After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

On the 16th day of the eighth lunar month, at the Lan Clan Ancestral Hall.

After their conversation in the pavilion, Lan Qingqing was called to the kitchen to help.

After replying to the message, Lan Yujuan also got up and prepared to go for a walk by the river to see how their fishing and shrimp-catching team had caught.

Unexpectedly, just as I stepped out of the pavilion, I saw the old clan chief coming out of the ancestral hall, accompanied by a familiar figure.

Looking at the old patriarch of the Lan clan, with his respectful and enthusiastic attitude, Lan Yujuan almost thought she was seeing things.

However, the two seemed to be discussing something, talking as they walked in another direction.

Lan Yujuan did not interfere in other people's private affairs.

Arriving at the riverbank, Qin Shuyi and Li Le, with their trouser legs turned up high, began catching fish and shrimp along the riverbank.

There is an ancient camphor tree by the river, its canopy spreading out as big as several pavilions.

Beneath the ancient camphor tree, there is a set of bluestone table and stools, worn smooth by years of use.

Chen Mo sat listlessly on a stone bench, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, staring blankly at the two people not far away, lost in thought.

Lan Yujuan's heart stirred slightly, and she quietly plucked a foxtail grass, then tiptoed closer from behind.

Then, stopping just a step away, he quietly picked up a blade of grass and tickled the back of Chen Mo's neck.

Chen Mo didn't say anything, but shrank his neck and tilted his head back to fall backward.

"Be careful!"

Then, she saw someone, backlit and squinting, looking at her with a silly grin.

Lan Yujuan looked down at him, her face suddenly flushing. After turning him around, she softly hummed:

"Did you hear my footsteps a while ago?"

Chen Mo grinned, reached out and grabbed her wrist, gently pulling her into his arms to sit down.

Before Lan Yujuan could struggle to get up, he took her hand and pointed towards the pavilion not far away.

"Look for yourself!"

Lan Yujuan paused slightly, then turned her head to look in the direction he was pointing.

Where did we hear the footsteps?

Could it be that this man has been staring at her ever since she and Lan Qingqing entered the pavilion?

"So, you were spying on me while you were sitting here?"

Chen Mo chuckled softly, "What do you mean by 'peeping'? I'm just showing concern."

"How did it go? How was your chat?"

When he mentioned serious matters, Lan Yujuan also sat up straight and became serious.

"It's great!"

"Business has been pretty good ever since the coffee shop opened!"

"I'm thinking of letting Qingqing gain experience for a few months first, and then opening a branch store and having her be the store manager."

"Then sign a contract with her and give her an advance payment, which can be used to renovate the new house."

"In this way, she won't have to worry too much about things back home, and she can focus on doing her own thing."

Chen Mo listened attentively and nodded, "Yes, that is indeed an idea."

"Although you are relatives of the same clan, we should help in times of emergency, not in times of poverty. We should start by helping people to improve their mindset before helping them to alleviate poverty."

"By doing this, you're helping her without making her overly dependent on you, which is a good approach!"

Lan Yujuan said seriously, "Qingqing is very good. She deserves a better life. She's just still young."

"To be honest, the fact that the coffee shop has become so successful far exceeds my expectations."

"Although I'm the boss, Qi Lei and Qingqing are the real heroes of the coffee shop!"

"When I said I was helping her, I was actually helping myself as well."

Chen Mo turned his head to look at her, raised his hand and tucked a stray strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear. He was becoming more and more skilled at this small gesture.

Lan Yujuan looked at the ancestral hall not far away and suddenly remembered what had just happened.

"By the way, guess who I just saw the clan leader walking with?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Lin Feng."

Lan Yujuan turned around in surprise, "How did you know? Did you see it?"

However, sitting in this spot, the entrance to the ancestral hall not far away is completely blocked by the pavilion, so you can't see it at all.

Chen Mo smiled faintly and said, "You're not familiar with the other people in the village either."

"Your uncle and aunt are busy cooking, the three of us are catching fish and shrimp by the river, and you and Qingqing were talking about something."

"So, who else could it be? Is it that hard to guess?"

Lan Yujuan frowned and snorted, "Hmm, you guessed right."

"I'm just a little curious, why is Lin Feng walking with the clan leader?"

"And judging from their backs just now, they seemed to be talking about something important, and they were quite focused."

She was standing right outside the pavilion, yet neither of them noticed her.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled softly:

"It's alright, you'll probably find out what they're talking about in a few days."

"It should be a good thing."

Lan Yujuan stood up suspiciously, turned her head and stared intently at Chen Mo, subtly probing:

"So, you already guessed it?"

Chen Mo grinned. "Is that so hard to guess?"

"Lin Feng doesn't like to interact with people easily, and there are only a few people and things he cares about."

"Since he can chat with the old clan chief, the matter they're discussing must be something he cares about very much!"

Lan Yujuan was initially confused, but after listening to Chen Mo's explanation, she suddenly understood.

"I see!"

"Lin Feng came along this time to gather inspiration."

"He just stayed alone in the ancestral hall, wandered around for a long time, and it must be because of this."

"I reckon he's interested in the Lan clan's heritage and migrations, and he's asking the old patriarch about some past events."

Chen Mo choked on his words, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"What, am I wrong?" Lan Yujuan asked, frowning.

Chen Mo raised his hand and touched his nose. "Ahem, this should be what we were talking about!"

Lan Yujuan nodded in agreement, "Yes, definitely!"

"After all, in Lin Feng's heart, what could be more important than his beloved music?"

Thinking of this, Lan Yujuan suddenly became interested and hurriedly took out her phone to send a message to Lin Feng.

"Let's see what new song he can write this time. I'll reserve it in advance and see if it can be used in the next short drama!"

"While he's not too famous yet, I need to pull some strings."

"Once he becomes a huge star, it'll probably be too late for me."

"Even if he's willing to give me special treatment by then, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford the copyright fees..."

Soon it was noon, and lunch was ready!

On the tall octagonal table, twelve dishes were laid out, making it as lively as the Chinese New Year!

Except for one stir-fried water spinach dish, all eleven other dishes were meat dishes.

Looking at the table covered with chopsticks, Lan's mother felt dizzy and smiled helplessly:

"Qingqing, are you holding your chopsticks too heavy?"

"There are nine of us eating lunch today, so why are there more than twenty pairs of chopsticks?"

As she spoke, Lan's mother prepared to put away the extra chopsticks.

Seeing this, Lan Qingqing quickly stepped forward to stop her, "Mom, don't move!"

"I didn't miscount; these extra ones are serving chopsticks."

"Place a pair of serving chopsticks for each dish."

"At lunchtime today, everyone used their own chopsticks to eat, and used serving chopsticks to pick up food!"

Upon hearing this, Lan's mother's brows furrowed deeply. "What? I need to use serving chopsticks when I'm eating at home?"

"You silly girl, what kind of ridiculous rules are these!"

"When your dad and I went to the city and ate at your uncle's house, we didn't use serving chopsticks at all!"

Although Mother Lan said that, she still silently put away the chopsticks she was holding.

Although I can't understand my daughter's behavior, I respect it.

Lan Qingqing secretly glanced in Lin Feng's direction and muttered softly:

"Then don't worry about it, I'll wash the dishes after we eat anyway."

The others at the table may not understand, but Lan Yujuan knew exactly what was going on.

Having known Lin Feng for so long, I've never seen him drink water offered by strangers, nor do he share meals with others.

Lan Qingqing specially added these serving chopsticks for him.