The mother and daughter both wore gloating smiles.
The four guys outside felt a chill run down their spines, exchanged glances, and were all quite confused.
This time, A stood aside and watched, letting the five of them do it. They became more and more skilled, and they were all quite happy. It was a life skill, and although they might not be able to catch up in the future, it was always good to have more skills.
Daniel didn't reject this either. He was older than Zhenye and the other three, so he naturally knew more and could tell right from wrong.
Only Wang Zining stood by and watched, refusing to make a move, because he was afraid.
Neither Liu Aimin nor Jia had any strong demands on him. Everyone has a different lifestyle, and of course, he didn't have that much of a burden on his shoulders.
After they finished tidying up, they also helped Liu Aimin tidy up the yard. The dumplings were already cooked.
Zhang Hongmei truly admired their energy; they had been running around on the mountain all day and still had so much energy.
After eating dumplings, he received a positive answer from Hu Aifen that he could have rabbit and chicken for breakfast the next morning, and then he happily went home.
It was past nine o'clock at night, and no lights were on in any of the village's houses. Wang Xiaorui got up, took out the steamed buns she had left over from lunch from the kitchen, and wrapped them up. She didn't know what was going on, but she couldn't go hungry.
After packing up, he slung his cloth bag over his shoulder, carried two large leather bags in his hands, and walked out of the house without looking back.
Walking down the quiet street, I heard dogs barking.
He strode out of the village, glanced back, and resolutely turned and left.
The next morning, after practicing their skills, Zhenye and the other four changed their clothes and happily went to Liu Aimin's house.
Before even entering the courtyard, I could smell the rich aroma of meat.
"Brother, does it smell good?" Zhang Ruifeng asked Daniel, who was standing next to him.
"Mmm, it smells delicious."
"Brother, let me tell you, wild boar meat is even more delicious than this." This wild boar has become Gu Yaozu's obsession.
Knowing they would be going up the mountain, breakfast consisted of rice and steamed buns with meat—it was simply delicious.
Zhang Hongmei, the old lady, Gu Chuanming, and Zhang Xingguo ate porridge, but they really couldn't eat it so early in the morning.
They hadn't finished breakfast when they heard a rapid knocking on the door.
Liu Aimin opened the door. "Hongxi? So early?"
"Aimin, Xiaorui has run away from home. Can you drive me to chase after her?"
"Okay, I'll go get the car right away." No matter what, even if Wang Xiaorui wasn't doing well, the villagers were still worried about her at this time.
Liu Aimin went inside, said something, and left with his car keys. Hu Aifen chased after him and handed him money.
This incident didn't affect the children. They still went up the mountain after they finished eating.
"Annie, are you still going?"
"Mom, I want to go, otherwise I don't know when I'll be able to spend time with my brothers."
"Mom, my brothers are still young, and not many people probably know them. Why don't you let them come back with us to visit?"
Zhang Hongmei shook her head. "Annie, I can't make that decision. Let's wait a few years and see."
Annie knew her brothers' identities, so she didn't say much. The original group, except for three missing villagers, went up the mountain again, carrying baskets on their backs.
Zhang Hongmei accompanied the old lady for a stroll in the yard, remarking, "That girl Wang Xiaorui is really a handful."
"Grandma, I think she should go out and change her mood. Maybe she'll feel much better. To be honest, divorce is still very rare. She's not happy staying in the village."
"That makes sense, but she's uneducated and unskilled. What can she do outside?"
"Grandma, don't worry. Maybe my uncle and the others have already caught up with her. After all, she must be going to a big city, so she has to go to the city. There's only one bus here, so let's just wait for news at home."
Zhang Hongmei also felt that Wang Xiaorui was a troublesome person, but she couldn't let the old lady worry.
Wang Xiaorui walked alone on the road. At first, she managed to keep going, but after walking halfway, she felt really tired.
But he was unwilling to give up, and eventually, after walking and stopping, he still made it to the countryside.
She arrived at 1 a.m., covered in sweat, knowing this wouldn't do; it would be troublesome if she got sick.
But he didn't know anyone in the village, so he had no choice but to go to the entrance of the primary school and knock on the door.
"Sir, it's too cold here, could you let me in?"
"Girl, what are you doing at a time like this?"
"Sigh, a family member is sick in the city, and I'm worried. I was planning to walk there myself, but I really can't walk anymore. You're so kind to let me stay for the night. I'll take the earliest bus tomorrow morning."
The old man at the gate saw a woman carrying many bags and heard that she was a local, so he didn't refuse her entry and let her in.
"Honey, my room is the only one that's not cold. If you don't mind, you can sit here all night."
Wang Xiaorui nodded, put down her bag, unbuttoned her coat, and sat by the stove to warm herself. Although it wasn't cold at the moment, after sitting for a while, she felt as if her back was covered in ice.
The old man at the gate saw that she kept her head down and assumed she was anxious and sad, so he didn't chat with her. Without even taking off her clothes, she went straight to bed.
Wang Xiaorui felt both thirsty and hungry. Seeing that there was water in the large kettle on the stove, she took out a teacup from her purse, poured herself a cup of hot water, and slowly drank it.
It will take another four hours before there's a bus. Sitting here all night like this is really uncomfortable.
But she wasn't completely oblivious to right and wrong; she was already quite grateful to have a house to stay in.
At six o'clock in the morning, she took out two steamed buns and put them on the stove to bake.
The old man guarding the gate also woke up. "Grandpa, I baked some steamed buns. Have one, I'll go wait for the bus after I finish mine."
"No need, you can bring your own food to eat in the car."
"It's okay, I still have some."
The old man didn't refuse anymore. After seeing Wang Xiaorui off, he sat by the stove eating steamed buns, thinking to himself, "This woman really has guts."
Wang Xiaorui finally waited for the bus, hurriedly carried her bags and bought a ticket to go directly to the city.
To be honest, the ticket seller knew Wang Xiaorui, but not well. She only knew that Wang Xiaorui used to be a frequent passenger, so she didn't pay much attention to her.
Liu Aimin and Wang Hongxi left the village after 7 p.m., and knew it was impossible to catch the bus.
"Hongxi, where can Xiaorui go?"
Wang Hongxi has calmed down now. "I don't know either. That brat didn't say a word, she just took her things. Who knows where she's going?"
"She didn't say anything?"
"Hmm, she didn't say anything. Let's go to the city to look for her. I think she's probably gone to find Dashan."
"Looking for Dashan?"
"Where else could she go if she didn't look for Dashan?"
Liu Aimin fell silent. This was indeed a possibility; that girl wasn't very bright.
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