No, I was just a concubine, how did I become the queen?

Dujuan treated him as his younger brother, so she naturally didn't blame him. Instead, she quickened her pace to catch up.

The group climbed for a long time before they saw the Shuikou Pavilion at the entrance of the village.

This pavilion is built on the only river in the village, which is the water outlet of the village and is considered a local custom.

Xiaodengzi spent most of his childhood here. The adults chatted here and the children played freely around.

Recalling the scenes in his memory, tears fell from his eyes, but his mouth was grinning.

"Here we are, here we are," he muttered, pulling at his sleeves to wipe away his tears.

It was afternoon now, and people were probably still working, so there was no one in the Shuikou Pavilion.

But he felt more at ease when there was no one around. After all, he had become a eunuch. If his fellow villagers asked him about it, it would be difficult for him to answer.

He trotted all the way, following the path he remembered, and ran to the door of his home.

But the ruins before him made him a little confused: "Huh? Did Mom and Dad move?"

Then, he remembered that his fellow villagers said that his three brothers built new houses after they got married, and he understood.

He slapped his forehead and said in annoyance, "Oh, I guess they moved somewhere else. I said there's no other residential land near where I live."

"But I also forgot to ask my fellow villagers where their new house was built."

Wushan Village is not big but not small either, and there are quite a few households in the village, so you certainly can’t guess the number by guessing.

Xiao Dengzi was so anxious that his forehead was covered with sweat. He turned around and saw an old man coming down the mountain with a cane.

He ran over and asked, "Uncle, do you know where this family moved to?"

The old man spoke in a southern dialect: "What? I don't understand~~"

Xiao Dengzi quickly changed his accent and said, "Where did this Li Datou family move to?"

He gestured with his hands and feet, pointing to his dilapidated old house.

The old man finally understood and shook his head: "Alas, this family has long been extinct."

"What?" Xiaodengzi's heart skipped a beat. He asked, "That's impossible. Aren't all three sons of this family married?"

The old man rolled his cloudy eyes and said, "He died a long time ago! There is no one left!"

"Dead? No one is left?" Xiao Dengzi's brain seemed to be filled with paste, and he could not understand the meaning of this sentence at all.

He thought, this is impossible. He gave the money, so how come his family members still died?

Then he thought of his fellow townsman, who said that his three brothers were all married.

How come...he died?

He didn't believe it and retorted loudly: "What nonsense are you talking about, old man? Are you senile and confused? You are talking nonsense here!"

"How dare you curse my relatives so casually!"

Yes, not all villagers are simple and honest.

There are always some people who can't stand others doing well. Maybe this old man is one of them. He is jealous of their family's good life!

Xiao Dengzi pinched his palms tightly, telling himself not to panic, he could still ask someone else.

This person is not related to his family in any way, so he definitely doesn't understand his family's situation and is just talking nonsense.

"Yes, I'll go find my uncle. He definitely won't lie to me!"

The little stool was shaking as he walked away, one step deep and one step shallow. He didn't even hear the cuckoo calling from behind.

Dujuan and Shisan Niang looked at each other and saw worry in each other's eyes.

They quickened their pace to catch up, watching the small stool stumble and fall twice before it finally arrived in front of a small courtyard gate.

One of his shoes had already fallen off, and he was covered in mud. He banged on the gate vigorously: "Uncle! Uncle! Come out quickly!"

He shouted heartbreakingly, but no one in the yard responded.

Du Juan stepped forward and held him back: "Everyone is probably working in the fields right now, there's no one at home."

"Little Stool, don't be anxious, we'll ask slowly~~"

She looked at the stool with some pity, and could hardly hold back the tears in her eyes.

I even felt a little guilty. If I had known this would be the result, I would have rather not let him go home.

In the current situation, they have already guessed what kind of role his fellow townsman in the capital plays.

Xiao Dengzi usually listens to Du Juan the most, but at this moment he couldn't hear a word she said.

He banged on the door vigorously, his palms were already bloody...

"Hey! What are you doing?" an angry voice came.

Turning around, they saw a gray-haired man rushing towards them with a hoe in his hand.

The little stool said in surprise: "Uncle, uncle, it's me! I'm Lengzi!"

When he was at home, his nickname was Lengzi, and he was sold before he even had a real name.

Later in the palace he was called Xiao Dengzi, and the name Lengzi seemed a little unfamiliar to him.

But the man opposite did not feel unfamiliar. He stood not far away, put down the hoe in his hand, and looked at him carefully.

He focused on observing Xiaodeng's expression and the material of his clothes, and then he was filled with ecstasy.

"Oh, Lengzi, you're still alive. That's great, that's great!" Uncle Li almost cried with laughter. "The second brother's family still has descendants. That's great, great!"

Xiao Dengzi was stunned and said, "What do you mean by a family with descendants? I have three older brothers, all of whom have started families. Doesn't my eldest brother have a son?"

The descendants of his father's branch of the family could not be with him, no matter which of his three brothers they were with.

Uncle Li then remembered that the child had been away for several years and of course he didn't know what was going on at home.

He shook his head and said, "Oh, don't mention it. Your parents and brothers have been buried for a long time."

He was still the one who managed the future generations. As the eldest brother, he had done his best.

"Don't blame me. Life is really hard. I have seven or eight mouths to feed at home. I can't support them..."

"Dead...dead?" Xiao Dengzi's tears gushed out like a floodgate opened.

It was unknown how long he cried before Dujuan took him into Uncle Li's garden and sat him down.

But she didn't know how to persuade him not to be sad, because it was impossible not to be sad.

Just like when her mother and brother passed away, she wished she could die with them.

It was Uncle Li who spoke up again: "Don't cry, Lengzi. Your parents will be relieved that you are alive."

The second brother thought that the youngest son who was sold must have died long ago, otherwise why there was no news of him for so many years.

When she was dying, she was still holding his hand, worried about her youngest son.

Unexpectedly, the youngest son is so capable and has grown into a decent man.

"Why? Why is this happening?" Xiao Dengzi couldn't understand. "I clearly send money back every month..."

"What? Send money? You didn't even send a word back!" Uncle Li was stunned.

When Xiao Dengzi mentioned that fellow villager, Uncle Li flew into a rage: "Wang Ergou, you're such a jerk! It turns out your three sons got married using my second brother's life-saving money!"