The trip back to the provincial city was delayed a few days longer than Zhao Meimei expected.
Shi Yang had planned to return on the sixth day of the New Year, but on the evening of the fifth, Shi Yang's father's first wife suddenly took a turn for the worse. Shi Yang's parents, along with Zhao Dazhuang and Liu Xiue, went to the hospital to help with the arrangements. Shi Yang and Zhao Meimei could only wait at home for news.
On the afternoon of the seventh, Shi Yang's father's first wife passed away. Only then did Shi Yang's mother, Zhao Dazhuang, and Liu Xiue return from the hospital. As for the funeral arrangements and other matters, Shi Yang's father needed to discuss and organize them with the first wife's family.
It wasn't until the tenth day of the New Year that Shi Yang took Zhao Meimei's family back to the provincial city.
