Chapter 49: Fate Brings Enemies Together

Chapter 49: Fate Brings Enemies Together

The tractor drove into the village and had to pass by Wang Meili's house.

In the yard, Wang Meili craned her neck and, upon seeing Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changyuan sitting on the tractor, quickly ran back inside.

"Erni, have Ye Xiaoxiao's family hit the jackpot?"

Zhang Erni looked up, confused, "How should I know?"

Wang Meili: "Are you kidding me? You and Ye Xiaoxiao are classmates, haven't you heard anything?"

Zhang Erni didn't quite understand her mother's weird behavior and said bewilderedly, "I'm already engaged to my Deshu, why should I care about her?"

Wang Meili: "..."

...

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Brother, sister-in-law! Come out and help move the things."

Miao Cuifang was inside stitching shoe soles when she heard the call and hurried out.

Ye Jianguo had gone into the mountains and wouldn't be back anytime soon.

Ye Changqing was still at the mine, coming home every ten days.

Ye Baocheng ran the fastest, bursting out of the house like a little cannonball and hugging Ye Xiaoxiao's leg.

"Aunt Xiaoxiao!"

Ye Baocheng saw the tractor at the door and his eyes widened slightly, "So much yummy food!"

"Yes, let's clear the way and bring everything in."

Ye Xiaoxiao tried to lift Ye Baocheng but couldn't.

Miao Cuifang and Zhang Xue moved all the things from the tractor into the house and then asked the driver to come in and rest.

"Wow, how did you get so much stuff?"

Ye Changyuan explained to his aunt what he'd told his grandpa.

Miao Cuifang: "What? Your third brother came back, and that silly boy didn't even bother to come home!"

Seeing Miao Cuifang about to get angry, Ye Xiaoxiao quickly said, "Mom, don't be mad. Third brother was too afraid to face you. He asked me to give you five hundred yuan and said that big brother shouldn't go to the mining area in the summer, it's too dangerous.

He's thinking of home, just wants to earn more to come back in style."

Miao Cuifang wasn't really mad, and after Ye Xiaoxiao's comforting words, she was just heartbroken.

"Next time you see your third brother, tell him to come home, money or no money, he has to come back!"

"Okay."

Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changyuan exchanged a look, both breathing a sigh of relief.

Miao Cuifang put the money away: "Changyuan, go home and bring your parents and grandparents over. We'll steam some big, fluffy buns today, and after eating, we'll share the things."

"Okay, aunt." Ye Changyuan immediately ran out.

When Ye Jianguo returned home, the first thing he noticed was the aroma of cooking.

"What’s the special occasion? Why are we making steamed buns?"

Miao Cuifang: "Ye Xiaoxiao and Changyuan are back. Ye Xiaoxiao brought rice, flour, and oil, and there are clothes sent by the third son..."

Ye Jianguo: "The third son didn’t come home?"

Miao Cuifang: "No, he left five hundred yuan, saying he would come back after earning a lot of money. He also mentioned his eldest brother's situation. I also think that during the rainy season, we shouldn’t let the eldest brother work in the mine. There are always accidents there every year."

Ye Jianguo: "We’ll talk it over with the eldest brother when he’s back. Nothing matters more than safety."

After the family finished eating, Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changyuan were about to leave.

A day off passes quickly.

The Ye family didn’t insist they stay; the sooner they left, the better.

When they left the village, they happened to meet Zhang Erni, who was also returning to school.

Wang Meili seemed to have forgotten the previous conflict and cheerfully greeted the Ye family.

"What luck! You’ve got a tractor. It’s perfect for our Erni to ride back to school with you."

Zhang Erni carried her schoolbag.

Her brother helped her carry the supplies meant for the school.

Walking back would’ve been a hassle.

Ye Changyuan curled his lips and whispered, "Talk about nerve."

When Li Deshu’s family falsely accused Ye Changsheng of assault, their attitude was very ugly.

They claimed Ye Changsheng had it coming, and it was only right that he should be punished for hitting someone.

However, the Ye family didn’t turn Zhang Erni away, after all, Zhang Rengui was a decent guy and usually got along well with the Ye family.

One more person on the tractor wasn’t a problem.

Ye Xiaoxiao slipped the driver an extra yuan to take them a bit further and drop them off at the gate of Baichuan No. 1 Middle School.

The driver gladly agreed and told them to hold on tight.

The tractor rattled along, jolting everyone on board.

...

At this time, Ye Changsheng had already followed the principal to the capital.

The city’s energy left him both exhilarated and awestruck.

Even Li Bowen, who was used to finer things, couldn’t help but marvel.

"So this is the capital! It’s a whole different league compared to our little town!"

Yu Deshui took the two boys to the competition training base and couldn't help saying on the way, "Beijing is awesome. You must study hard and make it big in the city to see better and more beautiful scenery."

Li Bowen and Ye Changsheng didn't say anything, but at this moment, they were more determined than ever.

They had to get out of the mountains.

They had to make their way to the big cities.

The training base was in a large, separate compound, and with their registration info, they found the accommodations arranged by the base.

The teachers had their own quarters, and students were put up in eight-person bunk rooms, assigned at random.

During the training, students were under strict supervision, so even the Beijing kids had to stay on-site.

Ye Changsheng and Li Bowen got there pretty early and picked the lower bunks across from each other.

Although it was an eight-person room, it was way better than their digs at Baichuan No. 1 Middle School. Ye Changsheng even felt a little out of place because it was so nice and convenient.

As they were unpacking, a few more guys trickled in.

They were from all over the place, and they didn't know each other. Some of them even spoke dialects that were hard to follow.

After the long trip, the guys just said hi and then crashed.

After a while, someone came by to check them in and showed them where the classroom was, and that classes would start from tonight.

At the first class, Ye Changsheng walked in and saw that the desks were set up in tiers, and the whole room could fit hundreds of people.

They got there just in time and grabbed seats in the middle.

Ye Changsheng sat down and started flipping through his book.

Two boys sat down behind him, one of whom looked quite young.

However, as long as they were high school students, they could participate in this competition, so the other person might be a freshman.

The younger boy started complaining as soon as he sat down.

"Zeyu Ge, do you think my brother is sick? He doesn't want a good girl like Xiao Xiao, but treasures an ugly one."

Xu Jianli reasonably suspected that his brother's brain was disabled from studying.

For someone like him to be admitted to Jinghua University, it must be a stroke of luck for the Xu family.

Shao Zeyu, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, flipped through the book casually, his voice clear.

"I don't think it's as serious as you say. I saw the girl your brother brought to the last gathering, and their relationship wasn't very close."

Xu Jianli pounded the table, "He took her on a bike ride, tutored her, took her to gatherings... If that's not close, what is?

And my mom! She's extremely satisfied with that woman, I think she's already forgotten about Xiao Xiao."

Shao Zeyu's eyes flickered, "Do you know where Xiao Xiao is now?"