Huang Minbo felt relieved when he heard this. He said a few words of reluctance before leaving.

I said goodbye to the old man, the old lady, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, and then left Qingshan Village under the envious gaze of the villagers.

After the betrothal ceremony, the Ling family completely relaxed, strolling around the village every day and occasionally strolling to the county.

Ling Jiheng took a morning off and went to visit Boss Liu with Chi Xingyue.

In order to express his gratitude for the gift of the book, Ling Jiheng compiled some of his thoughts while studying at Changhe Academy into a book and placed it in his study for students to appreciate.

Boss Liu was very moved: "I thought you were extraordinary from the beginning, but I didn't expect you to actually get the top score. Not bad, not bad!"

Ling Jiheng smiled modestly and happened to meet Qiu Zicheng who came to look for a job copying books.

Ever since the Ling family moved to the provincial capital, his income has dropped sharply.

However, because he passed the examination and found a job teaching young children, his life was not that difficult.

Seeing Ling Jiheng, Qiu Zicheng was stunned for several seconds. It was not until Boss Liu called him that he came back to his senses and saluted Ling Jiheng.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ling Jiheng took his leave and went to Ruyi Tower to chat with Shopkeeper Peng, ordering dozens of secret roast chickens.

Shopkeeper Peng's eyes widened in shock: "You ordered so much, can you eat it all?"

Ling Jiheng smiled and said, "There are many people in my family, if we order too little, there won't be enough to eat.

Besides, I haven’t been to Ruyilou for a long time. Why is Shopkeeper Peng still pushing it away?

How could Shopkeeper Peng dare not give up his business? It was simply because Ling Jiheng ordered too much, which affected other customers of Ruyi Tower.

Fortunately, he was not in a hurry. He just had to wait for Master Fang to finish making it and then send it to Qingshan Village.

However, Fang Yishao from the kitchen was completely paralyzed after hearing that someone had cooked more than 30 roast chickens.

I thought someone was going to mess things up, so I came out with a kitchen knife, only to find out it was an old acquaintance.

He immediately slammed the kitchen knife on the counter and started chatting with Ling Jiheng. Their words were full of intimacy, without any of the nervousness he had when meeting the top scholar.

We chatted like this until almost noon. Chi Xingyue and I had lunch at the restaurant before we slowly headed home.

Chef Fang also promised the two that he would make roast chicken for them as soon as possible.

Ling Jiheng's eyes rolled and he doubled the amount.

When Chef Fang saw that he had given him an extra red envelope, he gritted his teeth and agreed to Ling Jiheng's request.

"Even if I have to stay up all night today, I will finish it for you."

Ling Jiheng nodded: "Wait until evening, I will come to the building to help you!"

The two reached an agreement, Ling Jiheng paid the bill, and went back with Chi Xingyue.

After a short rest, we continued strolling and picked some ripe fruits from the trees to take back to the city.

That night, Ling Jiheng stuffed more than thirty roast chickens into the small space.

The next day, he brought more than thirty of them back to Qingshan Village.

The Ling family happily prepared a banquet and invited Song Lizheng, Liu Po, Aunt Chen, Aunt Mai Miao, Uncle Daqiang, Uncle Dahu and others to dine together.

The villagers smiled and praised the Ling family for their generosity. They had never had such a sumptuous meal even during Chinese New Year.

Goudan, in particular, was munching on a large chicken drumstick while exclaiming, "Oh my god, this is Ruyilou's signature dish? It's so delicious!"

The little greedy cat's appearance made everyone laugh.

Song Lizheng said: "If you know how to eat delicious food, study hard. When you become an official, you can eat delicious food every day."

"Really, Grandpa Lizheng, don't lie to me!"

Song Lizheng nodded quickly: "I didn't lie to you, I didn't lie to you!"

The moon was at its zenith, and a group of people were chatting in the yard.

Song Lizheng asked, "Leaving tomorrow?"

Ling Jiheng nodded: "The emperor has granted us a twenty-day leave, so we must return on time to report."

Song Lizheng nodded, missing Song Yuangen a little.

Ling Jiren smiled and told everyone stories about the battlefield. As expected, he mentioned a few young men from Qingshan Village.

"They have performed very well and are highly valued by their superiors.

The reason I didn't come back this time was because I held an important position and couldn't leave.

After two years, when the situation stabilizes, I can come back to visit my family."

"Now, I'm worried that Yuan Gen will get too old to find a wife!"

Cao Dashan's father, Cao Carpenter, also felt the same way.

Ling Jiren laughed outright: "How could that be? They are all high-ranking generals, how could they not even be able to marry a wife? Don't worry about it.

If that doesn't work, can I introduce someone to him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he found that more than a dozen pairs of eyes were looking at him.

Ling Jiren scratched his head. "Well, I was just kidding. The barracks are full of men, and they're busy after they get back, so I don't know any girls."

As for the girls in the family, he thought they were good, but their status and position were not up to par.

Rather than sending her to someone else's house and being looked down upon, it is better to keep her in the mansion where her life will be more relaxed.

Song Lizheng felt a little sorry, but his eyes unconsciously fell on Hongyu.

He asked tentatively: "Hongyu girl is not young anymore..."

Ling Jiren was even more embarrassed: "That's my second brother's person, I can't make the decision."

Song Lizheng looked at Ling Jiheng, but found that he was also shaking his head, indicating no.

Although Hongyu was born and raised here, she has advanced ideas just like Chi Xingyue.

She did not want polygamy, and even less wanted to be someone's concubine.

Ling Jiheng did ask her opinion, but if the girl didn't want to get married, could he force her?

Since that was the case, he didn't push her anymore. Anyway, the family had plenty of money, so it was no problem to support her.

It was late at night and time to leave. The villagers were reluctant to leave.

Song Lizheng said, "Don't worry, Xingyue girl. As long as your uncle is still alive, he will protect Qingshan Village for you."

Chi Xingyue took out a few bottles of pills and distributed them to everyone: "Thank you, Uncle Village Chief. These are for nourishing your body. Take them on time. See you next time!"

Song Lizheng carefully stroked the small porcelain bottle, then put it against his chest with great care.

He looked back every few steps and left the big brick and tile house.

The Ling family looked at the empty yard, feeling a little lost.

But that's what life is like, gathering and dispersing.

After washing up, I went back to sleep and set off again before dawn.

Chi Xingyue lay on the carved bed, looking at the dark ceiling without saying a word.

Ling Jiheng did the same, and after a long while he said, "Go to sleep!"

The next day, before dawn, the Ling family got up and packed up.

Actually, there is nothing much to pack. Just tidy yourself up and bring some local specialties, and that's it.

Chi Xingyue came out of the house, looked at the stars in the sky, and sighed slightly.

Ling Jiheng followed her gaze and said lightly, "Let's go!"

Chi Xingyue nodded and got on the ox cart.

But I kept the curtain lifted the whole time, looking at the village whose outline was not even clear, feeling reluctant to leave.

He didn't lower the curtain until he left the village. He said casually, "It's a good thing we came out early!"

Ling Jiheng smiled but said nothing.

Ling Yi and the others all looked back and saw blurry figures waving at them in the yard, at the door, and under the eaves.

Ling Yi smiled and waved his hand. He thought to himself: "We will meet again in the future!"