Chapter 530: Chapter 361: Divergence (4K)

A large chapter with 4,000 words is being delivered, with another chapter to be polished and uploaded later.

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As the car entered Dalin Village, the sun’s last rays of light also vanished into the horizon, and wisps of cooking smoke rose, shrouding the entire village in a thin layer of haze.

Chuxia’s mood, which had not fluctuated much until now, filled with an inexplicable warm and tender feeling at the sight of this familiar scene. She took a deep breath secretly, looked at the others, and saw that Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe’s faces were already flushed with excitement. As for Luo Xiaoqiong, she was clearly impatient.

“Hey, are you excited about seeing Uncle Gangshun and Fat Auntie or about surprising them?” Doubtful about the real reason for Xiaoqiong’s excitement, Chuxia poked her and asked.

“Both, hehe…” Luo Xiaoqiong laughed while gently patting her chest, “My mom and dad will probably think they’re dreaming when they see me. I plan to float in and scare them.”

Chuxia just curled her lip, “Do you believe Fat Auntie could slap you on the butt?”

After pondering for a moment, Luo Xiaoqiong drooped her head dejectedly, “How could I forget my mom’s temperament.”

“Why did I have to remind you?” Chuxia rubbed her forehead annoyed, “I really ought to keep my mouth shut.”

“Too late!” Luo Xiaoqiong raised her eyebrows triumphantly, “Anything you say now is too late.”

The car stopped at the Luo family’s doorway, and Luo Xiaoqiong quickly pushed the car door open and ran into the yard. Zhao Yulan, Lin Baohe, and Chuxia took some gifts from the car before entering. However, as they approached the door, they heard Luo Xiaoqiong’s cries of pain from inside the house.

“Meiying, Mom got confused and thought she was dreaming, just pinched to check, I didn’t mean it, does it still hurt?” Fat Auntie’s voice carried a slight tone of apology.

“Mom, why didn’t you pinch yourself if you thought you were dreaming?” Luo Xiaoqiong’s voice was full of grievance.

“Yulan? Baohe? Chuxia?” Seeing the people streaming in one by one, Fat Auntie rubbed her eyes, “Have you all come back together? I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Fearing that she might be caught in the crossfire, Chuxia hurriedly stepped back, “Fat Auntie, you’re not dreaming, we have come back.”

The way Chuxia kept her distance made Fat Auntie feel embarrassed, so she explained, “The Quandong family’s having a wedding, so I went to help make a few quilts. I got back so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open, thought to lie down before cooking, and while dozing off, I saw Meiying’s face coming at me. I thought I missed her so much that I dreamed of her, so I pinched her to see if it was real or not, heh…”

“Who has a big face? My face isn’t big!” Luo Xiaoqiong protested, influenced by Chuxia. She also felt that the round faces which the elderly favored were unattractive and hated it when anyone said she had a big face.

“A big face is a sign of good fortune!” Fat Auntie glared at her, but quickly put on a smile when she looked at Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe, “You have finally come back, if you had delayed any longer, I would have gone out looking for you. Come sit on the kang, it’s warm.”

“Where is Uncle Gangshun?” Lin Baohe inquired.

“He went to Quandong’s to drink. Xiao Shuan from Quandong’s is getting married the day after tomorrow, and they have been hosting banquets these past few days…” As Fat Auntie spoke, she started to get down from the kang, “He’s not at home, so let’s eat together. I’ll go cook; you all have a rest on the kang.”

Zhao Yulan stopped her, “Cha Xiang, you were sleeping so warmly, don’t get up or you might catch a cold. We just came to say hello; we still need to see how the house preparations are going. Our return was quite sudden; they probably haven’t moved out yet.”

“About that…” Fat Auntie furrowed her brow, “Didn’t you say you’d stay a few more days before coming back? How come you returned so soon? Did something happen?”

“Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou is away on a business trip for a year or so, so we thought to tidy things up early and spend some time with Chuxia. She’s our only daughter, and we’re not at ease leaving her alone.” Zhao Yulan sized up Fat Auntie, “Cha Xiang, by the sound of it, is there a problem with our house?”

Hesitating for a moment, Fat Auntie said, “Go deal with the house tomorrow. Stay here for tonight, and I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. We can go together to talk to the old couple in the morning.”

Lin Baohe’s brow furrowed, “The old couple doesn’t want to move out?”

Fat Auntie nodded, “Indeed. It concerns your Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin. That’s why I’m saying, stay here for tonight. Let me talk you through it, and together we can discuss it with the elderly tomorrow.”

“Xiao Zhe dropped us off; he’s still waiting in the car. With so many of us, we can’t all stay in your house. Let’s go and have a look first, see what they have to say. Besides, Xiao Zhe is friends with the son of the couple currently buying the house; with him here, we should be able to resolve the issue more easily.” Lin Baohe spoke while walking out. Zhao Yulan waved to Fat Auntie and quickly followed out.