Amidst laughter and cheerful chatter, we finally arrived at Anping Village.
As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they attracted a lot of onlookers because the Lu family's procession was quite long this time. He Jiuniang and her group returned in three carriages, and there was one carriage from the shop, making a total of four carriages, forming a small convoy that was quite impressive.
"Oh my, the Lu family is getting better and better. We can't even afford an oxcart, but they buy horse-drawn carriages like they're free!"
"Who says otherwise? Wait a minute, we don't recognize these carriage drivers. Could they not be members of the Lu family?"
"If it's not the Lu family, then whose is it? We don't know them. Maybe they're from the prefectural city. Doesn't the third son's wife of the Lu family live in the prefectural city?"
"Do you think the third daughter-in-law of the Lu family is going to marry into a wealthy family in the prefectural city? She hasn't come back for so long!"
"What nonsense are you talking about! They're just treating patients in the prefectural city! Besides, I vaguely remember hearing the Lu family mention that their third son has been found and is also in the prefectural city. The young couple is living a good life in the prefectural city!"
"Oh my, the Lu family seems to have all the good things in the world. It's truly enviable!"
...
The villagers watching from the roadside were talking amongst themselves, their voices uncontrollable, and He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan heard them all.
Most families in the village now have someone working in the Lu family's workshop. They remember the Lu family's kindness and naturally wouldn't say anything bad. He Jiu Niang didn't care about these harmless speculations.
As soon as they arrived at the Lu family's door, a group of children jumped out of the car and ran towards their home, shouting loudly, "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle and Aunt are back!"
As soon as he got home, the maturity that Lei Zi had shown in front of Lianhua vanished. He seemed to have become the ordinary eldest grandson of the Lu family again, carrying his little schoolbag and running to report to his family in a loud voice.
Sun was scolding Old Man Lu. Lately, the old man had become increasingly smug. Whenever his son and daughter-in-law showed him any filial piety, he couldn't wait to go out and show off. Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often, it would inevitably make people jealous and disgusted. Sun told him to be more low-key and not to attract hatred.
Just then, she heard her eldest grandson run in and say that the third son and his wife had returned. She was stunned for a moment, then left Old Man Lu aside and ran to the door to see.
"Ms. Sun, I'm back! Aren't you happy? Did you miss me?"
As soon as He Jiuniang got out of the car, she saw Sun Shi running out. Worried that the old lady had hurt her back, she rushed over to hug her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
Sun had never liked He Jiu Niang calling her that, but hearing it now made her feel incredibly warm. Life without her third son's wife was truly dull!
Although she was secretly delighted, the old lady still wiped her face with a look of disgust and said, "Who misses you? I miss my son!"
"Ugh, this is so painful. Is it really that hard to admit you miss me?"
He Jiuniang, acting like a drama queen, pouted as if she was about to cry, and unsurprisingly, she got slapped by Sun Shi.
"How old are you? Still talking nonsense all day long!"
The old lady didn't use any force at all. Besides, after hitting him, she casually asked, "Did the third brother bully you?"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
He Jiuniang grinned. She still wouldn't admit that she missed her. If she really missed her son, would she not look at where Lu Baichuan was for a long time, but instead ask her if she had been bullied?
"He didn't bully me; the only one who can bully me is you, Ms. Sun!"
Seeing that she was being improper, Mrs. Sun raised her hand to slap her again.
At that moment, Lu Baichuan walked over, pulled He Jiuniang behind him, and called her "Mother" in a very polite manner.
Sun gave him a disapproving look. What did he mean by pulling her behind him? Was he afraid she would bully his wife?
Mrs. Sun was extremely angry, but there was nothing she could say; it was a good thing that her son loved his wife.
Qin Shi and Lu Guilan rushed over from the workshop after hearing the news.
By now, Qin's belly was starting to show, and she was walking slowly, so Lu Guilan helped her along the way.
Everyone spoke to He Jiuniang first before looking at Lu Baichuan.
Qin was alright. She said something and called out to her third brother, "It's good that you're back." Her mood seemed normal.
But Lu Guilan was different; as soon as she called out "Third Brother," her eyes were already brimming with tears.
She was, after all, his own sister, and Lu Guilan was still very worried about him after all these years of no news.
Lu Baichuan released He Jiuniang's hand and took the initiative to hug his younger sister.
"I'm back, don't cry."
Faced with this situation, Lu Baichuan was not good with words. He could only tell his family that he had returned safely. It was really not appropriate to reveal too much else. The more he said, the more heartbroken they would feel, so it was not really necessary.
"Our family is finally reunited!"
Lu Guilan sniffed, and a smile finally bloomed on her face.
Lu Baichuan said, "Yes, we're reunited. You're a mother of two now, so don't cry."
Seeing her daughter like this, Mrs. Sun couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed when she thought of the scene when she reunited with her son.
At that time, her dog had just been found after it went missing, and then her son also came back. She experienced such great joy and sorrow at the same time, and it was really hard for her to bear.
"Alright, alright, Ms. Sun, don't cry. You won't look good if you cry."
He Jiuniang took her arm to comfort her, and Sun Shi's emotions, which were almost out of control, vanished instantly after He Jiuniang's interruption.
"Go on in, go on in. You didn't even tell us you were coming back, leaving everyone unprepared! I'll have the second son go buy some mutton and kill a few chickens and ducks..."
After Sun recovered, she started getting busy again as usual. He Jiuniang looked at her with a smile and thought that the little old lady was cuter when she looked like this. Crying and whining was not good at all.
Are neither my older brother nor my sister-in-law home?
He Jiuniang looked around but couldn't find Lu Laoda and Yu Shi.
Madam Qin said, "My elder brother went to learn the craft of goldsmithing, and my sister-in-law went to a restaurant to learn cooking. They won't be back until evening!"
He Jiuniang nodded in understanding. She had mentioned it briefly in a letter before, so she probably knew about it and was just asking casually.
In fact, Madam Yu didn't need to learn any cooking skills at all. She was already a very good cook. As long as He Jiuniang gave her a few recipes, she could open a restaurant. However, Madam Yu felt that she couldn't rely on He Jiuniang for everything and still wanted to go out and learn more to broaden her horizons.
He Jiuniang naturally supported such a positive and inspiring idea; she could simply send them a recipe book when they opened their restaurant.
However, she hadn't expected that Lu would go to learn the goldsmith's craft so soon. She thought it would be a few more months before he could go, since her brother had said he would keep an eye on the medicinal herbs before leaving home. She wondered if he had been persuaded by his family.
That's good; striving for one's dreams is something to be encouraged.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com