There were three people when they came, but on the way back to the county town, only Liu Qing was there.
Xiao Jian really stayed, very determined. No matter how Liu Qing tried to persuade him, he refused to return to the county town.
Instead of trying to persuade him, Gao Hu was overjoyed and agreed to stay with Xiao Jian.
In his words...
"This place has everything; it's definitely better than our old dilapidated cave dwelling, isn't it?"
Finally, Liu Qing asked Xiao Jian a question.
Are you sure you don't want to discuss this with your older brother and sister?
Xiao Jian shook his head.
"No, I believe they can understand me."
Having said all that, what more could Liu Qing say?
So I had no choice but to help them clean the dilapidated little house inside and out. Finally, I went back to my own home, borrowed a cart, and hauled several cartloads of usable furniture from Xiao Jian's place.
His parents now own a three-bedroom apartment, furnished entirely with high-end furniture, all of which were personally arranged by Xiao Weiguo.
From renovation to decoration, Xiao Weiguo did his best for his father-in-law's family.
Now, if we give these old, worn-out pieces of furniture to Xiao Jian, I believe his parents won't say anything.
Xiao Jian did not refuse Liu Qing's help; between true friends, everything seemed so natural.
Liu Qing only returned the cart after delivering everything that Xiao Jian and Gao Hu could use.
Seeing that it was still early, the three of them climbed back onto the roof and repaired the leaky spot.
Some villagers who were passing by saw the three of them busy inside and outside, and out of curiosity, they came over to ask them what was going on.
"Second brother, are you going back to live in the village? Didn't your brother buy a big house in the city? Why don't you come and enjoy the good life? Why are you still living in this dilapidated house?"
Xiao Jian wiped away his sweat and answered frankly.
"It's nothing. I'm not used to living in the city. Home is more comfortable."
After a few people cleaned and repaired the place, the courtyard, which had been deserted for a long time, seemed to have come back to life.
They all carried some money with them when they left, not much, but enough to live on for a while in the countryside.
I bought some firewood, rice, oil, salt, flour, vegetables, and other daily necessities from the village.
At noon, the group racked their brains and combined their strengths to finally come up with two dishes and cook a small pot of rice.
A simple dish of cabbage and tofu, if not seasoned with enough salt, will taste bland and tasteless.
The other dish, stir-fried eggs with chili peppers, was overcooked and tasted burnt because the heat wasn't controlled properly.
However, all three of them enjoyed the meal very much.
A few teenagers gathered on a small stone platform and ate their meal as if it were a picnic.
In the afternoon, Liu Qing reluctantly bid farewell to his good brother, got on his bicycle alone, and returned to the county town.
Xiao Jian and Gao Hu can choose not to come back, but he can't. He still has to go to school and there's no way he can stay with Xiao Jian.
Moreover, Xiao Jian and Gao Hu acted impulsively and decided not to come back, but there are still many things to be resolved.
First, this matter needs to be told to Xiao Shanshan and her sister Liu Ye.
With Xiao Weiguo not home, Xiao Jian's affairs can only be decided by Xiao Shanshan for the time being. Regardless of her later attitude, Liu Qing must inform her.
As for Xiao Weiguo, let my sister Liu Ye worry about it; I'll just be responsible for informing him.
If Xiao Weiguo gets angry, well, sorry, try getting angry at my sister if you dare.
Liu Qing has learned her lesson. She's no match for Xiao Weiguo in a direct confrontation, but she has powerful backers. Xiao Weiguo's only weakness is her sister; if she doesn't make good use of that, all those years of reading novels will have been for nothing.
By the time Liu Qing got home, it was almost dark.
Upon hearing this news, Xiao Shanshan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She wished she could hire a car right now and bring Xiao Jian back.
Why not enjoy a good life instead of going back to a life of hardship? What's the point?
Ultimately, Liu Ye was a bit older and more composed. It was she who calmed Xiao Shanshan down when she was about to cry.
"Shanshan, don't worry. Xiao Jian isn't a child anymore. It's normal for him to have his own way of thinking. He must have his reasons for choosing to stay in the village."
As you've seen, Xiao Jian hasn't been very happy these past few days since he came back. Maybe he can't adapt to city life. If you try to force him to come back now, it will only make him more depressed.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shanshan realized that Liu Ye's words made a lot of sense.
Xiao Jian has always been stubborn and strong-willed, and has always had his own ideas. His decision to stay in the village this time and not return is probably not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"Then... Sister Liuye, what do you suggest we do? They're both there, not getting enough to eat or drink, and I'm worried about them."
Liu Ye held her shoulders and pressed her down to sit.
"Look at what you're saying. They're all sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys. You were able to support your family when you were sixteen or seventeen. Why are you so worried about Xiao Jian?"
“But…” Xiao Shanshan wanted to argue, but didn’t know what to say.
She had suffered so much herself; how could she bear to let her younger brother go through the same pain?
"Sister Willow Leaf, what should we do now? We can't just ignore it, can we?"
"Shanshan, we should talk to Weiguo about this first and hear his opinion."
Liu Ye put her arm around Xiao Shanshan's shoulder and sat down, speaking softly.
Xiao Weiguo is the head of this family, and he should be informed first, no matter what happens, to prevent him from being caught off guard.
What if he has other plans for Xiao Jian and Gao Hu?
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