"Brother Li's friend? That's easy. We'll just find Xu Jinhong and promise not to bother his brother. Don't worry."
Duan San smiled and slipped a pack of cigarettes into Yue Dong's hand. Yue Dong secretly touched it; it felt smooth and slippery. He glanced down and exclaimed, "Wow, imported stuff!"
He deliberately declined a couple of times, then accepted it with a smile: "Please thank Brother Li for me."
Before leaving, Duan San specifically instructed, "Brother Yue, give Xu Jinhong a good beating; he's really not a fair person."
Yue Dong accepted the cigarette, showing great respect, and ran his hand through his messy hair, nodding: "Yes, yes, there's no such thing."
The following night, Yue Dong and his men caught Xu Jinhong again and tortured him half to death.
…
Xu Nuo hid in the kitchen, like a thief, wanting to stick her head out to peek but afraid of being caught red-handed.
As I squatted down, I somehow started to doze off.
When Li Xian returned, there was a sleeping little dumpling behind the door.
His tender gaze fell on her serene little face, and he squatted down and gently picked her up.
Xu Nuo let out a soft moan and instinctively reached out to hug his neck. Li Xian lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Nuonuo, go back to your room and sleep."
Xu Nuo mumbled an "Mmm" in a daze.
…
Commune canteen.
A thin layer of sweat beaded on the man's forehead, his cold face expressionless as he silently piled firewood in the back room.
Xu Yan happened to be there to move firewood, and when he saw the tall figure in the woodshed, he called out, "Brother Li."
Li Xian turned around, wiped his sweat, and nodded to her. Xu Yan looked around to make sure no one was watching, then smiled and thanked him, "Brother Li, thank you for the things."
Li Xian was taken aback, thought for a moment, then waved his hand, his voice indifferent: "It's nothing."
The plants in the yard grew well, and every time Duan San came, Li Xian would let him take some himself. Once, Duan San said with a smile, "Brother Li, do you want to send some to Xu Yan?"
Li Xian nodded: "Yes, send more."
Xu Yan is Nuonuo's older sister, so she should give her more.
Duan San then became a diligent little bee, delivering food to Xu Yan several times.
Li Xian worked quickly and piled up the firewood in no time. It looked like it would burn for two or three days. He turned to Xu Yan and said, "I'll come back to deliver it in a few days. If it's all burned up, have Duan San let me know."
"Okay, so you're going back?"
Li Xian nodded, eager to fly back immediately. His precious daughter was still sleeping at home, and he was afraid she wouldn't find him when she woke up.
Xu Yan said, "There's sweet cake in the canteen tonight. The production team made it this afternoon, and everyone gets some."
Sweet cakes are a rare treat.
Li Xian rarely ate at the commune canteen; he would usually just deliver firewood and leave. But today he paused and asked Xu Yan, "Can I take it?"
"Of course you can. You're part of the production team too. Come with me."
Li Xian nodded.
Lu Xueyun had become much more efficient lately, and was wondering why Xu Yan had been gone for so long.
"You say I'm lazy, but aren't you lazy yourself..."
A black cloth was draped over the outside of the commune canteen. The man lifted it off, and because he was so tall, he had to bend down slightly to get in.
Lu Xueyun paused, her eyes showing disdain.
It's that bad guy.
Xu Yan lifted the lid of the steamer basket and turned to Li Xian, saying, "The sweet cake isn't ready yet, wait a bit."
Seeing that he would have to wait, Li Xian shook his head: "Then I don't want to."
Xu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you take a piece of raw meat back with you and steam it yourself?"
Li Xian stopped in his tracks: "Okay."
After cutting the sweet cake, Li Xian rushed home without stopping. When he arrived, he carefully pushed the door open. The house was quiet, filled with the natural sweetness of a young girl.
He quietly closed the door and took the sweet cake to the kitchen.
As the sun sets, it casts a deep, rosy glow.
The man's sculpted features were bathed in a hazy light, and his hands moved swiftly and powerfully. In no time, he had chopped half of the firewood.
His lowered eyes suddenly snapped open, he dropped the axe in his hand, and ran into the house.
Xu Nuo has already woken up.
She lay on the bed with her little bottom sticking up, her black grape-like eyes curving like dewdrops in early spring. When she saw Li Xian come in, she smiled slightly.
He asked softly, "Awake?"
"Mmm." Xu Nuo turned over and reached out to him. The next moment, she was pulled into a warm embrace, perhaps because he had been sweating, and the air was filled with the scent of male hormones.
It wasn't hard to ask, but it actually made her somewhat obsessed.
The spoiled little girl twitched her nose and asked him, "Where did you go?"
Li Xian then remembered that he had been working and must be filthy and smelly, so he quickly let go of the person and stepped back a little.
She said awkwardly, "Did I smell bad? I'll go take a shower right away."
Xu Nuo didn't mind him at all. Her little white teeth gleamed, and she snuggled into his arms, clinging to him, her voice soft and sweet: "No."
Seeing the little darling come closer, he wasn't about to let her go and hugged her tightly.
Xu Nuo had slept well and was full of energy. She glanced at the door with a bright and cheerful expression, but suddenly felt something was wrong.
"What time is it now?"
Li Xian was massaging her shoulders when he replied, "The sun is about to set."
Is it almost sunset?
In other words, she slept from the time she finished eating the egg pancake in the morning until now, and slept through the entire day.
Xu Nuo's face fell, and she was about to cry: "We agreed to go to the mountain."
Her picnics and outings included roasting sweet potatoes, hunting rabbits, and picking fruit.
Everything's ruined.
Seeing her aggrieved look, Li Xian quickly pulled her into his arms and, imitating the way adults in the village coax children, patted her back gently: "Let's go early tomorrow, okay, Nuonuo?"
Even if it's not good, it has to get better.
Xu Nuo lay listlessly in his arms, not even wanting to nod.
He looked utterly hopeless.
Li Xian wanted to cheer her up, so he looked down and asked, "What do you want to eat?"
Xu Nuo had no interest in thinking about what to eat at the moment. She stared at him with her big, resentful eyes and began to interrogate him.
Why didn't you call me?
“...”
The man's cold, hard face stiffened for a moment, and a bead of sweat seemed to trickle down his smooth forehead. He answered cautiously, "I...forgot."
Xu Nuo let out a disappointed "woof," rubbing her head against his chest as if she were being tickled. Li Xian let her do as she pleased without resisting.
After all that fuss, Xu Nuo, with her messy, bird's-nest-like hair, lazily draped her head over his shoulder, her eyes glazed over, regretting that she had just fallen asleep like that.
Li Xian coaxed her for a while, promising that he would definitely go tomorrow. Only then did she smile happily and touch her stomach, saying that she was hungry.
Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief, put her shoes on, and looked up to say, "I brought some food from the hall."
It's all very mysterious.
Something was already steaming in the pot, and you could faintly smell a sweet aroma.
Xu Nuo was curious and wanted to lift it, but Li Xian held her hand: "It's hot, let me do it."
As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the pot, revealing a small piece of brownish-yellow soft cake inside.
Xu Nuo's eyes lit up: "Sweet rice cake."
Seeing that she liked it, Li Xian pursed his lips and curled them upwards.
"I'll take it."
He took the porcelain basin that had been simmering in the pot out of the pot with one hand, and led her to the wooden table with the other.
Perhaps it's because rural people are reluctant to add sugar, but the sweet rice cake tasted a bit milder than Xu Nuo's previous ones, though it was very chewy and had the sweetness she liked.
The sweet cake was a very small piece, only about three centimeters thick, and Li Xian had exchanged his own centimeters for it.
Xu Nuo took a knife and cut it into two pieces, insisting that Li Xian eat the other piece.
Li Xian was reluctant to eat the cake and wanted to cover it with a cloth and save it for tomorrow so that Xu Nuo could eat it again.
Xu Nuo saw through his thoughts and pulled him to sit down at the table: "You sit down."
Li Xian sat down.
Xu Nuo picked up a sweet cake and directed him, "You."
Li Xian didn't open his mouth, but leaned back slightly: "I don't like sweets."
nonsense.
Xu Nuo didn't believe him and reached out to grab his collar, trying to pull him back.
Because of work, Li Xian changed into a tattered jacket. Xu Nuo tugged at it, and the collar stretched infinitely long, revealing a patch of Li Xian's muscular chest and...
Xu Nuo blushed slightly, unable to bear watching.
Seeing her acting strangely, Li Xian looked down in confusion and froze.
His neck was red: "Nuonuo, let go."
Xu Nuo awkwardly let go, pushed his collar back, and glanced at him with her big eyes.
Cough cough!
She wiggled her little bottom, trying to appear calm: "I...I didn't see it."
Li Xian: "..."
"Open your mouth, we're in love, good things should be shared."
Li Xian was so flattered by the words "lovers" that he opened his mouth without saying a word, and the sweet and soft cake melted on his tongue.
He held Xu Nuo's other hand with one hand, his fingers weaving between hers, gripping her tightly.
His lover.
Xu Nuo watched Li Xian eat with a smile and asked him, "Is it delicious?"
Li Xian nodded, his eyes slightly moist: "It's delicious."
She pleaded with him, "Then feed me, okay?"
Li Xian smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and fed her the bowl.
He took a big bite, his cheeks bulging from chewing.
She never hesitates to praise good things, giving a thumbs up and exclaiming, "Delicious!"
For dinner, Li Xian cooked pumpkin porridge, fried eggs, and stir-fried vegetables.
Xu Nuo ate the sweet cake and drank the water, but didn't really want to eat anything. Li Xian pulled her into his arms and fed her a small half bowl.
"You can eat less, but you can't not eat."
Xu Nuo obediently opened her mouth.
…
Six o'clock in the evening.
Xu Jin'an's home.
Xu Guihua had clearly been crying; her eyes were red. Xu Jin'an had his head down, and Xue Ping looked indifferent.
Neither of them spoke.
Xu Jinhong and his family were all there.
Xu Guihua wiped away her tears that had long since dried up: "Your brother was beaten like this, and you just stood by and watched him die?"
Xu Jinan remained silent.
Xu Jinhong sat on the ground, his clothes were tattered, his face was bruised and swollen, his hair was shaved off, and most seriously, one of his hands was broken.
Even Guo Ailian suffered; her face wasn't seriously injured, but she was limping when she walked.
Little did he know that Yue Shan and his group had shown mercy. He thought that since he was a friend of Li Xian and related to him by marriage, if the fight got serious, it would be difficult to explain when Eighth Master asked about it.
Xu Jinhong didn't speak, but kept glancing at Xu Guihua. Xu Guihua understood and said to Xu Jinan, "I'm talking to you."
Xu Jinan took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and said with a helpless tone, "I can't do anything about it. I can't handle this. Let's call the police."
Xu Jinhong reacted the most, almost jumping up: "No, no, if I call the police they will beat me to death. Those people are reckless. They said if I dare to call the police, one of their brothers will take the lives of my whole family."
Upon hearing this, Xu Guihua was so frightened that her heart trembled.
"You can't report it, you can't report it! Aren't you trying to get your brother killed?"
Xue Ping swallowed hard and held back her words.
Guo Ailian had been crying for a long time, her voice hoarse: "Second brother, your eldest brother is not as successful as you, but he is still your eldest brother, isn't he? You have to save our family, otherwise we really can't live like this."
When Xu Jiangjiang saw his mother crying, he started crying too, yelling that a bad woman had stolen his candy. Xue Ping didn't pay attention at first, but later her face turned green.
What bad woman? Isn't she talking about her daughter?
What a disgusting family! They got caught by debt collectors and came to Xu Jin'an's door demanding he pay off his debts.
Xu Jinhong was still counting on Xu Jinan to help him, and glared at Xu Jiangjiang: "Don't talk nonsense."
Xu Jiangjiang wasn't afraid of him and cried even harder, which made Xue Ping so angry that she wanted to get up and leave.
They were also afraid that leaving Xu Jin'an alone here would be like sending a lamb to the slaughter.
Unexpectedly, Xu Guihua stood up and said to Xu Jin'an alone, "Jin'an, come with me for a moment."
This tone was so much better than usual.
Xu Jinan couldn't refuse and followed Xu Guihua into the room. Guo Ailian breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes full of anticipation.
With the mother-in-law involved, there shouldn't be any problems.
Xue Ping watched coldly without saying a word.
"Mother, what's wrong? Tell me."
Xu Guihua pleaded earnestly, "Son, your older brother is in this state, you can't just abandon him, you have to save him."
Xu Jin'an shook his head, his refusal clear: "Mother, today my elder brother doesn't just owe someone a hundred, he owes them three thousand. Do you know how much my monthly salary is? I could never earn that much in my entire life. How can I help him pay it back?"
Xu Guihua was displeased that he refused so readily, but she held back for Xu Jinhong's sake: "I know, but isn't your father-in-law rich?"
Xu Jin'an's expression changed, and he looked at Xu Guihua in disbelief: "Mother, didn't you want me to come find me..."
When Xu Guihua saw that he had guessed, she happily clasped her hands together and said, "Yes, you can go and borrow from your father-in-law to pay off Jin Hong's debt first. After Jin Hong makes money in a while, you can pay him back."
Xu Jinan hadn't expected Xu Guihua to come up with such a scheme, and without a second thought, firmly shook his head: "Impossible."
Xu Jin'an was a scholar with a strong sense of self-respect. Xue Ping was considered to have married down when she married him, so he worked doubly hard to make up for it and support his family.
For many years, no matter how difficult things got, he never thought of borrowing a single penny from his father-in-law.
Besides, his father-in-law also gave him this house.
How can he have that kind of face?
Xu Guihua's face darkened: "You unfilial son, you, you, you... you're trying to force me to my death."
Xu Jin'an's chest heaved rapidly as he said, his neck shrugged, "I didn't. Mother, ask yourself how I've treated you and my brother all these years. Every time he lost at gambling, I secretly covered the losses. This time he did something like this, and I can't control him anymore. If he can pay it back, he can; if he can't, he definitely won't get the house back."
Xu Jinhong signed the sales receipt in black and white and even gave the land deed to the other party. Even if the police are called, Xu Jinhong is still in the wrong.
Xu Guihua was furious.
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