"Third Grandma, rest assured, Aunt and Uncle have a marriage certificate," Gu Jinli said upon meeting Gu Daya. She had also been concerned about this when Gu Dashan went to see Qi Panzi and his son. She specifically asked Gu Daya if she had a marriage certificate with Qi Panzi, and whether they were recognized as husband and wife by the government. She had already thought it through; if Gu Daya and Qi Panzi did not have a marriage certificate, their family would bring Gu Daya back alone. If the three cousins were willing to follow Gu Daya, they would come back as well. As for Qi Panzi, well, without a marriage certificate, he wouldn’t count as her uncle. Fortunately, Gu Daya mentioned that she did have a marriage certificate with Qi Panzi and even showed her a yellowed marriage certificate. Only after confirming it was truly Gu Daya and Qi Panzi’s marriage certificate did she feel relieved. Otherwise, Qi Panzi would not have been able to come back with them; he would have been left in Prefecture. Hearing this, Third Grandma finally put down her worries, "Having a marriage certificate is good, it’s really good." With a marriage certificate, Daya is not a concubine, and the children she bore are legitimate, not born of an affair. "Daya, are these unfamiliar faces your kids?" Third Grandma asked as she looked at the somewhat nervous Qi Kangping and others standing behind Gu Daya. Wiping her tears, Gu Daya smiled and said, "Yes, they are mine, I have had three children. This is eldest Kangping, second Kang Le, third Kangming." In the local dialect, children who did not die young and grew up successfully were called ’established.’ Upon hearing Gu Daya’s words, Third Grandma could not help but cry again. From what Daya said, it sounded like she had more than three children, but only these many survived. These three children had also suffered many hardships, each bearing wounds—one had a leg injury, another an injured hand, and the third a scarred face. Third Grandma’s tears flowed even more furiously. What suffering has Daya’s family endured? "Quick, call her Third Grandma," Gu Daya urged the Qi siblings. "Third Grandma," Qi Kangming called out first, followed by Qi Kang Le, and finally, the slightly slower Qi Kangping. "Ah, good children, Third Grandma is so fond of you all," Third Grandma said, delighted to suddenly have three more grandchildren. "Old lady, stop talking for now. Whatever you have to say, let’s talk inside," said Third Grandpa, having sat in the carriage for so long and feeling quite exhausted. Seeing Third Grandma standing crying by the yard’s entrance, he quickly waved his hand and motioned for her to bring everyone inside. "Look at me, I’ve said everything. Daya, come inside with me," Third Grandma led Gu Daya and her family into the house. Seeing that Gu Dashan and Gu Jinli were all right, Mrs. Cui felt relieved. As Gu Daya and her family entered the house, she only had time to say to Gu Dashan, "Father, you go inside and rest with Xiao Yu first. I will go to the kitchen with Sister Xiu and cook something for you all." After she spoke, she took Gu Jinxiu to the kitchen to quickly prepare some simple dishes. "Hey," Gu Dashan replied with a smile, picking up Brother Cheng, and said to the Jiang Family’s Protectors, "Brother Liu, Brother Pu, thanks for your hard work. Go inside and rest first, have something to eat before you leave." Nurse Liu waved his hand and said, "No need, Brother Gu, we have to hurry back. Second Young Master is opening a Soybean Oil Workshop, and we need to go help." The Jiang Family had only three carriages, and they had used two of them; they needed to return these two quickly as they were required at home. "Gentlemen, wait a minute. I’ll get you some food to eat on the road," said Gu Jinli, running to the kitchen. Seeing Mrs. Cui frying bean dregs cakes, she hurried her, "Mother, hurry, Uncle Liu from Lord County Captain’s office is heading back. We should give them some food to take along." Saying this, she took out six eggs, washed them, and threw them into the boiling water that was being heated. Gulu gulu, the water in the pot was boiling. After about half a quarter of an hour, Gu Jinli took out the eggs and placed them into a small cloth bag. He then took out two large bamboo tubes; one was filled with soy milk and the other with water. "Alright, bring the bean dregs cakes." Mrs. Cui had already made the first batch of bean dregs cakes and put all ten cakes into a small cloth bag for Gu Jinli to take to the Luo Family’s Protector. Gu Jinli took the items, ran outside to the courtyard, and placed everything directly into the carriage, telling Nurse Liu, "Uncle Liu, Uncle Pu Zi, I’ve put some food and drink in the carriage for you; remember to eat." Nurse Liu smiled and said, "Eh, we know." He then told Gu Dashan, "Brother Gu, you’re really fortunate to have such a good daughter." She’s young but quite thoughtful. Gu Dashan chuckled and replied, "Just a country girl, born under hard circumstances. She got tough while escaping famine; can’t compare to the refined kids in Brother Liu’s family." Listening to their pleasantries, Gu Jinli barely held back a laugh and said to Gu Dashan, "Dad, I’m going to Hui Niang’s house to inform them about Brother Luo Wu directly reporting to the government office, so they won’t worry." Luo Wu had helped her family, and he had run off for a few days without telling his family. Now that they were back, and Luo Wu hadn’t returned, she needed to let them know. Gu Jinli quickly ran towards the Luo Family’s house. She found only Luo Huiniang in the main hall, preparing spices, and couldn’t help but ask, "Hui Niang, where are your parents?" Considering the dates, today wasn’t when the Luo Family set up their stall; it was Gu Dagui and his wife’s, along with Gu Damu and his wife’s turn. Luo Huiniang, seeing her, exclaimed joyfully, "Xiao Yu, you’re finally back! I’ve missed you so much. How’s the Prefecture? What good food did they have?" She hadn’t been to the Prefecture yet and really wanted to go. Gu Jinli paused, then asked, "Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your brother first?" "Oh, right. How is my brother?" Luo Huiniang responded, "I heard the sound of the carriage and thought you had returned. I wanted to go out and see, but I was afraid I might mess up the measurements of the spices I’m mixing." Luo Huiniang always loved lively atmospheres and couldn’t wait to go out and see, but she was also afraid the spices would get mixed up and spoil the flavor, which made her hold back from going out. Gu Jinli patted Luo Huiniang’s shoulder, saying, "That must have been hard for you." To suppress such an eager heart must not have been easy. She continued, "Your brother hasn’t come back; he went directly to the county government to report and won’t be able to return home until the end of the month. Don’t worry." "That’s good, I’m not worried," Luo Huiniang said carefreely, "My parents aren’t worried either." Gu Jinli paused again, then asked, "Where are your parents?" Luo Huiniang replied, "My dad’s at the workshop setting curd for tofu, and my mom’s applying fertilizer in the soybean field." Gu Jinli glanced at the entrance, seeing no one, then quietly asked Luo Huiniang, "Your brother ran off to the Prefecture to find my aunt without telling your parents; did they say anything?" The situation between Luo Wu and Gu Jinxiu was uncertain. If nothing came of it, it would be fine, but if something did, she didn’t want the Luo parents to hold any grudges against her sister. "They did say something - Mom and Dad said my brother did the right thing. We escaped famine together as seven families; if anyone has an issue, we all help," Luo Huiniang said with some regret, "If you hadn’t left so quickly, I would’ve followed you to find people too."