Xu Xinning was busy until lunchtime and still hadn't finished when someone came over and said to her, "Ningning, is your second aunt's family having a housewarming party today?"

Xu Xinning was stunned. They hadn't intended to make a big deal out of it; they just wanted the family to have a good time. How did it turn into a housewarming party?

Xu Xinning: "My second aunt's family didn't have a housewarming party! It was my grandparents who were happy that my uncle and his family had moved out of the mountains, so they thought we could all get together and help them warm their new house."

“Your second aunt has finally gotten over her hardships. If it weren’t for the accident that happened to her family last time, we wouldn’t have known that she was married off to someone in the mountains. It’s not that people in the mountains are bad, but as the saying goes, ‘marrying up or marrying down,’ so generally it’s people from the mountains who get married. Back then, this old man Xu’s family was quite well-off, so how could he bear to marry his daughter off to someone in the mountains? No wonder she hasn’t come back since she got married.”

"Isn't that right? Back then, their old woman even scolded their Xia Lian, saying that they should just pretend they never had this daughter."

"A kind person is bullied, and a good horse is ridden. Xia Lian is too kind. Before she got married, she managed everything at home and outside. Look at her Dongmei, that old woman protects her like the apple of her eye."

Where there are people, there is no shortage of gossip, and today's gossip revolves around Xu Xialian. After all, the establishment of Mantou Village is a new thing, and what's more, there is a familiar figure in this new thing that makes them curious—Xu Xialian.

"Oh dear! I almost forgot to mention, Old Man Xu and his wife went to Xia Lian's house for a housewarming party with Xu Dongmei. They were cursing and complaining that Xia Lian was heartless for not personally inviting her own parents to the housewarming party."

"Hey! They're just trying to freeload and cause trouble, aren't they?"

"It seems so. They said they were going to Xia Lian's housewarming party, but they came empty-handed."

"I knew it, this person has a really thick skin."

"Didn't they break off their relationship with Xia Lian and her family? When Xia Lian's husband was in a life-or-death situation, they ruthlessly pushed her away. Later, Xia Lian and her family lived in our brigade for so long, and they never cared about them. How dare they try to get close to them now?"

People at the medical station started chatting.

Xu Xinning guessed that this matter would give the Xun family a headache.

When Mu Jingheng arrived to pick up Xu Xinning on his bicycle, Xun Shichou, who looked old-fashioned, was sitting in front of him.

Mu Jingheng hadn't originally planned to bring him, but the kid was stubborn and insisted on coming to pick up Xu Xinning himself. If Mu Jingheng hadn't brought him, he would have come by himself.

Mu Jingheng couldn't argue with him; he found overly serious kids quite scary.

At the medical station, apart from very few people who need acupuncture and cupping, most patients just get their medicine and leave.

Therefore, Xu Xinning did not keep Mu Jingheng and Xun Shichou waiting for too long. She saw off the last patient and then closed the door of the medical station.

Xu Xinning estimated that she wouldn't be back early in the afternoon, so she put a note on the door stating that she would be closed for the afternoon clinic due to lack of time.

While the three were on their way, Xu Xinning asked, "Have my second grandparents and aunt all gone?"

Mu Jingheng hummed in agreement.

Xun Shichou's eyes darkened. He knew about what happened when his stepfather was injured. Xu Xialian cried a lot at that time, and his eldest father told him about it when he went back. He also told his grandfather about the two families severing ties.

No matter how mature he looks, he is still a nine-year-old child. In his worldview, everything is black and white, and he has never thought that there are many shades of gray.

He was very resistant when his maternal grandparents and his aunt, whom he had never met before, suddenly appeared at his house today. In addition, they turned around and accused him of something. Xun Shichou almost wanted to make trouble for them, but his grandfather stopped him in time, so he didn't get involved.

He didn't like these so-called relatives. Since his grandfather wouldn't let him take action openly, could he teach them a lesson when no one was watching?

Xu Xinning muttered, "How come my aunt happened to come over today?"

Mu Jingheng: "Who said it was a coincidence? Your second grandfather and second grandmother specially invited her over. Your aunt is no pushover."

As for Xu Dongmei, Mu Jingheng was not familiar with her. He had never heard of her in his previous life. He only witnessed her shrewishness when he was at the Xun family.

The Xu family has four daughters: Xu Chunhua, Xu Xialian, Xu Qiuju, and Xu Dongmei.

He had met all three of them except for Xu Chunhua, whom he had not formally met in this life.

These four daughters are all quite different.

I met Xu Chunhua when Mu Jingheng came to mourn Xu Xinning in my previous life. She was very similar to the old lady Xu in both appearance and personality. She was a woman of few words but very decisive in her actions. She had a pair of eyes that could see through people. She managed her family very well, and her children were all quite successful. It was just that she married too far away. Otherwise, with her there, the Xu family in my previous life might not have had such a difficult time.

If she weren't a woman, Mu Jingheng felt that her achievements would certainly not be inferior to Xu Yaozu and Xu Mingyang.

Xu Xialian may look delicate, but she is actually very determined and makes no mistake in her actions.

Xu Qiuju, however, is muddle-headed. She is confused in both life and work, lacks her own opinions, and is emotionally fragile. It can be said that she is the failure of Grandpa Xu and Grandma Xu.

As for Xu Dongmei, she's a selfish, shameless, and ruthless country bumpkin who only uses people when she needs them and discards them when she doesn't. She's the worst kind of shrew, a real tough nut to crack. People like that are the most annoying and troublesome.

When Xu Xinning and her group entered the village, the other members of the Xun family greeted her with great respect.

Fearing that outsiders might have bad ideas if they saw this, Xu Xinning said, "Now that everyone is living here, it's not like the mountains. Since we all live in this society where everyone is equal, let's follow its rules."

Xun Shichou placed one hand behind his back, stood up straight, and swept his gaze over everyone present, exuding the aura of a superior. He said loudly, "Have you all remembered?"

“Yes!” the others replied.

For a fleeting moment, Xu Xinning seemed to see the shadow of her ancestor in Xun Shichou.

Xu Xinning even suspected that Xun Shichou was her reincarnation of An Yi. She had been reincarnated, so why couldn't An Yi be reincarnated as well? It's just that she had her memories with her, while An Yi did not. Perhaps that was why he was able to become the destined one?

The Xun family members who moved to Mantou Village were mostly within three degrees of kinship, making them trustworthy people. This is why Xu Xinning asked Mu Jingheng to be so attentive.

As for the other branches, the Xun family had been gradually separating them for a long time. It is difficult to calculate how many branches of the Xun family still exist in Qingyuan County. After all, so many years have passed and the descendants have continued to multiply, so the number must be huge.