It was already very late when they came back from the movie. Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue did not study anymore. They just washed up and went to bed.

After turning off the lights, Ruan Xi lay on the bed and said to Ruan Jie, "I suddenly miss home so much. I miss my grandparents, my third aunt and fifth uncle, and Ling Yao. I wonder how they are doing after we left, and whether they miss us."

Ruan Jie felt sad when she heard what she said, especially when it was getting dark. All the scenes from her life in the countryside over the past ten years appeared in her mind, with the wrinkled smiling faces of Liu Xinghua and Ruan Zhigao being particularly clear.

After a while, Ruan Jie said, "Sister, are we not going back home in the future?"

Ruan Xi turned to look at her, "Of course we have to go back. We can go back by ourselves during the Chinese New Year."

Ruan Jie smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go back with you."

After talking, the two of them lay side by side, thinking about the mountains, leaves and streams in the countryside, closed their eyes and slowly fell asleep. In the dream, they returned to Fengming Mountain. The two sisters rolled up their trousers and fished in the creek, and the fish slipped past their feet.

The next day, Monday, the punishment for Ye Qiuwen and Ruan Qiuyang ended. Although it made no difference whether it ended or not, after all, someone secretly sent food to their room, so they didn't even go hungry for half a meal.

After the punishment was over, they naturally went about their daily business in the morning, washing and dressing up upstairs, with their hair in neat braids and their half-new schoolbags on their backs, and went to the restaurant downstairs to eat.

Ruan Changfu looked at them and asked, "How is your reflection?"

Ye Qiuwen nodded and said sincerely, "I know I'm wrong, and I will change."

Ruan Changfu knew that Ye Qiuwen didn't need to emphasize it, so he looked at Ruan Qiuyang again, "What about you?"

Ruan Qiuyang glanced at Ruan Changfu and said carefully in a low voice: "I also know that I was wrong, and I will change in the future. I will never steal other people's things again, and I will never make you angry again. I will be good every day and avoid trouble."

Ruan Changfu looked at her and said, "I hope you can make me angry less often."

Ruan Qiuyang's attitude was also very sincere: "I will try my best."

You can't hold on to the fact that they made a mistake, so Ruan Changfu let them go at this point.

He turned his attention to others and saw that Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie were not wearing their new military uniforms or carrying school bags, so he asked again: "Why aren't you wearing the clothes I brought back for you? And I don't see you bringing your school bags and stationery to school these past two days."

Ruan Xi raised her head and answered, "I haven't started school yet, and I don't interact with people while auditing. I plan to save them for next year when I start school. I'll also save my new school bag and stationery for then."

Ruan Changfu thought that children have their own thoughts, so he didn't ask any more questions.

But Ruan Xi felt that she had to tell him about some things. After all, he arranged everything for her and Ruan Jie at school, and he arranged it quite carefully. So she told Ruan Changfu, "Xiao Jie and I went to audit a first-grade class on Saturday. We couldn't keep up with the progress and couldn't understand what the teacher said, so we decided not to go to school to audit and waste time for the time being. We will study at home first."

Ruan Changfu had no objection to these. Auditing classes did not involve student status, and no teacher was in charge. It did not matter whether you went to school or not. He just said, "You can make your own arrangements, but once your student status is in place, you can't do this anymore."

Ruan Xi nodded, "We know, once the student registration is done, we will strictly abide by the school rules."

Ruan Changfu nodded, thinking that Ruan Xi was easy to communicate with, so he didn't say anything else.

After breakfast, everyone went out to school and work one after another. When Ruan Hongjun left, he came over to say hello to Ruan Xi and expressed his deep envy, but Ye Fan came up and kicked him away.

Ye Qiuwen was very determined. She went out without waiting for Ruan Qiuyang and walked away quickly with her schoolbag on her back.

Ruan Qiuyang was very sad in the back. It was not until Su Mengmeng caught up with her and talked to her that she felt a little better. Then she said to Su Mengmeng aggrievedly: "My elder sister is angry with me. It seems that she will never talk to me again."

Su Mengmeng glanced at Ye Qiuwen in front of her, raised her hand and put it on Ruan Qiuyang's arm, "I won't ignore you."

Ruan Qiuyang was touched, "Mengmeng, you are the best to me."

Su Mengmeng: "Who made us all stupid?"

Ruan Qiuyang: “…”

She suddenly felt unwell again.

After reading the self-criticism in front of everyone in the family, Ye Qiuwen's presence in the family became even weaker. If we say that her presence at home was ten points before Ruan Xi came, now it is probably only three or four points.

It's not that she has a sullen face all day long, after all, Ruan Changfu doesn't like it. She just doesn't like to show off as much as before, as if she is the head of the family and wants to interfere in everything, acting like the big sister who is in charge of the family to everyone.

She and Ruan Qiuyang broke up completely. It was not the kind of emotional conflict between sisters, but she obviously pushed Ruan Qiuyang away. Even though they lived in the same room, she basically kept her distance from her and didn't say anything.

She spent more time at home with Feng Xiuying. Sometimes Ruan Qiuyang would come closer to her, and she would keep silent. Feng Xiuying saw that she was still angry with Ruan Qiuyang, so she asked Ruan Qiuyang to stay away from her and not get close to her.

So Ruan Qiuyang was left alone at home and no one wanted to play with her.

Of course, she also looked down on Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue. She had quite high requirements for her playmates.

She likes Ye Qiuwen because Ye Qiuwen is good in every aspect and is an eye-catching presence at home and at school.

Although she is not as eye-catching at home now, she still feels that Ye Qiuwen is worthy of being her elder sister.

Ye Qiuwen is a well-known figure in the school. She is beautiful and outstanding. She is the one who usually speaks every time there is an activity in the school. Her ideological awareness and political performance are first-rate, and she is well-suited to be a cadre.

Ruan Qiuyang was full of pride when talking about Ye Qiuwen to others, but was full of disdain when talking about Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue. She was unwilling to even say that they were her biological elder sisters, and what were the cousins ​​from the countryside or the inconspicuous younger sisters.

As for Su Mengmeng, the main reason is that she has a very similar personality to her. They both love dressing up and being beautiful. Su Mengmeng dresses in a very Western style, so they have more in common. Moreover, Su Mengmeng's father holds a high position.

Ruan Qiuyang looked down on Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue, so Ruan Xi, Ruan Jie and Ruan Qiuyue naturally didn't take her seriously either. They didn't care whether anyone paid attention to her at home or not, they just ignored her anyway to avoid a quarrel.

Ruan Xi rarely talked to Feng Xiuying unless it was necessary, because she could clearly feel that Feng Xiuying didn't like her. She simply ignored Ruan Qiuyue and truly disliked her, so naturally she looked down on her.

He was probably thinking of supporting her and Ruan Jie for two years, and then arranging for them to get married when they came of age.

Yes, she was a country girl who grew up in the countryside. She was rustic and ignorant, spoke harshly and had a bad temper. She had no other ability except using barbed words to poke people into a corner. Compared with someone as smart, excellent and comprehensive as Ye Qiuwen, there was naturally a huge gap between them. How could she compare with her!

Since she couldn't win, she certainly wouldn't spend any time trying to compete with her, let alone make Feng Xiuying discover her strengths and change her opinion of her, because Feng Xiuying was not worthy of her sweet talk and she would never ask for any favor from Feng Xiuying in her life.

Ruan Changfu doesn't have a clear like or dislike for anyone. He just scolds whoever makes a mistake and praises whoever does the right thing or does a good job. He is generally not subjective. Of course, he is not often at home.

Except for meal times, Ruan Xi rarely saw him. Sometimes I couldn't even see him at mealtimes because he would work overtime or attend meetings at the company, or go on business trips far away and wouldn't come back for many days.

The house was a mess when Ruan Changfu was not at home, especially Ruan Hongjun and Ruan Qiuyang quarreled every day. Ruan Xi usually doesn't get involved in anything. Feng Xiuying always goes to Ye Qiuwen for help no matter big or small matters, and praises her so highly that she is almost a worshipper.

Ruan Xi would observe these things, but would not spend too much time or thought on them. She spent most of her time studying with Ruan Jie, reading through the textbooks, understanding the knowledge points, and solving the exercises thoroughly.

Even when the school was on vacation and everyone was having fun after the summer vacation, she and Ruan Jie still focused on studying.

Feng Xiuying usually ignored her and Ruan Jie, and didn't talk to them unless necessary, and never entered their room. I only knew that they hid in their rooms every day and didn't come out, so I became more and more dissatisfied and disliked them.

Other children could at least help with housework, and their mothers would call them all the time, but Ruan Xi had been in the city for so long and still hadn't called her mother. She took Ruan Jie home with her and didn't take care of anything else except eating.

Sometimes when I see him getting angry, I really feel like he has come from the countryside to collect debts.

Ruan Xi was indeed here to collect debts, not to contribute to this family and create a happy atmosphere. She had her own things to do, and two and a half years was not a long time, so she could only focus on taking care of herself and Ruan Jie.

From summer to autumn, and from autumn to winter, she studied every day.

If you focus your mind on one thing, no matter whether it is morning or night, the days will pass quickly.

When winter came, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie began to plan one thing - to go back to their hometown to celebrate the New Year.

In fact, there is nothing to plan. Just tell Ruan Changfu and buy the ticket back at about the same time.

Ruan Changfu naturally couldn't spare the time to go back. Most of the time he was so busy that he didn't even go back home. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to stay away from his hometown for so long. It is better to rely on God than to rely on Feng Xiuying to take you back, so Ruan Xi plans to go back by himself.

She was not really a sixteen-year-old girl, nor had she really never traveled far and seen the world. She had been to many places all over the world, and she could definitely take Ruan Jie back to Fengming Mountain by train.

In order not to make it seem too sudden, she calculated the time and told Ruan Changfu about this a few days in advance.

In order not to waste Ruan Changfu's time, she mentioned this matter at the dinner table and said to him today when the atmosphere was good: "The New Year is coming soon. Xiaojie and I miss our grandparents very much, so we plan to go back to our hometown to celebrate the New Year."

Ruan Changfu was stunned when he heard this, and asked, "It's so far, how can we get back?"

Ruan Xi was well prepared, so he answered, "Take the train back."

Ruan Changfu explained, "It's not a question of taking the train or the plane, but no one can take you back. I can't spare the time. Even if I go back for just a day or two, it will take half a month to go back and forth. Your mother is useless. She doesn't know east, west, south, or north when she goes out. She can't take you."

Ruan Xi looked at him and blinked. "Then how did she get there when she first went to the military district to look for you after receiving the letter?"

Ruan Changfu said, "Of course she asked people along the way. She almost got lost at that time. After that incident, she didn't dare to go out alone. She insisted that I take her with me. What are you doubting?"

Ruan Xi smiled and shook her head, "No, I can go back by myself."

Ruan Changfu looked at her and said, "She only came here from the mountains once. You are too young to do this."

Ruan Xi said, "What's wrong with that? I can read. I saw and memorized the road signs and the train station signs when I came here. I know what they all mean and how to get there. And I don't need to change trains. I can take a train from here directly to the county, and then from the county train station to the commune, and then I can find my home."

Seeing that she spoke very convincingly, Ruan Changfu began to look at her with a new respect. After all, when he came out of the mountains to join the army, he was as confused as a headless fly and almost a fool.

But he was still worried, "What if he gets lost?"

Ruan Xi added, "If that happens, I will ask the patrol team to find the police station if I get lost. Give me your office phone number. As long as I tell them your name and phone number, someone will definitely send me back to the compound."

Ruan Changfu watched her thinking and felt that her thoughts were clear and extremely organized, so he couldn't say anything else. In order to control the flow of population, there are indeed many patrol teams in various places that are specifically responsible for sending people home.

Of course, those people sent away by the patrol team were those who escaped without letters of introduction.

In addition to the patrol team, it is naturally useful to go to the police station to find the police.

After a moment, she looked at Ruan Xi and said, "I didn't expect you to know so much. I underestimated you. With your brain, it's impossible for you to get lost. You're not stupid."

Ruan Xi said: "I have also been in the city for more than half a year. If I don't understand these things, then it would be a waste of time, right?"

Ruan Changfu nodded, "But I still have to think about it again."

Before Ruan Xi could say anything else, Ruan Hongjun suddenly smiled and said, "Dad, let me in too. I've wanted to go to the countryside for a long time. You refused to let me go last time. What a shitty school..."

Seeing Ruan Changfu's face turn ugly, he quickly changed his tone, "Winter vacation will start in a few days. It won't affect it this time. If you let me go with my elder sister, you'd better equip me with a gun. I promise to escort my elder sister home safely!"

Ruan Changfu couldn't help but roll his eyes at him, "Why are you joining in the fun?"

Before Ruan Hongjun could say anything else, Ruan Qiuyue said, "Dad, I want to go too. I want to see what my grandparents look like and take a look at the scenery on Fengming Mountain. My eldest sister said Fengming Mountain is very beautiful."

Ruan Hongjun was eager for someone to stir up trouble, so he quickly touched Ye Fan with his hand.

Ye Fan had no choice but to clear his throat and said, "Then I want to go too. I want to go see my grandparents too. I've never met them before. They should want to see us, too."

Feng Xiuying looked at Ruan Hongjun, Ruan Qiuyue and Ye Fan, "Don't join in the fun. The train ride takes two and a half days. It's not the end of the journey from the county to the town. It takes two days to walk from the town to the mountains. Can you handle it?"

Ruan Hongjun patted his chest and said, "I have trained my muscles to be strong. I am not afraid of the long march in the army. I can handle it in minutes. Walking on the mountain road for two days is a piece of cake for me!"

Feng Xiuying: "You don't know if you haven't been there."

Ruan Changfu rarely glared at Ruan Hongjun, but he did not respond. After a moment, he looked at Ruan Qiuyang and asked, "Are you going?"

Ruan Qiuyang quickly shrank back when he heard that, "I won't go even if you kill me."

Ruan Changfu asked Ye Qiuwen again: "Qiuwen, what about you?"

Ye Qiuwen was very thoughtful and considerate and said, "I will be at home with my parents to celebrate the New Year."

Ruan Changfu thought for a while, then looked at Ruan Xi and asked, "Can the Red Army soldiers Qiuyue and Xiaofan go with us?"

Ruan Xi looked at Ruan Qiuyue, Ruan Hongjun and Ye Fan. They were all obedient and easy to manage children. Besides, they were not young anymore. They didn't need someone to carry them when they walked like Ruan Hongbing. So she nodded to Ruan Changfu and said, "Okay."

Ruan Changfu nodded and said, "Okay, not bad, good job."

After a moment, he added, "I also want to go back to see your grandparents, but I can't get away. Since you all want to go back, then I agree. Help me go back and take a good look at your grandparents."

Ruan Hongjun was very excited when he heard this. He slammed the table and stood up, "Woohoo~ Yo~"