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

Farmers don't usually pay attention to these things; they just get up, grab a handkerchief, wipe their face, and that's considered washing up.

Miss Mei was surprised that this farmer was so particular.

They rinse their mouths with leaf water before meals. Her family used to rinse their mouths with tea water, so I was quite curious and wondered what kind of leaves they used.

Following the trail, it looks like bamboo leaves?

"It's bamboo leaves."

Xu Zhuzhu smiled with her eyes narrowed, chewing on a bamboo leaf as she answered, "Sister, would you like some too?"

Miss Mei suddenly realized, looking as if she had just understood.

She had been unconscious for days and hadn't washed or brushed her teeth. She didn't notice it until she started talking about it, and then she felt her mouth was sticky and uncomfortable, so she took some medicine.

Zhang He was afraid that raw bamboo leaves would cut her mouth, so she specially boiled the bamboo leaf water, which had a refreshing fragrance. The bamboo leaves could also be used to pick her teeth, which was very convenient.

"This was my father's idea. Originally, he used willow branches, but unfortunately, there are no willows available now."

While reluctantly rinsing her mouth, Xu Zhuzhu proudly explained the origin of the bamboo leaf water to Miss Mei.

Miss Mei smiled and praised, "Your father is truly ingenious."

But upon closer listening, she suddenly realized that the two children's accents were not the same as those of the locals in Qingshan Town.

The locals often spoke with a drawn-out, mumbled accent, but the family spoke clearly and openly, which made her curious about the family's origins.

"Little sister, you're not from around here, are you?"

This was the topic that Xu An was most interested in. Upon hearing this, he immediately shook his head, eager to prove that his hometown, Qingzhou, was not...

However, halfway through her sentence, Xu Zhuzhu gently tugged at Xu An, signaling him not to answer carelessly or reveal too much about himself.

Besides, their household registration has been transferred to Tingzhou. If they're not from here, where are they from?

Xu An understood and quickly corrected himself, "Of course not, we are from Laoya Village, but my parents often take my sister and me around to do business, and we only came back to the village to stay before the New Year."

That's a good excuse.

Xu Zhuzhu raised her eyebrows; her brother was still quite clever.

As the three were talking, Zhang He, carrying a hoe, and Xu Wenjie, carrying a shoulder pole, returned from the vegetable garden in the backyard.

There was still more than half a bag of potatoes left, and they hadn't been planted yet. Zhang Heshi saw that it was almost noon, so she stopped and rushed home to make lunch. She planned to plant the rest in the afternoon.

Upon entering the courtyard, I unexpectedly saw a graceful young woman standing there, chatting and laughing with her two children.

For a moment, I didn't realize it was Zhu Xiang from Wang Dashan's house in the village. Looking at that figure, I thought it was Zhu Xiang coming to visit.

Only when Zhang He saw that the girl was wearing her own padded jacket did she realize her mistake and was overjoyed.

However, Miss Mei also heard the noise behind her and turned around to meet the couple's gaze.

Before either side could exchange a single word, Miss Mei strode up to Zhang He and his wife and knelt down with a thud.

Her eyes were moist, and her voice choked with emotion:

"...As the saying goes, the kindness of saving a life is greater than heaven. My elder brother and sister-in-law saved me twice, which is a life-saving grace to me. I only regret that I am now destitute and have no way to repay them. If there is a future, I will definitely work like an ox or a horse to repay the kindness of my elder brother and sister-in-law."

After saying that, before the two could react, he slammed his forehead against the ground.

Zhang He was startled, her eyes went blank, and her mind hadn't quite caught up yet. It was Xu Wenjie who reacted quickly and pulled her up.

"Young lady, you mustn't do that!"

Their eyes met, and a hint of surprise flashed across both of their eyes.

Xu Zhuzhu noticed that her father's expression was even more varied than her mother's when he first saw Miss Mei.

He thought to himself: It's not like we've never met before.

Xu Zhuzhu, who was drinking porridge from a bowl, surprisingly caught her father's fleeting, subtle expression so quickly this time.

Her father's brows furrowed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

It wasn't amazing, it was astonishing.

To be honest, it's been her mother taking care of Miss Mei these days. Her father always avoids suspicion, after all, there's a difference between men and women. Her father only asks a few questions every day. As for other intimate matters, her mother handles them. Her father rarely sees her.

It's normal to be surprised.

Perhaps it was a difference of heart, or perhaps it was genuine gratitude for the Xu family's life-saving grace.

After regaining her senses, Zhang He took a closer look and found that this Miss Mei was much easier to get along with this time. She was no longer as cold as she had been last time, so she quickly stepped forward to help her up.

"Yes, it's good that you're alright, young lady. There's no need to be so polite. The person who truly saved you must be someone else."

Then they talked about Li Quanfu and his wife.

Mei had already heard Xu Zhuzhu's account, and now, hearing Zhang He's more detailed explanation, she was even more moved, repeatedly expressing her gratitude.

When Zhang He saw that she had a bowl in her hand and that her daughter was engrossed in drinking porridge, she knew what had happened.

He then personally led her over, ladled out a full bowl of porridge, and handed it to Miss Mei.

“I felt I should cook more this morning, and now I’ve done the right thing. Drink plenty of it; you’ve been so lethargic these days, you can’t eat anything but rice porridge…”

Mei's eyes reddened even more. She gratefully accepted the porridge and buried her head in it, drinking it. Although her throat was choked with emotion, her heart felt warm. When no one was watching, she quickly wiped her eyes...

After finishing the porridge, Miss Mei still wanted to help in every way, such as washing the dishes and vegetables.

Zhang He saw that she had just woken up. Although she was still weak and her hands and feet were a little stiff, she worked very efficiently, which showed that she was used to doing it. However, after trying to persuade her several times, Zhang He could not persuade her to stop, so she stopped trying to stop her.

However, he was even more puzzled and couldn't help but be curious about the girl's background.

Xu Zhuzhu was even more curious.

Seeing that Miss Mei was gradually lowering her guard, Zhang He asked her about her background.

"Last time we parted in haste, I only knew that your surname was Mei, but I didn't know where you were from."

This was just basic politeness, the most normal thing to say, but it made Miss Mei's hand tighten noticeably as she washed the dishes, as if something sad had been brought up, causing her to fall into a long silence.

Just like last time, she still refused to say much when the past was mentioned.

This time, she only managed a forced smile before speaking in a relaxed tone, "I came from Jiangzhou County to find my relatives."

Jiangzhou is located north of Xutong Prefecture and close to the neighboring Huaiqing Prefecture. It is named Jiangzhou because the only major river in Xutong Prefecture is called Changjiang. It has a superior geographical location, connecting east-west waterways and north-south land routes, so the imperial court sent troops to guard it.

Compared to Tingzhou, Jiangzhou was a prosperous county town. When his family fled, they passed through Jiangzhou. Although they did not enter the city, they could tell from the clothing of the people coming and going in Jiangzhou that the people there lived a very wealthy life.

Xu Zhuzhu remembered that when this girl came last time, she was dressed very well, which showed that she was well-off in Jiangzhou.

Although she said she no longer had a home and that her parents had passed away, her extraordinary demeanor and speech spoke volumes.

It's pitiful that someone has ended up here alone; now it seems they probably haven't even found their relatives!

It's the same as their family seeking refuge with the Liang family.

Seeing that the person in front of her had become even more depressed, Zhang He didn't press further and instead brought up the story of how the Li couple had saved her.

"...The couple are kind people. These days, they come over every few days to ask if you have woken up. They have used up almost half a bottle of the wound medicine. You should thank them properly."

When the conversation turned to other topics, Ms. Mei became more talkative, but she only smiled and expressed her gratitude.

His eyes were still empty, showing that his mind was elsewhere and he was lost in thought.

Zhang He also noticed this. She had been getting up early to work in the fields, but now she felt tired and gradually stopped saying anything more.

Seeing that Miss Mei was depressed, he suggested that the two children accompany her for a walk around the village to help her relax and clear her mind.

"...After all, you've been lying down for so long, you must be tired of it. Now that you're awake, go for a walk and clear your head."

Miss Mei nodded hesitantly, smiling faintly, though her smile was not yet fully formed.

Xu Zhuzhu was still eating melons when she heard her mother talking about it. She then realized that her brother had run into the house without saying a word, probably studying the ink.

Now she's the only "child" left in the yard.

Zhang He called out twice into the house, and Xu An immediately ran out, his hands still covered in ink, just as Xu Zhuzhu had guessed.

Upon hearing Zhang He's words, Xu An immediately patted his chest and said he would take care of it.

Xu Zhuzhu suddenly felt that something was missing in the yard.

After thinking it over, she suddenly realized that her father had only said a couple of words when he helped Miss Mei up, and then he hadn't made a sound at all.

She glanced back.

Her father was leaning against the wall, still holding a shovel in his hand.

She would occasionally look up at her mother, her eyes downcast, sometimes furrowed, her hands moving slowly, sometimes loosening and sometimes clenching, clearly preoccupied, but it was unclear what she was thinking.