The place where Zuo Zhankui and his group were hauling soil was on the back mountain. To make it easier for Gu Hanting and his group to come over, Wang Datou came to check on them personally. So, apart from Yu Deshui and Wang Datou, there was no one else there.

Everyone else told him to go back to eat, and he also brought wine for everyone. With wine, the work hours would naturally be a little later.

Seeing that Gu Hanting and the others had arrived, Wang Datou called Zuo Zhankui aside and told him to go and get some firewood from a distance, as they would need to heat the kang (a heated brick bed) that night.

Given their current status, no one would provide them with ready-made firewood. If they didn't want to freeze, they would have to gather more firewood themselves.

Following the direction Wang Datou pointed, Jiang Qiao led the old man to the direction where Zuo Zhankui was.

Seeing Zuo Zhankui wielding a machete, Gu Hanting's eyes welled up with tears.

"Old Zuo—"

Zuo Zhankui was exhausted and dizzy. He hadn't eaten enough and had done so much work. He really didn't hear Gu Hanting's first few calls. It wasn't until Gu Zhengfeng shouted that Zuo Zhankui stopped working with his left hand.

Turning around with a somewhat confused look in his eyes, Zuo Zhankui paused for a moment when he saw the group of people in front of him, and then called out in a trembling voice.

"Old Gu—"

Gu Hanting rushed over, grabbed Zuo Zhankui's right hand to look at it, and then hugged Zuo Zhankui tightly.

Zuo Zhankui patted Gu Hanting on the back. "It's alright, it doesn't hurt anymore. Qiao'er has almost finished treating me. She won't let me use my right hand to work for the time being."

See, is there anything seriously wrong with my hand?

Gu Hanting wiped away his tears. "Brother Zuo, you've suffered so much—"

Zuo Zhankui smiled and shook his head, "What's so bitter about it? I came from a poor background anyway, so I'll just treat it as returning to my old profession."

The old man glanced at Jiang Qiao, a satisfied smile on his face, nodded, and said with some regret, "Sigh, you know, I, as the grandfather, never had the chance to attend my child's wedding."

Gu Zhengfeng walked over with a basket. "Uncle Zuo, because you didn't attend the children's wedding, I brought the two kids to see you. Qiao'er, Haozi, please pay your respects to your Grandpa Zuo—"

Jiang Qiao pulled Ning Hao to bow deeply to the old man, then walked over with a smile and took the old man's arm.

"Grandpa Zuo, although you're not here, you still have to try these wedding cigarettes and candies. We can't bring the whole wedding feast here, so let's eat something nice. We brought these for you, so please have some first. And please keep these cigarettes and candies safe."

In order not to delay the old man's eating and drinking, Jiang Qiao put the cigarettes and candy in the old man's pocket.

Gu Zhengfeng quickly took out the food. "Uncle, eat quickly. There's hot water here. We're not in a hurry. Are you hungry?"

Seeing the food in front of him, Zuo Zhankui's stomach started to rumble. He said with a sigh, "I'm really craving meat. I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll eat first."

Shi Tou opened the kettle and quickly poured water for the old man.

"Grandpa Zuo, please eat slowly and drink some hot water—"

Zuo Zhankui patted Shitou's head. "Our Shitou is such a good boy. Come, sit next to Grandpa—"

Jiang Qiao and the others surrounded Zuo Zhankui, helping to shield him from the wind. Gu Hanting, seeing the way Zuo Zhankui ate, knew that the old man was really hungry.

After the old man finished eating, Ning Hao spoke first, "Grandpa Zuo, the person you kept asking me to inquire about has already gone to the island."

Zuo Zhankui nodded, then sighed, "It's good that he's alright. Qiao'er, is Xiao Song coming over soon?"

"Yes, I'll come over tonight. I said it's not convenient to come during the day. Grandpa Zuo, do you really want to see him?"

Zuo Zhankui sighed and shook his head. "Don't let him come over. If someone with ulterior motives sees him, they'll gossip and cause trouble. You should also come over less often in the future. If you have anything, just have Datou bring it over for me."

Qiao'er, talk to Xiao Song about my daughter-in-law later. Something seems off about her…

Jiang Qiao and the others didn't know much about Zuo Zhankui's daughter-in-law. At the time, she also felt that perhaps she had had too many good days and started to cause trouble.

Unexpectedly, after Zuo Zhankui explained it in detail, not only she, but everyone present felt that something was wrong no matter how they thought about it.

“I’ll talk to him later and see if we can investigate further. Grandpa Zuo, please be careful. Grandpa, you talk to Grandpa Zuo for a while. I’m going to chop some firewood with my dad and the others.”

Jiang Qiao didn't need to lift a finger to gather firewood; Ning Hao could handle it all by himself.

He couldn't bear to let his wife, Jiang Qiao, do such rough work, and his father-in-law was even less likely to do it; as the son-in-law, he had to step up when it mattered most.

Gu Zhengfeng nodded in satisfaction, watching his son-in-law work hard. So, he grabbed his daughter and said, "Let that silly boy work slowly. It's not convenient for you to wear these clothes. Men, it's nothing to do more."

Jiang Qiao smiled with her lips pursed, saying nothing. She could sense what her father was feeling, because in her past life, she had heard her colleagues talk about how it felt to marry off their daughters. Now that she was someone else's daughter, her parents' feelings were naturally not good either.

However, she also knew that this would require a psychological adjustment process. Everyone goes through this process, and perhaps she would have to go through this mental journey in the future.

After all, she also has to have children, and no one can guarantee that she will only have sons, right?

Besides, daughters are wonderful; she loves her daughters, and daughters are a mother's little angels.

Zuo Zhankui pulled Gu Hanting aside, and the two brothers chatted for a long time until Jiang Qiao urged them to stop, at which point their conversation came to an end.

Ning Hao also chopped a large bundle of firewood before stopping.

Before leaving, Zuo Zhankui added with some concern, "Don't come again unless it's absolutely necessary. Just have Datou relay any messages you need."

Gu Hanting hugged his brother and said, "If you have anything, we'll give it to you through Da Tou. Brother, we're off now. If you need anything, just let us know. Don't try to tough it out on your own."

Zuo Zhankui waved to everyone, "Let's go, or someone will see us soon. Go, go, I'm fine."

As the group returned, they attracted the attention of passersby. The handsome man and beautiful woman were indeed eye-catching. Ning Hao was not bad-looking either, and he was a spirited young man. Otherwise, Xiao Jing would not have been so infatuated with him back then and would have chased after him from afar.

As Ning Hao walked, he talked to his father-in-law about the upcoming arrangements.

"Tonight, we'll go back with Song Shutian and the others. Tomorrow, we'll host our friends and neighbors in the county town. Then I'll take Qiao'er to see my mother. My uncle will meet me there."

Gu Zhengfeng nodded. "It's time to take Qiao'er to see your mother and your grandmother. Those two have had a hard life. Don't you plan to go see your father?"

Ning Hao shook his head. "It's enough that we're both doing well. It's all in the past, there's no need for that. He doesn't even care about me as his son anymore. Besides, after all these years, the father-son relationship has faded to the point where it's just a title. If his other sons don't take care of him in his old age, I'll take care of him. Don't expect anything from the others—"

Gu Zhengfeng patted his son-in-law on the shoulder; he knew his son was suffering.

"You can't choose your parents. Live your lives well from now on, be a good father, and make sure your children don't experience the pain you went through. A man, once he gets married, has to be responsible for his family, his wife, and his children. Ning Hao, remember what you told me before—"