Chapter 420 I Must Go to the Train Station Immediately to Buy a Ticket and Bring Xiao Meizi Back!

Chapter 420: I’ve got to rush to the train station right now, buy a ticket, and bring Xiao Meizi back!

The last time he came back to the village, Mu left his contact information with Xiao Meizi, and they kept up the habit of exchanging letters every two or three months.

Mu started it. When he wrote his very first letter to Xiao Meizi, this usually careless boy actually remembered to include a return envelope and told her not to forget to write back.

Xiao Meizi couldn’t bring herself to ignore it, especially since Mu was still her “creditor”—the money he’d saved for his future bride was still in her hands. After sending that first reply, she just couldn’t stop writing.

They had originally agreed that Fu Yuanhang and Mu would try to visit the village once during every winter and summer vacation. But since starting junior high, their time had become more precious, and the factory’s workload kept increasing.

Whenever they had free time, they used it to work part-time at the factory—even basketball fell by the wayside. In the past couple of years, they hadn’t returned to Qinglian Village even once.

Mu would write Xiao Meizi whenever he felt like it, sometimes tucking in a few bucks inside the envelope, saying it was for her to stash away for him as his bride savings, while also telling her to blow it all right away and promise to pay him back when she grew up and started earning.

Mu was easygoing and never kept track of how much he’d sent Xiao Meizi, but Xiao Meizi jotted down every penny in a notebook. Even the price of each stamp on the return envelopes was carefully noted.

She’d save the canceled stamps, peeling them off carefully and sticking them into her most cherished notebook.

Every time Mu replied, he always made sure to include a return envelope, and often asked Fu Yuanhang to add a few lines too.

Mu never ran out of things to say—probably because the memory of Xiao Meizi’s poor little hut had struck him hard.

Sometimes, he’d send over clothes or shoes that Zhong Lady no longer wore, writing:

—"Xiao Meizi, our Zhong Lady’s put on more weight again—she can’t even fit into perfectly good clothes anymore. I’m sending them your way. If anyone can use them, go ahead and pass them along. At this rate, she’ll probably need new ones every year. We owe you one!"

Didn’t those clothes fit Xiao Meizi’s grandma perfectly? Who else but Mu would go through all the trouble of mailing something and still thank the recipient?

Later, when his family gained an "Apple sister-in-law," he found another excuse to send things to Xiao Meizi:

—"Xiao Meizi, my brother’s such a blockhead—the first time he bought shoes for my sister-in-law, he got the size wrong! She tried them on but couldn’t get a refund, and it totally ticked off my sister-in-law. Do you think they’ll fit you? There’s no other girl in our family, and it’d be a shame to let them gather dust. If they fit, don’t let them go to waste!"

In truth, it was Mu who used his own part-time earnings to buy those shoes for Xiao Meizi, but he insisted it was Mo Jiazhe who bought the wrong size for Chen Pingguo and asked Xiao Meizi to help out. Only Mu could pull a stunt like that.

Xiao Meizi had written many times, asking Mu not to send her anything or any money, threatening not to reply if he didn’t stop.

He behaved for a bit—but every time he saw something that suited Xiao Meizi, he couldn’t resist buying it for her.

That girl with her thick pigtail, shy smile, living in a thatched hut and wearing straw sandals—who cried tears of joy after finally tasting chicken, yet still saved a piece for her grandmother—had somehow hit the only soft spot in Mu’s otherwise rough heart.

Mu had always been completely devoted to the people he cared about—Fu Yuanhang, Chenchen, Kangzi—they were all the same. But toward Xiao Meizi, there was an extra layer of tenderness.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Yuanhang asked.

Mu’s smile vanished. He took a deep breath and handed the letter to Fu Yuanhang:

“Those people are just too despicable! Ah Hang, while we still have time, let’s hurry back to Qinglian Village and bring Xiao Meizi here.”

Fu Yuanhang took the letter, read it quickly, and frowned deeply:

“Calm down. Even though Xiao Meizi’s grandma is gone, we’re not related to her. What claim do we even have to bring her here? She might not even want to come.”

Mu said angrily, “So we just stand by and watch Xiao Meizi drop out of school? Let those distant relatives who’ve never done a thing for her drag her off to work her to the bone, then cash in on a bride price when she comes of age?”

Xiao Meizi’s grades were amazing—she always scored perfect scores and topped her class every year. At first, she copied Fu Yuanhang’s handwriting, but eventually developed her own neat, graceful hand—so elegant and pretty.

Every time Xiao Meizi’s letters arrived, Mu couldn’t help rereading them over and over just to admire her handwriting.

“Did they ever raise Xiao Meizi? Did they help her grandma? When life was hardest, these so-called relatives stayed far away. Now that there’s something to gain, they all come sniffing around for profit. Since when is that right?”

Uncle Mu grew angrier as he spoke: "No, I have to go to the train station right now to buy a ticket and bring Xiao Meizi back!"

Uncle Mu was about to take off on his bike.

"Calm down," Fu Yuanhang said, pressing down on Uncle Mu's handlebars. "Do you even know what time it is? Are you planning to bike all the way to town? By the time you get there, they’ll already be off work.

This isn’t something to rush into. Let’s go back and discuss it with my sister-in-law first, then work out a proper plan."

Uncle Mu thought it over and agreed: "Right, right, Auntie dotes on Xiao Meizi too. We should talk to Auntie. Come on, let’s go. I’ll stay at your place for dinner tonight. Xiao Meizi can’t afford to wait—we need to figure out a solution as soon as possible!"

Zhou Linglan had also sent Xiao Meizi quite a few things over the years. Many of the items Uncle Mu mailed back were from Zhou Linglan, some from Su Taotao, and others were local specialties. Thanks to Uncle Mu’s connection, both families had come to especially cherish Xiao Meizi.

The kids were itching to get home, hurrying back in silence.

...

First, let’s tie up Xiao Meizi’s storyline—it won’t be long. Goodnight, mwah.