A master of metaphysics is farming.

As dusk approached, it was already late afternoon.

During the time he opened his shop in the city, Fourth Uncle earned some money, so he had his son find a house nearby, which was convenient for Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt to walk over to work every day.

This huge courtyard is inhabited only by Xiang He's family, Xiang Huiying, and her third grandmother.

Today, the private school let out early, and He Sui'an and Xiang Yang came to the courtyard together.

Fourth Aunt and Third Grandmother prepared a lot of food. Today is the last day of the private school, and they won't have to go tomorrow.

To express their gratitude to He Sui'an, both Su and Xiang Dayong wanted to thank him properly for taking him on as a student and for finding this large courtyard.

It's already December, and the days have flown by; Xiang He is almost in a daze.

Since she arrived here in September, so much has happened, it all seems like yesterday. The biggest difference is that she has met some new people.

For example, the man sitting next to her right now is leisurely reading a book, and the noise around him can't disturb him at all.

Xiang He's lips twitched. "You don't need to work so hard, do you? Dinner's almost ready, and you're still reading..."

He Sui Anwei paused, closed the book, and said, "The high school entrance exam is just around the corner, so we have to be careful."

He sounded so nervous, but his expression was so relaxed; he was clearly determined to win...

"Alright, put down your book and come help."

He Sui'an stood up with a faint smile on her face and followed her into the main room to set up the table and chairs. Xing Ji, who was in the kitchen, wished he could fly over and help immediately, but he was being ordered around by his fourth aunt.

Xiang He wiped the bench and looked up. "If you feel bored these days, you can come here to eat anytime. It's lively with lots of people."

Upon hearing the invitation, He Suian was slightly surprised, then smiled and said, "Then I'll have to bother you."

"Don't bother them. Consider it a special tutoring session for Xiaoyang and Yun. Anyway, you don't have to teach recently."

He Sui'an knew what she was thinking, and he was only trying to be kind.

He seemed to enjoy this kind of gathering, and the day passed by in laughter and conversation, very leisurely.

"I wouldn't say I'd give you special treatment. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me anytime."

As they talked, neither of them mentioned what happened that night, as if it were just an ordinary night. Whether or not someone died on the mountain, Xiang He didn't ask any questions.

Just then, Madam Su brought in the dishes. Seeing He Sui'an working, she quickly called out, "Why are you doing this yourself, sir? Let He'er handle it."

Xiang He pouted, "Mother, who is your biological mother...?"

After setting the dishes down, Madam Su glanced at her and said, "The master is a guest; how can we let a guest do the work?"

“He doesn’t act like a guest at all,” Xianghe followed Su’s footsteps to the kitchen. “Mother, please prepare more cured meat; it’s getting colder and colder.”

"Wake up, your fourth aunt is still busy today."

The two chatted about everyday things, and the ordinary scene was so peaceful that He Sui'an couldn't help but be mesmerized, not even noticing Xing Ji coming out of the kitchen to serve the dishes.

Xing Ji looked at his young master's absent-minded expression, his eyes darkened, but he ultimately said nothing.

-

The whole family sat around the main room and ate to their hearts' content. Xiang Dayong and his fourth uncle even drank a couple of ounces of wine. Now they were sitting in the courtyard chatting.

Xiang He and He Sui'an sat under the eaves. He looked at the red rope that Xiang He was fiddling with and asked in confusion, "What is this for?"

"What do you think?" Xiang He rubbed her fingers together lightly. "It's still a bit lacking..."

That night, the ghost baby almost broke free; I need to find a way to bless it.

I don't know what she's talking about, but I remember that she did have a red string in her hand that night, so it must be related to that night.

Just as she was about to say something, two figures appeared outside the door. One of them rushed in in a panic, heading straight for Xiang He and reaching out to grab her, but Xiang He dodged him.

"Give me back my child!"

The person who came was Xiang Lianmei. Her cotton coat was not buttoned up properly and her hair was disheveled. It seemed that she had come here as soon as she woke up.

Those around her, seeing her furious expression, hurriedly got up and went to Xiang He's side. Madam Su even stood protectively in front of Xiang He with her arms outstretched, asking, "What's wrong? Why are you so angry right from the start?"

Zhang caught up, panting, and grabbed Xiang Lianmei's hand, "You...did you kill my Lianmei's child?!"

Everyone was confused. Fourth Aunt looked at her in surprise, "Didn't Lianmei lose her child half a year ago? How is it related to He'er? Don't make things up just to cause trouble."

Everyone knows about this, so why bring up He Yatou again after so long? It's absurd.

On Xiang Lianmei's gaunt face, her glaring eyes seemed to bulge out. "You're the one who ruined my child! I was clearly... clearly pregnant again... It's because there's something evil in your house!"

Upon hearing this, the usually silent Third Grandmother stepped forward, her face stern. "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! We're living here perfectly well, how come there's something unclean here? Could it be that you've lost your child and want to find someone to blame you for?"

"Exactly! If you're really pregnant, why are you still going around? Why don't you stay home and rest properly?"

With the whole family protecting Xiang He, Zhang Shi's arrogance weakened a bit, but what surprised her even more was Xiang Lianmei's words: when did she become pregnant again?

"Lianmei...you said you're pregnant again?"

I've been taking care of her at my in-laws' house all day until she woke up just now. I rushed over here in a panic, refusing to see a doctor at all.

When Xiang Lianmei blamed Xiang He, the reason was somewhat hard for her to accept.

She tugged at Lianmei's arm, "Lianmei, say something!"

This action didn't elicit an explanation from Lianmei; instead, she shook off his hand, saying, "Shut up! She's the one who ruined my child! My child was due to be born soon, it's all her fault!"

As she spoke, she ran around like a madwoman, kicking and punching several pillars.

Anyone who saw this would think she had gone mad.

Zhang rushed over to grab her, but she shook her off and kicked the pillar angrily, cursing under her breath. No one dared to approach her.

This behavior prompted He Sui'an to raise an eyebrow and look at Xiang He, "This..."

Helpless, Xiang He raised his hand to rub his temples and walked over a few steps. He reached out and grabbed the back of her neck, this time with much more force than last time, and her body went limp with just one press.

She had to feign surprise and exclaim, "What's wrong, Ninth Sister? Are you exhausted after venting your frustrations?!"

This terrified Zhang, who quickly hugged her and called her name, but received no response.

Madam Su seemed to have figured something out, and frowned as she stepped forward, "Second sister-in-law, shall we help her back first?"

"Everything was fine before, how could it suddenly..."

Madam Su had already helped him up, saying, "Don't worry too much. He's probably just thinking about the past and can't accept it right now."

"But it's been half a year! Is there really something evil in your house?!"

Ms. Zhang has lost her ability to think. Her once healthy daughter has become so insane. How can any parent accept this?

Seeing her anxious expression, Madam Su comforted her repeatedly, "There is nothing unclean in my house. If worshipping the earth god is considered unclean, then that would be a sin."

After saying that, she glanced at Xiang He with her eyes and nodded to her.

Xiang He nodded slightly, "Yes, how about this, tomorrow when Mother has cooked the soup, I will personally deliver it to her house and ask her what exactly happened."

Zhang's heart was filled with thoughts of her daughter, and she could only nod at this moment.

"It can only be this way……"

After much persuasion, the two were finally seen off, and everyone's mood for chatting vanished, so they went about their own business.

Xiang He watched the departing figure helplessly, her head throbbing.