Chapter Eighty-One: Despair

  Chen Tian and Fa finally returned home when the sky had just turned dark.

  Watching the two children enter the yard, Chen Tianfa was about to return the ox cart. As he left, he glanced at the faint light coming from the window and couldn't help but smile to himself.

  "This day has passed without a single hitch, and lowering his head to pat the cow's forehead, he said, 'Old fellow, it's time for you to go home too.'"

  The old yellow cow under his hand let out an inexplicable "moo", Chen Tian burst out laughing, shouted loudly "Let's go" and jumped onto the ox cart, driving it towards the west of the village.

  In the house, Mrs. Zhao was busy with her needlework, but she didn't forget to stick her head out to see what was going on in the courtyard.

  Rui Hao said calmly, "Mother, don't worry anymore. Father is such a big man, he should know the way home."

  After finishing, several children turned their heads to Zhao, who pretended to be angry and said "You little rabbit, you even dare to tease your mother? Wait for me to deal with you properly today."

  Who is Ruihao? After dealing with his mother for so long, he still doesn't know what kind of temper Zhao's family has? He ran out of there in a hurry before his mother even got angry.

  Zhao watched as he ran far away, no longer continuing to chase after him, only stomping his foot and cursing "damn little brat"

  Just turned around, I couldn't help but laugh too, muttering to myself, "What's wrong with me today? Why am I so angry with that little brat?"

  Sister Xi interrupted, "Mother, you're overjoyed."

  Zhao smiled, "Isn't it? I still can't believe it now. How could such a good thing happen? Not only can we move to the town to do business, but also a house fell from the sky for our family?"

  The more I think about it, the more unreal it seems. I pinched myself hard, ouch, it really hurts, I guess I wasn't just daydreaming after all.

  Helpless, Xi Mei had to repeat it again. The content that has been said several times since returning home. "Mother, you didn't mishear or misremember, the young master of the Wang family did agree with us and gave us a very large shop, and behind it is also a big courtyard?"

  Zhao's face was radiant with joy, just about to speak when a loud male voice came from the courtyard, "Who said it was given by someone else? That was bought with our own money."

  Knowing his temper, the children looked at each other and smiled knowingly. They all echoed him, "Dad is right, our house was bought with our own money. It has nothing to do with them."

  After hearing this, Chen Tianfa was much happier and sat down on the chair to start bragging. He said that the shop he had just seen was so big, and then said that the workshop was so stylish.

  Zhao and several children did not interrupt him either. Let him be excited about what he was saying there.

  Look at him, still talking nonstop. Suddenly, Xi Mei's stomach couldn't help but let out two "growling" sounds. Chen Tian Fa finally stopped his chatter and patted his own head, saying: "Look at my memory, I completely forgot that everyone hasn't eaten yet. Come on, let's eat first. Let's eat."

  After finishing speaking, he took the lead in picking up a big bowl and started eating with a "gulp gulp" sound.

  Zhao saw this and also called on everyone to pick up their chopsticks and eat quickly, after all, there were still many things to do tomorrow.

  The next day, early in the morning, before the sun had risen high, Chen Tianfa shouldered his hoe and prepared to head out to the fields. Before leaving, he said to Zhao Shi, "Don't cook lunch for me today. I'll go eat at the old house at noon."

  Knowing he was going to discuss with the two old men about moving into town, Zhao didn't ask much and just nodded encouragingly at him.

  Xi Mei stood at the door frame, watching her own father leave, before slowly walking out of the house, pretending to know nothing and asking Zhao Shi: "Mother, where did Father go? Why is he gone so early in the morning?"

  Zhao took her to his side, casually dispersing the small braids she had blindly tied herself, and patiently replied, "Didn't we go to harvest corn two days ago? These two good days have passed, and the corn stalks are almost dry. Now, someone wants our corn stalks? Your dad went to help pull the corn stalks."

  "Oh." A sulky response.

  After her mother tied up Xi Mei's braids, she said contentedly: "Alright, your braids are done too, go play now."

  Play? Where to play? Xi Mei, who had left Zhao's side, couldn't help but worry.

  For almost a month, she had to go up the mountain every day to find that cold stone, but after what happened yesterday, she didn't want to see him anymore.

  Just forget it, another thought floated in my mind, never mind, let's just forgive and forget, after all, he realized his mistake yesterday and even sent you back home.

  "Hey, this girl really thinks too much. Xuan Yuan Lie just didn't know he was wrong, and sending her back was just to spend more time with her. What's the point of saying he knew he was wrong?"

  A great war is being waged in my mind, I am alone, talking to myself, with expressions that are sometimes joyful and sometimes perplexed.

  Xihe saw it and quietly sneaked over to give her little shoulder a fierce slap. As expected, Xi Mei was startled and jumped high on the spot.

  Turning back to take a look, it was actually San Jie. With an expression of discontent, she patted her chest and said, "Ahh, San Jie, why do you always scare people? Don't you know that scaring people can be fatal?"

  Xi He put down the things in his hand, circled around Xi Mei twice and said, "Tell me, did you do something bad again? Otherwise, why are you acting weirdly alone here?"

  Xi Mei didn't dare to look her in the eye, her eyes darting around, and she stammered: "I, I can do what bad things? You're thinking too much."

  After finishing speaking, she ran away with a flick of her skirt. Xi He looked at her back and said, "She said she didn't do anything wrong, so why did she run?"

  There was no one in front of her anymore. Xi He shook his head, picked up the thing that had just been dropped on the ground because he was scared by Xi Mei, and went back to the house.

  At this time, Xi Mei, who had run far away, stopped in her tracks and looked at the location she was in. She rubbed her eyes, only to find that she had unconsciously run onto the mountain path.

  After wandering around for a long time, I finally plucked up the courage to comfort myself. What's there to be afraid of? It was his fault, not mine. Why shouldn't I dare go up the mountain?

  That's right, after convincing herself, this careless girl jumped and skipped up the mountain as if nothing had happened.

  When they walked to the familiar cave entrance, Xi Mei pretended not to go in and leaned against the cave entrance, pretending to mutter to herself: "The weather is really good today."

  He paused for a moment, turned sideways to listen to the movement in the cave, and after not hearing any response, he intentionally said loudly: "The weather is really good, it's perfect for mountain climbing and sightseeing."

  Perk up your ears, still no movement inside. Xiaoyao this time didn't make a move. Alas, I, the victim, even took the initiative to give you an opportunity to save face, and yet you're still pretending?

  With a fierce momentum, he strode into the mountain cave, ready to launch a scathing verbal attack that would leave him too ashamed to show his face!

  Before he even opened his mouth, he found that there was no one in the cave, and everything was exactly the same as when he left yesterday.

  I was at a loss for words, and my sister suddenly became like a deflated balloon, looking bewildered.

  The used pot was still thrown in its original place, and there wasn't a single thread of warmth on Xiaohua's quilt. Ximei waited at the same spot for almost an hour.

  It wasn't until then that I finally came to terms with the fact that he had really left without saying goodbye.

  Defeated, she sat on a small quilt, her sister buried her head between her legs, and couldn't articulate what emotion it was, anyway, just feeling very lost.

  Her eyes glanced at the jade pendant in her arms, and she took it off. In a fit of anger, she wanted to throw it far away, but looking at the somewhat worn-out string, Xi Mei suddenly felt some reluctance.

  Forget it, just consider it as the reward for taking care of him all this time.

  She patted her little butt and turned around to walk down the mountain.

  Let's just consider all of this as a dream, in the dream she never met that handsome young man, and she was still that silly, forever being pampered by her family.

  Thinking so, her footsteps became much lighter, and her pace down the mountain also got faster.

  Pushing open the gate of her own home, Xi Mei shouted with a full breath, "Mother, I'm back!"

  Zhao walked out and scolded her, saying: "If you're back, just come back, why yell so loudly? Are you afraid others won't know our family has a fake young master?"

  Sister Xi pretended to be silly, still with an innocent and harmless expression on her face, and coquettishly said: "Mother, I'm hungry, can we eat now?"

  Zhao heard this and shook his head helplessly, "You, in your previous life, must have been a foodie, that's why you can eat so much in this life."

  Sister Xi was speechless, Mother, you're really something. How could she be like that? In her past life, she was truly a foodie through and through.

  At the dinner table, Zhao's wife told several daughters, "We must take advantage of this batch of pine flower eggs before they are made. We should pack up the things that need to be packed up. After this batch is taken away, we will also move."

  Ruihao was eating happily when he suddenly heard his mother say that, and the chopsticks 'clattered' to the ground. He said in surprise: "Mother, do we have to leave so soon?"

  Zhao picked up his chopsticks and then handed him a new pair of clean chopsticks.

  "I know you don't want to leave, and Mother doesn't want to either, but they're rushing us on the other side, everything is ready, the whole workshop is just waiting for your father to go over."

  After hearing this, several children stopped talking. Zhao sighed and said, "We're just temporarily going to the town, whenever we want to come back, we can still come back, right? Hurry up and eat, or people will think something's wrong with you."

  Looking at the children still being sulky, only Xi Mei was indifferent. Zhao asked curiously: "Xi Mei, why aren't you unhappy too?"

  Xi Mei thought to herself, what's there for her to be sad about? The two aunts go to the town every day, and Grandpa and Grandma have also been taken away by their own family, they're all together, what's there for her to be sad about?

  However, in order not to arouse the suspicion of Zhao and the others, Xi Mei had no choice but to pretend to be sad and said: "Of course I'm not happy, this way I won't be able to see Ah Huang, Er Ya, Da Dou Zi..."

  This girl, actually started counting on her little finger, seeing her serious face, Zhao hurriedly interrupted her, "Alright, alright, I know you have many friends, after eating, be sure to bid farewell to them properly."

  After finishing washing bowls and chopsticks, Zhao's anxiety wandered around the yard, also wondering how her husband was doing on that side...