My best friend is living a famine-stricken life; you're going crazy, I'm farming.

Wang hurriedly returned to the Zhou family home.

I saw a man dressed in blue linen clothes sitting under the eaves, and his granddaughter-in-law was respectfully serving him tea.

The man's face seemed very familiar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it felt strange.

He was only in his twenties when he left, and returned when he was almost forty.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Ms. Wang hurried forward.

Upon seeing Wang, the man immediately stood up, choking back tears, "Mother..."

"Qingshan, is that really you?" Wang's eyes were already blurred with tears. "You unfilial son, you still know how to come back!"

Wang Guihua was also emotional as she watched the mother and son reunite. After the two had finished crying, she stepped forward and said, "Second brother, I didn't expect you to really come back. Did you bring any belongings or luggage with you this time?"

Wang glared at her, "What are you asking about? Hurry up and cook, are you trying to starve our Qingshan to death?"

Wang Guihua pursed her lips, called her daughter-in-law, who was standing there dumbfounded, and told her to go into the kitchen to inquire further.

Liu Liuer said, "Second Uncle only brought two bags of clothes, a woman, and two half-grown children."

"You didn't bring any servants or attendants?"

"No, they walked back."

Upon hearing this, Wang Guihua grinned from ear to ear, "She must be too afraid of attracting attention, so she left the servants and carriages outside. Liu'er, go and get the cured meat from our room and cook it. I'm going to go see the woman you mentioned."

"Yes, they are resting in Mother's room."

Wang Guihua entered the main house of the Wang family from the main hall. The bed sheets and quilt covers in the main house had all been changed. A few days ago, Zhou Qinghe went back to the restaurant where he used to work as an accountant and received a letter from Zhou Qingshan asking him to come back. The Wang family was preparing to entertain him.

A woman was sitting on the bed, while a boy and a girl were sleeping soundly, sprawled out on their backs.

Wang Guihua smiled obsequiously, "You must be Wan'er, the one Qingshan mentioned? You are indeed a beauty."

Lin Wan'er's eyes were wary. "Who are you?"

"I am Qingshan's sister-in-law."

"Oh."

Oh?

Wang Guihua disliked this attitude, but considering that they had traveled a long way and it was normal for them not to want to talk, she politely said, "You should rest well, the meal will be ready soon."

"Hmm." Lin Wan'er nodded, her expression indifferent.

Wang Guihua thought to herself, "Pah!" and her eyes inadvertently scanned the entire room. Apart from a few bundles at the foot of the bed, there was indeed nothing there.

That bundle must have contained a lot of money.

She had always known that Zhou Qinghe's younger brother was a capable person.

Fifteen years ago, everyone was struggling to get enough to eat. It was Zhou Qingshan who earned money by going from street to street that was able to support his family.

Later, Zhou Qingshan had an accident, and everyone thought he was dead. Later, Zhou Qinghe received a letter, along with a twenty-tael silver note.

Only then did everyone realize that Zhou Qingshan was not dead. In the letter, he wrote that he had saved a young lady from a wealthy family and received a reward. The young lady's family wanted him to marry into their family, but they felt guilty towards their wife and children.

He only expressed his remorse in the letter and didn't say anything else.

Since Yang was illiterate, all the information she knew was what Zhou Qinghe, or rather, the Zhou family, wanted to tell her.

Wang secretly discussed with Zhou Qinghe that, based on the twenty taels of silver notes that Zhou Qingshan brought back, they could imagine how wealthy the family that wanted to marry him into the family must be.

If he marries into the Zhou family, they will never lack food or clothing.

However, this matter cannot be known to Madam Yang, otherwise she will definitely make a scene, and it will be bad if everyone finds out.

Therefore, the Zhou family insisted that Zhou Qingshan had died outside. Wang Shi, on the grounds that the Zhou family was too talkative and should not implicate Yang Shi and her son, separated the two of them and made them live separately.

It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with the food the mother and son had, but mainly because she would inevitably have to send messages to Qingshan in the future, and she didn't want Yang to know.

Furthermore, if you tell Zhou Qingshan that his wife has found another husband, he shouldn't worry and can go ahead and marry into the family.

However, after separating from the Yang family, before he could even send out the letter, he received another letter from Zhou Qingshan, saying that the young lady—that is, the Lin family—was forcing him to marry into the family, and he really couldn't refuse or come back.

Feeling guilty, he brought another ten taels of silver to give his wife and children a better life.

However, Yang never even glanced at that money.