"Dongqiang, you brought your girlfriend?" A villager greeted him with a smile from afar, his eyes lingering on He Xiaolei.
"Yes, that's right." Fang Dongqiang nodded. He Xiaolei snuggled closer to Fang Dongqiang, and if their eyes met, she would smile with her lips pursed, looking very well-behaved.
"Where are we going?" someone asked.
Fang Damiao responded cheerfully from the side, "Let's go ahead for a bit."
But everyone guessed that they were going to Fang Shugen's house. Just a few days ago, everyone was still speculating about why Fang Shugen's family and Fang Meixiang's family were visiting each other.
Seeing them go to Fang Shugen's house again today, several older villagers guessed what had happened. "They said that Hua Mei went to give birth that year. This girl's eyebrows and eyes look a bit like Jingming's."
"You're absolutely right."
"But why is she with Dong Qiang?"
This will be big news in the village, and it's been the hottest topic in the past few days.
Fang Huahua and Fang Jingming were already standing at the door waiting. Fang Shugen was afraid that Huamei would react too strongly, so he stayed inside with her.
Upon seeing them arrive, Fang Huahua and Fang Jingming immediately went to greet them. Fang Huahua took He Xiaolei's hand and said, "Mom and Dad are inside."
Fang Jingming stared at He Xiaolei and called out, "Sister!"
Hua Mei sat in the chair, her hands neatly placed on her lap, like a child waiting for the teacher to check her homework, her eyes filled with undisguised anxiety and anticipation.
Hearing the noise at the door, Fang Shugen and Hua Mei stood up abruptly, took two steps forward, and then stopped. "Xiao Lei!" their voices trembled.
Fang Huahua led He Xiaolei to the front. He Xiaolei stared at the two people in front of her; these were her biological parents. She softly called out, "Dad!" "Mom!"
That one word, "Mom," was like a key, unlocking the floodgates of Hua Mei's emotions that had been building up for years.
Hua Mei's lips trembled, and tears welled up instantly. She slowly raised her hand, wanting to touch He Xiaolei's cheek, but her hand hovered in mid-air before gently withdrawing. After several repetitions, she finally managed to tremble as she touched He Xiaolei's forehead. Her cold fingertips touched the warm skin, and her body trembled slightly as she murmured, "My daughter... my daughter..."
"Mom, I'm doing well, don't worry." He Xiaolei held Hua Mei's hand. Her hand was warm, like a ray of sunshine, dispelling the chill from Hua Mei's fingertips.
Hua Mei looked at He Xiaolei and suddenly remembered Fang Shugen and Hua Hua's instructions. She quickly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and forced a smile. The smile was somewhat stiff, with wet tear stains, as if she was comforting herself, and she kept muttering, "Okay... okay."
He Xiaolei nodded, and Hua Mei patted He Xiaolei's pink down jacket, "You're all warm and well-fed. Eat, eat!" Hua Mei turned to look at the stove.
"Okay, I'll go get it." Hua Hua went to bring out the brewed longan tea.
“Xiaolei, we are sorry for what happened back then…” Fang Shugen’s eyes were red.
“Dad!” He Xiaolei interrupted him softly, her eyes filled with tears, but she smiled with relief, “It’s all in the past. I’m doing well now. I have my parents who love me, Dongqiang, and all of you…”
Fang Huahua brought over the tea, and Fang Shugen quickly greeted them. "Come on, Xiaolei, Damiao, Dongqiang, have some tea."
He Xiaolei had just eaten egg tea and couldn't eat anymore, but this was her first bowl of egg tea since coming home. Fang Dongqiang noticed, "Is this too much? You can't eat anymore?"
He Xiaolei nodded. "Huahua, we just ate at home and came over, so please make sure it's not too much."
"Okay, then we'll just have a little something. We'll have lunch soon." Fang Huahua brought out an empty bowl and divided some food for them.
Hua Mei sat beside her, watching He Xiaolei eat with unblinking eyes. He Xiaolei felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, took a sip of tea, and quietly lowered her head.
Fang Damiao and Fang Dongqiang also had lunch at Fang Shugen's house.
"Shugen, the whole family will come to my house for dinner tonight," Fang Damiao said.
"No, no, we have so many people eating at home," Fang Shugen quickly declined.
"Before we came here, Meixiang's mother specifically told me to come and tell you that Meili and Meihao bought a lot of groceries this morning, including all of you."
“This…” Fang Shugen hesitated.
"Don't be so polite. From now on, we're family. Hua Mei, Hua Hua, Jing Ming, everyone come and have dinner with Xiao Lei."
Hua Mei nodded first, and Fang Shugen, seeing this, also smiled and agreed, "Okay, let's come over."
"Dongqiang, let's go visit the place where you used to play when you were little this afternoon." He Xiaolei stayed close to Fang Dongqiang the whole time.
Fang Dongqiang thought for a moment. There were people at the small shop and the village committee office there, so he felt embarrassed to go. The threshing ground was where he used to chase and play as a child, but now it was deserted, and there wasn't much to see. "Let's go to the stream!"
“Okay,” He Xiaolei nodded immediately, then turned to Fang Huahua and Fang Jingming, “Sister, Jingming, let’s go together.”
"Great! I was just thinking of coming along, but I was afraid of being a third wheel for you and Dongqiang." As soon as he said this, a burst of laughter filled the room.
“Sister, if you come in the summer, we can go to the river to catch fish and snails,” Fang Jingming said.
“Okay.” He Xiaolei took Fang Dongqiang’s arm.
“Yeah, I’ll go visit in the summer,” Fang Dongqiang replied.
Before leaving, Hua Mei looked around hurriedly, grabbed a plastic bag, shook it, and stuffed several handfuls of snacks from the table into it, then handed it to He Xiaolei.
"Mom told us to bring some snacks," Fang Huahua explained from the side.
He Xiaolei took it, "Dad, Mom, we're going out to play."
“Okay, let’s go out and have some fun.” Fang Shugen nodded and took out a red envelope from his pocket. “Xiaolei, this is a small token of our appreciation. Please don’t mind it. Go buy yourself something to eat.”
"No need," He Xiaolei said, not taking it, and leaned closer to Fang Dongqiang.
"Xiaolei, take this. It will make your parents happier." Fang Huahua took it and handed it to He Xiaolei.
Hua Mei's eyes were no longer empty; they were filled with light. She smiled and nodded at He Xiaolei.
"Shugen, Huamei, you two come over early for dinner. They can go straight home after they come back from playing," Fang Damiao instructed.
"Okay, okay, I'm having dinner at your house again." Fang Shugen rubbed his hands together, smiling a little embarrassedly.
"We're all family now, and everyone's here today, it's so lively."
Hua Mei's daughter, whom she had given birth to years ago, has returned; she's Dong Qiang's girlfriend. This explosive news has spread throughout the entire village.
They walked towards the stream. Everyone who saw them along the way paid attention to them.
Fang Dongqiang held He Xiaolei's hand tightly, and He Xiaolei leaned even closer to him, wishing she could hide her whole body in his arms.
At the fork in the road, Fang Damiao stopped. "I'll go home first, you guys go have fun." Several villagers grabbed him. "Damiao, Damiao, is this Dongqiang's girlfriend?"
"Yes, he's a college student, studying law," Fang Damiao said with a boastful tone.
"Is she the second daughter of the Shugen family? Where has she been all these years?" Although everyone already knew, they still wanted to get more official information from him.
“Uh,” Fang Damiao scratched the back of his head, “Her parents are both city dwellers with jobs.” Fang Damiao answered vaguely, “There are a lot of people having dinner at home tonight, so I’m going back first.”
Fang Damiao glanced at their backs. He Xiaolei had her arm around Fang Dongqiang's as if it were an extension of him. Fang Damiao chuckled a few times and walked toward Fang Meixiang's house.
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