In the twelfth lunar month, Tian Jing's special abilities recovered to level four.
It wasn't so much a recovery as a recommencement of cultivation.
Zeng Jingrong's case was a true recovery; he also took his water-element spirit core to the labyrinth for cultivation and had already regained level five, high-tier.
Zeng Jingrong was very satisfied, and the team members were now likely to level up.
It seemed that not only could spirit cores be awarded as prizes, but labyrinth cultivation could also be distributed as a reward.
...
The sixteenth of the twelfth lunar month was Li Weiyu's wedding day. On the twenty-eighth of the eleventh lunar month, Tian Jing and Li Zhengguo packed their luggage and returned to Kushan Village, taking Li Sirui with them.
For this past half year, Li Sirui had been with his grandparents every day. He was reluctant to leave them.
Li Wanting smiled and asked her son if he was reluctant to leave his parents.
Her son replied, "You have to go to work. I want to plant vegetables with Grandma and help Grandpa with the fire."
Li Wanting found it both amusing and heartbreaking; her son was too sensible.
Tian Jing picked up her grandson and put him in the car, saying, "When we get home, you don't have to do anything. Just play with your brothers and sisters."
"That's right!"
Li Sirui nodded his little head. "I want to play with my brothers and sisters too. Mom, if you miss me, come back to Grandma's house."
Li Wanting reached out and stroked her son's hair. "I'll come back when I have a holiday. You must be good."
"Mhm."
...
As Li family's seven-seater car entered the village, the villagers who saw it all gathered around, concerned about Tian Jing's health.
Tian Jing rolled down the car window and smiled, waving to everyone to indicate that her health had fully recovered.
Tian Jing's mental state was clearly excellent, which reassured the villagers. They walked alongside the car, chatting with Tian Jing until it turned onto the small road leading to the courtyard house, then they dispersed.
As soon as the car stopped outside the courtyard house, a group of children ran out, shouting "Grandma" (Little Aunt-in-law) into the car.
Tian Jing pushed open the car door and put Sirui, whom she was holding, down. She said to her granddaughter and eldest grandson, "Xuanxuan, Siji, take Sirui to play."
Xuanxuan walked over and took Sirui's hand. Siji pouted and stepped back. He was already a third-grader and wouldn't play with little brats.
Siji still had a brotherly demeanor. He sent a representative to take Sirui's other hand, and they returned to the courtyard house together.
Tian Jing followed behind the children and saw her mother-in-law, who was wiping her hands on her apron outside the kitchen door. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Mother, we're back."
"It's good that you're back, good that you're back."
Li Mu nodded, her eyes scanning her younger daughter-in-law from head to toe. "Ranran said you've recovered."
"Yes."
Tian Jing nodded. "I've recovered. You and Eldest Sister-in-law have worked hard these past few years."
"It wasn't hard."
Li Mu wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Seeing you in this state now, Mother is relieved."
Tian Jing walked to her mother-in-law's side and put her arm around her shoulders. "Thank you."
Li Mu's body trembled, and her voice choked up. "We are family."
Tian Jing felt a lump in her throat. "You deserve this thank you. I want to thank you not just for these past few years, but for much more in the past. All the little things over the past thirty years are thanks to your tolerance."
"Silly."
Li Mu gently pushed her younger daughter-in-law's arm away and looked directly into her eyes. "It's natural for elders to tolerate their juniors. Moreover, you are more sensible, considerate, and capable than any other daughter-in-law, and you are good to us. If you put yourself in our shoes..."
"Hey, I say..."
Li Min, from the kitchen, poked her head out. "Can you two daughters-in-law stop praising each other? I'm getting goosebumps all over."
Li Mu rubbed the corners of her eyes, glared at her daughter, and then told her younger daughter-in-law to go to the living room to rest, as dinner would be ready soon.
"I must have been picked up."
Li Min muttered softly, then waved to her brother and sister-in-law. "You two go rest. The west room is very clean. My mother cleans it eight times a day, saying that the New Year is coming and you'll definitely be back."
"Thank you, Mother."
Tian Jing thanked her mother-in-law, and then thanked her sister-in-law. "Thank you, Minmin, too. You've worked hard these past few years."
"Hmph!"
Li Min snorted and turned around. "Do I care about your thanks? I care that you're finally not calling me Li Min by my full name anymore."
"Heh heh."
Tian Jing grinned. "It's because I call you that so rarely that it's precious. From now on, I'll still call you Li Min."
Li Min paused, then waved her hand without looking back. "You're the boss in our family, you can do whatever you want."
Tian Jing was back, and the news of her complete recovery quickly spread throughout Kushan Village.
Sister-in-law Niu was the fastest this time.
"Tiantian, are you really all better?"
Just as Tian Jing opened her travel bag to unpack, she heard Sister-in-law Niu's voice and walked out of the east room.
"See for yourself."
Looking at Tian Jing, who was exactly as she was before the accident, Sister-in-law Niu's tears flowed uncontrollably. "You're better, truly better."
Tian Jing pulled out a tissue and personally wiped Sister-in-law Niu's tears. Sister-in-law Niu's care for her was no less than that of the Li family; she was the best sister in her heart.
Sister-in-law Niu took the tissues and wiped her face haphazardly, but the more she wiped, the more she cried.
Tian Jing pulled her down to sit and placed a whole box of tissues in her hands. "What's wrong? Tell me if something is bothering you."
"Nothing, nothing."
Sister-in-law Niu wiped away her tears and shook her head. "I'm just happy."
After Sister-in-law Niu left, Tian Jing asked Li Min if something had happened to the Niu family.
Li Min shook her head. "I'm not very clear. Sister-in-law Niu should know."
"What should I know?"
Ouyang Meihua, holding Li Siyu, appeared at the kitchen door. Hearing her sister-in-law's words, she replied casually and then looked at her sister-in-law. "Tiantian, as soon as we came back, we heard from the villagers that you've fully recovered. Let me see."
Tian Jing spread her arms and twirled for her, then hugged her. "Eldest Sister-in-law, thank you."
Being hugged, Ouyang Meihua released her grandson and patted her sister-in-law's back.
"They say brothers have this life, but no other. It's the same for sisters-in-law. It's mutual, isn't it? You've also sacrificed a lot for us and for this family."
Li Min shivered and muttered softly, "You're like this with Mother, and like this with Eldest Sister-in-law. With me, it's just incidental."
Li Mu raised the kitchen knife she was holding.
Li Min quickly lowered her head and continued to pick vegetables.
Tian Jing released Ouyang Meihua. "Eldest Sister-in-law, do you know about the Niu family's affairs? I saw that Sister-in-law Niu was quite emotional."
Ouyang Meihua winked at Tian Jing and then asked her grandson next to her to call someone.
Li Siyu obediently called out "Little Aunt-in-law" and then went to play with his elder brothers and sisters.
Ouyang Meihua and Tian Jing sat in the living room before Ouyang Meihua told her sister-in-law about the Niu family's situation.
Da Niu and Er Niu often went to see their children at their ex-wife's place. Their current wife had opinions and caused trouble. After a lot of arguments, Er Niu said he wanted a divorce.
Er Niu's current wife said she had hit the nail on the head; Er Niu was rekindling his old flame with his ex-wife.
She also exposed the wrongdoings of Da Niu and Er Niu's ex-wife when she went out to work.
Er Niu was so angry that he beat his current wife mercilessly. Er Niu's current wife became even more righteous, saying that Er Niu was just guilty and was protecting his ex-wife, and that he liked his ex-wife's lewdness, which was why he beat her, his current wife.
Er Niu's current wife's family, brainwashed by their daughter, not only came to harass Er Niu with their daughter but also went to the county to harass Xiao Jiang's mother with their daughter, and even went to Xiao Jiang and Xiao Shan's school.
Xiao Jiang and Xiao Shan were taking their college entrance exams this year. Not only had their reputations been ruined, but their emotions and studies had also been affected.
"...Er Niu was a bit reckless. In fact, he was protecting the reputation of his son and daughter. His current wife was like she was possessed by a ghost, insisting on accusing them of adultery."
"Sister-in-law Niu probably felt that you had just recovered and might not be able to help, so she didn't speak up."
"Only a portion of the villagers know about this matter, and everyone has kept their mouths shut. The villagers all dislike Er Niu's current wife. They all feel that by doing this, she wants to completely ruin Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiang."
"If she and Da Niu's wife truly cared about Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiang, would the four children be able to live with their biological mother? Would their biological father agree to the children getting close to their ex-wife?"
"Can you help?"