Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Jordan's eyes shone brightly: "Dad, we're family. You raised me when I was young, and I'll take care of you when you're old. If we have to leave, we'll leave together. My brother and I will never abandon you."

Since becoming a father, he has realized the responsibilities on his shoulders, and he feels ashamed of the messes he made in the past.

Fortunately, he met Zhao Lian, who helped him to change his ways.

Qiao Feng also said from the bottom of his heart, "Big brother is right, Dad, please come with us. If you can't walk, we have a carriage, or if all else fails, my brother and I can take turns carrying you."

Seeing how sensible his two sons were, Qiao Tai's eyes welled up with tears. He raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes and nodded repeatedly: "Good, good~ Dad will go with you."

"That's great! Grandpa came with us!" Qiao Xin clapped her hands happily.

Looking at the happy family in front of her, Zhao Lian was filled with emotion, and at the same time, she thought of He Mu.

Despite being children themselves, Old Yang was selfish and her sons became estranged. Faced with difficulties, He Mu chose to abandon his parents in order to protect himself.

Jordan and his brother Qiao Feng, united in their resolve, said they would insist on bringing their father along no matter how difficult it might be, showing how important one's family background truly is.

Now that Zhao Feng has been around the He family for so long, she feels increasingly unfamiliar with them, almost like a completely different person from before.

Zhao Lian shook her head, pulling her thoughts back.

"It's getting late, so you should pack your things quickly and let's get going."

Seeing that Master Qiao had changed his mind, Zhao Lian quickly gave Qiao Feng and the others a wink.

Strike while the iron is hot; before Master Qiao changes his mind, let's set off as soon as possible.

Qiao Feng said happily, "I've almost finished packing everything, and we can leave soon."

Zhao Lian looked worried: "Sister Ling, you just gave birth and now you're going on a long journey. I'm really worried that your body won't be able to handle it."

Ling Yun smiled gently: "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. Besides, I've already finished my postpartum confinement."

"But..."

Ling Yun looked down at her baby son in swaddling clothes. She wasn't worried about whether her body could handle it.

A wave of emotion washed over me: "This child was born at the wrong time. He had to leave his home and flee for his life shortly after birth."

Zhao Lian's voice was clear and crisp: "Sister Ling, you're wrong about that. People say that heroes emerge in times of chaos. In my opinion, Xiao Zhen might accomplish something great in the future!"

"Hahaha~"

Her words made everyone burst into laughter, and even Qiao Tai couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You really know how to talk, girl."

After saying that, Qiao Tai stopped smiling and said, "Alright, let's get down to business. Let's pack our things quickly."

Qiao Tai was more anxious than anyone else at this moment. He had to keep his old life so he could see his son and grandson grow up!

Jordan and Qiao Feng exchanged a smile. Their father really did come up with something on a whim, and now he seemed even more anxious than they were.

After quickly packing up their belongings and dismissing the other servants, Steward Su came over.

"Butler Su, didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?" Jordan asked, looking surprised.

Butler Su stood with his hands at his sides, earnestly pledging his loyalty: "Young Master, I'm not going anywhere else, I'll just stay with Master. My life was given to me by Master."

“If it weren’t for you, Master, I would be gone long ago. I wouldn’t be where I am today. We’ve traveled a long way, and you can’t be without someone to serve you. Please let me stay by your side.”

More than a decade ago, he fell seriously ill and almost didn't make it. Fortunately, the master invited a doctor to treat him, which reportedly cost four or five taels of silver. In the end, the doctor managed to save him.

Qiao Tai nodded: "Alright, let Old Su stay."

Butler Su has been by his side for over 20 years; they're not family, but they're closer than family.

Li Chunhua was initially pleased to know that Qiao Tai was unwilling to leave, but now that she knows he is going to leave with her, although she is unhappy inside, she doesn't show it on her face.

She even pretended to wipe away a tear: "Master, wherever you go, I will follow. I knew you would leave, so I packed my things in advance."

Besides keeping Butler Su, Qiao Feng and Jordan also kept Liang Chong and Teng Fu. In addition, Granny Su, who cooked at the secluded house, was also kept to take care of the children.

Four carriages were prepared. Steward Su was in charge of Master Qiao's carriage, while Liang Chong and Teng Fu each drove one.

Old Mrs. Su followed Ling Yun, while the remaining carriage was loaded with grain and other important supplies, and was driven by the Jordan brothers in turns.

After packing their things, everyone left. Qiao Tai personally locked the gate. Looking at the mansion, Qiao Tai really didn't want to leave, but he had no choice.

"Father, it's getting late, let's go!" Qiao Feng stepped forward to help Qiao Tai.

Once on the official road, the carriage sped forward. Zhao Lian had told Chen Guang to wait for them at the border of Changting County; they should have arrived by now.

……

Datian Village

Just as Zhao Lian and the others were setting off from the Qiao residence, Old Madam Yang finally realized something was wrong.

Zhao Feng usually gets up quite early, but today he didn't open the door at all.

Old Mrs. Yang was puzzled as to why the family of three slept so soundly. She hadn't eaten anything last night and was starving, so she didn't fall asleep until almost midnight.

"Old man, why haven't the eldest son and the others gotten up yet today?" Old Yang couldn't help but tell He Sen about it.

He Sen said irritably, "You're asking me? How would I know?"

Old Madam Yang was furious: "I bet that girl Zhao Feng brought back a lot of good things from Zhao Lian last night. She ate her fill and then slept so soundly."

"No! I have to get her up and ask her what happened." With that, Old Madam Yang was about to step forward and knock on the door.

"Old woman, come back!" He Sen glanced at Old Yang and said with a stern face, "How's the matter I asked you to handle yesterday? Before they get up, hurry up and go check on them!"

Hearing He Sen say this, Old Madam Yang finally remembered that there was such a thing. She must have been so hungry that she had completely forgotten about it.

"Okay! I'll go right away."

Old Mrs. Yang took small, quick steps as she walked out of the courtyard gate.

Gao Feng, the third wife, noticed something amiss and whispered to Liang Zhu, "Second sister-in-law, have you noticed? The eldest wife didn't open the door yesterday. Zhao Feng usually gets up very early. Also, I think Father and Mother are hiding something from us."

Upon hearing Gao Feng's words, Liang Zhu immediately realized that it was indeed the case.

But then I thought, what could they possibly be hiding from me? So I stopped thinking about it.

"Alright, I haven't fetched water yet this morning, I need to hurry up and fetch some!" Liang Zhu said, then went to the kitchen to pick up a bucket and prepared to fetch water.

At this moment, Liang Zhu suddenly realized that her bucket, which had been half full of water last night, was now empty, and her head began to buzz.

"Who? Who stole all my water?" Liang Zhu ran out of the kitchen in a fit of anger.

She remembered that she had cooked wild vegetable porridge last night and had some water left over, but she forgot to take it back to her room. She only remembered it now when she saw the empty bucket.