The person who arrived was Su Yuan, followed by his father, mother, sister-in-law, and child.
"Father, Mother, why are you both here?"
Su's mother rushed forward, hugged her, and burst into tears. "You child, you ran so far without telling us. If you had told us, I would have gone with you. You made me worry so much."
Su's father also had tears in his eyes. Liu Huan was not only his daughter-in-law, but also the child they had raised. They loved both of them equally.
Liu Huan couldn't say anything else; she was heartbroken, and the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Sister-in-law Fang Yi quickly stepped forward and pulled the two of them, saying, "Mother, now that you've seen my sister, let's go inside first."
Qiu Rong quickly prepared the meal, and only after everyone had eaten did they chat in the hall.
Liu Huan asked, "Mother, did my brother tell you I was here?"
Mother Su smiled happily, "Yes, if Xiao Shi hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known that such a coincidence could happen. We knew that Shi Shi wrote a letter saying he was coming to Nanchang County to be the magistrate, but we never expected that you would be here as well."
"Over the years, I've had your older brother search everywhere for your whereabouts, but you ungrateful little thing haven't even sent me a single message."
Fang Yi chimed in, "As soon as my uncle told me you were here, my mother packed her things that very night and was leaving the next day."
Looking at Liu Huan, who was no longer the young girl she once was, Su's mother felt a pang of sorrow. "I just wanted to come and keep you company. Please don't despise me. I'm getting old and might pass away one day. I won't be able to die in peace if I don't see you."
Looking at her mother, whose temples were now gray, Liu Huan felt a pang of heartache. Time waits for no one and ages people silently, yet she was not ready to accept this fact.
Liu Huan snuggled into her arms and said coquettishly, "Mother, what are you saying? You and Father will definitely live to be a hundred years old."
Su's mother hugged her tightly, overjoyed. "Why don't you come back to Qingyang County with me? I'll find you a good marriage, even a son-in-law who lives with us. That way, you'll have someone to keep you company when we're gone."
Hearing her say that warmed Liu Huan's heart, and she also came to the conclusion that Su Cheng had not mentioned the child.
"Mom, I'm doing well now. I'll come back to visit you and Dad often in the future."
Su's mother lowered her voice and asked, "You didn't do anything outrageous when you confronted that wicked child, did you?"
Liu Huan laughed until tears almost came out, "Mom, no, he's so busy, he doesn't have time to take care of me."
Mother Su was satisfied. "That's good. If he still dares to be unreasonable now that you've separated, I'll pretend I don't have a son."
The two were having a private conversation, with Fang Yi occasionally chiming in, while Su's father and Su Yuan couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"You guys keep chatting, Da Shi and I are going out for a walk."
Liu Huan stood up. "Father, would you like me to go with you?"
Father Su waved his hand and said, "No need. I can find my way back. You three can have a good chat."
Only after everyone had left did Liu Huan ask, "Mother, did Shitou know you came?"
Su's mother chuckled mischievously, "I don't know. Who's going to tell him? We're here to see you."
Liu Huan led them to see the rooms. There weren't many rooms in the house, so they still had to stay at the prefect's residence.
Seeing that there were so many rooms, Su's mother said, "No need, we can stay with you. There are plenty of rooms."
There are many rooms, one for Anzhi and one for Anran, and one for Xiaolan and Xiaohei as well. In addition, there are two steamed buns for Qiurong and Qiuju. There are no empty rooms in the house.
However, Liu Huan did not intend to tell her; she wanted to wait for the two children to return so that Su's mother could have a surprise.
“Mother, if you come to Nanchang County and don’t stay in Shitou’s place, people will say he is unfilial. Officials are most afraid of that.”
Upon hearing this, Su's mother became somewhat frightened, so she suggested, "Then why don't we just stop looking for him? That way, no one will know that we are his parents."
The idea is good, but it's a bit too ridiculous to travel all that way to a foreign land only to find out that your son is also secretly hiding there.
Fang Yi said from the side, "Mom, we can just sleep there at night and come over during the day, otherwise Uncle Er will be sad."
Su's mother disagreed with this statement and retorted, "He's sad. He's expressionless all day. How can you tell if he's sad? He's more like a heartless person."
Seeing that Su's mother was about to become unhappy, Liu Huan quickly changed the subject and took her to look around elsewhere.
Outside the yamen, Su's father and Da Shi carefully examined the layout of the entire yamen.
"This government office is similar to our county office, and it looks quite grand."
Su's father was proud, saying, "That's where Shi Tou took office, how could it be bad?"
Because their gazes were too direct and they were getting closer and closer, the soldiers guarding the gate drove them away, saying, "This is an important place for government officials; you are not allowed to linger here. You two should go somewhere else."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Su nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I'm just taking a look, I'll be leaving now."
Changbai, who had just returned from his patrol, couldn't help but blink when he saw the two men. He leaned closer before daring to speak, "Master, sir, what are you doing here?"
Su's father looked up, and upon seeing Changbai, quickly lowered his head and pulled Dashi away, saying, "You've mistaken me for someone else."
If he had really mistaken someone for someone else, then he wouldn't have mistaken their actions and voices. He watched as the two of them fled into the alley across the street as if they were being chased, which was in the direction of the Liu family's house.
Changbai found it amusing but dared not delay. He went inside and found Su Yi, who was handling official business. "Master, there's nothing unusual."
Su Yi replied without looking up, "Okay, you go pick up the kids first, I'll come over in a bit."
Seeing that Changbai didn't move, he looked up and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"The old man and the master are here. Did I run into them outside?"
Su Yi frowned. "Who?"
"It was the master and the eldest master. They saw me and then nervously went towards the young lady."
Su Yi immediately dropped what he was holding and went out. He turned back at the door and said, "Remember to pick up the child."
Before Su Yi even opened the door to the Liu family's house, laughter could be heard coming from inside. He pushed the door open with a mixture of helplessness and joy.
"Father, Mother, Elder Brother, and Sister-in-law."
The lively atmosphere instantly cooled down because of his arrival, especially since Su's mother not only stopped smiling but also glared at him fiercely.
Da Shi hurriedly went to greet him, "Shi Tou, aren't you busy anymore?"
Su Yi glanced at everyone and said helplessly, "Even if you're busy, you're still better than me. You came quietly without saying a word."
Su's mother snorted and said, "Hmph, we came to see Huanhuan, not to see you. What are we talking to you about?"
Su Yi knew his mother was still angry, so he went behind her and massaged her shoulders. "Mother, you must be tired from your long journey."
Su's mother showed no mercy, saying, "I'm not tired, I'm just unlucky." Although she said this, she still enjoyed her son's service.
It was only for a short while. Su's mother, feeling sorry for her son, pointed to the stool next to her and said, "Alright, sit down. You don't need to serve me."
Su Yi then asked, "Mother, when did you arrive?"
"..."
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