Liu Jingsong stormed out of Liu Maocai's house, but immediately regretted it, wondering why he had been so impulsive. But then he heard the door behind him slam shut from the inside.

Everyone treats me like this, what did I do wrong? I haven't done anything heinous.

After standing outside for a while, still unwilling to give up, he went back home and hurriedly started a fire. However, there wasn't much firewood at home, only bedding from the old lady's house. He knew he couldn't do without a fire.

He was appointed to tend the fire, and he also had to gather firewood. Life was so different now; before, he was waited on hand and foot. Now he had to do everything himself.

I gathered a large bundle of tree branches from outside and used them to boil water.

It was getting dark, and dinner was still nowhere in sight. After thinking about it, I decided I had to go to Liu Maocai's house. No one else's food was as good as theirs, and I'd have to say a few nice words to get my aunt to help me out.

Thinking of this, I quickly scooped out hot water and washed myself from head to toe. All the good qualities and habits I had as a child were retained, except for this love of cleanliness. It's just that sometimes the conditions don't allow it.

Er Ya sighed after Liu Jingsong left. "Mom, don't be sad. If this child really had any remorse, Hongmei wouldn't have abandoned him. There's just no other way."

Actually, the Jinsong gang was after Zhenye and his group. Otherwise, Hongmei wouldn't be so angry.

"What a fool," Li Cuihua sighed.

"Mom, how did my older brother become like this?" Ping An was also confused.

"Because of jealousy. You three must remember that jealousy can make a person ugly."

"Is eldest brother jealous of third brother and the others?"

"Um."

"But only the three brothers are Aunt's sons. He and Aunt are from the same village, so why would he be jealous? Shouldn't he be grateful?"

Er Ya smiled and said, "That's why I said you can't be jealous, otherwise you won't even recognize yourselves."

The three children looked at each other, all bewildered, but they all knew in their hearts that Liu Jingsong had changed and was no longer the eldest brother he used to be.

Jiang Yan sat to the side without saying a word. She didn't know what was going on either, but she still advised Li Cuihua a few words: "Mom, there's no need to overthink it. Everyone has to walk their own path."

A moment later there was a knock on the door. "Cuihua, open the door."

Liu Xu came out and opened the door. "Auntie, please come in and have a seat."

"Why is the gate locked?"

"Liu Jingsong came over just now and made a scene, which made my mother-in-law unhappy."

"Ahem! This child?" Hu Aifen said as she entered the house.

“You’re all here, Cuihua. Here’s the thing, Hongmei called and said that the work in the city has been arranged, and it’s fine to go there before the Lunar New Year. She just wants Jiang Yan to go to the county to handle the formalities.”

Jiang Yan stood up. "Auntie, I understand. My uncle has already said so. I'll go to the county tomorrow to take a look. It'll be easier to get things done early and then I can rest easy for a while."

“Auntie, we want to go too. Last time, Uncle took us to play in the park for a while.” Zhiyuan hurriedly ran over, grabbed Jiang Yan’s hand, and shook it affectionately.

"Okay, I'll take you to have fun, but you'll also have to help Auntie pack her luggage."

"Great, great! I've never seen what a dormitory looks like before!"

Everyone in the room laughed, but taking the kids out for a day of fun tomorrow would be fine too.

I bought a lot of things at the market today. They'll be back soon, and the pigs and other things should be ordered by then. There's no need for a formal wedding ceremony; just a meal for everyone on the 20th will suffice. No gifts or anything like that.

Li Cuihua had no objections. However, she pulled Hu Aifen aside and sighed, "Sister-in-law, what happened to Jinsong?"

"Alright, stop thinking about it. I saw smoke coming from his chimney, he'll probably come over for dinner tonight." Hu Aifen sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with eating, but I feel a little sorry for this child. Hongmei really took good care of him."

"There's nothing we can do about it. He's still young and only thinks about small things. I'm just afraid that when he grows up, he'll become arrogant. It's good this way. Hongmei has prepared a house for him. He's still in school. If he really succeeds in the future, that will be his good fortune."

"Who says otherwise? Just like his grandma, he's clueless."

"It's a success. I should finish cooking now. Don't overthink it."

Just then, Liu Maocai and his three sons returned.

"Sister-in-law, stay a little longer," Liu Maocai said with a smile, trying to persuade Hu Aifen to stay.

"No, it's time to make dinner."

"Then everyone come and eat. I'm going to find my older brother."

"No need, your uncle and the others won't be coming out tonight, you guys are busy."

After seeing Hu Aifen off, Li Cuihua told Liu Maocai about Liu Jingsong's visit that day.

"Honey, what are we going to do? I feel so sorry for this child."

"So what do you want to do?" Liu Maocai asked his wife.

"If he stays in the village these next few days, let him eat at home."

"Okay, you can arrange it yourself."

No one in the family has any objections; the elderly can do whatever they want.

The three women went to the kitchen. For dinner, they had rice porridge, stir-fried potatoes, cabbage and tofu, a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of peanuts, and a bowl of pickled vegetables.

They had just sat down when they heard a knock on the door. The three children exchanged glances and knew in their hearts that it must be Liu Jingsong coming over.

Liu Jinsong could smell the aroma of scrambled eggs even outside the gate. It seemed he had arrived just in time.

The gate was opened by a stone. Liu Jingsong was a little intimidated by the stone, but thinking about the delicious food, he gritted his teeth and followed him into the house.

Liu Maocai looked at the young man who had just entered and asked, "Jinsong, have you eaten?"

"Third Master, there is no food at home."

Looking at Liu Jingsong like this, Liu Maocai felt angry. "Then sit down and eat. Are you going to stay in the village?"

"Third Master, now that we're on holiday, I'd like to stay in the village."

"Oh, then take some food back with you after you finish eating."

Li Cuihua opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

"Third Master, I'm not a good cook, and I don't have anything at home. Can I eat at your house?" Liu Jinsong asked, forcing himself to speak, without daring to look up at the people inside.

Zhiyuan, being young, said, "No! You've made my grandma angry. Didn't you say you'd teach us a lesson when you're powerful enough?"

Cheng Guangxu patted his youngest son, "Zhiyuan, don't interrupt when the adults are talking. Your grandfather will decide this."

“Dad, he came over today and yelled at my grandma. I don’t want him to eat at our house.” Cheng Zhiyuan was very angry.

Liu Maocai frowned. "Jinsong, I'll just give you the food and you can go home and cook for yourself. The family has been very busy these past few days. Your uncle is getting married, so come over for dinner on the 20th."