The villagers of Huaigu Village have been keeping a low profile these days. Even when someone secretly added two fingers' worth of water to the fields, no one stood up to say anything. In the past, they would have picked up their hoes and fought the person to the death.

Just thinking about what happened a month ago sends chills down my spine. Who would dare to cause trouble again? They'd be courting death!

But when a magnificent carriage carrying a couple who looked like immortals drove into Huaigu Village, the villagers still forgot the adage "curiosity killed the cat".

Many villagers gathered around, and some even mustered up the courage to strike up a conversation.

Jiang Shan and Fu Qiyuan, wearing veils and carrying children, walked side by side in front, with their maid Xi'er and servant Fu Shu standing respectfully behind their two masters. This group seemed to be important figures whom the villagers could not afford to offend.

“That’s the one up ahead,” Jiang Shan said, ignoring the villagers who were trying to strike up a conversation. He pointed to a house in front of him.

Fu Qiyuan's gaze swept over the villagers and slowly landed on the spot Jiang Shan was pointing to.

He unconsciously quickened his pace, his steps becoming slightly unsteady.

A copper lock hung on the gate of the Jiao family's house. The gate was covered with scratches of varying depths and grime of all sizes, which gave one a sense of how unfriendly the villagers were to the Jiao family after they moved away from Huaigu Village.

Jiang Shan felt a tightness in her chest. As she slowly gathered her emotions, a voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"It's...it's the idiot! It's the idiot Jiang Shan from the Jiao family! The idiot has returned!" Gu Yuchun's voice was sharp, like a thorn, piercing the hearts of the villagers of Huaigu Village.

Fu Qiyuan's gaze suddenly changed, landing coldly on Gu Yuchun's face.

Jiang Shan slowly turned his head, his emotionless eyes sweeping over Gu Yuchun before landing on the villagers who were either terrified or panicked.

"Yes, I'm back! I'm back with my son! Where's the village head? Where's the village chief? And why isn't Aunt Qing here? Oh, right, Aunt Qing is still in jail, I almost forgot!"

A hint of resentment flashed in Gu Yuchun's eyes. His grandfather, who was already old, had suffered a prison sentence and died of anger not long after returning home. It was all because of this stupid girl!

"Give me back my grandfather's life!" Gu Yuchun charged towards Jiang Shan.

Fu Qiyuan stepped forward and stood in front of Jiang Shan, his eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.

“A year ago, you secretly drowned Jiangshan and his mother in the pond. According to the laws of Daqing, you should all be whipped fifty times and exiled a thousand miles away! You should be glad that the mother and son are still alive and well, otherwise, you would all be buried with them!”

Fu Shu rolled up his sleeves and suddenly slapped Gu Yuchun to the ground, saying coldly, "The river at the village entrance should be flooded by now. If we were to dump you in now, you wouldn't be so lucky, would you?"

Gu Yuchun let out a terrified scream, covered his head, and scrambled away.

The villager who had struck up a conversation earlier trembled. He looked at Fu Shu as if he were looking at a demon, then turned and ran away.

That vixen's bastard has come to avenge the country. Last month, they were the ones who drowned the villagers in the pond. If it weren't for a few good swimmers, the whole village would have been drowned!

We'd better tell the villagers to hide!

Jiang Shan had no attachment to this house, and she hadn't retained any of the original owner's past memories. She calmly led Fu Qiyuan on a tour of the house, inside and out, without saying much.

Fu Qiyuan felt as if he had walked into a fog. Everything looked familiar, but fragmented pieces of information were faintly visible in the fog. When he tried to grasp them, he couldn't remember anything.

He finally sat down, exhausted, when a throbbing pain shot through his head.

Seeing that his face was pale, Jiang Shan thought he had suffered from heatstroke and quickly brought him a bowl of cool tea from the car.

“Let’s go back. My mother and Sanlang probably won’t want to come back. When Sanlang grows up, we can have him move Dad’s grave back to our ancestral home.”

When we returned, every house in Huaigu Village had its doors tightly shut, and we didn't see a single person.

After the trip to Huaigu Village, the last bit of lingering resentment in Jiang Shan's heart vanished. They were no longer from the same world, so why should he hold a grudge?

"What's wrong? You seem to have something on your mind." Jiang Shan looked at Fu Qiyuan, who had been silent the whole way, and couldn't help but ask.

Fu Qiyuan's face was unnaturally pale. He forced a smile and shook his head, but then asked Jiang Shan a very abrupt question.

What did the second son of the Jiao family look like in your memory?

How can we have a pleasant conversation like this? Jiang Shan tilted his head in distress and thought for a moment, then sighed softly, "Have I ever told you that I really used to be an idiot? You might not believe it, but even though I was drowned, I forgot everything from my past when I woke up. My mind suddenly became clear! I don't remember Erlang, nor do I remember Mother and Sanlang. I have no memory of this world."

Jiang Shan shrugged, spread his hands, and tried to dismiss the most bizarre encounter in the world with a single sentence.

Fu Qiyuan subconsciously grasped her hand, his eyes gleaming as he said, "Then, if Jiao Erlang were like you... perhaps he is already trying to find his way back, perhaps he doesn't want to forget you either, perhaps he..."

Jiang Shan slowly leaned closer to him, staring into his eyes, and said, "There are many extraordinary people and events in this world. If Jiao Erlang is still alive, regardless of whether he can find his way home, I only hope that he will not waste this reincarnation. People in this world who truly love him probably think the same way."

What a wonderful saying, "I will not let this cycle of reincarnation go to waste!" Fu Qiyuan felt as if his heart had been burned. He gripped Jiang Shan's hand tightly and murmured, "Shan'er, don't worry, I will never let you down in this life!"

That's a bit too cheesy! Jiang Shan withdrew his hand with a hint of disgust, handed his sleeping son to Fu Qiyuan, and said, "Life is long. Don't make promises lightly, and I won't let people down. Don't easily believe promises, and people won't let me down!"

The dark cloud in Fu Qiyuan's heart had dissipated. He stared intently at the woman in front of him who was drowsy, and without saying a word, he pulled her into his arms, but his heart was still unable to calm down.

What exactly did she go through to have such a worldly perspective? Is this insightful woman really the simple-minded girl her mother picked up from the mountain? Both of them have lost their memories, so why is she able to treat her mother and Sanlang with such sincerity and kindness?

Fu Qiyuan felt an increasing desire to recover his lost memories. He and Jiang Shan had spent four or five years together, and there must have been many unforgettable memories between them.

Before Jiang Shan fell asleep, a thought vaguely flashed through his mind: it seemed that Fu Qiyuan was also the Minister of Works' lost child many years ago, who was able to return home by chance. His and Jiao Erlang's misfortunes happened around the same time, except that one got lost and the other returned...

Well, their second son wasn't as lucky as this one; he was the one who got lost...

Jiang Shan was too tired to investigate anything further, and simply put a cold case that was close to the truth out of his mind.