Hua Xiangyun breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the news that Wu Chenxi had returned. It was good that she was back.

As for Fang Qinghe's sigh, she didn't quite understand, "Has Senior Fang not come to the county town for a long time?"

Fang Qinghe said, "It's been about ten years. I didn't expect things to change so much. There isn't a single familiar face."

Hua Xiangyun listened without asking any further questions, as doing so would be intruding on someone's privacy.

"You're a sensible girl," Fang Qinghe said, feeling rather pleased to be able to leave that remote place at the end of the county today. He was happy to say a few more words. "Back then, when the county was liberated, the population of the entire county was only a few thousand. It was quite miserable and desolate."

I never imagined that in just a few years, it would be even more prosperous than it was back then.

Although it was just a few words, Hua Xiangyun could tell that the blows this place had suffered back then were more than ordinary, no wonder people like her grandfather were transferred to this place to develop.

"You are born in a good time, you should cherish it," Fang Qinghe said, looking at the courtyard. She remembered that she had been a guest here and had visited this boudoir, but things had changed.

Fang Qinghe's emotions shifted quickly, and he no longer wanted to stay there. He also began to understand why Wu Chenxi had kept them under control for so many years; the contrast was simply too great.

...

The next day, when Hua Xiangyun went to school, she noticed that the once bustling entrance to Jiang Yi's school was now quiet.

That's true. Jiang Yi has already spread rumors that he has a girlfriend. If they continue to entangle themselves, they'll be labeled as having poor conduct, and no one can withstand that.

She was halfway there, organizing her thoughts, when she was suddenly shoved hard from behind.

Hua Xiangyun took several steps before turning around and staring fiercely at the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Zhou Xiaolan, are you out of your mind? Why did you push me like that?"

Zhou Xiaolan pointed at Zhou Xiaojun beside her and said, "I didn't lay a hand on you. Besides, you lost your balance while walking, so who can you blame?"

Zhou Xiaojun also had a smug look on his face. "I saw it all. It's true. You didn't stand properly, so don't come to our house to extort money from us again."

His family had lost so much money in compensation, making his New Year's celebrations very difficult. Now that the opportunity was presented to him, what's wrong with him being itchy to take advantage of it? Anyway, no one was killed, so why should he be afraid of the Hua family causing trouble?

Hua Xiangyun glanced at the siblings, but didn't argue with them, and silently walked forward.

Her concession relieved the Zhou siblings. There were quite a few people on the roadside at this time, and if things really got out of hand, they might not be in the right.

"Why did you push her for no reason?" Zhou Xiaolan said irritably. "If they try to extort money from us again, we'll really be starving."

Zhou Xiaojun said, "I just wanted to teach her a lesson. Besides, who saw me push her? You?"

In Zhou Xiaojun's view, the reason why the New Year was not well celebrated was all caused by the Hua family.

Adding to the gloom from hearing the news this morning, Zhou Xiaojun's expression turned even uglier. His gaze towards Zhou Xiaolan was filled with contempt. What a useless girl! After all this time, she's let someone else get there first.

It was a detached house with its own courtyard, and my exceptionally capable brother-in-law was nowhere to be found.

Now, Zhou Xiaolan either goes to the countryside or just marries anyone.

Her family prefers to help her find a good husband, so that at least she can keep her husband under their control.

The Hua family is the second choice, but some of their members are too much of a nuisance, making it less peaceful than Jiang Yi's place.

“If this fails again, then listen to Dad and marry Lai Zitou from their factory. At least he has two houses, and you can be in charge of the household once you go there.”

Zhou Xiaolan said angrily, "Do you know what Lai Zitou's situation is? He has two children, and I'm not even 18 yet."

"So what? They're just two girls anyway. You'll give them a big, healthy son, and they'll treat you badly, won't they?" Zhou Xiaojun said nonchalantly. "Besides, the two girls are already grown up. After a few more years, we can help them find husbands. Then you can get a dowry."

"You don't have to have children, and you get these benefits? You'd be crazy not to agree."

The more Zhou Xiaojun listened, the more he realized how reasonable it made sense. Tian Guihua was too formidable. Even though they lived nearby, Hua Zhian's circumstances were still decent. It would be difficult for their family to gain any advantage.

Zhou Xiaolan felt that her younger brother was still too young to understand the ins and outs, and thought that she should go back and discuss it properly with her mother.

Of course, being a stepmother isn't easy, especially since that scoundrel was both ugly and old; she really didn't want to be one.

Zhou Xiaolan was actually quite stubborn. She chose Hua Zhian from the beginning and set him as her goal, which is why she didn't even care about Jiang Yi, let alone that rascal.

Hua Xiangyun had no intention of letting them off so easily. Seizing the right opportunity, she gave them two bad luck talismans. These talismans were drawn when she first started cultivating. They weren't very powerful, but they were enough to teach them a profound lesson.

Hua Xiangyun met a few classmates, and they walked slowly together, just to stop and verify their results.

As expected, Zhou Xiaojun, who was walking in a hurry, stepped on a round pebble. This was an ordinary thing, and he usually wouldn't be in any serious trouble if he could keep his balance.

For some unknown reason, the boy grabbed Zhou Xiaolan, who was standing nearby.

Zhou Xiaolan reacted quickly, reaching out to block him, and Zhou Xiaojun staggered and fell backward.

But as he fell, his foot hooked onto Zhou Xiaolan's trouser leg, and Zhou Xiaolan followed closely behind, causing the two to fall face-to-face in a straight line.

The dust kicked up made the students around them quickly cover their mouths and noses, while looking at them with disbelief.

They've walked this road for so many years, and this is the first time they've seen someone fall so bizarrely.

The siblings were stunned for a long time, and a classmate nearby worried, "Could they have damaged their brains?"

With so many people watching, and both of them landing on the back of their heads at the same time, they were afraid that something might have really happened.

Cao Xuan cautiously approached Zhou Xiaolan. This unfortunate deskmate, was she going to die? But her eyes were tightly closed. "Zhou Xiaolan, can you hear me?"

Zhou Xiaolan felt dizzy and lightheaded. She only groaned when she heard someone calling her name.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he was still alive.

Zhou Xiaojun was curled up on the ground, one hand covering his head and the other covering his buttocks.

"Why don't we take them to the hospital?" There was a hospital not far from the school, and it wouldn't be difficult to walk there, so someone suggested.

Hua Xiangyun pulled Wu Yanxin back and shook her head slightly, "Let's not get too close. If we get extorted, I don't want to get into any trouble with him."

Moreover, she knew how powerful her low-level talisman was; at most, it could cause the opponent some physical pain, but it would never seriously injure them.