The train arrived smoothly in the capital city in the afternoon.
Cui Tonglan and Su Xiaotian alighted together, with Su Xiaotian helping to carry the luggage.
Yin Ruyun politely bid farewell to Su Xiaotian and Teacher Xie Nan before departing.
Teacher Xie Nan remarked, "Their spirits seem different. I hope this time, they truly embark on the right path."
Teacher Xie Nan felt mostly sympathy for Yin Ruyun.
It was never too late to turn back from a wrong path.
Su Xiaotian nodded.
She believed Yin Ruyun would indeed go down the right path.
A person's words, actions, and demeanor could not deceive.
Yin Ruyun's appearance today was vastly different from when she first boarded the train.
It gave Su Xiaotian the feeling that Yin Ruyun had undergone a complete transformation.
As they walked towards the exit, they saw a car waiting to pick up Cui Tonglan and her child.
"Xiaotian, let me give you and Teacher Xie a ride home!" Cui Tonglan genuinely liked Su Xiaotian and wanted to spend more time with her.
However, Su Xiaotian quickly shook her head and declined.
"Sister Tonglan, you should hurry back with your child. You've had a tiring journey; let the child rest at home soon."
While she was willing to be friends with Cui Tonglan, it didn't mean she could become friends with Cui Tonglan's family.
It was better to keep a distance for now.
Upon hearing Su Xiaotian mention the child, Cui Tonglan didn't delay further. Although the child seemed well now, a medical check-up was still advisable.
She thought that if there was still time, she should go to the hospital quickly.
After seeing Cui Tonglan off, Su Xiaotian and Teacher Xie Nan discussed going for a meal.
"You haven't missed a single meal on this journey," Teacher Xie Nan teased.
Su Xiaotian calmly replied, "Haven't we gone three consecutive days without eating a hot meal?"
In Su Xiaotian's opinion, if a meal wasn't hot, it was lacking.
Now that they were off the train, it was natural to have a proper meal.
After all, their family owned a restaurant, so they could eat anytime.
Teacher Xie Nan did not object to eating at Yiming Pavilion.
More importantly, she was eager to see Su Xiaocao.
It was one thing on the train, but now that they were off, her desire to see Su Xiaocao was so strong, she wished she could rush over immediately.
Before, she had only suspected, but now she was certain that Su Xiaocao was her biological daughter.
Furthermore, with the consent of Su Xiaocao's adoptive parents, she could openly meet her daughter.
How could she not be excited?
However, things did not go as planned; they did not see Su Xiaocao at Yiming Pavilion.
Upon inquiring, they learned that although it was the weekend, Su Xiaocao was still at school due to a last-minute school event.
Teacher Xie Nan was very disappointed.
"Xiaotian, can I go and see Xiaocao?"
She was impatient to see Su Xiaocao, even if it was just to see her at school now, she would be content.
Su Xiaotian understood Teacher Xie Nan's urgent feelings but could not fulfill her wish at the moment.
Since the agreed-upon plan was not to let Su Xiaocao know about Teacher Xie Nan's situation, they would have to plan slowly and strategize.
"Teacher Xie, please be patient. We need to plan this carefully. I think we can arrange for an accidental encounter one day, preferably one where Xiaocao sister saves you. That way, everything will fall into place naturally."
"You wouldn't want Xiaocao sister to suspect you, would you?"
Su Xiaotian's words struck a chord in Teacher Xie Nan's heart.
She desperately wanted to see her daughter, but she did not want her daughter to be hurt or to develop any ill feelings towards her.
Fine, she had waited decades; a few more days wouldn't matter.
"Xiaotian, I'll listen to you. You're right, haste makes waste. I'm willing to wait patiently for the truly opportune moment."
Neither the person speaking nor the person hearing these words at this moment could have predicted how quickly the opportunity they wished for would arrive.
That evening, upon returning home, Grandma Su asked Su Xiaotian about her trip back to Nanling Village.
"Grandma, everything is fine in the village. Here, Auntie has brought some dried mountain goods and wild vegetables for you, and Uncle Zhuzi and his wife have sent gifts for you and Grandpa," Su Dan Xiaoshu Wang.
Su Xiaotian said, taking out items from her bag one by one.
Grandma Su smiled and said, "It's kind of them to always be so polite. You didn't need to, we have everything. Why spend money like this!"
Su Xiaotian smiled and said a few more things, but the most important was to talk about Su Xiaocao and Teacher Xie Nan's relationship.
Grandma Su was also shocked to hear that this was true.
Especially when she learned that Su Xiaocao and her mother had been separated due to such a disaster, Grandma Su couldn't help but shed tears.
"How can this child Xiaocao be so pitiful?"
"Grandma, it's all in the past now. Sister Xiaocao was lucky to have met good people like Uncle Changjiu and his wife."
She could hardly imagine if they hadn't met Su Changjiu and his wife back then, whether Sister Xiaocao would still be in this world.
"You're right, Uncle Changjiu and his wife are kind-hearted, and Xiaocao is filial. They have great fortune."
After saying this, Grandma Su suddenly felt that what she had said might not be quite right.
Xiaocao was Teacher Xie Nan's biological daughter; who would she be filial to in the future, her birth mother or her adoptive mother?
"Grandma, Uncle Changjiu and Auntie said that Sister Xiaocao should recognize Teacher Xie Nan as her godmother, and then later... let Sister Xiaocao know that her birth mother is Teacher Xie."
Seeing Grandma Su's expression, Su Xiaotian understood immediately.
"It's truly commendable that Uncle Changjiu and his wife can be so open-minded. Raising a child through hardship, especially in those difficult years, took so much effort."
"Even so, they are willing to let her interact with her birth mother. Most people wouldn't be able to do that!" Grandma Su said with emotion.
She felt that even if it were herself, she might not be able to do it.
Uncle Changjiu and his wife were truly good people.
It was just a pity that good people encountered bad people; their two daughters-in-law were one worse than the other.
"Are your Uncle Changjiu's two sisters-in-law still like that?" Grandma Su asked casually, recalling them.
"The same, especially Tian Xiaohe, she's very troublesome."
"Although Sister Caiyun also makes trouble, I've noticed that if she doesn't see Tian Xiaohe causing trouble, she stops causing trouble herself."
From the way she addressed them, one could sense Su Xiaotian's different attitudes towards the two women.
Grandma Su sighed and said, "A few years ago, Caiyun wasn't like this. It's only in recent years that she's been led astray by Tian Xiaohe."
Dealing with family issues was truly difficult.
With just a small misstep, everything could change.
Caiyun, in the past, although she had her little schemes, she certainly didn't stir up trouble with such a competitive and demanding attitude as she did now.
Moreover, compared to Tian Xiaohe, Zhang Caiyun was much more simple and honest.