Chapter 58 Just as Chen Pan was thinking about Mr. Chen...

After completing his latest money-making plan, Chen Pan talked to his grandparents and planned to return to the village the next day.

Knowing that she was going home to finish her summer homework and that this 30-square-meter shop was not suitable for Chen Pan's daily study, Grandpa and Grandma Chen thought about it for a moment and agreed to Chen Pan's wish to go back.

So on August 26th, Chen Pan took all her summer homework and a lot of things prepared for her by Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen back home.

Sitting on the bus back home again, Chen Pan honestly felt a bit mixed. It had only been a little over four months since he'd been home, but as the bus got closer and closer to home, he began to feel a sense of homesickness.

The last time she went home was in May when she and her grandfather went home together. That time they met Li Chengcai, and after that, her grandfather didn't let Chen Pan go back. Chen Panpan was also quite obedient and really didn't go back after that.

Later, she wanted to go home because something happened to the Li family and she only thought of it after she confirmed that Li Chengcai was out traveling.

But she said she wanted to go home, but in the end she never really went back for various reasons.

Anyway, the last time she went home, the leaves outside had just started to grow, and the various seedlings in the fields hadn't grown very tall. And now, in the blink of an eye, it was almost time for the autumn harvest.

"Panpan is back?"

After Panpan got off the bus from work, the first person to notice her was Grandma Wang, who always sat on a small stool at the door, holding her little grandson in her arms to bask in the sun.

"Well, I'm back. Grandma Wang and Xingxing, how are you guys doing lately?"

Chen Pan, who had already taken out the keys from her gray cross-body bag, immediately walked over with the keys when she heard the other party's call.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I haven't seen you for a few months. You've grown a lot taller and become a grown-up girl. By the way, Panpan, how are your grandpa and grandma doing recently?"

It’s rare to see young children coming back, and Grandma Wang, who often sits here, is really happy.

"They're doing fine. They eat everything they want and sleep like their moms," Chen Pan quipped as she squatted down and began rummaging through the two large handbags she was carrying. She quickly pulled out two oranges, two peaches, a small plastic bag of sesame cakes, and another bag of black stuffed dough wrapped in several plastic bags.

"As long as it's good, as long as it's good. Just give me one peach or one orange. My teeth can't eat such good things now."

Everyone was in the habit of sharing good things, so when she saw what Chen Pan took out, the wrinkled Grandma Wang didn't refuse too much. But when she saw that her grandson had already taken one of each of the oranges and peaches Chen Pan offered, Grandma Wang quickly put the remaining two back into Chen Pan's bag.

"It's okay, grandma. I brought enough oranges and peaches this time. You can take some and try them. By the way, Grandma Wang, these pancakes and cold noodles are specially prepared by my grandma for you. The pancakes can be kept in this weather, you and Xingxing can eat them slowly. But even if this cold noodle is not seasoned, it can't be kept overnight. You'd better eat it today-"

"Okay, okay, okay, then I'll try the fruit. I'll put the pancakes in a big jar when I get back. There's enough for Xingxing and I to eat for several days. I'll eat the cold noodles later. It's amazing that your grandparents still remember me. When we get back, Panpan must say thank you to your grandma for me. By the way, Panpan, how many days do you plan to stay this time?"

Sitting on the backrest stool, holding her eldest grandson in one hand and holding everything handed to her by Chen Pan in the other. Looking at Pan Pan squatting in front of her and talking to her, Grandma Wang remembered the time when Wang Qingshan came to give her a big apple a few months ago.

In her heart she felt the power of blood ties, but on her face she kept smiling. She turned around and quickly pulled out another small stool from the half-open wooden door at the back.

"I plan to stay for five days. It's not a good place for me to catch up on my homework. I want to go home and catch up on my summer homework and read some books."

Chen Pan, who had no shame in reading, spoke truthfully. Hearing her say this, Grandma Wang, whose hair had completely turned white, subconsciously praised her again: "Reading is good, reading is good! At your age, you should read more and study more."

"Woof woof, woof woof, woof woof—"

The barking of dogs and whimpering of puppies in the distance became increasingly louder.

Chen Pan patiently chatted with Grandma Wang, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, for five minutes, but finally he had to say goodbye to her.

This time, even though he saw that the doors of the Yang family and the Wang family opposite were slightly open, Chen Pan did not pay attention to them. He quickly took out the key and opened the door.

“Woo, woo, woo—”

From the moment Chen Pan opened the door, the little guy who had been locked at the door jumped up and threw himself on Chen Pan's thigh, then kept wagging his tail and humming.

"Xiao Hei!"

Rural dogs are never considered pets in the city. They are chained to the door all year round, their primary duty being to guard their owners' homes. They sleep in simple kennels year-round and may not even receive a bath. They've never even received vaccinations, or had their fur and claws trimmed.

But even so, they are the most loyal and intelligent people in the family.

Just like just now, as soon as Chen Pan got off the bus from work, Xiao Hei was already shouting excitedly in the yard.

During the few minutes when Chen Pan was tripped, his anxiety and eagerness reached its peak.

So at this moment, after the little master Chen Pan finally opened the door, the small Hei jumped onto Chen Pan excitedly, and he couldn't control the strength of his hands, leaving many muddy claw marks and long mud marks on Chen Pan's black pants.

"Xiao Hei!!"

The two large handbags in Chen Pan's hands had already fallen to the ground unconsciously.

He hugged Xiao Hei's neck tightly and kept reaching out to stroke the other's little head. At this moment, Chen Pan's eyes even turned red unconsciously.

In fact, she doesn't think of Xiao Hei often in normal times.

But at this moment, listening to the little guy's aggrieved whimpers and watching his tail swinging like a propeller, Chen Pan's eyes suddenly turned red.

Xiao Hei was raised by Chen Pan, and the animals in her family generally suffered a miserable fate. Lambs were sold when they grew up, and the rabbits, pigs, and even the pigeons she once raised all eventually found their way to the slaughter. So, Chen Pan usually just helped her grandparents raise the animals as much as possible, but she never invested any extra affection in them.

But Chen Pan has completely different feelings about this little guy that her grandfather fished out of the ditch outside when she was in elementary school, and the old ox that has been in her family since she was born.

Ever since his grandfather brought Xiao Hei home, she has been responsible for feeding Xiao Hei every day.

At that time, she didn't have to herd the cows at home, and she couldn't be relied upon to feed the pigs and chickens.

At that time, her grandparents' daily tasks for her were to bring leftovers to Xiao Hei and give him clean water. The other task was to set and clean the dining table at home.

Anyway, to Chen Pan, Xiao Hei and Da Huang are both very special to her.

In the previous life, when grandma passed away and grandpa sold rhubarb to pay off his debts, Chen Pan cried all night when he returned home from school.

Later, when she graduated from junior high school and her grandfather took her to work, Chen Pan cried uncontrollably when her grandfather rode his bicycle to take Xiao Hei to her great-grandmother's house in Chenjia Town.

Obviously, Chen Pan was in a very good mood before, but at this moment, seeing Xiao Hei, who was exactly the same as in his previous life, wagging his tail at him, clinging to her legs and humming non-stop.

Chen Pan suddenly lost control and started crying while hugging the little one at home.

"Sister Panpan? Are you okay?"

Just as Chen Pan was sitting on the ground hugging her own puppy and going crazy for no apparent reason, Xiao Hei was also a little confused by her and subconsciously stopped to let her hold him. He kept licking her cheeks and the back of her hands to show comfort, when Yang Xiaodong's voice came from outside.

"Oh, I'm fine. Xiaodong, why are you here?"

Chen Pan, who had come to terms with many things after living a new life, but whose personality remained unchanged, immediately realized what was happening. She quickly raised her hand and wiped her eyes and cheeks with her sleeve, then immediately stood up and turned around, pretending nothing had happened.

"I saw you were back, so I picked some apricots and apples for you!"

Yang Xiaodong, who is one year younger than Chen Pan, handed Chen Pan a plastic bag filled with many yellow apricots and some yellow marshals.

When Chen Pan saw the thing, he took it with a smile and said, "You are sensible. You know that this is what I want right now."

Chen Pan grabbed an apricot, wiped it on her body, and then started eating. After biting into the apricot, Chen Pan placed the bag Yang Xiaodong had given her on her doghouse. Then she squatted down and began to rummage through the two large bags she had brought with her, mumbling, "By the way, where are your uncle and aunt? Are they home? Where's your sister?"

"My parents went to the fields to harvest wheat today. My sister stayed at my grandma's house during her last July 7th holiday. She should be back in a few days."

He squatted down, holding the shopping bags for Chen Pan while looking at her seriously. Then Yang Xiaodong, who seemed to have grown up a little in the past few months, suddenly asked, "Sister Panpan, is No. 6 Middle School good? Is it really better than No. 4 Middle School and our school?"

"I haven't been to No. 4 Middle School, so I can't say anything. But academically, No. 6 Middle School does seem a bit better than ours. At least the teachers there seem more capable and responsible."

The gifts for the neighbors were carefully distributed by Grandma Chen Pan.

He took out four oranges and four peaches, and then Chen Pan took out a plastic bag of unmixed cold noodles and a plastic bag of sesame cakes, which contained about eight sesame cakes of various flavors.

"The second and fourth-place students in our class also transferred out this semester. With all of you doing this, I'm starting to want to go to No. 6 Middle School."

Looking at the well-behaved Yang Xiaodong, he slowly told his purpose.

Chen Pan subconsciously asked, "Do your parents know about this?"

"I haven't said it yet. I just saw everyone doing this and I felt a little moved."

Yang Xiaodong slowly told Chen Pan what was in his heart.

Chen Pan handed all the things she wanted to give to his family to the other party, and then she took the other party to sit in her own yard, teasing Xiao Hei from a distance while telling him what she knew about the pros and cons of No. 6 Middle School.

"If you transfer to No. 6 Middle School, the expenses will definitely be much higher than your previous school. You'll be in the second grade when school starts. If you transfer there now, you'll definitely have to go through a period of having no friends, everyone will ignore you at first, and you'll have to start everything over again. And if you go there, commuting is definitely unrealistic. You'll most likely have to live on campus. If you don't want to live on campus, you'll have to rent a house on your own or share it with a few other students—"

In the past few months, Xiao Hei has obviously been well taken care of by the Yang family next door.

While they were talking, Xiao Hei, who had just been touched by him, kept barking and trying to come over.

Chen Pan simply stood up and unfastened the leather buckle on Xiao Hei's neck.

“Woo woo—”

As soon as he was freed, Xiao Hei pounced on Chen Pan just as he had before. After being rubbed vigorously on his head and ears several times by Chen Pan, he ran over to Yang Xiaodong, wagging his tail. Apparently, he had been getting food and drink from him quite often recently.

"I don't necessarily have to transfer in the second year of junior high. Maybe a year later, I can choose to register directly at No. 6 Middle School. That way, I won't have to face the awkward situation of transferring in midway and not knowing anyone—"

Chen Pan's original plan was to come back at noon, spend an hour and a half in the afternoon visiting all the people he wanted to visit, and then return home at 3 pm to clean up the house.

But because Yang Xiaodong came suddenly, Chen Pan didn't finish hanging the quilt outside to dry until three o'clock in the afternoon, and then he actually went out.

Great grandfather’s house, second grandfather’s house, clan leader’s house.

Chen Pan visited all three families that her grandparents had told her to visit. She also gave them all the oranges, peaches, and cold pancakes that her grandparents had prepared.

When Chen Pan came back in the evening with the setting sun, she was holding a bag of ripe plums from her great-grandfather's house, a bag of hot buns that her second grandmother had just made, and a dozen green walnuts that Chen Laoshi, the grandson of the clan leader's grandfather, had picked for her from the tree himself.

Just as Chen Pan was thinking about the walnut tree that Chen Laoshi's grandfather had planted when he was young and took twenty years to bear fruit, the only one in their entire county, Chen Pan looked up and saw Wang Xiaohua standing at the door of his house, holding a plastic bag and looking a little sneaky and a little low-key.