"Your second aunt..." Granny Zhu had already told Xia Zhi so much, but when it came to Tian Jia's second aunt, she still sighed as if there was something unspeakable.

  Xia Zhi asked again, asking where Tian Lao had actually betrothed Erniang to.

  "Ah," said Granny Tiezhu slowly, "that year a peddler came to our village, probably around 30 or 40 years old. He gave all his silver to your grandfather, and then your grandfather let him take your second aunt away."

  "Ah?" Xia Zhi stared blankly and asked Granny Zhu again, "That peddler, where did he take my second aunt?"

  "I don't know, I heard he's a southerner. He's already in his thirties and forties but still hasn't settled on a daughter-in-law, saying he wants to take your second aunt back home to spend the days." said Grandma Zhuozhu.

  After talking for half a day, Xia Zhi finally understood. Old Man Tian had exchanged his two daughters-in-law for betrothal gifts, and neither of them was married to a good family. It's also true that no good family would buy a daughter-in-law. Moreover, the specific whereabouts of Old Man Tian's two daughters were unclear, they left Kao Shan Tun after they got married and never came back, nor did they contact the Tian family again.

  "Two poor children, I don't know if they are still alive now." Granny Zhuo said with a sigh.

  It's hard to say whether these two people are still alive or not. Compared to them, Tian Shi can be considered truly happy. However, this happiness is largely due to the efforts of Tian Shi's two sisters and also because of her own good looks.

  "Those two kids have never had a good day, but you, mother, are a lucky one. Your maternal family's life is all thanks to your mother." Grandma Zhuo continued to mention Tian Shi and how she helped support the Tian Lao family.

  "It's also thanks to my two aunts, otherwise my mother would have let them be thrown into the mountains to feed the wolves." Xia Zhi said with a hint of sadness.

  "It's just this." Granny Zhuozhu said something much more subtle afterwards. The villagers of Kao Shan Tun looked down on the various actions of Tian Lao and Tian Wangshi, they believed that good and evil would be rewarded. Tian Lao and Tian Wangshi abandoned their daughter, and treated their two daughters as if they were not human, this was a matter of damaging one's Yin De.

  Doing things that harm the virtues of a family will eventually lead to retribution. Old Tian and his wife, Madame Tian, were both very astute people. Eldest Brother-in-law Tian wasn't as clever, but he wasn't foolish either. His wife, Jiang, was also a capable and efficient woman. Yet, in the end, this family only had one grandson, Tian Dabao.

  The people of Kao Shan village all say behind his back that the reason why Lao T'ien's family has only one grandson, and he is a fool, is because they are being punished for their wicked deeds in the past.

  "Your mother was really generous to your grandma and grandpa," said Grandma Zhuo with a smile. "Originally, your grandma's family lived in the most dilapidated house on our street, but thanks to your mother bringing back money, they were able to build that five-room tile-roofed house in Kao Shan Tun, which was also one of a kind."

  Xia Zhi asked Old Man Tian's family which specific year the house was built because he had taken note of it. This matter was a very sensational event in Shan Tun, and since Granny Zhuang and Old Man Tian's families lived on the same street, she naturally knew it very clearly.

  Grandma Zhu said that it was a date, and Xia Zhi calculated in her heart that it should have been ten years ago. Building such a five-room tile house and surrounding the yard would require a significant amount of money. However, according to Xia Zhi's memory, Tian Shi had never asked Xia Xiuchang for money on the grounds of building a house.

  Ten years ago, something happened at home. Xia Zhi only knew that Tian Shi and Xia Xiucai had separated from Old Master Xia and moved to the front yard to live in a new house.

  Xia Zhi's gaze turned to Xia Qiao, the three siblings. If anyone could remember this matter, it would be Xia Qiao.

  Xiaqiao's face showed a bewildered expression. Ten years ago, he was only four years old. A four-year-old child can remember so much. If the adults at home deliberately concealed and misled him, his memory would be even more unreliable.

  "That year, I don't remember much, most of it was what my mother told me, something about grandma being very ill." Xia Qiao searched his memory hard, but this was all he could recall.

  "Ten years ago? When did your grandma get sick? We all didn't know. Your grandma's body is not bad, and in these years, we haven't heard that she got any major illness." said Grandma Zhu.

  Xia Zhi frowned slightly: "Ten years ago, was it not ten years ago that our sister was given to...". Xia Zhi didn't finish her sentence, but both Xia Qiao and Xiao Shu'er knew what she wanted to say.

  Ten years ago, Tian Shi sold his eldest daughter Xiaoyue because he had no choice but to raise money for his parents' illness. If Nai Nai didn't lie, then Tian Wangshi wasn't ill at all that year, which means Tian Shi actually sold Xiaoyue to build a house and repair the ancestral temple for Old Man Tian.

  What Xia Zhi could understand, Xia Qiao could also understand even if he reacted a bit slower. Xia Qiao sat there, his posture hadn't changed, but his expression had. He sat still for a moment before suddenly standing up and quickly walking away without saying anything.

  "Brother!" Xiaoshu stood up and tried to pull Xiacao, but couldn't catch him. He shouted at Xiacao, who seemed not to have heard him and just walked away with big strides.

  "Sister, what's wrong with our brother?" Xiaoshu turned back to ask Xiazhi.

  "It's probably just remembered something and went back first." Xia Zhi said lightly, letting Xiao Shu Er not worry. "Brother is fine, nothing will happen."

  Xiao Shu listened to his sister's words, and Xia Zhi said something very reasonable. Xia Qiao had a gentle temperament, was the most stable when doing things, and was someone who would never cause trouble. Xiao Shu felt at ease and sat back down beside Xia Zhi.

  Grandma Zhuang felt something was off, and she looked at Xia Zhi hesitantly.

  Xia Zhi hurriedly comforted the old lady: "Auntie, don't worry, my brother has gone back for a bit. Let's continue chatting. Auntie, I'm happy to listen to your stories."

  "You child, how sweet your mouth is. You don't take after your mother or your maternal grandmother's family." Granny Zhuo said with a smile.

  This time, Xia Zhi spoke with Duan Zhu Niang again, and her goal became even clearer. She and Xiao Shu Er chatted with Duan Zhu Niang in front of the Land Temple until sunset, when people who had finished dinner slowly came out to enjoy the cool evening breeze.

  Because many children came, Xia Zhi gave all the sugar cubes he bought to them. Suddenly, Xia Zhi and Xiao Shu Er became the most welcome people here. Many people who were originally too embarrassed to come forward to talk to them also dared to walk over and say a few words to them.

  The people of Kuai Shan Tun looked up to the Xia family with a mixture of admiration and curiosity, while Xia Zhi gained a deeper understanding of Lao Tian's family and their deeds over the years from their scattered words.

  The money Tian's family took back from their daughter's home was all spent by Old Man Tian on something, and Xia Zhi had already counted it several times in her heart.

  Xia Zhi was chatting with everyone in front of the Land Temple, and she seemed to have forgotten about leaving. In the end, it was Jiang who was sent over to find her, saying that it was getting late and she should head back to rest.

  Everyone stopped talking when they saw Jiang coming. Xia Zhi had also understood the situation and bid farewell to everyone, following Jiang with Xiao Shu back home.

  Along the way, Jiang tried to make conversation with Xia Zhi. She also reminded Xia Zhi to be careful on his way back.

  "You two have been playing outside for so long, your grandfather is a bit unhappy. Your grandfather's rules are not the same as those of your family. Like your elder sisters, they are not allowed to go out without reason, and it's even more said that you're playing outside until this late."

  "Wait till you get home, don't mind what your grandma and grandpa say, neither of you should say anything either, it's better not to make things difficult for your parents."

  "Alright, Auntie." Xia Zhi smiled and responded, but then continued, "I think my grandma and grandpa won't say anything. We're guests here, we need to follow the rules, which are also the rules of the old Xia family. My grandpa is a man who values reason, he shouldn't do something unreasonable like this."

  "At home, neither my grandfather nor my grandmother scold us. Why should my maternal grandparents?"

  Although these words were spoken with a smile, the content was not so pleasant. Jiang looked at Xia Zhi several more times and became even more convinced that this little girl was not easy to mess with.

  "What you said is...not wrong at all." Jiang smiled and spoke to Xia Zhi, "Just don't let your grandparents hear it, Auntie is doing this for your own good."

  It still means selling well until summer solstice.

  Xia Zhi didn't say anything else and asked Jiang Shi if she had seen Xia Qiao: "Why didn't my brother come to pick us up?"

  "Your brother seems to have gone up the mountain, your uncle and father went to look for him." Jiang told Xia Zhi.

  "Has my brother gone into the mountains?" Xia Zhi was startled. "Aren't there wolves in these mountains? And now it's almost dark!"

  "It's all right, your uncle and father have gone into the mountains to search for him. They will definitely find him before nightfall, we can't let anything happen to Daqiao." Jiang Shi hastily said.

  Xia Zhi was no longer willing to walk slowly, she thought Jiang Shi walked too slow, she and Xiao Shu'er left Jiang Shi behind, turned around and ran back.

  The sky had already darkened, and there were still several courtyards away from Lao Tian's house. Xia Zhi saw a group of people coming down from the mountain slope.

  "Little Shu, take a look, is that our brother?" Xia Zhi asked Little Shu.

  The little tree's eyes were sharp, and he said that was exactly when Xia Qiao and Tian Da Shu and Xia Xiu Cai came down from the mountain. Only then did Xia Zhi put his heart at ease, but his feet didn't slow down. They met up with Xia Xiu Cai, Xia Qiao, and Tian Da Shu at the entrance of the Tian family home.

  At this time, Jiang had only walked to the corner of the street.

  "Brother." As soon as they met, Xia Zhi called out to Xia Qiao.

  Xiaqiao seemed to have detected the worry in Xia Zhi's tone and hurried over. "Sixteen, I'm fine. Why did you two just get back?"

  Xia Zhi lifted her head, and although the sky was already darkening, she still saw Xia Qiao's face clearly. At first glance, Xia Qiao seemed normal, with no unusual expression on his face. But if someone who knew Xia Qiao looked closely, they would be able to detect that something was off about him.

  Xiaqiao's eyes didn't seem right, although they were still warm and gentle, but inside, there was something that seemed to be added that couldn't be erased. That shouldn't just be confusion, but something else, making people's hearts skip a beat, making people heartbroken.

  "Brother." Xia Zhi called out again, reaching out to grasp Xia Qiao's hand.

  Xiaqiao's hands were icy cold.

  Xiaqiao's hands were wide and soft, even though they had thick calluses from years of farm work, but they remained soft and warm. All year round, Xiaqiao's palms were warm to the touch, like a young man's hands.

  At this moment, Xiaqiao's palms were icy cold, which was not blown by the late summer evening breeze, even if the temperature in the mountains was indeed lower than outside.

  Xia Qiao held Xia Zhi's hand for a while before letting go, then patted his head. "I'm fine, Sixteen."

  This sentence was spoken in a low voice, specifically referring to what, only the brother and sister knew.

  "Hmm." Xia Zhi just murmured, not saying anything else. It seems that after being stimulated quite a bit, Xia Qiao didn't choose to confront Tian Shi and make a big deal out of it. He went into the mountains alone, no one knows if he has thought things through or not, if he has let go or not.

  Jiang rushed to the gate, and everyone entered the courtyard. Tian Shi and Tian Wang Shi, as well as Da Ya and Er Ya, were all standing in the courtyard. Seeing them return, Tian Shi immediately came forward to greet them.

  "You're all spoiled, aren't you? It's already very late, and yet you still think you can behave like you do at home. You've been pampered too much." Tian Shi scolded as soon as she came up, her face stern.

  If it were in normal times, Xia Qiao would either explain himself to Tian Shi or apologize to him proactively. But today's Xia Qiao was motionless and silent, not saying a word. He even lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with Tian Shi.

  Tian's mother scolded her three children, and at this time, she still hadn't noticed anything unusual about her eldest son. Then, pointing at Xia Qiao alone, she continued to scold: "You're the older brother, usually so steady, what happened today? You ran into the mountains by yourself! Do you know how worried your grandma and grandpa are about you? And you had to let your big uncle go into the mountains in the dark to find you! What if something happens to your big uncle?"

  In short, they not only made Old Man Tian and Mrs. Tian angry, but their most serious mistake was to make Big Uncle Tian go into the mountains to look for someone.

  Tian's family fell onto the big bridge, and while looking back at Tian Wang's family, they also looked at Tian's husband's family across from them, then secretly glanced up towards the upper house.

  The upstairs landlord's house has already lit up, and from the window, you can see the shadow of Old Tian. Old Tian sits upright on the kang, seemingly still holding a tobacco pouch in his hand. He doesn't look towards the yard either, but with his back to the window.

  Tian's family secretly gritted his teeth, raised his hand and gave Xia Qiao a slap. "I let you be unscrupulous, don't you quickly apologize to your uncle?"

  Xia Qiao didn't dodge at all, and the slap landed squarely on his face. Xia Qiao covered his face with one hand and looked up at Tian Shi.

  Tian suddenly felt a chill on her back and involuntarily took two steps back. "Wh-what, I-I still made a mistake with you!" Tian's words were slightly stuttered. Xia Qiao had always been gentle and considerate towards her, he had never looked at her with such an expression before.

  Xiaqiao's gaze made Tian Shi feel a chill run down his spine.