“You are my mother, and this is my way of showing my appreciation. However, I have already promised Uncle Ma that he will return the money to me.”

"Okay, then you should go back and get busy. Take advantage of the good business now and don't waste your time making money because of my business. We'll go back in a bit too. You can go back to the village when you have time. Don't spend any money; just have people come."

"Okay, I'll come back to see you." Hearing her say that, Xichun didn't refuse. After saying goodbye to Ma Dawei and his mother, she went back.

Thanks to Fu Changfeng's help in Wang's matter, Xichun also learned afterward that Doctor Dou was highly skilled in medicine and usually treated patients in the prefectural city. He rarely took action, so the fact that she was able to meet him this time was all because of Fu Changfeng's influence.

Therefore, Xichun decided to properly thank Fu Changfeng, as she had to repay this favor.

So when Fu Changfeng passed by the stall, Xichun took the initiative to call out to him.

"Miss Chen, is there something you need?" Fu Changfeng asked with a smile when he heard Xichun call him. He had used his family's connections to help Xichun, but his parents had scolded him and warned him that family connections were not something that could be used on just anyone, and that he should not act on his own in the future.

"Thanks to your help that day, Young Master Fu, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to find Doctor Dou. So I would like to invite you to dinner to thank you for your help," Xi Chun explained.

"Oh, I see. No need for that. The food at your stall is already very delicious. I'm very satisfied. Miss Chen, you don't need to be so polite."

"Since that's the case, then from now on, Young Master Fu, whenever you come to eat, we'll treat you to whatever you want. The same goes for your servant." Xi Chun thought for a moment, figuring that he might not want to be associated with her, and didn't say anything more.

"Alright, thank you very much, Miss Chen. I'll head to the academy now." He didn't say much more, just smiled and left. The teacher had told him not to be late today, and he had to run around later, so he couldn't let Miss Chen see him in an unseemly manner.

Xi Chun soon learned from the village chief that the Ma family was going to hold a full moon celebration. It had been a long time since she had been back, so Xi Chun decided to let everyone rest for two days and go home to reunite with their families.

Life in the village remained peaceful. When Xichun and the others returned, the fields on both sides were thriving. This year was another good year, and everyone was able to harvest more grain.

Seeing this scene, Xichun thought of a problem. She didn't own any land. If she bought some, she could retire comfortably. She could just rent the land to tenant farmers, collect rent, and not have to go out to do business. This was exactly the retirement life she had always dreamed of.

Farming is hard work. She had farmed with her grandmother since she was a child, but that was only when she was a child. As she grew up, many people in the village went out to work, leaving a lot of land idle. There were even fewer young people who knew how to farm properly.

The idea kept lingering in Xichun's mind, so he decided to ask the village chief to help him find out if anyone in the area was selling land, hoping to buy a little bit if possible.

Their high-profile return to the village naturally attracted everyone's attention. They had all heard that Wang had suffered a difficult childbirth and almost didn't survive, but Xichun had many connections and found a skilled doctor who saved both mother and child.

However, I heard that the doctor's fees were high, equivalent to a year's expenses for an ordinary family. Sigh, you should never get sick in life, it's terrifying. No wonder Xichun's father wanted to hang himself back then.

Xi Chun, unaware of their thoughts, arrived at the Ma family home with the gifts. Ma Dawei was greeting guests, while Wang Shi, who had just finished her postpartum confinement, was still weak and simply held her child while greeting the guests.

Seeing Xichun arrive, Wang's face was full of joyful smiles: "Xichun, you're here! Come and sit down. Look, this is your younger brother, his name is Xiaofeng." Wang showed the child in her arms to Xichun. The child had grown up to be handsome, with big, bright eyes that kept rolling around. When he saw Xichun, he kept smiling.

“He knows you’re his sister, look, he keeps smiling at you.” Wang was also very happy to see this.

Xi Chun was at a loss, holding such a big child. Fortunately, the child didn't cry, otherwise she might have immediately returned the child to his mother.

"Xichun's here, come and sit down." Grandma Ma was directing the people cooking in the kitchen when she came out and saw Xichun, and she greeted her warmly.

Because of Wang, the Chen family and the Ma family had no contact. So when the Chen family heard that Xichun had returned and even sent gifts to the Ma family, they were extremely jealous. Old Mrs. Chen was throwing things around in the house and cursing. Both of her daughters-in-law knew that she was cursing Xichun.

"Where are you all? Why aren't you going to check the fields to see if there's enough water? All you do is hide at home all day. You're all useless and make this old man suffer from other people's contempt."

The more Old Mrs. Chen thought about it, the angrier she became. If her children and grandchildren were as capable as Xichun, she would definitely be able to walk with her tail between her legs, instead of being pointed at and gossiped about when she went out.

Chen Xichun also helped the villagers find work. Her own uncle and aunt couldn't find work all day and could only stay at home. She wouldn't even glance at them. Thinking of this, she cursed outside again. When Du and Ma saw that the fire had spread to their house, they were afraid that Old Lady Chen would come out and continue cursing, so they had no choice but to let their husbands and themselves go out.

After Xichun finished eating, she was about to go home with Aunt Zhang when she saw a group of Chen family members passing by the door. However, she pretended not to know them and was about to walk past when Du called out to her.

"Chen Xichun, we are your family, after all. Would you rather acknowledge a stranger as your father than have anything to do with your own family? How can you be so heartless?"

“That’s right, you only help outsiders, you don’t care about your own family at all, do you have any conscience?” Madam Ma chimed in.

"Aunt Zhang, did you hear something calling? Is it because I haven't been back to the village for a long time and I'm not sure what's being raised there now?" Xi Chun didn't respond and continued talking to Aunt Zhang.

As soon as he said this, the crowd gave him a thumbs up. Sure enough, Xichun was still the same amazing Xichun. Otherwise, how could she have made a name for herself in the outside world?

"Du and Ma, if you want to be sarcastic, go somewhere else. This is my home, and I am Xichun's mother. Who are you? Besides, my Xichun has severed ties with you and has no contact with you anymore. What kind of relatives are you? If you dare to treat my Xichun badly again, I'll tear your mouths apart!"

Since giving birth, Wang has either suddenly realized something or something else, and now she actually dares to stand up to the two of them.

Seeing the defiant Wang Shi and the mocking looks from those around them, the two of them couldn't hold back any longer and pulled their husbands away.

"Look at how old they are, aren't they ashamed? Holding their own men outside like that, no wonder Old Mrs. Chen said they stay at home all day and never go out, hehehe." The people around them started gossiping too. Hearing this, the two quickly let go of each other. The villagers' mouths are really foul.