Chapter 136: Targeted

Chapter 136: Targeted

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Third brother, have you been bribed so quickly?"

Ye Changning took an orange out of the snack bag, "Not really, I just said that guy has a conscience."

Ye Xiaoxiao shook her head in resignation and climbed onto the upper bunk to rest.

"Has Ye Changsheng's school let out for the holiday?"

"Ye Changsheng has already started his holiday, he should be two days ahead of us. I told him to wait for us at grandpa's place so we can head back together."

"I wonder how Ye Changsheng's been doing at school."

But Ye Changsheng is so smart, he must be doing well.

Time flew by on the train, and Ye Xiaoxiao polished off the food Lu Hanchuan had packed, and it was almost time to get home.

The train stopped at Baichuan County Station for five minutes. Ye Xiaoxiao and the others had already changed into thick clothes, but they were still hit hard by the cold wind as soon as they got off the train.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "How do we get to grandpa's place?"

This isn't Beijing, it's tougher to catch a ride here.

Ye Changning: "Let's head out of the station first, there's bound to be a ride to Songlin Town outside."

Sure enough, there were carts lined up in front of the station, ox carts, donkey carts, and mule carts.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "A donkey cart will work."

But can it fit the three of us, plus all this luggage?

Ye Changning went to negotiate the price.

He came back quickly, having settled on an ox cart.

The carts here don't just take one passenger at a time; they see who's going the same way and wait until they have a full cart before leaving.

This was the 1980s version of carpooling.

Ye Changning paid extra, so naturally, they didn't have to share the ride.

The ox cart set off from the train station, slowly trundling toward the town.

Moving at a slow pace wasn't too chilly, Ye Xiaoxiao had her hat and scarf on, with her hands buried in her pockets.

Even so, by the time they got to Grandpa Miao's place, Ye Xiaoxiao felt like her legs had gone numb.

She couldn't lift a thing, but luckily Ye Changsheng and Grandpa Miao came out to lend a hand.

After not seeing each other for a while, Ye Changsheng had shot up in height, and he had a scholarly vibe, refined and gentle.

"Third bro, Xiao Xiao!"

Ye Changsheng gave Ye Changning a hug first, then started grabbing stuff from the cart.

Ye Changning paid the cart driver and sent him off.

They all headed back inside.

Miao Fengshan said, "Everyone, take off your shoes and sit on the kang—it's nice and warm."

Ye Xiaoxiao sat by the stove and finally started to warm up.

Ye Changning said, "Tomorrow, let’s pick up some New Year’s supplies and then head home together."

Miao Fengshan said, "No need to buy anything—we’ve got everything ready at home. If it weren’t for waiting for you kids, I’d have already gone back to Baishi Village."

Ye Changning yawned, "I’ve got something to do tomorrow, and Gangzi needs to pick up a few things before heading home."

Grandpa Miao had no choice but to let them take care of their own business.

After all, he couldn’t keep tabs on these kids.

Ye Changning and Ye Changsheng sat together, catching up on what’s been happening lately.

Every now and then, they’d ask Ye Xiaoxiao a question or two.

When he heard about Ye Xiaoxiao’s business venture with her classmates, Ye Changning was really impressed.

"How does Xiao Xiao make running a business look so easy?"

Ye Changsheng thought it was normal, "It’s probably because of Mr. Song’s help, right?"

Ye Changning said, "Maybe I should find myself a mentor too."

Miao Fengshan said, "Don’t try to cut corners, kid. These things are all about fate. How do you know finding a mentor will make everything go smoothly?"

Ye Changning touched his nose, "Just saying."

The group stayed overnight at Grandpa Miao's place, and the next day, Ye Changning took Yu Gang and Ye Changsheng out to take care of some business.

Ye Xiaoxiao slept in until after nine.

By the time she woke up, the rest of the family had already gone about their own business.

Ye Changning went to visit his friend at the meatpacking plant and bought a whole pig; they split it equally between them.

On the way, Ye Changsheng finally asked, "Did Third Brother go to Beijing to see Yan Yan?"

He hadn’t brought it up earlier in front of Ye Xiaoxiao.

When Ye Changsheng first learned that Ye Changning had gone to the capital, he had already written to inform him about certain matters, including the fact that Hao Yanyan had taken the family's money and left home on her own.

Ye Changsheng shook his head, "I didn't see her, but I did hear some news.

What’s done is done. Since leaving the Ye family was Yan Yan's own choice, we have to respect her decision and hope she won’t regret it later."

Even if she regrets it, it would be difficult for the Ye family to accept her back.

The Ye family silently understood those unspoken matters.

With that, Ye Changsheng didn’t say anything else.

His attitude remained consistent: once someone leaves, there’s no turning back.

...

After finishing her meal, Ye Xiaoxiao went to the co-op to take a look. The selection wasn't as wide as in the capital, but there were still many things she didn't usually get to eat.

In a remote place like Songlin Town, there wasn't much variety in fruits. Apples were the most common, and when they were cheap, many families would buy some, since they could last almost all winter.

Ye Xiaoxiao bought a bag of apples, two cans of malted milk powder, two cans of powdered milk, two packs of brown sugar, and four pounds of rock sugar.

After buying these things, Ye Xiaoxiao left because she couldn't carry anything else.

All the items were placed in a sack, and from the outside, you couldn't tell what was inside.

However, someone like Ye Xiaoxiao, who came out of the co-op carrying things, was easily targeted by the jobless drifters in the town.

As the year-end approached, those without money might turn to theft or even robbery, hoping for a better New Year.

Ye Xiaoxiao had just left the co-op and hadn't walked far when she sensed someone tailing her.

She was walking on the main road, with lots of people around.

But to return to her grandfather's place, she had to cut through a narrow alley.

Ye Xiaoxiao already sensed something was wrong. She paused at the alley's entrance, hoping someone would walk with her.

There were three young guys tailing her.

They were all wearing trendy leather hats, hands in pockets, heads lowered, inching closer to Ye Xiaoxiao.

Ye Xiaoxiao waited for a while, but only saw Aunt Shun, who lived in the same area.

Since she had once gone to her house to collect melon seeds, Ye Xiaoxiao was quite familiar with her.

Aunt Shun walked by with her young granddaughter.

"Young girl, why aren't you going home? Is the stuff too heavy? Let me help you with that," Aunt Shun said warmly.

Ye Xiaoxiao noticed that the three men were getting closer.

These guys were tough, and even with Aunt Shun, they couldn't take them on.

Ye Xiaoxiao spoke to Aunt Shun, speaking up loudly, "I'm waiting for my brothers to come back. They'll be here soon."

However, even this didn't deter the delinquents, and the three of them got closer and closer.

"Do you guys live around here? Have you paid the protection fee?" the leader said with a sneer.

Aunt Shun shielded the two young girls behind her, "Who are you? Get lost, don't cause trouble here."

The man in front gave his two companions a look, clearly intending to rob them.

"What are you doing!" Suddenly, a voice came from behind the three men.

Ye Xiaoxiao looked over and saw that it was Uncle Li He.

Due to some past incidents, Ye Xiaoxiao hadn't seen Li He since then, and now meeting him was quite awkward.

Li He was a strong man, and the three thugs bolted when they saw they couldn't succeed.