As soon as the car stopped, I saw my grandmother standing outside the crowd.

  Her grandmother was just like she remembered, wearing a light pink cheongsam made of silk, with her black hair neatly combed into a bun and adorned with a silver hairpin in the shape of a lantern. She wore a pair of silver bangles on her wrists and calmly circled around the plum blossom tree as thick as a wine barrel in front of the ancestral hall's steps. Just like many years ago, when she woke up from a dream, feeling confused and disoriented, she looked up to see her grandmother leisurely squatting in the field, examining the growth of the melons and vegetables. Her heart immediately calmed down.

  Grandma!

  Dou's eyes were moist and he was barely able to hold back a loud cry.

  Her grandfather and father were welcomed into the ancestral hall by Third Uncle, while she was handed over to Nanny Rong and Yu Zan to take care of.

  San Tang's six-year-old daughter ran over and pulled on Tuo Niang's pant leg: "Fourth Aunt, Fourth Aunt, let's go play jump rope!"

  In her previous life, she had no contact with this niece of hers and didn't even know what her name was.

  Dong Zhaohui vaguely responded with a "hmm".

  The girl put her down on the ground and she ran swiftly to her grandmother's side.

  Should I call her Aunt Cui or Grandma?

  Dòu Zhāo had a moment of hesitation.

  She wanted to call out to her grandmother, but was afraid others would hear and cause trouble for her.

  The five-year-old daughter of Fifth Uncle ran after her: "Fourth Auntie, Fourth Auntie!"

  Grandma heard the noise and looked over, seeing Dou Zhao with a curious gaze.

  She smiled and squatted down, her smile warm: "You, you're Shou Gu?"

  Dòu Zhāo nodded, and tears fell uncontrollably.

  Grandma hastily came forward and hugged her: "Don't cry, don't cry!" Helping her wipe away tears, the calluses on her fingertips scratched her a bit painfully, but in her heart, she felt so at ease.

  Yu Chuan rushed over, looking somewhat uneasy, and shouted "Cui Niangniang", then hastily took Dou Zhao in her arms, muttering: "Seventh Master told us to take good care of Fourth Miss's..."

  Dou Zhao was displeased.

  Grandma's mouth corner flashed a wry smile, saying nothing, and took out a large red embroidered pouch with a pair of orioles from her bosom and handed it to Du Zhao: "Give you some pocket money!" She said, turning around quickly and leaving.

  "Grandma!" Dou Zhao hastily called out to her.

  She paused for a moment with her tall figure, then went into the alley without hesitation and entered the backyard of the ancestral hall.

  Yu Chuan hastily said: "Fourth Miss, please keep your voice down. The old master doesn't like Cui Niangniang chatting with Seventh Master and you too much!"

  Dong Zhaoleng sneered, feeling deeply humiliated.

  Since you don't like it, why was your father born to his mother...

  She wanted to go find her grandmother, but the younger daughter of her second elder brother's family pulled at her and wouldn't let go: "What good thing did you get?" As she said this, saliva almost flowed out.

  The following maid felt deeply ashamed, grabbed her waist and walked towards San Tang's sister. While walking, she also blushed and apologized to San Tang's younger brother's daughter: "Fourth Miss, our young miss is just curious!"

  Dou Zhao couldn't help but laugh, and a lot of the anger in his heart dissipated.

  She opened her purse and found a small bag of longan inside.

  My grandmother once said that the first time she ate longan was on the night she was carried into the Dou family home. My grandfather and her mother-in-law were entertaining guests outside, and the servants who were originally serving inside had also run off somewhere. She sat alone on the bed, afraid to move because she hadn't eaten or drunk anything since getting up, and was both hungry and thirsty. By chance, she felt two longans on the bed, and without knowing what they were, she cracked them open and hastily stuffed them into her mouth... So my grandmother always thought that longan was the most delicious thing in the world.

  Whenever Du Zhao was ill or fell down, her grandmother would use longan or dried longan to comfort her.

  The purse still retains the residual warmth of grandma's body.

  Grandma had prepared this purse long ago and was just waiting for an opportunity to give it to her?

  Dong Zha slowly peeled a longan and gently put it in his mouth.

  Sweet and refreshing, sliding from the throat to the heart.

  She struggled free from Yu Chui's arms and ran as fast as she could to the flower hall in the backyard.

  The ladies of the Duan family all gathered in front of the second lady and talked.

  Dong Zhaoyi saw his grandmother roasting fire alone in the corner of the flower hall at a glance.

  She threw a longan pit into the brazier.

  The fire burst out with a "whoosh" sound, scaring Grandma half to death, and she couldn't help but turn around to look.

  Dong Zhao beckoned her with a small hand and ran to hide under the evergreen tree behind the flower hall.

  Before long, Grandma came out and stood on the steps looking around.

  Dòu Zhāo stood up.

  Her grandmother looked at her with a doting smile, shook her head helplessly, and walked over in three strides that were almost two.

  Dong Zhao asked her: "Are you my grandmother?"

  Grandma squatted down and gently rubbed her head: "No, I am your Aunt Cui."

  Dong's heart ached as if being strangled, and she forced herself to hold back tears: "Can I go to Tianzhuang to play in a few days?"

  Grandma's hand stiffened slightly, and after a while she said, "The countryside is full of dust everywhere, it's no fun."

  "Then can I go see you?" Du Zhao asked persistently.

  "I have to work in the fields, you go and watch me, I don't have time to take you out to play." The grandmother refused her again.

  She threw herself into her grandmother's arms and hugged her neck tightly.

  Is this the price she has to pay for changing her fate?

  In their past life, the warmth they shared as two people who relied on each other for survival became a memory that only she possessed from then on.

  Dou Zhao's scalding tears fell silently on her grandmother's shoulder.

  Or would she go to Tianzhuang Village on her own initiative?

  However, before going, I must resolve Wang Yingshuang's matter!

  Dòu Zhāo was thinking in his heart.

  The Spring Festival is over soon.

  Grandma had someone send over a sack of elm seedlings to Du Zhao, saying that they could be stir-fried with eggs for Du Zhao to eat, which would clear the heat and moisten the lungs.

  This was the first time Grandma had someone send things to the Duan family in town.

  Grandfather was furious when he found out: "Who let her send this over? Throw it all away, throw it all away!"

  Dong Zhao arrived after receiving the letter and saw Guan Shi carrying that sack of elm seeds out of the second gate.

  She rushed forward and hugged the bag of eggs: "I want to eat scrambled eggs, I want to eat scrambled eggs."

  The official did not dare to throw it away, nor did he dare to force Du Zhao out.

  Dou Zhaoda made a big fuss and disturbed Dou Shiying.

  Dong Shiying thought for a long time and ordered the servant: "Take this bag of elm seedlings to the kitchen!"

  The manager let out a sigh of relief.

  Dòu Shìyīng carried Dòu Zhāo back to the study.

  Dong Zhao thought her father would say something to her, but he spent the whole day practicing calligraphy at his desk and didn't even eat lunch.

  Wang Yingxue hugged Dou Ming over.

  Dong Ming chuckled and went to grab Dong Shiying's pen.

  Dòu Shìyīng smiled and hugged Dòu Míng in her arms.

  Wang Yingshuai softly asked: "Seventh Master, is there something on your mind? Do you want to tell me about it?"

  Dòu Shìyīng fell silent for a moment before saying in a low voice: "Nothing's wrong!"

  Wang Yingxue didn't ask any further, and smiled brightly: "I remember Seventh Master loves to eat the liangpi I make, how about I go cook a bowl of liangpi for Seventh Master?"

  "It's no use!" Du Shiying said dejectedly, "Dinner is about to be served soon."

  "It'll be fine soon!" Wang Yingxue didn't allow her father to refuse, and with a smile, she instructed the wet nurse to take care of Douming while she hastily went to the small kitchen.

  Dou Zhaoyu's mouth slightly curled up as he practiced calligraphy in the study room.

  Father hugged Douming and walked up to her: "Shougu, don't you think your sister is pretty?"

  "Not pretty!" Du Zhao said expressionlessly.

  The father was shocked.

  Dong Zhaoban's face asked his father: "Is my sister more beautiful than me?"

  The father was stunned, then burst out laughing and said, "No, no. Our Shouyu is the prettiest." Then he handed Dou Zhao over to the wet nurse beside him, pinched her little face, and said, "This temper of yours is just like your mother's." After saying this, as if remembering something, his expression suddenly turned gloomy and he sighed, "You practice your writing well, I'm going out for a walk."

  When Wang Yingxue brought back a bowl of noodles with a smile, she only saw Duan Ming sleeping soundly in the arms of the wet nurse.

  Wang Yingshu's face sank slightly.

  Dong Zhao felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.

  Wang Yingshuai has too many opportunities.

  And Father is just like Wei Tingyu, neither of them are reliable in this kind of thing.

  If Wang Yingxue were to become pregnant with Dou Xiao at this time, the idea of her observing a three-year mourning period for her mother would be a joke, and any marriage plans with other families would also be ruined.

  When the news of Wang Xingyi's recovery came, Wang Yingsnow had the support of the Wang family. The Duan family would naturally weigh their options - the Duan family already had a rift with the Zhao family, and Uncle was only a seventh-grade county magistrate. Even if the Duan family did not agree to Wang Yingsnow's promotion, Uncle would not be grateful to the Duan family at all. But the Wang family was different. If the Duan family acknowledged Wang Yingsnow, the Wang family would only have gratitude towards the Duan family, and the Duan family would also gain a powerful ally in the court.

  It's clear how Dugu will choose.

  Unless Wang Xingyi failed to recover or even if he recovered, he was unable to reuse!

  Dòu Zhāo made great efforts to recall what had happened in his previous life.

  Wang Xingyi's recovery was thanks to his teacher Zeng Yifen.

  If Zeng Bufan didn't recommend Wang Xingyi, then Wang Xingyi would naturally have no chance.

  How can we stop Zeng Yifen?

  Dòu Zhāo bit her fingernail.

  She found out that even if she was the former Hou Fu's Hou Furen of Jin Ning, she would still have no way!

  Dong Zhao was extremely worried.

  She asked Du Huanchang: "Do you know Zeng Yifen?"

  Dò Huánchāng thought for half a day, apologetically shook his head and said in confusion: "What do you ask this person for?"

  "I heard Dad say he's very fierce, so I want to know who he is?"

  "Why don't we go ask Zhīgēr?" Dòu Huánchāng said with a blush, "He knows many people, maybe he's heard of this person!"

  Dòu Zhāo followed Dòu Huánchāng to East Dòu.

  The adults just thought she was visiting.

  The second aunt and the big aunt, third aunt, sixth aunt all gave her a lot of delicious food.

  Dò Huánchāng led her to the study and had a servant summon Dò Qǐjùn.

  Dòu Qǐjùn rushed in, wearing a coarse linen short jacket and covered in sweat.

  Dò Huánchāng was shocked: "What have you done again?"

  Dòu Qǐjùn chuckled and picked up the water jug on the table, pouring himself a cup of water which he drank in one gulp. Only then did he say: "Ninth Uncle, don't bother about what I'm doing. Just tell me what you want with me."

  Dong Huan Chang asked him: "Do you know a person named Zeng Yifen?"

  Dou Qijun's eyes lit up, and he said: "You also know Zeng Yifen? He is the master of our fifth uncle's grandfather. This person is very formidable, having gone through four dynasties, rising and falling three times without being overthrown! The other day, he was summoned by the Emperor to enter the palace again, and now he has become the chief assistant. When a new emperor comes to power, the officials change, this time our fifth uncle's grandfather is going to move to a different position..."

  Dòu Zhāo's bitter smile.

  Wang Xingyi, I'm afraid you'll have to move too!

  ※

  Sisters who are reading, I've lost my internet connection here, and the update has been delayed for a long time. I'm really sorry about that. In the next two days, I'll go get a wireless network card, so even if this happens again, I'll have a backup.

  Sweat

  ※