The girl, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen years old and had a petite figure, was Xiao Mengjie, the granddaughter of the village chief Xiao Changsuo and the daughter of Xiao Feng.
Since they were only three years younger than Xiao Jian and Liu Qing, and had attended the same school when they were young, they knew each other, even though they weren't close.
The village is not big to begin with, with only a few people, and children of similar age generally know each other.
Xiao Mengjie is quite pretty, with a baby face and fair skin, but she is not very tall and looks a bit thin.
Since Xiao Mengjie calls that woman "Mom," then it goes without saying that this crazy woman is Xiao Feng's ex-wife, Gu Meiying, who is now being abandoned by Xiao Feng at home.
Xiao Jian and Liu Qing racked their brains and finally connected Gu Meiying with the crazy woman in front of them.
Especially Liu Qing, how could she have changed so much in such a short time?
"Xiao Mengjie, how are you? Do you need any help?"
Xiao Jian meant well, worried that a young girl like her couldn't handle the insane woman. He wanted to help her.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Mengjie glanced at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, then turned away, ignoring him completely. She continued to drag her mother forcefully.
Xiao Jian felt a little embarrassed. He had kindly wanted to help, but the other party was ignoring him completely.
At that moment, Liu Qing nudged his arm from the side and gave him a look, signaling him to keep quiet.
Xiao Mengjie and Gu Meiying struggled for a long time without being able to move her an inch. They themselves were exhausted, their faces flushed and their breath coming in gasps.
At this moment, Xiao Changsuo finally arrived.
After some time, the old man had become even thinner, and his short hair had turned completely white.
He hurried over from the village and immediately spotted Xiao Jian, Liu Qing, and Gao Hu.
He snorted heavily through his nose, ignoring them, and kicked the crazy woman Gu Mei while cursing.
"Why don't you just die? You're embarrassing my family every day. Get back home now."
As he spoke, he kicked the woman repeatedly.
Xiao Mengjie cried out.
“Grandpa, she doesn’t understand anything now, what’s the use of hitting her?” As she spoke, she placed her body in front of her mother to prevent Xiao Changsuo from kicking her again.
Gu Meiying seemed terrified of Xiao Changsuo. Since his arrival, she had become much quieter. Even after being kicked a few times, she only dared to retreat hastily, showing no sign of resistance.
When her daughter tried to pull her again, she didn't resist and obediently followed her daughter into the village.
Xiao Changsuo, his face grim, glanced back at the group of boys again. Without saying a word, he put his hands behind his back and followed them back to the village.
Only after they had walked far away did Xiao Jian turn to ask Liu Qing.
"Liu Qing, what's going on? Wasn't his family doing just fine a few years ago? Xiao Changsuo's two sons were both government officials, weren't they very powerful? How come they're in this state now?"
Xiao Jian really couldn't understand how a family that used to be the most prestigious in the village, where everyone treated them with utmost respect, could have fallen to such a state in the blink of an eye.
Liu Qing gave a wry smile, shook his head, and said...
"This matter has a lot to do with your brother."
"My brother? He's the one who caused this mess to that family?"
Xiao Jian was somewhat incredulous. His older brother used to be a good-for-nothing in the village, someone of Xiao Changsuo's status who would never have given him a second glance. He would never even speak a word to his older brother. How could he have managed to ruin someone's family like this?
So Liu Qing told Xiao Jian everything she knew about what had happened between the two families over the past year.
Finally, Liu Qing said.
Xiao Changsuo first schemed against your eldest sister, and then his family tried every means to sabotage Xiao Weiguo's business. Xiao Feng also falsely accused him multiple times. He deserved to end up like this. It's just a pity for Xiao Mengjie. Her once happy and fulfilling family has suddenly turned into this. How will she live her life from now on?
After hearing Liu Qing's words, Xiao Jian remained silent for a long time.
In terms of the matter itself, he couldn't say who was right and who was wrong. However, as a member of Xiao Wei's country, he was somewhat inclined to side with his elder brother.
In particular, Xiao Changsuo's designs on the eldest sister were a tragedy that could have occurred had the eldest brother not realized it in time.
Xiao Weiguo's ability to turn this family into this mess shows he has some skill. Xiao Jian can't say anything to his older brother, after all, he did it all for the family.
Like Liu Qing, I felt sorry for that little girl. The sins her family committed had to be borne by a teenager.
Sigh~
Xiao Jian didn't know why he sighed; he just felt a little heavy-hearted.
Then, together with Liu Qing, they continued riding their bicycles towards their old family home.
The village hasn't changed much; everything is still familiar.
The old, crooked willow tree that he and Liu Qing often climbed was still there. Its swaying branches danced in the wind, as if welcoming his return.
The old courtyard at the village entrance, which has been uninhabited for many years, seems to have even less soil on its walls, making it appear even more dilapidated. This was a place where they often hid when playing hide-and-seek as children, and those who were timid generally dared not come here to look.
(Regarding hide-and-seek, we called it "Zangma Gen" when we were kids, a transliteration. I've used a more official term to avoid confusion for readers; I wonder what it's called where you are. Feel free to discuss it in the book review section.)
Many elderly women passing by would carefully examine Xiao Jian before confirming that it was him.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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