There was a small frozen lake on the roadside. Su Jingyang was afraid he would be thrown in by Rong Ci after he finished his question, so his hands and feet wrapped around him at the same time. His voice was a little louder as he explained: "I really just feel that it was weird, I'm just curious, just asking. It's not that I'm interested in you and deliberately teased you or anything, don't think too much!"

Rong Ci kept his head slightly titled sideways and didn't speak for a long time. Light snowflakes fluttered around, some fell and melted into water droplets on his long eyelashes, but he didn't even blink, as if he had suddenly turned into a statue.

Su Jingyang couldn't help getting nervous. It couldn't be that h-he really does, right?!

Rong Ci closed his eyes for a moment and turned his face away. He continued to walk forward steadily while carrying him, saying with a faint voice: "Do you think I'll like you?" Su Jingyang had already consciously interpreted this as a denial. He breathed a sigh of relief and loosened his hands and feet, leaning on his shoulders and saying: "I didn't really think you did, this is really great. Because if you really like me, I won't be responsible."

Rong Ci contemptuously said: "Who wants you to be responsible?"

Su Jingyang had a puzzled expression: "What, do you think others don't need to be responsible for feelings?"

Rong Ci said: "You didn't ask them to love you, why should you be responsible? Have you seen anyone I'm responsible for? Oh, except Yangyang."

Su Jingyang said in his heart, "Alright, then my worries are unnecessary." He changed his mind and hurriedly changed his words: "No, right? I mean, if you like others, don't you expect others to be responsible for you?"

Rong Ci's dark eyes were deep, he curled his lips and said manly: "You say that people are responsible, but I haven't seen anyone who can really be responsible for a lifetime. These are all hot air. It's better to just have a good time than to be entangled in so many things."

Su Jingyang groaned muffledly, "Yes, yes, you are very chic." After a pause, Su Jingyang went on to say: "However, if you can say that, you probably haven't met someone you really like. Real likes are all possessiveness. When you meet the right person, your opinion will definitely change, and you won't be as calm as you are now."

Su Jingyang was even more relieved, this person was obviously indifferent to him. It seems like he really just thought too much.

Rong Ci stared at the vast expanse of whiteness in the distance, and after a long time, he whispered: "It depends on the person. You should act according to the situation. Otherwise, you'll be too radical, and will be prone to doing bad things."

Su Jingyang leaned on his shoulder and smiled. "It turns out that your mind's so deep, the person you'll like probably has super bad luck from getting noticed by you, they definitely won't be able to escape from your hands!"

Rong Ci snorted softly with unknown meaning: "You're right."

After thinking about it, Su Jingyang couldn't help but ask him: "I still don't understand. Why did you believe Murong's lies and came to my rescue? You're still willing to carry me now. Is it because you don't actually hate me so much, and already regard me as a friend?"

Rong Ci quickly said: "I don't have a friend like you."

"Like me? What's wrong with me?" Su Jingyang was upset, "Am I bad? Not worthy of being your friend? Then why're you still carrying me? If you're so disgusted, let me down."

Rong Ci raised his voice slightly: "Are you sure you want to come down?" Su Jingyang raised his head and calculated the way. He found that he was still far away from home and acted as if nothing happened, asking: "You didn't answer my question just now. You don't like me, and you didn't treat me as a friend. Why did you come to save me? Why?"

Rong Ci: "You have too many questions, I refuse to answer. From now on, if you say one more word, I'll throw you down."

"..."

Rong Ci carried Su Jingyang back to Ling Li's and left. Su Jingyang wanted to serve him a cup of hot tea, but Rong Ci said it wasn't necessary. He turned and left, going back to his own home.

Su Jingyang went in and found that Rong Hua had already sent Ah-Xuan home. The three of them were roasting sweet potatoes around the brazier in the room, the aroma filled the nose.

Ling Li, who was looking out the door from time to time, watched him come in and hurriedly got up, taking a dry towel to wipe the snow off his body.

Ah-Xuan happily ran over to embrace Su Jingyang. He held his hand and, as if afraid that he would be frozen, opened his small mouth to heat it. Su Jingyang rubbed his little head, picked him up, and kissed him. Ah-Xuan laid on his shoulder, "Uncle, I miss you."

Su Jingyang asked Ah-Xuan, "Where did you miss me?" He pointed with a finger to his heart, blinking his black and white eyes and saying softly: "Here."

Su Jingyang suddenly felt his eyes become sore. He hugged him tightly in his arms, feeling messy in his heart. Ah-Xuan's thoughtful words were one reason, it was more because he realized that the effect of Ah-Xuan's return this time was much more obvious than the first time. His eyes were no longer as confused as before, ignorant and silly, he now speaks and thinks a lot smoother. Su Jingyang felt very grateful and excited about these signs of improvement.

Rong Hua stood up and looked outside. Turning her head, she asked Su Jingyang very puzzledly: "Didn't you come back with Ah-Yi? What about him? Why didn't he come in?"

Su Jingyang just remembered to ask her, "Murong, why did you lie to Ah-Yi?"

Something flickered in Rong Hua's eyes, she stared at him quietly for a moment. Her hand caught the red hair ribbon that was hidden in her black hair and twisted it, smiling brightly as she replied: "It's fun!"

Su Jingyang was speechless, Rong Hua quickly changed the subject and asked him how he was today. Su Jingyang told the truth and Rong Hua had no big reaction. Ling Li was obviously surprised by Hao Jiasheng's death and resurrection. After hearing that Hao Jiasheng proved Su Jingyang's innocence, he let out a sigh of relief, the big rock in his heart finally fell to the ground.

After he relaxed, he asked Rong Hua to stay for dinner and went to the kitchen. Ah-Xuan refused to get down from Su Jingyang's arms, Su Jingyang hugged him and sat by the brazier.

Rong Hua leaned close and asked him, "What, Ah-Yi ran so far to rescue you; are you moved?"

Su Jingyang was already immersed in the smell of roasted sweet potatoes and was secretly swallowing his saliva. Hearing Rong Hua's question, Su Jingyang reacted a little and squinted suspiciously: "Murong, you... aren't planning on being a matchmaker for us, right?" This was too familiar to the time when he wanted Ah-Yi and Ling Li to get together!

Rong Hua nodded calmly, "Yes, yes, I think he likes you quite a bit but refuses to say it."

"What did he say..." Su Jingyang thought back hard with a face full of seriousness. He reminded Rong Hua, "He said:'If your stupid brain dares to pair yourself up with me, you can just chop it yourself and feed the pigs.' You should stop, be careful, he may get more violent once he finds out!"

Rong Hua: "......"

Su Jingyang lifted his finger to wipe the saliva from the corners of Ah-Xuan's mouth. He lightly pinched a hot potato from the brazier and wrapped it, stripping the skin for him.

"He also personally admitted that he didn't like me, I'm not even a friend for him." Su Jingyang muttered.

Rong Hua furrowed her eyebrows, as if very troubled.

Su Jingyang didn't seem to care much about this topic. He concentrated on feeding Ah-Xuan. Rong Hua got up and glanced at him again. After saying something, she went next door with a flash of red shadow. When Su Jingyang turned his head he didn't see her again.

Rong Ci didn't come to eat with Rong Hua today, he didn't see his person until Su Jingyang returned the chicken the next day. He was wearing a piece of clothing and seemed to have not fully woken up yet. He was a bit angry and didn't talk to Su Jingyang much. He took the chicken and threw it into the yard, closing the door.

After that, Su Jingyang didn't see Rong Ci for many days. He heard Rong Hua say that something was going on with his family and he went back to Rongcheng. Su Jingyang inquired more, and Rong Hua said it was his mother making trouble again, so he hurried back to deal with it. Rong Hua was vague, Su Jingyang no longer asked about it because he felt it was something he shouldn't know.

Because the road was too slippery, the Lin Ji pavilion closed for a while, they resumed again after the sun began to melt the snow.

Su Jingyang heard the chatter of the diners from the counter and learned that Old Lady Hao had passed away. Hao Jiasheng held a simple funeral and sold the house, it seems he was planning to leave the town.

Su Jingyang was listening to them and glanced around inadvertently. He coincidentally spotted Hao Jiasheng who was carrying baggage and buying dry food not far away. He was just about to get on a carriage and leave.

As if he had noticed a specific line of sight, his figure paused and he looked towards Su Jingyang's direction with no expression. Su Jingyang, who was unexpectedly caught, shook so much that the melon seeds he was eating almost fell off.

In the past, this guy laughed and joked, but the gaze he looked at Su Jingyang was deep and seemed inharmonious with his appearance. It seemed that, as the doctor said, he had matured thoroughly.

Rong Hua ran from the back kitchen and leaned on the counter, she messed around and stole food while following Su Jingyang's line of sight. Hao Jiasheng had just turned his face away with a frosty expression and got into the carriage. Curious, she then asked Su Jingyang: "Who is it, why look so serious?"

"It's the Hao Jiasheng who came back from the dead." Rong Hua wasn't too interested. She retracted her gaze and continued to eat melon seeds, Su Jingyang turned his head towards the back and asked Rong Hua, "Who did Ah-Li talk to just now?"

Rong Hua put the melon seed skin on the counter with a "hum" and said: "The one who collects the swill. Already five months pregnant, yet still coming out to work in the cold weather. Just now he almost passed out of hunger. Ah-Li asked him to sit in the back kitchen and eat something warm."

Su Jingyang nodded, "That's why"

This swill collector was called Xiang Cao. He is a duo, relatively taciturn. He nods his head every time he comes and seldom speaks. But Su Jingyang had heard of his tragic situation.

Xiang Cao was a child bride. He has a lazy husband and a wicked mother-in-law. He had been giving birth since the age of fourteen and was now almost thirty. He has given birth to a dozen or so children, most of them would be sold by her mother-in-law within three days. Now, she kept two sons at home to protect the bloodline. There was also a defective daughter who couldn't be sold.

He heard that Xiang Cao's two sons were incited by the family and had terrible tempers. They all learned to beat and scold Xiang Cao and the mutilated younger sister and didn't treat him as a human being.

When his mother-in-law had eaten and drank enough, she would either pick her teeth and bask in the sun, flap her tongue around, or sleep at home, waiting for Xiang Cao to finish her work and go to work on his own chores. Her life was very leisurely.

Xiang Cao's husband did nothing; he goes out with the money to drink. After drinking, he liked to go crazy. If he feels like it, he'll go home and beat Xiang Cao like a madman. Xiang Cao often has unresolved old wounds coating his face, only for new ones to pop up before they could even heal. But no one had ever heard him yelling in pain or complaining. He seemed to be numb.

Su Jingyang felt that he was really pitiful. Now he was pregnant again but still has to continue to work. He was forced to have a son just to get it sold for more money. Moreover, the laws of this dynasty weren't perfect, and the government can't control this.

Su Jingyang didn't accuse him of being submissive and or scolded him for not knowing to resist. It's truly difficult to correct mentalities that came from brainwashing since childhood. It's not uncommon in his time, let alone in this time and space.

Ling Li went back that night to pack up some old clothes that Ah-Xuan couldn't wear, he put them in a bag and planned to bring them for Xiang Cao's daughter to wear. But the next day, they waited and waited, but only found out from other people later that he was beaten to a miscarriage and his child was gone. Ling Li held the pile of clothes with a sad expression, Su Jingyang followed him for a while, cursing silently and out loud!

After work that evening, Su Jingyang was alert because of the few gangsters camped outside the restaurant looking sneakily in their direction. Su Jingyang's heart was a little tense, he squinted his eyes and stared back. Those few people gradually look away but still refused to leave.

Su Jingyang guessed that it must've been the owner of the Yunxiang restaurant who was getting sick in the head again. Before, he asked Liu Yue's parents to expose Ling Li's identity in public to destroy the business of Lin Ji pavilion, but he didn't expect that not only did Lin Ji pavilion not collapse, it was also able to maintain itself normally. He probably couldn't sit still and wanted to mess around.

Su Jingyang didn't know what they were going to do, but even if he thought with his knee, he knew this time that this grudge was already personal.

Ling Li packed up and took the child from the nanny. He prepared to leave with Su Jingyang as usual, but Su Jingyang tugged at his clothes and whispered with his back to the door: "Ah-Li, there's a few strange people over there. We should go take a look before leaving."

It was night. Neither he nor Ling Li practised martial arts, and they also had a child. It was really hard to win if they really needed to fight. If it doesn't work, they can camp all night at the restaurant. Officials were patrolling at night, so they shouldn't dare to be too public.

Ling Li held Ah-Xuan in a stunned manner for a moment and hurriedly looked over his shoulder to the alleyway, only to find that the few people who had been suspiciously clinging together suddenly dispersed, mixing into the crowd and disappearing.

Ling Li's expression also became more solemn. He clasped Ah-Xuan tightly, and said to Su Jingyang: "Alright, I'll listen to you."

The two stood there silently, the atmosphere stagnated for a while. A slender figure appeared at the entrance of the restaurant, he curled up his fingers and knocked on the half-closed door. The voice was clear and pleasant, "You're not leaving yet, what are you doing?"

Su Jingyang turned his head abruptly when he heard this very familiar voice. His face suddenly became happy for some reason, and an extremely strong sense of security surged in his heart, as if he didn't need to worry about anything.

Su Jingyang hurriedly ran to the door. His eyes were bent happily as he smiled brilliantly at him, "Ah-Yi! When did you come back?"