Chapter 114 School is about to start

"Of course I wanted to! This is a lipstick that I specially asked my second uncle to buy for you. Do you like it?"

Chen Fanglan happily took the lipstick, opened it to check the shade, and said with satisfaction:

"This shade is nice. Did you choose it, or did your second uncle choose it?"

Shen Xuewei closed her eyes. "I chose it."

My second uncle had a really pink one back then... which she replaced.

Chen Fanglan took out a small mirror and applied the lipstick around her lips.

Looking at the rich colors in the mirror, the corners of his mouth turned up.

She turned her head to praise Shen Xuewei's good taste, but saw Shen Xuewei frowning and closing her eyes in discomfort.

Remembering Shen Xuewei's motion sickness, she quickly stopped herself from saying anything more and didn't bother Shen Xuewei any longer.

Three hours later, the two got off the bus in Xiaoli Village.

Brother Lu declined their invitation to stay for dinner, dropped them off, and then drove away.

The two watched him leave, and as they turned to head home, Big Yellow, panting, ran quickly to greet them.

Shen Xuewei carefully examined Dahuang for a few seconds before reaching out to touch it with peace of mind.

"Big Yellow, have you been guarding the house properly?"

Big Yellow barked twice, and became even more excited after she petted it.

No one was home, so the two went back to their rooms to put their things down and then looked through the pots and pans to see if there were any leftovers to eat.

There was only a little left in the pot, not even enough for one person.

Shen Xuewei glanced at the big yellow dog at her feet, and under its eager gaze, poured the leftover food into its dog bowl.

With food to eat, Da Huang finally stopped following Shen Xuewei.

Shen Xuewei cooked two bowls of noodles, added two eggs, and then called Chen Fanglan to eat.

"Auntie, have a bowl of noodles first. Grandpa and the others have gone to the fields and probably won't be back until six or seven o'clock. Let's eat something to tide us over, and I'll cook dinner later."

Chen Fanglan changed into a pair of slippers and went to wash two bowls to serve the noodles.

She slurped up a mouthful of noodles and sighed heavily, "Finally, I'm alive again."

Shen Xuewei's stomach was already rumbling, and she didn't even bother to talk to her, just devoured the noodles in her bowl.

The two finished eating almost at the same time, and then sat with empty bowls in their hands, letting their minds wander and rest for a while.

After recovering, Chen Fanglan took the bowl from Shen Xuewei, washed it by the water tank, and put it in the cupboard.

After they both slept in the car and had a little food, they sat by the door and talked.

"Weiwei, is school starting soon?"

"Yes, school starts in three days, but I'm a boarding student, so I have to go to school the day after tomorrow. I'll wash the bed sheet and mosquito net these next couple of days while the sun is out, there'll still be time."

"That's perfect. I have a three-day holiday this time, so I'll go to town with you the day after tomorrow. By the way, have you finished your homework?"

"...It's almost done. I'll finish it tonight."

"Then you'd better hurry, otherwise you won't be able to explain it to your teacher at school."

...

Just then, the phone rang in the room, and Shen Xuewei got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Weiwei, it's me."

Shen Xuewei's voice brightened with joy, "Second Aunt!"

"Hey. You're home? When did you get back?"

Shen Xuewei said softly, "I just got back a little while ago, and my aunt came back with me too. Second aunt, do you want to come see me?"

Chen Fangli seemed to chuckle. "The work in the fields is done. De'an has been thinking about you every day these past few days. I'll take him inside to find you in a bit. You wait for us at home."

"Okay, Auntie, hurry up and come over, I've missed you all too."

"Okay, I'll talk to you now. We'll see each other soon. Goodbye."

Shen Xuewei said "Goodbye" and then the other end of the phone hung up.

Upon hearing that Chen Fangli would be arriving soon, Shen Xuewei felt much lighter.

Chen Fanglan glanced at her, her expression turning sour: "Your aunt is right in front of you, why aren't you this happy? Your second aunt just made a phone call, she hasn't even arrived yet, and you're grinning like you're afraid no one will see your teeth."

Shen Xuewei's smile vanished. "Did I?"

Chen Fanglan and she looked at each other for a moment. "What do you think?"

Shen Xuewei didn't care about anything else. She sat in front of the door, humming an off-key song, and kept looking towards the roadside.

After a few minutes of silence, Chen Fanglan couldn't help but talk to Shen Xuewei again.

She talked about her work, her life, and her recent troubles.

Shen Xuewei listened silently, and when Chen Fanglan occasionally asked for her opinion, she shared her thoughts with her.

Chen Fanglan listened, nodding in agreement from time to time.

An hour later, Chen Fangli rode her bicycle, carrying Chu De'an, to the entrance of Xiaoli Village.

Shen Xuewei craned her neck and immediately noticed the two of them.

She jumped up and ran to the side of the road.

Chu De'an's eyes lit up when he saw her approaching, and he rushed towards her as well.

"sister!"

Shen Xuewei staggered slightly from the impact, her body leaning back a little.

Seeing this, Chu De'an quickly pulled her back, his originally bright smile now showing a hint of guilt.

He chuckled and said, "Sis, if I told you I didn't do it on purpose, would you believe me?"

Shen Xuewei deliberately ruffled his hair before slowly saying, "I believe you."

Seeing the siblings playing around, Chen Fangli stood aside, holding her bicycle, and said, "Alright, let's go inside first before we talk. The sun is still quite strong; be careful not to get sunburned."

The two of them simultaneously hummed in agreement and followed her home after a while.

Chen Fangli placed the bicycle under the eaves where the sun couldn't reach it, and urged the siblings to come inside. She noticed Chen Fanglan sitting at the door.

"Alan, you're back too."

"Yes, second sister. I had a three-day holiday this time, so I thought I'd come back to visit my family."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Chen Fangli looked at Shen Xuewei.

"Weiwei, have you washed your suitcase and bedding yet? Where did you put them? Your aunt will wash them for you now. They won't be going down tonight, and they'll be dry by tomorrow night."

"Wash it early, and I'll pack it for you tomorrow night, so you won't be scrambling around later."

Shen Xuewei quickly shook her head and said, "No need, Auntie, I'll wash myself."

Chen Fangli glared at her and said, "Why are you being so polite with your second aunt? Hurry up and take it out, or your second aunt will go find it herself."

Shen Xuewei was glared at by her, so she had no choice but to lead her to find the box, mosquito net, quilt cover and other things.

Chen Fangli then asked her to find all her winter coats and clothes, filling two buckets to the brim. She then carried them on a shoulder pole towards the reservoir not far from the back mountain.

Shen Xuewei and Chu De'an followed behind her, chattering away, carrying laundry brushes and other similar items.

Chen Fanglan watched their departing figures, blinked, got up, found a straw hat to put on, closed the door, and followed them out.

Big Yellow turned around and looked at the closed door, watching them head towards the back mountain. In the end, he didn't follow them and instead lay down at the door to guard the house.