After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

Upon hearing this surname, Xu Zhuzhu felt a sense of distance, as if her family hadn't been to town or encountered the Wang family since the last change in the weather.

I don't know if they've learned to back down after hitting a wall, or if the Zhou family has heard some news and started to cherish their reputation.

Zhang He steadied herself and subtly inquired about the matter.

"Since he is the old student's nephew, the new teacher must be young. This is not a bad thing. Young teachers understand students better and can teach better. They are much more interesting than the old fogies."

Li Quanfu nodded without hesitation upon hearing this, as he had indeed met that gentleman as well.

"That's true. That gentleman was handsome and very gentle. He seemed like a good teacher. When I offered him my tuition, he even refused to accept it, only willing to take half..."

Zhang He's slightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed.

She still clung to the hope that perhaps it wasn't the same person.

Regardless of whether it's the same person or not, even if it is, they don't have any impression of it at the moment. If that scholar goes about his own business and doesn't bother their family, then everyone can live in peace.

Xu Zhuzhu felt that, in a word, it was uncertain.

Hu San Niang was unaware of the background. She originally thought that it didn't matter to Li Xiaomo what kind of teacher he received, as long as her son could study hard and learn the principles of being a good person.

"It's getting late, let's head back!"

Hu San Niang then made the suggestion.

Thinking that the matter was over and done with, Zhang He stopped saying anything more and murmured in agreement, "It's good to go back early."

So, after resting for a while, Zhang He gave the eggs that she hadn't finished eating before leaving in the morning to Hu San Niang and her husband. After that, they packed up and headed home.

Although the mother and her two children got up early to go to the market, and it was a market in a small town, they didn't expect that strolling through the streets would take up quite a bit of their time.

Zhang He silently kept this in mind, reminding herself that she should be more frugal in the future and not buy whatever she wanted.

Seeing that the sun was almost setting, and thinking of Xu Wenjie at home, Zhang He quickened her pace.

Luckily, Li Quanfu was there; otherwise, with a basket on her back and two children in tow, she might not have been able to get home until dark!

After several days of sunshine, the muddy snowmelt along the way had mostly dried up. Every road is like that; some are flat and easy to travel, while others are full of potholes. Fortunately, this road was relatively easy to travel on.

The snow-covered scenery in the distant mountains and forests on both sides gradually decreased, but it wasn't completely gone; scattered white snow dotted the mountain peaks.

Hu Sanniang pointed to the distant mountains and sighed, "...Speaking of which, although our village is a well-known poor village in the surrounding area, the scenery here is truly unparalleled. Look at that mountain, isn't it beautiful? Isn't it the mountain behind our village?"

Zhang He looked in the direction of the sound and nodded with a smile. The hilltops looked quite charming from a distance.

"Indeed! When is the right time for us to go up the mountain and take a look, sister-in-law..."

"It looks like we'll have to wait until summer; it seems we won't be able to go this spring..."

Hu San Niang said regretfully.

Along the way, Hu San Niang and Zhang He chatted casually.

Speaking of this, Hu Sanniang was quite curious about what the mountains and forests in the north looked like.

People here are taller than those in the south, so what else about the trees might be different too?

Curious, he asked Zhang He, "People in the north are all so strong and robust, is it because the mountains are also exceptionally high?"

Xu Zhuzhu lay on her mother's back, listening silently. At first glance, what she said seemed funny, a stereotype.

Zhang He thought Hu San Niang was efficient and generous, but in some ways she also had the frankness and cuteness of a little girl, which made her much better than Zhang He.

He then explained with a gentle smile, "No, I don't know about other places, but Qingzhou definitely doesn't have them. The mountains in Qingzhou are all quite low. There are some that are slightly taller, but the trees aren't as dense or as tall as those in the south."

Hu Sanniang lowered her gaze, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

“I’m making a fool of myself in front of He Niang. I’ve never left Qingshan Town since I was a child. The farthest I’ve ever been is within the town itself, which is why I say such ignorant things.”

Hu Sanniang gave an awkward smile.

Zhang He stopped laughing and said in a serious voice.

“What’s the point? We’ve been wandering from place to place. If it weren’t for the war, wouldn’t I have never left Qingzhou Prefecture in my life? Naturally, we all thought that all the mountains and rivers in the world were like Qingzhou, but none could compare to this place. The towering mountains and majestic peaks are truly magnificent…”

Zhang He comforted her.

Xu Zhuzhu also thought it made sense. That's what they said. If they hadn't fled, or if she had spent the first half of her life in Qingzhou, she wouldn't have been able to experience the local customs and culture of many places in this dynasty.

However, now that she thinks about it, she really misses those carefree days in Qingzhou.

Just recently, his brother mentioned Qingzhou, talking about many interesting things that happened in the past, and asked when he could go back.

Now that her mother brought up the topic of their hometown, Xu An's expression was indeed not good. She remained silent and kept her head down even lower.

Xu Zhuzhu was also curious. When she first arrived in Tingzhou, she could occasionally hear some news from her father.

Just before the Lunar New Year, didn't they say they had won a battle?

But recently, those of them in the south have heard almost nothing about the battle. They wonder if General Li, in his old age, is still guarding the land with his grandson, trying to reclaim the lost territory...

While Xu Zhuzhu was thinking, Zhang He and Xu Zhuzhu started talking about going to Qingzhou for a trip together after the war in the north ended.

Hu Sanniang was overjoyed to hear this, "That's great! I've never been there before, and I can finally broaden my horizons..."

The excitement in her voice revealed just how much anticipation Hu San Niang had been waiting for.

While the two were enthusiastically discussing their future plans, Li Quanfu frowned and his steps became heavy.

He muttered to himself, "I'm afraid we can't go back to Qingzhou now."

Zhang He's smile froze, and Xu Zhuzhu was also quite stunned.

Xu An reacted even more strongly, grabbing Li Quanfu's hand and shaking it desperately, "Godfather, are you sure you're not wrong? Why can't we go back?"

Hu San Niang realized that this seemed to be the reason why Li Quanfu had been distracting her husband since the beginning, so she tentatively continued to ask him questions.

"Husband, did my sister-in-law say something?"

She stared intently at Li Quanfu, hoping that the answer he would give would not disappoint her.

But fate is fickle; things just don't always go as planned.

"My brother-in-law sent word that there was a riot in the Xu family's residence next door. The registrar took him there to try and earn some merit, but the reason for the riot was that the entire Qingzhou Prefecture had fallen, General Li had died in battle, and the imperial court wanted to make peace. They issued an order that all refugees should settle in the local area, with the court designating land and fields, and no one could wander around anymore..."

Xu Zhuzhu seemed to be listening to a story, but the story sounded so distant that it made her heart flutter and feel adrift.

Her heavy heart left her speechless.