Reunion

Xu Nianxiang finally felt that she was saved. She had suffered more that day than in her entire life. She stood up excitedly and shouted, "Auntie, I'm here."

Xu Qingli had been regretting the whole day, wondering why she didn't leave earlier to pick her up. Otherwise, she wouldn't have lost her niece. How could she face her brother and sister-in-law? But when she heard and saw Xu Nian at this moment, she couldn't believe it and thought she was hallucinating because she was looking for someone.

The young man who had called the police ran past and looked and checked a woman who was about her age. Only after her son reminded her did she dare to confirm that her niece had been found.

Xu Qingli seldom cries. She is strong by nature. Otherwise, a girl from a rural background would not be able to become a college student in this era, nor could she be a military wife admired by everyone day after day without affecting her work.

With red eyes, Xu Qingli quickly walked to Xu Nian'er and kept checking whether the child was hurt. She saw that the little girl was skinny, wet and disheveled, with dark circles under her eyes, which showed that she had suffered a lot. Thinking that the child was raised by her brother and sister-in-law, she wondered how heartbroken she would be if they knew about it.

This was the first time Duan Guoyu came to see his cousin. Actually, it was not quite accurate to say. Recently, he heard from his mother that he had seen a little sister when she was a child. But she was different from the cute cousin described by his mother, and also different from the Xu Nian described by Xu Hongqi, who was taciturn and always had a stern face. In short, she looked thin, pitiful and silly.

Look, I just saw her mother with tears in her eyes saying she was so unlucky. After her mother comforted her, she smiled and said she was fine, but she was very scared.

When Xu Nian saw his relatives, he felt as if he had no bones in his body. His whole body was limp. He had been relying on willpower to hold on for the whole day and night. He had just finished telling his aunt that other people had been bought, and then he couldn't stand up and said he was hungry.

Xu Qingli felt extremely distressed and said to her silly son who was still standing there, "Guo Yu, come over here and support your sister."

Xu Nian listened to her aunt talking and noticed a boy who was about the same age as her third brother. However, this boy's cousin looked taller and stronger than her third brother. Seeing that he was carrying a bag, she said pitifully with hope: "Brother, do you have anything to eat?"

Duan Guoyu laughed, interrupting her fantasy, and then said helplessly, "No."

Xu Nian felt so depressed after hearing this that his stomach started to growl in unison.

The aunt standing next to them patted her son and asked, "What can I point at you?"

Duan Guoyu: “…”

After making sure her niece was safe, Xu Qingli talked to the other two couples. Xu Nian learned from their conversation that they had already caught the group of people at midnight yesterday, but they needed to go to different places to look for them. They also learned from them that Xu Nian and the other two women had escaped while they were escorting people. That's why the aunt-in-law, her son, and the families of the other two women came to slander and look for them.

The person Sister Fen had called for was her husband, and she knew the other Fang Kou. After a brief chat, they prepared to leave quickly. There was a lot of dew at this time, and everyone was very damp. They had to go back and clean up quickly, otherwise the moisture would enter their bodies, which would be extremely harmful to their health.

Now that Xu Nian had family, she could no longer find it difficult to do anything for herself. She said to Xu Qingli bitterly, "Aunt, I can't walk anymore."

Xu Qingli felt distressed again and slapped Duan Guoyu a second time, "Hurry up and carry your sister on your back."

Duan Guoyu: “…”

He sighed helplessly and hunched over, "Come up, my sister."

Xu Nian was embarrassed for a moment.

Xu Qingli's heart settled down, and her expression relaxed. She found her son's words amusing and said to Xu Nian, "Niannian, ignore him." Then she explained, "Your uncle is also very worried about you. He even contacted the army here to help, but he really can't leave. Please understand."

Xu Nian would have objected then, but now she cherishes herself and is grateful for life. She nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand."

Xu Nian lay on his cousin's back, feeling relieved and relaxed. He felt sleepy and even though he could hear his aunt talking from time to time, he couldn't help falling asleep.

Duan Guoyu felt the gentle breathing on her shoulder and whispered to her mother, "She's asleep."

Xu Qingli patted her niece's head and said to her son, "It's all my fault for giving her such bad advice. Otherwise, she wouldn't have suffered this."

Duan Guoyu comforted his mother, "If it weren't for your advice, my cousin wouldn't have encountered this, but she wouldn't have been able to save so many people. Now that we've busted the trafficking den, it's a good thing." Then he muttered, "Mom, isn't my cousin a bit different from the fairy you mentioned?"

After saying this, Duan Guoju received his third slap of the day.

Fang Kou, who was walking beside him, had just been quietly complaining about his mother. When he heard Duan Guoyu's words, he naturally joined in, "She's usually pretty."

Xu Qingli turned her head to look at the people, smiled and said nothing. Duan Guoyu glanced at her mother and dared to say anything...

Xu Nian was woken up by someone. When she opened her eyes, she saw another big bun in front of her. She looked at the hand holding the bun and saw that it was her cousin with a smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile too, then took the bun without hesitation and started eating it with satisfaction.

She choked halfway through her meal when a bony hand reached out from the side and handed her an open army green kettle.

Xu Nian took it and drank some water to calm himself down, then turned around and prepared to thank him.

She turned her head and was stunned again. A big part of the reason why she came here in the first place was because she could see someone, but with the appearance of Qi Meiyue and a series of events that followed, she blamed all her suffering on someone. When that person suddenly appeared next to her out of the blue, she didn't know how to react.

"Don't you recognize me?"

Hearing Xu Hongqi's joke, Xu Nian slowly raised his eyes, which had been drooping, and glanced at him, but turned away again after half a breath, slowly chewing on the bun without saying a word.

Duan Guoyu, who had been watching from the side, was very interested. He patted his cousin on the shoulder and said, "We'll be able to go home soon."

Only then did Xu Nian respond and nodded.

Duan Guoyu then turned to Xu Hongqi and said, "That woman said she only knows you. You decide what to do!"

Xu Nian knew who she was talking about as soon as she heard it. To be honest, her feelings towards Qi Meiyue were not as pure as before, but she felt that for her own safety, it would be better for her to stay away from her.

She glanced at someone and thought to herself, it is not enough to just stay away from Qi Meiyue, she also needs to stay away from dangerous people like them. In the past, when she had not encountered any special danger, she could still brag about saving others, but now that she has encountered something, she no longer dares to brag. She admits that she is selfish, but she really cherishes her life.

Another thing is that she should have completely overcome the "sixteen-year-old" crisis!

"Xu Nian!"

Xu Nian heard the voice and turned around. Seeing that it was Fang Kou, she smiled sincerely. This time, it was all thanks to him, otherwise she would probably still be fleeing in the open air.

Fang Kou came over to them and saw Xu Nian eating happily. He smiled and handed her a cake as well, "Thank you for taking care of my mom."

Xu Nian blinked, "I didn't take care of her at all. It was Sister Fen who took care of us."

Fang Kou smiled and said, "Thank you too."

Xu Nian felt it was awkward to thank him repeatedly, especially with Xu Hongqi watching her intently, so she changed the subject, "Aren't you going to college?"

Fang Kou glanced at her when he heard this and said, "Yes, I went to the state university that some people mentioned."

Xu Nian didn't think too much about it. "That's great. My cousin is also at the state university. His name is Xu Fengkai. He came to the school last time to give us volunteer guidance. You remember him, right?"

Seeing Fang Kou nodded, Xu Nian remembered something, looked at Duan Guoyu and said, "Brother, let me talk to my friend!" Then he pulled Fang Kou to a deserted place near the door.

Duan Guoyu thought the current situation was really wonderful. He looked at Xu Hongqi, whose face had not been good since Fang Kou appeared, and couldn't help but say sarcastically: "My sister doesn't know you well!"

He didn't even wait for the other person to reply and left quickly.

Xu Hongqi looked at Xu Nian who was chatting and laughing with other boys, curled his lips coldly, then thought of another person and felt troubled!

Xu Nian pulled Fang Kou away for no other reason. She said to the others, "Fang Kou, don't tell my brother about what happened these past two days when you see him. I don't want my family to worry."

Fang Kou was wondering what it was, but after hearing this, he nodded and agreed without hesitation, and asked other questions by the way.

"You're going to take the college entrance exam next year, right?"

Xu Nian was a little hesitant. It wasn't that she thought the school was bad, but she felt that she had a conflict with this school. Oh my god, she had failed the entrance exam twice, so what was the point of going again?

So she didn't answer Fang Kou's question directly, but said: "Student Fang Kou, have you ever heard what you said?"

“Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to give up.”

Fang Kou's face darkened. "A man should have a beginning and an end."

Xu Nian laughed and played dumb, took a bite of the pancake and said, "The ones from our hometown are still the best."

Fang Kou sighed, "I think so too."

Soon after, Xu Nian was called in to take a statement. After she entered, she was questioned by a male and female police officer. They were very kind, and Xu Nian told them everything she could, even mentioning the herbal-flavored drugs. The female officer, likely sympathetic to Xu Nian's situation, explained their modus operandi: using herbs grown in their hometown as drugs to carry out their illegal activities...

The case still needs to be solved and further investigation is needed. When she came out, she looked around the hall and didn't see Xu Hongqi. She couldn't help pouting. Xu Qingli met Xu Nian and said that she could go home. She had just gone to find her luggage. Xu Nian saw that the gifts for people were not lost and breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Nian said goodbye to Fang Kou and Sister Fen one by one and prepared to leave with her aunt. Her uncle had arranged a car to pick them up and said that it would probably take several hours to drive back.

Xu Nian went out and saw Xu Hongqi standing with his back to her. Naturally, she also saw Qi Meiyue standing opposite him. She didn't know if she was hurt, but her eyes were still red and she was crying. Xu Nian whispered to Xu Qingli, "Aunt, um... isn't Xu Hongqi going with us?"

Xu Qingli looked at her deeply before saying, "Hongqi is here to assist with the investigation; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get out." She paused and continued, "He just came over to tell me he had something to do and would be back later."

Xu Nian smoothed his hair and said "Oh".

When they were about to get in the car, they saw Xu Hongqi walking towards them. At this time, Fang Kou, who had just said goodbye, also followed. He was closer to Xu Nian and left quickly. He said to her, "Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to climb. You..., come on!"