They followed behind Changfu and his four siblings, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
The gatekeeper of the Yan residence had already opened the gates wide to welcome them home.
In the backyard kitchen, the cooks were practically slamming their pots into the stove until they were smoking.
Some of them were cooking, others were chopping vegetables, and the maids were hurrying to carry away the prepared dishes, all so that their masters could have a hot meal as soon as they arrived home.
The maids responsible for washing the masters' hands had already prepared hot water and stood in a row with basins in hand.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks in an orderly manner.
September has arrived in the blink of an eye.
Summer seemed to have turned a new page in an instant.
The heat subsided.
The temperature difference between day and night is increasing.
In the Yan residence, apart from lunch, which remained the same, breakfast and dinner were now eaten in the main hall.
After the roses ripened, Yan Xia returned to Baihua Village to help the flower farmers harvest the roses.
In the evening, after a busy day, Yan Xia finished her dinner and strolled from her home to the village entrance, intending to chat with some people and find out if there was any gossip going on in the village recently.
Just as she was passing by the village head's house, she ran into Bai, the village head's wife.
Bai Zhao Shi.
After a few days apart, she, who was originally a little chubby, had lost a lot of weight and looked more than ten years older.
Bai Zhao's eyes were lifeless; as she brushed past Yan Xia, she resembled a soulless walking corpse.
Yan Xia did not disturb her.
After all, it was their most beloved daughter who made such a scene over a man.
It's normal to feel down.
"Where are you going, my wife!" Bai Lizheng chased after her from inside the house.
He bumped right into Yan Xia.
"Oh, Yan, you're back." The village head hadn't left the house all day, so he naturally didn't know that Yan Xia had returned to the village.
"Yes, she came back early this morning. What's wrong, Auntie?" Yan Xia asked, puzzled, as she watched the village head rushing after Bai Zhao Shi.
Did the two of them have a fight?
“Hey, you know what happened, and I’m not afraid to tell you. Ever since Xiaoxue caused all that trouble, your aunt has been crying at home every day. She’s almost gone blind from crying. After a while, she got a little better, but she’s like a idiot. No matter how you call her, she won’t respond. I don’t even dare to go out to work in the fields now. I watch her at home every day, afraid that she’ll run away. Hey, what a mess this is. She’s getting old, and the house is in this state. The autumn harvest is coming soon, and the fields will only be able to rely on Ruiji and his wife, Xiangsong and Xianglin.”
Bai Li was rubbing his head in frustration.
It seems that a few more strands of hair have fallen out of the already sparse hair.
He was so angry that his health gradually deteriorated. He would cough frequently and have chest pains. He didn't know how many more years he had to live.
"Then you should hurry and chase after her. I think Auntie went in the direction of the river."
Yan Xia didn't dare to talk to the village head any longer.
He was urged to go after Bai Zhaoshi.
"Oh, okay, then you go wander off, I'll go after your aunt."
Bai Lizheng ran very fast and disappeared in no time.
The Bai family's gate was wide open, but there was no movement inside, and it seemed that no one was there. Xiang Song had just taken over the shift in the evening, and when he passed by her house earlier, she was eating. The others were probably in the fields. No wonder the village head came out to chase after them personally.
Yan Xia guessed.
Without thinking much, she went to the village entrance.
The area under the big tree was already full of people.
It seems that all the gossip in the village was born under this big tree.
Several women whose lives were made much better by relying on Yan Xia stood up very attentively when they saw her, and placed the stools they had brought from home under Yan Xia's bottom.
The group almost came to blows while fighting over it.
Yan Xia casually sat down at a relatively new-looking table.
The owner of the bench immediately straightened his back, looking extremely proud.
"Let me tell you, you know Wang Lihua from the Chen family, right? She took her son Zhao'er to town and sold him! Poor thing, I ran into her the other day when I was selling eggs in town. Zhao'er was so well-behaved, such a sensible little thing at only five years old. She was carrying a basket to the mountains to find mushrooms, and she was so skinny. I felt sorry for her, so I shared half of a gray-bread bun with her when we met before. Guess what she said?"
As soon as Yan Xia sat down, the gossip began.
Because the Chen family was mentioned, no one dared to speak, and they all looked at Yan Xia.
Seeing that she didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief and replied.
"What's wrong? Tell me quickly, I'm so worried."
“I met her once before. She was as thin as a monkey, with no flesh on her face. She still called me Grandma Xu so sweetly when she saw me. It broke my heart. I put a wild fruit in her mouth and she smiled so sweetly. If she were my granddaughter, I would cherish her dearly. It’s a pity that my daughter-in-law gave me three grandsons. Sigh.”
While feeling sorry for her, Wang Xu also showed off a bit, earning her countless eye-rolls.
"Alright, alright, don't mention your three grandsons. They're so naughty every day. The other day they even threw stones at my manure vat. Go back and have a good talk with them."
"Don't talk nonsense. My grandson is very well-behaved. How could he possibly smash your manure vat? You must have mistaken him for someone else."
"I'm not blind. How could I mistake someone in broad daylight?"
"Hey, stop arguing, Sui-meizi, just tell me already, stop keeping me in suspense. What did the little girl say? It's driving me crazy. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Just as the two were about to start arguing, they were stopped by a gossipy aunt.
She urged Aunt Sui to speak quickly.
"That little girl actually said, 'Thank you, Grandma Sui, but I want to take it home and eat it with my mother.' Oh my heart, it melted! That Wang Lihua is such a bastard! She only has one daughter, and she treats her like this. The little girl is so thin she's practically skin and bones. Of course, I didn't let her. I stood right next to her and forced her to eat the steamed bun. If I took it back, I'd slap myself five times if she even got a bite! Tsk tsk, she doesn't love her own daughter, but she loves Chen Tiangui, the eldest son of the Chen family. Ever since the Chen family went to jail, that brat has been stealing everywhere."
Last month, he even picked all the cucumbers from my field. That beast! He only picked one or two, and I let it go, out of pity for him, since he's only seven. I couldn't hit him, but he ate one and trampled on it. He ate all seven or eight of the larger ones! That little bastard! Just thinking about him makes me angry. Wang Lihua couldn't make ends meet, so she sold her daughter to raise this beast, Chen Tiangui. Does she think the Chen family will thank her for being released? Just you wait and see! Wang Lihua's worst days are yet to come! You can tell what a person will be like at three years old. Chen Tiangui will either be a petty thief or a street thug; he'll never amount to anything!"
Aunt Sui was so angry that she started cursing.
So much so that saliva was flying everywhere. Yan Xia sat back a little to avoid getting saliva on her.
"Isn't it? I live next to Chen's house. Chen Tiangui likes to say hello at home. Poor little girl, she doesn't even dare to cry. If she cries, Wang Lihua will beat her again. I secretly climbed on the wall to see. Zhao'er's body is bruised and purple, and she doesn't have good skin. Although the girl is worthless, it's the flesh she shed. How can she be so ugly?"
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