In the previous life, Qin Er Lang did not get transferred to Central State Yuchang Prefecture; instead, he ran away on his own.

His selfishness almost brought disaster upon several families until Qin San Lang and Gu Jinli went to great lengths to rescue them and set up a trap to clear those families of any involvement.

Qin Er Lang said, "It was just a tiger, it died after a few slashes."

He spoke indifferently, yet he was able to kill the fierce tiger because of the poison supplied by Gu Jinli.

During the raid against river bandits, Qin San Lang provided him with plenty of poison and antidotes, and told him how to use them. Disdaining the impoverished peasants and unimpressed by this method of combat involving poison, he did not use the poison. But instead of discarding it, he kept it.

When he encountered the fierce tiger, a single pack of poison brought it down, allowing him to escape from the tiger's jaws and survive.

Hearing this, Ah Ji still offered praise: "It is thanks to Elder Wei Er's bravery that the tiger could be slain."

He then handed a bundle to Qin Er Lang, saying, "It's cold; I've prepared this large cloak especially for the Second Young Master. Please wear it."

Qin Er Lang nodded, took the large cloak, draped it over himself, and instantly felt the chill vanish. He exhaled, thinking that this was the life he was meant to live; tilling the land, wearing coarse hemp clothes, eating coarse grain meals, and dealing with a bunch of crude peasants—that was no life for him.

Ah Ji noticed the leather palm guards on his hands and hesitated before asking, "Those palm guards look fine; did they come from Gu Dafu's daughter?"

The fact that Qin Er Lang had joined the military in Central State Yuchang Prefecture made him uneasy. Seeing the familiar leather palm guards, he couldn't resist inquiring.

Qin Er Lang frowned with evident revulsion. "Are you talking about Gu Yumei? She's long dead," he said dismissively.

"Dead!" Ah Ji was startled and quickly pressed on, "Is it true what the Second Young Master said? Is Gu Yumei truly dead?"

Qin Er Lang nodded: "Mmm, a gang of kidnappers took her into the mountains and she was killed. What are you asking about her for? Just a peasant girl, dead is dead."

What was there to care about?

Ah Ji was speechless upon seeing the indifference on Qin Er Lang's face, acting as if it made no difference to him whether Gu Yumei was alive or dead... In the previous life, Qin Er Lang liked Gu Yumei very much, married her as his concubine, and they had a son.

And Qin Er Lang's fate was intertwined with Gu Yumei because he happened to rescue her when she was abducted into the mountains; following this, Gu Yumei fell for Qin Er Lang, waited several years without proposing, and eventually became his concubine directly.

Gu Yumei had also made a pair of leather palm guards for Qin Er Lang, and despite his disdain, he wore them for several years.

Different, it's all different!

Ah Ji was nearly driven mad; if the events of this life were different from his previous one, wouldn't he lose all his advantages?

In his urgency, he asked again, "What about the Luo Family girl? Is she dead?"

Qin Er Lang was annoyed by Ah Ji's questions, but since he now relied on him, he patiently replied, "No, she's not dead. I rescued her."

"You rescued her!" Ah Ji's head spun with shock, and he almost collapsed before regaining his composure and smiling, "Miss Luo is fortunate to have been saved by the Second Young Master; surely, she will enjoy endless prosperity and wealth in the future."

Qin Er Lang remembered Luo Huiniang's clinging behavior and felt a wave of disgust. Removing the leather palm guards, he said, "Whether she's wealthy or poor, it has nothing to do with me."

Ah Ji shook his head inwardly, thinking that if Luo Huiniang was the one who survived, then it's likely Qin Er Lang would meet her again and continue what was left unfinished with Gu Yumei.

The fates of Luo Huiniang and Gu Yumei must have been exchanged.

"Master, we can leave now." Ah Ji's two confidants had already scouted a section of the road and came back to urge departure.

Ah Ji nodded and led Qin Er Lang out of the deep mountains.

On the way, he couldn't help but ask: "Is the eldest sister from Gu Jinli's house still at home?"

Qin Er Lang almost wanted to swear: "How would I know about her family's matters? Anyway, when I left, their household was still the same, except that her little brother is going to school now. A Master Xia has come to town, and he's studying with him."

In the end, he said with a slightly heavy voice: "Don't ask anymore, those families' affairs have nothing to do with us. Let's hurry out of the mountains."

Hearing this, Ah Ji fell silent for a long time... When leaving, Gu Jinli's family was still the same; that is, Gu Jinxiu hadn't left home to go to the Prefecture.

This was another difference.

In the previous life, Gu Jinxiu did go to the Prefecture and later, under the mediation of the Xia Family, married the legitimate second son of the Zhan Family in Jiangnan.

The Zhan Family was a noble family, and Elder Zhan Er was exceptionally talented, a famous scholar throughout Jiangnan. Unfortunately, his libertine nature led him to consider womanizing as the demeanor of a Madman; not only did he take several concubines after marrying Gu Jinxiu, but he also kept several mistresses outside, acting the newlywed day by day.

This affair infuriated Gu Jinli greatly; he drugged Zhan Er, ruining him. Yet Zhan Er's wildness was such that after being incapacitated, he even developed a taste for same-sex love.

Gu Jinxiu was worn out by heartache and finally died in childbirth, and within a few years after her death, the Zhan family was also ruined by Gu Jinli's hands, utterly destroyed.

That Luo Family lad who fancied Gu Jinxiu ended up on the Northwest Battlefield, dying there. With the death of their only son and daughter, the Luo Family was left without an heir, only leaving two elderly people to rely on the Gu Family for support.

If in this life, Gu Jinxiu did not leave home, would she still become the Zhan Family's Second Madam?

Ah Ji was deeply worried about these differences from the previous life, fearing that he would lose the advantage of being able to foresee everything.

...

In Da Feng Village, several families comforted Elder Qin and started to make funeral arrangements for Qin Er Lang. Since Qin Er Lang died young, at under twenty years old and without having been granted his capping ceremony, it was considered an untimely death. The funeral could only be simple and not as elaborate as a celebration of life.

On the day of the burial, snow was still falling from the sky. Qin San Lang was supporting Elder Qin, followed by Qiu Lang and Feng Jin carrying the coffin. Inside the coffin, instead of a body, only ashes and clothes were placed.

Several families followed behind the coffin to send off Qin Er Lang, and it wasn't until evening before the funeral preparations were completed.

After helping Elder Qin back home, Qin San Lang went to each household to express gratitude according to custom.

Everyone felt pity for him and offered words of comfort; Qin San Lang merely forced a smile and said, "Grandfather and I will live well, rest assured, my uncles and aunts."

But the more he said this, the heavier everyone's hearts felt. Third Grandma, taking his hand, cried: "San Lang, don't be like this, if you're sad, just cry it out, don't bottle it up. We're all so familiar with each other; no one will mock you."

Gu Jinli: "..."

Don't force Brother Qin, Qin Er Lang isn't dead, how could he possibly cry.

She stepped forward and pulled Third Grandma's hand away, saying: "Third Grandma, Brother Qin is tired from the day's events, and later he still has to go thank the village chief, Uncle Wanli, and others. Let him go quickly, only after he's done can he go home to rest."

"Ah, Xiao Yu is right, look at me, I had forgotten." Third Grandma sent Qin San Lang off at the door, saying: "Hurry along then, come back early to rest. Don't worry about meals these few days, Xiao Yu will cook and send them over for you and your grandfather."

"Mm, thank you, Third Grandma." Qin San Lang bowed to Third Grandma and went to other households to express thanks.