“This… this… I… Sister Xiaoli, I can’t accept this,” Gu Qingmei stammered. She hadn’t realized such an exquisite box was for her son. She quickly passed her child to Chen Erlang to hold and tried to return the box to Gu Qingli.

“Sister Xiaoli, this is too valuable. I can’t accept it.”

Gu Qingmei looked at Chen Erlang with a troubled expression, completely at a loss. Chen Erlang, too, was unsure whether they should accept the gift.

Gu Qingli smiled; Gu Qingmei and Chen Erlang truly had changed. “This is for my little nephew,” she said. “Please, keep it.”

She gently pushed the box back into Gu Qingmei’s hands.

“Qingmei, if she gives it to you, just take it,” Ms. Yun urged, hurrying over and giving Gu Qingmei a little tug.

Gu Qingmei seemed oblivious, her gaze still fixed on Chen Erlang.

It was Ms. Qiao who finally said, “Qingmei, accept it. After all, it’s a heartfelt gesture from Xiaoli.”

“But… but I haven’t prepared anything!” Gu Qingmei fretted. She had accepted Xiaoli’s gift, but Xiaoli also had three children! How could she possibly come up with three comparable gifts in return?

“Just accept it. I never expected anything for my little ones. They don’t lack anything. Perhaps a pair of shoes? I wonder if their new aunt would be too stingy to provide those,” Gu Qingli said with a smile.

“How could I? I’ll make them, I’ll make them!” Gu Qingmei wiped away her tears. At this moment, a whirlwind of emotions churned within her. It turned out that being a kind person truly brought rewards. She was profoundly grateful for her awakening.

“Silly child,” Ms. Qiao patted her affectionately.

“Auntie, this is for your family. I didn’t prepare things in great detail, so it’s all packed together,” Gu Qingli said, placing another box into Ms. Qiao’s hands.

“Heh heh… we have some too! In that case, Auntie won’t stand on ceremony,” Ms. Qiao said, accepting it with a beaming smile.

“Auntie, please don’t think Xiaoli inconsiderate.” Their family was so large and hadn’t formally divided the household, making individual gifts challenging. So, for now, I’ve prepared some silver bank notes. These honest, down-to-earth villagers always appreciate practical gifts. Later, I’ll send over some fabrics and pastries.

“How could we? Everyone in our village is grateful to you. If you hadn’t arranged for supplies to be sent overnight back then, countless people would have starved or frozen to death…” Ms. Qiao began to cry as she spoke. Her three sisters-in-law quickly came forward to comfort her, patting her gently.

“Yes, Xiaoli, you are truly the savior of our entire village!” Even Ms. Fang’s voice grew thick with emotion.

“What are you all doing? Xiaoli and her family just returned today; we should be celebrating! Come on, let’s go to Second Brother Gu’s house.”

Gu Chang’an, who had been talking with Xiao Yunjing nearby, heard the commotion and immediately came over. After saying his piece, he picked up one of the small children and headed off first. The people at the village entrance naturally followed.

“Let’s go too.” Xiao Yunjing came over, took Gu Qingli’s hand, and gestured for Wuqing and Wuyou to follow Dashuang, Xiaoshuang, and the others. Our son is still with them, after all.

“Alright.” Gu Qingli glanced at a sturdy youth who also tagged along.

The group arrived at Gu Dalin’s courtyard, where stools had already been set out. Early arrivals had already taken their seats.

Gu Dalin and Ms. Wu were waiting at the courtyard entrance for Gu Qingli. When they saw the babies Dashuang and Xiaoshuang were holding, they immediately rushed forward to take them into their own arms.

“Daddy, carry me!” At that moment, a little girl, just over a year old, toddled over, using her hands and feet to grab onto Gu Dalin’s trouser leg.

“Little sister, let Big Brother carry you,” Dashuang said, quickly scooping up the little girl.

“Okay, Big Brother carry me,” the little girl cooed, stretching out her tiny hands.

Xiao Yunjing and Gu Qingli witnessed this scene as they entered the courtyard.

“AH, Li’er, you’re back!” Ms. Wu exclaimed. If she hadn’t been holding one of the babies, she would have rushed to embrace her.

“Yes, Mother. I’ve made you worry,” Gu Qingli said.

Xiao Yunjing, knowing the mother and daughter had much to discuss, took the baby from Ms. Wu. “Mother, please go inside and talk,” he said. Then, he instructed Wuyou to take the three serving women to the kitchen, while he himself took Gu Dalin to find Gu Chang’an.

Her arms now free, Ms. Wu took Gu Qingli’s hand and led her into their room.

As soon as they were inside, Ms. Wu lightly thumped Gu Qingli on the back, tears streaming down her face. “You naughty child! Gone for so long, without a single word of news! You wicked girl, were you trying to worry your mother to death? SOB… SOB… SOB…”

After her outburst of scolding and gentle hits, Ms. Wu hugged Gu Qingli tightly and wept again.

“Mother, please don’t cry.” Gu Qingli’s heart ached, and she gently patted Ms. Wu’s back. She hadn’t expected Ms. Wu to be so deeply concerned for her. A wave of relief washed over her. She had often wondered how this reunion would be—awkward, perhaps, or distant? But this reality deeply moved her; Ms. Wu was truly a kind person. It was not in vain that she genuinely regarded Ms. Wu as her mother.

After a long moment, Ms. Wu wiped her tears and looked closely at Gu Qingli. “Li’er, you’ve grown up. You’re a mother yourself now. My heart can finally rest easy. In the future, when I have the chance to see the Madam, I’ll be able to hold my head high.” Ms. Wu sighed deeply after saying this.

Gu Qingli didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So, she was worried I wouldn’t be able to have children? “Mother,” she said, “what are you worrying about? I was still young back then and was taking precautions against pregnancy.”

“You child!” Ms. Wu exclaimed, momentarily stunned, then patted her again.

“Mother, this is for you.” Gu Qingli retrieved a box from her sleeve—actually from her Space—and placed it in Ms. Wu’s hand. She had prepared it the previous night: a set of gold head ornaments, a pair of jade bracelets, and an additional 2,000 taels in silver bank notes. This should be enough for Dashuang’s and Xiaoshuang’s education. After all, Xiao Yunjing would eventually need capable people by his side. Dashuang and Xiaoshuang were her younger brothers; she had to nurture their talents so they could assist him in the future.

“What’s this?” Ms. Wu looked suspiciously at Gu Qingli’s sleeve. How could an autumn sleeve hold such a large box? she wondered. But she didn’t dwell on it. Wherever her daughter had gotten it from, it was a token of her filial piety. She slowly opened it.

“Heavens, Li’er! This… how can there be so much?” Ms. Wu quickly shut the lid and thrust the box back into Gu Qingli’s hands, her voice indignant. “You spendthrift child! How could you casually give away so many valuable things?”

Gu Qingli felt like crying. It seemed she couldn’t give away any gifts today! She placed the box on the table. “Mother, your daughter is wealthy. This is just a small token. Besides, this is for Dashuang’s and Xiaoshuang’s school fees. Have you forgotten? I said I would cover their schooling, and also our younger sister’s dowry in the future.”

“You went out once and suddenly have money?” Ms. Wu was clearly skeptical.

Gu Qingli leaned in and whispered, “Mother, the Gu Clinic in the Daqian Kingdom? It’s all mine.”

“AH?!” Ms. Wu clapped a hand over her mouth, barely stifling a cry of astonishment. “Really?”

“Really.” And in the future, the entire Daqian Kingdom will be ours.

“Heavens! I was just wondering how the Gu Clinic suddenly appeared out of nowhere!” Ms. Wu exclaimed, patting her chest.

“You’ve all returned then. What about your mother-in-law and the others?” Ms. Wu asked.

“That… we can talk about it later. Let’s go outside for now.” It had only been a short while, but Gu Qingli already missed her three little ones.

“Alright.” Ms. Wu took the box to put it away safely.

Gu Qingli went out first.

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