The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

The parents arrived at the grandparents' house first and are now chatting with their second and third uncles' families in the yard.

"Sister-in-law, Kaixin is really something!"

Second Aunt Wu Li picked up a handful of wood ear mushrooms, examining them closely. "Look at the wood ear mushrooms this child brought back! They're much bigger than the ones we have here!"

"Lili, didn't Kaixin bring some back around this time last year?" Mother Qin Xiuli said with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, who remembers what happened last year?"

Aunt Wang Hongmei, who was standing nearby, chimed in with a smile, "Besides, Kaixin is so capable now, what's wrong with us praising her!"

"That's right!" Second Aunt nodded repeatedly and put down the wood ear mushrooms in her hand.

As Qin Xiuli listened to her two sisters-in-law praising her eldest son in unison, she felt incredibly happy.

On the other side, Li Mingde, the father, was squatting under the courtyard wall with his second uncle Li Mingcai and third uncle Li Mingtian, smoking.

"Big brother, what made you suddenly decide to come back today?" Uncle Li Mingtian took a deep drag of his cigarette and asked casually.

Father Li Mingde paused in his work, glanced at him, and said, "What's wrong, third son? Aren't you welcoming me back?"

"Brother, how could that be!" Uncle Li Mingtian quickly explained, "You brought so much stuff back again, I was just worried you'd get robbed on the way!"

"Big brother, I agree with what the third brother said. Next time you bring something back, please invite us first," Second Uncle Li Mingcai chimed in.

"Alright, you two, stop lecturing each other."

Father Li Mingde smiled. "Kaixin came back with us this time. Don't you all know how capable Kaixin is?"

Although he said that, he was still very touched by his concern for his two younger brothers.

Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from outside the courtyard gate.

People in the courtyard turned to look and saw Li Kaixin pushing a cart, with his younger sister Li Xiaoxiao following behind, to the gate.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!" they both called out at the same time.

Grandpa Li Hongtao and Grandma Zhang Xiaohua, who were sitting at the entrance of the main house, saw the visitors and immediately stood up and ran out.

"Grandson, Xiaoxiao, you've finally arrived."

When Grandma got closer, she took the hands of Li Kaixin and his sister and looked them over carefully for a while.

Grandpa watched this scene with a smile on his face.

"Grandma, I've missed you so much these past few days," Li Xiaoxiao said, then hugged her grandmother's arm and started to act coquettishly.

"Xiaoxiao, Grandma misses you too!"

Grandma reached out and touched Xiaoxiao's face, then turned to Li Kaixin, "Grandson, this long journey must have been exhausting, right? You look thinner than last time."

"Grandma! Where have I lost weight?" Li Kaixin deliberately puffed out her chest and patted her arms. "Look, I'm clearly fatter than last time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Grandpa looked around and asked, "By the way, Kaixin, where's Xiaokai? I haven't seen him."

"Grandpa, Xiao Kai is playing with the village kids right now!" Li Kaixin replied with a smile.

Grandpa nodded, then turned around and beckoned Li Kaixin and his sister to walk into the yard.

After entering the courtyard, Li Kaixin greeted his second and third uncles one by one before sitting down at the table in the courtyard.

The second aunt quickly poured a bowl of water for him and pushed it over, saying, "Come on, Kaixin, have some water first."

"Thank you, Second Aunt." Li Kaixin picked up the teacup in front of her and took several sips in one go.

Third Aunt Wang Hongmei wasn't idle either; she took a towel from the kitchen:

"Kaixin, you must have sweated a lot on the way here, come and wipe yourself off."

Li Kaixin did not refuse, and thanked him after accepting it.

Everyone present noticed how attentive the two of them were.

Grandpa and Grandma didn't say anything; on the contrary, they felt it was the right thing to do.

Their eldest grandson has to indirectly provide food to the families of his second and third sons' wives every month. That's the kind of treatment they're given.

But Li Mingtian, the third uncle who was squatting by the wall, wouldn't have it.

He stood up and said sourly, "Wife, I've never seen you treat me this well before."

"I'm getting a bit hot now, could you get me a towel too?"

Third Aunt Wang Hongmei didn't tolerate her husband at all, and directly glared at him.

"Don't you have legs? The towel is hanging in the kitchen; go get it yourself if you want it!"

The couple's bickering immediately filled the courtyard with laughter.

Just then, my third grandfather appeared outside the door.

He greeted Li Kaixin with a smile, "Kaixin, your whole family is back!"

"Third Grandfather, what brings you here?" Li Kaixin quickly got up to greet him and walked briskly to the door.

Third Grandfather leaned closer and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard you were back, so I thought I'd come and talk to you alone about something we agreed on last time."

"No problem, Third Grandfather!"

Li Kaixin nodded in agreement, then turned around and said, "Grandpa, I'm going out for a bit to talk to Third Grandfather about something."

"Go ahead!" Grandpa waved his hand and added, "But some things, just do your best."

He knew in his heart that the two must have gone to talk about the village's grain, and he happened to be there at the time.

"Sir, I understand!"

After Grandpa Li Kaixin left with Li Kaixin, Uncle Li Mingtian's curiosity was immediately piqued.

He sidled up to the old man and asked in a cheeky tone, "Dad, do you know what Kaixin and Third Uncle went to talk about?"

Grandpa glanced at his third son and said irritably, "Why are you meddling so much? You'll know what you need to know."

When Uncle Li Mingtian saw that the old man was unwilling to speak, he could only sheepishly shrink back.

Li Mingcai, the second uncle standing to the side, didn't ask any questions. He glanced at the old man and continued smoking.

On the other side, Third Grandfather and Li Kaixin walked one after the other to the village's ancestral hall before stopping.

"Kaixin, I mentioned the village's difficulties last time. How much grain can you possibly contribute through your connections?"

Third Grandfather turned around and looked at him expectantly.

Without hesitation, Li Kaixin replied, "Third Grandfather, the village is short 40,000 jin of grain, right? I can provide it all."

When he came back last month, he talked to his third grandfather about the issue of food.

As for why they didn't immediately take out the grain when they clearly had it, it was out of consideration for their own safety.

"Really? That's great!"

Third Grandfather immediately became excited and grabbed Li Kaixin's hand, "You know the location of our clan's secret vault. You can go and get whatever money you need anytime."

Li Kaixin nodded without being polite.

After Grandpa San calmed down a bit, he asked again, "Kaixin, how long will it take for the grain to arrive?"

"Third Grandfather, if you're in a hurry, I can deliver it tomorrow!" Li Kaixin replied decisively.

"Good! Good! Good!" Third Grandfather said three times in a row.

Then, the two of them quietly discussed the specific arrangements for handing over the grain the next day at the entrance of the ancestral hall.