After a long while, Huang Rong felt numb all over, as if she had been acupunctured. She never thought she would meet someone like Sister Dou Dou in the vast sea of ​​people. She was selfless, asked for nothing in return, and always tolerated her little temper. Even though she knew that she would not stay here forever and would leave sooner or later to find her mother.

But DouDou Jie remained tolerant and loving towards her, like family, and even more like a friend. She was someone DouDou Jie would never forget in her life.

"Don't cry. Listen to your sister. Follow your heart so you won't regret it," Yuan Doudou encouraged her again.

Huang Rong nodded heavily. Dou Dou was right. No matter what the outcome, it couldn't stop her from moving forward. She decided to go and see if that person was really her mother.

That evening, Yuan Doudou called Sister Juan to her house and asked her for help, giving her the specific address of her relative.

“If needed, I can take her there.” Sister Juan was a kind-hearted person, and she also sympathized with Huang Rong’s plight; otherwise, she wouldn’t have told Dou Dou about it.

DouDou politely declined, saying, "It's already quite an achievement for you to give this information. If your relatives find out that you were the one who told them, they might hold a grudge against you. It's better not to go."

Sister Juan realized it too late and kept saying that Dou Dou had thought of everything.

The following day, An Rong hired a carriage to accompany Huang Rong to An Shun Province to search for her relatives.

"Sister Dou Dou, I don't know if we'll ever meet again after this journey. Please accept my bow." At the entrance of the tavern, Huang Rong suddenly knelt down in front of Dou Dou, startling her.

"Get up quickly, aren't you making me feel uncomfortable?" Although she was a mother of two, she still had the heart of a little princess. Thinking that she was not yet thirty, she was still considered a young person. Huang Rong's bow instantly brought her back to reality.

Huang Rong insisted on kneeling and bowing respectfully, refusing to get up no matter how Yuan Doudou tried to pull her up.

“Rongrong is a sentimental child.” An Rong spoke in a mature and old-fashioned manner, like a little old man.

Yuan Doudou was speechless, thinking to herself, "Rongrong isn't bowing to him, so of course he can talk nonsense without any real concern."

Lu Xi stood behind Yuan Doudou, her mind also filled with thoughts, but she didn't dare to step forward. Was Huang Rong really not coming back? Had things ended so abruptly between them?

That's not right either. There was nothing between them to begin with. Even if he had feelings for Huang Rong, he knew that Huang Rong only treated him as a younger brother.

"Lu Xi, I'm leaving. Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Huang Rong stood up and looked at Lu Xi behind Dou Dou with a smile. Why was he hiding?

Lu Xi walked forward timidly from behind Yuan Doudou after a long while. She shakily stretched out her fist, opened her palm, and found a red brocade pouch lying in her hand, bulging and full, its contents unknown.

"What is this?" Huang Rong asked curiously instead of reaching for it.

Lu Xi stammered for a long time before finally managing to say, "It's silver."

All my savings from the past year are in this small brocade pouch, not much, just ten taels.

Huang Rong's eyes welled up with tears, which fell uncontrollably. Sister Dou Dou gave her travel money, saying it was her wages, but she knew that it was all thanks to Sister Dou Dou taking care of her.

Unexpectedly, even little Lu Xi knew to spend his savings; it seemed to be all of his savings.

"I can't take it." Huang Rong wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Lu Xi worked very hard every day and finally saved some money, which he wanted to save for his future wedding.

Lu Xi's eyes dimmed. He didn't know what to buy for Huang Rong, so he could only think of giving her all his savings so that she wouldn't have to worry about money on her journey. But she actually refused, which was something he never expected.

The disappointment in her heart was written all over her face, which Yuan Doudou saw.

"Rongrong, this is a token of Lu Xi's goodwill. Just take it; he might need your help someday." In this world, social interactions are inevitable. When one family is in trouble, everyone helps. Just accept others' kindness with gratitude; they might need you someday.

The main idea is mutual help and support.

Huang Rong hesitated for a moment, then felt that what Sister Dou Dou said made a lot of sense. She wasn't saying that she would never come back. Maybe they would meet again in the future, and at that time, Lu Xi might need her help.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony," Huang Rong said with a smile.

When Lu Xi saw that she had taken the money, a silly grin appeared on her face.

"Sister Rongrong, have a safe journey," Lu Xi said sincerely.

Huang Rong nodded gratefully, feeling a warm current flowing through her heart.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's go." Yuan Doudou felt reluctant, but she could only keep it to herself, her face remaining calm and revealing nothing.

As the sun rises, the sky is painted with colorful clouds, creating a scene resembling a vibrant ink painting from afar.

The carriage gradually moved further and further away, disappearing into the clouds.

"Lu Xi, we can't see anymore, let's go back."

Yuan Doudou looked at Lu Xi and saw that his neck was stretched out so long, just like a giraffe's, making him look so funny that it was hard not to laugh.

Lu Xi blushed to the roots of her neck, chuckled awkwardly, and walked into the tavern, picking up a mop to continue cleaning.

Since the tavern closed down, Lu Xi has been feeling restless and unsure of where to direct her energy. She can only endlessly wipe tables, mop floors, and sweep weeds in the yard, truly living a life of "a thatched hut that is always swept clean and free of mud."

"Lu Xi, if you have nothing to do, you can go out for a walk. Don't always be so busy cleaning. It's already very clean." It's so clean that the floor is reflecting light.

Lu Xi shook her head: "It's safer to stay at home. We don't know what's going on outside."

Yuan Doudou also wanted to know the situation outside. Almost all the shops on the street were closed, and the epidemic showed no signs of abating.

If this continues, they will run out of money.

That evening, Yuan Doudou had an idea. Now that An Rong was gone, they had no source of income here, and it was inconvenient to buy groceries. Why not go back to the village, where at least they could live a self-sufficient life?

She regretted not having thought of this when An Rong was around, but now that Lu Xi was here, she had a helper.

The next day, when it was broad daylight, Lu Xi heard someone knocking on the door and ran to open it.

"Brother Wang." Lu Xi was excited to see Wang Qiqiang after so long.

He called out into the house, "Sister Dou Dou, Brother Wang is here."

Hearing the commotion, Yuan Doudou came out to greet them, carrying Tangtang who had just woken up. When she saw Wang Qiqiang, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, she was moved to see a relative.

"Big brother, what brings you here?" His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

Wang Qiqiang had a simple smile on his face. Perhaps because he had been in the sun too much, his skin was dark and made him look even more honest.

He flashed a bright smile and said kindly, “I heard there’s an epidemic in the city. I was worried about your life, and your sister-in-law was urging me to come and take you back to the village to avoid it.”