20

On the day he went to see Fang Hui, Xu Xiao asked him for some hallucinogenic drugs.

Fang Hui was lucky enough to become the last disciple of a medical master, whose specialty was psychiatry. Even the psychiatrist Fang Hui wanted to hire was a fellow student.

The senior brother hasn't arrived yet, but he mailed some medicine to him.

Xu Xiao took the opportunity to learn about Fang Hui's situation abroad, asked him a few words of concern, and naturally got the experimental medicine he got from the master.

The truth about Ji Hong and Zhao Ling was exposed because of that medicine.

The drug confused them, making them think that their plan had succeeded, so they celebrated unrestrainedly, and in their joy, they finally got together.

It just so happened that they chose the wrong time. Xu Xiao just randomly guessed their possible location and asked Chen Nan to say a few words to the group of educated youth.

The group of educated youth were so obsessed with the wild game in the mountains that they actually ran into two people rolling around together.

In the final analysis, it was their own fault. He was so proud that not only did he not say it, but he also told everything about the past to the elderly Xu Xiao who was lying on his sickbed.

Xu Xiao claims that she does not hold grudges, but she will not let Ji Hong and the other two get too proud.

Every time they plotted against her, she would punish them. She didn't do anything, she just tricked them.

If they don't overstep the line, she won't be able to do anything to them.

Even now, Xu Xiao doesn't regret what she did, but she didn't tell Chen Bei the truth. She cleverly changed the subject: "I heard that smoking shortens one's life?"

Chen Bei was stunned for a moment, rubbing the fingertips of his right hand. He said, "Do you think I'm hurting you?"

Xu Xiao depends on cigarettes, and he gives her cigarettes.

Chen Bei's expression was calm, as if nothing could alarm him, but when he looked at Xu Xiao, his brown pupils seemed to be dyed with light, turning golden and sparkling.

"What do you think?" Xu Xiao looked thoughtful, as if she was considering this possibility. After a long moment, she said firmly, "Then you have to compensate me well. Let me think about it, one hundred and fifty yuan."

Ji Hong still owes her a hundred yuan. Public is public and private is private, and she will not owe others money.

The remaining fifty was her support for Xu's father. He was her father, and no matter how he treated her, she would still provide for him in his old age.

She had been old and sick before, so she knew the feeling of being alone and helpless. He was her father, but he was not her father. But she would not treat him coldly.

Before leaving, she would leave fifty yuan for Xu's father. As for the rest of the money, she would probably ask her second sister Xu Ran to bring it to him.

Chen Bei: "Are you really short of money?"

He thought Xu Xiao's previous words were a joke, but he didn't expect it to be true.

Xu Xiao grabbed Chen Bei's hand that was about to take out the money. She said helplessly: "I don't need the money. I don't need it."

At least she still had Chen's father and mother who sent her money from time to time, and most of Chen Bei's salary was used to buy her cigarettes.

Chen Bei didn't. He looked at Xu Xiao with disapproval. "Grandpa said you invested in him, why didn't you tell me? I don't need much money in the team." As he spoke, he turned his wrist and handed the wallet directly to Xu Xiao: "...consider it an apology."

His voice was unusually low and a little uncomfortable.

Xu Xiao suddenly looked up at him, his pair of black eyes were cold, as if covered with a layer of moisture, making it impossible to tell what emotions were hidden in them.

"What apology?"

"Your household registration has been moved to Beijing, to the Chen family."

Xu Xiao understood the rest without him having to say anything. Given this man's wicked ambition, he must have tied her to him.

With a sneer, Xu Xiao took away the wallet he had just returned to Chen Bei, then took a step back: "I'm going to find Xu Xi first."

After saying this, she walked towards the building behind.

"Are you really angry?"

At some point, Chen Nan opened the door and walked silently to Chen Bei's side. He just happened to hear his muttering and couldn't help laughing: "It would be strange if you weren't angry."

Chen Bei was not polite to his own sister and gave her a slap on the head.

"Chen Bei! Are you sick?" Chen Nan hadn't said a few words when Chen Bei covered her mouth. She had calmed down at this time, but when she saw the disgust in Chen Bei's eyes, she couldn't help but struggle: "Mud pancake! Let go of the nest, let go of the nest!"

Lifting his eyes and seeing the room behind Xu Xiao, Chen Bei finally let go, not forgetting to threaten his sister: "Be quiet, understand?"

Chen Nan was well aware of her brother's temper. She curled her lips and lowered her voice: "How did you persuade Mom and Dad?"

She didn't know when the two of them fell in love, but she knew that those two from her family were not easy to fool. Not to mention, they had originally planned to adopt Sister Xiao as their half-daughter and bring her back to the Chen family.

Chen Bei said calmly, "I didn't tell them."

"..." Chen Nan took two steps back. She was worried and took a few more steps back. She clasped her hands together at a distance of several meters and said, "Brother, I know nothing. I was not involved in anything. This has nothing to do with me."

"Thanks for your help, I have to thank you."

Hearing Chen Bei's sincere thanks, Chen Nan was furious. She wished she hadn't helped. But when she thought that Chen Bei was even worse than her, she immediately began to look forward to Chen Bei's fate in the future.

She was about to ask something when she heard a faint voice of "Sister Xiao" outside. She tilted her ears and asked, "Did you hear anything?"

"Um."

"What did you hear? Why do I feel like someone is calling Sister Xiao..."

"Um."

“…” Chen Nan was speechless.

The voice was getting closer and clearer. Seeing the child running towards him breathlessly, Chen Nan ran over and asked in surprise, "Xiao Si, why are you here?"

Xiao Si stammered, still a little scared: "Big Brother and the others started arguing. They were arguing very fiercely, very fiercely..." Xiao Si's face was pale, and even the intense exercise did not make it look rosy at all. His eyes shrank, and he looked behind Chen Nan: "I want Sister Xiao to go and take a look..."

"She's not going." Chen Bei said suddenly.

Xiao Si remembered this cold-faced older brother; it was him who had taken Sister Xiao away last time. He also remembered the awe his family held in him. So, he looked at Chen Nan for help: "...Just let Sister Xiao go and check it out. There's nothing else to worry about, really..."

"She's not going." Chen Bei repeated coldly.

A voice suddenly interrupted: "Xiao Si, what happened?"

Seeing Xu Xiao coming out, Chen Bei concealed the coldness on his face and looked at Xu Xiao with an especially persistent gaze.

It looked like a ferocious beast acting clumsily, making people want to cover their eyes.

It's like seeing a tiger begging for food. First you think it's impossible, and then you doubt your own eyes.

Seeing this scene, Xu Xi's legs went weak. It wasn't until a gaze shot over to him that he said in a trembling voice, "Chen, Captain Chen, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

"good."

Xu Xiao stopped Xu Xi who was about to run away: "Xu Xi, go and see secretly, don't let them find out."

"...Don't worry." Facing a gaze that seemed to have substance, Xu Xi used honorifics.

Xu Xiao passed by Chen Bei and looked at Xu Xiaosi next to Chen Nan: "Where are they?"

"It's at my aunt's house, Sister Xiao..." Xiao Si knew that he and Xu Xiao were no longer related, so it was wrong for him to come here. But he felt that only Sister Xiao could persuade his eldest brother.

He had heard from his grandfather that the person his eldest brother loved the most was Sister Xiao. His second sister couldn't persuade his eldest brother, but Sister Xiao would definitely be able to persuade him, so he came.

My aunt's house was not far from the Xu family's. After thinking about the specific location, Xu Xiao nodded: "Xiao Si, you go to the back mountain and watch. I'll be back soon!"

"Axiao!" Chen Bei didn't catch Xu Xiao and watched her run away.

Chen Nan followed suit, leaving Xiao Si and Chen Bei staring blankly. He shrank back in fear and whispered, "I'm leaving first."

The quarrel was so loud that Xu Xiao could hear what they were saying before he even got close.

"Xu Ping! What do you mean? Don't forget, we were the ones who helped to settle that matter!"

Xu Ping is the name of Captain Xu.

The voice was a male voice, somewhat old and rough, and the words were full of contempt for Captain Xu.

Xu Xiao thought about it. His great-grandfather had four children: the eldest son was Xu Ping, the second son was Xu An, and the third son was Xu Quan. The most unruly of them all was the second son, Xu An. When he was young, he was not honest and liked to steal and cheat, but he eventually became famous.

Xu An was very dissatisfied with Xu Han's discipline of him. Ever since he left Xujia Village, he had always addressed his elder brother by his first name. There was no doubt that the voice was Xu An.

A savage female voice followed, "Yes, big brother. Don't forget, that female corpse caused such a big commotion back then, and it was my second brother and I who dealt with it together."

"Xu Zhu!" Captain Xu was dissatisfied.

Xu Zhu is the aunt that Xu Xiaosi mentioned.

Chen Nan pulled Xu Xiao's sleeve and said, "Sister Xiao, didn't you say that Brother Xu started a quarrel?"

She had met the eldest brother of the Xu family once before with Xu Xiao. He had a very cold personality, the kind that was born aloof, unlike Chen Bei who was arrogant and simply didn't want to talk to anyone.

She thought that the eldest brother of the Xu family was debating with the scholars, but she didn't expect that it was the scholars arguing with each other.

Xu Xiao shook his head: "I'm not sure, let's wait and see."

"Big brother, second brother, little sister, please stop arguing. Let me be fair. This matter is not suitable to be spoken out." The third son Xu Quan is not as valued by his parents as his eldest brother Xu Han, nor does he express his dissatisfaction as freely as his second brother, nor is he loved by his parents like his youngest sister Xu Zhu. He is an invisible person, which also leads to him always having a middle way of pleasing all parties.

His doctrine of the mean is to agree with nothing and reject nothing. He will only speak out when his own interests are involved.

Hearing what Third Grandpa said, Xu Xiao's expression became a little serious. She knew Third Grandpa's temper. He would not get involved in the affairs of other brothers and sisters unless it was necessary.

"Oh! So you guys know it's shameful!" Xu Huai's mocking voice rang out, "Then how did you treat Xu Xiao back then? Now you're actually trying to use her!"

"Xu Huai!" A slap was heard. "You bastard! You're even meddling in your father's father!"

Xu Xiao held Chen Nan, her profile looking extremely cold under the light and shadow: "Nan Nan, don't worry."

She knew Xu Huai. If he didn't want to, no one in the Xu family could do anything to him. Just like when he insisted on keeping her, and even took care of her together with Xu Ran.

What's more, Xu Huai joined the army. He was not an ordinary person without any weapons. If he hadn't done it on purpose, Xu Han would not have been able to touch him.

An even sharper voice followed: "What are you doing! This has nothing to do with me. What happened to that crazy woman was your own fault!"

It was Xu Zhu's voice. I don't know what she saw, but the old lady who used to be so self-important could make such an embarrassing sound.

The noise inside became quieter, but the voices were still continuing and continuously reached the ears of Xu Xiao and Chen Nan.

Chen Nan didn't react much. She hadn't stayed in Xujia Village for a long time, nor did she know as much about the past as Xu Xiao, so she just listened, clenched her fists in hatred, and whispered that the people there were worse than beasts.

A tragedy had occurred in Xujia Village: a woman had drowned in winter. It was an incident from over a decade ago, and even now, no one had expected it would be brought up again.

As the quarrelers gradually calmed down, their cold words could no longer be hidden.

Captain Xu panted heavily, "Xu An, Xu Quan, Xu Zhu, don't forget, you were the ones who brought that man here! Even in the end, it was you who did it!"

"Brother!" Xu Zhu snorted in dissatisfaction.

"Brother, brother, you can't say that. You were the one who started this whole thing. If you ask me, a person is already dead, there's no way he can come back to life."

…

People's hearts are not as they used to be. They are evil and evil. Sometimes people are scarier than ghosts.

Xu Xiao lowered his eyes, concealing the sarcasm in his eyes, and gently patted Chen Nan: "Nan Nan, wait for me outside, don't let anyone in."

"Oh, okay!"

Xu Xiao walked out from the side of the house, went to the door, and knocked. Soon, footsteps were heard from inside, and the door was opened.

Xu Ran looked at the girl standing outside the door, her face suddenly pale: "A Xiao, why are you here?"

When the people who were talking heard "Axiao", they all stopped talking and turned to look at the door.

"Second sister," Xu Xiao raised her head: "As the child of the person involved, can I listen?"

Xu Ran bit her lip, made up her mind, and made way: "It's good that you're here, it's time to put an end to this."

There has to be a right and wrong.

This is what she and Xu Huai planned.

Xu Xiao nodded slightly, and as she passed by Xu Ran, whose body was noticeably stiffer, she whispered, "Second sister, thank you."

She really didn't know about their plan, so she let them down once.

There were not many people in the yard, only Xu Han's four siblings, Xu Huai, and Xu's father and two brothers.

Chen Hong's two sisters-in-law and others were in the room, looking out at the scene. When they saw Xu Xiao coming in, the two sisters-in-law immediately backed away and did not respond no matter who called them.

They were all relatives who hadn't been home for a long time, and they didn't know anything about the past. Seeing the two sisters-in-law so scared, they became interested. But when they took a closer look, they saw that they were just a pretty little girl. They couldn't help but sneer at the two women's cowardice.

Among the group of people, no one recognized Xu Xiao's identity.

I was just curious and surprised that such a place could raise such a child.

Xu Xiao stared straight at the room, glancing at the seven people in the yard. "There's no one at Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma's place. Are you hiding here?"

The onlookers felt their scalps tingle when they heard this. They quickly stepped back and turned around to see Chen Hong and the other person had already opened the door and walked out. In front of the little girl, they were as obedient as children: "We'll go right away, we'll go right away!"

In just a few minutes, they lost their previous casual attitude. But they did not leave, and forced themselves to sit still in the room.

"Axiao, why are you here?" Xu Huai frowned, but his expression was no longer as cold as before.

Xu Ran closed the door and walked over: "Why can't she come? She also has the right to know."

It was just closing time, and Xu Ran had already figured it out. There was no point in hiding it; only the truth was right, and only the truth showed concern.

Captain Xu said, "Ah Han, take them to meet your parents-in-law!"

Father Xu didn't move. He rubbed his hands and said, "Axiao, why are you here? Dad will take you to meet your aunts..."

Uncle Xu rarely remained silent. He stood aside and even agreed with Xu Han's words.

But Xu Xiao didn't want to escape: "Dad, I can see them later. Grandpa is right. Great-grandfather needs someone to watch over him."

The people in the room had no choice but to walk out. They didn't dare look at the girl who looked very difficult to deal with, and walked away with evasive eyes. Only after they left the yard did they breathe a deep breath.

Uncle Xu smiled apologetically: "That's my eldest brother's daughter, Xu Xiao. She was studying in the county before, so you didn't see her."

Everyone had different thoughts. After talking to Uncle Xu for a few words, they walked towards the back mountain.

Listening to Uncle Xu's introduction of himself, Xu Xiao couldn't help but curl his lips and chuckle: "Since the relationship is severed, there is no need to say those words in the future."

Captain Xu and his four siblings all looked furious. They had lived for decades, and if nothing else, at least no one from their generation had ever said such words to them.

Captain Xu was okay, he knew Xu Xiao's character, and considering the money he got, he wasn't that angry.

Xu Zhu couldn't stand this anger: "You are the girl from Ahan's family, right? I heard that you broke off the engagement? That won't do. This is a lifelong event."

Xu Huai wanted to speak but was held down by Xu Ran. He whispered, "Let go."

As expected, no matter what era, marriage is always an irrelevant topic that is often mentioned.

Xu Xiao hummed, dragging a chair to the left of Xu Ran. She propped up her face and asked, "What advice do you have for me, Auntie?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhu's eyebrows were stained with pride: "If you ask me, this marriage cannot be cancelled, otherwise my reputation will be ruined."

"I heard from your grandfather that Ji Zhiqing is a very handsome man, not to mention he saved your life. Our Xu family is not unreasonable. You must repay this favor." As she spoke, the old lady couldn't help but touch her hair. "Not only that, you must also take the initiative to apologize to Ji Zhiqing."

Captain Xu didn't say anything. Seeing him stay silent, Xu Quan also kept quiet. Only Xu An agreed: "Your aunt is right. Even if you are educated, you still have to get married. Not to mention, you marry an educated youth."

"Second grandfather, aunt, it seems you still don't understand what I mean!" Xu Huai finally couldn't help but speak out. This time Xu Ran didn't stop him, and she was equally angry.

Xu Xiao stretched out her hand and waved it, looking at Xu Zhu with a funny face: "Aunt? What kind of aunt are you to me? I can't remember when my grandfather had a sister like you." She looked at Xu An again: "Since you said so well, then you can call her Aunt and marry Ji Hong."

She spoke calmly and clearly, with a clean tone, but her words were not polite.

Xu Zhu stood up immediately: "Xu Xiao! Are you crazy? Big brother, you still don't care about her! Are you really going to go against the will of heaven? Don't blame me for not warning you, if others knew about this, I'm afraid you won't be able to be a captain anymore!"

Xu An is a person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. Seeing that Xu Xiao didn't say anything for a long time, he thought that she was a junior who was easy to control. After hearing those words and seeing the calmness in Xu Xiao's every move, he realized that the girl in front of him was not ordinary.

It was this insight that made him what he is today.

In the end, the only one who was truly angry was Xu Zhu.

Seeing the silence of the three people behind him, Xu Zhu raised her voice and asked, "Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, what are you doing?! Don't you think I'm not your sister?"

Captain Xu said awkwardly, "Ah Xiao has severed ties with the Xu family. Logically speaking, we really can't interfere in her affairs."

Xu Quan stood up at the right moment and said, "You must be Ah Xiao, you are so pretty. Your aunt said this just because she is worried about you. Don't blame her, she is thinking about you."

"So what if I complain?" Xu Xiao leaned back and twirled the lighter in his hand.

Xu Quan originally thought that it's a good idea not to hit someone who smiles at you, so he said that. However, he didn't expect Xu Xiao was not a person who played by the rules, and he felt embarrassed for a moment.

Once they stopped talking, the silence was like a giant beast crawling into the hearts of the four people, making them feel timid even if they didn't move.

This silence is not absolute. There are light and heavy breathing sounds, the sound of a lighter being pressed repeatedly, and the sound of a heartbeat that is gradually getting stronger.

Xu Huai and Xu Ran stood up at the right time and walked to the door to guard it. They decided to leave the space to Xu Xiao.

Captain Xu wiped his sweat, mentally cursing Xu Quan's stupidity. Xu Quan also cursed Captain Xu for calling him back.

Xu An came back to show off himself, but at this time, he began to regret his decision.

Xu Zhu went from being arrogant at the beginning to being hesitant now. She also blamed Captain Xu, Xu An and Xu Quan for persuading her to come back. She came back without any purpose. Unlike Xu An, she didn't want revenge, nor did she come back to find an opportunity to stay like Xu Quan.

I just wanted to take a look at my parents, but I didn't expect to get covered in dirt.

Seeing that the four elders were no longer as arrogant as they were at the beginning, Xu Xiao closed the lighter and asked: "You were talking about old things before. What old things?"

The four of them remained silent, but all lowered their heads. By this time, they had already determined that Xu Xiao was not someone who could be easily fooled, nor was he a junior they could easily manipulate.

Captain Xu lowered his head at first, then raised it and tilted it to one side. His meaning was clear: he had to ask the other three people about this matter.

Xu Xiao tilted his head: "It seems that you don't want to talk about it."

Seeing Xu Xiao take out a black gun, Xu Zhu couldn't help but scream, but seeing the displeasure on Xu Xiao's face, she quickly covered her mouth.

The first person to speak at this time was not the steady Captain Xu, nor the eloquent Xu Quan, but Xu An, who always looked down on everything.

He smiled kindly: "Ah, Axiao, what do you want to know, Second Grandpa? No, I must tell you."

At this point, no one dared to bet whether Xu Xiao would dare to attack them, especially Captain Xu, who had seen Xu Xiao take action.

The action was brutal and without a trace of politeness.

What could they say? They could only speak honestly, but they all had their own selfish motives, trying their best to distance themselves from the events of that year.

Xu Xiao stood up and pointed his gun at the four people in turn: "You didn't lie to me? I'm not familiar with this thing. If I knew you were lying to me, I might get excited and fire the gun."

“No, no…”