Madam Feng never confided her secrets to anyone. As time passed, those who had once been with her, whether they had enjoyed glory or suffered hardship, eventually returned to dust. After being buried in a mound of yellow earth, all grudges and resentments vanished with the wind. Madam Feng was quite content with her current state of mind and increasingly enjoyed the life of wandering in the mountains.
When she woke up in the morning and listened to Chen Mama's description of the Xu family, Madam Feng felt that the Xu family children were just like the young ladies of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion back then. They were so energetic that they made people feel warm and cozy, just like the sun in the sky. Didn't she see her favorite great-grandson lying on the wall and watching the noise?
The horses neighed, the wind howled, and the wheels rumbled. Through the carriage window, Old Madam Feng saw the distant city walls and her children and grandchildren standing not far from the city gate, who had come to pick her up. Old Madam Feng felt that this magnificent city was actually a shackle for many people, locking their lives inside. Looking at the gray city walls, Old Madam Feng felt her once lively heart become melancholy again. It seemed that she really was not suited to live in this city.
It wasn't until lunchtime that the Zhang family's convoy finally arrived in the distance.
Zhang Zhaoci was so excited that she wanted to run over to greet them, but Granny Lu persuaded her not to. However, she still walked a long way, knelt in front of the Zhang family elders' carriage, and kowtowed three times with tears streaming down her face.
Xu Di and the others naturally followed, kneeling behind Zhang Zhaoci. The elderly couple from the Zhang family had already gotten out of the car. Seeing Zhang Zhaoci kneeling on the ground, they walked over in a few steps, hugged him in their arms, and cried their hearts out.
Those serving nearby all had tears in their eyes, and it was only after Zhang Zhaocheng and his brothers comforted them that they calmed down. When they arrived at the post station, hot soup and food were served. Zhang Zhaoci served his parents lunch and exchanged a few pleasantries before being urged to hurry back to the city. A few snowflakes had already started to fall from the sky, and if they didn't leave soon, the snow would get heavier and the roads would become difficult to travel.
After returning to the city, the caravan drove directly into the Zhang family's gate, where Zhang Zhaoci helped the elderly couple get off the carriage.
Grandma Zhang stood in front of the carriage, looked at the surrounding scenery, and her eyes immediately reddened. She said, "Twenty years have passed, and we've finally come back."
The old man of the Zhang family nodded in agreement, wiping away tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, and said, "Yes, I never thought I would be able to return to this ancestral home in my lifetime. Every blade of grass and every tree is just as it was when we left."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Father, Mother, the snow is getting heavier and heavier. Let's go back inside first, sit down and have a proper talk. My elder brother has put in a lot of effort for this house these past two years. You two only see that the house is the same as before, but do you know how much my elder brother has worried about so that when we come back, we won't feel like we've been away for so many years?"
Zhang Zhaocheng said with a smile, "My sister is trying to get credit for me."
The old man from the Zhang family said with a smile, "You siblings have all made contributions, you have all made contributions. Your mother and I will remember them."
After arriving at the main house, the elderly couple sat down. Zhang Zhaocheng led the whole family to pay their respects to the elderly couple again. The elderly couple had prepared many gifts and distributed them to everyone one by one, especially to Zhang Yuyuan, Xu Zhi, and Xu Bai, whom they had never met before.
Grandma Zhang held Xu Zhi's hand and looked her over carefully. Then she said to her daughters-in-law, "Your little niece looks just like your sister when she was little, but she's even more beautiful. And your brother-in-law is a very handsome man."
The four daughters-in-law sitting next to Old Mrs. Zhang were Zhang Zhaoci's sisters-in-law, and the younger one, who looked quite young, was her brother's wife. The other three were from the north, while the youngest daughter-in-law was from the south. She was said to be the eldest daughter of a prominent local family and was somewhat timid upon her arrival.
This is Zhang Yukang's biological mother. The couple has been married for over ten years and only has this one child. It is said that she had a difficult childbirth and has been taking medicine to recuperate ever since. Many people in the Zhang family understand medical principles and believe that once her health is restored, whether or not she can have more children in the future is up to fate and cannot be forced.
Zhang Yukang held a jade pendant given to him by his grandfather, rubbed it for a while, then went up to his mother and said with a grin, "Mother, please keep it for me, I'm afraid I'll lose it by accident."
Zhang Zhaoqin's wife, surnamed Bai, saw her son, whom she hadn't seen for over two years, snuggle up to her. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. Holding her child's hand, she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow, and tears streamed down her face.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Yukang quickly wiped away her tears and said, "Oh dear, Mother, what's wrong? We're home now, aren't we? Look, I've been working hard these past two years. I've grown a lot taller and learned a lot from my teacher. Mother, I'll get you my homework to look at later."
Zhang Yuyuan was nominally Bai's child and always followed behind Zhang Yukang. When he saw Zhang Yukang come over to pay his respects to Bai, he naturally followed. However, Bai hugged Zhang Yukang and cried, leaving him standing helplessly behind Zhang Yukang.
Zhang Zhaoqin came over, took Zhang Yuyuan's hand, and said to Bai Shi, "Stop crying, everyone's home now. We'll see each other every day from now on. This is Yuyuan, our son."
Not long after Zhang Zhaoqin married Bai, she went on a long trip and told Bai that Zhang Yuyuan met a girl she knew from the past at that time. They drank together and she got pregnant. Later, the girl fell ill, and when the child was six years old, she asked someone to send her a message. By the time Zhang Yuqin arrived, the girl had already passed away. It took a lot of effort to find the child.
This Bai woman was a gentle person who listened to Zhang Zhaoqin's every word and believed whatever Zhang Zhaoqin said. It was because of this that Zhang Yuyuan was registered under Zhang Zhaoqin's name.
After letting go of Zhang Yukang, Bai took Zhang Yuyuan's hand, looked him over carefully, and said with teary eyes, "Child, you have suffered all these years. Your parents will definitely love you well from now on."
Perhaps thinking of her own mother, who was still in the cold palace, Zhang Yuyuan burst into tears after being pulled by Bai Shi. When Bai Shi pulled her into her arms, she began to sob.
This crying surprised everyone in the hall, especially Xu Di. It had been almost two years since they met, and the only time this little guy cried was when he took Xu Di to Ganzhou because someone was injured. He hadn't shed a single tear since then. This sudden crying surprised Xu Di greatly.
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