Mother Carter is also a strong-willed person. She doesn't want people gossiping when her family's only son gets married, so she has been diligently saving money, hoping to hold a grand and respectable wedding for her son in the future. Her plan is to have her son married either next year or the year after.

As for Grace Bennett, Henry Carter feels somewhat complicated. The former Henry Carter was indifferent toward Grace Bennett; although he was considered a fool and a coward by outsiders, he acted high and mighty in front of Grace Bennett, often scolding and berating her.

Now, after the arrival of the current Henry Carter, the unintentional care and consideration for women from his later life can be felt by Grace Bennett. She can't put this new feeling into words, but she is happy and eagerly looks forward to Henry Carter's return. However, she has noticed that Henry Carter has become much more silent every time he comes back. She doesn't know how to respond, nor has anyone taught her about such things, so she just serves him carefully and cautiously.

Toward this woman, Henry Carter feels a bit of affection and a bit of helplessness. They have no common language, no emotional foundation—are the two of them supposed to spend a lifetime together? Forget it, better not to dwell on it. Maybe this is his fate in this world; thinking about such things is too much of a luxury.

After exchanging a few words, the two had nothing more to say. Grace Bennett noticed Henry Carter's silence and obediently stood aside without speaking.

Henry Carter said gently, “Xiuniang, if you're tired, take a rest. Where's mother?”

A smile appeared on Grace Bennett's face. “I'm not tired, I still need to tidy up some farm tools. Mother is inside.”

……

Henry Carter walked into the inner room. His mother, The Bell Family, was weaving cloth on a simple loom, repeating the same monotonous motions countless times a day. She worked nonstop, sometimes continuing into the night until the rooster crowed before resting for a while. She would exchange the woven cloth for some money and rice. Her skills were excellent, and the cloth she made was always in high demand.

The Bell Family was not yet fifty, but her hair was already completely white, and the wrinkles on her face were growing deeper. Still, her hair was always neatly combed, and though her clothes were old and worn, they were washed spotlessly clean.

Henry Carter had heard that his mother married from Weizhou, and for this marriage, she had a falling out with her family at the time. In the Ming Dynasty, this was a shocking and sensational event. When The Bell Family married in, she was known as Fourth Sister Bell, but now, of course, she had become Fourth Aunt Bell. She and Henry Carter's father, Victor Carter, had several children, but all died young, leaving only Henry Carter as the sole surviving son.

When Henry Carter was two, his father Victor Carter fell seriously ill. To pay for treatment, the family sold off almost all their land, even the plow ox. After Victor Carter passed away, Henry Carter was sixteen when his grandfather also died, making life even harder for the family, all relying on The Bell Family to manage everything. She was a woman of strong character. After Victor Carter died, some people tried to take advantage of her, making lewd remarks, but she chased one of them down several streets with a kitchen knife until he knelt and begged for mercy. This incident caused a stir in the village, and after that, no one dared to bother her again. Even the authorities praised her actions.

Now, The Bell Family has remained faithful to her late husband for nearly twenty years, and the local officials are considering whether to honor her with a chastity archway. The village head, Andrew Harris, is also very invested in this, as it would be a great honor for Sangganli.

Perhaps The Bell Family was too focused, for when Henry Carter entered the room, she didn't notice him come in.

The lighting in the room wasn't very good, but Henry Carter could vaguely see the strong lines of his mother's face. He called out, “Mother.”

The Bell Family turned her head and, seeing it was Henry Carter, broke into a joyful smile. “Dou'er, you're back?”

She stood up and looked Henry Carter over carefully. “You've lost weight again. Is it hard work on duty at the fort?”

Henry Carter smiled and said, “It's not hard, just a bit boring.”

The Bell Family laughed, “That's what it's like eating government food.”

To The Bell Family, the former Henry Carter felt both fearful and dependent, but the current Henry Carter feels respect in his heart. He chatted with his mother for a while, and The Bell Family also felt that her son seemed to have matured a lot recently, becoming more steady, which made her happy. But he spoke less and less, sometimes just quietly watching her. Even as his mother, she didn't know what he was thinking—perhaps things weren't going well for him at Jingbian Fort.

She glanced at the sky and said, “It's getting late, time to make dinner.”

She smiled at Henry Carter and said, “Mother will cook herself and make you something tasty.”

Henry Carter smiled and said, “Thank you, Mother.”

The Bell Family glared at Henry Carter, “This child, getting more and more polite.”

……

The Bell Family busied herself at the stove, her hands constantly shaping a lump of white flour, while Grace Bennett helped at her side. Henry Carter, having changed into coarse everyday clothes, sat nearby watching.

The Bell Family's skills were excellent, her movements as smooth as flowing water, pleasing to watch. Since childhood, Henry Carter's favorite food was the hand-pulled noodles she made. But white flour was precious, and farming families couldn't bear to eat it casually. They usually traded wheat for coarse grains to eat, and those white steamed buns and hand-pulled noodles could only be eaten freely during festivals.

Times were tough now. For ordinary families, being able to eat black flour steamed buns or baked cakes was already good. Many people in Xinzhuang were now mixing bran with wild vegetables, or even eating grass roots and tree bark.

In later generations, it was advocated to mix white flour and bran for health benefits, claiming it was more nutritious, and that eating white steamed buns every day actually lost all the nutrition. But in this era, being able to eat white flour every day was a symbol of status and position.