Extra five
Wu Jinghua quickly tried to lighten the mood, "Well, I think the dumplings are getting cold. Let's eat first. Come on, Uncle Ke, Uncle Xu, eat up. Didn't you both say you were hungry?"
Old Ke sighed deeply and patted Liu Ting's hand. "Alright, they've come all this way, let's not talk about them anymore. Come on, let's eat."
No matter how they tried to lighten the mood, everyone ate in silence. Tang Jianye and Lai Xiang stood to one side without saying a word, glancing at each other intermittently; the atmosphere between them was quite subtle.
Tang Jianye only realized today how beautiful Lai Xiang was, and how delicious her cooking was. She was also very filial and responsible. A young girl had actually come all alone to the countryside in Northeast China just to be closer to her parents.
Moreover, she would sneak into the cowshed every night to visit her parents, even in the dark. She was truly capable and filial. But what if things just seem better to me?
Lai Xiang became increasingly embarrassed by Tang Jianye's gaze. The atmosphere in the room was already tense, and she was lamenting the plight of Grandpa Ke and Grandma Liu, but the man's stare made her heart race.
What's wrong with this man? He's never been like this before, what's wrong with him today?
Besides, she had never really looked at Tang Jianye closely before. After all, men and women are different; what kind of behavior is it to stare at a man? But today she secretly looked at him twice. And he was quite handsome.
She has a good figure and is quite tall. Oh no, how come she didn't notice Tang Jianye's flaws?
No, think quickly, think quickly, what are Tang Jianye's shortcomings?
As the two of them stood there awkwardly, the people eating dumplings over there gradually noticed the difference. Lai Jiaxing and Wu Jinghua exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and remained silent. If it were before, they wouldn't have thought their daughter was unworthy of anyone Xiangxiang had taken a liking to.
But now, with parents like them, and Tang Jianye's family background clearly indicating he's not from an ordinary family, neither of them approves of Xiangxiang being with Tang Jianye.
Old Xu and Old Ke also noticed the two children's unusual behavior. However, they didn't say anything; their thoughts were similar to those of Lai Jiaxing and his family. At this moment, the two old men sighed inwardly. If it were before, when Xiangya wanted to find a husband, they would definitely bring all the best men in the country to her for her to choose from. But now, there was really nothing they could do.
Liu Ting had just arrived and wasn't aware of the previous relationship between Lai Xiang and Tang Jianye, so she wasn't too surprised.
It was getting late, and Wu Jinghua suggested, "Uncle Ke, it's been snowing a lot lately, and no one from the village has come to the cowshed. Those people haven't come over either. Auntie just arrived, so why don't you and Xiangxiang stay there tonight?"
After saying that, he looked at Tang Jianye again, "Um, Little Tang, you..."
Tang Jianye immediately replied, "I'll be living here with Grandpa Xu. Hehe, Grandpa Xu won't mind, will he?"
Old Xu gave him a disdainful look, "You can't snore when you sleep."
Tang Jianye...
As a result, Old Xu's snoring was deafening that night, keeping Tang Jianye awake all night.
Liu Ting and Old Ke stayed in the west room of Lai Xiang's house. The two elderly people didn't sleep much that night. Liu Ting told Old Ke about all the things his sons had done since he passed away. If Tang Yue hadn't taken care of Old Ke's health before, Old Ke would have fainted from anger countless times.
"Alas, unworthy descendants, unworthy descendants indeed."
Liu Ting lay on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), "Old man, the kang is so warm."
Old Ke almost burst into tears. His wife had suffered so much.
He held his wife in his arms, saying, "It's all my fault for dragging you down. If there's ever a day when I can go back, I..."
Liu Ting gently punched Old Ke, "You're so old, why are you still saying these things? Just seeing you here safe and sound makes me have no regrets in this life."
"Go back to sleep, it's almost dawn."
Liu Ting fell asleep with a sweet smile on her lips.
Liu Ting stayed there. With nothing to do in the dead of winter, she spent her days cooking with Lai Xiang. In her spare time, she taught Lai Xiang other skills. They lived a fulfilling life.
Spring is almost here, but the recent cold snap has caused Liu Ting to develop some health problems while she was in Kyoto. She feels unwell when it's too cold. "Grandma Liu, it's too cold tonight. I'll deliver the cakes myself. I'll be right back after I take them there."
In the afternoon, Liu Ting felt a little uncomfortable in her legs. "Okay, take care of yourself. Come back after you drop it off. It's too dark, and I'm worried about you being alone."
"Don't worry, Grandma, I'm used to walking this road, it'll be fine."
Lai Xiang wrapped himself in a coat, put on a hat and gloves, wrapped the freshly baked flatbread in a cloth, put it inside the coat, and ran into the darkness.
For some reason, Liu Ting felt a little uneasy. She hadn't felt this way in a long time.
About 30 minutes passed, and Liu Ting kept looking outside, but she still couldn't see Lai Xiang. Then she saw lights shining in the distance, and Liu Ting was delighted. Could it be that Lai Xiang had brought a flashlight?
But the lights grew brighter and brighter, and Liu Ting realized they weren't flashlights but car headlights. There were no cars in the village; the only one who had driven there was Tang Jianye. Liu Ting ran out of the yard without putting on her coat.
As soon as Tang Jianye got out of the car, Liu Ting grabbed his arm. "Little Tang, you've come at the right time. Go to the cowshed and pick up Xiangxiang. Xiangxiang said she'd be back after delivering the pancakes. But it's been half an hour already, and I still haven't seen her come back."
Tang Jianye's restless heart immediately calmed down, and he looked at Liu Ting with a serious expression. "Grandma Liu, please go inside first. I'll go find her right away."
Without waiting for Liu Ting's reaction, he ran straight towards the cowshed.
It takes at most seven or eight minutes to get from here to the cowshed. Lai Xiang hasn't returned yet. If he didn't linger at the cowshed, then this timeframe is definitely abnormal.
Tang Jianye was very fast. After running three or four hundred meters, he suddenly heard a faint whimpering sound coming from a snowdrift not far away. Tang Jianye's eyes turned cold, and he immediately ran towards the source of the sound.
In the snowdrift, Lai Xiang knelt on the snow, her mouth gagged with a rag, her hands tied behind her back, and a man was binding her hands with a rope. Lai Xiang struggled incessantly, but every time she moved, the man behind her kicked her hard. Lai Xiang was weak and could not break free, so she could only sob incessantly.
When Tang Jianye arrived, he saw the man kicking Lai Xiang in the back. Tang Jianye quickly stepped forward and kicked the man in the chest. The man immediately screamed and flew back four or five meters.
They were some distance from the village, and it was late, so no one in the village heard them. Tang Jianye stepped forward and pulled Lai Xiang up. Lai Xiang had been kicked in the back countless times by the man, and it was very difficult for her to stand up.
Tang Jianye yanked the rag out of her mouth, and Lai Xiang immediately shouted, "Grab him! He's trying to rape me!"
Tang Jianye was already burning with anger, and upon hearing this, his fury reached its peak. After helping Lai Xiang to her feet, he walked towards the man.
After being kicked by Tang Jianye, the man coughed up blood and collapsed in the snowdrift, unable to get up. Seeing Tang Jianye walking towards him, he was so frightened that he crawled backward in the snowdrift, crying, "No, don't come any closer, don't come any closer."
Tang Jianye went up and gagged the man, then began punching and kicking him, causing the man great pain, but no injuries could be found.
As Lai Xiang heard the man's voice growing weaker, she whispered, "That's enough, don't kill him."
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