The three sisters didn't have much stuff; they packed it all into two plastic bags each and put it in the car.
Since they rarely get to come back, Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng weren't in a hurry to leave. They went to Aunt Hao's house for a while and brought over a lot of things in large and small bags.
Aunt Hao tried to refuse, saying, "It's enough that you've come. Why bring all this stuff? Take it back."
Xing Zhaozhao laughed and said, "I went through so much trouble to bring this from the capital, and now I have to take it back. It's so tiring. Don't you feel sorry for me, Auntie?"
Aunt Hao: "..." Why are you so tired from taking a car ride?
However, Aunt Hao accepted them anyway. Judging from the packaging, they must have been very expensive. She packed a lot of dried wild vegetables and dried wild mushrooms that she had picked from the mountains for her to take back.
These things helped Xing Zhaozhao earn her first pot of gold. Now that she lives in the capital, she hasn't had them in a long time, so she accepted them all without hesitation.
After leaving Aunt Hao's house, Captain Gao came over and pulled Gao Mingcheng away.
Captain Gao is now retired, but he still can't stay idle. He goes to the fields for a stroll every day, and usually spends his time at home enjoying his grandchildren.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't go with them; instead, she went to her old residence halfway up the mountain to take a look.
Gao Mingcheng was worried and wanted to ask Captain Gao to step aside and go with her.
Xing Zhaozhao waved her hand, shooing him away. Back then, she had lived there with three children for so long, what could she possibly worry about?
The door to the house was ajar. The lock that Xing Zhaozhao and the others had left behind was gone, indicating that someone had probably sneaked in. Fortunately, they had taken everything when they left, so there was nothing worth stealing.
No one has lived here for many years. Clumps of weeds have grown in the yard, and the house is covered with a thick layer of dust. You can still vaguely see some traces left over from before. I feel a little nostalgic.
After coming out of the house, Xing Zhaozhao paused at the door before turning and going to the backyard.
The cellar that once held her greatest secret had its door wide open.
She hesitated for a moment, but still went downstairs.
Inside, there was a layer of dust, the walls were spotless, and the door had disappeared again. I wonder if it had been bound to someone else.
"Zhao Zhao..." Gao Mingcheng's anxious voice suddenly rang out from outside.
Before Xing Zhaozhao could even agree, he quickly arrived. Seeing Xing Zhaozhao still standing in the cellar, he breathed a long sigh of relief, went over and took her hand: "I knew you'd come here."
Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at him in surprise: "You finished talking with Captain Gao so quickly?"
"Hmm." Gao Mingcheng responded indifferently. How could he be at ease letting her come back alone? He casually said a few words to Captain Gao and then made up an excuse to come over.
Xing Zhaozhao knew exactly what he was thinking. She squeezed his hand and said, "Don't worry, that door is gone."
Gao Mingcheng turned his head in surprise to look at the wall that had never changed in his eyes from beginning to end: "Which unlucky person has run into this time?"
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Xing Zhaozhao disagreed, saying, "How can you call it being taken advantage of? It's called an opportunity."
Gao Mingcheng disagreed: "For someone who is all alone, it might be..." But for someone with family, it might be a nightmare, a nightmare he had personally experienced.
The two held hands, chatted casually, and left.
Not long after they left, a person suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the cellar, staring blankly at his surroundings with lifeless eyes. The person in question was none other than Tan Juan in her youth…
After Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng came down from the mountain, they took their three younger sisters back to their home in town.
Because Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng will be moving to the south, and Zhaodi has already filled out her college application, applying to universities in Beijing. Based on her college entrance examination scores, admission is basically guaranteed, and she will definitely be going to university in Beijing. The two younger ones, one in high school and the other in junior high school, are facing a dilemma: should they stay in Lanyuan, go to the south with Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng, or go to Beijing with Zhaodi?
Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng decided to listen to the three children's own wishes.
In the end, it was decided that the two younger children would go to the capital with their older sister. Gao Mingcheng only needed to help the two younger children with their schooling, and there was already a place for them to stay at home. Zhao Di declined all other offers.
“I’ve already troubled my second uncle and aunt too much. I can take care of my younger sister myself,” Zhao Di said.
The two younger children also agreed with their older sister's decision.
Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng respected the three children's opinions. Anyway, they had many friends in Beijing, and Hongfei and Lingze were both studying at universities in Beijing and could help take care of them.
Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng stayed in Lanyuan for a few days before setting off with Hongling.
The three sisters stayed behind with the old principal and Mrs. Qin, planning to go to Beijing after receiving their admission notices.
The day after receiving her acceptance letter, Zhao Di took her sisters to the police station to change their names, no longer wanting to live for her "brother".
After Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng settled down in the south, they took their daughter to visit Xing Zhaoming, who lived not far away.
The brother and sister, living in the south and north respectively, hadn't seen each other for many years.
Xing Zhaoming hasn't changed much, except that the house is a bit quiet because neither of his children are home. They've gone to their maternal grandfather's house in Beijing for summer vacation, which is a good opportunity to avoid meeting Xing Zhaozhao and her family.
"Where's Chen Wei? She went back to the capital with them too?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
"No." Xing Zhaoming shook his head, his expression somewhat complicated. "She...we're divorced."
"She's actually willing to get a divorce?" Xing Zhaozhao asked in surprise.
Xing Zhaoming: "..."
Seeing Xing Zhaoming's strange expression, Xing Zhaozhao asked him what was wrong and learned that although Xing Zhaoming and Chen Wei hadn't managed to divorce in the end, they harbored resentment and their relationship could never be the same again. Over time, Chen Wei's love turned to hate, and she began to hate Xing Zhaoming. She had an affair with a married man, and not long ago, he was caught in bed with her by the man's wife. The affair was brought to the military base, and that's when Xing Zhaoming found out. In the end, they did get a divorce, but because the commotion was so big and had such a bad influence, his promotion was also ruined.
Xing Zhaozhao was initially worried that Xing Zhaoming might do something rash, but she was relieved to see that he didn't seem to care.
Although she moved to a new home, one in the south and one in the north, and the environment changed quite a bit, Xing Zhaozhao quickly adapted to life here. Apart from having new neighbors, life in the compound didn't change much. However, to her surprise, she actually ran into an acquaintance here.
That day, she had taken Hongling to the hospital and returned home. The little girl had diarrhea due to the change in environment. Unexpectedly, she ran into Dong Cui, who was returning from buying groceries, at the entrance of the compound.
She was stunned: "You..." How did you get here?
Dong Cui had never met Xing Zhaozhao before. She glared at her and said, "What are you looking at? What's so interesting?" Then she quickly left.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Where did this temper come from? She hadn't even said anything yet.
"Xiao Xing, do you know her?" someone asked curiously from the side.
Xing Zhaozhao turned her head and saw it was Sister Cao, the wife of Political Commissar Liu. She nodded and said, "She looks like the younger sister of my friend's husband's family. I heard she ran away to the south with someone. I didn't expect to run into her here. She is..."
"The Zhou family, the commander of the regiment, just had twins. The nanny they hired, somehow, took advantage of Xiaomei's postpartum period and the two of them..." Sister Cao glanced at Hongling, who looked bewildered, next to Xing Zhaozhao, and stopped there.
Xing Zhaozhao was shocked: "What...what was he thinking? Isn't he afraid of jeopardizing his future?"
Sister Cao sneered and said, "Who told him to have such a good father? My husband, Old Liu, is having a real headache."
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head speechlessly: "..." This Dong Cui really brings drama wherever she goes.
Xing Zhaozhao was originally waiting to see what would happen, but soon Commander Zhou was transferred away, and she never saw Dong Cui again.
Many years later, when she heard about Dong Cui again, her eldest granddaughter Gao Yue brought her boyfriend home, named Xia Chen. She was so shocked that she almost bit off her newly made porcelain veneers, thinking that she couldn't escape Dong Cui no matter what. What kind of tragic fate was this?
Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Gao Yue's parents-in-law were indeed still the same couple surnamed Xia, but this Xia Chen was their biological son. You could tell from his appearance that he was different from the one she knew before. However, Xia Chen had a younger brother named Xia Guang, who was adopted. His biological mother, Dong Cui, had already come to their door and kept pestering them.
Now that she has nothing to do with their family, Xing Zhaozhao can finally relax and enjoy watching the drama unfold. She wonders what new story will develop without Liu Feiyue.
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