Qin Siya was usually quite lively, but at this moment, she had quieted down.

She looked at Qin Fang, with no clear impression of her elder brother in her mind.

Qin Shoucheng, sitting on the horse, said, “Siya, this is our big brother.”

Knowing that it was his big brother, Qin Shoucheng was now much bolder than he had been earlier.

Upon hearing her big brother say this, Qin Siya felt reassured and shyly called out, “Big Brother.”

Her voice still carried the shyness typical of a girl.

Qin Fang didn’t think too much of it. “Siya, do you want to ride on the horse?”

The horse, Wu Shua, was large and fast, so it could easily carry three small children.

Before Qin Siya could respond, Yang Haiyan interjected, “Darling, Siya is a girl. How can she ride the horse? Let her come into the carriage instead.”

Hearing the woman’s voice from the carriage calling out to her big brother, Qin Siya realized that this must be the sister-in-law her family had talked about last year, who had also sent cloth for her to make a new dress.

She curiously leaned over Wu Shua to look at the carriage and saw a girl even prettier than the ones in town looking back at her.

Qin Siya had never been to the county town, and in her mind, the town was already a magnificent place.

She thought all the girls there were exceptionally beautiful.

At her age, she believed that beauty was not just about looks; it was also about how pretty one dressed and adorned oneself.

Seeing the little girl looking at her, Yang Haiyan smiled and waved, “Are you Siya? I’m your sister-in-law. Would you like to come sit in the carriage?”

Qin Siya stared at Yang Haiyan for a moment, then blushed and said, “I’ll go call Father and Mother.”

With that, she quickly ran off.

Despite her small size and the basket on her back, she ran surprisingly fast.

Seeing this, Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan could only follow her.

Qin Fang led the horse, asking, “Shoucheng, how has the family been these years?”

At twelve years old, Qin Shoucheng was already seen as the eldest among the few children in the family, so it was natural for Qin Fang to ask him.

Qin Shoucheng answered honestly, “Grandfather’s waist has been sore these past few days. Father wanted him to see a doctor, but he hasn’t gone. Grandma fell ill at the beginning of the year, but after taking the doctor’s medicine for five days, she is better now. Father, Mother, and the uncles and aunts are all well.”

Hearing about his grandparents, Qin Fang felt a pang of worry.

As the eldest grandson, he was dearly loved by them.

Knowing they were unwell made him anxious.

Yang Haiyan, sitting in the carriage, could hear their conversation clearly since the children spoke softly.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the Qin family home.

Niudan shouted loudly, “Grandma, we’re back! Big Brother has returned!”

Qin Grandma, who had just come back from the vegetable garden and was planning to wash up before cooking lunch, heard Niudan’s voice.

Niudan was quite the chatterbox, inheriting his mother’s talkative nature.

Thankfully, the boy had a cheerful personality.

Upon hearing Niudan, Qin Grandma said in the yard, “What do you mean ‘big brother has returned’? You’re just making up nonsense. I see you’ve been slacking off again, leaving the work to your brother!”

Just as she finished speaking, she heard a noise at the gate and went out to take a look.

Then she froze. “A… A Fang?”

Qin Fang’s eyes turned red as he saw Qin Grandma.

“A Fang… my precious grandson, it’s really you…” Qin Grandma rushed forward, holding Qin Fang and crying tears of joy.

She remembered how much she had cried when her grandson had secretly enlisted, and she felt guilty for not being able to afford the fees for him to join the army.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have needed to serve at such a young age.

Qin Fang quickly comforted her, “Grandma, I’m back! This is a joyous occasion; why are you crying?”

Before Qin Grandma could respond, Niudan on the horse laughed, “Grandma, you’re an adult now; how can you still cry? It’s so embarrassing!”

Qin Grandma was so flustered that she forgot to cry and moved to hit her unfilial grandson, who was sitting on the horse.

Niudan, still smug and self-satisfied, teased, “Grandma, can you catch me or not…”

Qin Grandma was furious: “A Fang, take this little rascal down for me!”

Qin Fang expressionlessly lifted Niudan off the horse.

As soon as Niudan hit the ground, he tossed down his basket and ran away, glancing back in fear of being chased by Qin Grandma.

Yang Haiyan had already lifted the curtain of the carriage door and chuckled, “Niudan is really lively.”

Though he could be mischievous, he was endearing.

Upon hearing Yang Haiyan’s gentle laughter, Qin Grandma couldn’t help but look over and saw a beautiful young woman stepping out of the carriage.

She was momentarily stunned.

Qin Fang introduced, “Grandma, this is Yanyan, my wife.”

Qin Grandma had already guessed this but didn’t dare to acknowledge it directly for fear of making a mistake.

After all, this young woman looked even more elegant than the daughters of wealthy families in the county town.

Compared to Qin Siya, Qin Grandma had a keener eye for beauty; while Siya only recognized the girls in town, Grandma thought of the beauties from the county.

Now that Qin Fang introduced her, Qin Grandma felt more assured.

She warmly said, “So this is A Fang’s family! This is your first time here; are you comfortable? Come, come, come, let’s go inside and have some tea.”

As she spoke, she moved closer to Yang Haiyan but didn’t dare to pull her in, fearing she might dirty the beautifully made fabric of the girl’s clothing and make her unhappy.

This, in turn, would make her eldest grandson feel awkward.

Unexpectedly, Yang Haiyan stepped forward, affectionately linking her arm with Qin Grandma’s. “Grandma, I was worried that the elders in the family wouldn’t like me, but seeing how kind you are, I feel relieved.”

It’s true what they say: those who know how to be charming get the sweets.

Upon seeing that Yang Haiyan didn’t mind her being dirty and was so close to her, Qin Grandma felt an inexplicable fondness for her.

She quickly patted Yang Haiyan’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, dear. Our Qin family members are all good-hearted people. Everyone here is easy to get along with.”

Yang Haiyan smiled gently, her voice softer than Qin Fang had ever heard before: “Thank you, Grandma.”

In that moment, Qin Fang recalled how, when they had just married, she would bring him lunch every day during his shifts, calling him “darling” with that same sweetness.

But now… it seemed she wasn’t as gentle as before.

Qin Fang didn’t understand the subtleties of a woman’s gentleness nor the complexities of feelings.

He simply felt happy to see his grandmother and wife getting along so well.

He paid the coachman and asked him to return, then began to unload the items from the carriage.

The noise from the horse and carriage drew the attention of several neighboring households, and soon some people were peeking from their courtyards while others came out to see.

Some recognized that it was Qin Fang from the earlier conversation and greeted him, “Is that Qin Fang? Five years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you’ve grown so much!”

“Qin Fang, you’ve finished your military service and brought your wife back?”

Many in the village were aware of Qin Fang’s marriage.

Last year, the family had worn new clothes to show off, saying that Qin Fang’s wife had sent cloth for them, so everyone knew he had married.

In ancient times, there weren’t many sources of entertainment, so having a new daughter-in-law bring new cloth to the family was something worth boasting about.

Though Qin Fang’s personality had become somewhat colder after five years in the military, he still showed some of his former demeanor when faced with the villagers. “Yes, Auntie, I’ve completed five years of military service, so I brought my wife back to visit.”

“Are you back for good, or will you be returning?”

“I’ll still be going back.”

“How long can you stay this time?”

“About twenty days.”

“Qin Fang, I heard your wife was given to you by the court. She’s really beautiful.”

“Yes, that’s right; she was arranged by the court.” He bowed respectfully to one side,

“This is the emperor’s benevolence, showing concern for us soldiers stationed at the borders, which is why the court arranged marriages for us.”

“Oh, the emperor is truly kind.”

“So many soldiers, and the court arranged marriages for all of you? How many girls must there be?”

Although the villagers were not particularly interested in matters of state, they were eager to hear gossip about marriage and such.

Knowing more would broaden their horizons and perhaps give them something to boast about later.

Qin Fang patiently explained, “No, it’s only for soldiers who have achieved military merit that the court arranges marriages.”

In simple terms, only centurions received such arrangements since there weren’t enough girls to accommodate everyone.

Upon hearing that Qin Fang had military merit, the villagers regarded him with even greater respect.

Meanwhile, Qin Siya had already run to the fields, shouting loudly, “Grandpa, Father, Mother, Big Brother has brought back his wife! … Grandpa, Father, Mother, Big Brother has brought back his wife!”

Qin Mother, having just thrown down her hoe, ran up the bank. “What did you say? Your Big Brother has brought back his wife? Is it really him? Are you sure?”

Qin Siya exclaimed, “Yes, yes! I went with Third Brother and Fourth Brother to cut pigweed, and we met Big Brother and his wife on the way. Big Brother let Third Brother and Fourth Brother ride on the big horse, and his wife even asked me to sit in the carriage, but I didn’t sit in it; I came to call you!”

Her tone carried a hint of pride, as if she was saying, “Look at me; I’m someone who gets to ride in the carriage!”

Though she had never actually sat in it, the feeling was enough for her to brag about it among the other girls.

Qin Mother still didn’t believe it and asked again, “Are you sure it’s your Big Brother?”

“Mother, if Third Brother said it was Big Brother, can he be mistaken? Could anyone else let Third Brother ride on a horse? And let me sit in the carriage?”

Qin Fang sighed in relief; he hadn’t misheard—her eldest son had indeed returned. “Wait, your sister-in-law has come too? How is she?”

He had assumed that since his son had completed five years of military service, he might return.

He hadn’t expected it to actually happen.

Fortunately, last year, the family had built a few more rooms, thinking that if his son and daughter-in-law came back, they couldn’t all squeeze into one room.

Plus, it was anticipated that Shoucheng would grow up and need a room for his own wife, so they built a few more—turns out it was a good decision.

Recalling the sister-in-law who was even prettier than the girls in town, Qin Siya exclaimed loudly, “My sister-in-law is so beautiful! She’s even prettier than the girls in town. She even asked me to sit in the carriage!”

Hearing this, Qin Mother gave her daughter a light tap on the head. “So you know what’s beautiful, huh?”

Qin Siya replied, “Of course I do!”