Chapter 413 A Brief Return to the Village

Chapter 413: Village Return Notes

Ye Xiaoxiao told Lu Hanchuan that the person was someone from their village who had left with her third brother.

However, the man wasn’t working with her third brother at the company now—he had gone his own way.

"That guy isn’t reliable at all. He even cut ties with his family. What good can come from someone who doesn’t even care for their parents?"

Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan went back to their room.

The bedding in the small house was soft, fluffy, and cozy, making it very comfortable to lie on.

Nowadays, Baishi Village didn’t need electric fans—the nights were plenty cool.

The temperature in the northeast wasn’t high, and it was even colder in the mountains.

"If that’s the case, either ignore it or just tie him up and bring him back."

Lu Hanchuan’s approach was straightforward.

"I don’t know if my third brother still has any contact with him," Ye Xiaoxiao said, rubbing her face slightly in frustration.

Lu Hanchuan went to the other room to fetch water, then pulled Xiaoxiao up to sit.

"Wash your feet and go to sleep. Don’t worry about it."

Lu Hanchuan reached to take off Xiaoxiao’s shoes, startling her so much that she sat up abruptly and pulled her feet back.

"I’ll do it myself!"

Lu Hanchuan chuckled. "Shy, huh?"

"I’m ticklish! You’d definitely secretly tickle my feet."

Ye Xiaoxiao’s cute, fussy look was adorable.

Lu Hanchuan sat beside her and watched. "Fine, wash them yourself."

After washing, Ye Xiaoxiao climbed onto the *kang*. Lu Hanchuan went to pour out the water and then got ready for bed himself.

"Time to sleep! We can think about this tomorrow."

Ye Xiaoxiao got her bed ready, and by the time Lu Hanchuan returned, she was already asleep.

Gazing at Xiaoxiao’s peaceful sleeping face, Lu Hanchuan lay down quietly beside her, put his arms around his wife, and fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Lu Hanchuan and Ye Changqing headed up the mountain.

Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t wake up too late, but she still missed out on breakfast.

"Mom, you all eat so early," she asked.

Miao Cuifang and Li Guilan were already in the kitchen getting food ready for the next day’s banquet.

Some pork hocks and trotters were stewing in the pot, making the whole yard smell delicious.

"We eat three meals a day. If we don’t eat early, how can we keep them separate from lunch? Besides, your eldest brother and the others have already gone into the mountains."

Miao Cuifang didn’t call Xiao Xiao for breakfast, wanting her to rest well.

"Xiao Xiao, there are eggs and pancakes in the pot. Have a little something first, and we'll eat more at noon."

It was nearly noon by then.

Ye Xiaoxiao went to the pot to look for eggs. "Okay, I don’t have much appetite anyway."

She never had much appetite in the mornings and always ate very little.

After eating a small corn pancake and two eggs from the pot, Ye Xiaoxiao was already full.

"By the way, Xiao Xiao, remember to visit Aunt Meili’s place to see Erni. Yesterday when I went to deliver wedding sweets, I saw Erni at home."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Alright, Erni’s child is already over a year old, right?"

Miao Cuifang: "Yes, a real cute chubby little girl."

Ye Xiaoxiao washed her bowl and went to Aunt Meili’s place.

Zhang Erni happened to be sitting in the yard, her little girl sitting in a walker, zipping around the yard.

"Erni!"

Ye Xiaoxiao stood at the fence gate and greeted Zhang Erni.

Zhang Erni stood up. "Xiao Xiao, come on in."

Zhang Erni went to open the door and let Xiao Xiao inside.

"No need, I’ll just join you out here for a while."

Ye Xiaoxiao also sat on a small stool in the yard. She was wearing polyester capris, revealing her fair and slender ankles when she sat down.

Zhang Erni had put on some weight since they’d last met, but it was within the normal range.

Everyone puts on weight after having a baby, and Zhang Erni had recovered quite well.

Zhang Erni said to Ye Xiaoxiao: "I heard you’re tying the knot too. I saw Aunt Cuifang yesterday."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’ve already gotten married and registered, just haven’t thrown the wedding party at home yet. This time when I came back, we decided to do it together."

The village wouldn’t give much in gifts—bringing a couple pounds of eggs was already considered good.

Eggs were hard to come by now.

Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo insisted on holding the banquet in the village, not just for keeping up appearances but also to let everyone know their family had added a son-in-law.

This way, when Lu Hanchuan came again in the future, the villagers wouldn’t misunderstand.

"That’s great, but at your age, it’s considered a late marriage."

"I’m not exactly ancient!"

Ye Xiaoxiao was fresh out of school herself.

Zhang Erni: "Maybe it’s because you’ve had more schooling, so you don’t feel it. But in our village, there are no unmarried girls past twenty."

The girls in Baishi Village all wanted to marry young. The families were already poor, and if they waited until they were older, their prospects would only get worse.

"Do you still remember your stuttering desk buddy from high school?"

Of course, Ye Xiaoxiao knew who that was. She'd even come to me for help with her stuttering before and doesn't stutter like she used to.

"Don’t call her 'little stutterer' anymore. Her name is Wang Ying."

"Hehehe," Zhang Erni said sheepishly. "It just came out—wasn’t intentional."

"What about Wang Ying? I haven’t gone to see her since I came back."

"She’s working as an accountant at a government office now—totally different from before."

Zhang Erni added, "I saw her last time when I went to the office for some business. I barely recognized her."

Zhang Erni winced at the memory.

Back in school, she had been too immature, bullying others just because she was tall and had her little gang.

If only she had gotten along better with her classmates back then, they’d be useful contacts today.

Last time she saw Wang Ying, she ducked out after just a few awkward words.

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Now that you mention it, I really want to go see her."

Ye Xiaoxiao decided to visit Wang Ying in the county town before leaving her hometown.

"Mama…mama."

Zhang Erni’s daughter got stuck at the fence gate, whimpering for her mom.

Only then did Ye Xiaoxiao take a good look at Zhang Erni’s chubby toddler.

"She’s so adorable."

Ye Xiaoxiao went to pick her up but soon realized she was really heavy.

"Don’t bother—she’s a backbreaker. I can barely carry her myself now."

Zhang Erni took her daughter back and plopped her down.

"Say 'Auntie.'"

Mingyue wasn’t talking much yet and didn’t quite understand what her mother was saying.

But she really liked the nice lady and kept squirming toward her, wanting Ye Xiaoxiao to hold her.

"Shoot, I didn’t bring a present for the little one."

Ye Xiaoxiao really hadn’t brought anything with her this time—nothing for Mingyue.

"Don’t be so polite. At her age, she’s happy with empty boxes anyway. Actually, I prepared a gift for you, but it’s coming tomorrow. I asked Fei Qing to pick it up in town."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Thank you."

Zhang Erni replied, "Don’t sweat it. You brought me something too, didn’t you?"

The two sat in the yard chatting for a while until Lu Hanchuan came to get Ye Xiaoxiao home for dinner.

"Xiaoxiao, time to head back."

Lu Hanchuan could see Xiao Xiao from where he stood outside the fence.

"That’s my husband—gotta go."

Ye Xiaoxiao stood up.

Zhang Erni held her child, her eyes sparkling. "He's so handsome—just like you!"

Ye Xiaoxiao whispered, "Don’t say he’s handsome—he’ll just get mad."

Zhang Erni chuckled. "Heh, men are all like that."