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Speaking of which, the villager paused and then added, "You may not know who the third granny is, right? Not long after her granddaughter was taken away, she was arrested, charged with the crime of trafficking women and children, and sentenced to more than a decade!"

The group fell silent, seemingly unprepared for such a revelation about He Zhilan’s childhood.

Mrs. Gu was somewhat choked up, hardly daring to imagine what He Zhilan, bruised and battered, must have looked like.

"Did the He Family treat He Zhilan well?" Mrs. Gu asked softly, her voice trembling as she turned her head away, her eyes moist with emotion.

"Very well indeed!" exclaimed the villager, "Old He is famed throughout the villages around here for being kind to children. Ever since He Zhilan joined the He Family, she hasn’t had to lift a finger. Old He was so proud of her scholastic achievements that he always encouraged her to focus on her studies. Even washing dishes was either done by Old He himself or his own daughter. Before He Zhilan went to university, she was quite the troublemaker, always causing mischief on purpose, but Old He kept spoiling her, never scolded her, just saying that she was still young, that eventually she would understand. We used to laugh at Old He’s ways, but now it seems he was right. He Zhilan was just a child and didn’t know better, but look at her now, so devoted to Old He, and how well she gets along with He Teng~"

When it came to the young couple, He Zhilan and He Teng, the villager had plenty to say, "Just yesterday I saw He Teng and He Zhilan leaving the village hand in hand. In all my years, I’ve never seen a couple as happy as them.

He Zhilan has graduated from university and is now with the military.

I reckon it won’t be long before Old He can hold his grandchild! "

The villager’s casual remark stopped the Gu and Lan families in their tracks.

Yes, if it weren’t for that accident, He Teng would have been a father by now.

Seeing the people around him fall silent, the villager didn’t think much of it.

Since no one else engaged him in conversation, he stopped prattling on and took to greeting acquaintances along the way.

Whenever someone asked who was accompanying him, he cheerfully answered that they were He Teng’s comrades-in-arms.

About half an hour later, everyone reached the front door of the He Family’s home.

The gate to the He Family’s courtyard was open. The villager stood at the entrance and called out, "Old He! Old He, are you home?"

He Da, who was chopping pigweed in the yard, stood up to respond and stepped outside. He was met by a large group, among whom he recognized only one person.

"He Da, is it just you at home? Where’s your dad?" greeted the villager, and then explained, "These are your big brother’s comrades-in-arms; they’re probably here to see him."

"My big brother’s comrades-in-arms?" For some reason, the first thing that came to He Da’s mind was He Teng’s previous instructions to be vigilant about any strangers appearing in the village.

"My big brother and his wife have returned to the military base. Why are you looking for my big brother at this time?" He Da furrowed his brow, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Lan Li. I’m not sure if your big brother has mentioned me to you," said Lan Li as he stepped forward to speak to He Da.

"And they are?" He Da knew of Lan Li.

"My surname is Gu." Gu Hengyuan took the initiative to speak, "We came to talk to you about some matters."

"You’re a Gu?" He Da now truly sensed that something was about to unfold, "What could a farmer like me possibly know? If you are here to see my big brother, he has already returned to the military base. Please, you should leave. If there’s nothing else, I have work to attend to."