or a hundredfold. He said something different, "Okay, how about we find a place to eat Western food? Just the two of us."

Yunqi had already started thinking about which place would be better, and she had long forgotten about the four people who were still kissing and cuddling outside the courtyard.

After appeasing his wife, Si Cheng resigned himself to carrying the luggage back home all by himself.

This time, the four horses they rode out were all laden with goods when they returned, which is why the date they could have returned earlier was repeatedly postponed.

Fortunately, after so many years of repairs, many roads, although they cannot be restored to their former state, are at least much smoother.

After they finished washing up, the four of them, grandfather, grandmother, and grandchildren, were still chatting in the yard, completely leaving the couple behind.

Yunqi resignedly walked to the kitchen, and as soon as he lifted the pot lid, he found that there was hot, cooked food on it, all of which were the two children's favorites.

Yunqi had finally recovered her mood, but immediately became jealous again.

"Aren't you two hungry? Hurry up and wash up, dinner will be served soon."

Without needing anyone to urge them, the two elderly people immediately felt sorry for their child when they heard that the child was still hungry. "Your parents are really something, is it really necessary to rush like this? It's time to eat, how can you go home hungry?"

Receiving a resentful look, Yunqi immediately turned around and got busy, not wanting to see his daughter's smug expression.

Lele made a face at her back before her grandmother pulled her to the backyard to wash up.

After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, before they could even start talking about the trip, the two siblings were each pulled away by their familiar companions.