The next day, before dawn, Tian Yu and Chen Chong packed up and prepared to leave. Tian Yu was worried about the two children who were still sleeping. Luckily, Gouzi had already arrived when they left, saying he would stay and take them home for breakfast when they woke up. Only then did Tian Yu feel relieved and leave with Chen Chong. Because they left early, the city gates had just opened when they entered the city. They went to the morning market and ordered half a pork belly and tofu, agreeing on a pickup time. They specifically asked the butcher to leave some offal and blood. They also bought several live chickens, a basket of eggs, seasonings, rice, noodles, and other necessities, as well as pots, pans, and other utensils. Tian Yu had originally planned to buy some fish, but Chen Chong said that if they bought them now, they would die and become inedible; they should catch a few from the village river later. Tian Yu agreed and didn't buy any. By the time they finished buying the items, it was already noon. The three of them grabbed a quick bowl of noodles by the roadside and then headed to the furniture street to look at several shops. Tian Yu finally chose three wooden beds, three wardrobes, two sets of desks and bookshelves, a living room table and chairs, two sets of women's dressing tables, and some home decorations and study supplies. Because they bought so much, the shopkeeper gave them the biggest discount, bringing the total to fifty taels of silver. The three wooden beds were the most expensive, and they also gave her a few free vases and ornaments. Actually, Tian Yu had only chosen ordinary furniture; she hadn't dared to choose the better, more finely crafted pieces yet, estimating that a single bed would cost hundreds or even thousands of taels. They arranged with the shopkeeper for delivery the next day and paid half a deposit. After selecting the furniture, they went to the clothing store where they had previously bought clothes to get some summer clothes for the three of them, and also bought a few summer outfits for Chen Chong. Finally, they bought some pastries and small toys for Tangyuan and Xiaoju, and also picked up a few jars of wine before leaving the city to go home. By then, the sun was already beginning to set.

As they left the city gate, Tian Yu wondered why she hadn't seen Li Yong that day. She had originally planned to tell him that they were going drinking together in three days and to remind him to bring the five young soldiers, but she hadn't seen him all day. On the way back, Zhao, the coachman, was in a hurry, so the carriage was quite bumpy. Tian Yu drifted off to sleep, leaning on Chen Chong's shoulder. But as soon as she fell asleep, she dreamed that Tangyuan had fallen into the river and was calling for her help. Tian Yu desperately called out to Tangyuan and was about to jump into the water to save her when Chen Chong woke her up. Tian Yu was startled, but thankfully it was just a dream. Looking around at the scenery, she realized they were almost home, and she felt relieved.

By the time the carriage reached the village entrance, the sun had already set, and smoke was rising from every household in the village. From afar, they could see someone waiting at the village entrance, and as they got closer, they could see that it was Li Yong. Before Tian Yu could even get out of the carriage, she heard Li Yong shout, "Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law is finally back!"

"Sister-in-law!?" She got up and got out of the car, glancing at Chen Chong. Chen Chong was also confused. Last time she called her "sister," so why did she change her address this time?

Tian Yu looked at Li Yong, who greeted her with a smile, and felt that his smile was particularly warm, but when he looked at Chen Chong, there was a hint of anger in his eyes. Tian Yu still smiled and said, "Who is your sister-in-law? Don't call me that! What are you doing here?"

"You're my sister-in-law! My brother sent me to pick you up!" Li Yong said provocatively to Chen Chong.

"Your older brother!?" Upon hearing his words, Tian Yu's mind went blank for a moment, and she blurted out, "Your older brother...!?"

"My elder brother is Marquis Zhao Moyan of Zhenbei!" Li Yong exclaimed loudly.

Tian Yu almost lost her balance upon hearing only the name, having completely ignored what came before. Chen Chong caught her, and Tian Yu glanced at him, noticing his furrowed brows and apparent surprise. She steadied herself and asked again, "Where...where is he?!"

"Tangyuan and I are waiting for you at home. Let me come out and see." Before Li Yong could finish speaking, Tian Yu heard the name Tangyuan and ran home, ignoring Li Yong and Chen Chong's shouts behind her. She stumbled and staggered into the house. The house was brightly lit, and Xiaoju was squatting in front of the door. Tian Yu approached the yard, and inside, a tall, slender figure in fine clothes stood under the lamplight, just like the figure she had seen riding by that day. But he was different from the thin figure in her dream. However, Tian Yu remembered that head of long, black, shiny hair, because she had once marveled at how a man could have such smooth, black hair. Tian Yu stood at the gate, not daring to approach, only to hear Tangyuan's voice coming from behind, as if asking, "Are you really my father?"

Then a clear, calm, and detached voice rang out: "I'm not sure. You'll have the answer when you see your mother."

Hearing their voices felt like a dream to Tian Yu. She slowly approached, step by step. Xiao Ju stood up first and called out "Auntie." Tang Yuan heard this and ran out, calling out "Mother." Zhao Moyan slowly turned around and looked behind her. From a distance of a few steps, Tian Yu saw the face that she could never clearly see in her dream. Before she could look closely, all the pain and suffering that Xiao Tian had endured over the years surged into her heart. At this moment, Tian Yu felt as if she had experienced it herself. A ringing in her ears made her unable to hear anything. She could only vaguely see Tang Yuan calling out "Mother" and saying something, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Zhao Moyan's face kept getting bigger and bigger in front of her! Then everything went black and she collapsed, falling into a familiar, warm embrace. Before losing consciousness, Tian Yu felt Chen Chong catch her from behind and heard Li Yong's shouts. Then she felt a cold body with a faint fragrance approach her. Tian Yu had never smelled this fragrance before; it seemed to be mixed with the scent of ink and books. Then she was lifted up, and Tian Yu completely lost consciousness. In her unconsciousness, Tian Yu once again experienced everything that Xiao Tian had gone through, but this time she saw Zhao Moyan's face, and she and Xiao Tian merged together. Tian Yu could only sigh: "His face is like jade, his figure like a pine tree. This is what they mean by 'a gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world, with a refined air due to his knowledge of poetry and literature.'" Tian Yu thought of all the words of praise she could think of, but none seemed enough. In the end, she could only crudely think that it must have taken some good genes to produce such a refined gentleman. What a pity! What a pity! Yet he had to live in this small village.

Tian Yu was awakened from her sleep by Li Yong's shouts outside, but she only blinked and didn't open her eyes. She sensed Tang Yuan and Zhao Moyan were right beside her, and since she hadn't figured out how to face everything, she decided to pretend to be asleep and wake up when she did. It was just that Tang Yuan and Zhao Moyan recognized each other too quickly. Shouldn't they have kept it a secret for a while? Why did they recognize each other so quickly? While Tian Yu was struggling with this, she heard a cold voice drift from afar: "Since you're awake, get up!" The person was very handsome and had a pleasant voice, but they were so cold, giving off a feeling of being a giant from a thousand miles away.

Tian Yu really didn't want to wake up and wanted to pretend she couldn't hear, but Tang Yuan kept shaking her and calling for her mother. Helpless, Tian Yu had no choice but to bite the bullet and gently make a heart shape with her hands to Tang Yuan, who was lying in front of the bed, and say, "Tang Yuan, be good, Mommy is alright."

"Mommy, you're awake. Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat." Tangyuan smiled and gave Tianyu a heart shape with her hands.

"No need, Mother isn't hungry. Where's Uncle Chen?" Tian Yu looked around the room and saw that there was only Tang Yuan, herself, and Zhao Moyan sitting not far away. When he saw Tian Yu get up, he just glanced at her and continued drinking his tea.

"Uncle Chen was stopped at the door by Uncle Li, who wouldn't let him in."

"What!?" Upon hearing this, Tian Yu threw off the covers and ran out of the room. Zhao Moyan watched her run out, then looked at the shoes in front of the bed, frowned slightly, and continued drinking his tea.