In addition to Ruan Xi, the childhood friend, there were other people who were also shouting. After hearing this, Ruan Zhigao, Liu Xinghua and Ruan Cuizhi hurried out of the house and followed the others to the road to greet them. After
a short distance, they saw a group of people walking on the mountain road from a distance. Surrounded in the middle were their eldest son Ruan Changfu and eldest daughter-in-law Feng Xiuying.
Ruan Changfu was wearing a military uniform and stood out in the crowd. He was originally tall, and the military uniform made him more majestic and upright.
Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua had glory and smiles on their faces, and they were so proud that they stood straight.
Ruan Changfu was the only golden phoenix that flew out of their village. He was a glorious figure for the Ruan family, and a face and honor for the entire Fengyan Village.
Ruan Changfu's return was even more exciting than Ruan Changsheng's wedding. The whole village was in an uproar. Many people in the village came forward to greet them, calling them "chiefs" and "chiefs" beside them, and surrounded them to the Ruan family.
Although Ruan Changfu had four pockets on his military uniform, he was friendly and kind without any airs. No matter who spoke, he would smile and reply. Sometimes what he said was very funny, which made everyone around him laugh.
Ruan Changgui and Sun Xiaohui were also standing beside Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua at this time, enjoying the honor and glory brought by Ruan Changfu. Of course, they had more thoughts, such as jealousy.
Sun Xiaohui often said that if Ruan Changgui had gone to the army, this good life would have been theirs.
Because Ruan Changfu was back, everyone in the village, whether related or not, was excited, but Ruan Xi, who had the greatest relationship with Ruan Changfu, sat in the corner without getting up, and continued to eat her melon seeds leisurely, as if she was here to watch the excitement. The childhood friend saw
her eating melon seeds and left without saying a word, and still squeezed 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 concentrating on eating melon seeds, not even raising her eyelids, "I don't know them, I won't go."
Ruan Jie was stunned - how could she not know her own parents? But seeing Ruan Xi like this, she didn't say anything. She didn't even dare to be excited anymore, and wiped away the smile on her face.
Originally, she thought that Ruan Xi should be the happiest person when her uncle and aunt came back. Since Ruan Xi didn't feel happy, she didn't feel happy either.
They were not happy, while Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua stood with the villagers and listened to the flattery for a long time. Their faces were full of smiles. They couldn't close their mouths even if they wanted to, and their backs were straighter.
When Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying approached, they heard the word "Mom and Dad" from a distance, and the old couple smiled and radiant.
When they came closer, Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua treated Ruan Changfu not like their son, but like a guest of status, and asked with a smile: "It's not easy on the road, are you tired?"
Feng Xiuying's appearance has not changed much. Like Ruan Xi, she has a small face and a small body, but she has aged a lot. When she smiled, she still had the reserve and simplicity of a country girl. She looked at Ruan Zhigao and Liu Xinghua and said, "It's okay, 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 was 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 especially warmly and happily, looking at the child and said, "Oh, so good."
There were still many people at home to greet, and Ruan Changgui smiled and said, "Brother, you're finally back."
Ruan Changfu walked over and patted him on the shoulder, "Thank you for taking care of the family all these years."
Ruan Changgui felt guilty when he heard this, but he kept smiling and 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 they were not as friendly as before. There was a sense of strangeness and politeness in their conversations, but of course their enthusiasm and respect were real.
After Ruan Cuizhi, Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying greeted each other, 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 greeted each other, Liu Xinghua realized that Ruan Xi and Ruan Jie were not there. She thought the two girls had gone out to play, but when she turned around, she found that they were sitting by 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 child!
She smiled, "Your parents are back, hurry up and come over."
Ruan Jie first got up and ran over to greet Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying, "Uncle and aunt, you are back."
Everyone's eyes fell on her, and Ruan Xi had to go. So she slowly stood up from the bench, brushed her sleeves, walked to Liu Xinghua's side, lowered her head and didn't look at Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying.
Liu Xinghua gently touched her arm and called her: "You don't recognize your own parents? Call them dad and mom."
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.
Liu Xinghua saw that the atmosphere was not going to dry up, and hurriedly smiled and said: "Don't stand there, go in and have a drink of water."
As she spoke, the atmosphere became lively again, and people crowded around Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying and went into the house.
After entering the house and sitting down, they naturally chatted. There were so many people in the village, and each person could talk for several days.
Ruan Xi did not follow them in, but sat down on the small bench just now. She was a child in her teens, and adults would not take her seriously, especially in such a big occasion, no one would pay much attention to a child.
Ling Yao was still sitting there, and when he saw her sit down, he stretched out his hand to her, with a piece of fruit candy in his palm.
Ruan Xi took it with a smile, peeled off the candy wrapper and put it in her mouth, letting the tip of her tongue touch the sweetness of the fruit.
After a moment, she looked at Ling Yao and said, "I forgot that I'm sixteen years old this year."
Sixteen was the turning point of "her" fate, and it was the age when her parents took her to the city. The relaxed and fulfilling days in the countryside had lasted for too long, and she was relaxed, willful and happy, and she almost forgot about this incident in the original plot.
Sometimes when her family mentioned the eldest brother Ruan Changfu, she subconsciously felt that it had nothing to do with her.
After all, he was not her biological father, so she was not sensitive enough.
It turned out that they came back when Ruan Changsheng got married.
Ling Yao asked her softly, "Do you blame them?"
Ruan Xi, with candy in her mouth, smiled at Ling Yao, "No, I don't feel anything, we're not familiar with them."
She really didn't know them, and she 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 feelings.
There was no blame, after all, the original self had no resentment towards them in her heart.
If it was her original self who was facing Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying today, she would be very happy and happy, because her father and mother finally came back, and they were so prestigious, and everyone in the village envied them.
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 and squatted in front of Ruan Xi, 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, shook her head and said: "There's nothing to say."
Ruan Cuizhi held her hand and squeezed it, wanting to say something but didn't, touched her head and got up and went in.
As the golden phoenix of the Fengyan Brigade, Ruan Changfu has been visited by people since he sat down at home. Almost everyone in the village came to see him, especially some old people and middle-aged men, all came to talk to him.
As the wife of the leader, Feng Xiuying sat beside him, holding her youngest son Ruan Hongbing in her hand.
Apart from saying "hello", Ruan Xi did not go near Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying until they sat down to eat in the evening. It was not that she avoided them on purpose, but she just did not go near them on purpose.
She was originally an ignored 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, so they kept silent.
Because Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying came back, and because of Ruan Changsheng's marriage, Ruan Changgui's family had been eating together these days, and they did not light a separate stove. Tonight, they would naturally eat together.
Ruan Changgui was still very polite to his eldest brother Ruan Changfu. While eating, he smiled and said, "Xiao Wuzi will be home to pick up the bride tomorrow. We thought you didn't have time to come back, but you suddenly came home. We were very surprised."
Ruan Changfu said, "I have been too busy and couldn't get away. It's rare that I can take time off to come back for a few days this time."
This is understandable. Ruan Zhigao continued, "Once you join the army, you are a countryman. Everything should be based on national affairs. You can't do whatever you want. You don't need to worry about home. It doesn't matter whether you come back or not."
Ruan Changfu looked at Ruan Zhigao: "Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your understanding."
Liu Xinghua was indeed understanding and didn't have any feelings 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 come back to this mountain valley.
She only talked about family matters with him and asked him, "Are those children left at home?"
Ruan Changfu nodded and said, "There is no holiday, and they all have to go to school. It is really inconvenient, so I didn't bring them here."
Liu Xinghua could understand, "It is really not easy to come back."
It takes two or three days to take the train to the county town, transfer to the town, and then walk back, which takes another two or three days.
Feng Xiuying didn't say anything at the side. When she talked about the children, 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 in Ruan Xi's bowl. When Ruan Xi raised his head, she smiled at Ruan Xi.
Ruan Xi met Feng Xiuying's eyes and smile, and only smiled dryly, and said in an even drier voice: "Thank you."
This strange and distant politeness made Feng Xiuying feel embarrassed, just like the "Hello" she heard in the evening, but she said nothing. After all, she and Ruan Xi had not seen each other for many years, and they were no different from strangers.
The topic of adults was still being discussed at the dinner table.
As they talked, they talked about how to stay at night. There were limited places to stay at home. Ruan Zhigao and Ruan Changgui discussed and let Ruan Yuejin and Ruan Yuehua go to his house to make a floor mat tonight, and let Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying live in the room.
There were no other rooms in the house, so Feng Xiuying asked curiously, "Where do Xiaoxi and Xiaojie live?"
Ruanxi and Ruan Jie didn't say anything, so Ruan Cuizhi said, "Xiaoxi and Xiaojie and I have a place to live, so you don't have to worry, sister-in-law. Just stay here and don't worry about us." They
hadn't been back for many years, so they were on a visit here, so they had to follow the arrangements.
So Feng Xiuying said, "Okay."
At night, Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying washed up and prepared to go to bed, but their youngest son Ruan Hongbing had already fallen asleep.
The surroundings were finally clear. Feng Xiuying and Ruan Changfu talked about Ruan Xi and said, "Can you see that Xiaoxi blames us? She hasn't even called us mom and dad for a long time since she came back, let alone talked to us."
Ruan Changfu got on the bed and said, "When we get to the city, we will slowly make up for her."
Feng Xiuying took a breath and lay down, "This is the only way."
They took the time to come back this time. In addition to attending Ruan Changsheng's wedding, another main purpose was to bring Ruan Xi back to the city. They applied for a big house a few years ago, and now they have the conditions to take her there.
After taking her to the city, they will slowly cultivate their feelings and slowly make up for what they 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 had never had trouble sleeping, and he was tired these days, so he fell asleep in a short while after lying 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 was not asleep yet, and she knew that she wanted to talk about her parents, so she just replied: "Third Aunt, you talk."
Ruan Cuizhi took a deep breath and asked her first: "Do you resent your parents in your heart?"
Ruan Xi thought about her performance today. Although she did not have any resentment in her heart, she only felt distressed for the original female supporting role after empathizing with her, but she was silent for a moment and chose to simply respond: "A little bit."
Resentment is fine, resentment is also normal, shouldn't it be resentful?
It is better to have 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 sympathetic to them or make excuses for them. I just want to tell you that you must not be stupid just to take a gamble, understand?"
Ruan Xi understood the general meaning of Ruan Cuizhi's words and continued, "Third aunt, I'm not being angry today. I haven't seen them for many years, and it's almost like we have never gotten along. 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 will come back this time, probably to take you to the city. Don't refuse to go just because you have no feelings for them and blame them for not taking care of you. You must listen to Third Aunt and go. People go to high places and water flows to low places. If you have the opportunity to go out, you must go out, don't stay in the mountains. If you go to the city, you can live a completely different life. And if you stay here, it would be best if you marry someone in the town, and that would be it for your life. Since your parents have the conditions to take you away, you should look further ahead and go with them."
After hearing this, Ruan Xi responded without hesitation: "Third Aunt, I know."
Ruan Cuizhi saw that Ruan Xi spoke surprisingly calmly, and she didn't sound any emotion or resentment, and she was relieved immediately. She knew that Ruan Xi was not a muddle-headed person, and sometimes she could think more clearly than she did.
Instead of getting entangled in feelings and not being able to affect anyone's anger or her future, it would be better to just face the reality, put aside feelings and not be entangled, and just see what she can get next.
So she thought for a moment 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 was puzzled: "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 create the illusion that I am living a good life 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 even not 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 breath and said, "Third aunt, don't worry, I have it in my mind."
Although she almost forgot the turning point of her life at the age of sixteen, her mind has not changed. As long as Ruan Changfu and Feng Xiuying come back to pick her up, she will go to the city with them. Not only will she go by herself, but she will 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, let alone emotional support. The only thing she could use was their debt to her over the years.
For now, the more they felt indebted to her, the more they would meet her demands.
She would take advantage of this opportunity and take Ruan Jie 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 were extremely scarce, especially books and textbooks. She could not learn the content of junior high school and high school textbooks, and had no way to take the college entrance examination.
Moreover, there were no schools and no one went to school in the mountains, so the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination would most likely not be passed on. If the news doesn't get through by then, she will have to go to the town to inquire, which will be very time-consuming and there is no guarantee that there will be no problems in the process.
Since there are better conditions, there will be classrooms and teachers for her and Ruan Jie to study with peace of mind, and they can easily sign up for the college entrance examination when the college entrance examination resumes, she will naturally not choose to stay in the mountains and embarrass herself.
If she continues to stay in the mountains, Ruan Jie will most likely be useless, and will become Sun Xiaohui's blood-sucking tool.
She has taken her to study for so long and given her hope, so of course she has to take her with her to fulfill the promise she made.
Ruan Cuizhi didn't know that she still had this idea, but seeing that she had her own ideas, she didn't think too much about it. She felt at ease, her eyelids became heavy after a blink, and she fell asleep with her head tilted.
In the early morning, a rooster crowed, breaking the tranquility of the mountain village.
Ruan Changfu was used to getting up early, so he got up immediately when he heard the rooster crow.
Liu Xinghua also got up early. After Ruan Changfu finished washing up, she called Ruan Changfu to her side and said to him while chopping pig grass: "Yesterday I was afraid that you were too tired, so I didn't say some things. Even though you are an officer, I have to ask you, will you take Xiaoxi to the city when you come back this time? 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 follow the army, she said that the conditions there did not allow it, and she had to leave Ruan Xi at home first. She said that she would come back to pick Ruan Xi up immediately after she settled down there and the conditions allowed.
As a result, it was delayed year after year until now.
Ruan Changfu had already made up his mind, so he naturally said to Liu Xinghua: "Mom, Xiuying and I came back this time mainly to bring Xiaoxi over. The conditions did not allow it before, but now they allow it."
Liu Xinghua was reassured after hearing this, and looked at Ruan Changfu and said: "Xiaoxi was brought up by me. I raised her with pampering habits. She is no worse than your other children. I must make it clear to you. When we bring Xiaoxi over, you must treat her well. If she is... If she is wronged in the city, I will come to you to settle the score. If it weren't for the hard life in the mountains and the difficulty of finding a good husband, I wouldn't let you take her away. I let you take her away so that she can live a better life. "
Ruan Changfu nodded, "I know everything, mom, don't worry."
Liu Xinghua lowered her head to chop pig grass, "I am worried, how can I be worried? She was not raised by you and Xiuying, you have no feelings for her, and it is inevitable that you will be partial and neglectful in life. Anyway, I just want to say one thing, if she is wronged, I will I will settle the score with you."
Ruan Changfu assured her earnestly, "We left her in the countryside for so many years, Xiuying and I owe her too much. When she arrives in the city, we will love her well and make up for it. We will make up for what we owe her all these years."
But Liu Xinghua was still worried, and said, "Xiaoxi will be alone 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 our Xiaoxi."
Ruan Changfu still said earnestly. "Whoever dares to bully Xiaoxi, I will hammer him to death."
Without the child by her side, she could not be completely assured. While chopping pig grass, Liu Xinghua could not help muttering, "If life in the countryside was not so hard and there was no way out, I would definitely not let you take Xiaoxi away..."
Ruan Changfu went to hold her back and assured her again, "We are Xiaoxi's biological parents, not stepparents. Don't worry."
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