After hearing these words, Cao'er suddenly wanted to cry, but also wanted to laugh. In fact, since the beginning of her search for Liu Guiyuan, Cao'er had never thought that there could be anything else between the two of them. What stood between them was not only Wen Ling, but also the past that she didn't want to mention and the scars on her body that reminded her of herself at all times.

"If you don't want me to leave, then I won't leave. If you think about it later and decide you don't want to be with me, I won't pester you."

Liu Guiyuan felt relieved after receiving his response. He couldn't remember anything. If he lost an important person in the meantime, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life even if he responded in the future.

It was already very late, and the two of them were walking slowly. If they delayed any longer, they might not be able to make it in time to eat dumplings until the evening. Cao'er calmed down and urged him to walk faster.

After dinner, Cao'er took Liu Guiyuan around the village several times and told him all the places they used to go.

When the two of them came back from their outing, they were much closer. Elder Liu boasted to Grandma Liu with some pride: "See, what I said, we should let them spend more time alone."

"Okay, you're awesome. I'll listen to you from now on."

The willow tree was bare in winter, with a little white snow piled on the branches. It was here that the two of them expressed their true feelings, and then Cao'er was sold to the town by her parents.

There was a large open space next to the tree, where children, fearless of the cold, were rolling around in the snow. Liu Guiyuan stared at the willow tree for a long time before he spoke: "Why are you called Cao'er?"

He had asked this question before, when they first met each other as children. Cao'er had been pretty when she was little, with big, white, and tender eyes. He was curious why such a beautiful person was called such a name.

Cao'er has been said to be unlucky since he was a child. His parents only care about his brother and have completely forgotten that he exists, but he has never complained about himself. He has no name, and the villagers make fun of him by saying that he looks like an unwanted weed, so they just call him Cao'er from now on.

Cao'er could no longer remember who said this. Too many people had used these words to humiliate him in the past, and he didn't feel sad after hearing it so many times, but he liked the name Cao'er very much.

Wild grass has a low life expectancy. No matter it is in front of or behind a house or on the edge of a cliff, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, it will grow like crazy and is extremely tenacious.

Cao'er knew that his life was not precious, but he felt that he was just like the weeds on the roadside that were trampled by people. No matter how many people trampled on them, they would still sprout in the spring of next year.

He tried hard to live, and even when he was treated harshly, he never had the slightest thought of committing suicide. When there was no food for him at home, he would dig wild vegetables rather than let himself starve to death.

After Cao'er got a new name, the first playmate he met was Liu Guiyuan. At that time, he proudly explained to Liu Guiyuan why his name was Cao'er.

Children are simple by nature. Liu Guiyuan just looked at the boy's good looks, and after a while he no longer thought the name Cao'er was ugly.

At that time, he was the only one who didn't care about the rumors of the villagers. He took Cao'er out to play all day long and even helped Cao'er in fights. He said that when he grew up, he would marry him, protect him, and cherish him, so that he would not be treated like grass but as a flower.

Thinking of the innocence of Cao'er's smile when she was little, he looked up at Liu Guiyuan: "You've asked this question before. You'll know why when you remember it."

"Okay." Liu Guiyuan smiled.

The snow this year fell more heavily than before. It was sunny for only two days before the weather turned gloomy again. The temperature was even colder than last year. The longer Liu Guiyuan stayed in a familiar place, the more things he remembered. During this time, Cao'er went to the town to find another doctor for him.

The doctor said that if I continue to get better slowly, I might be able to remember everything by next spring.

Cao'er was so happy that she told him about the past more and more frequently. Sometimes Liu Guiyuan would agree with him and recall the past between him and Cao'er.

Zhao Luochuan paid close attention to Liu Guiyuan's affairs. Cao'er bought some things and went with him to see Yang Donghu before the New Year. Now his belly was obviously getting bigger, and he was less and less willing to move around. He lay in bed and didn't want to go out.

Anyone would be happy with such good news. Yang Donghu felt sorry for Cao'er who had suffered for so many years. Now she could finally get her reward. He also heard Cao'er say that if Liu Guiyuan could completely recover by the time spring came, they would get married.

The heavy snow kept falling intermittently, and the New Year was getting closer and closer, and in the blink of an eye it was the Little New Year.

The two dogs at home have grown a lot. Dabing looks thinner than Jiaozi, but he is taller. Now the two dogs are fighting back and forth, and Jiaozi can't get any advantage.

The charcoal fire in the house was burning continuously, and the puppy knew the temperature and huddled in the house, unwilling to go out. The family had been eating meat for half a year, and the fried chicken and fish that were only available before were no longer rare. As usual, Zhu Cuilan offered sacrifices to the Kitchen God according to the previous rules on the day of the Little New Year, and also made a pot of rice cakes with red bean filling.

On the night of New Year's Eve, there was another heavy snowfall that trapped everyone at home. Yang Donghu didn't like going out during this period, so he didn't think it was a big deal. However, Zhao Fangchu sighed in front of him, complaining that he couldn't go out this year and couldn't even release sky lanterns. He didn't know if his wish would come true.

Although they couldn't go out, the custom of staying up all night to celebrate the New Year couldn't be changed. Zhu Cuilan was asked by several aunts to go out and play mahjong in the heavy snow, and Zhao He was also called out by his uncles.

Zhao Fangyu was not afraid of getting wet. He ran out after eating the New Year’s Eve dinner. It was obvious that he was going to find Yang Anjin.

Yang Donghu couldn't hold it in for too long, saying that with the old lady and the four of them together, it became a card game. Zhao Fangchu had money, but Zhao Luochuan beat him several times. Not only did he lose all the New Year's money he got today, but he also took out the money from his own piggy bank.

On the festive day, Yang Donghu was afraid that Zhao Luochuan would get angry and lose his temper after losing, so he secretly pinched Zhao Luochuan's waist under the table, signaling him to give way.

In the next few rounds, Zhao Fangchu recovered some blood, but he didn't want it, saying that it was a New Year's gift for the baby in Yang Donghu's belly.

Yang Donghu couldn't hold on any longer and kept dozing off in the second half of the night. Zhao Luochuan took care of Yang Donghu's health, and it didn't matter whether he stayed up to celebrate the New Year or not. The old lady was too old to stay up too long, so he hugged Yang Donghu and went back to bed to sleep before midnight.

Zhao Fangchu was bored at home, so he went out in the middle of the night to look for Chen Ran. However, he had only taken two steps when he realized that he must be with Li Zihong. It would be boring to disturb him, so he prepared to go back dejectedly.

Ever since he was caught in the act by Zhu Cuilan last time, he didn't dare to meet Yang Anchen casually. He went to the town to deliver cakes with Zhu Cuilan. Except for occasionally seeing the maids from the Zhang Mansion in the restaurant, he had never seen Yang Anchen again.