He stared at those autumn-yellow leaves, but the image that flickered through his mind was of a petite young girl. He had thought he would not think of her. Yet after she left, it was as if he had been poisoned by her, from time to time, he found himself remembering her. Maybe it was the influence of the others? At home, they would often bring her up in conversation. Every time Shujun came back from Balibao, she would inevitably mention that woman, and Yuenin would sourly face every time he arrived at the restaurant. Although he never voiced it, anyone with eyes could see that he’d become emotionally stirred by memories, craving the food that woman had made, missing her! Almost every other day, Yixuan would paint a new portrait. Now, Yixuan’s room was filled with paintings of that woman, some smiling, others sorrowful, some seated, some lying down, and even some standing or riding on horseback... Yixuan once said, "Human memory fades easily. I am afraid of forgetting those little details, so painting them is better to remind myself regularly, lest as time goes by, those memories become blurred." In such a situation, it was difficult for Shu Yu himself to not "think" of her. He was convinced that he must have been influenced by his brothers; even when he didn’t want to think of her, there would always be someone nearby reminding him that that woman was a part of their family, their mistress, and most importantly, the person whom his brothers deeply cared for. Sometimes he was a bit puzzled why the memory of that woman carrying him into the snow-capped mountains and throwing him into a snow pit, nearly freezing him to death, was becoming increasingly blurry. Now, aside from the occasional thought, it seemed he no longer held resentment in his heart. Or was that woman’s sorcery too potent? In the evening, Lao San, Shujun, returned from Balibao, his business had been booming recently, money begetting money, profit rolling in, a solid reputation established, and with it, the name of "Huizi Store" had become well-known. That night, Shujun made an announcement, "It’s almost time to close the net." The brothers turned their attention to Shujun to see him slacking off, cocking one leg casually. He leaned like a lazy bone onto the shoulder of his second brother, Shu Yu. Shu Yu’s brow furrowed, "Get off!" he said disapprovingly, pushing Shujun away. He dusted off the non-existent dust from his shoulder and meticulously smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes. "I won’t, I won’t get off!" Shujun leaned over again, and Shu Yu’s expression darkened, his gaze turning somewhat frosty. Little Wu, Yuenin, buried his face in his bowl, furiously shoveling rice into his mouth. He looked towards Third Brother with a confused expression – innocently clueless: "Close the net? What net? Our family doesn’t fish, does it?" Shujun’s mouth twitched. Alright, this one was the simpleton. He sometimes wondered why among the six brothers – the eldest, Lao Er, him, and Little Liu—all had sharp minds, but only Little Wu seemed to be missing a beat. In some matters, he was even less sensible than their wooden-headed fourth brother, Mu Leng. Ignoring the bewildered Yue Ning, Shujun spoke lightly, "Tomorrow, I am planning to make a trip back to Pingchang Prefecture. I’ve been living in Qingfeng Prefecture for most of the year, but ever since Purple Garden was established, I have also been secretly keeping an eye on the news from Pingchang Prefecture. Now that we’ve set the stage for such a long time, it’s also the moment to settle the final accounts!" He narrowed his slender eyes, a cold spark seeming to shoot out of those phoenix eyes. Initially, their family was like destitute refugees, facing threats from Pei Yu, and they had to hastily relocate. But no matter when, that small village in the big mountain was always their root!