15

15

Chen Nan: “…”

Perhaps the surprise on her face was too obvious, Xu Xiao said unhappily: "This is not Beijing, there aren't so many coincidences."

She emphasized the word "coincidence".

Thinking of the things he had done in the past, Chen Nan chuckled and no longer felt the urge to keep it secret: "Chen Bei arranged it. He arranged it as soon as he arrived!"

Xu Xiao said a name, and this time Chen Nan was really convinced. She thought Xu Xiao was just guessing, but she didn't expect that she discovered it!

Even couples would go their separate ways when disaster struck. Her relationship with Chen Bei couldn't be described as good. She hurriedly distanced herself from the matter, "This has nothing to do with me. But if Dad knew, what do you think Chen Bei would do?"

"Deal with the family rules." Xu Xiao spat out four words coldly.

Chen's parents were not strict with them, but when it came to serious matters, no one had the chance to joke around and could only obey and accept the punishment.

This is why the four demon kings have been doing evil for years but have not been suppressed. There is a Five Finger Mountain above them, so no matter how much trouble they cause, they will not cause any trouble.

Chen Nan's face turned pale, and her gloating mood disappeared for a moment. She grabbed Xu Xiao's hand and said, "Sister Xiao, is it really that serious?"

It is true that she likes to see Chen Bei suffer a setback, but she does not want to see Chen Bei being punished, especially to the point where family rules are applied.

The noise outside finally died down, and there was no whispering. Xu Xiao could clearly hear the heartbeat.

She thought, maybe it was Chen Nan's, or maybe it was hers.

No, it's hers.

She was just teasing Chen Nan, but when she thought of Chen Bei being injured, she became panicked.

She really liked Chen Bei's face, but there was no rule in the family that prohibited slapping someone in the face.

“…”

The more Xu Xiao remained silent, the more worried Chen Nan became. However, she didn't want to show it too obviously; for her, it was a symbol of defeat. She loved competing with her brother, and had always done so since she was little.

After a long while, Xu Xiao changed the subject and asked, "Why is Brother Fang back?"

In her previous life, Fang Hui came back before she got married. He advised her to think carefully. At that time, she had already fallen out with the Chen brothers and sisters.

The only person she still kept in touch with was Fang Hui, who was abroad. As soon as he returned, he advised her to be cautious. After that incident, she completely cut off contact with her friends in Beijing.

This also means that she can only rely on the Ji family and Ji Hong, which is a reality that Xu Xiao cannot escape.

Even if she was hypnotized, even though it was not her own will, it was done, and if it was wrong, it was wrong.

Chen Nan didn't know what was going on. After she left for the countryside, she rarely paid attention to news from Beijing. It was Chen Bei who told her that Fang Hui was coming here.

But she wouldn't say this, because saying it would make her seem useless. With a roll of her eyes, Chen Nan licked her lips and smiled maliciously: "It should be Chen Bei who asked him to come back. Sister Xiao, you know that Fang Hui only listens to Chen Bei."

Of the four people in the group, Chen Bei was the more stable one, so the other boy naturally preferred to go along with him. It wasn't that he thought the two girls were troublesome, but he had to take someone with him if he got beaten up.

All he could do was to drag Chen Bei down with him.

This also caused Fang Hui to listen to Chen Bei's words particularly, to the extent that he would never dare to go south if he went north.

Xu Xiao used to just laugh when she heard these words, but now she had something to hide and couldn't help but feel a little nervous: "Brother Fang is going to be Brother Bei's adjutant?"

If the adjutant was someone else and had not appeared yet, Xu Xiao would have no worries.

She could provoke Chen Bei however she wanted, as long as no one else got involved between them. Even if she was a bit of a scoundrel, she wouldn't do anything to interfere with other people's feelings.

Chen Nan reacted strongly, raising his voice and denying repeatedly: "Him? How is that possible! Uncle Fang will never allow him to join the team!!"

Fang Hui was physically weak and could not withstand ordinary training, let alone the rigors of military life. In addition, he was the only child in the Fang family, unlike the Chen family who had three children.

Xu Xiao had only mentioned it casually. Seeing her reaction, he became interested and turned to look at Chen Nan: "Are you guys having a conflict?"

When Fang Hui examined her earlier, it was obvious that Fang Hui wanted to say something, but Chen Nan ignored him.

Looking back, she realized that something was wrong.

Chen Nan whispered: "I think so..."

Xu Xiao understood that this girl still held a grudge against Fang Hui for suddenly leaving for overseas. She was in school at the time, and according to the Chen family's rules, she would never be allowed to delay her studies due to trivial matters.

Glancing at the gloomy sky, Xu Xiao patted Chen Nan and said, "Nan Nan, I'm going to the back mountain."

Chen Nan was still thinking about Fang Hui and responded casually. By the time she realized what was happening, Xu Xiao had already walked out.

A loud thunder sounded at the right time. Chen Nan was startled and quickly closed the door and ran out.

"Sister Xiao! I'll go with you!!"

Chen Nan slowed down for a moment, and when she caught up, she saw that Xu Xiao did not go up the mountain, but walked towards a small path. She did not hesitate and followed him directly.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Xu Xiao paused and turned into the woods.

The forest is not quiet. There are the faint sounds of birds chatting, the rustling of wind kissing the leaves, and the rustling of leaves falling to the ground. This is a reminder that heavy rain is coming, and it is the tenderness that nature gives to mankind.

Xu Xiao doesn't hate life in the countryside. Whether it is working or resting, it is like a song without score. Nature is the best musician, writer and educator.

She likes the silence of the forest, the vastness of the earth, and the abundant fruits and harvests in the fields among the trees.

If possible, she would like to live in seclusion here. Xu Xiao always had this idea, until what happened later, she no longer felt a sense of belonging here.

Destination, this is a very wonderful word from ancient times to the present.

Some people are willing to travel thousands of miles to find a home; some people, for the sake of a home, yearn to return to their hometown until their death. Hometown, hometown, it’s a pity that half of this place is no longer her hometown.

After sighing, Xu Xiao walked back and came face to face with Chen Nan. She looked surprised and said, "Nan Nan, why is it you?"

Xu Xiao hurriedly dropped the wood in her hand, thinking that the Xu family was causing trouble again.

Chen Nan was also shocked. She had never seen Xu Xiao so violent. Even when facing Ji Hong and Zhao Ling who were plotting against her, she was nonchalant.

She pursed her lips and looked up at Xu Xiao: "Sister Xiao, I followed you because I was worried that something might happen to you... Did I do something bad?"

Seeing Xu Xiao being so cautious, Chen Nan couldn't help but doubt this matter.

Xu Xiao laughed helplessly and rubbed Chen Nan's head, very gently and comfortingly. After three or four times, she withdrew her hand: "It's okay, just follow me when you come."

Hearing the voices, two old men came out, supporting each other. Their eyes were cloudy, but they couldn't help but open them wider when they saw Xu Xiao.

Chen Nan followed behind, bewildered, carefully examining the dilapidated wooden house behind the old man. It wasn't exactly dilapidated, just very simple.

But the weeds in front of the house showed signs of having been cleared, and it looked simple but not desolate.

It can be seen that the two elderly people take good care of their residence.

Xu Xiao walked forward and stopped in front of the old man: "Why did you come out? Are Xu Han and the others here again?"

Her tone was a little harsh, but she looked at the old man with a hint of respect.

Chen Nan keenly caught all of this. She didn't hesitate and walked out openly: "Sister Xiao, so you are here to see the two grandparents. If I had known earlier, I would have brought some things with me."

The old man hurriedly said: "No, no, we don't need anything."

Another old man also said: "Yes, Xiao has helped us so much, but it is us old people who are holding us back."

Xu Xiao's eyes turned cold, and she turned to Chen Nan with a stern face and said, "Nan Nan, go to the mountain and bring the things over." She pointed to the left and said, "Just go up from here."

Seeing that Xu Xiao's expression was not right, Chen Nan knew that she should not be there at this time. She responded and walked to the left: "Sister Xiao, I'll go right away!"

As soon as Chen Nan left, the two old men looked at Xu Xiao with disapproval: "Ah Xiao, she is the child of the Chen family, how can you let her help you do things?"

They were not blaming Xu Xiao, but were worried about him.

The Chen family already has two children. Even if they adopt another child, a biological daughter is better than a goddaughter.

Xu Xiao remained silent. After a long while, the elders sighed and gave up. "Your father...Xu Han and the others did come. They said you split up the family."

Xu Xiao walked into the room on her own, carrying a wooden chair in one hand. She raised her chin slightly and said, "Sit down and talk."

The old people were also afraid that their great-granddaughter Xu Xiao would be angry, and they could only sit down in disappointment because they had done something wrong.

The old lady wiped her tears and paused: "Ah Xiao...are they treating you badly?"

Having not seen Xu Xiao for over a year, the old lady was really worried about what had happened. But they couldn't go out, let alone go to see Xu Xiao directly.

In rural areas, the most innocent crime is living too long.

If you keep getting older and older and never die, then you will become a disgrace.

They lived to be over ninety years old and raised four children, but in the end only one great-granddaughter remembered them.

Rather than resentment, the old man felt more sadness, the helplessness of being despised for unknown reasons, and the confusion of being despised and insulted for no reason when he was old.

They are all human beings, they just live longer, they are older, they are just old...

In the final analysis, they are old but not dead yet.

The old lady rubbed her handkerchief with trembling hands, wrung it out with a wry smile, and lowered her head in bewilderment: "A Xiao, did we cause you any trouble?"

The old man was also wiping his tears with one hand, and holding the old lady with the other hand: "Ah Xiao, actually what they said is not wrong, we really have lived too long..."

Xu Xiao interrupted them: "I just returned to Beijing this year, and you didn't affect me. I came too late. What did Xu Han and the others say?"

The two old men tried to open their eyes as wide as possible. Their eyes, which were so cloudy that they could not see anything, were stretched very wide, as if they wanted to see Xu Xiao clearly. After a long time, they finally said what they knew.

Xu Han did come, but not only him, but also Uncle Xu and the descendants of the old man’s other two children.

Speaking of Xu Xiao being removed from the family tree, the old man couldn't help but wipe away tears. What a good child, yet those people wanted to drive him away.

If they hadn't gone too far, there's no way the child would have left.

In the end, the old man blamed himself more, saying that he had not taught his children well and that his three children were ungrateful!

Even their descendants are ungrateful.

Thinking of the disgusted looks of that group of people, the old lady stood up and grabbed Xu Xiao's hand: "A Xiao, you are a good child. It's good to leave the Xu family. It's also good like this..."

She wanted to say something, but she couldn't.

The old man has lost the decisiveness of his youth, and time has taken its toll on him.

He was blind in one eye, so he had to look closely to see it. Even if he was not blind, his eyes would be like this now, and he could only barely see some colorful things.

He also had a broken leg, which was a symbol of his early glory, but in the end it also became the reason why he was disliked by his children.

The old lady couldn't say what she wanted to say, and the old man sighed, gritted his teeth, and shed tears: "Ah Xiao, it's a good thing for you not to be a child of the Xu family.

What is aging?

Xu Xiao used to think that aging was the gray spots that appeared on the body, which were age spots.

Or maybe it was the slowness of his movements, or the cloudy eyes.

But in the end, it wasn't until she experienced it herself in her previous life that she realized that aging was an irreversible curse.

Everyone is a child, everyone is a parent.

Old age means children grow up and parents’ hair turns gray; it means daughters become strong and parents become old; it means children finally abandon their parents.

Abandonment is the cruelest thing about aging.

Xu Xiao couldn't say anything to comfort the old man, and she couldn't do anything.

She listened to the old people's chattering and their unfinished words.

Even after leaving, Xu Xiao was still thinking about his past life, thinking about her struggle on the sickbed, thinking about how she wanted to save herself, but everyone was waiting for her to die.

This was a ruthless murder, but no one thought it was. Everyone thought it was a common occurrence in the cycle of birth, aging, sickness and death.

Holding the things he brought down from the mountain, Chen Nan followed behind in confusion: "Sister Xiao, why don't you give them?"

The quilt was tightly wrapped with brown hemp rope, and just from the appearance, you could tell it was very warm. There were also small items of all sizes, cups, rock candy...

She knew Xu Xiao was not a stingy person, so she was even more curious why he didn't give it to them.

Xu Xiao shook the quilt in his hand. The snow-white cotton and red silk thread were a dazzling red.

She choked up, "...They don't need it anymore, Nannan, let's go back to Beijing next month."

Chen Nan was pleasantly surprised, not noticing anything was wrong: "Sister Xiao, are you really going back? Didn't you say you had something else to do here?"

"It's okay..." Xu Xiao hugged the quilt tightly in his hands, and his tone was normal as usual: "It's good to go back."

Putting the things in the corner, Xu Xiao said a few more words before leaving this time: "I'm going out for a while, Nan Nan, you don't have to follow me, I'll be back soon."

After walking around for a while, Chen Nan no longer had the heart to follow her out. She leaned back in her chair and waved her hand: "Sister Xiao, then I'll hold the door open for you?"

"Um."

After leaving the room, Xu Xiao turned directly into the back. There were two houses in the educated youth site, both of which were residences for the educated youth.

There were more rooms in the front, so they were given to the seven female educated youth. The three male educated youth lived in the small house in the back.

The person Xu Xiao was looking for was the informant she had mentioned to Chen Nan before. She had seen that person next to Chen Bei in her previous life, so she had made this guess.

Before Xu Xiao could say anything, Ji Hong came out with a look of surprise on his face: "Xu Xiao, what else are you going to do?"

Hearing the noise, a number of black heads popped out from the room in front, all with expressions that looked like they were enjoying the show.

Zhao Ling followed and walked out, standing aside with a very aggrieved look on her face: "Comrade Xu Xiao, I misunderstood you before. Please don't blame Comrade Ji..."

“…”

Xu Xiao looked at the two people who were full of drama, his eyes swept past them and looked at a man behind them: "Comrade Xu Xi, please come out for a moment."

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