Jiang Lan rode in a bridal sedan chair to marry into the Zhou family, ready to start a new life. The Jiang family's old house became her maternal home.

Mu Yi'an wasn't in a hurry to return to the county town. There wasn't much time left until the New Year, so it would be perfect to tidy up the house and make things easier when she came back for the holiday.

Another point is that Jiang Lan has already returned home for her third wedding anniversary, and she doesn't want to go through that trouble again.

This year, the watermelons brought in a lot of money; the vegetable shops and the farms all benefited.

Originally, Mu Yi'an planned to buy more property.

But thinking about Jiang Shuyun's upcoming provincial examination, and not knowing what the outcome would be.

If you pass the provincial examination, you will have to go to the capital to take the metropolitan examination. If you are fortunate enough to pass the metropolitan examination as well, then you will have to move.

Mu Yi'an thought that she would wait another year until Jiang Shuyun was more stable before she would start buying property.

These past two days, Mu Yi'an has been playing with the children in the wild, becoming a true leader among the kids.

Manager Li led a team to repair the house. Since the house wasn't always inhabited, it was prone to falling into disrepair.

Li Qiuniang didn't go back either. Jiang Shuwen took two employees back with him; the shop couldn't stay closed forever.

"Second sister-in-law, in this kind of weather, eating and drinking outside will make you feel good."

"Right? Blue sky and white clouds, little flowers and grass, and a group of carefree children."

Mu Yi'an felt that life would be good if it continued like this. She had food and drink, money and leisure, and could slowly raise her child. She was as happy as an immortal!

"Second sister-in-law, do you miss my second brother?"

Jiang Qi missed her second brother; he hadn't been back for several months.

"There's nothing we can do. Your second brother will be taking the provincial examination next year, and he wants to give it his all. If he's lucky enough to pass, we won't have to be separated anymore."

Mu Yi'an felt that Jiang Shuyun still had hope. Since going to Bailu Academy, he had truly studied diligently. Moreover, his past life experiences weren't entirely useless.

"Second sister-in-law, our new son-in-law failed the imperial examination this year, only passing as a junior scholar. Will he have to study day and night like this from now on?"

No one in Li Qiuniang's family was educated, and she felt that studying was a long process with no guarantee of success.

"That depends on the individual. People like our father are rare. Knowing that one path is blocked, they choose another. Many people, however, know it's a dead end, but they still insist on going down that path to the bitter end."

Just like Brother Jiang, he was determined to take the provincial examination; it was his obsession.

"I hope our new son-in-law will pass the imperial examination soon, and then our parents will be happy when they are living a better life."

Considering her sister-in-law's attitude, Li Qiuniang still hoped that she would live a good life, which would save them, as her sisters-in-law, a lot of trouble.

"Things will get better, I have a plan in mind."

Jiang Qi now knows her younger sister all too well; she's someone who would never mistreat her.

"Yes, Jiang Lan will be fine."

Mu Yi'an also felt that Jiang Lan would have a good life, as she always knew how to choose what was in her best interest.

"Mom, there are lots of little fish here, but my older brother won't let me catch them."

Chuyue has even learned to tattle; this little girl definitely wants to go swimming.

Mu Yi'an stood up to take a look and stretch her muscles; she had been sitting for half a day and was tired.

"Mother, the water is a bit cold, you can't go in."

Shao Ming held onto his sister, preventing her from going downstairs.

"Chuyue, brother is right. If the water gets cold, your stomach will hurt after you go in."

"But, Mother, I want to catch fish."

Chuyue was still making a last-ditch effort; she wanted to go down.

"I'll catch you some fish, but you can't go into the water."

Mu Yi'an remained unmoved. This little girl is too good at using this trick.

"All right."

Chu Yue knew that her mother was not her father, and if she said no, she meant no. Her little eyes lingered on the water, reluctant to leave.

Mu Yi'an wove a net out of tough grass, stood by the stream, caught a few small fish, put them in a wooden bucket, and let Chu Yue play with them.

"Mom, we caught two pheasants! Look, aren't their feathers beautiful!"

Shao Yun and the others followed Master Zhao into the woods, and after a lot of searching, they actually caught a pheasant.

"That's amazing! I'll make you chicken soup tonight."

"Okay, everyone drink."

Shao Yun spent half a day rummaging around in the woods. His clothes were dirty and torn in several places, and his face was covered in black and white stains, but he didn't care.

Mu Yi'an told everyone to go home, saying they'd had enough fun for half a day.

The group packed up their things and happily headed home. Shao Yun and Shao Kun kept bickering and joking around, not seeming tired at all.

On the third day, Jiang Lan returned to her parents' home.

Early in the morning, Mu Yi'an and Jiang Qi took the child to the old house.

"Second sister-in-law, eldest sister, come in quickly, your sister-in-law hasn't arrived yet."

Li Qiuniang had finished getting ready, and the two children ran over to their older brothers as soon as they saw them.

The eldest son, Brother Jiang and his wife, also came out, followed by their four children.

Mu Yi'an wasn't actually familiar with any of the children from the first wife's family. At first, it was Shao Qin who said some irresponsible things, but after being kept in check by Brother Jiang for more than a year, he has become much more obedient.

The ten-year-old child is not short, and has delicate features.

Chu Tong is eight years old and has a delicate appearance. She was raised by her mother and is a bit dull, always keeping her head down.

Shao Ning and Shao Ming are the same age, but Shao Ning is a bit shorter than Shao Ming. He looks listless and lacks energy.

The youngest, Chu Qing, is the same age as Shao Qiu from the Shu Wen family. After she was born, Sister-in-law Jiang didn't take much care of her; Jiang's mother looked after her most of the time, and she was rather thin and frail.

Once everyone had arrived, the children went to play, and the others went into the living room.

Before long, Jiang Lan and her new son-in-law arrived.

"Father, Mother, we're back."

Jiang Lan looked radiant, dressed in a bright red dress, her hair styled in a woman's bun with two gold hairpins, and she wore a jade bracelet on her wrist—she had completely transformed herself.

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