The body is still the same Cheng Qingyan, but the soul inside has long been replaced, and of course, the personality and so on have changed.

Meng Pingkang chimed in, "Xinyu is right. The three Cheng brothers have become almost unrecognizable."

Cheng Qingyan naturally knew that she was no longer the same rascal she used to be; she was now a Cheng Qingyan who was born in the spring breeze, grew up under the red flag, and had impeccable revolutionary roots.

Cheng Qingyan laughed awkwardly twice: "I was ignorant before, but I have long since realized my mistake. Let's not talk about the past."

“Pingkang, look, the three Cheng brothers now speak like scholars! Unlike you and me, we can’t read a single word, we’re just roughnecks.”

Meng Pingkang was a little reserved, but he smiled and nodded.

As for their families, Ye Lingyu brought them food and brewed tea, serving them to them.

We don't spend much time together to begin with, so sitting like this is a bit awkward.

Meng Xinyu explained the purpose of her visit: "Brother Cheng, the children were ignorant before, and we have taught them what needed to be taught. Chu Ying is a really good child. She doesn't hold grudges and even teaches Xiao Dou and the other two to read when they play together."

"Putting everything else aside, I don't have the means to send the children to school. I'm already content that they can recognize a few words. Pingkang and I both think that the Cheng brothers are people worth befriending. They didn't let Chuying cut off contact with the children because of what happened before. They even let her teach them to read. We are really grateful, so we arranged to come and wish you a Happy New Year."

So that's how it is. But why didn't Chu Ying mention that when she taught these children to read?

"Chu Ying's handwriting must have been taught by her father. It's a good thing to share one's knowledge with those who need it. Chu Ying is doing what she believes she should do, and Brother Xinyu and Brother Pingkang even brought gifts to express their gratitude. This is too precious."

Meng Xinyu laughed heartily: "Cheng San, what are you talking about? How can you offer New Year's greetings empty-handed?"

Cheng Qingyan sighed: "Brother Xinyu, why don't you just call me Qingyan? I really don't like the word 'three'."

Meng Xinyu and Meng Pingkang exchanged a glance, full of doubt: "But you're the third child, that can't be changed, can it?"

"No need to change it, I just think Cheng San doesn't sound as good as Cheng Qingyan."

Meng Xinyu suddenly realized: "Oh, I understand. It's about scholars. Cheng San, no, Qingyan, um, I get it."

Don't pry into the affairs of scholars.

From that day on, word spread throughout the village that the third son of the Cheng family was a scholar.

Cheng Qingyan had no idea what kind of nonsense this rumor was. But she knew that this matter had absolutely nothing to do with scholars.

Even without the internet, the speed at which misinformation spreads is truly remarkable.

Gossip is something we can never escape; even without the internet, it spreads by word of mouth.

As for how it will ultimately turn out, no one can decide.

There's nowhere to refute the rumors; you can't exactly go to the government and have the magistrate issue a public notice saying that Cheng Qingyan isn't a scholar.

Moreover, even if the county magistrate issues a public notice, there will still be people who don't believe it.

After all, we see this kind of announcement all the time in modern society, and not everyone believes it.

It's all about who wants to believe what they want to believe, and only believing what they themselves believe.

When Meng Xinyu and the others left, Cheng Qingyan cut some wild boar meat and mutton as a return gift.

After all, they did have guests visiting to wish them a Happy New Year this year.

This broke with the tradition of people passing by their house without ever coming in to take a look.

If no one visits you during the New Year, it means this family has bad character, and neighbors and relatives are unwilling to associate with them.

As the third child in the Cheng family, not only on ordinary days, but even during the Lunar New Year, not a single member of the Cheng family paid her a New Year's greeting.

After returning from paying New Year's visits to the village chief, it was already quite late, and it would be too late to find Ruan Banxia and the others.

As Ruan Banxia had mentioned before, Meng Chuying could go to Shuanghe Village after the New Year to learn traditional Chinese medicine from her.

We still need to communicate with Meng Chuying first, and we also need to discuss when to go.

In Mengjia Village, there weren't any people they needed to visit specifically, since their relationships with everyone hadn't been fully repaired yet.

Some people will still judge Cheng Qingyan with their old perspectives and find it hard to believe her.

However, this year is a good start. After all, people have already come to wish them a Happy New Year, and two families have come too.

It wasn't until the third day of the Lunar New Year that I took Meng Chuying to Shuanghe Village.

In this day and age, there's no way to notify the family you need to visit in advance.

Unfortunately, Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu encountered Ruan Banxia and Shen Ziyu when they were halfway there.

Shen Ziyu did not leave, nor did she go home for the New Year. It is said that, like Ruan Banxia, ​​her family members have all passed away.

Ruan Banxia sat on horseback, with Shen Ziyu leading the horse. She dismounted and asked, "Brother Cheng, sister-in-law, Chu Ying, what's going on?"

"Unfortunate timing, is Physician Ruan about to go out?"

Both of them, who knew the answer to the question, pretended to be stupid at this moment.

This road leads to Shuanghe Village and Mengjia Village. Where can these two groups of people go when they meet here?

One had no other acquaintances in Mengjia Village, and the other had no other acquaintances in Shuanghe Village.

Cheng Qingyan and her group set off on foot, so they departed earlier than those on horseback.

Judging from the distance and the horse's pace, Ruan Banxia will only be able to get out in a quarter of an hour at most.

The key point is that this reunion took place right between the two families.

Cheng Qingyan shook the New Year's gifts she was carrying: "Doctor Ruan, don't stand there like that, go back, we've prepared some good things for you."

Ruan Banxia pointed to the chicken that Cheng Qingyan was holding in his other hand and asked, "Is the chicken that good stuff?"

"Guess, and if you guess right, it's all yours."

"Wasn't it meant to be brought to us in the first place?"

"That's different. What I give you is different from what you win yourself~"

They were also carrying New Year's gifts for Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu on horseback, and they never expected to run into them on the way.

I don't know if it's a coincidence or a coincidence or a coincidence!

Ruan Banxia turned the horse around and apologized to Ye Lingyu beside her, "I was going to visit you yesterday to wish you a Happy New Year, but a patient came and I was delayed. I didn't expect to run into you here today. Please forgive me for not visiting first."

Don't let their occasional banter fool you; when it comes to serious matters, they're both very capable.

Ye Lingyu didn't care about these formalities and said with a smile, "As long as the sentiment is there, it doesn't matter if it's a day earlier or a day later. There's no need to be so particular about it."

Ruan Banxia smiled and said, "Sister-in-law is right. Then I'll trouble you to go to my place with Brother Cheng today."

The people here follow a specific order when paying New Year's visits.

If you have parents or siblings at home, go to the elders' homes first, and so on, completing the New Year's greetings at each family in turn.

Generally, younger generations will visit their elders early to wish them a Happy New Year.