Guiying stared at him.

Liuxian rarely spoke so openly about his own mistakes, which only made the apology feel more genuine.

"If you’ll come home with me, I’ll do better."

A faint smile appeared on Liuxian’s face as his thumb brushed away another tear.

"I’ll learn to listen instead of deciding everything by myself. I’ll involve you when things concern you, and I’ll stop treating you like someone who needs to be protected from every difficult thing in the world."

His gaze softened even further.

"You’re my partner, Guiying. I should have acted like it."

For the first time since he arrived, Guiying laughed through his tears.

The sound was shaky and uneven, yet it carried a warmth that Liuxian had missed desperately.

Liuxian smiled in return before allowing his gaze to travel across Guiying’s face.

"You’ve gained weight."

The observation earned another watery laugh.

"I think these villagers have been feeding you far too well."

Guiying finally pulled back enough to properly look at him.

The smile disappeared almost immediately.

Now that the shock of seeing him again had faded, he could clearly see how much the past month had affected Liuxian.

Guiying had never seen him looking this haggard before.

The realization hurt far more than he expected.

Slowly, he lifted a trembling hand and placed it against Liuxian’s face. His fingertips brushed against the rough beard covering the Alpha’s jaw, and the guilt he had been carrying immediately deepened.

"I’m sorry."

His voice softened.

"It really took a toll on you, didn’t it?"

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

They simply stood there holding each other while a month of separation, worry and regret finally came to an end.

Around them, the courtyard remained unusually quiet as the villagers watched the reunion unfold before their eyes.

Unfortunately, that silence did not last long.

Auntie Mo folded her arms and clicked her tongue loudly. "You two are unbelievable."

The comment immediately drew everyone’s attention back to her.

Guiying froze because only then did he remember that an entire courtyard full of people had just witnessed him crying in Liuxian’s arms.

His face turned red so quickly that several of the aunties had to bite back their laughter.

"For an entire month, this child kept missing his husband," Auntie Mo announced without a trace of mercy.

Before Guiying could stop her, she pointed directly at Liuxian. "Then his husband spends an entire month searching for him. You clearly love each other, so why are both of you so stubborn?"

Several aunties nodded in agreement while others openly laughed.

Guiying wished the ground would open beneath his feet and swallow him whole. Beside him, Liuxian was trying very hard not to smile.

Unfortunately, Auntie Mo noticed.

"You don’t laugh either," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "You look terrible. Have you been sleeping properly?"

Liuxian opened his mouth with every intention of defending himself. One look at the surrounding villagers told him it would be pointless. The dark circles beneath his eyes were evidence enough.

Auntie Mo clicked her tongue. "That’s what I thought."

Before she could continue interrogating him, another voice interrupted.

"Enough."

Granny Wu finally set down the vegetables in her hands and rose to her feet.

The courtyard gradually quieted again because everyone knew the older woman rarely spoke unless she felt something needed to be said.

The old woman looked at Liuxian carefully. Her gaze was neither hostile nor welcoming, but it carried the calm confidence of someone who had already made up her mind about most things in life.

"So you’re the husband."

Liuxian straightened instinctively beneath her scrutiny.

"Yes, Ma’am."

Granny Wu nodded once before turning her attention toward Guiying.

The sternness in her expression softened slightly as she looked at the omega standing beside him.

"This child cried a lot when he first arrived."

Guiying immediately lowered his head.

"Granny..."

The protest sounded weak because they both knew it was true.

Granny Wu ignored the interruption. "He cried so hard on the first night that I couldn’t sleep. The next morning he tried pretending nothing had happened, but old people notice far more than young people think."

Several of the aunties nodded knowingly because they remembered those first few days.

At the time, none of them had asked questions because it was obvious Guiying wasn’t ready to answer them.

Liuxian’s chest tightened as he listened.

The old woman looked back at him and continued calmly.

"He missed you."

The simple statement settled heavily over the courtyard. It was not dramatic or exaggerated, yet somehow it carried more weight than a lengthy speech ever could.

"Whenever we went to the market, he would see something and wonder whether you’d like it," Granny Wu continued. "Whenever something happened during the day, he would talk about how his husband might react to it. Sometimes he didn’t even realise he was doing it."

Guiying’s ears turned bright red.

Meanwhile, several villagers looked delighted by the information they were receiving.

Auntie Mo, however, looked genuinely surprised.

"Really?"

The woman blinked several times before looking at Guiying.

"He talked about him that much?"

Granny Wu gave her a look.

"More than enough."

A few villagers immediately laughed.

Auntie Mo turned toward Guiying as though she had just discovered some great betrayal.

"Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

Guiying stared at her.

"I did."

The answer came without hesitation.

Laughter spread throughout the courtyard.

Auntie Mo opened her mouth to argue, only to realise he was right. Guiying had told her repeatedly that he was married.

The problem was that she simply hadn’t believed him.

For once, the usually talkative woman found herself with no response.

Beside her, Mo Juan lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. His expression suggested that this outcome had been inevitable from the beginning.

Liuxian found himself smiling despite everything.

Granny Wu shook her head before continuing.

"He liked living here. He worked hard, made friends and became part of the village faster than any of us expected."

Auntie Mo immediately nodded.

"That’s true. Even the children follow him around like ducklings."

For once, nobody told her to be quiet.

Granny Wu’s gaze returned to Liuxian.

"But no matter how comfortable he became, he still wanted to go home. To wherever you were."

The courtyard fell silent again.

The old woman folded her arms and studied Liuxian for a moment longer before delivering her conclusion.

"So don’t make him cry like that again."

Liuxian lowered his head respectfully.

"I’m sorry."

The apology came without hesitation.

"I can’t promise life will never hurt him again, but I can promise I’ll do better than I did before. I love him too much to make the same mistake twice."

Granny Wu watched him quietly. After several moments, she finally nodded, and the small gesture felt surprisingly significant.

"Good. That’s all I needed to hear."

The single word was enough.

Auntie Mo immediately ruined the emotional atmosphere.

"Wonderful."

Every head in the courtyard turned toward her.

The woman pointed dramatically at the vegetables scattered across the tables.

"Now that the emotional reunion is over, can somebody explain why we’re all standing around instead of working?"

Laughter immediately broke out.

Auntie Mo then pointed directly at Liuxian.

"And you. You’ve made everyone emotional, so the least you can do is help with the vegetables."

Liuxian stared at her.

Auntie Mo stared right back.

The challenge lasted several seconds before laughter erupted for a second time.

Even Granny Wu looked amused.

Liuxian eventually glanced toward the pile of cabbages occupying one end of the table before looking at Guiying.

His eyes were still red from crying, yet the smile on his face had returned, and for the first time in an entire month, it no longer felt like something Liuxian was chasing from afar.

It was real.

Liuxian laughed quietly and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

"Alright. Tell me what to do."

The answer delighted Auntie Mo far more than it should have.