Xu Haizhou's respectability made Li Xiuxiu dare not recognize him. Li Xiuxiu's rudeness also made Xu Haizhou dare not recognize him.

"When did you come back?" After putting the pickled duck into the basket, Xu Haizhou straightened his face and asked in a deep voice.

The two little carrot heads shrank back behind their mother in fear. Their eyes were exactly like their mother's, with long and thin single eyelids.

The little girl was new to the city and was shy. Looking at the two little girls behind Li Xiuxiu, Xu Haizhou seemed to have traveled through time and space to see Qiao An three years ago.

However, even though Qiao Lu was living under someone else's roof and had no money at that time, she took good care of her children. Li Xiuxiu's two daughters were as dirty as "clay figures", which was out of place with the clean and empty surroundings.

But Li Xiuxiu and her husband were wearing rough blue jackets without patches.

Li Xiuxiu scratched the back of her head and smiled awkwardly: "Just arrived today."

After saying that, the couple looked at the duck that he had stuffed into the bicycle basket. Even through the layer of oil paper bag, they could still smell the fragrant fried smell.

Looking at the black thing in the car basket, Li Xiuxiu didn't know what it was, let alone what the big guy tied tightly in the back seat of his car was. But her instinct told her that the thing was tied so tightly, it must not be cheap.

"How are you doing recently? Are you planning to move back from the countryside?" With so many bags and so small, it's impossible that he is here for a "vacation".

"The harvest in the countryside was poor this year, my parents-in-law died of illness, and my husband and I have three children to raise..." What a lie!

Li Xiuxiu wanted to complain, but she suddenly changed her mind and said, "I came back to see my dad."

If he just came back to see his father, why would he say that he couldn't raise the child? The meaning behind his words was very clear.

"How is my dad doing lately?" Li Xiuxiu asked.

"Your father..." Xu Haizhou suddenly smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He stared deeply into her eyes, "He has been dead for five years."

Li Xiuxiu's pupils suddenly dilated. She couldn't believe it at all. Her body trembled and she turned around to look at her man helplessly.

The man walked up, frowned and poked her shoulder, meaning, what's going on?

But Li Xiuxiu hadn't contacted her father for many years, and she was very confused.

"How could it be? He was dead out of the blue? It's impossible... Didn't I hand him over to you? How could this happen?" Her voice suddenly became louder, her eyes widened, and her tone questioned, as if she was blaming Xu Haizhou for not taking good care of him.

Xu Haizhou's face, which was not very good to begin with, suddenly darkened, and his eyes were like torches, branding her face.

His voice was as cold as ice: "How many years have you not been back? In all these years, anything could have happened."

"Where is my father's grave?" Letting go of her two daughters' hands, Li Xiuxiu grabbed Xu Haizhou's arm tightly and asked anxiously.

"Qingke Mountain." Uncle Chen said that the Li family had been buried on that mountain before, so Li Shunliang would naturally be buried with his family.

Li Xiuxiu's emotions came very suddenly. She covered her face and cried bitterly.

"No, it's impossible. How could it be possible? My dad was in such good health. How could it be possible? Why did he die? Was he sick or something?"

Xu Haizhou really wanted to say that Li Shunliang was angered to death by an unfilial daughter like you, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that it was meaningless to say anything to someone like Li Xiuxiu.

If she was really in so much pain, why didn't she come back for so many years? Regardless of what she came back for, she should at least come back to take a look, right? At the very least, sending a letter would be good enough.

She disappeared as if she had evaporated from the world, leaving behind her elderly father. Is she really worthy of being a daughter?

Seeing that it was getting late and he was still waiting to take the rice cooker home to cook for his wife, Xu Haizhou was no longer in a good mood and had no time to continue chatting with Li Xiuxiu.

"I'm a bit busy here, so I won't talk much. If you have anything, come to the compound to find me. I'm leaving first." After saying that, he got on the bike and pedaled away without giving Li Xiuxiu a chance to speak.

The clothes fluttered in the wind, without any trace of remembrance.

“Dad! Dad!”

The sound of bicycle bells rang throughout the courtyard. Hearing the noise, the little one who had been waiting for a long time came running over and hugged Xu Haizhou's long legs accurately.

Before I had time to unload the goods, I bent down to hug him and kiss him.

"Dad, it smells so good!" Qiao An opened his eyes wide in surprise and took a deep breath: "It smells like food, not perfume cream!"

Xu Haizhou laughed out loud and pinched his face: "You have a really good nose."

She continued sniffing him, from his face to his neck, and looked at him expectantly.

Xu Haizhou stretched out his arm and handed over the oil paper bag in the bicycle basket.

I couldn't wait to take it and opened it: "Wow——"

The smell attracted other children.

Qiao Lu walked over slowly and stretched her neck to take a look: "Why did you buy a bag of duck in sauce? I have a pot of fish soup in the kitchen, so I'm ready."

While unloading the goods, Xu Haizhou said with a smile: "Li Yu gave it to me. He bought it specially for our son."

Qiao Lu laughed: "This person really is..."

"Was it bought by Uncle Li Yu?" Qiao An knew him. That uncle was called "Brother Li" by his father. Every time they met, he would bring him all kinds of delicious food. Uncle Li was so nice!

"Dad, thank you Uncle Li. Next time you see him, please tell him about it." Although he may not be there in person, his heart is there.

"Okay." The couple didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Their son really knew how to behave.

The duck was a whole one. Joan first tore off a chicken leg for his father, then tore off another leg for his mother, and tore off a few small pieces of meat to share with his friends. Finally, he tore off a duck neck for himself. He likes to eat duck necks the most!

The children ate with gusto. After biting the meat, they were reluctant to wash their fingers. They sucked off the grease and sauce on their skin before they were willing to put down their fingers.

"Qiao An, your dad brought you some delicious food again. Your dad is so nice."

Qiao An shook his head: "Today's meat was given to me by an uncle, not bought by my father."

Chen Jingkang looked at him enviously: "I think your parents' friends are all very nice."

Their parents' friends would not buy meat for them, but come to think of it, these days even their own families are reluctant to eat meat, so who would buy meat to give away?

As expected, Qiao An is the happiest person in the entire compound. Woohoo - so jealous.

After eating the duck leg, she went into the house to unpack the boxes. The hair dryer and rice cooker immediately excited Qiao Lu.

Rice cooker! Free your hands!

Hair dryer! No more waiting in the cold wind for your hair to dry out!

Too practical, okay? Finally, I can smell a hint of modern society!

Qiao Lu excitedly hugged her man and kissed him. Originally, she only wanted to kiss his cheeks twice, but then he held her head and gave her a deep kiss as if she was not satisfied.

His body pressed down lightly, but because the two of them were standing, Qiao Lu couldn't bear it. She could only challenge her limits, bending backwards little by little... her right foot curled up slightly uncontrollably.

“Hmm—”

Their breaths intertwined as they kissed for about seven or eight seconds. When they separated, the children beside them were stunned.

Qiao Lu shuddered all over and her face turned red. She pushed the man away and slapped him angrily.

Qiao An pointed to his own rosy little mouth. He didn't think that mom and dad kissing was inappropriate for children at all. Instead, he thought it was fun and wanted to join in!

"Mom, I, I want a kiss too."

Poof—Xu Haizhou laughed in a useless way.

Qiao Lu glared at her man fiercely, then picked up her son and kissed him twice.

The boy followed his father's example, hugged her head and kissed her back, from her cheeks to her forehead and the tip of her nose, leaving no place untouched.

"You've kissed enough but you don't have a son?"

"Well, that's enough kisses!" I kissed my mother in five places today!

Rubbing his head, putting Qiao An down, Qiao Lu said: "Haizhou, find a place to put the rice cooker."

"We need to install a socket first. I'll go buy one now." The most common sockets nowadays are made of black glue. In the past, there were no electrical appliances at home that could be plugged in, so we didn't install one at home.

Qiao Lu: "Okay, go ahead, I'll cook."

Xu Haizhou: "There is an instruction manual inside the rice cooker. Please use it according to the instructions. If you don't want to use it, wait for me to come back."

"You're stupid. How can I use it if you don't even buy the socket? I'll cook first." Qiao Lu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Xu Haizhou was rarely confused, so he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll be back soon."

Things don't always go smoothly. Just as Xu Haizhou kicked the bicycle kickstand up, a man, a woman and two little radishes walked into the inner courtyard.

Li Xiuxiu is here.

The whole compound was in an uproar! Neighbors from the outer courtyard swarmed into the inner courtyard.

"Yeah, Xiuxiu?"

"Xiu Xiu, is it really you?"

"Xiu Xiu is back! The smooth and kind lady!"

Shunliang? What a familiar yet strange name.

There was a lot of noise in the yard. Two little girls hid timidly between the two adults, looking at everyone curiously and shyly.

In the golden autumn of October, the weather in the evening is not very warm. The cool breeze blows and makes me feel goosebumps all over.

Not to mention children, even adults wearing short sleeves can’t stand it.

Look at Li Xiuxiu's two daughters. They are wearing inappropriate short jackets and look only about six or seven years old. Can they really withstand the cold?

But the baby in her man's arms was wrapped tightly.

"Dad, who are they?" It seemed as if everyone knew them, but he didn't.

Rubbing his son's little head, Xu Haizhou said: "You don't know this aunt who used to live here."

"Oh." Qiao An grabbed his clothes and then carefully looked at the family of five standing in the yard.

At the same time, Li Xiuxiu was also looking at Xu Haizhou.

I was shocked. It had only been a few years since I last came back, and yet Xu Haizhou already had a son?

Where is his wife?

When he looked up again, he saw Qiao Lu standing at the door of the room.

This……

He raised his hands and rubbed his eyes, in disbelief.

Is this beautiful woman Xu Haizhou's wife? They are a perfect match, how come he gets all the good things...

"Xiu Xiu, I haven't seen you for so many years. You have changed!"

When he looked away, the person walking towards him was Tian Jianzhong's mother.

Li Xiuxiu smiled bitterly: "Auntie Tian, ​​you are still the same as before."

Aunt Tian hasn't changed, but Li Xiuxiu has grown older!

"Li Xiuxiu?" Chen Jiamei came out after hearing the noise. When she saw her, her eyes were filled with disbelief. She said in surprise, "It's really you! How come you came back? Your father has been dead for several years. We thought you died outside too. How come you came back?"

"How can you talk like that, kid!" Auntie Chen rushed over and slapped her twice, then said to Li Xiuxiu apologetically, "The kid is ignorant and talks nonsense, please don't mind it."

Even if Li Xiuxiu minded, she couldn't say anything in person.

I just secretly looked at Chen Jiamei...

When she left, the child was not even as tall as her. Now, not only has she grown taller, she has also grown up and is quite handsome. However, her mouth is still as smelly as before.

Chen Jiamei curled her lips and muttered unhappily, "I wasn't wrong."

Tian Jianzhong and Chen Jiamei were rarely on the same page: "That's right, my father's bones have all turned to ashes, what's the point of him coming back now?"

Glancing at Xu Haizhou's cozy little house, Tian Jianzhong snorted coldly: "Come here if you want a house."

Although she had been a rural woman for seven or eight years, Li Xiuxiu's skin had not improved, but had become thinner than before she left Li An.

After being ridiculed by the two young boys, his cheeks turned red and blue.

Li Xiuxiu waved her hands repeatedly: "No, I don't mean that..."

She quickly looked at her husband and explained, "We just came back to visit my dad and our old neighbors. We have other places to live."

Do you have somewhere else to live? Then you should put your luggage down before visiting your old neighbors. Is it necessary to carry all your belongings with you?

Really... do you think we are all fools?

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Li Xiuxiu's man.

The burly, rough-looking farmer held the child in his arms like a mountain, saying nothing with a cold look in his eyes, as if the neighbors present owed them millions.

Although everyone didn't like this ungrateful person in their hearts, no matter what, she would always be the only blood relative of Li Shunliang left in the world, so they still had to put in some superficial efforts.

So several old neighbors surrounded the family of five and enthusiastically took them under the loquat tree, where they sat and chatted about her experiences in the countryside and how Xu Haizhou had done his best to take care of her father before he died.

Over there, Xu Haizhou went out on his bike to buy sockets, while Qiao Lu was busy in the small kitchen, occasionally raising her ears to listen to the conversation over there.

Qiao An squeezed in between the children and listened curiously to the strange woman chatting with the uncles and aunts.

They also talked about their father, about the house and something like that, saying that someone had given his father a house as a gift.

However, Qiao An was puzzled.

It seems that the old house has always belonged to Dad, and the new house was also bought with money earned by Mom and Dad, so who gave Dad a house again?

There are so many houses, but there are only three of them. They can’t accommodate all of them!

Talking about Li Xiuxiu's experience, it would take three days and three nights to talk about it. However, what everyone cares about most is why she left and why she is back now.

"Actually, if I was doing well, I wouldn't have brought my family to Li'an." Not to mention whether it was a trouble or not, the train tickets alone had drained their family's money.

"My parents-in-law were seriously ill. My husband and his three brothers scraped together their savings and spent them all, but they still died..."

Li Xiuxiu's husband's parents fell seriously ill and died one after another. Before that, his eldest brother and third brother, the three brothers, collected money to treat their parents' illness, spent all their savings, but still failed to keep their elderly parents.

The family had no savings and the harvest was poor this year. As luck would have it, a little son was born, but Li Xiuxiu's family was so poor that she couldn't even afford to feed the child with milk.

Why? It’s not nutritious!

Without nutrition, milk cannot be produced. Without milk, my son will cry with hunger all day long.

In the end, Li Xiuxiu finally remembered that she still had an old father and a house in Li'an City!

This time they borrowed money to buy train tickets to come to Li'an because they wanted to ask her father for some money. If her father had no money, he would sell the old house. No matter what, having money would allow the body to get enough nutrition, and raising their son was the real thing.

Of course, Li Xiuxiu did not tell them about her idea of ​​selling the old house. She only told everyone about everything that had happened before.

I originally hoped to elicit everyone's sympathy by sharing these experiences, but to my surprise, everyone just sighed and didn't say a word of comfort.

“That’s terrible.”

"Yeah, it's terrible."

"There's nothing I can do. When you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken. When you marry a dog, you follow the dog. What else can I do? Just accept it."

There was not even a word of comfort. Li Xiuxiu felt really bad.

The next second, I heard Auntie Chen say that the old man gave the house to Xu Haizhou! He didn't take a penny, he just gave it all to him!

Li Xiuxiu was in a daze, her head buzzed, and she was offline for more than ten seconds.

"My dad...he really..." Even now, she still couldn't believe it: "My dad took the initiative to give it to me?"

Initiative? Didn't Xu Haizhou do something...

The uncles, aunts, and young people in the yard looked at Li Xiuxiu with particularly mocking eyes.

"How could we, with so many of us, deceive you? Haizhou is your father's savior. He took care of him with all his heart and soul when he fell ill. Besides, you had no news at that time, and he didn't live long. If we don't give the house to him, who should we give it to?"

Chen Jiamei echoed her mother: "That's right, if we don't give the house to Xu Haizhou, are we going to keep it for you? Who knows if you are dead or not?"

Wouldn’t it be a waste if you die?