Chapter 92 Returning Home

After parting ways with them in town, Zhu Xiujin drove She Ning back to Xiahe Village.

There were only the two of them left in the car. If they sat in the back, it would be like treating him as the driver, and they were also afraid that he would get sleepy if he drove for too long. After everyone got off the car in town, She Ning moved directly from the back seat to the front passenger seat.

No one spoke; the atmosphere inside the car was rather quiet.

She Ning glanced at the person driving. The last time they met was when they bumped into each other on the train. Compared to last time, he was much darker, but also much more robust, and his eyes were much more resolute.

"Brother Zhu, why are you here today?" She remembered that his job was to protect that leader.

...

Zhu Xiujin gripped the steering wheel, looked straight ahead, and replied in a calm voice, "The commander recently went out of town for a meeting. I happened to have some free time, and when I heard you had something to do here, I came over."

She Ning nodded slightly and then asked, "When the commander goes to a meeting out of town, don't you need to go with him to protect him?"

“The leader has other capable people around him, and the security of this meeting is fully guaranteed, so I was assigned to do some other things, and helping you is one of them.”

Upon hearing this, She Ning felt a strange warmth in her heart, and the quiet atmosphere inside the car softened because of their conversation.

What he didn't say was that he was originally on leave, and this mission was initially assigned to another comrade.

As Zhu Xiujin drove, he glanced to the side out of the corner of his eye. The little girl sat quietly beside him, holding her small schoolbag. She had lost some weight since the last time he saw her, but she seemed more resilient. Her bright eyes seemed to hold many stories.

He looked away, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips, secretly relieved that he had managed to secure this opportunity to come.

The two chatted casually, and before they knew it, the entrance to Xiahe Village appeared before them.

It was lunchtime, and many people were enjoying the cool shade under the big tree at the entrance of the village. When they saw the car in the distance, they all looked over curiously.

Since the implementation of the land contract system, every household has had surplus grain. At the same time, with the medicinal herb recycling led by She Ning, everyone has earned some money in the past two years, and their living standards have risen sharply. The villagers' dark and thin faces have become fuller, and there are many more bicycles visible on the rural roads of Xiahe Village.

However, small cars are still extremely rare.

Before the car even reached the village entrance, the children playing on the village road swarmed over, standing about a meter away from the car, curiously examining this rare object.

Upon seeing She Ning and the familiar Zhu Xiujin inside the car, they cheered and ran towards the big tree.

"It's Sister Aning back!"

The villagers knew that She Ning had gone to participate in the competition. When the news of her winning the award spread back to China, the village loudspeakers announced it, and the radio station, which rarely broadcasts, played "The East Is Red" for two days. In the town, her alma mater even put up banners that stretched from one end of the street to the other.

People who were enjoying the shade under the big tree heard the children's shouts and stood up, craning their necks to look towards the village road.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Our Aning is back with an award!"

That shout instantly ignited the atmosphere, and everyone started discussing it, their faces beaming with pride and joy.

"This girl is really promising; she's brought honor to our Xiahe Village!"

"Exactly! I heard that competition is really tough. So many people from all over the country participate, and for Aning to win an award is amazing!"

"She's practically a genius descended from heaven. I knew she was incredibly smart when I saw her as a child."

"From now on, a great celebrity will emerge from our Xiahe Village!"

As they spoke, the car slowly drove to the entrance of the village. The village roads were not wide enough, and the car was parked some distance from her house.

She Ning opened the car door and was immediately surrounded by enthusiastic villagers as soon as she got out.

Everyone praised her, and some even let their children touch her clothes or hold her hand, as if doing so would bring them some of the aura of the God of Literature and help them do better in their studies.

Even Luo Xiaoling, who usually doesn't get along with him, was all smiles.

"Don't you hate their family the most? Why are you so happy?" someone teased.

Luo Xiaoling rolled her eyes at him and ignored him. She wasn't stupid. Her village had produced an IO gold medalist, which made her proud. Besides, she had stopped disliking She Ninghao long ago when she took her to buy medicinal herbs to make money.

The most talked-about thing in Xiahe Town recently is this: when people hear that she is related to the gold medalist, their envious eyes are even more eager than when they know that she has given birth to two sons.

It was something she had never received from her two sons, and for the first time, Luo Xiaoling envied her cousin, She Hongmei.

How could such a promising child not be hers?

The villagers were so enthusiastic that they crowded together, making it difficult for She Ning to move. Zhu Xiujin carefully reached out to protect her from the side.

"Ah Ning, you've really brought honor to our village this time! Come to my house for dinner tonight, let's celebrate!" The village secretary, who had rushed over after hearing the news while weeding in the fields, squeezed through the crowd, walked up to She Ning, and tightly grasped her hands, saying excitedly.

His face, sunburned red, was full of smiles as he looked at the person in front of him with satisfaction.

Not long ago, they received an award and made a solemn offering to their ancestors. This time, they represented the country and defeated members from other countries. As the village party secretary, he knew more than the villagers. She Ning not only won the gold medal, but also ranked first in this competition. Her score crushed the members from other countries, giving them a slap in the face.

Holding her hand tightly, She Ning politely gave a standard smile, her face expressionless, but in her heart she was desperately calling for someone to save her.

She was a human being and couldn't handle such a situation. Hidden under her sleeve, she secretly tugged at the hem of Zhu Xiujin's clothes beside her.

Zhu Xiujin was a head taller than She Ning. Noticing her little movement, he lowered his head slightly and met her eyes. Her bright eyes held a hint of pleading, and she looked like a trapped fawn, completely unlike her usual composed and calm self.

It was rare to see this side of her, and Zhu Xiujin suppressed the urge to laugh. He cleared his throat, looked up at everyone, and said in a loud yet gentle voice, "Fellow villagers, Aning must be tired from her journey back, and she just finished a competition, so she needs to rest and recuperate. Let's not rush the celebration. In a couple of days, we can all get together and have a proper celebration, okay?"

"The PLA comrade is right, I didn't think it through," She Aijun slapped his thigh after hearing this. She Ning had finished the competition and then traveled a long way back. Not to mention the more than ten hours of flight, he also had to travel for several hours by car. Look at him, after being away for a few days, his face had become thinner and his bright eyes had become dull. He must have been exhausted.

Realizing he had been too excited and had neglected She Ning's feelings, he quickly nodded and said, "Ning, you should go back and get some rest. Once you've had enough, we can have a proper get-together."

She Ning breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied with a smile, "Okay, village secretary, I'll definitely come to your house to have a good time when I have time."

Village Party Secretary She Aijun nodded in satisfaction, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Zhu Xiujin, and then released She Ning's hand and stepped aside.

Seeing this, the surrounding villagers made way for her, muttering things like telling She Ning to get some rest.

She Ning smiled and thanked everyone one by one. Then, escorted by Zhu Xiujin, she walked towards home.

Once she was away from the crowd, She Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Along the way, Zhu Xiujin would occasionally turn his head to look at She Ning, and seeing her relieved expression, he finally couldn't help but smile.

She Ning noticed his gaze, turned her head to look at him. The young officer was tall and handsome, with a heroic air between his brows.

She looked more mature than before. Seeing him smile, She Ning's cheeks flushed slightly, and she was a little embarrassed: "Brother Zhu, why are you still laughing at me?"

Zhu Xiujin quickly put away his smile and explained seriously, "No, no, it's just that it's rare to see this side of you. It's quite cute."

She was only sixteen years old, but she acted like an adult. I remember the first time I saw her, the little girl was calm and collected in the face of danger, and she pressed the thief to the ground.

In subsequent meetings, she remained calm and composed.

Looking at his serious yet nervous expression, She Ning chuckled, "What's so cute about him? There were so many people around just now, I didn't know how to respond."

It's even more terrifying than facing ten Lin Xiufen and Luo Xiaoling.

She Ning couldn't help but shudder as she recalled the scene.

"Sister, sister!!!"

Zhu Xiujin looked at her tenderly, wanting to say something, when he was suddenly interrupted by a hurried shout.

Upon hearing the sound, the two looked up toward the source of the sound and then saw the little one, whose voice they had heard before seeing him, running wildly out from around the corner.

The little red dress, paired with the butterfly hair accessory, trembled and reflected the sunlight.

With a "bang," the small cannonball rushed over and hit She Ning, followed by a tight embrace.

"Sister!" This was the first time She Xiaoni had been separated from She Ning for so long, and tears were already welling up in her eyes when she saw her.

As She Ning gently stroked her hair, she finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

The child was sobbing uncontrollably, crying so pitifully and sadly. If someone who didn't know the situation saw it, they might think the child was being abused.

Following behind her were She Hongmei and Grandma She. When they met She Ning's pleading gaze, they could only helplessly shrug.

She Ning was at a loss, gently patting She Xiaoni's back while softly coaxing her, "Xiaoni, don't cry, your sister is back."

Zhu Xiujin stood aside, watching this warm yet slightly chaotic scene, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

After a while, She Xiaoni's crying gradually subsided. She raised her head, sobbing, her eyes red like a little rabbit's, and said in a tearful voice, "Sister, I missed you so much when you weren't home."

She Ning smiled and wiped away her tears. "Sister misses Xiao Ni too. Next time sister goes out, she'll take Xiao Ni with her, okay?"

Upon hearing this, She Xiaoni immediately stopped crying and smiled, nodding vigorously.

She Hongmei stepped forward and teased, "You little rascal, you were saying before that you could play more after your sister left, but now you're acting pitiful."

Upon hearing this, She Xiaoni blushed and quickly hid behind She Ning, muttering softly, "I didn't."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw her adorable appearance.

Grandma She stepped forward, took She Ning's hand, looked her up and down, and said with heartache, "My dear granddaughter, you've lost weight since you went out. You'll have to make sure you eat well when you get back."

She Ning smiled and replied, "Grandma, I'm fine. I ate very well outside."

Grandma She didn't believe it and turned to Zhu Xiujin, saying, "Little Zhu, you have to stay for dinner later. Grandma will cook something delicious for you."

Zhu Xiujin smiled and nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Grandma."

The food at home had been prepared long ago, and the remaining vegetables were just waiting for them to come back so they could cook them. She told everyone to wash their hands and then went into the kitchen to stir-fry the vegetables.

Having eaten Western food for several days abroad, She Ning was craving the familiar taste of home. After enjoying a delicious meal and seeing Zhu Xiujin off, she decided not to go into the system lab that day. Instead, she used the puppet's abilities and rode a flying carpet to Deer Cave Mountain.

After doing the good deed, she snuggled up in bed with She Xiaoni on She Hongmei's bed that night, and the three of them whispered to each other for a long time before finally falling asleep sweetly.

As the clock struck midnight,

In the system's item bar, the "Ever-Changing Gloves" feature, which has been enhanced with points, has had its duration extended from 24 hours to 72 hours, with a current countdown of 48 hours.