Xu Guihua snorted coldly.
Well, she really did give birth to an ungrateful child.
For her eldest son's sake, Xu Guihua held back and said, "It's not like we're not going to pay it back. Just ask your father-in-law for help in this emergency, and get your older brother out of trouble first."
Oh.
Xu Jin'an felt a surge of anger: "Mother, how can I borrow money from my father-in-law? Besides, why should he lend me money?"
Xu Guihua said matter-of-factly, "Of course he'll borrow it. His daughter has been married to you for so many years and hasn't even given birth to a son. If this were any other family, she would have been divorced long ago."
In Xu Guihua's heart, Xue Ping's failure to give her a grandson was a thousand and one faults.
But in Xu Jin'an's heart, he didn't think his daughter was bad at all. His wife died in childbirth, and he had a great shadow over having children.
After Xue Ping gave birth to her first child, the couple decided not to have any more children.
Xu Jin'an was so angry he couldn't speak, gritting his teeth and remaining silent. Xu Guihua assumed he had been persuaded: "Son, if he doesn't lend you the money, just tell him you're going to divorce Xue Ping, and he'll definitely..."
Xu Jinan said coldly, "Impossible."
Xu Guihua was taken aback: "What?"
"I can't lend money, and I won't get involved in my brother's affairs."
Xu Guihua wanted nothing more than to slap Xu Jin'an across the face. She used her deceased husband to pressure him: "That's the house your father left behind. Are you going to just hand over your father's house to someone else?"
It would have been better if Xu Guihua hadn't brought it up, because once she did, Xu Jinan's unpleasant memories were dredged up again.
Xu Jinan said, enunciating each word clearly.
“You said back then that the house had nothing to do with me; it belonged to my older brother. Now that my brother has lost the house to someone else, it naturally has nothing to do with me either.”
Xu Guihua felt somewhat guilty, and remembering what her eldest son had told her, she deliberately said, "Son, he's your older brother. If your brother's family loses their house, where will he live? You won't even let him live in your house. Do you really want him to die?"
Xu Jinan looked at Xue Ping and said calmly, "Mother, let my brother go back to our hometown. We can still live in our old house."
Xu Guihua's heart skipped a beat and then sank heavily. She hadn't expected Xu Jin'an to dare say such a thing, that he would say the same thing as his worthless daughter. Xu Guihua's eyes widened in anger: "You want to send your brother back to Baici Village? You, you unfilial son, what sins did I commit to give birth to such a thing as you?"
Xu Guihua's voice was not suppressed and carried outside.
Guo Ailian glanced nervously at Xue Ping, feeling somewhat annoyed. She had already told her mother-in-law to talk things out with her brother-in-law properly, so how did they end up arguing?
Xu Yunyun gritted her teeth in pain, but Guo Ailian's hand did not loosen its grip at all, pinching Xu Yunyun's wrist until it turned red.
"Mom, it hurts..."
Xu Yunyun's eyes were filled with tears, and she cried out in pain.
Xue Ping glanced at Guo Ailian with a sarcastic expression, but said nothing.
Inside the house.
Xu Jinan lowered his head, recalling what Xu Nuo had told him.
They're pushing their luck.
Things will inevitably turn around.
For the first time, Xu Jin'an firmly refused Xu Guihua's request: "You are my mother, I will take care of you and support you. After your elder brother returns to Baici Village, if you don't want to go back, you can stay here. Xue Ping and I will take care of you."
Xu Guihua, her eyes red and swollen, looked like she was about to explode with anger: "You unfilial son, you rebellious child, you'll get your retribution! No wonder you're childless and can't have any descendants..."
Xu Jin'an couldn't hold back any longer and growled, "Mother!"
Xu Guihua realized that what she had said was inappropriate and stopped talking.
Bang.
Xu Jinan had already slammed the door and left.
The atmosphere in the living room became awkward and dejected, but Xue Ping secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The sick cat's sudden outburst left Xu Guihua stunned for quite some time.
Her hands and feet trembled slightly as she sat down on the edge of the bed.
Things were completely out of control, and she didn't know what to do.
…
With the college entrance examination just around the corner, Xu Nuo still sets aside some time each day to review.
She is a person who does not follow a plan when studying. She prepares notes for every subject and will choose whichever subject she wants to study that day.
Li Xian fumigated the room to make sure there were no mosquitoes, and seeing her quietly writing at the table, he quietly left.
He broke off a few cucumber vines from the yard, washed and peeled them, cut them into small pieces, and sprinkled a spoonful of white sugar on them. The taste was sweet and refreshing.
The water was bubbling in the kettle. A spoonful of malted milk powder was scooped out of the jar and dissolved in hot water.
Li Xianduan left the container in the yard to air out for a while before bringing it inside.
Xu Nuo was writing words when she saw the cucumber salad in his hand and smiled as she opened her mouth towards him.
Li Xian's eyes softened. He put a piece of malted milk powder in her mouth, placed it beside her hand, and said softly, "You can drink it now."
Xu Nuo picked up the cup and took a sip. It tasted like sweet milk, like afternoon coffee, both relaxing and leisurely.
Li Xian sat beside her, flipping through her review book while handing her something to eat.
Xu Nuo took the candied cucumber into her small mouth, brushed her tongue across her sugar-coated lips, savored the sweetness, and then remained there motionless.
Li Xian tapped his knuckles on the table and said with a hint of amusement, "Nuonuo."
The person who was daydreaming immediately lowered their head to read, a hint of embarrassment at being caught distracted on the lips.
Li Xian looked at her slightly reddened ears, and felt a warmth in his heart.
One hour was the minimum study time Xu Nuo set for herself. When the clock struck 8:30, she cheered, threw down her pen, and excitedly pounced on her bed.
He lay sprawled on the bed, flailing his arms and legs like he was rowing a boat.
Li Xian chuckled: "Aren't you tired?"
Xu Nuo immediately nodded, looking aggrieved: "Tired, studying is so tiring."
The next moment, strong fingertips landed on her shoulder, kneading it gently. Xu Nuo let out a comfortable sigh and closed her eyes.
After a while, Xu Nuo raised her little face, stretched comfortably, hugged Li Xian's neck, and said in a sweet voice.
"Okay, I'm alive again."
He pulled her onto his lap and asked softly, "Do you want to take a shower today?"
She nodded: "Yes."
He glanced at her: "You can't wash your hair."
We were supposed to wash her hair today, but Xu Nuo slept until late at night and her hair wasn't washed.
She puffed out her cheeks.
He gently stroked the tail of her delicate eyebrows with his fingertips: "I'll help you wash them tomorrow."
"All right."
Li Xian stood up to boil water and put the person in her arms into the quilt, but Xu Nuo hugged her neck and wouldn't let go, saying in a sweet voice, "I want to go with you."
A voice came from above: "Okay."
Li Xian carried her to the kitchen, fetched water twice, and poured a full pot of it.
Both of them wanted to take a bath, but the water was taking a long time to heat up, so they went to the yard to look at the stars.
This era was materially scarce, and compared to later generations, it could be described as monotonous and impoverished, but the starry night sky was something that the 21st century had never seen before.
The stars twinkled, both familiar and strange.
Xu Nuo looked up, somewhat bewildered.
She rarely thought about why she was here, or how the other world was now. But now, deep under such a vast starry sky, she couldn't help but feel a little curious.
Why is she here?
A thin blanket with a floral scent was placed on her shoulders, and Li Xian wrapped her up tightly, lifting her from the chair to his lap.
She leaned against his chest, and he rested his head against hers.
She gazed at the stars, lost in thought.
He looked at the person in his arms, not thinking about anything.
Her brow was gently pressed by rough fingertips, as if to erase her sorrow.
"Nuonuo, are you unhappy?"
Xu Nuo shook her head, turned around, and hugged him.
She seemed to know why she was there.
Neither of them spoke, yet they seemed to have exchanged a thousand words in silence.
After a while, Li Xian tucked her stray hairs behind her ear and said softly, "Nuonuo, the water is ready."
…
Li Xian diluted the hot water to lukewarm water and still carried it into the room.
He then took a shower while standing in the ditch behind the kitchen.
Li Xian used the soap Xu Nuo gave him. After washing, he had a sweet fragrance on his body. He felt a little awkward and stood outside for a while to enjoy the breeze.
"Li Xian, I'm all better now."
Hearing the sound, he ran to the door in two steps. Seeing Xu Nuo barefoot on the floor, his eyes darkened. He bent down, picked her up, and carried her to the bed. He pulled his clothes and wiped the water off her feet.
"Don't get down, I'm going to get some water."
"Hmm." Xu Nuo turned over and lay on her side on the bed, watching him busily clean the room two or three times.
Li Xian wiped his forehead and saw her lying on the bed staring at him. He sat down next to her and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Nuo's fair and delicate fingertips hooked onto the hem of his clothes and swayed: "Will you sleep with me?"
Li Xian took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and nodded: "Okay."
He climbed onto the bed, pulled her into his arms, and gently placed his palm on her back.
Xu Nuo slept all afternoon and was full of energy, not sleepy at all. She looked up at him and said, "I can't sleep right now."
Li Xian chuckled and pinched her little nose: "So what are you going to do?"
If I don't sleep, it means I need him to keep me company and talk to me.
Xu Nuo was like a chattering little sparrow, sometimes telling him jokes, sometimes suddenly wanting to tell him ghost stories.
He paused, then said, "You'll be scared in a moment."
Xu Nuo shook her head confidently: "No, no, I've heard this story several times."
She was naturally telling the story of the internet celebrity woman in red in the ghost story world, but halfway through the story, Li Xianxin remained unmoved, while she herself became terrified.
She snuggled into Li Xian's arms, her voice soft, "I'm scared."
Thinking of how this person who had just been so confident was now so afraid, it was both funny and pitiful. Li Xian held her head to his chest and whispered to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
She stirred in his arms, lifted her head, and her warm breath brushed against his Adam's apple. Suddenly, her thoughts jumped: "Li Xian, let's catch rabbits tomorrow."
rabbit?
Li Xian nodded: "Okay."
"Duan San said you're really good at catching rabbits, you can catch several at once."
Li Xianlai placed his palm on the top of her head: "If you set a trap, the rabbit will take the bait."
Xu Nuo smiled and rubbed her head against his palm: "This is called waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump."
After saying that, he let out a big yawn.
Li Xian lowered his head and kissed the forehead of the person in his arms, his voice full of affection: "Nuonuo, go to sleep."
Her voice was soft and sleepy: "You have to wake me up tomorrow."
"good."
"Remember to wash my hair."
"good."
Li Xian listened to her even breathing, his palm still gently pressing on her back.
The night was quiet, with fireflies twinkling in the air.
Peaceful and serene.
…
The next day, Xu Nuo couldn't get up early. She slept until the sun was high in the sky. The production team dug up two acres of land and planted bean seedlings, while Li Xian chopped down a pile of new timber.
Duan San came again.
When Duan San arrived, Li Xian was shirtless, chopping firewood outside in the yard.
Upon seeing him, she frowned slightly: "Why are you here?"
Duan San paused, looking heartbroken: How much does Brother Li despise him?
Seeing Li Xian standing at the courtyard gate, Duan San didn't go in. He said with a grin, "The pumpkins and apples from yesterday are all sold out. I saw they were selling very well. I came to talk to your brother Li and see if there are any more stock."
Li Xian glanced at the other pile of pumpkins in the yard, worried that going in to move them would disturb the people inside, so he said, "Come back in a few days."
"Okay, here's the money from these past few days, Brother Li."
Duan San was beaming with pride as he talked about how he'd been making so much money lately.
"And the Gao family's side, they're almost done too. As for the land, Brother Li, do you have time this afternoon to go take a look?"
Li Xian shook his head: "No."
Duan San asked casually, "What's up?"
Li Xian didn't say anything, only that "I'll go check in a few days and leave half the land for barley."
Duan San was taken aback: "Barley? Barley doesn't grow well in that field."
Li Xian's voice was as deep as ever, yet it was very convincing: "I have a way."
Li Xian said he had a way, and Duan San didn't doubt it at all. As he was about to leave, he reminded him, "Eighth Master told you to be careful these few days. When you deliver the goods in a few days, take Liu Chun with you. He's more clever."
Li Xian's eyes were deep, and he nodded, lost in thought.
After Duan San left, he stood there for a while before slowly walking inside.
He sat down on the stool he usually used for whittling wood, his eyes lowered, lost in thought.
"Li Xian."
The person lost in their own world immediately snapped out of it, looked at her, and their gaze softened: "Nuonuo, you're awake."
He strode over.
"Um."
Xu Nuo leaned against the door, nestled softly in his arms, and looked up to ask him, "What were you doing sitting there just now?"
Li Xian smoothed her hair and shook his head: "No, are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry." She smiled and nodded.
Li Xian steamed two eggs for her.
After breakfast, the hot water in the pot had just boiled. Li Xian scooped it out, added cold water, and tested it several times before deciding that the temperature was suitable.
He beckoned to Xu Nuo: "Nuonuo, come and test the water."
Xu Nuo walked over and put her hand into the water.
He asked, "Is it hot?"
"It's not hot."
"good."
Li Xian carried the water to the yard.
He had never washed a girl's hair before; he usually washed his own hair by simply rinsing it with a ladle.
When it was Xu Nuo's turn to be washed, they were at a loss.
It took almost half an hour to wash her hair clean.
Some water had just fallen on her face, so Li Xian first used a towel to wash her face before using a dry cloth to wring out her hair.
With a flick of the wrist, water droplets dripped from the wet hair.
Xu Nuo sat on a small chair, holding the warm water that Li Xian had poured for her, and sipped it little by little.
Li Xian stood behind her, wrapped his wet hair in a towel, and gently rubbed and dried it for about half an hour until it was completely dry.
His gaze fell on the comb, and he picked it up and gently combed her hair.
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