Chapter 231: Old Friends’ Reunion

Chapter 231: Old Friends Meet Again

Ye Changsheng hadn’t returned yet, so Ye Xiaoxiao took the chance to visit a friend.

She headed to Wang Ying’s place, figuring that even if Wang Ying was studying out of town, she would’ve come home by now.

As expected, Wang Ying was indeed at home.

When Wang Ying saw Ye Xiaoxiao, she looked utterly shocked. "Xiao Xiao! You... you came to see me!"

Ye Xiaoxiao hugged Wang Ying. "I wanted to check if you were home. Lucky you’re here."

Wang Ying pulled Ye Xiaoxiao inside.

"How... how is it in the capital? Peking University must be great, huh?"

"It’s good."

Ye Xiaoxiao asked her, "You’re in school too, right?"

Wang Ying: "I... I’m studying accounting locally."

Wang Ying still stumbled over words sometimes, but as long as she spoke slowly and stayed calm, it wasn’t noticeable.

While her stutter was innate, with practice and a better environment, she’d gotten better.

"That’s great. You’re speaking more clearly now. Want to give acupuncture a shot?"

Before, Ye Xiaoxiao could only write prescriptions because her acupuncture skills weren’t yet proficient.

But now she felt ready to help.

"Wait... this can fix it?" Wang Ying asked doubtfully.

"Yes, acupuncture can help relax your muscles. You’ll still have to practice, though. We can try it out first."

Ye Xiaoxiao had brought her medical kit, which was in the car, and went ahead and gave Wang Ying a quick session.

The process took only about ten minutes. After removing the needles, Wang Ying didn’t notice anything dramatic, but she did feel very relaxed.

Talking even felt a little easier.

"It... it really seems to work."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Too bad school’s starting soon. If you find a good acupuncturist, you could continue treatment—but I don’t recommend going to just any doctor. Acupuncture can be risky."

Wang Ying: "I could come see you in Beijing. How about winter break?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Sure! You can crash at my place. I have a house in the capital."

Wang Ying asked, "Is your fourth brother... back yet? Li Bowen wants to see you and your brother."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "He’ll be back any day now. When he’s back, I’ll drag him along."

Wang Ying: "Okay."

...

Ye Changsheng returned the next day. Since he didn't know the exact time, he didn't send any message in advance.

By the time they saw Ye Changsheng, he was already at the gate of the yard.

"Little Uncle is back!"

"Little Uncle is back..."

The first to notice were actually the two children.

Zhang Xue only came out of the house after hearing the children's voices.

It had snowed lightly a couple of days ago, and there were still snow piles in the yard. The two children were playing outside, their little hands red from the cold.

Ye Changsheng: "Sis, no need to come out to greet me. I'll take the kids back inside."

"They're crazy about playing outside - built up resistance to the cold."

Xiao Xiao ran out of the house: "Bro, why didn't you let me know in advance?"

Ye Changsheng looked at the car in the yard. "Is this your ride?"

"Yeah, makes trips home easier."

Xiao Xiao wanted to help Ye Changsheng carry his things, but he declined and took them inside himself.

He wasn't bundled up enough and only warmed up after sitting on the heated brick bed inside.

At home, only Ye Changsheng didn't know that Miao Cuifang had gone to Beijing for surgery. Xiao Xiao and Zhang Xue kept mum about it when they met.

After catching his breath, Ye Changsheng asked, "Where's Third Bro at?"

"Third Bro went out—he went to the mines to find Eldest Brother."

Xiao Xiao just couldn't handle the freeze.

After resting a bit longer, Xiao Xiao took him to meet Li Bowen and Wang Ying.

When the two returned, they were wearing light winter coats, but outside the house, they had to bundle up in heavy-duty parkas that covered them from head to toe.

Xiao Xiao drove, picking up Wang Ying and Li Bowen to go to a local restaurant.

Wang Ying was curious. "Xiao Xiao, your car..."

Xiao Xiao: "Relax, I didn't win the lottery."

Wang Ying hugged Xiao Xiao. "You're gonna make it big!"

"From your lips to God's ears!"

They sat down, shooting the breeze till their order came.

Everyone was in school, so they were all in the same boat—hitting the books, sometimes checking out local malls or scenic spots.

Xiao Xiao: "South China University (Huanan University) is a haul from here, right?"

Li Bowen nodded. "But the train ride home's not bad. It wasn't until I got to the big city that I realized how much I was slacking. One of my roommates has been running a campus clothing hustle while studying."

Wang Ying: "Then... you could partner up with him."

Li Bowen: "I don’t have the bandwidth. I can work with him during holidays, but only for those days."

Ye Xiaoxiao thought for a moment: "There’s a lot of people in the apparel trade over there."

Li Bowen asked Ye Changsheng: "How’s school treating you?"

Ye Changsheng: "Can’t complain, but I’m mostly focused on my major. Our professor has a construction project in the northwest and might pick a few students to tag along next year."

Li Bowen: "You're only a sophomore and already working on projects with your professor? That’s usually grad student territory."

Ye Changsheng: "The professor probably wants me to be his grad student."

Li Bowen's eyes showed envy: "Then you’re golden."

Ye Changsheng: "But I’m on the fence about grad school."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Of course you should! I want to do grad studies too, and our family doesn’t need you to work right now, Fourth Brother. Just focus on your studies."

In a family, someone has to earn money while others focus on studying.

Not everyone can just go out and make money.

Li Bowen also noticed that Ye Changsheng used to wear tattered clothes, but in just over two years, his living conditions had clearly improved.

The Ye family might have caught the spring breeze of the times, becoming a well-off household in the village.

Meeting old friends made the meal just hit different.

Though the time was short, it made it feel even more special.

Wang Ying was still talking to Ye Xiaoxiao: "Gimme your address, and I’ll visit you sometime."

Ye Xiaoxiao gave her the address and phone number near her school: "I might miss calls during class, but I usually live at this address."

Wang Ying: "Okay... If I go... I’ll hit you up."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You’re always welcome."

After the meal, Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changsheng headed home.

In just a few years, everyone’s changed a ton.

When they got home, both the eldest and third brothers were there.

"Eldest Brother, Third Brother!"

Ye Changsheng ran over and hugged his two brothers.

Ye Changning and Ye Changqing had tanned considerably but looked fit.

The group sat together, talking nonstop.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Are we heading back today or tomorrow?"

Now that everyone was back, we could leave early.

Ye Changning: "If Xiao Xiao drives, the main road’s faster. Is the road icy? If it is, we should take the ox cart instead."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Just leave the car here?"

Ye Changqing: "Let’s not drive back. I’ll stash it somewhere safe, keep it secure."

Ye Xiaoxiao handed the car keys to Ye Changqing: "Then it’s all yours, Eldest Bro."