In addition to Ruan Xi, the childhood friend who was shouting, there were other people who were shouting as well. After hearing this, Ruan Zhigao, Liu Xinghua and Ruan Cuizhi hurried out of the house and followed the others to go directly to the road to meet them.
After walking a short distance, they saw a group of people walking on the mountain road from afar. Surrounded in the middle were their eldest son Ruan Changfu and eldest daughter-in-law Feng Xiuying.
Ruan Changfu stood out among the crowd in his military uniform. He was tall to begin with, and the military uniform made him look even more majestic and upright.
Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua both had glory and smiles on their faces, and they stood straight with pride.
Ruan Changfu is the only golden phoenix that has flown out of their village. He is an honor to the Ruan family, and also a face and glory to the entire Fengyan Village.
Ruan Changfu's return this time was even more joyful and lively than Ruan Changsheng's wedding, and the whole village was in an uproar. Many people in the village came forward to greet them, and they shouted "chief" and surrounded them as they went to the Ruan family.
Although there were four pockets on Ruan Changfu's military uniform, he was friendly and amiable without any airs. No matter who spoke, he would reply with a smile. Sometimes what he said was so funny that everyone around him would laugh.
Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui were also standing next to Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua at this time, enjoying the honor and glory brought by Ruan Changfu. Of course, they both have more on their mind, for example, jealousy.
Sun Xiaohui often said: If Ruan Changgui had joined the army, these good days would have been theirs.
Because Ruan Changfu came back, everyone in the village, whether related or not, was excited. However, Ruan Xi, who had the closest relationship with Ruan Changfu, sat in the corner without getting up, and continued to eat her melon seeds, as if she was here to watch the fun.
The childhood friend saw her eating melon seeds without saying anything and walked away, still squeezing into the crowd to see Ruan Changfu. After a while, Ruan Jie came over again and said excitedly, "Sister, uncle and aunt are back, don't you want to go see them?"
Ruan Xi was so focused on eating sunflower seeds that she didn't even raise her eyelids. "If I don't know him, I won't go."
Ruan Jie was stunned - how could one not recognize his own parents? But seeing Ruan Xi like this, she didn't say anything else. She didn't even dare to be happy or excited anymore, and wiped away the smile on her face.
Originally, she thought that Ruan Xi would be the happiest person when her uncle and aunt came back. Since Ruan Xi didn't feel happy, then she wouldn't feel happy either.
They were unhappy, but Ruan Zhigao, Liu Xinghua and the villagers stood together and listened to the flattery for a long time. They had smiles on their faces and couldn't close their mouths even if they wanted to. Their backs became straighter.
When Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying approached, they heard the words "Mom and Dad" from afar. The old couple smiled and looked radiant.
When they got closer, Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua treated Ruan Changfu like a distinguished guest rather than a son. They smiled and asked, "It's not easy on the road. Are you tired?"
Feng Xiuying's appearance had not changed much. Like Ruan Xi, she had a small face and a small body, but she looked a lot older. She still had the reserve and simplicity of a country girl when she smiled. She looked at Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua and said, "It's OK, but Xiaobing is a little uncomfortable."
As she spoke, she shook the little boy in her hand and called him, "Come on, call grandpa and grandma."
The little boy, who looked about six or seven years old, looked up at Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua and called out, "Grandpa, Grandma."
Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua smiled with great enthusiasm and joy, looking at the doll and saying, "Hey, it's really good."
There were still many people at home who needed to say hello. Ruan Changgui smiled and said, "Brother, you are finally back."
Ruan Changfu went over and patted his shoulder, "Thank you for taking care of the family over the years."
Ruan Changgui felt guilty after hearing this, but his smile remained and he said nothing.
Then Sun Xiaohui and Ruan Cuizhi greeted Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying one after another. They had not seen each other for many years and were not as cordial as before. There was a visible sense of strangeness and politeness in their conversations, but of course the enthusiasm and respect were real.
After Ruan Cuizhi greeted Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying, Sun Xiaohui patted Ruan Yuejin and Ruan Yuehua.
Ruan Yuejin and Ruan Yuehua understood and looked at Ruan Changfu and said in unison: "Uncle, Aunt."
After the two of them greeted each other, Liu Xinghua realized that Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie were not there. I thought the two girls had gone off to play somewhere, but when I turned around, I saw them sitting against the wall at home eating melon seeds, as if nothing had happened.
Liu Xinghua then called out, "Xiaoxi, Xiaojie, what are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, Ruan Xi raised her head, looked at Liu Xinghua, squinted her eyes and said, "Grandma, I'm eating melon seeds."
Liu Xinghua: “…”
This kid!
She smiled and said, "Your parents are back, come quickly."
Ruan Jie first stood up and ran over to greet Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying: "Uncle and aunt, you are back."
Everyone's eyes were on her, and Ruan Xi had no choice but to go. So she slowly stood up from the bench, brushed off the corners of her clothes and sleeves, walked to Liu Xinghua, lowered her head and did not look at Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying.
Liu Xinghua gently touched her arm and called her: "Don't you recognize your own parents? Call them mom and dad."
Ruan Xi smiled slightly, raised her head and said politely: "Hello."
The originally lively atmosphere froze for a moment, and a trace of embarrassment flashed across Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying's faces.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not going to get any more tense, Liu Xinghua hurriedly said with a smile, "Don't just stand there. Come inside and have a drink of water."
As they talked, the atmosphere became lively again, and people crowded around Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying into the house.
After entering the house and sitting down, we naturally started chatting. With so many people coming from the village, one sentence from each person would be enough to keep us talking for several days.
Ruan Xi did not follow him in, but sat down on the small bench. She is a teenager, and adults won't take it too seriously, especially in such a big occasion, no one will pay much attention to a child.
Ling Yao was still sitting there. Seeing her sit down, he stretched out his hand to her, with a piece of fruit candy in his palm.
Ruan Xi smiled and then peeled off the candy wrapper and put the candy in her mouth, letting the tip of her tongue taste the sweetness of the fruit.
After a moment, she looked at Ling Yao and said, "I forgot that I am sixteen years old this year."
Sixteen years old was a turning point in her fate, and it was the age when her parents took her to the city. The leisurely and fulfilling days in the countryside had lasted for too long, she was relaxed, carefree and happy, and she almost forgot about this part of the original plot.
Sometimes when her family members mentioned the eldest son, Ruan Changfu, she subconsciously felt that it had nothing to do with her.
After all, he is not her biological father, so she really can't be sensitive about it.
It turned out that they came back to celebrate Ruan Changsheng's wedding.
Ling Yao asked her in a low voice: "Do you blame them?"
Ruan Xi held the candy in her mouth and smiled at Ling Yao, "No blame, no feeling, we are not familiar with each other."
She really didn't know them and had no feelings for them, including her original self, so she didn't feel familiar with them, only strangeness and alienation, and no other special feeling.
There is no resentment at all, after all, the original body has no resentment towards them in his heart.
If it was her original self instead of her who faced Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying today, she would be very happy because her parents finally came back and it was so prestigious that everyone in the village envied her.
Thinking of this, she subconsciously took a deep breath and slowly pinched her fingers together.
At this time, Ruan Cuizhi came out of the house, came over to Ruan Xi, squatted down, and whispered to her: "Xiaoxi, why don't you go in and talk to your parents? They finally came back."
Ruan Xi smiled, looked into Ruan Cuizhi's eyes, and shook his head, "There's nothing to say."
Ruan Cuizhi held her hand and squeezed it, wanting to say something but not saying anything. She touched her head and got up and went in.
As the golden phoenix of the Fengyan Brigade, Ruan Changfu has never been short of people from the Ruan family since he settled down at home. Almost everyone in the village came to see him, especially the elderly and middle-aged men, who all came to talk to him.
As the leader's wife, Feng Xiuying sat beside him, holding her youngest son Ruan Hongbing's hand.
Apart from saying "Hello", Ruan Xi did not go to Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying again until they sat down to eat in the evening. It’s not that I’m avoiding them on purpose, but I’m just not going in front of them on purpose.
She was originally a neglected daughter, so why should she seek a sense of existence?
When they sat down to eat in the evening, Ruan Xi sat next to Ruan Jie and ate normally as usual. When the adults were talking, she and Ruan Jie, as children, could not interrupt and so kept silent.
Because Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying came back, and because of Ruan Changsheng's marriage, Ruan Changgui's family ate together these days and did not cook separately. We will have dinner together tonight, of course.
Ruan Changgui was still very polite to his elder brother Ruan Changfu. While eating, he smiled and said, "Little Wuzi will be home tomorrow to pick up the bride. We thought you wouldn't have time to come back, but you suddenly came home. We were very surprised."
Ruan Changfu said: "I have been so busy that I can't get away. It's rare that I can take some time off to come back for a few days."
This is understandable. Ruan Zhigao continued, "Once you join the army, you belong to the country. You should put the country's affairs first. You can't do whatever you want. You don't need to worry about your family. It doesn't matter whether you come back or not."
Ruan Changfu looked at Ruan Zhigao and said, "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your understanding."
Liu Xinghua was indeed understanding and didn't feel any emotion about him not coming back all these years. After all, it is not easy to raise a promising son. They hope that he can fly farther, have a greater future, and never return to this valley.
She only talked to him about family matters and asked him, "Are those children left at home?"
Ruan Changfu nodded and said, "It's not a holiday. We all have to go to school. It's really inconvenient, so I didn't bring it with me."
Liu Xinghua could understand, "It's really not easy to come back."
It takes two or three days to take the train, then change trains to the county town, then walk back to the town, which takes another two or three days.
Feng Xiuying didn't say anything at the side. When she talked about the child, she looked at Ruan Xi. Seeing that Ruan Xi was just concentrating on eating, she stretched out her chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and put it into Ruan Xi's bowl. When Ruan Xi raised his head, she smiled at him.
Ruan Xi met Feng Xiuying's eyes and smile, and just laughed dryly, and said in an even drier voice: "Thank you."
Feng Xiuying couldn't help feeling embarrassed by the unfamiliar and distant politeness, just like the "Hello" she heard in the evening, but she said nothing. After all, she and Ruan Xi hadn't seen each other for many years, so they were no different from strangers.
The adults were still talking about this at the dinner table.
As they were talking, they came to the question of where to stay at night. Since there was limited space at home, Ruan Zhigao and Ruan Changgui discussed and decided to let Ruan Yuejin and Ruan Yuehua sleep on the floor in his room tonight, and give the room to Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying.
There were no other rooms in the house, so Feng Xiuying asked curiously, "Where do Xiaoxi and Xiaojie live?"
Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie did not say anything. Ruan Cuizhi took over and said, "Xiao Xi and Xiao Jie and I have a place to live. You don't have to worry, sister-in-law. You can just stay there and don't worry about us."
They haven't been back for many years, so they are here as a guest, so naturally they can only follow the arrangements.
So Feng Xiuying said, "Okay."
In the evening, Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying washed up and prepared to go to bed, but their youngest son Ruan Hongbing was already asleep.
The surroundings finally quieted down. Feng Xiuying and Ruan Changfu talked about Ruan Xi and said, "Did you notice that Xiaoxi blames us? She came back for quite a while and she didn't even call us mom and dad, let alone talk to us."
Ruan Changfu got on the bed and said, "When we get to the city, we'll slowly make it up to her."
Feng Xiuying took a breath and lay down, "This is the only way."
The reason they took the time to come back this time, in addition to attending Ruan Changsheng's wedding, was also to bring Ruan Xi to the city. I applied for a bigger house a few years ago, and now I have the conditions to move her in.
After bringing her to the city, I can slowly develop feelings for her and make up for what I have owed her over the years.
Under the same night sky, Ruan Cuizhi, Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie went to the tailor shop to wash up and were preparing to go to bed.
Ruan Jie has never had trouble sleeping, and she was very tired these days, so she fell asleep soon after she lay down on the bed.
Ruan Cuizhi lay there for a while and didn't feel sleepy, so she said to Ruan Xi: "Xiaoxi, are you asleep? If not, Third Aunt wants to talk to you."
Ruan Xi hadn't fallen asleep yet, and she knew she was going to talk about her parents, so she just responded, "Third Aunt, you go ahead."
Ruan Cuizhi took a deep breath and asked her, "Do you blame your parents in your heart?"
Ruan Xi thought about her performance today. Although she did not feel any resentment in her heart, she only felt distressed for the original female supporting role after empathizing with her. However, she was silent for a moment and chose to simply respond, "A little bit."
Just complain if you want to, it’s normal to complain, shouldn’t you complain?
It is better to hold resentment than to have expectations and fantasies, at least there will be no disappointment.
Ruan Cuizhi got the answer and said, "Your parents left you in the countryside for so many years without caring about you. I know you feel uncomfortable. Anyone would feel uncomfortable. I also feel resentful. So I don't advise you to be considerate of them or make excuses for them. I just want to tell you that you must not do something stupid just to gamble, okay?"
Ruan Xi understood the general meaning of Ruan Cuizhi's words and continued, "Third aunt, I'm not angry today. I haven't seen them for many years, and it's almost the same as not getting along with them. I can't call them dad and mom, and I can't treat them as dad and mom. There are only grandpa and grandma in my life."
Ruan Cuizhi could understand what Ruan Xi said. She was just afraid that Ruan Xi would do something stupid, so she told her this in advance.
She continued, "I guess they came back this time probably to take you to the city. Don't be unwilling to go just because you have no feelings for them and blame them for not taking care of you. You should listen to your third aunt and go. People go to higher places and water flows to lower places. If you have the opportunity to go out, you must go out and don't stay in the mountains. If you go to the city, you can live a completely different life. If you stay here, it would be best if you marry someone in town, and that would be it for your whole life. Since your parents have the conditions to take you away, you should look further and go with them."
After hearing this, Ruan Xi responded without hesitation: "Third Aunt, I know."
Ruan Cuizhi felt relieved when she saw Ruan Xi speaking surprisingly calmly, sounding like she had no emotion or resentment at all. She knew that Ruan Xi was not a confused person and sometimes she thought more clearly than she did.
Instead of getting entangled in feelings or not, and taking a gamble that it won't affect anyone's anger and your future, it's better to just be realistic, completely put aside feelings, and just see what you can get next.
So she thought about it and said, "Since you know, you can pretend to be closer."
Ruan Xi didn't want to pretend, so she said, "I don't think it's necessary."
Ruan Cuizhi wondered, "Why?"
Ruan Xi said: "I have to let them know that they have caused me great harm and they owe me. If I pretend that nothing happened, and even give them the illusion that I am living well in the countryside, and I have no complaints about them and can even understand their difficulties, then will they not feel that they owe me anything and will not even feel sorry for me?"
Ruan Cuizhi thought silently for a moment, "I didn't think of this level, it is indeed possible."
After all, the crying child gets the milk.
Ruan Xi took a deep breath and said, "Third Aunt, don't worry, I have a plan in mind."
Although she almost forgot the turning point in her life at the age of sixteen, her mind had not changed. As long as Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying came back to pick her up, she would go to the city with them. Not only would she go by herself, but she would also take Ruan Jie with her.
She knew very well in her heart that she, a daughter abandoned in the countryside, had no status or weight in their hearts, and had no emotional support. All she could take advantage of was the debt they owed her over the years.
For now, the more they feel indebted to her, the more likely they are to meet her demands.
She wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and take Ruan Jie out with her.
If she stayed in the mountains, Ruan Jie would not be able to go to junior high school or high school, because all kinds of resources in the mountains are extremely scarce, especially books and textbooks. She would not be able to learn the contents of junior high school and high school textbooks, and would not be able to take the college entrance examination.
Moreover, there are no schools in the mountains and no one goes to school, so the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination is unlikely to be heard. If the news cannot be passed in by then, she will have to go to the town to inquire on her own. Not only will she have to run herself to pieces, but there is no guarantee that there will be no problems in the process.
Since there could be better conditions, with classrooms and teachers for her and Ruan Jie to go to school with peace of mind, and they could easily sign up for the college entrance examination when it was resumed, she naturally would not choose to stay in the mountains and embarrass herself.
If Ruan Jie continues to stay in the mountain, she will most likely become disabled and become Sun Xiaohui's blood-sucking tool.
She had taught her for so long and given her hope, so of course she would take her with her to fulfill the promise she had made.
Ruan Cuizhi didn't know that she had this idea, but seeing that she had her own ideas, she didn't think about it too much. I felt at ease, my eyelids felt heavy after a few blinks, and I fell asleep with my head tilted.
In the early morning, the crowing of a rooster broke the tranquility of the mountain village.
Ruan Changfu was used to getting up early, and he would get up immediately when he heard the rooster crowing.
Liu Xinghua also got up early. After Ruan Changfu finished washing up, she called him to her side and said to him while chopping grass for the pigs, "I was afraid that you were too tired yesterday, so I didn't say some things. Since you are a cadre, I have to ask you, will you take Xiaoxi with you to the city when you return? It has been delayed for so many years, what is the truth about this matter?"
When Feng Xiuying received the letter and packed her luggage to join the army, she was told that conditions there did not allow it and that she had to leave Ruan Xi at home first. She was told that she would come back to pick Ruan Xi up once she was settled there and conditions permitted.
As a result, it was delayed year after year until now.
Ruan Changfu had already confirmed this matter, so he naturally said to Liu Xinghua, "Mom, Xiuying and I came back this time mainly to bring Xiaoxi over. The conditions didn't allow it before, but now they allow it."
Liu Xinghua felt more at ease after hearing this. She looked at Ruan Changfu and said, "I raised Xiaoxi by myself. I spoiled her and brought her up. She is no worse than your other children. I must make things clear to you. Take Xiaoxi with you and you must treat her well. If she gets wronged in the city, I will settle the score with you. If life in the mountains wasn't hard and she couldn't find a good husband, I wouldn't let you take her away. I let you take her away so that she can have a better life."
Ruan Changfu nodded, "I know everything, Mom, don't worry."
Liu Xinghua lowered her head to chop pig grass. "I'm worried. How can I be worried? She wasn't raised by you and Xiuying. You have no feelings for her. It's inevitable that you will be partial to her and neglect her in life. Anyway, I just want to say one thing. If she is wronged, I will settle the score with you."
Ruan Changfu promised her earnestly: "Having left her in the countryside for so many years, Xiuying and I owe her too much. Once we get to the city, we will love her well and make up for what we owe her over the years."
But Liu Xinghua was still worried and said, "Xiaoxi will be alone over there, so you have to be careful and don't let the other kids gang up on her and bully her. They grew up together, and I'm afraid they will bully Xiaoxi."
Ruan Changfu still said seriously: "Whoever dares to bully Xiaoxi, I will beat him to death."
Without the child by her side to watch over her, she could not be completely at ease no matter what she said. While chopping pig grass, Liu Xinghua could not help muttering, "If life in the countryside wasn't so hard and there was no way out, I would definitely not let you take Xiaoxi away..."
Ruan Changfu went to help her with her back and assured her again: "We are Xiaoxi's biological parents, not stepparents, don't worry."
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