After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

I delivered the goods to the restaurant first, and in addition to the milk tea, I also settled the payment for the snails.

Shopkeeper Su still gave half a tael of silver, paying an extra 100 coins. Adding this to the 100-coin deposit he had given last time, he now had a deposit of 200 coins.

Tiger took the silver and put it in his pocket. He pressed it down and rubbed his fingertips against the fabric a couple of times before he felt at ease.

The father and son left the Tianxiang Tower.

"Let's go pick up Ah Long," Tiger said first.

Uncle Ding pulled the oxcart by the rope and got on. Hu Zi jumped on as well. Uncle Ding cracked the whip, and the oxcart creaked and groaned as it headed toward the academy.

Passing by a mutton stall, Uncle Ding remembered that Lin Qianqian had asked him to help cut the mutton, so he reined in the oxcart and jumped off.

Uncle Ding first asked the stall owner to cut five catties of mutton for Lin Qianqian. Then, seeing that the offal was fresh, he bought it as well. He also asked the stall owner for some sheep's blood, thinking that he would make some mutton offal soup at home, which would be cheap and delicious.

When we arrived at the academy, the gate was not yet open.

Uncle Ding found a shady spot to park the car. Hu Zi jumped out and paced back and forth, sometimes looking at the sky, sometimes peeking into the courtyard gate on tiptoe, muttering, "Why haven't they come out yet? Do you guys usually wait this long?"

Uncle Ding leaned against the cart shaft, squinting, "We arrived early, just wait a little longer, it'll be here soon."

After waiting a while, the courtyard gate creaked open, and several students walked out.

Tiger spotted Ah Long immediately, stood on tiptoe, and waved, "Ah Long, over here!"

Ah Long heard the voice and looked over. Seeing it was Hu Zi, he was overjoyed and quickened his pace: "Why did you come to pick me up today?"

Tiger put his arm around his shoulder: "Get in the car first, we'll talk after we get in."

"Why didn't my older sister come?" he asked, his voice lower than usual.

"Qianqian twisted her ankle while hiking yesterday, and Dr. Zhou told her to rest," Hu Zi said.

Upon hearing that he had sprained his ankle, Ah Long finally relaxed.

Ke Xin still felt a pang of guilt—a sprained ankle, that must hurt so much. He nodded, not asking any further questions, but his hand unconsciously clenched the hem of his clothes.

Ah Long asked again, "Did the teacher give you a day off too? How come you have time to pick me up?"

Tiger rubbed his hands together, running his fingers back and forth in his palms, before speaking: "I'm not going to school anymore. It's getting harder and harder. I was okay at first, but then I started to fall behind."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Ah Long. In that glance, there was probing, unease, and a hint of fear that he couldn't hide.

Her lips moved, but she finally managed to squeeze out, "Ah Long, will you look down on me? Will you think that having a friend like me is embarrassing for you?"

Ah Long patted him on the shoulder: "No, we're brothers forever. How can our childhood friendship change so easily? My sister said before that there's more to life than just passing the imperial examinations. Studying is for a better life in the future."

"That's what Sister Qianqian said too. I was afraid that you would ignore me after you found out." Tiger finally felt at ease, the tension in his shoulders relaxed, and he spoke more cheerfully.

"I've recently become Sister Qianqian's little follower, helping her with her business. Do you know about the snails in our river? We sell them at restaurants for five copper coins a cup. People in the village usually dislike them because they're gritty and have a muddy taste, but they taste incredibly delicious in Sister Qianqian's hands," Tiger said, his eyes shining brightly.

"And did you know that Sister Qianqian went up the mountain yesterday to collect snails? She couldn't climb any further and said she needed to rest for a while. While resting, she dug up a hundred-year-old ginseng." Tiger gestured as he spoke, "It's this thick."

"What? Ginseng! A hundred-year-old ginseng." Ah Long was also startled. A hundred-year-old ginseng is not something that can be dug up casually; it is something that can only be encountered by chance and is extremely rare. He knew all too well the significance of a hundred-year-old ginseng.

"But Sister Qianqian gave it to Doctor Zhou," Tiger added.

"Dr. Zhou is actually a very good person. That time my sister was beaten unconscious by Aunt Ding, it was Aunt Ding who found Dr. Zhou, and he didn't even charge her for the consultation. When I went back a while ago, my sister said she had become Dr. Zhou's apprentice and was learning medicine from him." Ah Long said, also thinking that his sister was great.

"Yeah," Tiger chimed in. "Sister Qianqian sprained her ankle, but she dug up some bone-removing herbs for herself, applied medicine, and even Doctor Zhou praised her for learning some real skills. Who do you think is so lucky to marry Sister Qianqian? Their ancestors' graves must be emitting auspicious smoke."

"My sister said she's not considering marriage for the time being," Ah Long smiled. He wanted to wait until he passed the imperial examinations, which would give him a higher social standing and allow his sister to have more options. He felt his sister was suited to marry the best man. But wealthy and powerful families valued marriages between equals, and he wanted to be his sister's source of confidence.

If he could get a minor official position, my sister could also enjoy a better life. Since our mother passed away, my sister has been struggling on her own.

"Uncle Lin carried it back for Sister Qianqian that day." Tiger glanced at Ah Long as he spoke, wanting to see what his expression was.

"You mean my...father?" Ah Long was genuinely surprised. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

In his memory, his father didn't care about him and his siblings, and sometimes he even doubted whether they were his children.

Uncle Ding, who had been silent until now, interjected, "Your father seems to have changed. Ever since Ding Yuxiang left, he seems like a different person."

He is not them, and cannot make decisions for them. "Do not advise others to do good if you have not experienced their suffering."

Ah Long didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the harvested crops on both sides. The rice stubble in the fields still stood, row after row receding into the distance. He watched it, but his mind wandered elsewhere.