30

30

After dinner, Xu Xiao followed Chen's father to the study.

There were two rows of bookshelves in the study, made of wood and painted in a dark color. Over time, the outer layer of paint had peeled off, revealing the original color of the wood.

The books are neatly arranged in order from small to large and from tall to short.

Xu Xiao took a quick glance and then looked away. Just like before, there were only books on how to make revolution and how to be a good person.

A small part of it is poetry, including the Book of Songs, Chu Ci, and some Tang and Song poems.

The only books she and the Chen brothers and sisters could touch were those books.

Father Chen pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "Ah Xiao, I heard that Chen Bei is..." He paused, then said expressionlessly, "Is he deliberately getting close to you?"

Xu Xiao knew that Father Chen would ask these questions sooner or later. She said calmly, "No, Brother Bei and I are in love."

It's no big deal, just talk about it if you have something to say.

Xu Xiao raised his head, his eyes showing respect: "Godfather, we are not fooling around."

Chen's father is an upright man. If he doesn't explain clearly, he will think that everything is Chen Bei's fault.

But in the beginning, it was indeed Xu Xiao who made the first move. Although Xu Xiao did not like Chen Bei's evasive attitude, she really did not have the energy to deal with other people, and the feelings that were arranged.

She thought clearly and soberly. Between her and Chen Bei, responsibility outweighed the so-called affection.

Chen's father was silent. After a long moment, he asked, "Can you accept Chen Bei's job, which means he won't be home for years?"

In the past, Chen's father was like this, and so were the people he knew - men worked outside, leaving their wives and children at home.

Some of them managed to hold on, but some, most of them, never came back even after holding on for a long time.

Although the situation has improved now, war can start at any time and no one can guarantee safety.

Even if it is safe, there are still many people who cannot accept the situation where they love each other but cannot see each other.

Father Chen was obviously overthinking it. Xu Xiao frowned slightly and spoke his mind: "He has a heavy responsibility, but this is what he should do. Isn't that what you told us?"

They should do their job and enjoy the benefits, but they should pay a certain price.

Father Chen was silent again. He waved his hand and motioned Xu Xiao to go out.

Xu Xiao nodded: "Godfather, I'm going back to my room first."

Outside the room, Chen Nan had been waiting anxiously. Seeing Xu Xiao coming out, she hurriedly pulled Xu Xiao to the other side.

Mr. Chen's study needs to be quiet, so it is a separate room, far away from the bedroom.

Glancing at Chen Nan's tense face, Xu Xiao couldn't help but tease her: "Nan Nan, are you afraid that I'll get scolded?"

Chen Nan kept walking forward: "No."

It was too quiet, so Xu Xiao simply shut up.

It was not until they entered their bedroom that Chen Nan suddenly spoke of his concern. Xu Xiao was slightly startled and didn't even react.

She watched Chen Nan's lips opening and closing non-stop, and thought to herself that if Chen Nan became a matchmaker, she might be even more powerful than Aunt Xu.

Chen Nan curled his lips and said, "Sister Xiao, you should just push everything onto Chen Bei. Why are you protecting him so much?"

She still holds a grudge against what happened before.

At the funeral of the two old people, Chen Bei left suddenly, and he didn't even say a word of caution when they left.

Xu Xiao curled his lips into a smile, pulled out a chair and sat in front of the dressing mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror and asked Chen Nan, "How did I protect him?"

Chen Nan didn't know what to say, but she just felt that Xu Xiao shouldn't have said that. She sat on the edge of the bed, lowering her head slightly: "Anyway, you are protecting him!"

"Silly Nan Nan." Xu Xiao sighed.

The relationship between Chen Nan and Fang Hui was too natural, so she didn't know that some relationships have to go through twists and turns, and only twists and turns can make the relationship precious.

Just like her and Ji Hong, and like Ji Hong and Zhao Ling, people need to be compared.

Only by comparison can the differences be revealed.

Chen Nan retorted in a low voice: "I'm not stupid."

"Well, Nannan isn't stupid." Xu Xiao dragged his chair back, turned around and touched Chen Nan's head: "So Nannan doesn't believe I can solve those problems?"

Father Chen asked her if she could hold on.

She thought she should be able to hold on.

She doesn't need much love because she doesn't have much love to begin with.

Chen Nan didn't understand, but she believed Xu Xiao.

In the following days, Xu Xiao and Chen Nan stayed at home, and occasionally their senior brother would come to visit.

The senior brother still said the same thing as before. He felt that Xu Xiao was sick, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

Over time, Chen Nan looked at her senior brother with concern, and even when she wrote to Fang Hui, she would ask about her senior brother's background in a roundabout way.

The only one who believed in him was Xu Xiao.

From this point of view, the senior brother can be considered a good doctor. He successfully made his patient realize that he was ill, but unfortunately his patient was very rebellious.

Contrary to Xu Xiao's expectations, the college entrance examination resumed earlier than she had expected. Before the resumption of the college entrance examination, she encountered a strange thing.

As the New Year approaches, Chen Bei finally brings Fang Hui and Xu Xi home.

Compared to the three of them who were exhausted from the journey, Xu Xiao and Chen Nan seemed particularly leisurely. When they returned, Xu Xiao was sitting under a tree basking in the sun, while Chen Nan was sitting nearby reading a book while brewing tea.

This scene made the three men extremely jealous.

The first person to notice that they had returned was Chen Nan. She just raised her hand and saw three savages standing at the gate of the compound.

To call them savages was considered good, as perhaps no savage was as miserable as they were. Their clothes were ragged and their bodies were so black that their appearance could not be seen.

It would not be an exaggeration to call him a beggar.

Chen Nan took a breath and pushed Xu Xiao, who was lying on the recliner: "Sister Xiao, get up quickly."

Xu Xiao opened her eyes and immediately met the gaze of the person in the middle. She said lazily, "Welcome home." She turned to Chen Nan and said, "Nan Nan, I have to leave first."

Chen Nan responded blankly. She had already realized who those three people were.

It was half an hour later when Chen Bei came out after washing up. He glanced at the yard and found that no one was around. He asked Chen Nan directly, "Where's Ah Xiao?"

Chen Nan didn't even raise his head: "Out."

During this period, Xu Xiao always went out at a fixed time, and she was almost used to it.

As for why she was so cold to them, it was because she felt that her sister-in-law was about to fly away.

However, she would not tell Chen Bei.

Even if she wasn't her sister-in-law, she was still her sister. Nothing had changed for her.

Chen Nan closed the book, stood up, and pushed Chen Bei, who was like a wall, away. "Okay, I'll go find Fang Hui."

Chen Bei frowned and held Chen Nan's hand: "Where's Xiao?"

Chen Nan broke free, took two steps back, and rolled his eyes. "Are you sick? How would I know where Sister Xiao went? Why ask me? Why don't you ask yourself? Have you forgotten what you did in Xujia Village?"

"Oh, yes! Captain Chen, what a grand ceremony! You're so kind! You just left as soon as you said you would." Chen Nan held his breath and said, "Sister Xiao came back on her own! You didn't even have time to see her off?"

At that time, the three of them looked at Chen Bei hugging Xu Xiao, then they said a few words, and Chen Bei left!

He left without hesitation. When Xu Xiao returned to the educated youth camp, Chen Nan smelled a strong smell of tobacco on her.

Chen Nan was angry, he wanted to stand up for Xu Xiao, and he felt that Chen Bei was not worthy!

Chen Bei glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, and walked outside.

Chen Nan watched him walk away, and he was so angry that he shouted, "You rascal!"

Fang Hui walked in and overheard this. He asked, "Who are you scolding? Chen Bei?"

Chen Nan didn't look at him in a good mood: "Oh, you still remember to come back?"

"Of course I have to come back, Nan Nan is still here..."

After Chen Nan calmed down, Fang Hui told him what they encountered when they came back.

The three of them encountered a robber, and it was considered that the robber was unlucky.

Seeing that they were carrying a lot of things, the robbers thought they were fat sheep and followed them from the train station. As a result, they were caught by the three men in a less crowded area.

But there is a saying that even heroes fear crowds. After the young robber was captured, a dozen people suddenly appeared, all of them were children in their teens.

They didn't dare to rush over, so they picked up stones and wet dirt and threw them. The three men couldn't dodge in time, and Chen Bei was dragged down by the two of them.

Speaking of this, Fang Hui was particularly proud: "Xu Xi and I held Chen Bei tightly, and he was hit directly!"

Chen Nan: "You are all sick."

After spending a long time with her senior brother, she suddenly felt that this sentence was too versatile. It could express concern and also express speechlessness.

"Just scold Chen Bei, don't drag me into this." Fang Hui understood Chen Nan's resentment towards Chen Bei.

He and Chen Nan have been keeping in touch with each other. In the past, Chen Nan liked to greet him at the beginning. But after that incident, Chen Nan's beginning has never changed.

"Has Chen Bei opened his eyes? Has Chen Bei been unlucky? Does Chen Bei regret it?"

Anyway, he didn't know what Chen Bei was thinking, but it really hurt him. It was unacceptable for his partner to mention another man in the letter, even if that man was his brother-in-law.

Chen Nan snorted, lowered his voice, and said with excitement: "You don't know, Sister Xiao seems to have someone else outside recently."

Fang Hui took a deep breath and stammered: "Ah? Are you sure? Ah Xiao shouldn't do that kind of thing, right?" Thinking of Xu Xiao's arrogant style of behavior, he sighed.

Chen Nan: "Who knows? Anyway, I think it's very good."

A cold voice came from outside the wall: "Chen Nan!"

It was Chen Bei, he had been waiting outside.

Chen Nan had guessed it, of course. She raised her eyebrows, even more excited: "Wow, you're still here? Oh, right, you don't know where Sister Xiao went." She turned around and said, "Sister Xiao has been bringing me chestnut cakes from the north of the city lately. I don't know who told Sister Xiao about it."

The north of the city was once a wasteland, but it has only been gradually renovated in recent years. Some of the shops did not exist before they left.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and Fang Hui said helplessly: "If you want to hide it from Chen Bei, why bother telling him?"

Chen Nan raised his chin: "Why not tell him? Do you really want him to find me a wild sister-in-law?"

She doesn't want to! No one will treat her as well as Sister Xiao.

Fang Hui laughed out loud: "You just won't let Chen Bei go."

If she wanted to tell Chen Bei, she should have said no from the beginning. But she had to talk about other things and delayed it until now.

Chen Nan: "That's not true, because Sister Xiao might really have someone outside. I'm just buying time for Sister Xiao so that Chen Bei won't find anything when he goes looking for her."

Fang Hui: “…”

On the other side, Xu Xiao was walking towards a familiar path until there were fewer and fewer people around, and she stopped outside a small alley.

After glancing around, she walked in. The alley ended at the end, with only one wooden door. She raised her hand and knocked lightly.

After three knocks, a voice, unidentifiable as male or female, rang out from inside: "I'm here! Xu Xiao, is that you?"

Continue read on readnovelmtl.com