When Li Zhonghua withdrew money from the bank, he counted out an extra 1,000 yuan, intending to pay the deposit.

The owner of the electronics store asked Sun Erni for the exact location.

Sun Erni gave a brief description of the place, and the boss slapped his thigh, exclaiming, "Oh dear, we might even be relatives!"

When Xia's maternal grandparents heard this, they came over. After exchanging introductions, they were indeed relatives within five degrees of kinship; they were Xia's maternal grandmother's relatives.

It is said that his maternal grandmother and Xia's maternal grandmother's mother were sisters, and the two families have not had any contact for many years since the two sisters passed away.

The bank owner rushed out, bringing chairs and pouring water, saying, "Auntie, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you had offended us."

Grandma Xia said, "It's alright. Relatives should visit each other more often. Look, we're all getting to know each other. Once we know the place, we should come over to visit more often."

The appliance store owner repeatedly agreed.

When Li Zhonghua returned, he saw them sitting there chatting enthusiastically, and he was full of questions.

Grandma Xia pointed to the owner of the electronics store and said, "Zhonghua, look, this is your cousin, what's his name again?"

Grandma Xia suddenly lost her train of thought; she seemed to have forgotten to ask him his name.

The owner of the electronics store said, "Brother, my surname is Liu, and I'm the third child in my family. Just call me Liu San."

Feng Erni recounted the whole story to Li Zhonghua, and it was indeed quite a coincidence.

Liu San said, "Auntie, it's already noon. Have you had lunch yet? Why don't you eat something here? It's on me."

Grandma Xia said, "Not today. Your senior brother Hua said he'd treat us to dinner, and we have to rush back."

Li Zhonghua handed over a deposit of one thousand yuan to Liu San.

"Brother, aren't you putting me in an awkward position? We're relatives, how could I possibly take your deposit? I don't know what my mom would say if she found out."

Li Zhonghua pushed the money to Liu San, saying, "Even close brothers keep clear accounts. One thing at a time, you must accept this money."

Liu San had no choice but to accept the money and hand over the deposit receipt to Li Zhonghua.

Before leaving, Grandma Xia held Liu San's hand and said, "Child, after you deliver the appliances, have dinner at home tonight."

Liu San smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Auntie. Then I won't be polite. Originally, it should have been the younger generation who treated us first, but I didn't expect the elders to treat us first."

After Xia Minmin and the others got into the car, Liu San stood outside the car and said, "Goodbye, Auntie. Be careful. I'll deliver the appliances to you after the driver goes to work."

Grandma Xia waved her hand, "Go ahead and get busy."

It was almost 1:30 when we arrived in Ankang.

Li Zhonghua's senior brother ordered a table of dishes early in the morning, waiting for them to return.

The two brothers, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, had so much to say to each other after meeting. They drank and talked about what had happened recently.

Xia Minmin and Li Qing ate their food frantically; they were so hungry and didn't want to eat snacks.

When Xia Minmin and the others left the table, Li Zhonghua had not yet started eating.

Xia's maternal grandfather said, "Erni, wait for Zhonghua. Your mother and I will take Xiaoqing and Xiaomin back first."

After finishing his sentence, Grandpa Xia ignored Li Zhonghua and his wife's objections and left with his luggage.

Xia Minmin and Li Qing also dragged their own luggage and followed Grandpa Xia out.

It wasn't that Grandpa Xia and the others didn't want to wait for Li Zhonghua; it was just that they wanted to air out the quilts after they got home. The house hadn't been lived in for more than half a year, and it was all filthy. They couldn't stay there tonight without cleaning it.

Time flies when you're drinking and chatting; it'll probably be past 3 a.m. by the time they finish eating and drinking.

In mid-August, the weather in Ankang Town was very hot, and the cement roads were covered with drying millet, which was the food supply for many people for the whole year.

After lunch, when it's hot at noon, everyone rests indoors, while only a few people hurry along the road.

There wasn't a single tree on either side of the road. Xia Minmin and Li Qing dragged their luggage and walked with their heads down, as if this would allow them to avoid the direct sunlight.

Xia Waigong said, "Last time I came back it was winter, and I didn't even notice that all these trees were gone."

Grandma Xia said, "Yes, there used to be trees along the road, so there was always some shade. Now all the trees on both sides have been cut down, and it's too sunny."

As Grandpa and Grandma Xia reached the alley entrance, they couldn't help but sigh, "It's still best to go home."

As soon as he entered the alley, his maternal grandfather's old friends greeted him, "Hey old rascal, what brings you back? I didn't expect you to get so much fairer after a few years in Shenzhen."

Grandpa Xia, enraged and embarrassed, shouted, "Get lost!"

The villagers who were resting inside came out to see what had happened.

"Why did you suddenly come back? I didn't hear you mention it at all?"

"Did you only bring your two granddaughters back?"

"Is this child Chunmei's? He's so big already."

How long do you plan to stay this time?

"Come to my house for dinner tonight. I doubt you have much to eat."

Relatives and friends were all talking at once, and Xia's maternal grandparents couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Some people even took the opportunity to pat Xia Minmin's head.

Grandpa Xia said loudly, "Everyone, we need to go home and pack up first. Zhonghua and his wife will be back in a little while. Come over again tomorrow. I guess we won't be able to entertain you today."

Xia Waigong opened the door with a key. The house was much better than he had imagined. There was basically no musty smell, and there wasn't much dust on the chairs.

Grandma Xia said, "Xiao Qing, Xiao Min is staying in your room. Clean your room and take the quilt out to air it on the balcony."

Li Qing carried her suitcase upstairs, saying as she went, "Xiao Min, leave your suitcase on the first floor, I'll come down and get it for you."

"No need, Sister Qing, I can manage on my own."

Xia Minmin put down her skateboard, picked up her suitcase, and prepared to go upstairs.

"Xiaomin, wait a moment and Grandpa will carry it up for you."

"No need, Grandpa, the suitcase isn't heavy, I can manage."

As she spoke, Xia Minmin laid her suitcase down, preparing to carry it upstairs.

Grandpa Xia watched as Xia Minmin swayed precariously, one hand gripping the railing and the other carrying her suitcase, and he broke out in a cold sweat!

Be careful, don't fall.

"I understand, Grandpa." Xia Minmin's voice sounded strange because of the effort she was putting in.

When Grandma Xia came out of the kitchen, she saw Xia Minmin struggling to lift her suitcase. She pinched Grandpa Xia's arm hard and said, "Why don't you go and help? What if something happens to Xiaomin? How are we going to explain this to Chunmei and Jianguo?"

Grandpa Xia felt wronged. "I said I wanted to help, but Xiaomin wouldn't let me. So, should I go up and help her now?"

Grandma Xia was very troubled. They were only two steps away. Did she still need to go up and help?

As soon as Grandpa Xia finished speaking, he saw Xia Minmin waving from the second floor.

Seeing that Xia Minmin had safely gone upstairs, Xia's maternal grandmother went about her business and ignored Xia's maternal grandfather.