He took two stout northern men with him and asked for a table by the window in the restaurant lobby.

The food and wine hadn't been served yet, but a few people were chatting in low voices there, seeming to be considering the menus in their hands.

"Xiaoyu, you go to the backyard to find Bamei first. I'll go over and say hello."

Yang Ruoqing said this to Xiaoyu, handed her the New Year's goods she had purchased, and walked towards the window over there.

"Old man Yan!"

Yang Ruoqing walked over and stood next to the table with a smile.

Yan Huaian was startled for a moment when he saw the little girl in front of him, and then he remembered.

"I didn't expect to meet you, girl, here. What a coincidence. Hurry up and sit down."

Yan Huaian pointed to the stool next to him and greeted with a smile.

Yang Ruoqing thanked her, smiled and nodded to the other two men at the same table, and sat down next to them.

The two men also recognized the girl in front of them. She was the one who helped them rescue them the day they entered Wanghai County.

The two rough men also smiled politely at Yang Ruoqing.

After Yang Ruoqing sat down, her eyes retracted and fell on the menu held in Yan Huaian's hand.

"Old man, the dishes at this restaurant cover almost all the different dishes and tastes from the north, south, east and west of Daqi."

"Both the sweet, the bitter, and the spicy. If I have any questions, I can answer them for you," she said with a smile.

Yan Huaian heard this and said with a smile: "It seems that the girl is a frequent visitor here?"

Yang Ruoqing smiled and said nothing.

Not only am I a regular customer, I run this restaurant, am I right?

Yan Huaian then pointed at the names of several dishes on the menu and asked Yang Ruoqing: "The names of the dishes in this restaurant are very interesting."

"I've been traveling all over the country for decades, and I've eaten in countless restaurants, but this is the first time I've seen a dish with ingredients you can't guess."

"Girl, please help me see what kind of dish this 'Whisper' is?" he asked curiously.

Yang Ruoqing walked over to take a look and smiled.

"It's stir-fried pig ears and pig heart, with the special peppercorns and fennel in our area. It's a very good dish to go with wine," she said.

Yan Huaian suddenly realized.

"This name is really suitable for the occasion. The person who chose this name must also have a delicate heart!" He sighed.

Yang Ruoqing smiled and nodded.

Isn’t the person with the Qiqiao exquisite heart sitting right in front of you?

Under Yang Ruoqing's explanation, Yan Huaian ordered six dishes in one go.

While waiting for the food to be served, Yan Huaian drank tea and said to Yang Ruoqing: "If I remember correctly, the girl seemed to have said that she was from Changping Village, right?"

"Well, yes." She said.

Yan Huaian said: "Yesterday, I went to your village."

"Because I was in a hurry to do something important, I only stayed at the Rizheng house in your village for a while and then left."

"It was afternoon, so I didn't ask where the girl lived or visit her."

"Originally, I planned to go back to the village in two days and visit the girl's house."

Yan Huaian said truthfully.

Yang Ruoqing listened with a smile and felt that the old man spoke very honestly.

No fancy words.

She said: "Old man, you are too polite. You have come from afar as a guest."

"Whenever uncle comes to our village again, remember to come to my house for tea."

"My family name is Yang, and we live in the new courtyard on the side of the road into the village."

Hearing Yang Ruoqing introduce herself to her family, Yan Huaian smiled and nodded repeatedly.

"I saw that new courtyard when I entered the village yesterday. It's really nice," he said.

"Wait a minute...girl, what was your last name just now?"

"My surname is Yang!"

"Your surname is Yang? Then, how are you related to the elder Yangtou and the younger Yangtou in your village?" Yan Huaian asked again.

Yang Ruoqing pursed her lips and smiled: "The eldest Yangtou is my biological grandfather, and the younger Yangtou is a relative of our Yang family. He and my grandfather are cousins."

"I see!"

Yan Huaian raised his hand to stroke the gray beard on his chin.

Looking at Yang Ruoqing's eyes again, it was no longer the grateful one just now, but more kind.

"Old man Yan, may I ask if you recognize my father?"

Yang Ruoqing asked next.

Yesterday, when he entered the village, he was looking for several clan elders in the village, as well as Yangtou, both young and old.

At noon, Lao Yangtou and the others had lunch at Li Zheng's house.

There must be something going on in this.

Hearing Yang Ruoqing's question, Yan Huaian laughed heartily.

"I don't know your father and his family, but my son, I have a connection with your old Yang family!"

"oh?"

"It's a long story. If you want to hear it, I can tell you."

"Okay, then this junior is all ears."

Yang Ruoqing quickly straightened her posture and listened to Yan Huaian talk about the past.

"This matter must have been discussed decades ago..."

"I am a citizen of Daliao. That year, there was a famine in our area, and many people starved to death."

"I was about the same age as you at that time. I was in my early teens and followed people from our village to flee to the Central Plains."

"After a few bumps in the road, I got separated from them, and I ended up living alone in Qingshui Town, where I worked as a beggar."

"The twelfth lunar month of that year was also approaching the New Year just like this."

"It was freezing cold. I was dying of hunger on the roadside. My whole body was covered with frostbite and my feet were rotten by the frost..."

"Later, a young woman came. She saw that I was pitiful, so she took me to a small hospital for treatment."

"She gave the doctor at the medical center a sum of money and asked him to help take care of me."

"She herself comes to town to see me every day and brings me food."

"I spent that year in a medical clinic. After spring, all my illnesses were cured and I was able to walk."

"I kowtow to her and beg her to take me in, and I will work as a cow or a horse for her."

"She didn't, but gave me a token and asked me to go back to a town in the north of Daqi to find a wealthy family."

"She told me that she is not from this area and came from the north."

"She said she would stay here in Changping Village, live a good life, and never go back to the north again."

"She asked me to take the token and go to the place she said to find it, and someone would take care of me."

"I did go, and with that token, I got a sum of money."

"Later, with that money, I started a small business."

"God has mercy on me. My business is getting bigger and bigger. In a blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed."

"I think of her who was kind to me back then, and I want to come back to find her and repay her."

"At this time, the two countries are at war, and the border is blocked, making it impossible to enter."

"But I still sent people to find out about her in every possible way."

"I didn't know until four or five years after I left that she died. It was said that she hanged herself."

"I was so sad that I dreamed of her for several nights. It was she who saved me in the ice and snow..."

"She left before I could repay this kindness..."

When Yan Huaian said this, tears filled his eyes.

When I mention the events of that year, the past seems vivid in my mind.

Just then, the food and wine arrived. He picked up the wine glass in front of him and took a sip.
Chapter completed!