The next morning, Xiaoguo woke up early and got out of bed to prepare breakfast in the kitchen.

Xiaoguo put in extra effort into making breakfast this morning.

The main course was millet porridge, accompanied by lean meat pancakes, fried eggs, seasoned spinach salad, and sour and spicy shredded potatoes.

Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming were woken by the smells from the kitchen. The two of them got out of bed and greeted Xiaoguo in the kitchen. Xiaoguo responded by asking them to wash their hands and eat!

Xiaoguo knew that the two of them had a late night. She could hear them whispering to each other till late into the night, so she let them sleep in.

Qin Anming came in first. He sat at the table and helped Xiaoguo serve the porridge.

“Xiaoguo, your shed is really well-built!”

When he was washing his hands, he noticed that the food trough and the roof of the livestock shed were done. He took a good look at them. They were really not bad!

Xiaoguo smiled. “I had nothing to do yesterday, so I did it with Zhuang Zhuang.”

At this moment, Zhuang Zhuang came in and hopped onto a stool. “Mother was amazing yesterday!”

Xiaoguo handed him a bowl and smiled. Qin Anming smiled too. He looked at Zhuang Zhuang and said, “Yes, yes, yes. Your mother is amazing!”

Zhuang Zhuang chuckled.

The three of them ate breakfast happily, as if their separation was still a long way off…

Xiaoguo drove the donkey cart while Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming sat on it. It didn’t take long for them to reach the county. It wasn’t market day today, but there were some shops selling bedding. Xiaoguo went inside and bought a complete set of pillows, blankets, and mattresses.

When they arrived at the noodle shop, Ruyi was already waiting at the door with a frown on her face. When she saw Xiaoguo’s donkey cart, she relaxed and broke into a smile.

“Sister Xiaoguo! Brother An Ming! Zhuang Zhuang!”

Xiaoguo greeted her in return and Zhuang Zhuang greeted her obediently. Qin Anming also nodded in response.

After tying up the donkey cart, Ruyi took Qin Anming’s bag and led the three of them to the backyard. Along the way, she chatted with Xiaoguo.

“Sister Xiaoguo, look. I spent the whole night cleaning this up.. What do you think?”

Ruyi opened the door and revealed what she had done.

The room was spacious and bright. It was well-furnished, and there was a brand-new mattress on the bed. Xiaoguo was touched by Ruyi’s thoughtfulness and praised her endlessly.

Looking embarrassed, Ruyi put down the bundle in her hands. “It was nothing.”

Xiaoguo removed the bedding from the bundle and placed them in the cupboard. Then she placed the clothes on the bed so that Qin Anming could pack them himself.

Xiaoguo chatted with Ruyi for a while more. She knew that they had work to do today, so she didn’t want to hold them up. After bidding farewell to the two of them, Xiaoguo went back on the donkey cart.

As he watched the donkey cart leave, Qin Anming’s eyes were filled with reluctance and he was on the verge of tears. Seeing that he was sad, Ruyi made an excuse and left. She told him to pack his things and go outside later.

Qin Anming accepted her kindness and returned to the room. He saw the bundle on the bed and walked over to open it. He was about to tidy up when a red little bag caught his eye.

Qin Anming opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was fifty taels of silver that Xiaoguo had left for him.

Qin Anming’s eyes welled up with tears, and he burst out crying.

Zhuang Zhuang, who was nestled in Xiaoguo’s arms, looked back at his uncle’s receding figure and felt a little sad. He looked up at Xiaoguo’s side profile as she drove the carriage seriously. He called out to her softly,

“Mother…”

Xiaoguo lowered her head and looked at Zhuang Zhuang. She kissed his cheek and comforted him. “It’s fine, Zhuang Zhuang. We’ll come over when the noodle shop opens in two days.”

Only then did Zhuang Zhuang smile and nod earnestly!

Seeing that they were not driving out of the county, Zhuang Zhuang asked Xiaoguo curiously, “Where are we going?” Xiaoguo told him that she was going to buy some things. They would go home after she was done.

Zhuang Zhuang followed Xiaoguo to their destination. “Mother, what are we buying here?”

Xiaoguo tied up the donkey cart and carried Zhuang Zhuang off the cart. She led him into the house and said to him as they walked, “I am here to buy some sawdust.”

Zhuang Zhuang looked puzzled. Why do they need sawdust?

Xiaoguo raised her eyebrows at him but did not elaborate. She would tell him in detail when they are home!

She reached the door and knocked. A moment later, a small head poked out. Seeing that It was Xiaoguo, the boy seemed to remember her.

“Oh! It’s you again. Are you here to buy wood again?”

This was the same place that Xiaoguo had come to buy wood the last time. It was the owner’s son who had opened the door for her.

Zhuang Zhuang looked curiously at the boy in front of him. He was about the same age as him. How did he know his mother?

The boy opened the door and let Xiaoguo in. Zhuang Zhuang followed closely behind.

The little boy had wanted to close the door after Xiaoguo entered, but he did not expect to see a little boy following behind her!

Zhuang Zhuang looked at him, and he looked back at Zhuang Zhuang. Their eyes met, and they looked at each other curiously.

Xiaoguo took a glance at the two of them and called out to Zhuang Zhuang. Zhuang Zhuang came back to his senses and followed Xiaoguo to the courtyard.

The little boy ran into the house and called for his parents. When Xiaoguo saw them, she greeted them and told them what she needed. The man heard her and filled a bag before stuffing it into her arms. Xiaoguo was about to reach for her money bag when the man’s wife stopped her.

“Sawdust doesn’t cost anything. This stuff is useless. We usually throw it out. Just take it!”

How could Xiaoguo take it for free? She had to pay no matter what, but the woman refused to accept her money.

“There’s really no charge! This is just garbage. How can I take your money!”

The woman spoke with a serious expression as she stuffed the money back into Xiaoguo’s hands.

Seeing this, Xiaoguo gave up. These two were as stubborn as mules. They really meant it when they refused payment from her. Helpless, Xiaoguo put away the money and thanked them profusely.

At first, Zhuang Zhuang was standing with Xiaoguo. While she was talking to the shop owner, the little boy whom he just met, slowly moved closer to him and asked carefully, “What’s your name?”

His tone was a little shy—it sounded like it was his first time talking to someone his age.

Zhuang Zhuang was shocked to hear a voice all of a sudden. He turned around and saw that it was the boy. He introduced himself unabashedly. “My name is Jiang Qingwen. My nickname is Zhuang Zhuang. What about you?”

After knowing Zhuang Zhuang’s name, the boy introduced himself too. “My name is Tang Yi! My nickname is Xiaoyi!”

After introducing themselves, the two kids quickly got acquainted. While Xiaoguo was still talking, Xiaoyi ran to the side with Zhuang Zhuang and introduced him to his first friend, a yellow pastoral dog.

“Look, his name is Xiaohu!”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this name, he looked at the puppy lying on the ground with its tongue hanging out. What was its name? Xiaohu as in Brother Xiaohu?!

Looking at Zhuang Zhuang’s puzzled face, Xiaoyi thought he had not made himself clear, so he repeated the name. Zhuang Zhuang heard the name again. When Xiaoyi was about to say it a third time, there was finally a reaction from Zhuang Zhuang, and it completely blocked out his voice.

“Alright, I heard you clearly. I have a lot of friends at home too. Their names are Big Black and Little White, Ben Ben and Fei Fei. There are also chickens, ducks, and donkeys!”

Xiaoyi listened to him count the names on his fingers as if he was counting his family treasures. A hint of envy slowly appeared in his eyes. He had so many friends…

Zhuang Zhuang could clearly sense his emotions, so he made an agreement with him. “When I have time, I’ll invite you to my house to play and introduce you to them! How about that?”

Xiaoyi was overjoyed. He nodded repeatedly and agreed!