It was still the same brown oil paper, wrapped in an old cotton cloth and tied with a thin hemp rope. Everything was the same as the vague memory of childhood. But the hand was drier and trembling, almost causing the roast chicken to fall to the ground.

Xia Xiao lowered his head and looked at the boss in the window, and said as usual:

"Grandma, I'll give you the money later."

The pair of cloudy old eyes made Xia Xiao burst into tears. When they looked at each other, the old woman was extremely excited, but she stammered and couldn't speak.

"Grandma, my eldest brother will be back soon."

After Xia Xiao finished speaking, he smiled, picked up the roasted chicken, and turned away. The old woman sat on the chair behind the window, stunned for a long time, crying and laughing at the same time. The Xia family is back! Back! Among the countless officials in the imperial capital, only the Xia family eats the roasted chicken they make. Now, that family is back again!

The old woman thought about it and got busy. It seemed that she had to prepare some good local chickens. When they came back, she had to show her appreciation and add some snacks for them.

Walking out of the alley, Xia Xiao let out a heavy breath. He missed his childhood so much, but it would be too embarrassing to cry in front of an old man.

"Wipe it."

Shu Shuang handed over a handkerchief, but Xia Xiao just wiped his tearful eyes with his sleeve.

"fine."

A carriage was parked at the gate of Xia's mansion, and two people were standing under the eaves with two large jars of wine at their feet.

Seeing Xia Xiao coming, the two of them hurriedly saluted.

"Third Young Master, we are here to deliver wine as ordered."

Although the trip seemed short, it actually lasted only two hours, and Si Ta and the others had all finished their exams and returned home.

"Move to the back room."

"yes."

The two of them pushed open the door and walked in front, while Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang walked behind. When Xia Xiao stepped into the threshold, he felt more at ease, but looking at the overgrown yard, it no longer looked like it used to.

Because my mother and second sister were there, the courtyard at home was not the best in the capital, but it was also unique. But at this time, the trees were dead, weeds climbed up the wall, and the bricks and stones below were red.

Xia Xiao paused and looked at the red bricks. They were not originally like that, nor were they dyed with that color. Instead, they were the wronged souls of hundreds of Xia family servants. They had always been here, becoming part of the house, waiting for their master to return home.

When Xia Xiao returned at this time, he had a very mysterious feeling. There was an unknown fluctuation in the familiar surroundings, and the raindrops in the sky trembled, as if to welcome him.

The raindrops falling from the sky gradually became bigger and more violent, making the red umbrella crackle, which was frightening.

After stepping onto the steps and entering the hall, Xia Xiao put away his umbrella and looked up at the roof. Although there were spider webs everywhere, at least it didn't leak. The house had been left for two years and had been exposed to the wind and sun, but there were no holes. It was pretty good!

Xia Xiao lowered his eyes to look at the spacious front hall. Although it was empty, there were two rows of seats and famous paintings that his father liked hung on the wall.

On the day he was driven out of the imperial capital, this place was just like the Zhu Mansion before. All the money, famous paintings and antiques in the house were taken away, and the more exquisite tables and chairs were taken home by the people. Even the exquisite rivets and hooks on the pillars were taken away. This was so cruel that Xia Xiao could hardly imagine the sickness of those people.

The ground was covered with dust, and because of the return of Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang, two water trails were left. They were scattered in the house, standing out in the thick dust and mud. Xia Xiao dealt with it for a long time, and waited for the two servants to come from the back room, and said:

"Don't close the door."

"yes!"

The door of the Xia Mansion has been closed for too long, it's time to open it.

Watching them leave and seeing the vermilion gate with peeling paint, Xia Xiao felt mixed emotions.

Taking a step forward and walking onto the side corridor, Xia Xiao started talking again.

"This used to be a wisteria corridor with some grapes planted beside it. It was a beautiful sight every summer."

"There used to be fruit trees here, mostly apples. When my father and eldest brother were not at home, my mother and second sister would be busy reading and planting trees all day. Although that kind of life was plain, it was warm and fulfilling."

Young children always want to be different, but when they reach a certain age, they understand that there are also difficulties in having a high status. Xia Xiao is still a child now, but he doesn't look like a child.

If one day, he knew who sealed him, and completed his mission as a person who came from afar, he would definitely return here, plant flowers and trees, and spend the rest of his life there. But it was too far away to think about that now, and he should be bolder at this age.

He pushed open the old door that made an unpleasant sound, and there was nothing inside. Then, Xia Xiao pointed to the front and said:

"This is father and mother's room, this is eldest brother's room, the one over there is second sister's, and mine is in the backyard."

In the past, Xia Xiao was mentally retarded. To protect him, Xia Jinghong made him live in the deepest part of the Xia Mansion, connected to the backyard. When he opened the door, he could see several peach trees. Xia Xiao was most concerned about them at this time. If the peach trees were still there, he could enjoy the flowers and drink wine tonight, which would be a special pleasure. If they were not there, he would get drunk with the beauties and have fun by the fire.

The Xia Mansion was not particularly large, after all, it was only the residence of a fourth-rank official. Xia Xiao quickly came to the door of his room and looked at the deserted courtyard in the rain.

The front yard was not spared, nor was the backyard. The two rows of trees were bare because no one cared for them, and only a few pitiful leaf buds grew. The weeds around them, which were madly absorbing nutrients, were growing well, but they only added to the desolation.

The heavy rain washed away the peach trees, which were weak and swayed wildly, leaving the beautiful peach blossom scenery only in Xia Xiao's memory. Even if he saw the distant scene again, the taste would have changed.

Xia Xiao looked at the stone table under the tree and thought about the past.

His family had tried their best to find a doctor for him, but to no avail after ten years. He had taken so many medicines that he became like a medicine jar. Once, Xia Jinghong came back from the north and saw Xia Xiao crying while holding a medicine bowl. He refused to drink the medicine and gave up the idea of ​​treating him.

As parents, we naturally hope that our children will grow up strong and become successful, but we also hope that they will be healthy and happy. Children who cannot speak clearly may be lucky, because at least they don't have to worry about everything and be cautious at every step.

Unexpectedly, within a few days of making this decision, Xia Xiao was struck by lightning. It was also a rainy day, just like any other day, but my father said that the clouds that day were colorful, which was very strange.

After that, Xia Xiao truly opened his eyes to the world and sat under the peach tree with his family to eat. The five members of the family cried during the meal, but it was very sweet to think about it.

His mother and second sister always picked food for Xia Xiao, which touched him. If Xia Xiao hadn't just arrived and had memories of the past, he would have thought they wanted to murder him. No one had ever been so nice to him!

Under the pale pink peach tree, petals were scattered, and his father and elder brother were careful to touch his head from time to time. The general who could fight against a hundred people on the battlefield showed his sorrow and tenderness on the stone table.

Because of that meal, Xia Xiao decided to give up his past life. Also because of the person who had dinner with him, Xia Xiao decided to make his family proud. But when he greeted the person who came from afar, he found that he had no vitality fluctuations.

The things that happened later will become a tad too complicated to talk about any more.

Xia Xiao sighed and murmured:

"Father's wish to drink under the peach tree was dashed."

He turned around, pushed open the door, and dust flew everywhere.

Walking into the room, Xia Xiao stamped his feet, and the dust immediately dispersed, revealing a clean space. Xia Xiao put down the roasted chicken in his hand and wanted to find something to lean on, but the room was empty, with nothing left.

"Why--"

Xia Xiao brought the wine over and took down a window and piled them together.

"I'll drink with you tonight."

Shu Shuang said, Xia Xiao nodded with a smile, put his palm into the wood, and immediately a flame ignited and lit it. The room was too dark, so there had to be a fire.

Facing the firelight, Xia Xiao unwrapped the roast chicken and handed it to Shu Shuang. Because it was wrapped in old cotton cloth, even though it had been walking in the rain for so long, it was still steaming and smelled delicious, which aroused people's appetite.

"Si Ta was smart for once and sent two bowls."

He placed the bowls by the fire and poured two bowls of wine. He handed a cup to Shu Shuang and said with a smile:

"If Master knew I got you drunk like this, he would definitely not forgive me."

"No."

Shu Shuang and Xia Xiao clinked their glasses, and a few drops of wine sparkled in the firelight, falling to the ground and splashing some dust. After taking a sip of the wine, Xia Xiao exclaimed, "It's so refreshing."

The wine that Si Ta sent was indeed excellent. Although Xia Xiao didn't know much about wine, it didn't make his throat spicy. It was not like what they drank in Longgang, which was only spicy and had no mellow flavor. Shu Shuang knew what Xia Xiao was thinking, so she tore off the chicken leg with him, coated it with ground chili powder, and took a bite.

“It smells good.”

Shu Shuang knew when to respond to Xia Xiao, if for no other reason than to make Xia Xiao happy.

When he first entered the house, Xia Xiao was shivering all over, not sure if it was because he was too excited or because he was a little cold. But now there was wine and meat, plus the burning fire, which warmed him up.

After working so hard for so long, Xia Xiao finally succeeded. He didn't know how to celebrate that Zhu Jia and Si Bu Wen received the punishment they deserved, but he couldn't just let it go. Xia Xiao paid too much to get to where he is today. In the end, he wanted to get drunk. If he didn't enjoy drinking at noon, he would drink again at night!