The shadowy figure was tall, his face unclear, as if blending into the darkness. His actions alerted Xu Qianjiao. She held Cheng Jiawen's hand tightly and whispered, "Cheng Jiawen, did you see that strange person over there?"
Cheng Jiawen looked in the direction of her finger and indeed found the mysterious black shadow.
For a moment, a tense atmosphere spread, and the two of them stopped at the same time, looking at the black shadow vigilantly.
Time passed, and the shadow showed no sign of leaving. Instead, it seemed to be observing their every move. Xu Qianjiao felt a chill, and she couldn't help but think of several recent thefts in the village, and she felt increasingly uneasy.
At this moment, the black shadow seemed to notice their gazes and turned around suddenly, "Jiaojiao, is that you?"
Xu Qianjiao was startled by the sudden voice, but when she listened carefully, she found that he seemed to be calling her name. The voice seemed a little familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
She was a little confused, and slowly walked closer holding Cheng Jiawen's hand, and a familiar figure came into her sight.
"Brother?" Xu Qianjiao looked at the familiar face and finally recognized him. Although Xu Qianjiao had never seen him in real life, he was no different from the person in her memory.
"You finally recognized me?" Brother Xu looked at Xu Qianjiao with a smile, walked up to her and rubbed her head affectionately, "Is this my new brother-in-law?"
Xu Qianjiao awkwardly adjusted the hair he had touched and said politely, "Yes, he is Cheng Jiawen, my husband."
Brother Xu noticed Xu Qianjiao's actions and teased: "It seems that I haven't been back for too long. Jiaojiao has become estranged from me. She is so polite when she speaks to me."
Xu Qianjiao smiled a little embarrassedly and said nothing. Cheng Jiawen looked at Brother Xu and took the initiative to step forward and greet him, "Brother."
Brother Xu looked Cheng Jiawen up and down for a long while before nodding inwardly, "Not bad, tall, with clear eyes, a reliable person."
"Jiawen, I'm Jiaojiao's elder brother. I missed your wedding, so this is a wedding gift for you to make up for it." After saying that, he took out a watch ticket and 50 yuan from his pocket.
Cheng Jiawen looked at the watch, ticket, and money, then turned to look at Xu Qianjiao. Xu Qianjiao smiled and stepped forward to refuse: "Brother, take the money and ticket back. They are too valuable and we cannot accept them."
Brother Xu stuffed the money and bills into Xu Qianjiao's hands and sighed, "Jiaojiao, I know everything about Rourou. We are sorry for you. This money and bills are not only a wedding gift, but also a little compensation I want to give you."
Having said that, he paused and continued, "Although I know this little bit can't make up for even one thousandth of the damage you've suffered, I really do want to make it up to you."
Xu Qianjiao sighed, "Brother, don't say that. Xu Qianrou is Xu Qianrou, and you are you. I won't take my anger out on you because of her."
Brother Xu nodded and said, "I know you won't, but this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it. Although 50 yuan is not enough to buy a watch, but..."
"Brother, your watch ticket is valuable enough. We really can't accept your money." Seeing that Brother Xu was so determined, Xu Qianjiao wanted to give them the watch ticket and money.
She had no choice but to accept it, but she could only accept the ticket and not the money.
She knew that all of Brother Xu's money was sent back to Grandma, and he didn't have much money left. She didn't know how long it would take him to save up the 50 yuan by living frugally.
Brother Xu is a good brother. In her memory, he has always fulfilled his responsibilities as an elder brother and has always been caring for his younger brothers and sisters. He has been serving in the army over the years, and every year when he comes back, he never forgets to bring them delicious food.
In his heart, they are all his brothers and sisters, without any distinction between close and distant relatives, and he always treats them equally.
Seeing that she really didn't want to take the money, Brother Xu had no choice but to put the money back into his pocket. He smiled and said, "Okay, it's getting late, go back and rest quickly. Oh, and come to my house for dinner tomorrow. It's rare for me to come back, and I want to get together with everyone."
"Okay." Xu Qianjiao nodded, "I'll tell my parents."
"Okay, then I'll go back first, and you guys should get some rest early."
"good."
Back in the yard, Xu Qianjiao first told her father and mother what had just happened. Mother Xu sighed and said, "Jiaojiao, from now on, you and your brother should just get along as usual. There's no need to involve innocent people in your affairs with Xu Qianrou."
"I understand." Xu Qianjiao nodded in agreement.
'She understood that the grudge between her and Xu Qianrou was just between the two of them. As for getting along with other brothers and sisters, if they could get along, then so be it. If they couldn't, then forget it. There was no need for her to put herself in a difficult position.'
But for someone like Brother Xu who has always been so good to her, she couldn't possibly be so ungrateful as to reject him.
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The next morning, Xu's father and mother got up early, changed their clothes and prepared to go to the Xu family's main house to pay New Year's greetings to Grandma Xu.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the village is bustling with activity and peace. Fireworks blare in the sky, adorning the once quiet village with a vibrant display of color. Every household hangs large red lanterns and displays festive Spring Festival couplets, symbolizing New Year's blessings and hopes.
Children, dressed in new clothes, ran and played in the alleys, holding red envelopes given by their elders, their faces filled with happy smiles. Adults exchanged New Year greetings, best wishes, and talked about the past year's achievements and their aspirations for the new year.
"Dad, Mom, I wish you a happy new year, good health and all the best." Xu Qianjiao came out of the room wearing new clothes and greeted Xu's father and mother with a smile on her face.
Cheng Jiawen followed closely behind, and he bowed to the two of them, "Dad, Mom, in the new year, I wish you good health, abundant wealth, and success in everything."
"Hey, good boy, Happy New Year and good health." Mother Xu smiled and took out red envelopes from her pocket and handed them to the two of them.
Xu Qianjiao and Cheng Jiawen took the red envelopes with both hands, put them in their pockets with satisfaction, and then the family prepared to go out and walk towards the main house.
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