After lunch, Xu Xiu planned to leave first. He wanted to visit his grandfather and maternal grandfather for the New Year. He would wait for her in the county town the next morning. Zhang Aixiang was going to the county town to buy some things tomorrow, and she and Ruoyan would go to the county town together.
After waiting for a long time at the village entrance without seeing anyone go to the county, Xu Xiu felt that it was rare to find a village like this in this era.
The county has already relocated most of the people from remote areas to the county seat, and many villages like Xiao Ruoyan's have long been abandoned.
It's only a matter of time before they move here. Maybe they won't even need to build roads anymore. The whole village will have to relocate. There weren't many households left in the village anyway.
In the end, having no other choice, Zhang Aixiang had to find a neighbor and ask him to take Xu Xiu out by chartered car.
Xu Xiu recognized the person and exclaimed, "Oh, it's Brother Zhang!"
"Hey bro, it's you! You should have said so earlier. Why would I charge you for a ride? Come on, get in the car."
Seeing how familiar the two were, Zhang Aixiang and Xiao Liang were also puzzled. They glanced at Xiao Ruoyan and saw that she was also shaking her head blankly.
After Xu Xiu got on the vehicle and said goodbye to them, Zhang Tianxiang stepped on the gas and the three-wheeled motorcycle sped off like lightning, startling Xu Xiu.
Along the way, Xu Xiu began asking Zhang Tianxiang about the road from the village to the county, the exact number of kilometers, and the approximate cost, if it was a paved road.
Zhang Tianxiang had previously liaised with the county authorities, so he was quite familiar with these matters.
He didn't think much of it and just assumed the young man was curious, so he was simply helping him answer the question.
Back in the county, Xu Xiu took out several red paper money from his person and forced it on Zhang Tianxiang.
Zhang Tianxiang firmly declined, but Xu Xiu said he would hire Zhang Tianxiang's car from now on and might even need Zhang Tianxiang to come and pick him up.
He also asked him to help bring Xiao Ruoyan and Zhang Aixiang out tomorrow.
Zhang Tianxiang then accepted the money, assuring him that he could rest assured and that he would definitely deliver the mother and daughter safely to the county the next day.
Originally, everyone used mobile payments, but when he returned to the countryside, Xu Xiu still habitually carried some cash in his bag in case of emergencies. Moreover, the signal was poor in the mountains, and he was worried about losing the signal.
The hundreds of millions of dollars in cash in his own account are just for show.
Xu Xiu went to his grandfather's house. As soon as he entered, he saw Xu Zhiyuan standing in the yard, holding a ruler and looking at him...
"What's the date today, you brat? You're not even coming home for New Year's Eve?"
"I heard he was even beaten up?"
“How can my grandson, Xu Zhiyuan’s grandson, be beaten? Back in Shixian County, I was the one who beat others.”
Seeing his grandfather's fierce appearance, Xu Xiu quickly took out a pot of good wine, which he had specially bought from a family-run winery.
Upon seeing the wine in Xu Xiu's hand, Xu Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, "You brat, quickly hide the wine, lest your grandma sees it!"
"You old fool, I saw it! Why are you still trying to hide the wine?"
Then he snatched the ruler from his grandfather's hand and started hitting Xu Zhiyuan with it.
Xu Xiu wisely closed the courtyard gate and left.
He thought to himself, "So Dad learned to steal wine from Grandpa."
Not long after, Bai Guanying opened the courtyard gate and let Xu Xiu in, then asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch and she would make it.
"Grandma's three favorite dishes."
"I knew your tastes hadn't changed."
"You play chess with your grandpa, and I'll go to the market to buy some groceries. I'll also call your maternal grandparents over so they won't get jealous."
After saying that, Bai Guanying picked up a canvas bag and left.
"General..."
"Wait, I've gone to the wrong place."
"General..."
"Oh dear, my eyes are playing tricks on me, I picked up the wrong one."
"General..."
"You brat, can't you give in to your grandpa? Don't you know the meaning of respecting elders and caring for the young?"
"General..."
Seeing his grandfather's dark face, Xu Zheng said seriously, "Grandpa, letting you win is disrespectful to you. I will never hold back when playing chess with you."
"I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore, I have no energy for it."
Xu Xiu was both amused and exasperated by Xu Zhiyuan's nonchalant attitude.
Just as the two were joking with each other, the grandparents walked into the yard from outside.
Xu Xiu quickly stood up and said, "Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma."
Then take out two red envelopes.
"The Lunar New Year hasn't even arrived yet."
"What kind of red envelope?"
Grandpa Fang Liao said with a smile.
Xu Zhiyuan remarked sourly from the side, "Grandchildren are never as close as maternal grandchildren."
"Grandpa, what are you saying? I prepared this for you a long time ago, but I was afraid that Grandma would confiscate it."
Xu Zhiyuan: "......"
Xu Xiu didn't buy much this time, so he simply gave a few small red envelopes for the elders to buy themselves. They wouldn't accept envelopes that were too big, so it was just a token gesture.
While the four of them were chatting in the yard, Grandma came in carrying a large pile of groceries.
Xu Xiu quickly stepped forward to take the dishes and went straight to the kitchen to start working. Xu Zhiyuan watched Xu Xiu's busy figure and sighed to Fang Liao, "This kid seems to have grown up overnight."
"Yes, the changes are so great that I hardly recognize it."
"Isn't it good that your grandson is getting better? Aren't you two happy?"
Shi Dingxiang chimed in from the side.
When the meal was ready, Xu Xiu carried the plate and called everyone to eat. At the table, he offered tea instead of wine to the elders. Looking at them, Xu Xiu recalled the unbearable events of his past life.
It could be said that he indirectly caused the deaths of the four old people in his previous life. Recently, he has been thinking that in his previous life, he blamed others and never looked for problems within himself.
They always blame this and that, never considering whether they are right or wrong.
After dinner, he played a few rounds of mahjong with his grandparents and maternal grandparents, and lost so much that even his own mother didn't recognize him.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was deliberately losing money; with his luck today, he might win the lottery...
Fang An called and invited me to his house for drinks that night, and I could sleep there since I was off work today.
After finishing the mahjong game and saying goodbye to the four elders, I went straight to the market to buy some vegetables.
Upon arriving at his cousin's house, Fang An heard Xu Xiu preparing to show off his skills and looked at him with an incredulous expression.
"Xiu, when did you learn to cook?"
"Is what you cooked edible? Should I order takeout in advance?"
"Brother, who do you look down on?"
"Okay, let's bet five hundred dollars, and you'll be the referee."
Upon hearing this, Fang An immediately nodded in agreement, thinking that money delivered to one's doorstep was too good to pass up.
Watching Xu Xiu cook, he couldn't help but wonder, "This kid looks pretty professional, could he actually cook?"
Fang An can cook, but he doesn't cook very often, and the taste is just average. So he doesn't believe that a college student can cook, and that his dishes can be very delicious.
But reality is cruel, and the slap in the face came quickly. Xu Xiu prepared three dishes and a soup.
Fang An picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and fell silent. Then, he quietly took out his phone and transferred five hundred yuan to Xu Xiu...
Xu Xiu didn't accept it; he was just joking.
The two drank and chatted about their recent experiences. After learning that Xu Xiu was in a relationship, Fang An kept asking to see photos of his sister-in-law.
Xu Xiu had no choice but to open the photo album on his phone and show it to him.
It would have been better if he hadn't looked at it; once he saw the photo, Fang An was completely speechless.
After having a few drinks, he started cursing, "It's outrageous! Xiu, how come you can find such a beautiful girlfriend while I'm still single?"
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