As dusk fell, all the groups returned. Chen'er finally saw her cousin with her own eyes. This young man had joined the army when he was just a teenager. The little fellow was so excited.

>

They huddled around Xiao An, pestering him to tell stories about the battlefield.

And little An also extremely liked her nephew, immediately lifted Chen onto his back and turned around in the courtyard.

Seeing this scene, Yang Ruqing couldn't help but think back many years ago. Back then, Xiao An and Chen'er were about this age, and Luofeng Tang was only a little older than Xiao An.

Every time Luofeng Tang returned from the military camp, Xia An would greet him this way, clinging to her brother-in-law and asking him questions about everything related to war.

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Time flies, the years fly by, and now it's Chen'er and Xiaoan's turn to play this role.

"Tang Ya Zi, aren't we getting old?" Yang Ruohua couldn't help but ask Luo Feng Tang with a smile.

Luo Fengtang naturally understood why Yang Ruoheng felt this way. He reached out and gently stroked Yang Ruoheng's hair, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, my Ruoheng is only in her early twenties, full of vitality, beautiful and young!"

Yang Ruqing's face flushed, she quickly glanced around and lowered her voice to scold him, "Go back to the room and praise me, don't be afraid of people laughing!"

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Luo Fengtang grinned and said, "It's only natural for me to praise my wife."

Yang Ruqing smiled gently at him and said, "Alright, I won't bicker with you anymore. I'm going to the kitchen to help mother cook dinner. Since Xiao An is back today, let's have dinner earlier as a family. At night, I still have something to discuss with you and Da An."

"What's the matter? Are you in a hurry?" Luofengtang asked quickly.

Yang Ruqing glanced at the backyard. Her nephew and cousin were sparring, their laughter echoing intermittently.

Yang Ruqing lowered her voice and said, "It's not too urgent. It's about Xiao An's future whereabouts, you know."

A couple's hearts are connected, and even a slight breeze can pass between them.

"Alright, Qing'er, you go busy first. We'll have a good discussion later at night." he said.

The male is outside, the female inside. However, in the kitchen, there's a different scene now.

Mrs. Sun was busy making various home-cooked dishes with her daughters, Xiao Duo and Xiao Jie. She was chopping meatballs, pounding meat patties, steaming rice flour puddings, and red sugar cakes...

"Oh my god, are you guys preparing a big feast? This is so lavish!" Yang Ruqing exclaimed in surprise.

Xiaohua, with her big belly, also sat by the stove and helped put in firewood.

>

"Our mother said that Xia An and Tang Ya'zi didn't celebrate the New Year at home last time, so this time they need to cook a good meal to make up for it," Xia Hua said.

Yang Ruqing came to the stove, glanced at the large pot and small fire pit, as well as the small burner beside it.

Steaming, boiling, and braising, all were put to use.

Not only did the Sun family bring several sisters from home to help, but even the two maids and rough servants were brought over from the courtyard to guard the small stove.

After eating and drinking their fill, the Sun family retired to their respective rooms for a rest. Yang Ruqing summoned Luofeng Tang and the Da'an and Xiao'an brothers to Da'an's study to discuss matters.

Now we've moved to a big house, and Daan's study is very spacious and bright.

Originally, Da An wanted to give this grand study to Chen'er, but Chen'er refused.

Chen'er likes to keep his bedroom and study connected. It’s his habit, he reads until he gets tired and just falls asleep. So, Da An didn't insist.

But Da An's favorite thing in this study was the rows of bookshelves.

This kid comes to his uncle's study every day to look for books, he's a regular here.

"Where's Chen'er?" In the study, seeing Yang Ruqing and Luofengtang enter together, Xiao An was surprised to find that Chen'er wasn't with them.

Yang Ruqing said, "Perhaps she's tired from the day's exam. She went to bed after taking a shower earlier."

Little An let out an "oh" and her eyes couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment.

He originally thought that his studious little nephew would be a stuffy old man, but when he saw him today, he was shocked.

He had never seen such a delicate child in this world, as exquisite as jade. From head to toe, he emanated the air of nobility, every gesture and movement exuding grace and elegance.

He not only has a scholarly aura but also, when sparring with him in the backyard, I discovered that despite his young age, he possesses an extremely solid foundation in martial arts.

His bones are unusual, a good material for martial arts training. Xiao An truly adores this nephew of his.

"Sister, I already told Chen'er before that I'll sleep with him in the same room tonight!" Xia An continued.

>

Yang Ruqing curled her lips, “When I came over before, Chen’er also told me, he said he left the door open for you.”

This uncle and nephew have such a great relationship, they're practically like old friends.

When Chen'er first met Dayan, although they got along well with each other, the two mainly discussed articles and academics.

Like two scholarly gentlemen, they were close but maintained a respectful distance, much like that between elders and juniors.

But with my uncle, it was like we were two old buddies who hadn't seen each other in ages, joking around and talking about everything.

Yang Ruqing was very happy to see this.

Here, Dayan arrived as well. Seeing that everyone was gathered, Yang Ruoqing walked over and closed the door to the study. Then she turned around and sat down at the table, beckoning the three of them to sit down too.

“Sister, did you call us here because there’s something important we need to discuss?” Daa An asked.

Yang Ruqing glanced at Xiao An, then continued to Da An: "Well, it is indeed important. It's about Xiao An's future and whether he stays..."

Yang Ruqing got straight to the point, telling Dayan and Luofengtang about the near-conflict between Sun Shi and Xiao An when they met earlier that day.

“I understand Xiao An's meaning; he wants to continue serving in the army, but we also need to consider our mother's feelings,” Yang Ruqing continued.

“That’s why I called you all here, let’s get together and see if we can come up with a win-win solution.” she said.

After hearing Yang Ruqing's words, Da An let out a light sigh and his face was filled with guilt.

“Oh, let alone Xiao An, I myself feel sorry for my parents!” Da An said.

"My parents suffered hardships to raise me and pay for my education. Well, I did manage to graduate and passed the imperial examinations, even becoming a top scholar and coming to the capital to serve the emperor and settle down."

>

“In the eyes of others, I've soared to success, brought honor to my family. However,”

“Many times, in the middle of the night, I wake up and think of my parents millions of miles away. I worry about their warmth and coldness, and I feel helpless that I can’t be by their side to show them filial piety.”

Whenever I think about these things, I feel uneasy and keep asking myself, "I read so many books, stepping on the shoulders of my family to leave Changping Village and come to the capital, just to stay away from my parents and not be filial?"

At this point, Dayan's eyes welled up with tears. He said he couldn't go on, turned his head away, and quietly wiped at the corner of his eye.

Luò Fēng Táng also fell silent.

Because of Da An's words, it also touched his heart.

He couldn't help but think about himself after joining the army, for half a year out of the year he couldn't be home...

As for Xiao An, he slumped in his chair with his shoulders drooping, looking utterly embarrassed.

“I didn't understand my brother's feelings before, but now I can feel some of them,” Xiaon said.