《Rebirth After Divorce》


 CH 1

    Cold droplets of rainwater kept flowing through the holes of the cave, hitting his broken body in the process. It was a pity that he no longer had the strength to move. Otherwise, he will move himself to a dry place. But he was not expecting that much though. It¡¯s been hours since his body was knocked down from the cliff, and he knew that he was nearing his end.


    It was already a kind of luck for him to see such a cave when he can¡¯t hold on anymore. Although this so-called cave was actually just a slightly recessed wall of soil.


    Yu Xiao was lying motionlessly on the ground, with mud all over his face and hair. His originally clean clothes became worn out. Crimson blood could be seen flowing from his broken nails, staining his hands in the process.


    He narrowed his eyes and stared at his hands that were carefully taken care of just for the purpose of playing piano. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a mocking smile: This hand of his is what that person liked the most. He usually takes care of these hands, even to the extent of disregarding himself. Who would have thought that this time it would look like this.


    Thinking of this, Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop the intense hatred in his heart. Why did he treat him like this when he always says that he loves him? It turned out that loving him was just a way to fool him to take away all his money and property, and also to kill him?


    Really, he didn¡¯t expect that he, Yu Xiao, would end up to what he is now. If he had known beforehand that this would happen to him, he should have listened to Fan Lie¡¯s advice and stayed away from that cheating bastard at the very start.


    Yang Jian was his boyfriend. In a society that still couldn¡¯t accept the concept of two men being together, their relationship from when they started dating until they became married was kept a secret. The two of them experienced a lot of ups and downs throughout their secret relationship.


    Moreso, because Yang Jian¡¯s parents were old-fashioned teachers who couldn¡¯t accept the thought of the two being together.


    When their relationship was exposed, it was Yang Jian who asked Mother Yang to ease her attitude on the grounds that he would sever their mother and son relationship if she wouldn¡¯t agree. Unfortunately for Yu Xiao, what he did only made him be hated by Mother Yang and Father Yang.


    No matter how Yu Xiao tried hard to please her, it was all useless. Out of helplessness, and also to not make things difficult for his lover, he gradually stopped visiting Yang Jian¡¯s parents.


    However, his actions made Yang Jian¡¯s parents mistakenly think that he was giving up. So they called Yang Jian every three days and asked him to go on blind dates with different women. Anyway, those women came from good families and their characters were also gentle and attentive.


    Although Yang Jian repeatedly refused, he still went on blind dates several times. Despite having the reasons and excuses for going out to attend blind dates, as his lover for many years, Yu Xiao was very familiar with him. He knew that some things were happening, it¡¯s just he didn¡¯t bring it up.


    Additionally, he believed in Yang Jian. If there is no trust between them, then their relationship wouldn¡¯t last long.


    In this way, five years of their noisy life had passed. Yang Jian¡¯s parents finally gave up introducing some women to their son, and they no longer opposed their relationship as much as before. At the very least, after five years, Father Yang just ignored Yu Xiao while Mother Yang no longer rejected Yu Xiao¡¯s fawning behavior.


    Everything was developing in a good direction, and the two of them finally decided to go through the marriage formalities secretly. After all, both of them held onto their love that lasted for six years.


    It was a pity that, just yesterday, their relationship came to an end.


    He, Yu Xiao, ¡®voluntarily¡¯ agreed to divorce on the day of their wedding anniversary. Furthermore, he also ¡®voluntarily¡¯ gave all his money and properties under his name to Yang Jian. In the end, he died ¡®accidentally¡¯.


    Good! Good! It¡¯s really good! Who would have thought that he, Yu Xiao, was such a Holy Mother until his deathbed.


    When he thought of the time when he came back anxiously just to give Yan Jiang a big surprise, and also not to miss their wedding anniversary, he couldn¡¯t help but feel sad.


    Much to his surprise at that time, when he opened the door, he saw messy clothes scattered on the ground and heard strange sounds coming from the bathroom.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and the luggage in his hand fell on the ground without him taking a notice.


    He forced himself to walk calmly to the bathroom not far away from him. The closer he got to the bathroom, the more the sound of the water splashing with passionate moans sounded clearly in his ears.


    He was very familiar with those two voices. One was his lover whom he had been deeply in love with for seven years, and the other was his cousin, Yu Jia.


    He laughed mockingly to himself: That Yu Jia who had been following him and calling him cousin. That Yu Jia who has always been supportive of his relationship with Yan Jian. Finally, that Yu Jia who has always been wishing him and Yang Jian happiness all the time.


    He supported him financially and took care of him as his cousin all this time, and this is what he exchanged for that? Then Yu Xiao really couldn¡¯t accept this repayment!


    With a bang sound, Yu Xiao kicked open the wooden door of the bathroom harshly. He saw that the two people inside were stiff frozen by the sudden loud noise. They became even more panicked when the fog dissipated, revealing Yu Xiao.


    A trace of ridicule flashed across Yu Xiao¡¯s face. It seems that considering the adeptness of these two people, the number of times they did this adulterous act was not small!


    ¡°Xiao, you, you¡¯re back?¡± Yang Jian saw his lover standing at the door of the bathroom with a dark face. His face quickly became flustered.


    ¡°C-Cousin?¡± Yu Jia¡¯s face turned pale in an instant and his body contracted subconsciously.


    This action made Yang Jian feel like crying out in pleasure. But it was not without any reason. His thing is still staying inside Yu Jia¡¯s body. In the first place, that thing is already tight but adding to that shrinking action, the pleasure becomes even more indescribable and vivid. He was in ecstasy.


    Of course, for Yang Jian, he would rather be in ecstasy with only two of them and not like the situation right now. The pleasure also made him react, and he quickly pulled out his thing.


    The sound of ¡°puchi¡± made the three people in the room change their faces instantly. Yu Xiao didn¡¯t want to see such a dirty picture again, and turned his body with the intention of leaving.


    ¡°Xiao, Xiao, listen to my explanation!¡± As soon as Yang Jian saw that Yu Xiao turned around to leave, he instinctively moved his feet to follow him. But he was stopped before he could take a single step.


    ¡°Yu Jia, what are you doing?¡± Yang Jian had an impatient expression on his face, ¡°I need to hurry out and explain clearly to Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Then you can¡¯t go out like this, you¡¯d better put on some clothes.¡± Yu Jia¡¯s eyes darkened. Unwillingness flashed inside him before he pointed to the bathrobe not far away from him.


    When Yang Jian heard this, he hurriedly picked up the bath towel beside him and wiped his body indiscriminately. After that, he put on the bathrobe and directly walked out without even minding that he wasn¡¯t wearing any slippers.


    After Yang Jian¡¯s figure disappeared at the bathroom door, Yu Jia finally raised his head. Resentment and unwillingness could be seen on his face. He kept shouting in his heart: Why! Why did you come back! I hate you! I hate you!


    But in the next second, he quickly controlled his emotions. He patted his cheek, and his originally twisted appearance was changed into a pitiful expression. He began to carefully wipe himself clean with the towel that Yang Jian had just used. Then he put on the bathrobe that obviously belonged to Yu Xiao and walked out of the bathroom with a timid look.


    ¡°Xiao, Xiao, really, I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have betrayed you, you can scold and beat me!¡± Yang Jian knelt beside Yu Xiao with a face full of remorse.


    From time to time, Yang Jian would reach out his hand to beg him, but without any exception, he was slapped away mercilessly.


    Looking at the man he loved so much bending his knees in front of another man, the unwillingness and resentment in his heart became even more extreme.


    Why is it like this! Why!


    ¡°You two, how long has this been going on?¡± Yu Xiao asked them with a calm voice that even he himself found unbelievable.


    ¡°Xiao, we¡­ this is the first time! Really, this is the first time. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can ask him.¡± Yang Jian turned his head and pointed at Yu Jia, and said loudly. While doing so, he shot a pleading look at Yu Jia.


    A stabbing pain can be felt in Yu Jia¡¯s heart at this moment. He moved his eyes away and lowered his head. He replied meekly, ¡°Cousin, this is really the first time. Please, please forgive Brother Yang. This time, it was all my fault. I, I am not good, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Xiao, you heard it. This is really the first time that we have done this. You should believe me, I won¡¯t do it again. Please, please forgive me.¡±


    ¡°C-Cousin, please forgive Brother Yang! All of this is my fault, please!¡± Yu Jia stumbled a few steps and fell on his knees beside Yang Jian. He kept apologizing and begging for forgiveness.


    Looking at the two kneeling figures who kept apologizing in front of him, Yu Xiao can¡¯t stop himself from feeling annoyed: It was obvious that the two of them betrayed him, so how could it be that it became his fault?


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. I¡¯m going to leave now.¡± Yu Xiao impatiently interrupted their cries and walked to the direction of the door.


    ¡°Xiao!¡±


    When he saw him leaving, Yang Jian immediately reached out his hand to grab his right hand, ¡°Don¡¯t leave, I was wrong! Please forgive me, please don¡¯t go!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± He walked quickly to the door, picked up the luggage that he unknowingly dropped on the ground when he first came, then turned around and said to Yang Jian. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, don¡¯t follow me! Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°But, Xiao, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop the bubbling emotion in his heart and shouted loudly at Yang Jian. He slammed the door open and left directly.


    ¡°Brother Yang, cousin, he¡­¡± Yu Jia watched the turn of events happily and couldn¡¯t help but secretly heave a sigh of relief when Yu Xiao left.


    ¡°You shut up!¡± Yang Jian turned around angrily and cursed at him, ¡°You bitch, if it wasn¡¯t for you, Xiao wouldn¡¯t have left me. Everything is all your fault! Get out! Get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Brother Yang, I¡­¡± Yu Jia still wanted to say something, but was harshly pulled out and pushed down by Yang Jian outside the door. The door slammed heavily in front of his face.


    Yu Jia sat on the cold floor tiles without moving. The expression on his face was distorted, and the hatred and unwillingness in his heart reached an unprecedented height. A clear killing intent emerged in his eyes : You asked all for this!

 CH 2

    Yu Jia slowly stood up from the ground and moved his hand to sort out his disheveled bathrobe. However, when he was just about to pull the lapel of the bathrobe, his hand stopped abruptly. In the next second, that hand that had just pulled the lapel became violent. The protruding veins appeared obvious against his pale hand.


    Right, he was still wearing other people¡¯s clothes now. But it doesn¡¯t matter because sooner or later, it will become his. Of course, not just this bathrobe, but also that person will become his. He only needed to wait for another time.


    Thinking of that, the distorted expression on Yu Jia was quickly replaced by a harmless look. He let go of his clenched hands and looked down at the messy folds on the lapel part of the bathrobe. He gently smoothed them out one by one.


    Brother Yang will become his soon. It was only a matter of time, just a little more time.


    Facing the tightly shut door at this moment, Yu Jia couldn¡¯t stop the tenderness and madness in his eyes. He took another quick glance at the door and walked downstairs with brisk steps. The most important thing to do now was to do a ¡®good¡¯ thing.


    Despite all of his resentment towards this cousin of his in his heart, he had to admit that he really did a good job of buying the house downstairs for him to live in.


    Yet, this thought only flashed in his mind for a moment. What followed next was a strong dissatisfaction. It was obvious that the house opposite Yu Xiao¡¯s house was also empty, but he gave him the house downstairs.


    Could it be that he did it on purpose? Just to stop him from approaching Brother Yang? The more Yu Jia thought about it, the more he felt that his conjecture was true. It could only mean that his cousin was guarding against him all along. Sure enough, he helped him on purpose.


    Really a bitch!


    The resentment in Yu Jia¡¯s heart started to rise again. But when he thought of what he was going to do next, he endured the resentment in his heart.


    He took out the spare key under the vase placed at the side of his door and immediately opened the door. He quickly went in and changed his clothes. Then, he picked up the car keys on the table and headed towards the garage.


    He inserted the key and turned it. Then he pushed the gear and released the brake. Soon, a latest model of BMW car drove out of the community.


    Meanwhile, after Yu Xiao angrily left with his luggage, he hailed a taxi and went directly to the famous five-star hotel in the city, the Xinjintian International Hotel. As the only five-star hotel located in City C, the minimum spending for one night was over ten thousand yuan.


    Needless to say, Yu Xiao, who was fuming at that time, booked the most expensive presidential suite for the first time in his life. He suddenly lost one hundred thousand yuan, which was simply impossible for him who has always been stingy even with himself.


    But when he thought of the two cheating bastards he had treated so well, the faint reluctance in his heart disappeared completely. He thought inside, why can¡¯t he enjoy himself for once? Anyway, he finally decided that tomorrow he must drive away those two disgusting wretches. His house should not be occupied by such people.


    Come to think of it, he was lucky that he still hasn¡¯t transferred the house downstairs under Yu Jia¡¯s name. He originally planned to transfer that house to Yu Jia as a gift on his 20th birthday. Who would have thought that it would become like this now. Fortunately, Yu Jia¡¯s birthday was still two months away and he still hasn¡¯t transferred the property rights yet.


    Yu Xiao thought in his head as walked into the expensive presidential suite for the first time with his room card held in his hand. After calmly watching the helper leave the door, he quickly tore off his disguise. He didn¡¯t pick up his luggage like he usually did, instead he looked around the room like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden. He looked at every inch of the room and he let out some gasps from time to time.


    Finally, after nearly an hour, Yu Xiao finally calmed down. He started to organize his luggage. Upon opening the zipper, the first thing he noticed was the bag of chocolates he specially brought back from abroad.


    Because those two people were very fond of chocolates, he specifically bought an M&T chocolate that they liked the most. Being the oldest chocolate brand in Country Y, M&T chocolate has always been sold in limited stocks. It took him a lot of effort just to buy these chocolates by asking several of his friends for help. He initially bought it with the intent of surprising the two, but now it seemed that he was still ignorant.


    Forget it, he didn¡¯t want to think about those two anymore. The chocolates have been bought, and it looks like he can only eat it by himself.


    The first time he bought an M&T chocolate, he only brought two bags back. One for him and one for Yang Jian. But who knew, Yu Jia happened to be there too so the chocolate that was initially for him was given to Yu Jia.


    It was now different though. There were three bags of chocolates with eighteen pieces in total. He can take his time to slowly eat these chocolates.


    But he should take a comfortable bath first. After all, in order to come on his and Yang Jian¡¯s wedding anniversary today, he directly got on the plane right after finishing his business trip abroad. Other than the few hours he spent sleeping on the plane, he has not closed his properly for almost a week now.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Yu Xiao sighed comfortably as he closed his eyes. ¡°Sure enough, a jacuzzi is an entirely different thing. It¡¯s so comfortable!¡±


    The moment he got up from the jacuzzi, a latest model BMW car stopped in front of the hotel.


    Yu Jia looked at the luxuriously decorated hotel in front of him and glanced at the phone in his hand. He laughed mockingly, his cousin was really a hypocritical person.


    He was enjoying himself here but pretended to be stingy when in front of him and Brother Yang.


    Thinking of it that way, he became upset all of the sudden.


    After throwing the car key to the waiter at the side, Yu Ji glanced at the screen of his phone and walked directly to the hotel door. Step by step, he walked towards his goal. At last, he halted his step and raised his head.


    He looked at the room number in front of him and a trace of hatred flashed in his eyes. This bitch actually lived in the presidential suite, as expected of him.


    But when he thought about the events that were going to happen, Yu Jia quickly controlled his emotions. He composed himself and raised his hand to gently knock on the door.


    Yu Xiao who has just picked up the wine bottle to pour a drink titled his head in confusion. At this time, there should be no one knocking on the door. Perhaps it was the waiter.


    He never thought that someone would come looking for him, so he opened the door without even looking at the cat¡¯s eye. Besides, the security measures in Xinjintian International Hotel was very tight. Criminals couldn¡¯t sneak in even if they wanted to.


    As a result, he was stunned the moment he saw the person outside the door. Taking advantage of the time while he was still in daze, Yu Jia quickly stepped into the room.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yu Xiao frowned visibly as he stared at Yu Jia who came in without his permission. He initially thought that the doting he did to him all these years was enough to at least also treat him well. It was a pity that instead of paying him back well, he did a thing that severely hurt his heart.


    He was the type of person that knows how to differentiate feelings. Once a person treats him well, he will do his best to treat him good wholeheartedly. But if a person did something bad to him, then don¡¯t expect him to be sorry for him.


    ¡°Cousin, close the door. I have something to tell you, please.¡± Yu Jia looked at Yu Xiao pitifully with a pair of wet eyes.


    Yu Xiao saw his harmless appearance and his good mood from before disappeared without a trace. In the end, he still closed the door. Although the other party was shameless, he still wants his own face.


    ¡°Speak, why are you here? Also, how did you know that I¡¯m here?¡± Yu Xiao was baffled. He didn¡¯t tell anyone about his stay here in the hotel, so it was surprising that Yu Jia knew his current location.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to apologize to you. Cousin, I¡¯m very sorry. Please forgive me, Brother Yang and I really didn¡¯t mean to do it. Please, you have to believe in me!¡± Yu Jia straight away kneeled down on the floor and begged woefully. He reached out his hands and hugged Yu Xiao¡¯s legs tightly. Then he started to weep loudly.


    Listening to his unpleasant cries, Yu Xiao began to get annoyed. The loud cries made him want to curse at him.


    He rubbed his aching temple and said irritably with a gloomy face, ¡°That¡¯s enough! Stop crying or else I¡¯ll have the security to get you out!¡±


    ¡°I, I won¡¯t cry anymore. I¡¯m so sorry cousin.¡± Yu Jia let go of his hand and lowered his head pitifully.


    Sensing the air around him that kept saying ¡°you bullied me¡±, Yu Xiao clenched his fist. But in the next moment, he let go of his clenched hand and walked towards the sofa.


    Yu Jia peeked from the corner of his eyes to see the situation. Suddenly, he saw the wine bottle lying on the table. He touched the ring on his left hand with his right thumb without any trace. Then, he timidly stood up and walked to the direction of the sofa.


    Yu Xiao sat directly down on the sofa. He saw the wine bottle and the empty wine glass on the table and reached out to pour a glass of wine.


    Yet, at this moment, another hand swiftly grabbed the wine bottle on the table before he could even reach it. Yu Xiao didn¡¯t notice that when the wine was poured down to the glass, it touched Yu Jia¡¯s thumb briefly.


    ¡°Cousin, I will do it. Here, you can take it.¡± Yu Jia respectfully held the wine glass and handed it to Yu Xiao, with the same pitiful look on his face.


    Yu Xiao didn¡¯t want to pick it up at first, but the other party held it stubbornly in front of him, which made him more irritable. He took the wine glass in one hand and chugged it down, ¡°You can go out now! I don¡¯t want to see you again!¡±


    ¡°But cousin, I don¡¯t want to go out.¡± The pitiful expression in Yu Jia¡¯s face has long disappeared and was changed into a ferocious expression.


    ¡°You!¡± Yu Xiao still wanted to say something, but a sense of dizziness suddenly struck him. He looked at the wine glass lying on the table and his eyes became wide. It was the glass of wine!


    It was a pity that before he could continue to open his mouth, his body became powerless and he collapsed on the sofa weakly. No matter how hard he tried to open his mouth, he just couldn¡¯t do it. However, his consciousness was very clear and he could still hear Yu Jia¡¯s loud laughter at this time.


    ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s useless. You don¡¯t have to struggle anymore because no matter how hard you tried, you can¡¯t move your own body. It¡¯s very good, right? This is the latest drug I specially bought for you. It can make people feel as if they¡¯re drunk, but inside they¡¯re actually still sober.¡± Yu Jia stretched out his hand and slapped his face several times, making it look like he was flushed after drinking.


    Stop, what are you doing, bastard! Where are you taking me?


    Hiss¡­ In his consciousness, Yu Xiao hissed in pain as he felt the stinging pain in his face. He promised that after he woke up from the effect of the drug, he must pay Yu Jia back! Unfortunately, no matter how many times Yu Xiao shouted in his mind, it was all useless. He was still half carried by Yu Jia and they were now nearing the hotel door.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay cousin, just walk a little more. We¡¯ll go back soon.¡± Yu Jia comforted Yu Xiao who was leaning on him weakly with a concerned expression. At the same time, he nodded to the waiter at the side.


    The waiter immediately drove his BMW car over, and offered to help Yu Jia carry Yu Xiao back to the car. This matter cannot be blamed on the waiter for being careless. After all, Yu Jia and Yu Xiao looked eighty percent similar and Yu Jia drove such an expensive BMW car, adding to the worried tone of Yu Jia that looked true.


    So, Yu Xiao was easily taken away from the hotel. When the BMW car left, the waiter still sighed in his heart. This younger brother really takes care of his elder brother.


    The ¡®younger brother¡¯ Yu Jia directly drove the car to the suburbs. Of course, he drove there because the cliff was located there. Few people knew about the existence of the cliff. Even if they were local in that place, they might not know its existence. As for himself, he discovered the cliff by accident.


    Therefore, the cliff was a good place to commit a crime.

 CH 3

    With a squeak sound, the latest BMW car driven by Yu Jia abruptly stopped at the edge of the cliff.


    Turning his head and looking at Yu Xiao who was lying weakly on the back seat of the car, Yu Jia couldn¡¯t stop the fervent exhilaration in his eyes. After all he had done for many years, the time has finally come.


    Yu Jia opened the car door and dragged Yu Xiao out with great effort. As for why he was dragging him like this, the reason was very simple. There was simply no way that he, a weak man, would carry Yu Xiao who was obviously taller than him on his back. He arduously supported him out of the hotel just now. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that others might discover something wrong, he wouldn¡¯t exert any effort just to support him!!


    Besides, why should he treat him well?


    Seeing Yu Xiao having wounds in his head due to being bumped every now and then because of being dragged by him, he couldn¡¯t be more happy.


    Even so, Yu Jia still took a lot of effort to drag Yu Xiao to the edge of the cliff. Now, with just a little push, it will be an end for Yu Xiao.


    Yu Jia couldn¡¯t restrain himself from imagining the bright future awaiting him as he looked at Yu Xiao who was laying on the ground.


    Yet, before he could feel happy for a long time, his eyes widened visibly. He thought, how was it possible that he could wake up? The person who sold him the drug clearly told him that the drug would at least make a person unconscious for at least five hours.


    Yu Jia panicked for a moment, but when he saw that the other party only opened his eyes after struggling for a long time and did not move, only then his hanging heart calmed down.


    Just like what he thought. It wasn¡¯t easy for the effect of the drug to pass away quickly. This one gram drug powder nearly cost him tens of thousands of yuan. Although the time from when he gave Yu Xiao the drug until they arrived at the cliff took nearly three and a half an hour, he didn¡¯t expect that Yu Xiao¡¯s resistance to the drug would be so good.


    Yu Jia squinted his eyes and squatted down. He stretched out his hand and patted Yu Xiao¡¯s face who looked very angry at this time. ¡°Are you thinking of how I could know where you are? It¡¯s because I installed a tracker on you before when you were not paying attention. And it has been installed for six years. What? Angry now? You know, it¡¯s your fault that things have come to this!¡±


    Yu Xiao would never expect that Yu Xiao would blame him for this. He never knew that someone could be so shameless like him.


    ¡°It looks like you didn¡¯t realize your mistake at all! Hahaha, I knew that a person like you would never think that he will ever be wrong. Anyway, it¡¯s your own doing that you became like this.¡± The more Yu Jia speak, the more excited he became. The expression on his face became more and more ferocious, and the slaps on Yu Xiao¡¯s face also became louder and harsher. After a while, Yu Xiao¡¯s face became swollen.


    Looking at Yu Xiao¡¯s pitiful state at this moment, Yu Jia lowered his head and moved his face closer to him before saying, ¡°Do you know? I already know that¡­ It¡¯s you. How could you be so evil to do that? Ha?¡±


    When he heard what Yu Jia had said, complex emotions flashed in his eyes. At the same time, he could not stop frowning. He couldn¡¯t figure out how this initially well behaved child could become like this now.


    It was a pity that Yu Jia caught the fleeting emotions in his eyes, causing him to think that what he said was true and that Yu Xiao was feeling guilty.


    ¡°What now? I¡¯m correct, right? I knew it!¡± Yu Jia reached out his hand and strangled Yu Xiao¡¯s neck forcefully, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you take away my property, but you¡¯re just so awful not only to snatch away my property but also my lover! Damn, it¡¯s clear that I fell with him first so why would he end with you? Why!¡±


    Lover? A big question mark appeared in Yu Xiao¡¯s mind. But before he could think further, his face turned red and his breathing became more difficult.


    Just when he thought he would be directly strangled to death, Yu Jia let go of his neck unexpectedly. He gently caressed his cheek and said obsessively, ¡°No, how could I let you die so easily? What? You know, that¡¯s not very good. Shh, don¡¯t worry. I will give you a memorable death.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, do you know where we are right now? We¡¯re in Wei Mountain. Do you feel like you haven¡¯t seen this place before? Of course it¡¯s because I only found it by accident. There¡¯s also a cliff behind you. Even the locals here don¡¯t know that there is a cliff here so you don¡¯t need to worry that someone might go here to come and save you. No one will know that you¡¯re here once.¡±


    Looking at Yu Jia in front of him, he was obviously not in his right mind. Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop the regret growing in his heart. He was wondering how he could soften his attitude before and took him under his care generously.


    Sure enough, he was still ignorant. His friends always told him that he was too kind and soft hearted. That was also the reason why he couldn¡¯t bear to refuse his uncle¡¯s pleas and took care of Yu Jia for so many years.


    Yu Jia continued to talk softly, and stopped as if remembering something. He got up and walked back to the car. Soon, he came back with a folder in his hand.


    He walked in front of Yu Xiao and waved the folder in his hand. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    An obvious doubt found its way on Yu Xiao¡¯s face, but Yu Jia quickly answered his doubt.


    Yu Jia squatted down again and opened the folder. He took out a few pieces of paper and waved them in front of his eyes. ¡°Look, these are all the transfer certificates for all the assets under your name to my name. Tomorrow, I will put them inside your safe. If they found this after you died, then all your assets will belong to me. This is all that you owe to me!¡±


    ¡°Are you perhaps thinking that it will not work out without your signature?¡± Yu Jia smiled mockingly. With an innocent face, he said, ¡°No worries. I have already learned your signature exactly the same. As such, even if your friends feel that something is wrong and wantl to do a signature test, it won¡¯t be found out.¡±


    Yu Jia put the documents back in the folder and continued to open his mouth. ¡°Come to think of it, I still have to thank you. If you hadn¡¯t supported me in learning calligraphy, I wouldn¡¯t have the skill to imitate your signature at all. By the way, don¡¯t you feel confused when some of the documents you clearly remembered haven¡¯t signed yet have already been signed? You thought that your memory became blurred and you somehow forgot it. In fact, it is not. I signed it for you. What do you think? Isn¡¯t I good?¡±


    Yu Xiao furrowed his eyebrows more and more. He knew that his current situation was not optimistic. He had been trying to feel his body, but ended up to no avail.


    At last, Yu Jia ceased his laughing expression. He threw the folder gently on the ground and smiled brightly at him. ¡°Then, cousin. Farewell¡­¡±


    With that, a force from his hand pushed Yu Xiao ruthlessly into the dark bottomless cliff.


    Yu Jia stayed at the edge of the cliff for a while without moving. He then proceeded to pick up the fallen folder on the ground and patted away the dust on it. Then he deliberately wiped off the traces on the ground with his feet. In the end, he drove away from the cliff with a satisfied smile hanging on his lips.


    Meanwhile, Yu Xiao who was ruthlessly pushed into the cliff was in pain all over his body. The despair in his eyes became more apparent.


    In addition, because it was now late at night, he couldn¡¯t see anything. Other than the light in Yu Jia¡¯s car when he was not yet pushed down, everything around him was dark like ink. As he continued to fall, Yu Xiao¡¯s body was gradually swallowed by the darkness. He slowly closed his eyes and waited for his final moment to arrive.


    However, it looks like his luck didn¡¯t leave him this time.


    Although the sun didn¡¯t shine a lot throughout the year, since the bottom of the cliff was deserted for a hundred of years, countless trees and plants were overgrown on the ground.


    It was precisely because of the existence of these trees that Yu Xiao was able to survive. While falling, these trees caught him and prevented him from directly falling into the sharp edges of the cliff. When he finally landed on the ground, his body was coated with various injuries. Whether it was fractures and bruises, it can all be seen on his body.


    But lying on the ground with his broken body, Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t smile at all after surviving a disaster. The look on his face became dark and an uncontrollable murderous intent emerged in his eyes.


    If he can live after this, he won¡¯t let those two cheating bastards live a good life!


    Although he thought so, the intense pain in his body quickly made him wake up to the harsh reality. He was not even sure if he could go back alive. While waiting for the effect of the drug to pass quietly, he could only lie down helplessly.


    Amidst the darkness of the cliff, he can still see a few faint lights in the corner of his eyes. If he was not mistaken, then these lights were from glowing mushrooms.


    Time passed slowly. Yu Xiao can feel that his strength is slowly coming back. After waiting a long time, he was finally able to move his body.


    Unfortunately, the moment he moved his body, intense pain struck him. The broken bones on his body were pulsating in pain. But he can¡¯t stay on the ground for the rest of his life. He gritted his teeth fiercely and forced his body to turn over.


    Because of this, he grinned in pain for a long time.


    Lying at the bottom of this deserted cliff, he was not hoping for someone to save him anymore. He moved his limbs again, and finally confirmed that he received a few fractures in his legs and ribs. Luckily, his hands did not suffer any serious injuries. At the very least, he could use his hands to crawl.


    He narrowed his eyes to look around, and finally made up his mind to crawl towards the direction of the glowing mushrooms. Enduring the great pain, Yu Xiao started to move bit by bit with great difficulty.


    Before exhausting his strength, Yu Xiao finally climbed to the distance of almost a few meters away from the direction of the glowing mushrooms. It was also at this distance that he vaguely saw a cave ten meters away from him.


    He didn¡¯t have much strength left in his body and he was almost giving up climbing to the cave. It was a pity that there was a word called misfortunes.


    Yu Xiao probably never expected that on the day he was pushed down into the cliff, a rare typhoon landed near the City C. Countless droplets of water fell from the sky, making it hard for Yu Xiao to climb towards the cave not far from him. The cold droplets of rain hit his body, causing it to become colder and colder.


    After a laborious climb, Yu Xiao finally arrived at the shallow cave. He was so tired that he didn¡¯t have any strength to move any more. Suffering from multiple fractures, adding to the crawling that he did amidst the cold rain, Yu Xiao¡¯s body became hot. Obviously, he was suffering from a high fever.


    His consciousness started to drift away. Somehow, he remembered the chocolates he had taken out of his luggage at the hotel that he hadn¡¯t had the chance to eat. Before his consciousness completely disappeared, he thought: If he had known that this would happen to him, he should have eaten those chocolates before taking a bath. Alas, he really wants to eat them¡­

 CH 4

    Cold, it¡¯s really cold. Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop himself from shivering and shouted in his head from time to time. A vague voice came from afar. Although he couldn¡¯t hear it clearly, the warm hands touching him made him feel familiar, just like his mother¡¯s hands. However, his mother has been dead for more than twenty years now. Sure enough, was he hallucinating because he was experiencing the so-called loneliness after death?


    But really, he wanted to see his mother again, even if it was just a picture of her. Hopefully, he can see her at least one more time.


    He didn¡¯t know if his desire was too strong or he was having hallucinations, but when Yu Xiao opened his eyes in daze, he really saw his mother who has been dead for more than twenty years. But why does his mother look so much younger?


    Yu Xiao didn¡¯t have time to think further about it and fell into a deep sleep. He didn¡¯t see the worried expression on the young woman¡¯s face in front of him.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, what¡¯s wrong?¡± The young woman asked anxiously, ¡°Are you feeling uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Ah? No, no. Mom, when will I be discharged from the hospital?¡± Yu Xiao came back to his senses and asked with his eyebrows furrowed together.


    A week had passed since he woke up. From the initial shock to the occasional surprise now, he has slowly accepted the fact that he had gone back to when he was just ten years old. Although he was still perplexed as to why he would encounter this kind of bizarre thing, which only happens in novels. But thinking of it, he was still very lucky that he had gone to the time when he was just ten years old, at least his beloved mother was still alive and healthy.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave the hospital after your body is healed.¡±


    ¡°But mom, our family doesn¡¯t have that much money to pay for the hospital fee, right?¡± Yu Xiao clearly remembered that at this time, their family basically did not have any savings. The main source of their family¡¯s income was from his mother who was working in a factory, with an income of 30 to 40 yuan a month.


    This money was considered a good income in the 1980s, as the consumption at this time was not as expensive as that of later generations. For instance, the pork at this time only cost 80 to 90 cents per catty, but later on the price increased up to 60 to 70 yuan a catty.


    The 30 yuan something was enough to support their family¡¯s living expenses for a month. But because of Yu Xiao¡¯s father¡¯s addiction in gambling and alcohol, the money that was originally enough to buy food and clothes was spent quickly, causing them to be hungry from time to time.


    Because Yu Xiao¡¯s grandmother was an exceedingly controlling person and directly held the financial power in the family, adding to the fact that she preferred her youngest daughter and greatly despised her eldest son, Yu Xiao¡¯s family didn¡¯t have it easy. Yu Xiao¡¯s mother not only had to work hard to support the family, she also had to endure the constant criticism from her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.


    Just like what happened this time. Yu Xiao was pushed from behind by his cousin, who was his aunt¡¯s son, into the river. Although the depth of this river was less than two meters, for a ten-year-old child it was very deep. It was now late in autumn and the temperature of the river was around two to three degrees.


    This made Yu Xiao, who was born prematurely and has always been poor in health, flutter helplessly in water as he didn¡¯t know how to swim. He swallowed a lot of water and his body soon sank into the river.


    As for the cousin who pushed him into the river, after seeing him drown into the water, the mischievous look on his face was changed into a panicked look. He immediately looked around to see if anyone else witnessed what he did before running away quickly. He didn¡¯t even ask anyone to help Yu Xiao out of the river.


    It was Yu Xiao¡¯s mother who was holding a washbasin full of dirty clothes and intending to wash them at the river, noticed that someone was drowning in the river. She hurriedly dropped the washbasin on the ground and jumped into the river to save the drowning person.


    It¡¯s just she didn¡¯t expect that the drowning person was her own child. As soon as she saw her son¡¯s appearance, she panicked. She immediately carried him and ran towards the nearest hospital in the town.


    The nearest hospital was about five to six miles away from their home. She didn¡¯t care about anything and directly ran with all her might. At this moment, only one thought was left in her mind: Hurry up! She needs to hurry up!


    When she finally saw the gate of the hospital, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother burst into tears. She rushed into the hospital with great strides and shouted loudly, ¡°Doctor! Doctor! Please save my child! Please!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this child?¡± The family members of the other patients surrounded her. They quickly helped her carry the child onto the bed and pushed him to the emergency room.


    ¡°He, he fell into the river. Is my child alright? Please save him!¡± With a worried expression, she begged the medical staff in front of her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will try our best to save him. You can wait outside.¡± After a nurse at the side said this, she directly closed the door of the emergency room.


    Looking at the red light that was turned on, she felt extremely tormented in her heart. Strength slowly left her body and she slumped on the cold floor helplessly. She continued to stare nervously at the operating room, for fear that some bad news would come out.


    Time passed in this way. Minute by minute, until three hours later, but the operating room was still lit up. As the time went on, her heart became more and more uneasy.


    At last, the door of the operating room finally opened after five hours. Yu Xiao¡¯s mother was so nervous that she failed to get up from the ground several times. She took a deep breath and finally stood with the help of the wall.


    She stumbled forward and grabbed the doctor¡¯s clothes. ¡°Doctor, how is he?¡±


    The doctor who was pulled immediately reacted and supported her to stand up. He comforted her, ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Your son¡¯s life is not in danger anymore. However, he is in comatose. But don¡¯t worry, he will wake up by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, that¡¯s good. I¡¯m now relieved. Thank you, thank you doctor!¡± When she heard what the doctor said, her heart that was hanging for a long time finally calmed down.


    After sending her son to the ward, she remembered that she haven¡¯t paid the hospital fee yet, as she was too nervous and in a hurry when she arrived at the hospital just now.


    Thinking of this, she ran straight to the hospital without carrying any money with her. She explained the situation to the medical staff and went home again in a hurry. She had to get the money first before that man could take it away.


    Finally, she was able to return home before that man came back. She carefully took out her wages she had hidden in the house and was about to leave with it when she heard the familiar voice downstairs. She unconsciously stuffed the money into her pocket, but before she could stuff it completely, the door was kicked open by the man.


    A strong of smell of alcohol assaulted the entire room as a noticeably drunk voice rang out. ¡°Stinky bitch, hurry up and give me the money. Take it out now.¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t have any money.¡± She quietly shrank her head and replied with a small voice. The money was her son¡¯s life-saving money and there was no way that would give it to this man just to be spent for gambling. The woman who had always been obedient and timid decided to finally resist for that sake of her son¡¯s life.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have money? You, who do you think you are lying to? Huh?¡± The man evidently didn¡¯t believe her words. He angrily walked towards her direction and pulled her skirts while cursing at her. ¡°Speak! The money, where did you put it? Believe it or not, if you don¡¯t say it, I will kill you!¡±


    ¡°I, I really didn¡¯t lie to you. I really, really don¡¯t have money.¡±


    ¡°Fart! I went to your factory just now. They said that wages were paid the day before yesterday. Don¡¯t think about lying to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m not lying!¡±


    ¡°Ah? How dare you lie to me? See if I don¡¯t beat you to death!¡± When the man finished his words, he unceremoniously pushed her on the ground and pulled out his belt before slamming it on her body fiercely.


    ¡°Ah! Stop, stop hitting me. I really didn¡¯t lie to you.¡± Yu Xiao¡¯s mother rolled around on the ground in pain while resisting the belt that was constantly being drawn to her.


    ¡°Heh! I will say it again, you stinky bitch, where did you hide the money?¡± The man finally stopped his violent whipping when he saw the money that fell out from her pocket. He picked it up and patted it proudly.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s Xiaoxiao¡¯s life-saving money.¡± She quickly crawled up from the ground and hugged the man¡¯s thigh. She begged: ¡°Xiaoxiao fell into the river. He¡¯s in the hospital right now and I need to use the money to pay for his hospital¡¯s bill. Please, return that to me. Next month, I will give you all my salary! Okay?¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± The man kicked her violently which caused her to slam on the ground again. ¡°If that bastard is dead, then let him be dead. What do you mean by money? Get out, don¡¯t spoil my happiness!¡±


    Yu Xiao¡¯s mother revealed a trace of struggle as she looked at the departing figure of the man, but when she thought her son who was still lying weakly in the hospital, she hardened her heart and quickly made a decision: No matter what, she can¡¯t let the money be taken away by him. Absolutely not!


    She looked at the man¡¯s swaying figure who began to walk down the stairs and made up her mind. She exerted all her strength to stand up, walked towards his back with light steps before stretching out her hand to push him.


    She watched the man fall directly from the stairs. But because the height that fell from was not high, he just passed out and didn¡¯t bleed.


    Then she checked carefully whether the man was still fine or not. She grabbed the man¡¯s hand that¡¯s still holding the money tightly and took the money out. With the money in her hand, she quickly ran to the hospital. She had to pay the hospital bill now.


    After giving the money to the hospital, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother finally heaved a sigh of relief. Now, she just needs to wait for her Xiaoxiao to wake up.


    While she was waiting at the hospital, the man who she pushed down from the stairs finally woke up. This time, his mind was clear and he can remember what happened before. The pain from his body made him pause for a bit before he exploded like a bomb. A ferocious expression appeared on his face. ¡°Stinky bitch, you dare to push me. It looks like you didn¡¯t want to live anymore! Alright, then I will help you!¡±


    Yu Xiao used to be ignorant in his past life. He recklessly stopped his parents from divorcing, causing his mother to pass away due to overworking when she was just forty years old.


    No one knew, but what the man did today only made Yu Xiao more determined not to stop and even speed up the divorce of his parents in the near future.

 CH 5

    With the doctor¡¯s repeated assurance and Yu Xiao¡¯s persuasion, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother finally discharged him from the hospital after staying here for almost two weeks. After packing up, she took Yu Xiao to thank the doctors and nurses who took care of him, and went home.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s mother initially wanted to pay for a car to get home as she was worried about Yu Xiao¡¯s health, but was stopped by Yu Xiao. He was not ignorant about their family¡¯s financial situation and knew that paying a car needs a lot of money.


    Seeing her son acting sensible, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother felt both emotional and sad. If she hadn¡¯t married such a man back then, although her family¡¯s Xiaoxiao will not be better than now, at least they can live a life that is not worse like now.


    A sigh escaped from her lips as she thought of that useless man. In their time, men and women were introduced by a matchmaker or relatives at the age of seventeen or eighteen. It doesn¡¯t matter if they love each other or not, after the first meeting, the marriage was quickly settled.


    This led to many unfortunate events as men and women didn¡¯t know each other at all before marrying. They simply listened to other people¡¯s talk about how good their marriage partner is and so on. It was only after marrying that they discovered what the other people said was entirely not true.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s parents were also married in this way. After marriage, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother found that the other party was a useless man who only knows how to drink, play, and beat his own wife, completely unlike of what he portrayed when outside the house. Despite that, divorcing never crossed her mind, especially when she had Yu Xiao.


    After all, in this relatively feudal society, if a man and a woman divorce, it is the woman who will suffer. The woman then will be labeled as a broken shoes, promiscuous, immoral, and so on. Then the child will also be bullied, others would call him a wild child or an unwanted child that no one wants. So for her son, Yu Xiao¡¯s mother gritted her teeth and persisted. She did all kinds of things just to keep their marriage.


    But sometimes, as a woman, the thought of divorcing her husband and living a good life with her child would occasionally flash through her mind. But it was only fleeting.


    ¡°Mom, let me help you carry those things. You didn¡¯t give me anything to carry, but you took so many things by yourself. I will be worried.¡± Yu Xiao took another look at the big and small bags beside her and looked at her sweating appearance, with her hair sticking to her forehead due to sweat. He stretched out his hand with the intent of carrying the bags by himself.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s mother shook her head decisively and refused, ¡°No, you¡¯re just discharged from the hospital. The doctor said that although your body is fine, the root of the illness is still there. You can¡¯t overexert yourself, so don¡¯t bother about carrying these things. Don¡¯t worry, I can carry these things by myself. Besides, they are not heavy. It¡¯s okay, Xiaoxiao.¡±


    ¡°But, mom¡­¡± Yu Xiao still wanted to open his mouth but Mother Yu directly cut him off by pretending not to hear anything. Anyway, she already decided that she will not let her son do the work.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s verbal request didn¡¯t work out. He stretched out his hand and directly grabbed the bags, but stopped when Mother Yu gave him a stern look. She said angrily: ¡°Xiaoxiao, are you disregarding your mother¡¯s words?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t disregard your words.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I, I just want to help you.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, listen carefully to mom. If mom said that she can handle it, then she can really handle it. Your health is not good now, so you should rest more. Mom knows that you love mom, but mom also loves you. Be good, don¡¯t make mom feel distress, okay?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He looked at his mother¡¯s firm appearance and had no choice but to agree reluctantly.


    ¡°Alright, good child. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll be home soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± After arriving at home, he will meet his father once again after coming back from the future. He wondered what kind of ¡®meeting ceremony¡¯ that man would give him this time.


    ¡°You two bastards, do you still know how to come back?¡± When the door opened and before Mother Yu cab react, a piece of bowl flew towards her face.


    With his quick senses, Yu Xiao immediately saw the flying bowl. He gritted his teeth and pushed his mother with his little remaining strength, just in time when the bowl was about to hit her. Both of them felt their heart beating wildly for a moment. If that flying bowl really hit her, her head would definitely bleed.


    Yu Xiao never thought that his father would give him such a big ¡®meeting ceremony¡¯. It was impossible for him not to know about his hospitalization, but instead of visiting him to the hospital, he acted righteously the moment he and his mother got home. What a father and husband he is!


    ¡°What are you looking at, little bastard? I raised you and gave you clothes and food. But you¡¯re just too fragile, aren¡¯t you? You stayed at the hospital for so long and spent all the money at home. You came to this world just to be a debt collector, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Seeing Yu Xiao¡¯s dark eyes staring straight at him, Yu Jun felt guilty for some reason. But in the next second, he reverted back to his usual self. He felt that he must¡¯ve been dizzy after drinking.


    Yu Xiao stepped forward and wanted to retort a few words, but was pulled back by Mother Yu quietly. Seeing her shaking her head, Yu Xiao fell silent. He knew that his mother did it for his own good. A child like him stood no chance against an adult, moreso because he just came out of hospital.


    Inside, Yu Xiao secretly made up his mind: He will become stronger as soon as possible, and take away his mother from this hellish place to live a better life!


    ¡°Yo! I¡¯m talking to you! Are you deaf or stupid, don¡¯t you know how to squeak?¡± Yu Jun became furious when he saw that he was just standing there silently with his head bowed. His heart was filled with unhappiness. Standing up directly and walking to his side, he raised his hand. Obviously, he intended to slap Yu Xiao¡¯s ear fiercely.


    The moment Mother Yu saw it, she quickly stepped forward and pulled Yu Xiao into her arms, before turning around at the same time. The man¡¯s palm hit her hard. Yu Xiao wanted to break free, but was hugged by her tighter.


    ¡°Okay, okay. You bitch, you have learned to protect this little bastard, right? Good, it¡¯s really good. Then I will let you protect him!¡± As Yu Jun looked at the appearance of mother and son hugging each other tightly, the anger in his heart intensified. He roughly pulled out his belt and whipped Mother Yu¡¯s back again and again.


    Listening to the muffled sound of beating, Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes became hot and tears poured down on his face. At the same time, a ruthless look emerged in his eyes as he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying. He knew that if he cried at this moment, it would not help his mother at all, instead it would make that man excited, making him hit his mother harder and harder.


    It was not surprising that this useless man who fears the strong and bullies the weak will exert his authority at his own home, as he was always looked down upon by everyone outside. Everytime he suffers injustice, loses money in gambling, or is ridiculed by others outside, his mood will turn for the worse. As a result, he would beat Mother Yu and if Yu Xiao cried, he would hit Mother Yu harder. He was doing it to regain his self-esteem and dignity at home.


    At last, the sound of beating gradually weakened and Mother Yu knew that the beating and scolding was about to end. Her heart that was beating fiercely finally calmed down. The wound on her back was stinging in pain, but fortunately her Xiaoxiao was safe, it was all worth it.


    ¡°Go, I¡¯m hungry. Hurry up and cook! What are you dawdling for? Are you deaf and didn¡¯t hear what I say?¡± Yu Jun stopped his beating breathlessly. After that, he turned around and walked to the chair beside him, and sat down on it.


    When Mother Yu heard this, she nodded quickly and headed to the direction of the kitchen. But before she could take a few steps, she was stopped again by the man.


    ¡°Come here! These things you left at the door, what do you think you should do with it?¡±


    ¡°I, I¡¯ll clean it up immediately.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you go ahead. Leave the matter of cleaning to me.¡± When he saw his mother¡¯s situation, he immediately took a step forward to stop Mother Yu from cleaning the luggage they brought back. He pointed to the kitchen and said: ¡°Mom, you can go and cook.¡±


    ¡°But, Xiaoxiao¡­¡± Mother Yu glanced at him worriedly before glancing at the kitchen, hesitating for a moment. She was worried that You Xiao would be exhausted because of this. At the same time, she was also worried that Yu Jun would hit the two of them if she didn¡¯t speed up her cooking.


    ¡°What are you two talking about? Are you deliberately being lazy? Believe it or not, I will beat you again!¡± When Yu Jun saw that the two of them were whispering in the corner, he shouted and slammed his fist hard on the table.


    ¡°Mom, you go quickly. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t overexert my body. Quickly go now.¡± Taking advantage of the time when Yu Jun was still shouting, he gently pushed Mother Yu to the kitchen and showed her a comforting smile.


    Mother Yu struggled for a while, but chose to cook first. If can finish cooking early, she can come back and help Xiaoxiao clean up the luggage.


    Seeing that his mother went to cook, Yu Xiao lowered his head and looked at the several large and small bags laying on the ground. He started to squat down and slowly check what was inside, and put them away one by one.


    ¡°Little bastard, don¡¯t you know how to move quickly? Did I raise you for nothing? What are you waiting for?¡±


    Along with that man¡¯s scolding, Yu Xiao put things inside the bag away little by little with great effort. But because he was just a ten-year-old kid now who had a short stature, and also because he had just been discharged at the hospital, he needed to use a stool just to place some things. After a while, his forehead was covered in sweat.


    Finally, he was able to clean up all the things before Mother Yu could finish cooking. Wiping off the sweat on his forehead, a smile uncontrollably bloomed on his face. He doesn¡¯t know what he was like when he was just ten years old in his last life, but now he was happy that he can do it all over again with his mother. Of course, he will definitely spend more time with her in the future, and he promised that he will be son that his mother can rely on.


    ¡°Is the food still not ready? Stinky bitch, what are you doing? You¡¯re so slow. Are you happy that I¡¯m starving now? Hurry up, do you hear me?¡± Yu Jun shouted deliberately to find fault.


    ¡°Here it is, here it is.¡± Mother Yu walked to the table with brisk steps, put down the dishes in her hands one by one, and then went back to get a bowl of rice and also put a pair of chopsticks in front of Yu Jun.


    Yu Jun picked up the chopsticks with a frown and then flipped through the dishes. Suddenly, he slapped the chopsticks on the table. ¡°Bastard! Do you think you are serving a beggar? How dare you give me these things, are you tired of living?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Mother Yu rubbed her hands nervously and replied carefully. ¡°This¡­ there is not much money at home, so¡­¡±


    ¡°So you just give me these things, is that what you want to say?¡± Yu Jun turned his head to Yu Xiao and yelled: ¡°Little bastard, if it wasn¡¯t for you, how could I eat such a thing? I¡¯ll strangled you to death, hum! What are you looking at?¡±


    Mother Yu pulled Yu Xiao¡¯s clothes and signaled him not to bother with Yu Jun. She did so because she knew that he would only suffer in the end. After Yu Xiao saw the worried look on her eyes, his eyes darkened. He silently lowered his head to listen to the man¡¯s cursing.


    The more Yu Jun scolded, the more the unpleasant feeling in his heart grew bigger. In the end, he got up and pushed away the mother and son angrily and walked outside in a huff before slamming the door loudly.


    Yu Xiao quickly supported his stumbling mother who was pushed away by him, and moved his head to look at the door that was slammed tightly by him. A trace of hatred fleeted across his eyes.

 CH 6

    Before the sun could even rise, the sound of dressing and washing reached Yu Xiao¡¯s ears. Perhaps because it was his first night after being reborn, but he inevitably suffered from insomnia. As soon as he heard the sound, he knew that it was his mother who got up early in the morning. However, the sun still hasn¡¯t risen, wasn¡¯t it a little early for her to get up at this time?


    Yu Xiao subconsciously narrowed his eyes to look at the alarm clock sitting at the bedside. With the help of the faint light coming from the crack of the door, he saw the time displayed on it, which is 4:30. According to his memory, his mother would work at the factory at 7:30 in the morning, and there were still three hours left.


    Yu Xiao was perplexed for a while. His mind became active and his sleepiness drifted away, so he just lifted up the quilt and got up to change clothes. He subconsciously trembled; the difference in temperature between morning and night was not small. It was especially cold at this time of early in the morning.


    He changed his clothes in a quick manner and lightly opened the door. But no matter how lightly he opened the door, a sound still rang amidst the quietness of the morning. It alerted Mother Yu who was washing rice and chopping vegetables in the kitchen. She turned her head and saw Yu Xiao who just closed the door.


    Mother Yu quickly put down the things in her hands and wiped her hands with a rag. She walked to his direction and asked worriedly: ¡°Xiaoxiao, what¡¯s wrong? Did I wake you up because of my movements? Why did you get up? It¡¯s very cold right now, don¡¯t you feel cold wearing these thin clothes? Quickly go back to your room, it¡¯s warm there.¡±


    ¡°Mom, no, you didn¡¯t wake me up. I just couldn¡¯t sleep anymore.¡± Yu Xiao enjoyed his mother¡¯s nagging as he knew that this was his mother¡¯s love for him. ¡°By the way, mom, why did you get up so early? Isn¡¯t your work still at half past seven? Why are you cooking early in the morning?¡±


    Mother Yu touched Yu Xiao¡¯s hand and felt its warm temperature, and was relieved. ¡°No, I¡¯ll prepare these meals first and stew them, you should also get up and eat by then. I have to go to your grandfather¡¯s house to make breakfast. Didn¡¯t your aunt just get pregnant? Your grandma wanted to cook something good for her but decided to let me cook because she felt that I cook better.¡±


    Mother Yu quickened the movements of her hand while talking. Seeing this, Yu Xiao immediately offered help. ¡°Mom, let me help you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I can handle it myself.¡± Mother Yu shook her head and refused.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll help you light the fire.¡± Yu Xiao opened his mouth and walked directly behind the stove. He picked up the waste paper on the ground, clamped it by his knees, and got the matchbox to light up the paper to be used as a fire for the stove. When the fire started to get stronger and huge, he knew that he had successfully started the fire.


    Mother Yu saw her son¡¯s skillful movements and felt a little unbelievable. ¡°Xiaoxiao, since when did you learn to make fire?¡± It was known that she didn¡¯t allow her son to enter the kitchen as she wanted him to focus on his studies. It was her who did the housework and cooking by herself.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes darkened. He said with a smile: ¡°I learned all this from you, mom. You are not allowed to reprimand me!¡±


    ¡°You child!¡± Mother didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. She said, ¡°Okay, in the future, you don¡¯t have to learn these things. You only need to study hard so you can be admitted to a university in the future.¡±


    Yu Xiao straightened out his chest and said with confidence, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. Your son, I, will definitely be admitted to a famous university! But of course, I still have to learn these housework!¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to learn these things?¡± Mother Yu was baffled.


    Knowing that he couldn¡¯t say the reason that he did it because he wants to take some of his mother¡¯s burden as his mother would probably never agree, Yu Xiao could only tell a small lie. ¡°Mom, did you know? I heard from my classmates that some schools in other places require students to live in school. Your son is preparing in advance, am I good?¡±


    Mother Yu was a little puzzled when she heard his response. ¡°There are such schools? Then we don¡¯t have to go to a school like that.¡±


    Taking a quick look at the stove hole, Yu Xiao added some dry firewood in it. ¡°Mom, think about it. If I¡¯m admitted to university in the future, going to another city is unavoidable. After all, there is no university in our prefecture-level city. I have to move to another place alone. Naturally, I can¡¯t live without knowing how to do household chores like washing clothes and cooking by myself. It¡¯s good to learn it while I¡¯m still young.¡±


    Mother Yu wanted to retort, ¡®I can follow along. Go to another city and take care of him¡¯, but stopped after thinking for a while. If she really did that, she felt that she was harming her son instead. She loves her son very much, but also knows the limit of when she can love him. If she really followed him at that time, perhaps her son wouldn¡¯t be able to live independently. In the end, she closed her mouth, but relief was written on her eyes.


    When Yu Xiao saw his mother¡¯s expression and knew that she finally agreed to his decision. He secretly made up his mind in his heart: In the future, he will work harder. His mother is already tired after working at the factory all day long. He shouldn¡¯t let his mother worry about the trivial things at home.


    When she was done making breakfast, Mother Yu untied her apron and looked at Yu Xiao. ¡°Xiaoxiao, eat first if you are hungry. Mom will go next door to cook at your grandma¡¯s place first.¡±


    ¡°Mom, have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to eat first before going out? It¡¯s only five o¡¯clock now, there¡¯s still time.¡± Yu Xiao glanced at the clock hanging in the hall.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, mom is not hungry anyway. I¡¯ll just eat after coming back from your grandma¡¯s house.¡± After she said that, Mother Yu directly walked out of the house. Yu Xiao looked at his mother¡¯s departing figure and frowned visibly. Although the things that happened at this time were already blurred in his memory, he still vaguely remembers some things.


    His aunt is his grandmother¡¯s third child and judging from his mother¡¯s words, it should be at this time when his aunt just got divorced. His aunt¡¯s husband cheated outside of marriage and directly wrote a letter of divorce before running away with his mistress and all the family assets abroad. His aunt then came back with a ball in her belly and a few worn-out clothes.


    It was only later that he learned that his aunt and that man hadn¡¯t registered for marriage or anything at all. They just live together because they like each other. So at that time, the letter of divorce the man wrote should be a letter of explanation for his aunt.


    His aunt was known as a vulgar woman in their village before she got married. It was also because of this reason why she was still not married in her twenties. After all, the average age of a person when they got married in their village was seventeen or eighteen, so his aunt who was not married at her age was a strange existence in the village. But his grandma still loves his aunt the most despite coming home pregnant.


    He still remembered that his aunt gave birth to a son. His grandma was really afraid of hurting this grandson, and spoiled him whenever she had the chance.


    It was still fresh in his memory when his mother brought back a peach once in his previous life. He was so happy that he couldn¡¯t bear to eat it. It was a pity that before he could take a bite, his grandma saw it and immediately grabbed the peach before scolding him severely for not knowing how to take care of his younger brother, saying that the peach should be given to his younger brother. It was laughable and ridiculous at the same time as his cousin at that time was only half a year old. How could a child at his age eat peaches?


    Such things happen many times, but this event was clearly imprinted in his mind. This also led for the peaches to become his favorite fruit in the future.


    When he thought of his grandma, he felt deeply worthless for his mother¡¯s efforts. It was clear that his mother was a hardworking and filial daughter-in-law to her parents-in-law. Everyone in the village would say that she was a good person but it seemed that his grandma¡¯s family only saw bad things in his mother. They were constantly finding fault and deliberately embarrassing his mother.


    He was young and ignorant in his previous life but he won¡¯t be in this life. Now that he was given a chance to live again, he won¡¯t let those people like his grandma bully his mother.


    Yu Xiao turned to look at his parent¡¯s bedroom and heard the particularly loud snoring sound as well as inaudible cursing from time to time. He looked down at his tiny hand. Sure enough, he had to grow faster.


    With these thoughts in his mind, he walked to the washstand beside him and started to wash his hands lightly. He had no choice. If that man woke up because of his loud movements, it was certain that he would hit his mother again to vent his anger.


    After finishing washing his hands, Yu Xiao glanced at the time and turned to his bedroom to read for a while. Although the soul was already thirty years old, it was still better to be prepared and see if he can remember things that happened in this time.


    He walked into his bedroom and turned on the lights. Yu Xiao took out the books in his school bag and found that he was now a fifth grade student. As soon as he opened the assignment book, he knew that his academic performance when he was a child was not very good, but is it so bad like this?


    Yu Xiao looked at the bright red cross on his assignment book and had the urge to cover his face. Sure enough, changing this black history should be implemented quickly.


    Yu Xiao confessed that he was indeed not so ¡®smart¡¯ when he was a child and began to seriously look at the lesson books. Although the content is very simple, he still recited some places that needed to be recited. Time passed quickly while he was reading a book.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, are you studying? Have you eaten?¡± Mother Yu didn¡¯t come back until the time ticked off at seven o¡¯clock. When she entered the room, she was greeted by the sight of her son reading a book. A pleased smile appeared on her face.


    Yu Xiao came back to his senses and put down the book. He replied with a smile: ¡°Mom, if you didn¡¯t call me, I would have forgotten about it.¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Mother Yu tapped the tip of his nose. ¡°Okay, come out and let¡¯s eat breakfast. After that, Mom will send you to school.¡±


    Yu Xiao quickly packed his schoolbag before walking out of the bedroom. He picked up the bowl and the chopsticks on the table and said while eating, ¡°Sure enough, the food mom cooked is the best!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s delicious, then eat more. I packed a lunch box for you and put it into your school bag. Remember to eat it at noon, okay?¡± Mother Yu proceeded to take Yu Xiao¡¯s school bag and told him about the lunch box inside of it.


    ¡°Okay, mom.¡± Yu Xiao swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded, ¡°Mom, you come to eat too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll come right away.¡± After cleaning up, Mother Yu sat down at the dining table and began to eat breakfast.


    After breakfast, he was sent to school by Mother Yu despite his protests. Looking at the strange yet familiar school in front of him, Yu Xiao¡¯s heart was full of emotion: He will go elementary school again. But this time, he will definitely have a different future!

 CH 7

    He looked at the sign of Class 1 Fifth Grade above his head, then at the hustle and bustle inside the classroom. Yu Xiao remained rooted in his position. Based on the class number written on his homework book, it was indeed the classroom he was assigned in. But the problem is, he doesn¡¯t remember where his seat was. After all, for him, more than twenty years had passed.


    And if he enters the classroom now and pulls a random person to casually ask: Hello classmate, do you know where my seat is? That scene would be really ridiculous. Besides, he doesn¡¯t remember the names of his classmates in his fifth grade.


    A sigh escaped from Yu Xiao¡¯s lips. He thought in his head: Should he stay at the door and wait until all his classmates have entered before walking inside to see which seat was still vacant? If a seat was really empty, then that only means that it was his seat!


    But before he could put his plan into action, a sudden force on his back caused him to stumble a few steps forward, almost making him fall to the ground. A voice that was unfamiliar yet familiar to him rang out. ¡°Yo! Xiao Yuzi, you boy finally went to school.¡±


    Yu Xiao turned his head and stared at the person who was currently pressing on his back at this time. After a few moments of thinking in his head, he asked hesitantly, ¡°Fan Lie?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You boy, why do you have such an expression? Could it be you have lost your memory? You don¡¯t even recognize me?¡± Fan Lie jumped off from his back and stretched out his hand to wrap around Yu Xiao¡¯s neck. ¡°By the way, we haven¡¯t seen each other for more than a week.¡±


    It was not just more than a week. We haven¡¯t seen each other for more than ten years, Yu Xiao thought secretly.


    As his friend and classmate from elementary until high school, what Yu Xiao regretted the most was that he chose to be away from these good people after meeting ¡®him¡¯. It was not until two years before his death that he was able to meet them again.


    He have to say that when two good friends saw each other again after many years, even after meeting again, the bond was still there.


    Looking at his friend who obviously had a younger appearance, Yu Xiao¡¯s heart was filled with sourness and his eyes started to get slightly wet.


    ¡°Hey, hey, Xiao Yuzi, don¡¯t scare me. I didn¡¯t bully you at all!¡± When Fan Lie saw that Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes were becoming wet, he immediately panicked. ¡°Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? Or did I jump on your back too hard? Are you hurt somewhere?¡±


    Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop his loud laugh when he saw his friend¡¯s panicking look. Upon hearing his laugh, Fan Lie was in dazed for a while. Then as if a switch had turned on, he yelled at him and ruffled his hair hard.


    ¡°Fan Lie, what are you doing? Are you bullying Xiao Yuzi again?¡± A voice full of scolding tone sounded behind them. At the same time, a force slapped away Fan Lie¡¯s hand that kept messing Yu Xiao¡¯s hair. ¡°Yuzi, don¡¯t be afraid. You can tell me, and I will avenge you!¡±


    Yu Xiao lifted up his head and looked at the person who just arrived. It turned out to be another friend of his¨C Hao Ren. Just like his name, he was a kind-hearted person, but his kindness was only limited to his friends and brothers he recognized.


    At this time, Hao Ren, who had a height of 1.6 meters at such a young age, stood out from the crowd amongst the fifth grade students who were only 1.5 meters. In addition, he followed his father¡¯s appearance, looking very tough and strong. To describe him in two words, he was tall and strong!


    Having been neighbors with Yu Xiao from when he was still a little, Hao Ren had long since regarded him as his younger brother. Especially after his parents always lamented at how hard Yu Xiao¡¯s mother¡¯s life was, he unknowingly developed a protective feeling for this poor child. The thing that he couldn¡¯t bear to see the most was Yu Xiao being bullied. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was still young, he would have directly beaten that scumbag father of Yu Xiao.


    ¡°You got it wrong, Brother Ren.¡± Yu Xiao had long regarded Hao Ren as his older brother. He looked at him and saw him staring at Fan Lie with a pair of fierce eyes. He hurriedly explained, ¡°Fan Lie is just playing with me. Don¡¯t take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Hao Ren took a deep look at Fan Lie with an expression of not believing on his face. This kid had always been a displeasing existence in his eyes starting from first grade and sure enough, his feelings was right. He robbed off Yuzi from him in first grade. If it wasn¡¯t for giving Yu Xiao any face, he really wanted to beat this stupid kid.


    Fan Lie deliberately rubbed his hand that had just been slapped away and said to Yu Xiao pitifully, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, look at this savage man. My hands were hurt by him. We are just playing, but this man is just too nosy to meddle with our business. We don¡¯t have to care about him.¡±


    Seeing the fighting posture of the two, Yu Xiao stepped forward and stood between them. Afterwards, he dragged them into the classroom. ¡°Alright, you two, let¡¯s go in quickly. The class will start soon.¡±


    ¡°That is to say, we better go in quickly. Hmp!¡± Fan Lie directly pulled Yu Xiao to a table, and said proudly, ¡°Come on, Xiao Yuzi. Let¡¯s sit down quickly. The teacher is coming.¡±


    Hao Ren looked at his smug appearance and had an urge to punch his face for a while. He clenched his fist and touched Yu Xiao¡¯s head before walking away after giving Fan Lie a death stare. He walked directly to the last row and sat down. The seat arrangements were placed accordingly to height and he disliked it this way. He also wants to be in the same table as Yuzi.


    Meanwhile, Yu Xiao finally remembered that he was indeed sitting at the same table with Fan Lie starting from fourth grade. It was also at that time Hao Ran and Fan Lie became the mortal enemies of each other.


    He packed up his textbooks and put down his school bag. Yu Xiao looked at his surroundings and after racking his brain for a while, he had no choice but to give up his plan of remembering the names of his classmates.


    Fan Lie moved closer to him and asked worriedly, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, are you okay? I heard from my mother that you fell into the river. Why are you so careless?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just slipped my foot by accident.¡± His darkened as he replied nonchalantly. Speaking of which, his cousin was really a casual person. After pushing him into the river, he can still eat and drink like nothing had happened.


    Also, his aunt. She was so good that she can give birth to such a son. It was not enough for her to give birth to one child to that man, but she also added another one. In the end, wasn¡¯t she still left behind by her cheating husband despite having his child twice?


    He didn¡¯t know what was running on his mind but after thinking for a bit, he felt that having an aunt like her was just as he expected. After all, he has a biased and unreasonable grandmother by his side.


    Fan Lie said fearfully: ¡°Then you have to be more careful in the future. I heard from my mother that you almost lost your life. If something bad really happens to you, your mother will definitely be sad.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t make my mother sad again.¡± Yu Xiao replied with firm eyes. This time, he wants to let his mother live a good life.


    ¡°Yeah, I believe in you!¡±


    Fan Lie made a serious expression, looking like a very mature man. It was a pity that in the next second, the solemn atmosphere was broken down by his next words. ¡°This¡­ Xiao Yuzi, you¡¯ve finished your assignment right? You don¡¯t know how tormented I was in the days when you were absent!¡±


    The corners of Yu Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. He felt a feeling of not wanting to talk with this kid for the time being. He opened his school bag and took out his assignment book. Upon seeing the assignment book, Fan Lie immediately grabbed it and copied the content inside.


    While copying, he said emotionally from time to time, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, I really didn¡¯t mean to copy your assignment but you¡¯re really a good student. Yesterday, you even reminded me that the assignment will be handed in today. Oh right, since when did your handwriting become so good?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve been practicing my handwriting in my free time at the hospital.¡± Yu Xiao casually spout out a lie. It was him, an old man in his thirties, who was so ashamed after seeing the dog-like characters in his assignment book just now. He had to spend a considerable amount of effort just to improve these crooked characters.


    There was no way that he would write directly using his own handwriting. Otherwise, how can he explain to others how a primary school student like him who didn¡¯t attend class for a week can improve his handwriting in a short period of time? It was still better to make an improvement little by little.


    Not long after Fan Lie finished copying the assignment, a tall young girl with a ponytail tied on her head entered the classroom. Just by looking at the Chinese book held in her hands, he instantly knew this was their Chinese teacher. He remembered that this teacher¡¯s surname was Xu. Because of her connection, she came to their school as a Chinese teacher without any obstruction after graduating from middle school.


    Teachers at this time do not need to graduate from university and get a teaching certificate after passing an exam to be an official teacher like that of in the future.


    As long as you have connections at school and give some gifts, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you graduated from junior or senior high school, you can directly become a teacher. Of course, others will also don¡¯t care about how you teach the students.


    This thing was not uncommon in the towns of City C during this time.


    Anyway, it was not the teacher¡¯s fault that a child didn¡¯t want to learn. It can only mean the child didn¡¯t study hard.


    The reason why he still remembered this Chinese teacher¡¯s surname was mainly because next year, this girl will deliberately seduced the principal just to compete for the vice principal¡¯s position. It must be known that the principal is already an old man in his fifties, while this girl has just turned adult. The conflict also became big as the principal¡¯s wife was a shrewd woman who was a tough and war-freak person.


    In short, the whole incident had spread to everyone in the town. The most surprising thing was when their Chinese teacher knelt on the ground and begged the principal¡¯s wife to let the two of them live a good life. She also added that the two of them really loved each other very much.


    Yu Xiao still remembered that after hearing the whole thing, he was so shocked and was left in the state of being speechless for a long time. He couldn¡¯t wrap his mind about how the final development could become like this.


    Now, seeing Ms. Xu standing in the stadium and giving a lecture, he couldn¡¯t help but sighed: Girl, perhaps you have a heavy taste and especially liked type of an old men?

 CH 8

    ¡°Ring¡­!¡± When the bell indicating the end of the last class in the morning rang, the classroom instantly became noisy. The philosophy teacher who hadn¡¯t finished announcing the end of the class, turned furious and glared at the boisterous students, ¡°Stop chattering! I haven¡¯t announced the dismissal of the class yet! You all shut up, or else don¡¯t think about leaving this class at all!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The boys in the classroom yelled in unison. They had always been annoyed with this teacher who always went to their homeroom teacher to report some bad things about them.


    In fact, in the first few days of school, the students in Class 1 Fifth Grade all listened to this teacher seriously. But many times, they would hear this philosophy teacher saying to other teachers how their class was not good and full of stupid students.


    This action undoubtedly caused everyone in the class to be very angry. Under the leadership of a few boys in the class, they directly went against this teacher.


    Didn¡¯t you say the students in Class 1 Fifth Grade are not serious? Then we will not be serious!


    Listening to class, reading lessons, you name it all! The students in this class won¡¯t do it. They would do their own thing and the teacher would also do her own thing.


    The philosophy teacher coughed blood in anger because of this. She looked for the homeroom teacher many times, but every time the homeroom teacher came to take a look, the students in Class 1 Fifth Grade will be very obedient and listen to the class seriously. Actually, all the students listened carefully to the other teachers¡¯ lectures except for this philosophy class.


    Having said that, the homeroom teacher also received the praises of other teachers after experiencing how good and obedient his students are.


    This kind of thing came expected. Their class had always been the best class for the whole year. The students who got the best scores were from their class, and the whole overall average grade of the class was higher than the other classes. All the teachers would sing praises upon hearing them except for the philosophy teacher who had an issue with them and especially liked to find faults.


    At some point in time, the homeroom teacher also felt a headache whenever he thought of the philosophy teacher. It was a pity that he couldn¡¯t straight away request the above to change her for another teacher. After all, who made her the niece of the current principal? Nevertheless, he was still worried about his students¡¯ condition.


    If a teacher like her continued to teach in his class, it was not certain whether his students wouldn¡¯t be harmed. Fortunately, the philosophy class only existed in the first semester. By second semester they can finally heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°What¡¯s all the noise! Believe it or not, I¡¯ll tell the principal and have you all warned?¡± The philosophy teacher narrowed her eyes and threatened menacingly.


    Anyway, she has a back door in school and was not afraid of anything! The teacher snorted.


    A few boys in the classroom exchanged glances and secretly rolled their eyes. The philosophy teacher noticed it and had a feeling that she was being embarrassed. Still having that dignified look, she patted off the chalk dust in her hand and closed the textbook. With a wave of her hand, she proudly strutted out of the classroom with the textbook still held in her hands.


    Right after the teacher left, the entire classroom was engulfed in gossipy voices. Many boys gathered around and started to discuss. Yu Xiao listened to the words that went to his ears intermittently and knew that this female teacher was having another bad time behind her back.


    ¡°Hey, Xiao Yuzi, what do you think will happen to this woman?¡± Fan Lie stretched out his hand and patted his shoulder. He moved his head closer and whispered.


    Yu Xiao calmly tidied up the textbooks on the table, and then took out the lunch box from his school bag. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I answer it or not, the ending will definitely be not good. It¡¯s obvious just by the chattering around.¡±


    Fan Lie turned his head to look around and turned his back at him with a cheeky smile on his face. ¡°What you said is right, I really want to see what will be the final turn of events¡ª Hey! Your mother cook you a braised pork today? It looks delicious!¡±


    Yu Xiao glanced at him with a smile and gently pushed the lunch box to his direction. ¡°Here, you can have it if you like.¡±


    ¡°Then I will be not polite.¡± Fan Lie grinned and moved quickly. He took out his own lunchbox and moved it side by side with Yu Xiao¡¯s lunchbox. Afterwards, he picked up the braised pork from Yu Xiao¡¯s lunchbox using his own chopsticks.


    But before he could clamp the meat, a pair of chopsticks appeared and interrupted his movements. Fan Lie raised his head angrily and glared at the perpetrator: ¡°I knew it, it must be you meddling again!¡±


    ¡°Aunt Yu made it for Yuzi. He just came out of the hospital and needs to replenish his strength.¡± Hao Ren briefly greeted the classmates in front them and sat in front of the two.


    He pushed Yu Xiao¡¯s lunch box back to Yu Xiao. ¡°You have to eat more. Look, I haven¡¯t seen you for a week and your face lost a lot of weight.¡±


    In their school, students can bring their own lunchbox in and eat directly at noon. Of course, they can also choose to go home to eat, but most were against it as it was inconvenient. Only a few students chose to go home to eat. The students who were left then can exchange seats with other students and eat lunch with their friends.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Brother Ren.¡± Yu Xiao looked at Fan Lie¡¯s red-eyes appearance then at the braised pork in his lunchbox. He shook his head unconsciously: ¡°You can eat as much as you want. I¡¯ve gotten a little tired of eating braised pork these days.¡±


    Sure enough, Fan Lie is a certified meat eater no matter what. Actually, Fan Lie¡¯s family was not bad and they can eat every day. It was probably because Fan Lie ate too much meat in one go in their house and was prohibited from eating meat for a whole good week.


    Fan Lie¡¯s parents strictly control the amount of meat he eats every week. He was only allowed to eat once or twice a week, and each meal should only cost a few yuan. It made Fan Lie, who hadn¡¯t eaten meat for several days, swallowed his saliva in jealousy after seeing the delicious braised pork.


    ¡°Are you really giving all of it to me?¡± Fan Lie asked again, pointing to the two fat pieces of braised pork.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yu Xiao almost couldn¡¯t hold back his loud laugh when he saw his touched expression. People who weren¡¯t familiar with him would think that he was being treated unfairly in his family.


    ¡°Wooooh! You¡¯re so good to me, I don¡¯t know how to repay you. How about I repay you with my body?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap, you¡¯re so stupid to think that Yuzi is blind to want your body.¡± Hao Ren looked up and down on his body with a disdainful expression. Glancing at him, he said, ¡°Really a guy who knows how to live by eating.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Fan Lie slammed his chopsticks on the table and pointed at Hao Ren angrily. In the next second, he turned his eyes and changed his expression into an aggrieved look. ¡°Xiao Yuzi, take a good look at me. I am the only good young man there who had a handsome appearance, a good figure, and a smart mind. It was obvious that everything about me is thousand times better than him, who only had big arms and a dull mind. I¡¯m better than him, no, ten thousand times better than him, right?¡±


    ¡°Okay, you two stop and quickly eat, I¡¯m hungry.¡± Yu Xiao laughed looking at the noise between the two. As an old man in his thirties, watching the appearance of two quarreling with each other gave him a subtle feeling that he was looking at his own child. Come to think of it, he really can¡¯t imagine how these two people got together in the end. Is it the so-called love even after starting all over again?


    ¡°Then let¡¯s eat quickly. It¡¯s all that guy¡¯s fault, otherwise we would have finished eating long ago.¡± Fan Lie picked up the braised pork for the second time and gave Hao Ran a fierce look. Then he slowly enjoyed the delicacies in the world.


    ¡°Yuzi, try this. My mother just learned how to cook it and it tastes good.¡± Hao Ren picked up the stir-fried pork loin from his lunchbox and put it in Yu Xiao¡¯s lunchbox.


    ¡°Okay, let me taste it.¡± Although Yu Xiao didn¡¯t like the taste of pork loin very much, he still gave it a try taking into account the other party¡¯s kindess to him. He put the pork loin into his mouth and commented, ¡°Auntie¡¯s cooking skills are still as good as always.¡±


    ¡°Then you should eat more.¡± Hao Ren quickly made a move to give him another meat.


    Yu Xiao noticed it and quickly stopped him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can eat it by yourself. I still have some here in my lunchbox.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Hao Ren finally nodded his head, looking very satisfied. He lowered his head and started to eat.


    ¡°By the way, Xiao Yuzi, have you heard the news?¡± Fan Lie had just finished eating a piece of braised pork and moved closer to Yu Xiao. He asked in a mysterious way.


    ¡°Little stick?¡± Yu Xiao finally conceded to the fact that he really didn¡¯t know the names of his classmates in his fifth grade, much more the names of the other students in next class.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, the kid who always competed against you for the position of the top three for the whole grade last semester and also the one who always bad-mouthed you behind your back.¡±


    ¡°Eh? There is such a person?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t remember?¡± Fan Lie looked at Yu Xiao in surprise, ¡°That kid spread a lot of bad things about you before!¡±


    ¡°Oh, did he?¡± Yu Xiao admitted that he really didn¡¯t know the existence of such a person. ¡°So what happened to him?¡±


    ¡°Hey, do you remember when he said that you only got a high score because you cheated on the exam?¡± Fan Lie paused, having a gloating look on his face. ¡°You didn¡¯t know, but when you were absent we had an exam. He was caught cheating red-handed by the teacher.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He had some vague impressions of it in his memory, but this little stick, he really can¡¯t remember who he is.


    ¡°Hey, why is your reaction so cold!¡± Fan Lie complained, ¡°You should be clapping your hands now. Alas, he really got his retribution in the end.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Yu Xiao patted the still grumbling Fan Lie and felt that having a caring friend like him was the most valuable thing he could get in his life. No, it should be in his two lives.


    Hao Ren looked at Fan Lie¡¯s wicked appearance and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Really a shameless guy.¡±


    ¡°You! Don¡¯t think I¡¯m easy to bully. If it wasn¡¯t for Yu Xiao¡¯s sake, just watch how this young master deals with you!¡± Fan Lie shot a sharp stare at Hao Ren, looking like he wanted to pierce him with his gaze.


    But Hao Ren didn¡¯t pay attention to him at all. He tidied up his own lunch box and patted Yu Xiao¡¯s head, ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my seat now. The next class is coming soon.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Yu Xiao nodded his head and tugged at Fan Lie¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t be angry. Quickly clean up your lunch box, it¡¯s almost time for the next class.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Fan Lie snorted at Hao Ren before packing his lunch box. ¡°Right, Xiao Yuzi, let¡¯s go hiking this week. Just the two of us!¡±


    Yu Xiao listened to Fan Lie¡¯s firm tone when saying the words ¡°just the two of us¡± and couldn¡¯t help nodding his head with a smile. He knew that this two-person trip would become a three-person trip in the end. But he wouldn¡¯t say it, lest Fan Lie became angry again.


    With a pair of lively friends around him, he felt that life looked extra colorful.

 CH 9

    It was Saturday today, the scheduled time for hiking finally came. Early in the morning, Fan Lie rushed to Yu Xiao¡¯s house, towed his school bag to look for him. But before he could even knock on the door a few times, the door was pushed open by a force from inside.


    When the door revealed the person behind it, Fan Lie¡¯s expression immediately collapsed: ¡°Why are you here?!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Hao Ren leaned against the door and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Yuzi and I grew up together, there¡¯s nothing wrong about me coming to his house, okay? By the way, I¡¯m going to go out to play with Yuzi today, so I don¡¯t have time to talk to you. Leave and do what you should do.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Fan Lie exploded as soon as he heard his words, ¡°Xiao Yuzi and I agreed to go hiking before. It was you who should leave and do whatever you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Lie? Is that you?¡± Mother Yu¡¯s voice rang out from inside the house.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Aunt Yu. I¡¯m here to find Xiao Yuzi to climb a mountain together.¡± Fan Lie unceremoniously pushed Hao Ren away who was blocking the door and shot him a gloating look, replying to Mother Yu as he walked inside.


    Upon hearing his words, Mother Yu directly put down the dishcloth in her hand and walked out. ¡°Xiao Lie, you¡¯re here. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve eaten, Aunt Yu ¡± Fan Lie nodded in a well-behaved manner, ¡°Is Xiao Yuzi inside the room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can go and play with him.¡± Mother Yu pointed to Yu Xiao¡¯s room, then turned to Hao Ren and said, ¡°Xiaoren, you can also go and play with Xiaoxiao, no need to help me in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Aunt Yu.¡± Hao Ren nodded.


    After walking inside Yu Xiao¡¯s room, Fan Lie couldn¡¯t stop the raging laugh inside him. With a ¡®pfft¡¯ sound, he burst out laughing.


    Looking at Fan Lie who was laughing so hard that he couldn¡¯t straighten his back, Yu Xiao blinked in confusion. He then proceeded to look at Hao Ren who also came in with the same confused expression.


    Hao Ren naturally knew the reason behind Fan Lie¡¯s loud laugh and gave him a disdainful look: Hmph, what a virtue!1Hao Ren is being sarcastic in this sentence. He is mocking Fan Lie for his ¡®good conduct¡¯.


    ¡°Fan Lie, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Yu Xiao approached him from the side, ¡°Stop laughing, be careful of laughing too hard.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, do you have an idea what Aunt Yu called him?¡± Fan Lie couldn¡¯t restrain himself from laughing again as he looked at Hao Ren, and the more he laughed, the more he couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Yu Xiao racked his brain for a while, and finally remembered that his mother usually called Hao Ren Xiaoren. It turned out to be like this.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Yu Xiao shook his head in resignation. This was the first time he knew that his friend¡¯s laugh was shallow.2Refers to how the reason behind Fan Lie¡¯s happiness or laugh is very shallow or simple.


    ¡°Stop laughing, didn¡¯t you come to look for me?¡± Yu Xiao glanced at Hao Ren, whose face was getting darker, and interrupted Fan Lie mercilessly.


    ¡°Oh right, yes.¡± Fan Lie ceased his laugh and immediately turned to look at Yu Xiao with an angry expression, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, tell me, did we agree to go hiking a few days ago?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. What¡¯s wrong?¡± Yu Xiao asked in confusion.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the matter with this guy?¡± Fan Lie pointed directly at Hao Ren¡¯s nose and fumed, ¡°Why did he say he wanted to go out with you alone?¡±


    Here it goes again, Yu Xiao sighed silently in his heart. He patted Fan Lie on the shoulder and said, ¡°Brother Ren just happened to have nothing to do today and came over to see me. Anyway, let¡¯s go hiking together.¡±


    ¡°Besides, you should also know that there are many snakes in the mountains. You see, Brother Ren had a big stature and great strength. He is not afraid of snakes and can catch them directly, so our trip would be particularly safe.¡± Yu Xiao moved closer to Fan Lie¡¯s ear and said softly.


    He added, ¡°Do you still remember? We were almost bitten by a snake the previous time we went on a mountain.¡±


    Fan Lie had a conflicted look on his face and looked at Hao Ren a few times. In the end, he finally nodded after a fierce struggle. He said, ¡°Alright then, but only this time!¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided.¡± Yu Xiao nodded with a smile, ¡°Then, Brother Ren, grab your school bag and let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Hao Ren had always been doting when it came to Yu Xiao. If Yu Xiao said something, he would do it without asking why.


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯re going to leave now. We¡¯ll be climbing a mountain today.¡± Yu Xiao moved to the kitchen door with his school bag and poked his head inside, ¡°We¡¯re going to play until afternoon, so we won¡¯t come back for lunch.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, go and remember to be safe.¡± Mother Yu stroked Yu Xiao¡¯s head and chided.


    ¡°Okay, goodbye mom.¡± Yu Xiao nodded then turned around to walked out with Fan Lie and Hao Ren behind him.


    ¡°Aunt Yu, we¡¯re leaving then.¡± Hao Ren and Fan Lie politely waved their hands.


    ¡°Well, take care on the road and have a safe trip.¡± Mother Yu bid them goodbye with a smile.


    Looking at the departing figure of her son, who was obviously happy, Mother Yu¡¯s eyes were plastered with a smile. Ever since her family¡¯s Xiaoxiao got out of the hospital, he has become more lively and mature than before. He often finds all kinds of excuses to help her with the housework, like helping her grow the vegetables and so on. Just see who¡¯s in the neighborhood didn¡¯t praise him for being good?


    But when she thought of what her mother-in-law had told her a few days ago, her eyes gradually dimmed. She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind about why they were like that. It was obvious that her son was also a part of the Yu family, and the legitimate eldest grandson at that. So why do they always wrong her son just for the sake of two grandsons who don¡¯t even have the surname of Yu on them!


    She can¡¯t accept it!


    Yu Xiao and the two were climbing a mountain called Weishan Mountain. History told that this mountain was the former Chengfang Mountain at the time of the fight between Qi Jiguang and the Japanese invaders. It is also said that some evidence of the fight was left behind on this mountain.


    Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking over at the distance, the sight that you can see is all the same. With no pavilions for people¡¯s resting spots, and no mountain roads paved with bluestone, far from the sight in the later generations. Instead, what greeted their sight this time was a one-meter wide mountain road. It was a kind of luck for them that it hadn¡¯t rained for the past few days, or else it would be hard for them to climb with the muddy and slippery road on their feet.


    ¡°Come, come, I¡¯ll be in charge of the front. I¡¯ll lead the way!¡± Fan Lie ran to the front excitedly and waved his hand with eagerness.


    ¡°Okay, okay, you¡¯re in charge of the front.¡± Yu Xiao let him pass in front of him with his lips curled.


    Hao Ren stood behind Yu Xiao: ¡°Let¡¯s get going, Yuzi, I¡¯ll go last.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Yu Xiao knew that Hao Ren had always regarded him as his younger brother. As for himself, he was also used to being his younger brother after his care for many years, so without further thinking, he walked forward and let Hao Ren be at the back.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and occupy the high ground!¡± Fan Lie shouted loudly and rushed to the top of the mountain. He stopped halfway and shouted to the two, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, hurry up, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Coming! Don¡¯t run quickly, be careful of falling.¡± Yu Xiao shook his head and looked at the figure who was bouncing around. He shouted loudly at him.


    ¡°I know, I know. Come up quickly!¡± Fan Lie couldn¡¯t sit still and continued to run to the top of the mountain.


    Over here, Hao Ren and Yu Xiao climbed the mountain with unhurried steps, looking around from time to time to see if they could find any wild vegetables that can be eaten. After all, they have to solve their lunch in this mountain.


    It was indeed true that a deserted mountain was full of good things. By the time they arrived at the top of the mountain, their school bags were full of wild vegetables. As luck would have it, they even got a few sweet potatoes.


    After arriving at the top of the mountain, and looking at the broken cannons left by the previous battle, Fan Lie couldn¡¯t stop the itching of his hands. He turned over and climbed directly onto the fort. After that, he stood on it with his hands placed on either side of his hips. He called excitedly: ¡°Xiao Yuzi, look! Do I look very powerful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, very powerful.¡± Yu Xiao looked at his comical face and replied, holding back the laugh that was about to spill from his mouth.


    Although Hao Ren on the side didn¡¯t say anything, he directly rolled his eyes at him. With that stupid look, how can it be powerful? He almost thought that he had leprosy.3Hansen¡¯s disease (also known as leprosy). It can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose. In this sentence, Hao Ren was mocking Fan Lie that he looked like a sick person.


    ¡°Hey, kid, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see what you did just now.¡± Sure enough, if a person really dislikes him then he will dislike him. ¡°What do want to say by rolling your eyes? Are you despising me?¡±


    Hao Ren turned his head away and looked at the surroundings with focus, looking very much like a person who was just admiring the scenery around him. He had to admit that standing at the top of a mountain and looking down at the scenery below, a feeling of ¡®stratus clouds are born when the chest swings, and the canthus enters the returning bird¡¯ washed over him.4It was a poem ¡°Wang Yue¡± written by Du Fu appreciating the Mount Tai. In this context, Hao Ren is appreciating the scenary.


    Meanwhile, Fan Lie finally jumps down from the fort after seeing Hao Ren¡¯s actions. He regretted it, he shouldn¡¯t have let this guy tag along with them, which ruined his good mood. Alas! His wonderful world with Xiao Yuzi!


    Yu Xiao shrugged his shoulders helplessly. He knew that the trip down the mountain later would be noisy and full of gun powder. He remembered that he was so worried when the two of them got into a fight in his past life, but after they got together later, he felt that fighting was their way of showing affection to the other party. Maybe this was the typical interaction between a happy couple?


    Forget it, just leave them alone. Anyway, no matter how serious their fight was, they didn¡¯t make a move to hurt each other, so just let them be. It would be better for him to take care of their lunch first.


    All children in the countryside know how to cook food in the wilderness. Yu Xiao found a few suitable stones on the top of the mountain, arranged them to build a concave shape, and especially left a hole at the front as an opening for lighting the fire.


    When Hao Ren saw Yu Xiao¡¯s actions, he walked directly to the side and picked up some dried leaves and branches before placing them on the ground where the concave-shaped stones were recessed. Then he took out an aluminum container and went to the pool of water he just found to get water.


    Yu Xiao took out the match and lit a fire. After that, he took out the sweet potatoes they dug up just now and threw them into the fire to make roasted sweet potatoes to eat.


    ¡°Xiao Yuzi, what can I do?¡± Fan Lie, who had jumped off from the fort, came over and asked. Despite the fact that he likes to eat very much, it was a pity that he didn¡¯t know how to cook.


    Yu Xiao pointed to the wild vegetables on the said, ¡°Go and wash these vegetables at the pool of water over there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± Fan Lie stood up and saluted at him like a subordinate, picked up the wild vegetables on the ground, and then ran away to wash them.


    Yu Xiao looked at his agile figure and silently prayed in his heart: I hope the wild vegetables will not be tossed badly by him. What to do? I suddenly regretted my decision to let him wash the wild vegetables.


    On the other side, Hao Ren went to the nearby woods to see if there was anything to eat. After all, this mountain was full of treasures.


    Yu Xiao looked at the washed wild vegetables that Fan Lie brought back, and took them without saying a word. At least half of them were still left. He put the wild vegetables into the aluminum container, and waited for the water to boil. Afterwards, he sprinkled some seasonings and the green vegetable soup was finally ready.


    A delicious fragrance wafted into the air, causing Fan Lie to involuntarily swallow. Yu Xiao pulled the roasted sweet potato using a wooden stick and confirmed that it was almost cooked, and took it out.


    ¡°Wait for a while. Let the sweet potato cool down first before eating.¡± Yu Xiao reached out his hands and stopped Fan Lie who was about to reach for the sweet potatoes. ¡°You fool, the sweet potatoes just came out of the fire and are still hot, aren¡¯t you afraid of burning your mouth?¡±


    ¡°But the smell makes me want to eat it quickly.¡± Fan Lie scratched the back of his head and smiled widely.


    ¡°You!¡± Yu Xiao was simply flabbergasted about his action.


    At this moment, Hao Ren came back with some wild fruits. Fan Lie¡¯s eyes brightened up when he saw him coming back: At last, we can finally eat!


    Hao Ren put down the wild fruits then turned to Yu Xiao and said, ¡°Yuzi, I saw a lot of mushrooms there. Let¡¯s pick some when we go back.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s eat first and see if the sweet potatoes taste good.¡± Yu Xiao passed a roasted sweet potato to him.


    Hao Ren looked at Fan Lie who was eating rudely and disregarding his image, then turned his head away.


    Facing him really affects his appetite!


    Ignorant of the fight that was brewing between the two, Yu Xiao ate satisfyingly. He really missed this kind of feeling, eating with his friends without worry.

 CH 10

    Ater eating the lunch made by Yu Xiao, the three resumed their exploration of the mountain. Aside from the cannons left behind on Weishan Mountain, there is also a tunnel that is said to be specially dug by Qi Jiguang during his battle against the Japanese invaders. This tunnel¡¯s purpose was to transport supplies safely.


    Going to this tunnel and finding out what is inside was one of their agendas in visiting this mountain. As for Yu Xiao, he knew from his past life that this tunnel was actually a short-distance tunnel, with this opening as the entrance and the other side as the exit. The total distance of the tunnel from the entrance to the exit is roughly two hundred meters. And so, he didn¡¯t stop Fan Lie who was eager to enter the tunnel, but followed them inside to start a safe adventure inside this mountain.


    Standing in front of the tunnel and looking at the darkness inside, Fan Lie started to get scared. His legs wobbled uncontrollably. Ever since he was a child, he had been used to hearing the existence of supernatural events inside this tunnel from the elders in the family. Sometimes, one can hear a crying sound, then the sound of horses galloping, and so on inside this tunnel.


    Hao Ren shot him a contemptuous look, ¡°Stop cowering, coward. Don¡¯t come here if you don¡¯t have the courage.¡±


    ¡°Who, who said, I have no courage?¡± Fan Lie did his best to cover up the shaking of his voice, ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s scared, right? Hmph! There¡¯s nothing in the world that can frighten this little young master!¡± After his words left his mouth, he straightened out his chest and looked at Hao Ren with the look of wanting a fight.


    ¡°Childish!¡± Hao Ren turned his head to Yu Xiao and spoke with concern, ¡°Yuzi, just follow me later. If you¡¯re afraid, you can hold on to my clothes, okay?¡±


    Yu Xiao smiled and nodded. Although he was not at all afraid, the concern of a friend should be accepted properly. Actually, Hao Ren¡¯s sentence should be said to Fan Lie, but forget it, lest Fan Lie jump again in anger.


    Hao Ren quickly arranged the branches he collected and built a simple version of a torch. When the fire lit up, he took the lead and walked in the front.


    Yu Xiao noticed Fan Lie¡¯s expression, took a step forward and patted his shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s resume walking. You walk in the middle, I¡¯ll walk at the end.¡±


    ¡°But is this alright? You¡¯ll walk at the end.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Yu Xiao straight away pushed Fan Lie in the middle using his hands.


    The three began their ¡®adventure¡¯ in this way. They walked into the tunnel with only faint light, and the sound of their footsteps rang loudly against the quietness of the tunnel.


    ¡°Xiao Yuzi, it¡¯s so quiet here¡­¡± Fan Lie slowed down his steps and stretched out his hands to hold Yu Xiao¡¯s right hand tightly.


    ¡°No, isn¡¯t there a sound?¡± Yu Xiao asked back.


    ¡°What? There¡¯s a sound?¡± Fan Lie¡¯s hold on his hand tightened even more, ¡°What did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there the sound of our footsteps?¡± Yu Xiao said purposely and suppressed the smile on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Ah? Xiao Yuzi, you¡¯re playing tricks on me!¡± Fan Lie paused for a while and immediately reacted, ¡°How could you do this to me?¡±


    ¡°How can I play tricks on you.¡± Yu Xiao opened his mouth and pretended to be serious.


    ¡°Whatever, I don¡¯t count kids as villains1Means he will not make a big deal out of it..¡± Fan Lie lifted up his face and folded his arms, then said in a condensing way.


    ¡°Yes, yes, thank you, my lord, for raising your hand.¡± Yu Xiao apologized with both hands clasped together.


    Hao Ren, who was walking at the front, listened to the scuffle of the two behind him and a faint smile appeared on his lips. ¡°Pay attention to your steps, be careful not to fall.¡± It¡¯s fine if Hao Ren didn¡¯t say it, but when he said it, Yu Xiao suddenly stumbled and fell forward. He complained silently in his mind: Since when did Brother Ren possess a crow¡¯s mouth2Jinxing mouth or crow¡¯s mouth. Chinese believe the crow cawing would bring an unlucky spell on people. Crow¡¯s mouth is metaphor for one who speaks bad things or inauspicious words.?


    ¡°Xiao Yuzi, are you alright?¡± Fan Lie immediately moved to his side and asked anxiously, ¡°Did you get hurt somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Hao Ren heard his yelp and quickly turned around to inquire about his condition, ¡°How can you be so careless?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Yu Xiao smiled and shook his head, then made a move to stand up. ¡°Hiss!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hao Ren and Fan Lie asked at the same time.


    Yu Xiao paused for a moment, straightened his back and answered, ¡°I¡¯m okay, I just wounded my palm.¡±


    ¡°Let me see, are you okay?¡± Hao Ren came over to him.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m really okay.¡± Yu Xiao wiped away the crimson blood on his palm indifferently. ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m alright.¡±


    ¡°Really okay? You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡± Fan Lie looked at him suspiciously.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m fine.¡± Under Yu Xiao¡¯s constant persuasion, the three resumed their walk.


    Behind the two, Yu Xiao continued to walk forward and stared at his hand suspiciously. He was sure that he felt a faint pain just now, and his hand was indeed wounded. But is it alright now? Moreover, why is there a warm feeling in the center of his palm?


    Upon stepping outside the tunnel, Fan Lie heaved a sigh of relief, ¡°Hahaha, just like what I¡¯m saying, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this tunnel. Grandpa and the other elders in the family just used those scary stories to scare children.¡±


    Hao Ren faced the sky and unceremoniously rolled his eyes. Don¡¯t assume that he didn¡¯t notice it, but inside the tunnel, Fan Lie was obviously holding onto Yu Xiao¡¯s hand tightly.


    Yu Xiao lifted the corner of his lips but didn¡¯t intend to speak. He looked at his palm again, and under the light of the sun, he still couldn¡¯t see any wound on his hand. What the hell was going on here? If he hadn¡¯t confirmed that his hand bled just now, he would have thought that everything was an illusion.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s pick some mushrooms and then go home.¡± Hao Ren looked for the right direction and led them forward.


    After picking mushrooms, the three happily went back with their school bags filled with fresh mushrooms. Their minds loosened up as they chatted and laughed along the way.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m back.¡± Yu Xiao said loudly while he was still outside the door, ¡°I brought back a gift for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Do you still know how to come back? You disappeared for the whole day at who knows where. Why are you so unruly and ill-mannered at your age?¡± A furious voice scolded him directly, ¡°What are you dawdling for? Come in quickly!¡±


    Yu Xiao¡¯s complexion immediately turned dark. He remembered this voice¡ªhis grandmother¡¯s voice. He pushed open the door of their own house and what greeted him was the sight of his grandmother sitting on a chair in the main hall, resembling a queen dowager. Meanwhile, his mother stood at the side with her head lowered.


    Yu Xiao moved forward with brisk steps, opened his mouth to say ¡®Grandma¡¯ faintly, then walked directly to the direction of his mother. When he saw his mother lifting her head to look at him with a forced smile, he instantly knew what happened: It must be his grandmother who bullied his mother again!


    ¡°Heh! Is this how you greet your own grandmother?¡± Old Mrs. Yu patted the back of the chair forcefully using her right hand, ¡°Really like mother and son, both are not good.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± The reverse scale of Yu Xiao in this life was when people disrespected his mother. He wanted to retort angrily, but was stopped by Mother Yu at the side. She shook her head silently at him.


    She was not ignorant of how much her son felt angry for her. However, this time, if he went against Old Mrs. Yu, he will only suffer in the end. Even if the person at fault was Old Mrs. Yu, from the perspective of outsiders, her son was being disrespectful to an elderly person. She couldn¡¯t, no matter what, allowed it to happen. It¡¯s fine if she was wronged, but she can¡¯t let others say something bad about her son behind his back.


    Yu Xiao¡¯s mouth tightened and he finally closed his mouth unwillingly. He bowed his head and looked at his feet. It was still better to ignore his grandmother. Otherwise, she would scold him more severely.


    ¡°Ah, grandma, why did you pat the back of the chair with your own hand? Look, your hand is red.¡± Yu Xiao turned his attention to the source of the voice and saw his ¡®good¡¯ cousin. As expected, this kid has always been a good actor in front of Old Mrs. Yu. How could he let this chance slip away without acting good again?


    When Old Mrs. Yu heard his words, a kind smile bloomed on her face, ¡°Oh, my family¡¯s Cheng Cheng is still the most sensible! Unlike some people, they dare to talk back to their elders. Really ill-mannered!¡±


    Having that well-behaved smile plastered on his face, Lu Cheng moved to Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s side, and gently massaged the hand she used to pat the back of the chair.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because grandma taught me well!¡±


    Having said that, his eyes wandered around and stopped at Yu Xiao¡¯s bulging school bag. He remembered what Yu Xiao said just now before entering the door. He deliberately looked at the school bag and asked curiously, ¡°Cousin, why did you have your school bag when you came back? You said you brought home some gifts, right? Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    Upon hearing what he said, Yu Xiao instantly knew that this guy was plotting something again. It was a pity that Old Mrs. Yu was looking at them. Out of helplessness, he could only open the school bag to reveal what was inside. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just brought back some mushrooms.¡±


    Lu Cheng speedily noticed the fleeting satisfaction in Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s eyes with his sharp eyes. He quickly knew what his next move would be, ¡°Oh, these mushrooms look good. It looks like you will have a good night tonight, grandma!¡±


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then Xiaoxiao, you can give some to your grandma.¡± Although Mother Yu saw her son¡¯s unwillingness, she had no choice but to say this to him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Cheng joyfully agreed to Mother Yu¡¯s words, but then he purposely muttered in disappointment, ¡°There is only so much of the mushrooms in the first place and it¡¯s not for the whole family to eat. Forget it, when the time comes, just let everyone take a bite.¡±


    Old Mrs. Yu was accustomed to enjoying herself at home. She had this mindset that since she¡¯s the one who gave birth to her son, then what belongs to her son also belongs to her. She can take it as long as she wants it. Grandchildren were also no exception. However, if the son and grandsons have the intention of taking something from her, don¡¯t even think about it! She will, in a straightforward way, cut off their relationship!


    As such, when the eldest daughter-in-law said that she would just give some to her, her mood immediately became unpleasant. It was still his favorite grandson who was good, unlike some people who were really unpleasant to look at!


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided.¡± Old Mrs. Yu directly made a decision, ¡°Cheng Cheng, go and collect the mushrooms, we¡¯re going back. If I stay here a little longer, I don¡¯t know how much more anger I¡¯ll have to suffer!¡±


    ¡°Got it, grandma.¡± Lu Cheng curled his lips at Yu Xiao, then collected all the mushrooms. After that, he walked by to Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s side and supported her to walk outside.


    When Old Mrs. Yu stepped out of the door, she deliberately turned her head back and yelled again, ¡°Remember, the thing is decided by me like that. When the time comes, don¡¯t try to make a fool of me or else I will make my son divorce you, his wife, immediately!¡±


    After the two figures disappeared in the doorway, Yu Xiao turned his attention to the empty school bag. An uncontrollable anger appeared on his face, ¡°They did it again. Do they really think they are the masters of the house? Taking everything they find pleasing in the eye. How could an elder like her exist in this world?¡±


    But when he noticed that his mother was not responding, he stopped talking. He quickly walked towards his mother¡¯s direction and held her hands before asking worriedly, ¡°Mom, what¡¯s with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Mom is fine.¡± Mother Yu froze for a moment before coming back to her senses and shook her head.


    ¡°Mom, what is that thing that grandma just said?¡± Yu Xiao felt deeply concerned about ¡®the thing¡¯ his grandmother mentioned.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Mother Yu¡¯s face became pale for an instant. She waved her hand to indicate that she was fine and asked with her voice still shaking, ¡°By the way, did you have fun with them?¡±


    Yu Xiao wanted to open his mouth to ask more questions, but seeing his mother changing the topic rigidly, he knew that she was definitely hiding something from him and he couldn¡¯t get answers from her.


    So he went along with her and answered her question, ¡°Well, it was fun. We went on an adventure today.¡±


    ¡°Adventure?¡± Mother Yu asked curiously.


    ¡°Yes, we¡­¡± Yu Xiao unhurriedly recounted what he encountered today. He purposely said some interesting parts so as to lighten up his mother¡¯s mood. When the faint smile appeared on his mother¡¯s face, Yu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.


    Perhaps because Yu Jun won some money yesterday, he was still engulfed in his dream of becoming a rich man after gambling. Thus, other than seething aside a dinner for him, the mother and son began their dinner peacefully.


    The night came and Yu Xiao was lying in his bed in his room. He looked at the ceiling. His mind was playing back the scene of what his grandmother said to his mother. He was wondering what the thing was that can caused his mother to revealed such an expression.


    This thing should not bring harm to his mother or else he won¡¯t let them go. Even if he is scolded by outsiders in various ways, it doesn¡¯t matter! Yu gripped his fist with so much force as this thought occupied his mind.


    Speaking of which, his cousin was really shameless to sway himself in front of him. Adding to that, he still had that condescending attitude. Could it be that he forgot the pushing he did to him that almost cost his life? At the very least, he should be feeling guilty after seeing him, the victim, right?


    No, it should be because he did not have a guilty conscience all along! It must be known that in the future, he will become a famous ¡®VIP¡¯ guest of the police station. From time to time, go there to drink some tea or something and slack off.


    Just when Yu Xiao was thinking about it, a sudden burst of heat assaulted his palm. He opened his right palm and took a look at it, but found nothing unusual. There were no scars or strange signs, not different from his left palm. Then why did his palm heat up just now?


    Yu Xiao was perplexed and his mind was filled with many thoughts. Out of helplessness, he put down his right hand. But the problem is, the moment he put his right hand down, his right palm began to heat up again. He lifted it up again to see why it was hot. This cycle repeated many times, causing Yu Xiao to feel restless. What¡¯s going on? Can someone come out and explain why this strange event is happening to him? Alright, that¡¯s it. He wants to sleep now.


    Finally, after trying it for a few more times only to end up with no avail, Yu Xiao finally made up his mind to sleep with the attitude of just letting it go. The first class in the morning tomorrow was the head teacher¡¯s math class. If he doesn¡¯t listen to it carefully, he will be invited to talk about life ah.


    But after the last burst of heat, his palm began to get hotter and hotter. It reached to the point that Yu Xiao became sure that he would turn into a fool after this. He gritted his teeth and gripped his right palm using his left hand. Sweat began to appear on his forehead, dropping one at a time, and soon, a large part of the pillow was soaked. Just when Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t help but cry out due to the extreme pain, the heat started to drop little by little.


    Yu Xiao lay on the bed with a sorry figure, his clothes were already soaked by his sweat. When his breathing stabilized, he lifted up his right hand again to take a closer look at his palm. His eyes widened in shock. How come there is a pattern on his right palm now? And what does this pattern mean?

 CH 11

    Yu Xiao rested his eyes on the seed pattern that emerged at the center of his right palm with uncertainty in his heart. How come something like this suddenly appeared on his palm? He rubbed it with force until his skin became red, but the pattern still stayed on his palm.


    His mind spun unhurriedly. He thought of the wound he got while he was in the tunnel. The details of how his palm was cut open by a stone played back on his mind. He was thinking that perhaps there was something strange with that stone. Come to think of it, if there wasn¡¯t any strange about it, then how come his wound healed by itself?


    Yu Xiao¡¯s mind started to work wildly. Should he go to the tunnel if he had time and see what really happened to his palm, at the same time, also see if there were any strange stones on the way inside?


    However, for this matter, he had to wait for at least one week. The distance between his home and Weishan Mountain was not short. When school resumed on weekdays, he wouldn¡¯t have the time to go out, and he can only do it on weekends.


    Yu Xiao threw a look at the center of his right palm again, and slowly closed his eyes. Let¡¯s leave this matter as it is. As of now, he is still a primary student and he should be minding now how he should get up early for tomorrow¡¯s classes.


    Later, during break between classes, Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes would involuntarily fall on his right palm. His mind still held suspicions. He was awakened from his thoughts when a hand reached and held his right hand before looking at it, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, what are you looking at? I see that you¡¯ve been looking at your palm all this time. What¡¯s so nice about it?¡±


    Yu Xiao lifted up his head and the picture of Fan Lie, who was staring at his hand curiously, entered his sight. A question appeared in his heart: Could it be that he couldn¡¯t see the pattern on his palm?


    ¡°Fan Lie, can¡¯t you see the patter on the top of my palm?¡± Yu Xiao inquired carefully.


    ¡°Ah? Pattern?¡± Fan Lie¡¯s eyes wandered up and down on his palm for a long time, then turned to look at him before asking in confusion, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, where¡¯s the pattern? Why didn¡¯t I see it?¡±


    Yu Xiao was now certain that the seed pattern could only be seen by him, and he let go of his taut nerves. Luckily, others can¡¯t see it or else he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain why it inexplicably appeared on his palm.


    He looked at Fan Lie who was still looking for his hand stubbornly and Yu Xiao couldn¡¯t stop his loud laugh. This friend of his is sometimes really¡­


    Fan Lie looked at him dumbfounded for a moment and immediately reacted, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, say, are you deliberately playing tricks on me?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, I didn¡¯t play tricks on you.¡± I¡¯m indeed playing tricks on you, it¡¯s just that you can¡¯t see it, Yu Xiao thought secretly. He held back a laugh and dodged Fan Lie¡¯s ¡®ferocious attack¡¯. Starting from the time when Fan Lie learned that he was ticklish, he would tickle him until he felt out of breath and this time was not different.


    ¡°Okay, okay, Fan Lie, I, I know, I was wrong. Really, I know I¡¯m wrong.¡± Yu Xiao panted and apologized, ¡°You, you just let go, let me go.¡±


    Fan Lie looked at his crying and laughing appearance and snorted angrily. After snorting for the last time, he ceased his actions. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off this time, but if you still dare to lie to me next time, see if this young master doesn¡¯t deal with you!¡±


    ¡°I definitely won¡¯t do it in the future!¡± Yu Xiao apologized with a smile plastered on his face.


    ¡°In the future?¡± Fan Lie threw a glance at him.


    Yu Xiao touched his nose, ¡°Alright, alright, there will be no in the future. Don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I will accept your apology this time.¡±


    Yu Xiao looked at his unruly face and a smile made its way into his eyes, a doting smile to be exact. It¡¯s such a petty temper, and in the future, it will eat Brother Ren alive.


    Before long, the day came to an end. The three walked back home. Yu Xiao thought of his plan of taking another trip to Weishan Mountain and brought it up, Fan Lie and Hao Ren agreed. The three of them made a plan to go to Weishan Mountain again in the future once they have the time.


    Time passed quickly. It was finally Sunday, and Yu Xiao intended to go to Weishan Mountain today. It was a pity that some people came knocking on the door and didn¡¯t let him do his plan.


    Three men with vicious appearance holding wooden sticks about one meter long in their hands kicked open the gate of their house. After stepping inside the yard, they yelled loudly, ¡°Who¡¯s inside? Get out for me!¡±


    Yu Xiao walked out of the house with some guesses in his mind, ¡°I¡¯m the only one in the house this time, do you guys have something to do here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one here, kid?¡± The person in charge took a look at the kid about ten years old in front of him, his expression didn¡¯t change, but his voice was obviously softer, ¡°Kid, where¡¯s your mother?¡±


    Yu Xiao looked up at him and said, ¡°Mom went to work in the factory. Who are you? Why did you come to our house?¡±


    The man in charge put down the wooden stick in his hand, ¡°We have something to say to your mother. Kid, you go and find your mother.¡±


    A flash of understanding fleeted across his eyes, Yu Xiao said, ¡°Are you here to collect debts? Did my father lose money to you again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The man in charge initially didn¡¯t intend to tell Yu Xiao about these things. After all, he was also a father and the mistakes that adults made should not be blamed on the children. However, when he saw Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes, he still couldn¡¯t help but reply.


    His guess was right. Yu Xiao lowered his eyes and a faint hatred appeared in his heart. His mother worked so hard every day. It was already hard to pay the family¡¯s expenses, but alas, that man was just so shameless!


    ¡°How much does he owe you this time?¡± With a low voice, Yu Xiao asked.


    The man in charge hesitated for a while, but still said, ¡°Adding the interests from before, he owes us a total of two hundred yuan now.¡±


    What? Two hundred yuan?


    Upon hearing the number uttered by the man, Yu Xiao¡¯s widened in shock. His mother¡¯s salary was only that little, and after deducting the living expenses, only a few yuan were left every month. Such a large sum of money, how long will it take before it can be paid back? Not to mention the interests that will continue to build up during this period.


    If nothing goes wrong, then taking advantage of his rebirth, earning lots of money was not impossible. But the problem is, that¡¯s all in the future. The distant water can¡¯t solve the near fire1Chinese idiom used to describe the solutions or ways that are far away, no matter how good they are, they can¡¯t help with the urgent situation happening right now.!


    Yu Xiao suddenly turned silent. He was thinking of where he could get that much money. Borrowing was possible, but he didn¡¯t know who to borrow from. Don¡¯t even think about his grandmother, it was already good if they don¡¯t come and take advantage of their family. On his mother¡¯s side, it was not feasible. The youngest aunt was in the process of looking for a partner, the youngest uncle was still studying, and the eldest uncle just got married. There was not much money to lend.


    Just when his mind was in disarray, Mother Yu came back. It turned out the neighbors saw that something was not right and immediately went to the factory to find Mother Yu.


    As soon as Mother Yu took a step inside the door, her eyes fell on Yu Xiao who had his head lowered. Her heart ached for fear that something bad happened to him, ¡°Xiaoxiao, what happened? Is there anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m fine.¡± Yu Xiao looked at his mother who was squatting in front of him and checking his condition worriedly, ¡°By the way, they came here to collect debts.¡±


    Mother Yu straightened her feet and turned to look at the three men with wary eyes, ¡°He¡¯s the one who owes you money. If you want the money, go to him.¡±


    ¡°Although what you said is right, Yu Jun is being held by us now. He asked us to come to you to ask for money.¡±


    ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°Not much, just two hundred yuan.¡±


    ¡°What? Two hundred?¡± Right after Mother Yu heard the amount, she screamed, ¡°How can we have that much money?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of our business.¡± The man in charge shrugged his shoulders, ¡°I¡¯ll give you half a month. If you can¡¯t give back the exact amount within half a month, don¡¯t blame us for being rude.¡±


    After letting out those harsh words, he left their house, towed by the other two men. After they left, Mother Yu slowly fell on the ground. ¡°Two hundred yuan, where can I get that much money?¡±


    ¡°Mom, stand up first.¡± Yu Xiao made an effort to pull Mother Yu up. ¡°We¡¯ll slowly think about where to find that much money, calm down first.¡±


    ¡°Calm down?¡± Mother Yu looked at Yu Xiao with blank eyes. Slowly, she came back to her senses, ¡°Yes, calm down first.¡±


    With Yu Xiao¡¯s support, she stood up from the ground and patted the dust left on her body. After that, they slowly walked back to the house.


    The money must be returned, even if it was a huge sum for their family. She wasn¡¯t worried about what those people would do to Yu Jun if she didn¡¯t return the money, instead she was worried about her son. Yu Xiao was her only son, she wouldn¡¯t allow others to hurt him no matter what.


    At night, just when they were still thinking of where to get that much money, Yu Jun came back in a drunk state, holding a half-filled bottle of beer. ¡°Stinky bitch, the money, did you get the money ready?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than two hundred yuan, our family doesn¡¯t have that much money.¡± Mother Yu sighed and said.


    With a bang, Yu Jun slammed the bottle of beer on the table. ¡°Bullshit! Don¡¯t think, don¡¯t think, I don¡¯t know how much your monthly salary is! It¡¯s now more than 30 yuan!¡±


    ¡°But our family also has expenses. Deducting that, we don¡¯t have that much money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me this excuse. Didn¡¯t you have your own money in the house?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s all taken by you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Yu Jun heard what she said and immediately exploded. This bitch, was she blaming him for her money? Fuming, he smashed the beer bottle on the ground, pointed at Mother Yu¡¯s nose and cursed, ¡°Stinky bitch, don¡¯t be shameless. If you know what¡¯s good for you, hurry up and give me the money or else I¡¯ll beat you up again!¡±


    ¡°Damn you! If you don¡¯t have money, isn¡¯t your mother¡¯s family still there? And you, bastard, what are you looking at? If you look again, I¡¯ll kill you! What? Look again!


    Mother Yu quickly took Yu Xiao in her arms in panic. While doing so, she pressed down his head. She knew that, no doubt, Yu Jun would do what he said. Her Xiaoxiao just got out of the hospital, she couldn¡¯t allow this man to beat Xiaoxiao again until he was sent to the hospital.


    Yu Jun shouted and cursed for almost an hour before he staggered to the direction of the bedroom to sleep. Looking at the forced smile on his mother¡¯s face, Yu Xiao¡¯s heart was pulled hard. Once again, he hoped that he would grow faster, and at the same time, his heart became even more firm when it came to getting his parents divorced.


    This night was another sleepless night for them. Tomorrow, they have to think of ways to make money.

 CH 12

    Yu Xiao didn¡¯t have a good night¡¯s sleep last night. When we woke up early in the morning, he patted his face in front of the mirror. It was only after his mouth curled up into a smile that he went to the kitchen to find Mother Yu, ¡°Good morning, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Xiaoxiao.¡± Mother Yu didn¡¯t sleep well last night either. It was obvious just by her bloodshot eyes and dark circles under her eyes.


    Yu Xiao threw a worried look at her. He thought inside, if he can have some money now, he can help his mother carry the burden. As if remembering something, Yu Xiao¡¯s eyes turned bright. Right, how could he forget that thing? Yu Xiao hurriedly dashed to his room and lay down on the ground before crawling under his bed.


    Because the other side of his bed was leaning against the wall, and also because his father liked to rummage through the house to find any money and use it to gamble, he developed a habit of keeping his things inside the hole he dug under his bed.


    A joyful smile made its way into Yu Xiao¡¯s face as he looked at the familiar small hole under his bed. He reached out his hand and put it inside the hole. Soon he felt a cold touch. He took it out, revealing his small treasure box. Speaking of which, this box should be the candy box his mother gave him several years ago during one of the Chinese New Years.


    He crawled out of bed with the box held in his hand. Not paying attention to the dust around his body, he ran back to find Mother Yu. ¡°Mom, look, I have money here.¡±


    Mother looked at Yu Xiao¡¯s current appearance, and her eyes became slightly wet. She was aware of what this box was. This box was her family¡¯s Xiaoxiao treasure box. Inside of it was the pocket money and the New Year¡¯s money he saved from the past few years.


    ¡°Mom, I know that the money inside is not enough, but look, there is a longevity lock inside.¡± Yu Xiao picked up the pure silver longevity lock which only measured about a baby¡¯s palm with eagerness. This longevity lock was with him after he was born.


    Mother Yu took the longevity lock and clenched it hard with her hand, ¡°No, this longevity lock can¡¯t be sold. As for the money, keep it for yourself. Mom will find another way to get money.¡±


    ¡°But, mom¡­¡± Yu Xiao still wanted to open his mouth, but was stopped by Mother Yu.


    ¡°Listen to mother, Xiaoxiao.¡± Mother Yu closed the box for him and put it back into his arms before saying softly, ¡°Go back and hide it, otherwise if your father sees it, he¡¯ll use it for gambling again.¡±


    Mother Yu directly made a decision. Yu Xiao could only go back with the box in his arms and hide it unwillingly. After breakfast, Yu Xiao and Mother Yu went to school and work respectively.


    As soon as he stopped inside the classroom, Yu Xiao noticed many strange gazes coming from his classmates and the sound of whispers from time to time. A frown uncontrollably appeared on his face.


    ¡°Xiao Yuzi, that¡­¡± After Yu Xiao took his seat, Fan Lie opened his mouth but closed it at the next second.


    ¡°What?¡± Yu Xiao wandered his eyes around and found that the classmates around them had their ears pricked.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Fan Lie opened his mouth again to say something but was interrupted by another voice.


    ¡°Shut up, you guy.¡± Hao Ren shot him a ferocious look, then nodded to Yu Xiao, ¡°Yuzi, let¡¯s come out of the classroom. I have something to tell you.¡±


    Yu Xiao nodded his head as a response and walked out of the classroom. Seeing them leaving, Fan Lie ignored Hao Ren¡¯s threatening eyes and followed them closely.


    ¡°Yuzi, those people who collect debts yesterday, did they do something bad? Are you hurt?¡± After the three of them arrived at the quiet corner of the school, Hao Ren quickly asked him worriedly.


    Looking at the worried expression plastered on the faces of the two, Yu Xiao shook his head promptly, ¡°No.¡±


    He was not planning to hide what happened yesterday to them. Anyway, gossip in their neighborhood circulates quickly. Not to mention the fact that the three debt collectors who showed up at their door yesterday created a large commotion.


    ¡°Huh? So it¡¯s true?¡± Fan Lie originally thought that it was Mo Tao who deliberately said those rumors. After all, there was no one in their class who didn¡¯t know how much this guy, Mo Tao, hated Yu Xiao. Besides, Mu Tao would bad-mouth Yu Xiao behind his back occasionally.


    So, after learning that it was true, Fan Lie found it a little unbelievable. But in the next second, he quickly patted Yu Xiao¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, if you need any help, just say it. Don¡¯t treat us as outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Fan Lei¡¯s right. By the way, how much does your dad owe this time?¡± When it came to Yu Xiao¡¯s father, Hao Ren looked down on him very much. He was simply a useless man who didn¡¯t know how to work hard to earn money, but still depended on women¡¯s support to drink and gamble.


    ¡°Two hundred yuan.¡± With a faint voice, Yu Xiao said.


    ¡°What? Two hundred?¡± Fan Lie couldn¡¯t stop the scream from his mouth.


    ¡°Lowered your voice, are you afraid that others won¡¯t know about Yu Xiao¡¯s family issue?¡± Hao Ren lightly slapped the back of Fan Lie¡¯s head.


    Fan Lie subconsciously covered his mouth with his two hands. His eyes wandered around to see if someone heard his voice. When he confirmed that no one was around them, he let go of his taut nerves and asked with a soft voice, ¡°How come your father owes that much money? Right, how long will it take before you can return the money?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just that those people said that the money should be returned within half a month.¡± Yu Xiao¡¯s heart sank as he said this.


    ¡°Half a month?¡± Hao Ren still had some knowledge about Yu Xiao¡¯s family¡¯s situation because it was his mother who came to the factory to find Mother Yu and notified her of what happened to their home yesterday. But their family didn¡¯t have that much money either to lend Yu Xiao. However, he will help him as much as he can.


    ¡°I still have some of my pocket money and New Year¡¯s money that I usually save. How about you use it first?¡± Hao Ren touched Yu Xiao¡¯s head.


    Unwilling to be outshined, Fan Lie also stepped forward and said, ¡°I also have some. Although my pocket money is already spent, I still have my New Year¡¯s money with me.¡±


    Yu Xiao smiled and shook his head to reject their good intentions, ¡°No need, keep your money for yourself. I¡¯ll just find another way to earn money.¡± When all is said and done, the two of them were still kids. The one year¡¯s New Year¡¯s money was only about one dollar. He knew that the family¡¯s condition of these two was not that different from his family¡¯s. They were not rich nor powerful, and their parents also worked for others.


    Furthermore, despite the fact that Hao Ren¡¯s family was only a single family with three of them in total, there was still Grandpa Hao at their side. Due to the injuries he suffered from the Anti-Japanese War when he was still young, Grandpa Hao¡¯s health is not very good. His injuries resurfaced again after he hit an old age. Hao Ren¡¯s parents were both filial people, and they would always buy supplements for him and urge him to go to see a doctor. Of course, these expenses come at the cost of working overtime.


    As for the condition of Fan Lie¡¯s family, the main source of expenses was that Fan Lie was not the only child inside the family. Fan Lie had three older sisters above him, plus his parents. In total, they were a family of six that had to eat and live. But unlike the other families, Fan Lie¡¯s parents weren¡¯t patriarchal.


    The sole reason why Mother Fan insisted on having a son was because of pressure from the elders. Despite having many children in the family, the husband and wife still gritted their teeth and let all their children go to school. They firmly held on the belief that only by studying can their children live a good life.


    Needless to say, one more reason why Yu Xiao rejected their kindness was because he didn¡¯t want their friendship to have anything to do with money. Once the money gets involved, it doesn¡¯t matter if their friendship was good, but it will definitely fall apart.


    Hao Ren and Fan Lie still wanted to say something, but the bell indicating the preparation for the class rang. Yu Xiao waved his hand and said with his lips curled, ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s go in first. Our teacher of the first class is the head teacher. You can¡¯t be late, you know?¡±


    ¡°Alright then, don¡¯t forget to look for us if you need any help!¡± Hao Ren and Fan Lie both said with a firm tone.


    Yu Xiao sat back in his seat. Although his eyes were glued on the blackboard, his attention was clearly not on it. In his mind, he was thinking carefully on how to get that much money within half a month.


    Even after school ended, Yu Xiao still couldn¡¯t think of any solution. Actually, it¡¯s not that there was no way, but the time had not yet to come. He initially plans to buy a lottery ticket with the intention of winning. He recalled the number for the huge prize because this number happened to be his birthday and his mother¡¯s birthday. It was a pity that this number would only appear after five years.


    Yu Xiao knitted his eyebrows and said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s all that man¡¯s fault. If he hadn¡¯t gone out to gamble, although the family wouldn¡¯t be rich, at least we can have enough money to buy food and clothes.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, really shameless!¡± A shrill voice came from behind.


    Yu Xiao turned around and saw his ¡®good cousin¡¯ standing not far away, with his hands on either sides of his hips and eyes looking at him with contempt. ¡°What are you looking at? You! You¡¯re actually so daring as to cause grandma trouble. If you are in debt, don¡¯t drag others, got it?¡±


    Yu Xiao raised his eyebrows, ¡°We¡¯re not others. After all, my father is the son conceived by Old Mrs. Yu in the month of October. What qualifications do you, a mere nephew, have to say that to your own uncle? Don¡¯t forget what your surname is. You are the outsider!¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Lu Cheng pointed his finger at him. His face became red with anger, ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ll tell grandma about your mother!¡±


    ¡°I believe it, isn¡¯t this what you are the best at?¡± Yu Xiao smiled sarcastically, ¡°Another thing, pointing fingers to someone is very rude. Come to think of it, you really should learn the most basic manners.¡±


    After letting out those words, Yu Xiao turned his head away and with a move of his feet, he walked back to the yard of their house. Her grandmother is really a black-hearted person. The distance between their home and his grandmother¡¯s house was only less than ten meters away. He didn¡¯t believe that no one at their side heard the commotion yesterday.


    But the thing is, no one came to their house to help them, mother and son. What was even worse was what his cousin had said just now; problems about money, don¡¯t even think about going to them for help. Anyway, it was their own problem and they won¡¯t help.


    Yu Xiao laughed contemptuously. When it was her mother¡¯s salary day, they tucked their tails between their legs. Getting away from these evil relatives really should be implemented. Although his father is the second child, because Yu Jun¡¯s older sibling is another girl, Yu Xiao could be said to be his grandmother¡¯s eldest grandson. Why? Is it because there is now a youngest grandson that she disregarded the eldest grandson?


    He was aware that his grandmother had almost two hundred yuan as her private money. But looking at the situation, don¡¯t even think about borrowing money from this iron hen.


    He didn¡¯t know if his mother had found a good solution, but half a month¡¯s time will soon passed like a flash.

 CH 13

    In a blink of an eye, the half a month allotted time for paying the debt finally arrived. It was Monday today. Yu Xiao initially intended not to attend school and just stay at home with his mother while waiting for those people to arrive at their door. It was a pity that Mother Yu insisted on sending him to school personally in fear that he would be hurt if he stayed home. In addition, she also asked Hao Ren to keep an eye on him today, and stopped him if he ever went home halfway.


    When she saw Hao Ren nodding his head as his response, Mother Yu¡¯s taut nerves finally relaxed. She stayed outside the classroom and only left when the bell indicating the start of the first class rang.


    When she got home, Mother Yu¡¯s heart was filled with grief as she thought of how the money she gathered was barely enough to cover the debt. Despite the fact that she performed well at the factory every time, and that she was given permission to get this month and the next month¡¯s salary in advance by the factory manager, the money was still far from adequate. Even after borrowing money from the people she knew, a difference of fifty to sixty yuan still existed.


    Under such a condition, instead of giving her a helping hand, the mother-in-law¡¯s family find faults with her everywhere. From time to time, Old Mrs. Yu would knock on their door, saying that she, a daughter-in-law, didn¡¯t know how to be filial to her mother-in-law. She also added that she only knew how to enjoy her life at home and didn¡¯t know how to serve her.


    Every people around her was aware that she was about to go crazy just the get the money to pay for the debts. She worked overtime until the sun started to shine just to get more overtime pay. After arriving at home, she will eat a little before going directly to bed to sleep. If her family¡¯s Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t take the initiative to do all the housework in the house on her behalf, she was afraid that things wouldn¡¯t be as easy as of now.


    Unfortunately, the mother-in-law¡¯s family chose to ignore it. As for the man of the family, he didn¡¯t go home at all, and it was simply impossible to rely on him. It was already good enough if he didn¡¯t add any more trouble for them, the mother and son.


    In the end, the remaining money was finally gathered with the help of her elder sister and elder brother with all the savings from their own respective families and all the dowries her younger sister had just received.


    Thinking of the behavior of her natal family, and then at her mother-in-law¡¯s family, she couldn¡¯t stop her heart from turning cold. She still recalled that it was her mother-in-law¡¯s family who wanted this marriage in the first place. At that time, they were treating her so well at the expense that she would become the future daughter-in-law. They would even come to their house to give her some homemade products.


    But before a month could pass, they immediately revealed their true faces. Badmouthing her without any shame whether it was in front of her or behind her back, saying that she just took things from their Yu family and only knew how to help her natal family, but not her husband¡¯s family.


    The people in the neighborhood were aware of Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s true character, so when the door is closed, they would lament at home how bad Mother Yu¡¯s life was and always questioned the reason why fate let her be tied with such a man.


    Of course, Mother Yu was having difficulty but still chose to shut her mouth. Things like this always happened at that time. Marriage was established after meeting on blind dates introduced by an acquaintance once. The husband and wife were basically strangers before getting married.


    Although Mother Yu¡¯s family sent someone to inquire about the other party¡¯s situation, Old Mrs. Yu made preparations in advance, so the news sent back was that the other party¡¯s situation was good. She would never expect that it was all but a lie.


    At Mother Yu¡¯s side, she was still sighing at her fate when the three men who had come to collect the debts before finally arrived. They straight away entered the house with Yu Jun held in their hands. Seeing this scene, Mother Yu became uneasy for some reason.


    ¡°How is it? Did you manage to get all the money?¡± The oldest of the three men, who was also the person in charge, moved his legs to sit on the chair beside him. Holding a cigarette in hand with his legs crossed carelessly, he asked in a laid-back manner.


    Mother Yu quickly pulled out the two hundred yuan cash she prepared from the pocket of her blouse and passed it to him respectfully, ¡°Here it is, exactly two hundred yuan. It should be okay now, right?¡±


    The man in charge flicked the cigarette ash and exchanged glances with one of the other two younger men. The younger man pulled Yu Jun to kneel on the ground. With his eyes on Yu Jun, the man in charge unhurriedly said, ¡°The money this time was the money for the last time¡¯s debt. Let¡¯s now talk about his current debts and how to pay the money this time.¡±


    ¡°The money this time?¡± A trace of disbelief could be heard in Mother Yu¡¯s voice, ¡°How much does he owe you this time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, not much. It¡¯s about the same as last time, about three hundred yuan.¡±


    ¡°What? Three hundred yuan?¡± Mother Yu shouted in fright. This time, she already did all kinds of ways just to get the money for the two hundred yuan debt. Now, where is she going to collect that three hundred yuan?


    The man in charge saw her flustered appearance, and although a trace of struggle flashed in his eyes, there was nothing he could do. He was just the person appointed to collect debts. Throwing a contemptuous look at Yu Jun, who was currently kneeling on the ground and cowering, he slowly said, ¡°Actually, you don¡¯t need to raise money to pay off the debt.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The uneasiness in Mother Yu¡¯s heart became stronger at this point.


    ¡°Your man and I have already reached an agreement. As long as you sell your son to us, you won¡¯t need to pay off the debt this time.¡±


    ¡°What? No way!¡± Mother Yu quickly refused loudly, ignoring the fear inside her chest.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± Yu Jun, who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head to look at her ferociously before cursing, ¡°I have raised him and gave him delicious food to eat and water to drink for more than ten years. Why? Now that his help is needed, he can¡¯t repay me for raising him? You bitch, imprint this on your head that I¡¯m the head of the family and this matter is settled like this!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t agree!¡± The woman who had always been afraid of Yu Jun, courageously retorted this time, ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t let you sell Xiaoxiao!¡±


    ¡°Bitch, how dare you contradict me!¡± If it weren¡¯t for the hands that were restraining him against the ground at this moment, Yu Jun would have rushed to her and give her a few hard slaps. Then, he turned his head to the oldest man, who was also the man in charge and said, ¡°Brother Qiu, don¡¯t listen to this bitch. This matter is settled like this. Look, we¡¯ve already made an agreement.¡±


    The man in charge nodded to the other two younger men before looking again at Yu Jun who was standing there like a servant. He moved his eyes away in disgust, ¡°Since that is the case, then I¡¯ll go come back tomorrow and take that kid away. If anything happens in the middle, you know the consequences!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. I know, I know. Brother Qiu, take care. The other two brothers also take care.¡± Yu Jun nodded and lowered his head to escort the three of them out of the house.


    Upon seeing Yu Jun enter the house, hatred covered her eyes. She didn¡¯t open her mouth about his gambling and drinking, or when from time to time, beat them mother and son. But look, he even had the intention of selling Xiaoxiao!


    ¡°You bitch! You have the nerve to go against me just now. Are you tired of living?¡± Yu Jun took out his belt the moment he entered and whipped it hard.


    If it was normal times, Mother Yu would just let him beat her without making a sound. But today, the resentment building up inside her heart finally broke out. Xiaoxiao is her only son, and no one is allowed to hurt him!


    Mother Yu moved sideways and dodged the incoming whipping of the belt. She directly lifted the stool beside her and smashed it hard on him, ¡°You animal, I¡¯ll fight you today!¡±


    ¡°You fucking bitch, how dare you throw that stool at me? See if I don¡¯t you beat you to death today!¡± Yu Jun exploded when the stool was thrown over him. The hand holding the belt shook in anger.


    Filled with anger and resentment, the two smashed everything in the house into pieces. In the end, Mother Yu was still beaten and collapsed on the floor with blood on her body. Yu Jun kicked her a few more times before ceasing his actions. He moved to the bedroom, still breathing heavily. Afterwards, he pulled the door closed and got on the bed to sleep.


    The school bell finally rang. Yu Xiao, who was fidgeting in worry, didn¡¯t have the time to bid goodbye to his friends and ran back home quickly. Just now, his eyelids kept twitching. He was scared that something bad might happen at home.


    The moment he walked inside the house, his eyes widened in shock seeing his mother lying on the floor coated with many wounds. He quickly approached his mother, and yelled with trembling voice, ¡°Mom, wake up! Mom!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Xiaoxiao?¡± Mother Yu slowly opened her eyes, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m back, mom.¡± Yu Xiao carefully supported her to stand up before letting her sit on a chair, ¡°Mom, what do you feel? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡±


    Mother Yu struggled to lift her hand and waved it, ¡°It¡¯s alright, Xiaoxiao. Mom is fine, just a little dizzy.¡±


    ¡°What? Dizzy?¡± Could it be his mother suffered from a concussion? Yu Xiao became deeply worried. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go to the hospital now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Xiaoxiao.¡± Mother Yu became distressed when she thought of the expenses if they really went to a hospital now, especially now that the family still had debts to pay off.


    ¡°Mom, did he lift his hand on you again?¡± Yu Xiao clenched his hand with so much force, ¡°Why did he hit you again?¡±


    Mother Yu¡¯s eyes became red in silence. She pulled Yu Xiao into her arms and hugged him tightly, ¡°Xiaoxiao, my poor Xiaoxiao.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s all the noise! Interrupting my sleep, are you looking for a fight?¡± Yu Jun harshly pulled open the door. His eyes brightened up when he saw Yu Xiao, ¡°Little bastard, you¡¯re back. Very good, very good!¡±


    This was the first time for Yu Xiao to see this man speak to him with such a good expression. He couldn¡¯t help but feel strangeness in his heart.


    As soon as Mother Yu saw him coming out of the room, her hands hugged Yu Xiao tightly, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, I won¡¯t agree to it!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether you agree or not. Anyway, I¡¯m the one who has the final say in this family!¡± Yu Jun fumed at her words.


    ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± Yu Xiao pursed his lips and thought inside, this was the first time he saw his mother talking back to that man.


    ¡°Good, it¡¯s now your time to repay me!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Mother Yu choked up and opened her mouth to say, ¡°This beast, he¡¯s planning to sell you as payment for his debts.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Yu Xiao widened with disbelief written on his face. A tiger might not eat his own cub, yet this man actually¡­


    Scanning his eyes around, Yu Xiao realized that his mother fought with this man head-on just for him. As he looked at the wounds on his mother¡¯s body, Yu Xiao became so angry that his eyes turned red. He glared at the man and gnashed his teeth before saying, ¡°You bastard, I will definitely not let you go!¡±


    ¡°Little bastard, how dare you scold me?¡± Yu Jun casually picked up the cup on the side and threw it.


    Mother Yu immediately turned around and took the hit with her back. Yu Xiao quickly reacted and asked her nervously, ¡°Mom, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Mom, hiss, it¡¯s fine.¡± With her face turning white, Mother Yu replied with a smile.


    The anger in Yu Xiao¡¯s heart started to rise rapidly. He broke free from his mother¡¯s arms and rushed towards the man, ¡°Ah! I¡¯ll fight you! You bastard!¡±


    It was a pity that he forgot that he was still in a child¡¯s body now. Without much surprise, he was quickly restrained by Yu Jun. The man¡¯s fist slammed on him harshly. Seeing this, Mother Yu almost went crazy and quickly stood up and ran in his direction. The three of them fought into a ball.


    In the dead of night, Mother Yu pulled Yu Xiao, who was beaten and had wounds all over his body, into her arms. She made up her mind in her heart. With a crying voice, she asked him, ¡°Xiaoxiao, if, if your mother and your father divorce, will you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you, mom.¡± Yu Xiao answered before she could even finish her sentence.


    ¡°But then, you¡­¡± would only have your mother, a single-parent family, and you would be looked down upon. Mother Yu swallowed the rest of her words.


    Yu Xiao looked at her with firm eyes, ¡°I know, but mom, I don¡¯t want you to be beaten by him again.¡± Furthermore, as time advanced, there would be more and more single-parent families, and no one would find them strange and gossip about them like now.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, my Xiaoxiao!¡± Mother Yu burst into tears, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry that mother can¡¯t give you a complete family. I¡¯m sorry that you have to be beaten and scolded for a long time. I¡¯m sorry for letting you have a bad childhood. I¡¯m sorry, Xiaoxiao!


    Yu Xiao gently patted the back of his mother. He was aware that getting a divorce in this day and age would cause a large commotion and would make them the talk of the town. In addition, based on the character of that man, he would not agree to a divorce easily. It looked like he had to ask for that person¡¯s help¡­

 CH 14

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 CH 15

    The neighbors who were clustered into one group sent Yu Jun to the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. On the way there, more and more onlookers joined the fun. Some of them who felt that it was interesting ran to Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s house to inform her about the news.


    When the news reached Old Mrs. Yu, she jumped from the chair she was sitting on and pushed the gloating man who told her about what happened out of the house angrily.


    After shutting the door hard, she walked furiously back to the chair. Sitting on the chair, she patted her chest and scolded, ¡°Really, this shameless little hoof, how dare she do such a shameful thing as a divorce?¡± It looked like she was really blind when she let her son marry that shameful woman back then. Their Yu family simply lose face because of this bitch!


    Yu Ci, who was the aunt of Yu Xiao, rolled her eyes upon hearing her words. In the first place, it was Old Mrs. Yu who wants this marriage. It goes without saying that the reason behind it was because Luo Qian¡¯s eldest sister and eldest brother-in-law were both officials.


    Really hypocritical, Old Mrs. Yu only dared to bad-mouth Luo Qian behind the door. When all is said and done, Old Mrs. Yu was all talk and didn¡¯t even have a plan to help Yu Jun at all.


    However, these words can only be kept hidden inside her heart. She didn¡¯t have the courage to say in front of Old Mrs. Yu. After all, she was now a woman who was left behind by her husband and had no choice but to count on her natal family¡¯s support. Particularly, she needed to depend on Old Mrs. Yu as she was one who held the financial power in the family.


    So an angry expression made its way onto her face, ¡°Mother, don¡¯t be angry. If you continue to be angry, it will only affect your health. In my opinion, let¡¯s think of ways to apologize to them, or else¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you¡¯re right. I have to apologize properly, lest her eldest sister and eldest brother-in-law bore a grudge against our family. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be troublesome in the future.¡± When Old Mrs. Yu thought of the gifts and the flattery she received inside the neighborhood, and the possibility that it would not continue in the future. She suddenly felt angry with her eldest son.


    He was indeed born just to collect debts!


    In addition, her heart bled when she thought that she would need to go and apologize with a gift. She had been used to receiving gifts for the past few years, and the only time she sent gifts to others was for the betrothal gift she gave to Luo Qian as her bride¡¯s price. But these gifts had been used by her little by little after Luo Qian married into the house.


    Leaving aside Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s bleeding heart, after Yu Jun was pulled forcefully to the divorce registration office, he knew that having a divorce had been set to stone today. Currently, he started to regret his actions that caused their marriage to come at this point.


    It was a pity that everything was all too late. The moment his eyes fell on the seal on the black book, strength left his body. If it weren¡¯t for the few people who were still holding onto his arms firmly, he might have collapsed on the floor.


    ¡°Here, starting from now, we are no longer husband and wife. I will take care of Xiaoxiao in the future.¡± Luo Qian held the divorce certificate and passed it directly to Yu Jun.


    Yu Jun looked at her absentmindedly with a pair of red eyes, and didn¡¯t stretch out his hand to take the divorce certificate. Luo Qian knitted her eyebrows and didn¡¯t say anything else. She simply stuffed the divorce certificate into his pocket, and followed Luo You without taking a bat at him, ¡°Big sister, let¡¯s go. Brother-in-law, let me hold Xiaoxiao.¡±


    Zhou Qiang shook his head as his response, ¡°It¡¯s okay, let me hold him for you.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, are you okay?¡± Remembering the scene of her precious son being thrown out brutally by that bastard Yu Jun just now, she instantly became worried.


    Yu Xiao moved his head sideways. Actually, the moment his body hit the ground, severe pain assaulted him. The feeling of having his internal organs injured struck him. Yet, in the next second, his right palm heated up. A warm current washed over his body and the pain miraculously disappeared little by little. Now, the pain was almost non-existent.


    He also checked the skin under his sleeve and discovered that the scratches were slowing healing. It looked like these bizarre things happened because of the seed pattern.


    Stepping outside the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Luo Qian stared at the clear sky outside and couldn¡¯t stop herself from sighing heavily. The deep sadness living in her heart for many years disappeared at this moment. Thinking of the days to come, her heart was one again full of hope and enthusiasm.


    Yu Xiao looked at the smile that bloomed on her mother¡¯s face again after so many years, and felt extremely joyous. After that, his eyes moved towards Yu Jun who was secretly watching them from behind and the smile on his face disappeared. Right, there is one more thing to do.


    ¡°Mom, I want to talk to you about one thing.¡± With a solemn expression, he stared at Luo Qian.


    ¡°What is it? Xiaoxiao?¡± Luo Qian panicked, ¡°Is it because you¡¯re not feeling well?¡±


    Yu Xiao faintly shook his head, ¡°Mom, I just want to say, since I will be with you in the future, I want to change my surname to be the same as you.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Luo Qian was taken aback after hearing his words, ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary, it¡¯s actually okay.¡±


    ¡°But I want to follow my mother¡¯s surname. I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with them in the future.¡± Yu Xiao was aware that he was now a ten-year-old child and could speak willfully. Honestly, after experiencing those things in the future, he knows the character of that man¡¯s family the best. In simple words, they used the fact that he had the Yu surname on him and took advantage of him in all ways, causing him to feel tired.


    ¡°Oh, Xiaoxiao is still looking for his mother¡¯s well being.¡± Zhou Qiang opened his mouth with a smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s natural!¡± Yu Xiao deliberately lifted up his head, looking like he was extremely pleased with what he said.


    ¡°You!¡± Luo Qian didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh looking at his cute appearance. She gently patted his little head.


    Luo Qian also had a smile on her face, but a hint of hesitation was mixed with her expression. Only a few people were divorced at this time. It was even more uncommon to see children follow their mother¡¯s surname, so she was having second thoughts.


    Yu Xiao was not ignorant of what was running on his mother¡¯s mind after looking at the expression on his mother¡¯s face. However, to completely break off their relationship with them, they had to do it now lest those people take advantage of them the mother and son in the future.


    As such, Yu Xiao purposely wandered his eyes around, with hesitation plastered on his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Xiaoxiao?¡± Luo Qian quickly became uneasy.


    ¡°Mom, this, there is one thing I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± Yu Xiao looked at her quickly with a nervous look and opened his mouth hesitantly.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°This, actually, I know the person who pushed me into the river.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Luo Qian immediately asked, ¡°The bastard who pushed you into the river?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s younger brother.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡± Luo Qian¡¯s brain froze for a moment. In the next second, her eyes widened. ¡°Wait a minute, you mean Lu Cheng?¡±


    ¡°Lu Cheng?¡± Both Luo You and Zhou Qiang frowned after hearing this. Luo Qian had some knowledge about Yu Jun¡¯s family and knew that this child, Lu Cheng, was one year younger than Yu Xiao. She would never imagine that a kid like him could do such a thing. But they watched Yu Xiao grow up, and he was basically an honest child who didn¡¯t know how to lie. It was even more impossible for him to lie about this matter.


    If what Xiaoxiao said was true, then it could only mean that this child¡¯s heart was really dark. At a young age, he could do such a vicious thing. This is not some petty fight, it involves the life of a person!


    When the three adults thought of how Xiaoxiao almost died after being pushed into the river, they shuddered in fear. Luckily, Xiaoxiao is fine now, otherwise¡­


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Qian, you should let Xiaoxiao change his surname to be the same as you. It¡¯s better not be related to a family like them, or else we will not know what will happen in the future!¡± Luo You thought for a moment and said directly.


    Zhou Qiang also nodded approvingly, ¡°That¡¯s right. I work in the Public Security Bureau, so leave the matter of changing Xiaoxiao¡¯s surname to me.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s change it.¡± Luo Qian looked at Xiaoxiao. Even after raising him for many years, he was still skinny and small. This child had suffered enough.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, then you will have mom¡¯s surname from now on.¡± Luo went over and patted his head, ¡°From now on, you will be called Luo Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Yu Xiao, no, from now it should be called Luo Xiao. Luo Xiao nodded his head hard. In his last life, he was called Yu Xiao until he died. In this life, he is now called Luo Xiao starting from this moment onwards. Everything will slowly change in the future, and this change will definitely develop into a good direction!


    The five of them decided not to wait for a few more days and went directly to the Public Security Bureau. The Public Security Bureau was not far from the Civil Affairs Bureau, just a thousand meters away. They headed in that direction with the intention of dealing with the matter quickly.


    After they left, Yu Jun came out of the pillar he was hiding. His eyes were filled with complex emotions. In fact, when he first heard that the little bastard wanted to change his surname, he had the urge to come out and slap him fiercely. But he quickly stopped himself and it was exactly because of this action that he was able to hear the truth of the matter.


    To be honest, after hearing that it was Lu Cheng who pushed Luo Xiao into the river, he was more or less surprised like them. However, thinking of Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s character and his sister who inherited Old Mrs. Yu¡¯s viciousness, he felt that Lu Cheng doing such a thing was not surprising.


    But despite the fact that he beat and cursed this little bastard before, he is still the eldest grandson of the Yu family. If Lu Cheng, a nephew with a different surname, had the nerve to do such a thing, then he would not let him go easily.


    Moreover, it looked like he still had to remind his sister, a daughter who had been abandoned by her husband and was only relying on her natal family for support, and who had the ability to raise a ¡®good¡¯ son and who was feeling too comfortable in staying in her natal family, that she was disregarding his existence as the eldest brother.


    Besides, starting from now on, all the property of the family will be passed down only to him. If she still had the plan to stay in the family peacefully, she better learn how to behave!


    Yu Jun once again took a deep look at the direction where they had left, clenched the heavy divorce certificate in his hand, and then turned around to leave the Civil Affairs Bureau.

 CH 16

    After the divorce of Luo Qian, Luo Xiao stayed with his mother at his grandmother¡¯s house. Although some people around the neighborhood would point their fingers behind their mother and son¡¯s back every now and then, the majority of them were just lamenting at their ignorance and bad luck.


    In addition, the people in the grandmother¡¯s family were all kind-hearted and amiable. After hearing the news of Luo Qian¡¯s divorce for the first time, both Grandma Yu and Grandpa Yu couldn¡¯t stop the regret and guilt in their eyes.


    Back then, it was them who also agreed to let their daughter go on a blind date, and let her marry such a person! It was their fault that Xiaoxiao had to suffer so much starting from when he was still little!


    Luo Xiao¡¯s two uncles, Luo Li and Luo Yong, shook in anger after learning the miseries their sister and nephew had experienced. They rushed out of the house with their sleeves quickly rolled up with the intention of beating Yu Jun hard.


    However, the two were quickly stopped by the crowd. Zhou Qiang moved his legs towards their direction and patted them both on the shoulders, ¡°Okay, okay, don¡¯t be angry. Calm down first, if you impulsively go there to fight him, it will only make the situation more complicated. If that happens, your second sister will never be able to break off the relationship with him in the future.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not reconciled!¡± Luo Yong was only in his early twenties. He was on the stage where he did actions according to his emotions.


    Luo Li patted the back of his head, ¡°Brother-in-law is right, don¡¯t do anything just because of your heated brain! If you hurt second sister, see how I¡¯ll deal with you!¡±


    Luo Yong shrank his shoulders. He had always been afraid of this brother, who was older than him by two years, ever since he was a child. He said weakly, ¡°No, I won¡¯t. Brother, don¡¯t worry, I absolutely will not be impulsive again.¡±


    ¡°It better be!¡± Luo Li shot him a sharp look. He was aware of what his brother¡¯s character is exactly the best. Despite the fact that he said he wouldn¡¯t do it, he would still cause trouble.


    For so many years, he couldn¡¯t count how many troubles he had to clean up for this brother of his. It looked like he had to watch over him in the future, lest this stupid boy do stupid things again.


    The matter ended in this manner. After all, this matter will be just a thing of the past. People also need to forget and face their current life.


    Luo Quan is also an independent woman. She was only staying at her mother¡¯s house with Luo Xiao for a while, but she will definitely move out with her son in the future. After all, one of her younger brothers just got married, and another younger brother will get married in a year or two.


    It would not be right for her and Luo Xiao to continue to stay at her mother¡¯s house all the time. As such, she made up her mind to go out and find another part-time job. She would then use all her free time to work and earn money.


    Another thing is, after Luo Qian¡¯s divorce, Luo Xiao became a ¡®celebrity¡¯ again. Yet, this time, he was popular not only in class but also in the whole school grade level. As soon as he appeared, the surrounding people would look at him with a pair of curious and strange eyes, coupled with the sound of soft gossipy voices from time to time.


    It was a pity that Lu Xiao, a mature man in his thirties at heart, was completely unconcerned about these things. Although divorce at this time was a very uncommon occurrence for the public, for future generations, divorce was nothing.


    Compared to him, Hao Ren and Fan Lie both had their hearts hanging in their throat, in fear that Luo Xiao was having some difficulties. If they knew that Luo Xiao didn¡¯t even feel sad and was actually happy about the divorce, they might think that Luo Xiao deliberately tricked them.


    Anyway, Luo Xiao was very happy to have good friends like them who cared about him. Only, there are still some sweet troubles.


    ¡°You guys, what you talking about? Believe or not, I¡¯ll beat the hell out of you!¡± Just when Luo Xiao had just finished thinking, Fan Lie¡¯s angry voice sounded in his ears.


    He turned his head with a smile on his eyes and the scene of Fan Lie waving his fist entered his sight. While waving his fist, Fan Lie was glaring ferociously at the few students who were pointing their fingers at him just now. Luo Xiao turned his head to Hao Ren and saw that he had a satisfied look on his head while nodding.


    He shook his head resignedly and put down Fan Lie¡¯s raised hand, ¡°Alright, don¡¯t scare them. They didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Besides, it¡¯s not that they were the only people who pointed their fingers at me. We can¡¯t control their behavior.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Fan Lie felt angry and aggrieved for him. The fault obviously didn¡¯t lie with Xiao Yuzi!


    When he saw him like this, Luo Xiao¡¯s heart warmed. However, he still shook his head with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go, class is about to start. The next class is Teacher Si Si¡¯s class.¡±


    If they got late, the fate that was only awaiting them was to stand rigidly in the corridor, stand at the door and pinch their ear after class, or scold in front of the whole class. No matter what, these three punishments were all embarrassing.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Fan Lie unwillingly put down his hand. He pursed his lips and followed him towards the direction of the classroom.


    Hao Ren also followed them without saying a word, but when no one was watching, he turned his head to a few classmates who pointed their fingers just now at Luo Xiao and gave them a threatening look. The classmates who received his sharp look wobbled their legs in fear.


    Despite the fact there was no entertainment in this era, gossip spread quickly and was also forgotten very fast. Within just a few days, Luo Qian¡¯s divorce was soon forgotten by everyone. At the same time, Luo Xiao also welcomed his first final exam after his rebirth.


    One good thing about the exams for primary school students at this time was that they only needed to take Chinese and Math exams. The English exam didn¡¯t exist at this time yet. The whole exam could be done in one morning.


    After carefully double checking the answers on his exam papers, Luo Xiao raised his hand to signal the teacher that he was done. He wasn¡¯t the first one who turned in the paper early, so he wasn¡¯t particularly conspicuous. He was about to stand up when he caught Fan Lie¡¯s ¡®hateful¡¯ gaze from the corner of his eyes.


    He shrugged his shoulders and curled his lips at him, then moved his legs in a relaxed way to walk out of the classroom. Honestly, he doesn¡¯t mind if that gaze became more intense.


    ¡°Ah, Xiao Yuzi, you bad guy!¡± Fan Lie shouted from behind and flew to Luo Xiao¡¯s direction, ¡°How dare you turn in your paper quickly, intentionally make me panic during the exam! Right?¡±


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t.¡± Luo Xiao was caught by the force of his body and stumbled a few steps forward before he could stabilize himself, ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who turned in the paper early, isn¡¯t that Hu Ming the first to hand in the paper?¡±


    ¡°No matter what, no matter what, I don¡¯t care! You have to make up for my wounded heart.¡± Fan Lie shook Luo Xiao¡¯s head and body vigorously.


    ¡°Stop! Stop! Stop!¡± Luo Xiao turned so dizzy from his shaking that he opened his mouth to beg, ¡°I¡¯ll make up for it, alright?¡±


    Hao Ren thoughtfully supported Luo Xiao¡¯s dizzy and powerless body, and looked at Fan Lie disapprovingly. Fan Lie was ashamed and stopped the movements of his hand with a remorseful face.


    ¡°That, Xiao Yuzi, are you okay? I, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± Fan Lie lifted his paw and asked weakly.


    Luo Xiao turned his head and gave Hao Ren a grateful look, then shook his head at him. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go? Where to?¡± Fan Lie was confused.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted me to make up for your wounded heart?¡± Luo Xiao patted his pocket and raised an eyebrow at him.


    Fan Lie reacted in an instant. With a face full of excitement, he quickly moved closer to him and asked, ¡°Xiao Yuzi, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Luo Xiao asked him back, ¡°Let¡¯s just say it first, I only have fifty cents in my pocket.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Fan Lie¡¯s eyes brightened up upon hearing his words, ¡°Let¡¯s go buy candied haws! Twenty-five cents a string, I still have three cents here, just right.¡±


    Candied haws! Luo Xiao involuntarily gulped. The candied haws of this era were all natural and pure. They were all full of weight and delicious!


    So, he nodded hard and agreed to buy candied haws. The three of them put on their school bags and ran straight to the place where candied haws were sold. Knowing that the candied haws in this era were all authentic and pure, Luo Xiao was so happy to have the luxury of trying them!


    Looking at the candied haws in their hands, the three of them were full of joyful smiles. Fan Lie couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and directly opened his mouth to bite down. Oh, it tastes sweet and sour, so delicious!


    After finishing one, he licked his mouth and looked up just in time to see the untouched candied haws in their hands. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you two eat it? I¡¯ve tasted it, and it tastes as good as ever.¡±


    Luo Xiao opened his mouth with a smile, ¡°I know. Just look at your anxious little appearance and I know that it tastes good. But I want to take the candied haws home to eat with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Fan Lie thought for a moment and understood his actions. Xiao Yuzi had always been a filial person, and it was not surprising that he would take the candied haws home. As for Hao Ren, this little master was not interested in thinking about his reason.


    Bidding goodbye to the two, Luo Xiao carried the candied haws and went back to his grandmother¡¯s house. ¡°Grandma, grandma, I¡¯m back.¡±


    At this time, only Grandma Yu would be at home cooking in the kitchen. Grandpa Yu was working in the field. His mother and two uncles were still working at the factory, and it would only be later that they would get off from work. As for the eldest aunt, she was resting in the house because she was pregnant.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ve brought something good.¡± Luo Xiao excitedly raised the candied haws in front of Grandma Yu, ¡°Grandma, when Grandpa and the others are back, let¡¯s eat it together.¡±


    ¡°Good, Xiao Xiao is really a good child.¡± Grandma Yu looked at him lovingly, ¡°But we adults don¡¯t like to eat it. It¡¯s better for you to eat or by yourself.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Luo Xiao still wanted to open his mouth but stopped after thinking for a while. Forget it, even if he asked again, he would only be rejected. Since this is the case, why not¡­


    After waiting for the rest to come back, Luo Xiao didn¡¯t mention the candied haws again. However, after the dinner ended and when everyone was sitting around the fireplace while chatting with each other, Luo Xiao ran into the kitchen in a flash and came back with a plate in his hand. ¡°Grandpa, grandma, mother, great uncle, great aunt, little uncle, I bought back a candied haws today and made it into a hawthorn tea. You guys try it and see how it tastes.¡±


    Upon hearing what he said, although they were perplexed as to why he would make hawthorn tea, everyone had a gratified and touched expression on their faces. Sure enough, their family¡¯s Xiaoxiao is the most sensible one! It¡¯s the Yu family¡¯s lost, and they are very happy to have him!


    Drinking this cup of sweet and sour hawthorn tea, despite the chilly wind blowing outside the house, everyone¡¯s hearts were full of warmth.


    The author has something to say:


    Originally, Thorn thought that since Yu Xiao had changed his name to Luo Xiao, Fan Lie should not call him Xiao Yuzi anymore. However, when the nickname Xiao Luozi, meaning ¡®Little Mule¡¯, entered my mind, I thought it¡¯d better to continue to call him Xiao Yuzi!

 CH 17

    Accompanied by the sounds of shouts, the winter vacation that children specially liked finally ushered in. Although the children were unhappy about the schoolwork the teachers gave them, these things couldn¡¯t affect their current fervent mood at this moment.


    Looking at the happy smiles hanging on the corner of their lips, Luo Xiao¡¯s lips involuntarily lifted, forming a smile in the process. Sure enough, it¡¯s good to be young. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nostalgia.


    ¡°Xiao Yuzi, how do you plan to spend your winter vacation?¡± Fan Lie excitedly jumped on his back, ¡°We have a month of time to play!¡±


    ¡°I have to get my homework done first. After that, I will go with my uncle to work with him. You know the condition of our family, I want to take advantage of the winter vacation and help my mom.¡± Luo Xiao thought for a while and responded.


    In fact, it was because he recalled a certain event when his uncle suggested going to the City S for work a few days ago, and this incident was something his uncle bewailed to him in the future. Despite being a little embarrassed for that person, he still made up his mind to give it a shot so as to also relieve the burden on his mother¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Fan Lie¡¯s head quickly dropped upon hearing his words, ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t be able to spend the winter vacation with you. Right, how about I go to work with you?¡±


    Luo Xiao smiled and shook his head, ¡°Will your parents agree?¡±


    Fan Lie was the only son in the next three generations of the Fan family. He was simply held by the elders and his parents¡¯ hands like a treasure, so there was no way that they would agree to his request.


    Sure enough, Fan Lie¡¯s mood visibly dropped after hearing what he said. He was aware of how much the elders were fond of him. They will, without surprise, reject his request. The possibility that they would shift the fault to Luo Xiao also existed.


    It must be known that starting from the time Luo Xiao¡¯s mother got a divorce, his parents and grandparents had warned him to not get along with Luo Xiao. What¡¯s the matter with the ¡®wild child¡¯, ¡®uneducated¡¯ and so on? Anyway, he won¡¯t leave his good friend!


    Luo Xiao comfortingly rubbed Fan Lie¡¯s head, who had fallen silent at this moment, then turned his head and shook his head at Hao Ren, who was standing in front of him and wanted to say something.


    He knew that Hao Ren, who had been treating him as a younger brother since he was a little, was absolutely worried about him and also had the urge to go out with him to work. However, aside from Hao Ren, a baby was now added to the family. The baby was taken care of by Hao Ren¡¯s parents at usual times, but now that the winter vacation arrived, Hao Ren had to help take care of the baby and he definitely can¡¯t afford to go out now.


    After parting with his two good friends, Luo Xiao went home happily with the report card. He thought of the happy smile that would appear on his mother¡¯s face upon seeing his report card, the little depression in his heart dissipated.


    As a student who finished his studies from a capital university, taking the primary school exam was really just a small feat to him. But it didn¡¯t stop him from feeling a bit shy when he stepped on the stage to get the award just now. But from the look of it, it seemed that his face became a little thicker than in his previous life.


    Passing both the report card and the award certificate to his mother, he saw a smile uncontrollably appear on his mother¡¯s face. Luo Qian patted him on his shoulders, and said with a choked voice, ¡°Good job, my Xiaoxiao is really the best! Mom is proud of you, really.¡±


    Actually, Luo Qian felt very sorry for this child in her heart. She was very worried that he would learn bad things like other children in single-parent families. Fortunately, her Xiaoxiao was still the same as before. No, it should be that he became more sensible and mature.


    How could Luo Xiao not know what his mother was thinking? He had a way to explain it to her, but he also knew that if he chose to do that it would only make her blame herself more. Since that was the case, he would not say anything. In this way, the family could develop better


    ¡°Mom, I did so well in the exam, shouldn¡¯t I be given a reward?¡± Luo Xiao lifted his head and spoke to Luo Qian with his mouth curved.


    ¡°Yes, you should!¡± Luo Qian nodded hard, ¡°Say it, what kind of reward do you want?¡±


    ¡°Any kind of reward is fine?¡± Luo Xiao asked again with his eyes still staring at her.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Luo Qian was confident that her son would not make excessive demands, so she replied without thinking deeply.


    ¡°Really? Then if I said it, you can¡¯t go back on it.¡±


    ¡°How could that be? I¡¯ll keep my word.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s make an agreement!¡± Luo Xiao deliberately shook his head and stretched out his pinky finger, and said to Luo Qian.


    The moment Luo Qian saw his childish actions, she didn¡¯t hesitate anymore. She secretly smiled before also reaching out her pinky finger and hooking it up with his pinky finger, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve already hooked my pinky finger with you. No change can be made for a hundred years. If I ever get back on my words, I would become a puppy. How about it? Are you satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Satisfied!¡± Luo Xiao narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say the reward he wanted, ¡°I want to go to City S with little uncle.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Luo Qian would never imagine that the reward he was asking for was like that. She was taken aback and froze for a few seconds.


    Luo Xiao quickly tightened his lips intentionally and shouted, ¡°Mom, you are not allowed to go back on your word! We¡¯ve already reached an agreement! This is my reward, and you promised to give it to me!¡± Acting like a child, Luo Xiao who had a thirty-year-old soul, couldn¡¯t be any more ashamed. But for the sake of going to City S, he still tried his best to act coquettish with goosebumps all over his body.


    Luo Qian looked at him, hesitating a little in her heart, ¡°But your little uncle is going to work at his friend¡¯s father¡¯s factory there, and he won¡¯t have the time to take care of you. Besides, you¡¯re still a child, I¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m just going out to see the world.¡± Luo Xiao was still having second thoughts before but finally decided to bite the bullet and continued his coquettish act. ¡°Mom, my good mother, just promise me. I haven¡¯t seen the outside world since I grew up.¡±


    Luo Qian¡¯s attitude was softened by his rare show of childishness and willful actions. The distance between City S and their town by driving was two hours. And this so-called two hours still depended on the tractor¡¯s speed at that time. If it was changed into an ordinary car in the future, it may only take more than half an hour.


    It was also due to the special geographical location that their small town was able to develop rapidly alongside the City S. It was a pity that this development will have to wait until ten years later. The land on their side had also begun to follow the rapid rise, reaching 70,000 to 80,000 square meters. It must be known at that time, many regretted to death their decision to sell their land.


    Purchasing a piece of land was one of Luo Xiao¡¯s wishes after his rebirth. He still recalled that alongside with the increase in land prices, the government issued a document to restrict private land purchases. Yet, right now, the land was all cheap in price. The government not only gives concessions in price for the people who are willing to purchase, but also gives them certain subsidiaries. After all, for the current government, people buying land is a priority.


    Unfortunately, the vision is beautiful, but the reality is very harsh. The reason behind it was very straightforward¡ª he had no money!


    His trip to City S this time also had a connection to money.


    Immediately after he saw Luo Qian nodding her head in agreement, Luo Xiao instantly became happy. Although he had already made up his mind to go out secretly once his mother refused, it was still best to go out with her consent. As for his little uncle, Luo Xiao was confident that he could handle it.


    Two days later, Luo Qian looked at her son sitting on the tractor with a face full of concern. She said to her younger brother again and again, ¡°Yong, keep in mind not to let Xiaoxiao run around, got it? Also, go and work hard there. Even though your job there is only a part-time job, it¡¯s still best to work hard.¡±


    ¡°Second sister, you can rest assured. I know that it¡¯s all thanks to Xiangzi that I am able to have the chance to get there to work. I will work hard at his father¡¯s factory.¡± Luo Yong nodded his head to reassure her.


    By next year, he will graduate from high school. He knew that his grades were not good, so he decided to work early to earn money after graduating. This time, it was all thanks to his good friend Xu Xiang¡¯s good intentions. He saw his situation and offered him to go to work at his father¡¯s factory. If his performance is good, he could start working there without any obstruction.


    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to be so worried. I will definitely listen to uncle. I¡¯ll promise not to run around.¡± Luo Xiao patted his chest and promised with a smile. As for the latter part of his sentence, the inside credibility was unknown. Anyway, he would listen to his uncle but for the second one, forget it.


    ¡°Then okay, pay attention to your safety.¡± Luo Qian let out those words upon seeing the tractor starting.


    Seeing the sight of his mother still standing there waving to them, Luo Xiao¡¯s became slightly flushed for some reason. Luo Ying, who was standing at his side, noticed it and intentionally teased him, ¡°Oh, where did this little baby come from? He immediately cried after leaving his mother.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You are the little baby!¡± Luo Xiao shot him a vicious look and fumed. This little uncle was not great at all and only knew how to bully him. But when he thought of his future little aunt, a sly smile appeared on Luo Xiao¡¯s face.


    Looking at the smile on his face, Luo involuntarily shuddered. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from muttering in his heart: What the hell is this kid planning? Why do he have a bad feeling?


    This caused Luo Yong, who had taken several detours in the road of chasing his wife, to grit his teeth with hatred after knowing the truth. He would then scold this kid in his heart for being narrow-minded and bad. There¡¯s no need to think further about it. Who made this child have a higher status in his wife¡¯s heart than him!


    Coming to the destination, Luo Yong and Luo Xiao came to the residence with the help of Xu Xiang. Because he lived in City S in his previous life, he was still relatively familiar with the place around him. Upon stepping into the residence where they were going to live temporarily, Luo Xiao¡¯s eyes burst into light. He didn¡¯t expect that the place this time was very close to his target destination. It would take half an hour to walk there. It looked like God was giving him a helping hand!


    Luo Xiao became happy in an instant. He intended to go to that place tomorrow, with the hope of returning home with satisfaction.

 CH 18

    While the sun had just started rising, Luo Xiao went after his little uncle out of the house. With his feet stepping on the ground of Linchun Street, he looked at the worn-out bungalows on either side of the road and was deeply moved. Who would have thought that this place, also known as a slum by the residence of City S, would turn out to be a hard-to-find commercial center ten years later?


    He thought of the housing prices a few years later, and he couldn¡¯t stop his eager mood. It was a pity that he doesn¡¯t have much money now. But, he will have it soon!


    With these thoughts in his mind, Luo Xiao continued to walk towards his destination.


    ¡®A Grocery Store¡¯, Luo Xiao turned his head up to look at the words written on the signboard. The corner of Luo Xiao¡¯s mouth twitched. He had to admit that the owner of this shop really had the talent for choosing names for shops.


    He composed himself and adjusted his expression similar to the curious look of a typical ten-year-old, and entered the shop. Inside the shop was an old man of more than fifty years old. The old man sat on the chair just behind the counter. He briefly looked at him then closed his eyes again before leaning on the back of the chair to resume his sleep.


    Despite the fact that the old man only threw a single look at him, Luo Xiao had a feeling that he had been stripped naked and all his secrets were revealed in front of him. He composed his surging mood and finally made up his mind, and wandered his eyes around the shop. Before long, he found the thing he was looking for at one glance. But in order not to let others become suspicious, he still looked left and right for a few minutes.


    Moving his legs slowly, he moved to the direction of the thing he was looking for. At last, he finally arrived and stretched out his hand to touch it. This thing was a tiny box measuring about ten centimeters in diameter. The outer layer was coated with rust spots, and a thick layer of dust could be seen falling on the ground as he picked it up. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he remembered his little uncle describing it to him in detail, he would never have believed it. With a dirty appearance like this, no one would think that inside it were things with great value.


    Putting the small box in his hand, Luo Xiao took two more things he also found with just one look. One was a tiny peach nut full of dirt about the size of his thumb, and the other was a few rusty coins. Although he didn¡¯t intend to buy these two things at this start, there was a special feeling inside him telling him that these things were fated to fall into his hands.


    Luo Xiao knitted his eyebrows and made up his mind to follow his instinct. After all, ever since the seed pattern on his palm appeared, his instinct, like his sixth sense, improved immensely.


    ¡°Grandpa, I want to buy these things.¡± Luo Xiao spoke to the still sleeping old man, and pointed to the three things in his arms.


    ¡°En?¡± The old man opened his eyes with a slit and a glint fleeted across his eyes. He yawned and opened his mouth, ¡°Kid, the things you chose are not cheap. Do you have enough money in you?¡±


    ¡°I still have other things to buy, so I didn¡¯t bring a lot of money. The money in my hand is not much.¡±


    ¡°Well, considering that you¡¯re a child, the old man won¡¯t cheat you. You just need to pay five dollars for these things.¡±


    ¡°Five dollars?¡± Luo Xiao¡¯s eyebrows creased, his teeth biting his lips involuntarily. All the money was in his little uncle¡¯s possession, and the only money left in him was the pocket money and the New Year¡¯s money he saved from the past few years, with four dollars in total. This money was not sufficient, but his urge to buy these things was especially strong.


    As such, after thinking for a few moments, he opened his mouth again to ask, ¡°Grandpa, I don¡¯t have that much money on me. Can you make the price a little cheaper?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Don¡¯t have much money?¡± Inside, the old man became joyous. Luckily, this kid didn¡¯t have enough money, or else he didn¡¯t know how to continue.


    However, he still said outwardly, ¡°However, the price that I said is already the cheapest.¡±


    Luo Xiao also knew that the old man was telling the truth. He still recalled that his little uncle told him that someone bought this tiny box for only four yuan. Besides, unlike the man in his little uncle¡¯s mouth, he also brought two other things, and with these three things in total, the five-yuan price was already cheap.


    His mind spun hurriedly. After a while, he asked carefully, ¡°Grandpa, this, can I work as a part-time job in your shop to pay for the money left?¡±


    ¡°Part-time job?¡± The old man¡¯s eyes scanned his body starting from the bottom to the top, ¡°With such a small body?¡±


    Adding to the fact that he was still a ten-year-old child, coupled with Grandma Yu¡¯s habit of taking things from their home for a long time, and his hospitalization recently, Luo Xiao¡¯s figure looked skinny compared to the kids of the same age as him.


    Upon hearing his words, Luo Xiao couldn¡¯t stop his shoulders from dropping slowly. It looked like he could only give up. Just when he was about to speak, the old man opened his mouth again, ¡°Since you¡¯re very reluctant to part with these things, you can do as you say.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Luo Xiao¡¯s mind was unable to react for a while.


    ¡°What? Are you just lying with this old man just now?¡± The old man narrowed his eyes angrily.


    ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡± Luo Xiao quickly waved his hands after coming back to his senses, ¡°Then how long do I need to work?¡±


    ¡°Why? Feeling lazy already?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I still need to attend school. This time, I came here with my uncle so¡­¡± Luo Xiao explained.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, and where are you from?¡± The old man put the teacup in front of his mouth and drank a little, ¡°How old are you now?¡±


    Luo Xiao responded without hiding anything, ¡°My name is Luo Xiao, and my home is in a town located in City C. As for my age, I¡¯m ten years old this year.¡± With a soul of thirty, he developed a good impression on this old man and told him the answers truthfully. He was a child after all, and the old man had nothing he could get from him. Moreover, he also asked about the old man along the way, and found through the neighborhood that even though the old man didn¡¯t socialite with neighbors much, he was still a kind-hearted man.


    ¡°Ten years old¡­¡± The old man said softly in his heart. Although the age was a little older, there was still hope. If the talent is high, then those guys would definitely be jealous. Anyways, he just needed to observe the first few days, and see if the body was suitable for cultivation. If it was, then he needed to immediately start lest those old fogies take away this kid after finding out his talent. When he thought of that, some memories of the same scenario flashed through his mind. Just by thinking about it, the old man became bitter.


    ¡°Huh?¡± What¡¯s the matter with ten years old? Luo Xiao became perplexed but he didn¡¯t bother to ask again. He just waited for the old man to speak again.


    Sure enough, before some time could even pass, the old man opened his mouth again, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll sell these three things to you. Right, how much did you bring?¡±


    Luo Xiao removed the shoe of his right foot, and took out a few crumpled banknotes from the inside of sock. After that, he placed them on the counter and double checked them before saying, ¡°Four dollars and six cents.¡±


    The old man observed his series of actions and subconsciously lifted his eyebrows, this kid is not bad. Just his action of hiding the money under his feet implied his vigilant nature. But this money should not have been stained with a foot odor, right?


    If Luo Xiao got to know the thoughts inside the old man¡¯s head, he would definitely jump up and yell at him with his shoes in hand: You have foot odor, you whole family has foot odor! How can someone who always washes his feet every day have a foot odor? He loves to be clean, got it?


    ¡°Then if that¡¯s the case, this old man will only charge you three yuan.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Are you sure?¡± Luo Xiao was pleasantly surprised and wondered if there was something wrong with his ears, ¡°Three yuan? For all of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡± The old man took another sip of water, ¡°But with the condition that you have to work for me for a week. From nine in the morning until four in the evening. What do you think?¡±


    Luo Xiao nodded immediately, ¡°Okay, no problem.¡± He already told his mother beforehand that he will be gone for one week when he was still at home, and the time was just right. He just hoped that his little uncle wouldn¡¯t find out about this, after all, he went to work at eight o¡¯clock in the morning and got home by five o¡¯clock in the afternoon.


    ¡°It¡¯s decided then. You can go back now, just remember to be here at exactly nine o¡¯clock tomorrow morning.¡± The old man kept the three one-dollar notes, and motioned for him to keep the remaining money, then waved his hand to signal him to leave the shop.


    Keeping the three things he bought inside his pocket, Luo Xiao¡¯s heartbeat was similar to a drum. He was afraid that someone would appear all of a sudden and take away his things, or do something bad. His tiny legs moved so fast, causing the people around to let out a sigh inside their hearts: Being young is great, look at this little guy, he runs quite fast.


    Stepping inside the place he and his little uncle were temporarily staying in, Luo Xiao quickly closed the door in a careful manner. Then he pulled down the curtains, and after he made sure that everything was alright, he unhurriedly pulled out the three things out of his pocket and placed them on the table.


    He lifted the tiny box and wiped it carefully with the towel beside him. After doing that, a tiny mottled iron box appeared in his sight. He picked out the scissor he had prepared beforehand and pried open the box with care through the lines.


    Without much surprise, upon opening the tiny box, a wooden box in a rectangular shape about eight centimeters long and five centimeters wide was revealed inside. Despite being not aware of was inside, Luo Xiao could assume that the things inside should be of great value just by seeing the exquisite carvings on the wooden box. If not, why would it be kept inside an iron box?


    Luo Xiao let out a long breath. With a solemn look on his face, he opened the wooden box. The content inside was a piece of worn out paper. He touched it and moved it on the table.


    Just as he expected, the paper was a treasure map also mentioned by his little uncle. It must be known that the person who bought this box in his previous life found plenty of treasures. It was a pity that after the news leaked, the treasures were taken away by other people. But it was also because of this that the man who snatched a few treasures by virtue turned into a millionaire.


    As his mind played the scene of those treasures hidden in the place mentioned on the treasure map, a surge of excitement struck Luo Xiao¡¯s heart. And the thing that made him more happy was that the place mentioned in the treasure map was the usually deserted Broken Head Mountain found in their hometown.


    The explanation behind why that mountain was called Broken Head Mountain was due to the head of the mountain being chopped off with an axe. Over time, the mountain became Broken Head Mountain.


    After the excitement passed, Luo Xiao turned his attention to the few rusty coins and the peach nut lying on the table. The coins remained rusty even after wiping them with a towel, so the coins¡¯ appearance were still the same as before he bought them. Luo Xiao looked at them again and again but ended up to no avail. In the end, he could only put them down.


    Next, he lifted the peach nut. After wiping it with a towel just now, it became somewhat clean. He looked at it for a long time but found nothing unusual. All of a sudden, his eyes fell on the part of the peach nut that had a little wood sticking out, and his hand automatically moved to remove it using his nail. Who would have thought his hand would slip all of a sudden, and the sharp point of wood that was sticking out would cut his palm?


    The seed pattern on his palm heated up. A flash of white appeared without any warning in front of Luo Xiao¡¯s eyes, causing Luo Xiao to close his eyes.

 CH 19

    Yumi12-15 minutes 30.05.2023


    When the white flash disappeared, Luo Xiao gradually opened his eyes. His eyes widened unknowingly when his sight fell on his right palm. The seed pattern from before was now changed into a picture of a three-dimensional small peach tree sapling with a height of one inch. He opened and closed his eyes with a disbelieving expression. For a while, his brain failed to function.


    The disbelief passed and he slowly came back to his senses. He discovered that he didn¡¯t feel any different from before. He carefully reached out his left hand and poked the three-dimensional peach tree sapling, only to end up without feeling anything. Closing his right hand, he saw the picture of a peach tree sapling vanish into thin air. Then he opened his palm for the second time and the picture emerged again.


    He looked at the tiny peach tree sapling that was similar to a 3D projection effect, and couldn¡¯t help but speculate in his heart. This thing was still a mystery to him, and he didn¡¯t know its function. It would be good if he knew how to use it.


    Much to his surprise, as he was just thinking about it, he discovered that the tiny peach tree sapling had disappeared completely. What followed next was a virtual screen that popped out in front of him containing the detailed words about introduction.


    According to the introduction, this tiny peach tree sapling was originally a immortal tree. No one knew the identity of the former immortal owner of this immortal tree. In his previous life, Luo Xiao rescued the life of this immortal tree by fate, and in the cycle of karma, a single life of a immortal tree was equivalent to a rebirth in this life.


    It was a pity that in the process of coming back to the past, a mishap occurred. The immortal tree was divided into two. The aura stayed inside Luo Xiao¡¯s body, but the main body went straight back to the immortal peach tree and lost contact in the process.


    Still staring with his head lifted at the introduction, a scene flashed back into Luo Xiao¡¯s mind. The scene happened one month prior to the time of his death. At that time, Fan Lie proposed to visit a deserted mountain village, so the three of them went there.


    Due to Fan Lie¡¯s crazy obsession for food, the three of them had no choice but to drive different cars and went past the bumpy mountain road that lasted for many hours just to go to that small mountain village to see the well-known local game¡ªhunting wild black boar. After catching a wild boar, it will be cooked and eaten by the villagers.


    When they were staying there, Luo Xiao once prevented the locals from cutting up a peach tree to be used as a firewood out of momentary kindness. Then he moved to straighten the peach tree that was almost dug from the soil, and filled it with soil before giving it water.


    For the next few days they stayed in that mountain village. He would always go to the location of the peach tree and to see its condition, and became joyful when he saw that it was flourishing. The thought that his rebirth was due to a momentary act of kindness never crossed his mind.


    After letting out a long breath, he focused his sight on the virtual screen that popped out in front of him, and discovered that it resembled a tablet computer. The only difference was that it¡¯s not the manual type, but a mind control type. Instructing using his mind, he scanned back and forth, inside and out.


    This virtual screen had two different modes. One was the screen mode, and the other one was the three-dimensional mode. Using the screen mode, the growth and other information about the peach tree was displayed through numerical bars. On the other hand, using the three-dimensional effect mode, the intuitive growth and other situations of the peach tree were displayed in a way that could be seen easily.


    Luo Xiao learned that as long as there is sufficient energy, the peach tree will continue to grow. The branches will grow and a fruit will be formed. Of course, aside from bearing an immortal fruit, the inside of its trunk was a growing mustard seed space.


    The virtual screen showed the current growth of the tiny peach tree. Luo Xiao looked at it.


    Level: Level 1


    Internal space: 1 cubic meter


    Energy value: 5


    Energy required to level up: 95


    Luo immediately became thrilled, but at the same time a little awkward. He discovered that this so-called internal space was really helpful and great. With just a single thought, the thing he wanted to keep appeared inside the space. This function really answered his problem of where to keep the treasure he may find in the future. The problem is, he had no knowledge regarding the energy needed to level up the peach tree, causing him to feel a little awkward.


    Forget it, it was still a pleasant surprise that he was able to set his hands on this magical thing. After that, he turned his eyes on the several copper coins placed on the table with the same thrilled expression. He lifted them up and turned them again and again, only to see nothing strange about them. Out of helplessness, Luo Xiao had a quick flash of insight, and the several coins were directly imported inside the space that he just got.


    In the same second, a message appeared on the virtual screen: Several sealed coins are imported inside the space. Do you want to remove the seal?


    When his eyes fell on the words written on the screen, Luo Xiao¡¯s face was filled with interest, and he involuntarily lifted his eyebrows. He controlled the confirm button in his mind without thinking deeply. It was a pity that another message appeared at the next second: To remove the seal, 50 energy points are required. Please try again later after the needed numbers of energy points are met.


    Is this for real? Luo Xiao curled his lips slightly and thought. He had to get 50 energy points to remove the seal. While he was still feeling a little dissatisfied, his little uncle pulled open the door and entered, ¡°Xiaoxiao, how is it? Is your stay at the house okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! This afternoon, I finished a lot of my homework.¡± Luo Xiao turned his head up in a well-behaved manner and replied with a grin to his little uncle.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± His little uncle smiled and rubbed his hair, then spoke with a hint of apology, ¡°Uncle is sorry for you. Uncle may not have the time to accompany you out to play for the next few days. Just wait until I finish my work, and we will go out to play. How about that?¡±


    Luo Xiao straight away shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s alright, little uncle. I¡¯m already ten years old, and I can manage myself. You can work without worrying about me. If I feel bored staying at the house, I¡¯ll go outside for a walk.¡±


    ¡°But, in that case¡­¡± In this era, the concept of family planning was not popular. In every household, there would be four or five children at normal times. It was also because of this that child trafficking was almost non-existent. Particularly in the place of City S where development was on the rise. In addition, Luo Xiao gave people the impression that he was a sensible and obedient kid.


    So, Luo Yong agreed after a brief thinking. ¡°Fine, do as you want. Just remember not to run too far, or else uncle will be worried about you. Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I understand. Little uncle is the best.¡± Luo Xiao jumped forward and wrapped his little arms around his uncle¡¯s waist before saying joyfully.


    The factory where Luo Yong worked treated its employees well and also gave them free food in the afternoon. The two shared the food brought home by Luo Yong, and went to bed after eating. They had no option. After all, there was simply no entertainment like game consoles, computers, television, and so on, unlike in future generations. The most advanced appliances in this era were a radio and a black and white TV set measuring about ten inches.


    It¡¯s just that the place they were currently staying at had no black and white TV at all, and the same goes for the radio. The electric light was still a yellow tungsten lamp. It is especially bad for the eyesight when people use it to read in the dark, so it was better to get on bed and sleep early.


    After having a good night¡¯s sleep, Luo Xiao and Luo Yong went out of the house to work one after another. Upon arriving at the shop ¡®A Grocery Store¡¯, the door was still closed, probably because it was still early. Luo Xiao moved and sat on the steps opposite the shop. With one hand supporting his chin, his eyes wandered to his surroundings.


    While the sun was still rising, his eyes fell on the road. He can see some women who got up early to buy vegetables, and also some hardworking people going to their workplace.


    Despite the fact that Linchun Street is still an unpopular street now, it will be changed into a well-known antique street located in the City S in the future. Plenty of people who will visit this place will have the mindset of trying their luck to see if they can find real treasure. However, that would be in the future.


    Before his thoughts could even wander, a pair of feet wearing black cloth shoes entered his eyes, ¡°Kid, you got here quite early.¡±


    He lifted up his head and the picture of the old man clad in a dark gray cotton-patted jacket with two pieces of still smoking meat buns in his hands and eating unhurriedly entered his sight.


    ¡°Right, have you eaten breakfast? I still have an extra bun here that I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Grandpa. I¡¯ve already eaten breakfast.¡± Luo Xiao waved his hands indicating his refusal and grinned.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± The old man nodded and moved his feet towards the direction of the shop before, and opened the door. Escorting Luo Xiao inside, he pointed to the things inside the shop before saying, ¡°In usual times, not many people come to the shop. Just as you know, when someone enters the shop, all you need to do is to greet them. There¡¯s no need to clean anything. By the way, you can also see some books here in the shop. You can choose from the books that piqued your interest and read them.¡±


    After saying that, he approached the table and lifted the teapot to pour himself a drink and gulp it, ¡°That¡¯s it, gulping a drink, it¡¯s really comfortable.¡±


    Luo Xiao listened to the old man¡¯s words and went to the place the old man pointed to just now, and found that the middle of the three shelves on this side was filled with many different books.


    Estimating it, there seemed to be about fifty to sixty books placed there. Aside from the masterpieces like Water Margin, Three Kingdom, and Dream of Red Chamber, he could also find some miscellaneous essays scattered around. Luo Xiao scanned his eyes around.


    When his sight fell on the book called ¡®Bagua¡¯1Bagua is the basic concept of ¡°Book of Changes¡±, which can represent the dynamic and static static of all natural phenomena, and each hexagram is composed of three lines.  From Wikipedia , several sealed coins from yesterday flashed in his mind. He was taken aback for a while and immediately went to pick up the book and opened it. He flipped through the pages casually, and learned that the content of this book was generally about divination.


    If the case of his rebirth didn¡¯t happen, he would probably never take a look in this book. After all, before his rebirth, he felt like fortune-telling and other magical stuff were all nonsense, and that they were purely made up by some people who cheated others for money.


    But that all changed after this rebirth, and this deepened after remembering what happened yesterday. Although his resistance against fortune-telling dissipated for a bit, at the very least he won¡¯t think that it was nonsense like before.


    Unbeknownst to Luo Xiao, the old man paid attention to him the moment he approached the bookshelf to choose a book. When he saw him pull out the book ¡®Bagua¡¯, the old man couldn¡¯t stop the lights from his eyes. It must be known that he only placed that book after Luo Xiao left yesterday, and he placed the book in an inconspicuous corner. Unexpectedly, Luo Xiao found it and really pulled it out to look through it.


    The old man¡¯s eyes fell on Luo Xiao who was reading the book with a solemn expression, and the more he looked at the scene, the more satisfied he felt. Anyway, there¡¯s no need to hurry. He could get a better view of this young kid in the days to come.

 CH 20

    Luo Xiao began working his part-time job that would only last for a few days at ¡®A Grocery Store¡¯, and Luo Yong didn¡¯t suspect any of his actions. The day of the New Year was nearing, and Luo Yong had thoughts of taking Luo Xiao home on the day of New Year the day after tomorrow. As they still have to buy some souvenirs and some other special things from this place, today became Luo Xiao¡¯s last day of working inside the ¡®A Grocery Store¡¯.


    Despite the fact that he only worked in this shop for a total of ten days, including the day today, Luo Xiao could say that he really had a good time there. Not many customers entered the shop, so Luo Xiao would always spend time with a book in his hand. While he was flipping through ¡®Bagua¡¯, he tried one of the formations written there inside the house, and got a mouse to use as an experiment subject. It¡¯s just that he never imagined that it would turn out successful.


    Letting out a sigh inside, he had a strong urge to express his gratitude. He didn¡¯t expect that after his rebirth, he would be given the chance to stumble at the thing he thought nonsense before. From his perspective, tales talking about immortals cultivating in novels were all false.


    When the time ticked off at the end of his working hours, Yu Xiao approached the old man, also named Mr. Huo, before saying with a trace of unwillingness, ¡°Grandpa Huo, I can¡¯t come over starting tomorrow. My uncle will take me home for New Year the day after tomorrow, and we will go buy things tomorrow, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± When he heard his words, Mr. Huo became a little surprised. If Luo Xiao hadn¡¯t said it, he would have forgotten that it was only a few days away before Chinese New Year. As such, after thinking briefly, he replied, ¡°Alright, I see. Right, you go and write down your home address.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Although a little baffled, Luo Xi still pulled out a pen and wrote down his home address on paper.


    Mr. Luo received the piece of paper and threw a look at it, and turned joyful secretly. He didn¡¯t expect that this kid lived in this place. Just as he expected, the meeting of this kid with him was fated to happen!


    ¡°Little kid, I noticed these days that you especially paid great attention to the book ¡®Bagua¡¯, are you interested in it?¡± Mr. Huo opened his mouth to inquire carefully.


    ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s amazing,¡± Luo Xiao said, using a child¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Amazing?¡± Mr. Huo subconsciously raised his eyebrows, ¡°How can you say it¡¯s amazing? For this old man, it¡¯s not at all entertaining.¡±


    Staying with the old man for several days, Luo Xiao knew that there was something strange about Mr. Huo. In addition, he had a feeling that the book ¡®Bagua¡¯ was placed intentionally onto the shelf by the old man. There was no way that he wouldn¡¯t notice how the old man gave him a few glimpses every now and then while he was flipping through the book.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡­¡± Luo Xiao paused and continued to say, ¡°The more I read it, the more I feel that the magical formation inside is very magical, so I went home and gave it a try.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then what happened?¡± Still composed, Mr. Huo asked.


    The picture of the mouse¡¯s amusing appearance that was captured by him as an experimental subject flashed in his mind, and he spoke with a faint smile, ¡°In the end, the mouse was so exhausted that it didn¡¯t have any intention of moving.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The man¡¯s eyes brightened visibly, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°En, yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay!¡± The old man chuckled happily and stretched out his hand to pat his shoulder.


    With a crunched face, Luo Xiao rubbed his aching shoulder at the moment and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. This old man was already so old, yet he never imagined that there would be so much force hidden inside his hand.


    The more Mr. Huo looked at Luo Xiao, the more he felt satisfied. His heart couldn¡¯t help but be delighted. He didn¡¯t expect that he would meet a talented heir like him in his whole life.


    Huo Tianling was the old man¡¯s real name, and he was the 198th generation head of the Tianji Sect. The history of the Tianji Sect can traced back to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.


    Rumor has it that the sect was developed by the Taoist Immortal. Divination and fortune-telling were the sect¡¯s specialty, and it had always been beside the emperor to assure that the country would flourish. It was a pity that when the Wu Zetian¡¯s period1The former empress of the China, goes by the name Wu Zetian¡¯s period. The de facto ruler of the Tang dynasty was ushered in, Her Majesty the Empress of Heaven became furious when the head of the sect at that time told her the results of the divination, and directly exterminated the Tianji Sect.


    Starting from that moment onwards, the Tianji Sect withdrew from the outside world, and it was not until the last hundred years that it slowly showed up in front of the people again.


    Of course, only the top officials of the states and some big families with deep backgrounds were aware of their existence.


    And the book ¡®Bagua¡¯ turned out to be the most basic requirement for the disciples of the Tianji Sect to get accepted and be allowed to begin their cultivation path. Only those disciples who had the ability to perform set up the formation were allowed to be part of the Tianji Sect, and not everyone could do it. Only those who have spiritual power in them can do it.


    In Luo Xi¡¯s case, he mistakenly acquired a spiritual power due to the immortal peach tree, and it was also because of this that he could complete the formation smoothly. But Luo Xiao didn¡¯t know it.


    After letting out a happy laugh, Mr. Huo turned to look fondly,¡±Little kid, do you want to be my heir?¡±


    Luo Xiao didn¡¯t expect that the old man would say such things, but after being taken aback for a while, he nodded his head pleasantly. Sure enough, his guess turned out to be true. Mr. Huo was indeed not just a normal person.


    ¡°Master, please accept this disciple¡¯s respect.¡± Luo Xiao bent his knees on the ground and kowtowed thrice to the direction of the old man.


    ¡°Good! Good! Good!¡± Mr. Huo became even more satisfied when he saw what he had done. When Luo Xiao was done kowtowing, the old man bent down his waist and pulled him, ¡°Stand up, listen to master. Master will let you know things about the sect. Our sect is called Tianji Sect, and I am the 198th head. Our sect¡­¡±


    Luo Xiao listened to his master¡¯s words, and his initial feeling was: Surprisingly, he would become the head of a sect one day, even though this sect currently only had him together with his master as its members.


    After parting from his master, Luo Xiao went back to the house carrying some books that his master instructed him to read. Actually, he also went to ask his master how they should contact him in the future, if he needed to go to the City S or what, but when he saw his master¡¯s expression of ¡°hermits have their tricks¡±, Luo Xiao kept his mouth and didn¡¯t continue to ask any more questions.


    The next day, Luo Xiao and his little uncle began their shopping trip. Luo Xiao looked at the big and small bags in the car and couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Unexpectedly, his little uncle¡¯s ability to shop was not all the worse when compared to a woman!


    ¡°Mom, we¡¯re back!¡± Two hours of bumpy journey passed, and Luo Xiao quickly noticed his mother¡¯s figure waiting for them at the entrance of the station.


    Luo Xiao didn¡¯t realize that he missed his mother so much until he saw her again. He ignored his little uncle whose hands were full of small and big bags, and rushed directly to Luo Qian¡¯s direction and his bag towed. He threw himself into her arms, sniffing the familiar scent and warm breath, he said, ¡°Mom, mom, I miss you so much!¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom also misses you!¡± Luo Qian set her eyes on her son nestling in her arms at the moment, and the anxiousness staying inside her eyes for ten days disappeared completely. ¡°Xiaoxiao, did you behave while staying at City S with your little uncle?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very well-behaved there. Mom, let me tell you, City S really looks a lot better compared to our town, the¡­¡±


    Luo Xiao lifted his head and couldn¡¯t wait to tell his mother what he experienced there. After all, in his previous life, his mother never divorced Yu Jun. She needed to work hard every day, and she didn¡¯t have the chance to relax at all and leave this small town to visit some good scenery located in other places. When he thought of this, a sour feeling spread in his heart. In this life, he promised that he would take his mother out, and the two of them would travel and enjoy the beauty of life.


    ¡°Hey, I say, have you mother and son really forgotten that I am here?¡± The two of them were still having a warm talk when a voice tainted with a trace of injustice sounded from their backs. The mother and son turned to look at the source of the voice, and it looked like they had really forgotten Luo Yong¡¯s existence.


    ¡°Little brother, come here. Second sister will help you carry some bags.¡± Luo Qian threw a look at the dozen of small and big bags hanging on his body, and felt a little sorry in her heart. She then proceeded to walk to him and stretched out her hands to help him carry the other bags.


    Luo Yong looked at his own body, then raised his right hand and spoke to Luo Qian, ¡°Second sister, let me carry these heavy ones. You can help carry the light ones in my hand.¡± Luo Xiao also stepped forward to carry some things. The three of them chatted happily as they went back home.


    ¡°Dad, mom, Xiaoxiao and I are back.¡± Luo Yong yelled the moment his feet stepped inside the house.


    ¡°You are back?¡± Both Grandpa Luo and Grandma Luo heard the voice and hurried out of the house. When the two saw the things the three were carrying, they immediately stepped forward to help, ¡°Come back if you want to come back. Why did you buy so many things when coming back?¡±


    ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not easy to go there. Besides, it was still on before the Chinese New Year and the prices outside were relatively cheap, so I bought some things back.¡± Luo Xiao placed the things on the floor and directly slumped himself on the chair beside him, ¡°Yeah, finally home!¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, come to grandma¡¯s side. Look, you¡¯ve lost a lot of weight!¡± Grandma Luo looked at Luo Xiao with concern, ¡°Does your little uncle take good a care of you?¡±


    ¡°Mom, look what you said, how could I not take a good care of Xiaoxiao? Right, Xiaoxiao?¡± Luo Yong opened his mouth with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, uncle took good care of me.¡±


    ¡°Right, mom, come and see the gifs I brought back for you. Let me see where I put them all.¡± After saying that, Luo Yong lifted his hands and started rummaging through the things he bought back.


    ¡°Here, dad, this is the radio I especially brought for you. You don¡¯t have to go to Uncle Li¡¯s house anymore to listen to his radio after so much trouble. As for you mom, I bought a sewing box for you. Second sister, you and eldest sister, together with third sister and eldest sister-in-law, each have a silk scarf. Then this is the watch for eldest brother and brother-in-law.¡±


    Because he intended to give everyone each gifts, Luo Yong directly used all the money he earned working at the City S. Anyway, money can be earned after working again, but the happiness of family members receiving gifts at this moment can¡¯t be bought by money.


    Dinner arrived, and all the family members who received gifts all had happy smiles on their faces. Seeing this, Luo Yong¡¯s was filled with warmth. As for Luo Xiao, he had his back against the chair and was holding the rice bowl. He looked at their joyous expressions, and made up his mind in his heart: He would treat these family members even better in the future!


    ¨C


    The author has something to say:


    Today is Christmas Eve. Thorn is here to wish all my friends a happy Christmas Eve~ Also, tomorrow is Christmas, and our protagonist Gong will also appear to meet you tomorrow~

 CH 21

    The upper couplet says¡ªXiju Treasure Land Millennium Prosperity1Good things are in the place, so this place has been prosperous for thousand of years, and the blessing shines on this family, while the lower couplet says¡ªFunjinjiamen, everything is prosperous2Everything in this family will have good luck, and the words in the middle are ¡®Happy New Year¡¯. Luo Xiao turned his head to the several Spring Festival couplets glued on the wall and listened to the constant sounds of firecrackers coming in all directions, and turned happy. But alas, ¡°Uncle, you took my food away again!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Xiaoxaio, come on. Uncle already said to you that this is not called stealing food, it¡¯s called taking a bit to taste, okay?¡± Although a little ashamed that he was caught red-handed, Luo Yong still tried to maintain his expression and answered him with composure.


    ¡°Do you really mean it?¡± Luo Xiao couldn¡¯t stop the twitch in the corner of his mouth, ¡°so why do you need to taste my food like four or five times?¡±


    ¡°Haha, this, I did that?¡± Luo Yong moved his hand and touched the back of his head and grinned, then he clapped his hands, ¡°Right, I remembered that there are some things left to do. Xiaoxiao, little uncle will take his leave first to do something!¡±


    He looked at the departing back of his little uncle who was getting further and further away, and shook his head with a dumbfounded face, ¡°This little uncle, what¡¯s wrong with him? He¡¯s actually so childish.¡±


    AN: (Thorn could not help but complain: Hey, as a child who is only ten years old, is it really good to say this? Luo Xiao shot him a disdainful glance: My soul is already over thirty years old, okay? My age is more than ten years older than his little uncle! Thorn: ¡­if you say so.)


    ¡°Come, it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve today. We will eat dinner here together with all our family members. I wish you all to have a prosperous encounter in this new year, and for everything to go in good direction for all of you.¡± Grandpa Luo was the first to stand up and raised his glass to wish all of the family members.


    ¡°Yes, thank you dad.¡±


    ¡°Thanks grandpa.¡±


    The surrounding family members also stood up and lifted the glass at the same time.


    ¡°Good, good, good! Come, try the vegetables, try the vegetables.¡± Grandpa Luo smiled happily and went to sit back on the chair. Then he motioned to the direction of the table where many vegetable dishes were placed and said.


    Having some pork, chicken, duck, fish, and some vegetable dishes was already considered good in this time. Despite not being lavish like that in future generations, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and laughter.


    Looking at the noisy scene of his family members on the dining table, Luo Xiao¡¯s eyes involuntarily became slightly moist. So many years had passed. Starting from the time his mother passed away because of overworking, he slowly lost contact with his mother¡¯s family. Moreover, his lover at that time was male like him, so he unintentionally or intentionally stayed away from them. The only one left who he still had contact with was his cousin, who was his uncle¡¯s son. It was just a kind of bad luck for him that this cousin turned out to be a white-eyed wolf3b¨¢i y¨¢n l¨¢ng¡ªwhite eyed wolf; means cold-hearted or cruel person in disguise!


    The dinner ended, and the men gathered around the fireplace to talk, while the women started to cook dumplings. Everyone patiently waited for the time to tick off at twelve o¡¯clock and for the clock to ring.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, do you want to sleep?¡± The eldest aunt didn¡¯t go after the other women to help cook dumplings as she was still pregnant. Instead, she sat back by the fireplace and started weaving clothes for the baby. At this time, she noticed Luo Xiao yawning, so she turned her head and asked worriedly, ¡°If you are drowsy, go to bed and doze off for a while. We will call you up when it¡¯s twelve o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just wait for a bit longer.¡± Luo Xiao rubbed his eyes. Really, staying inside a child¡¯s body is not very convenient. He became sleepy just after staying for a while.


    A few men who were chatting at the side heard their conversation and also persuaded him, ¡°It¡¯s okay, you go and sleep for a while. You children should be asleep at this time of night. Ah Run, go with Xiaoxiao to sleep for a while. I¡¯ll call you up later to eat dumplings.¡±


    ¡°En, alright,¡± Zhao Run nodded, then straightened his feet to walked to Luo Xiao¡¯s side before pulling him, ¡°Xiaoxiao, let¡¯s go, brother will accompany you to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Luo Xiao didn¡¯t refuse any more and was pulled into the room by Zhao Run without waiting for him to react, ¡°Brother, do you sleep on the inside side or outer side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the outer side, so that you don¡¯t have to worry about falling down.¡± Zhao Run rubbed Luo Xiao¡¯s small head, ¡°Xiaoxiao, I heard from auntie that your sleeping position is very bad. You often fall out of bed.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s because the bed is too small,¡± Luo Xiao muttered softly as a response. He was accustomed to sleeping on a kingsize bed, and the small bed right now only measured about one meter in terms of wideness, so it was not surprising that he would fall off the bed when sleeping.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m going to sleep first!¡± Luo Xiao removed his clothes and went straight to bed. Before long, his breathing turned even and he fell asleep.


    Zhou Run threw a look at Luo Xiao who was unconscious on the bed and also followed suit without wasting any time. Honestly, he very badly wanted to sleep. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he wanted to save face, he would have directly let his sleepiness swallow him.


    When Luo Xiao woke up, he realized that it was already dawn. It must be because the adults saw him and Zhao Run sleeping deeply that they decided not to wake them up. He looked at his side and found that it was empty. He knew that Zhao Run must have gotten up early. He dressed himself with his clothes and exited the room.


    ¡°Grandma, good morning.¡± Luo Xiao went to the kitchen after he finished washing up and found his grandma sitting alone behind the stove and lighting the fire.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao is up?¡± Placing a handful of firewood inside the stove hole, Grandma Luo patted the dust from her hands and proceeded to open the lid of pot sitting on the top of the stove. ¡°There are still some smoking dumplings left at the table, go and get them. You can go and eat them with a pair of chopsticks.¡±


    ¡°Okay, grandma.¡± Luo Xiao got a pair of chopsticks and approached the table, and ate the still smoking dumplings, ¡°Eh, these are my favorite dumplings with leeks filling. Grandma, it tastes so good!¡±


    ¡°Eat more if it¡¯s good. If it¡¯s not enough, grandma will give you more.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s enough, it¡¯s enough.¡± Luo Xiao swallowed a few dumplings and then lifted his head to inquire, ¡°Right, grandma, where did the others go?¡±


    ¡°Your grandpa, he¡¯s gone out to have fun with his radio.¡± Grandma Luo replied with a smile. ¡°Then your eldest aunt and eldest brother-in-law went to their in-laws¡¯ house. Your little uncle is probably still asleep. As for your mother, someone arrived to look for her just now and has gone out.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Look for my mother?¡± Luo Xiao was perplexed, what could be going on at this time? ¡°Grandma, do you know the person who came to see my mother?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s your mother¡¯s good friend Xu Li.¡± Grandma Luo briefly thought for a moment and responded.


    ¡°It turned out to be Aunt Xu.¡± Luo Xiao slightly relaxed. Anyway, it was fine as long as that person didn¡¯t come from that man¡¯s family.


    ¡°Grandma, I¡¯ve finished eating.¡± Luo Xiao opened his mouth after taking the last bite. After that, he washed the dishes, ¡°I¡¯ll go out to play for a while.¡±


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s snowing a little outside so be careful on the road.¡±


    ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Luo Xiao came out of the house, and the cold breeze caused him to tremble subconsciously. ¡°Hiss, the wind is really cold. Sure enough, it¡¯s still warmer inside the house.¡±


    The reason behind Luo Xiao¡¯s leaving this time was to search for the place where the treasures were hidden. As today is the first day of the first month of the first lunar month, most of the family members were busy going to other relatives¡¯ and friends¡¯ houses, so his plan of going out could be done smoothly. It would take him two hours of walking to get there as the distance was not that far. As of now, it was only six o¡¯clock in the morning, and he could return just in time for lunch.


    The moment he decided to start, Luo Xiao dashed in the direction of his destination using his tiny legs. At last, he got to his destination after one hour and a half. He looked at the hillside filled with several dead trees and grass. Who would have thought that a treasure of great value would be placed below this ground?


    Luo Xiao pulled out the treasure map from the space, and began to move forward, basing the route marked on it. While doing so, he also got a few branches on the ground that still had dead leaves from them and wiped away the traces of footprints left while he was walking.


    After a lot of situations of comparing and confirming, Luo Xiao fixed his eyes on the seemingly two normal stones placed randomly in front of him and finally confirmed that this was the location of the treasure he was looking for.


    Based on the procedure written on the treasure map, Luo Xiao picked up these two stones and placed them at their respective location. Just when the last stone landed on the ground, a slight tremor came from the ground.


    A stone slab gradually moved away, and a hole about one meter square appeared below. Lip Xiao attentively approached the edge of the hole. When he became certain that there was no mechanism around, he poked his head in and the sight of three boxes neatly arranged together inside entered his sight. The boxes were made of wood with different lengths. He reached out and picked the three boxes one after another.


    Luo Xiao felt lucky that the three boxes didn¡¯t have any locks, so he was able to open them without any obstruction. He found many scrolls and calligraphy inside upon opening the rectangular-shaped wooden box.


    He picked up one of the scrolls and opened it. Oh, this, it turned out to be the ¡°Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains¡±4Painted by Huang Gonwang for a fellow Daoist named Master Wuyong and represents Huang¡¯s greatest surviving masterpiece. painting made by Huang Gonwang of the Yuan Dynasty? Could it be that this calligraphy and paintings were all real?


    He placed the calligraphy and paintings back on the box with care, and proceeded to open the larger wooden box among the remaining two. The second he opened it, he was taken aback by the colorful jewels inside. Pearls, Hetian Jade, Jadeite in different colors, and so on, it¡¯s all inside.


    He breathed deeply for a while before he resumed his action to open the last wooden box with a controllable eagerness this time. But when his eyes landed on the things inside, he furrowed his brows involuntarily: Why is there a pile of ordinary stones inside?


    Yet, he shifted his attention to the other two wooden boxes he opened first and all of their contents were of great value. He firmly believed that these stones must have something special in them. Otherwise, the person who placed these treasures inside the ground would not have buried it together with the other two boxes, and that person even placed this box at the bottom intentionally.


    As he thought of this, Luo Xiao became curious. He was thinking about what was special about those stones.


    However, looking up at the sky, he estimated that it was almost time to go back. So with a single thought, the three wooden boxes disappeared and reappeared inside the space.


    After that, Luo Xiao removed the two stones out of their respective locations and the stone slab slowly closed again. He even paid great attention around to make sure that he didn¡¯t leave any traces behind. After all, he couldn¡¯t be so sure that there would be no one who would inadvertently come to this place in the future. Anyway, it was better to be careful.


    After harvesting three boxes filled with treasures, Luo Xiao dashed to the direction of his grandmother¡¯s house with uncontrollable joy and eagerness. It was a pity that when he was running past an alley located behind his grandmother¡¯s house, someone suddenly appeared by his side and knocked him on the ground without paying attention.


    Before Luo Xiao could come back to his senses, he was dragged away hastily to hide behind the piles of the surrounding houses, and that person even rudely covered his mouth tightly using his hands¡­

 CH 22

    Luo Xiao¡¯s head slowly calmed down from the searing pain, and his sight finally cleared up enough to see the situation in front of him. Just when he was about to resist, a series of footsteps sounded, causing the owner of the hands who was covering his mouth to exert force. His expression turned tense.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, that little bastard is really fucking fast. I didn¡¯t guard him carefully and let him escape. Third Brother, what¡¯s the situation now? Did you find anything?¡±


    ¡°No, Second Brother. This, what do you think we should do about this? If the boss got news of what happened, we could just¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay stop, I know what you¡¯re talking about. This time the boss took the chance to capture that little bastard. Waiting to negotiate terms with that old man.¡±


    ¡°But, doesn¡¯t that little bastard have escaped? Then what should we do? Or, Second Brother, let¡¯s just run away.¡±


    ¡°Run? What made you think so? Are you not aware that the boss knows very well the family situation of each of our brothers? If we run away, how about our family? Besides, even if we really disregard our family, where can we run to?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what can we do! If I get my hands on that little bastard, I¡¯ll break his legs! It really pisses me off!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, stop talking now. The first thing we need to do is to catch someone quickly, or else we two brothers will have to wait for our ending.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get going, Second Brother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, move quickly.¡±


    The sounds of footsteps gradually became quiet before it completely ceased. Luo Xiao quickly struggled fiercely. He had no choice, if he don¡¯t struggle, his life would end because of lack of oxygen!


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to do it, are you alright?¡±


    Luo Xiao rolled his eyes at him. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the other party was about the same age as him, plus his disheveled look similar to being hijacked and kidnapped, he would not have chosen to hold his breath and only struggled after those bad guys disappeared.


    ¡°This, I¡¯m really sorry for what happened just now. Also, thank you.¡± The strange boy sincerely expressed his gratefulness.


    ¡°No need.¡± Luo Xiao straightened his feet and patted the clothes he was wearing. While doing so, he couldn¡¯t stop the furrow of his brows. He thought of how his mother especially made this clothes for him, and he got it dirty upon wearing it on the first day!


    The strange boy has been keeping an eye on Luo Xiao¡¯s expression. His eyes followed Luo Xiao¡¯s gaze, and it was clear that the other party¡¯s new clothes had been dirtied. Seeing that, his face turned flushed without him knowing. He thought of how he crawled through the dog hole to escape, and how he purposely put on some wet mud from the ground to make himself look like a little beggar. It goes without saying that his whole body was full of dirt.


    Luo Xiao shot him a fierce look then proceeded to move his feet to go back to his grandmother¡¯s house. But after taking a few steps forward, he stopped and turned around, ¡°Why are you following me?¡±


    ¡°Gu!¡± Loud sounds of protesting came from the strange boy¡¯s stomach one after another. The strange boy put his hand on his stomach and looked at him with a flattering smile, ¡°This, little benefactor, please do me a favor.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Luo Xiao threw a look at him, turned around and continued to walk without giving him any reply.


    The strange boy¡¯s body paused for a while. His eyes stared at his departing back and he bowed his head in disappointment. It¡¯s just that while he was still feeling down, hope appeared again.


    ¡°What are you still standing there for? You said that you were hungry before, why are you still staying there?¡± After taking a few steps forward, Luo Xiao didn¡¯t hear the footsteps from behind. When he turned around, the sight of the boy standing there without his head lowered greeted him. He was standing there similar to a puppy abandoned by its owner, and the whole person looked pitiful.


    But Luo Xiao gnashed his teeth inside in the next second upon remembering what he thought just now. Just how come he had become blind and assumed that this bastard looked pitiful? To be stupid enough to bring a stranger back for dinner, it¡¯s better not to pay attention him!


    ¡°Hey, here I come, here I come.¡± The boy said with his mouth curved, and he quickly moved his legs to follow. ¡°Thank you a lot!¡±


    ¡°No need.¡±


    ¡°Right, my name is Ye Lan. What¡¯s your name, little benefactor?¡±


    Luo Xiao glanced at him, ¡°Luo Xiao.¡±


    ¡°Luo Xiao? Is it the Xiao of small?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Xiao of spring dawn.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s Xiao. But I think the Xiao of small suites you more.¡±


    Can he still regret what he did just now? Luo Xiao narrowed his eyes. To be honest, his fists were itching for a bit.


    Luckily, the distance from their location from his grandmother¡¯s house was not far. After ten minutes of walking, the two arrived at Luo Xiao¡¯s grandmother¡¯s house. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao is back?¡± Her son¡¯s voice from the outside travelled to Luo Qian¡¯s ear, and her expression quickly turned into concern when her eyes laid on her son¡¯s appearance, ¡°Xiaoxiao, what happened to you? Are you bullied by someone? How did your clothes turn dirty?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m alright. My feet accidentally slipped on the road.¡± Luo Xiao hurriedly opened his mouth to explain.


    ¡°Are you sure? You didn¡¯t lie to mom?¡± Luo Qian¡¯s concern for Luo Xiao climbed to a higher level after her divorce with Yu Jun. She had to because some children from other families liked to bully other children who came from single-parent families.


    ¡°No, mom. You don¡¯t have to be anxious.¡± Luo Xiao reassured her again and again.


    ¡°Is that so.¡± Luo Qian heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Luo Xiao was fine except for the dirty clothes on his body, then her eyes moved and she saw another child beside him, ¡°Xiaoxiao, this is?¡±


    ¡°This is the one I picked up at the intersection of Bajiao Street.¡±


    ¡°Picked up?¡± The corner of Luo Qian¡¯s mouth twitched upon hearing his words. She thought: son, this is not a kitten or puppy, this is a real person. Do you think using the words picked up is right?


    ¡°Hi, auntie! My name is Ye Lan, and it¡¯s true that Xiaoxiao really picked me up.¡± Ye Lan moved one stop forward and replied with his mouth lifted.


    Luo Qian smiled at him. When he saw his pitiful state, her brows furrowed and concern appeared in her eyes, ¡°That, Ye Lan, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, it¡¯s just that¡­¡±


    Luo Qian quickly understood what he meant when she saw his manner of actions, ¡°Auntie understands. The dinner will be ready in a while. How about you go with auntie first to take a bath? After washing, the dinner will be ready to be served.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then sorry for bothering you auntie.¡± Ye Lan bluntly inhaled the scent around, the food really smells good!


    Luo Xiao fixed his eyes on Ye Lan who was following his mother, and black lines appeared on his forehead. This guy is really polite ah? Also, what does he mean by talking with his mother happily? Really!


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, what happened?¡± Luo Qian escorted Ye Lan to the bathroom, gave him a new set of clean clothes, and inquired straight away after exiting the door.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Xiaoxiao, who was the person you took with you after coming back from the outside on Chinese New Year? That child doesn¡¯t look like he was your classmate?¡± The little uncle said while chewing on the roasted potatoes beside him.


    ¡°Yong, eat less food. Dinner will be served in a while.¡± Grandma Luo glanced at him and shook her head helplessly.


    Luo Xiao looked his eyes at the adults present and described to them how he met Ye Lan. This made Le Yan almost scared at the enthusiasm of several adults after he exited the bathroom.


    ¡°Is Xiaoye done washing?¡± Grandma Luo motioned for him to come, ¡°Come here, come and sit with grandma, we can begin dinner.¡±


    ¡°Okay, grandma.¡± Ye Lan briefly looked at Luo Xiao, and he instantly understood that the other party must have told them what happened a while ago.


    ¡°Come on, taste this. This is your grandma¡¯s specialty.¡± Grandpa Luo has always been kind and soft-hearted, so when he got news of the possibility that Ye Lan was kidnapped and had run away after struggling hard, he quickly felt distressed for him.


    ¡°Yes, okay, thanks a lot grandma.¡± Ye Lan laid his eyes on the big piece of braised pork sitting in his bowl and his eyes quickly became moist. Despite the fact that people in this era were still relatively simple and soft-hearted, his feelings was still moved by the good intention they showed to a child like him who came from nowhere.


    Additionally, he became an orphan while he was still a child, and he only had his grandpa with him. It was a pity that due to his grandpa¡¯s work, he was always alone inside the house, so this was the first time he felt such warmth.


    Grandpa Luo looked at him and let out a sigh inside. This child really didn¡¯t have it easy, especially when a thing like that happened to him. Thank God that he was able to run away smartly, or else he wouldn¡¯t know what would be the next course of events.


    After finishing his fifth large bowl of rice, Ye Lan burped and put his hand on his tummy, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really comfortable to have a full stomach!¡±


    Luo Qian glanced at his expression of satisfaction and said with a smile, ¡°Xiaoye, are you really full? There¡¯s still some in the pot if you want more.¡±


    ¡°Auntie, it¡¯s enough, it¡¯s enough.¡± Ye Lan hastily waved his hands, ¡°If I eat any more, my stomach will definitely burst.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then it¡¯s okay. You can stop eating.¡±


    Luo Xiao¡¯s eyes turned to look at him and he couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes. This guy actually finished five bowls of rice? Did he really do it! Isn¡¯t it just two days of eating nothing? Moreover, the rice bowl was not the small one in the house, but a big bowl twice as big as the small bowl.


    After done eating, the men sat around the fireside.


    ¡°Xiaoye, where are you from? Your accent sounds like you¡¯re not native here.¡± Grandpa Luo was the first to open his mouth.


    ¡°Grandpa, I came from City B.¡±


    ¡°City B? That¡¯s quite a distance away from here. If that¡¯s the case, do you have the intention of finding ways to get in touch with your family? Otherwise, I¡¯m afraid your family will be worried.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll contact them later.¡± Ye Lan nodded, ¡°By the way, grandpa, do you have a place in your mind where I can make a call?¡±


    ¡°Call ah?¡± Grandpa Luo thought deeply for a while. After all, in this time and age, the telephone was still a strange thing. People have heard of it and actually seen it, but never used it. ¡°Then wait for a while. I¡¯ll take you to the town government located in our town. I recalled that there was a telephone installed there.¡±


    And Luo Xiao, who stood at the side, lifted his brows upon hearing that he wanted to make a call. Really, from his knowledge as an adult, this guy surnamed Ye either came from a wealthy or big family. He didn¡¯t expect that he would be able to pick up a rich second generation kid or a second generation kid of an official.


    ¡°Alright then, thank you grandpa.¡± Ye Lan honestly didn¡¯t think that this small town would have telephones installed inside. It must be known that telephones either came from above, or when people buy them from foreign countries. But the problem is, one needed to spend a large sum of money to buy it, and only those people who were really wealthy would go to buy it.


    He thought of how he can get in contact with home soon, and a wave of eagerness struck Ye Lan¡¯s heart. He just wished that his grandma wouldn¡¯t be too stimulated after he got news of what happened to him. After all, he only had him as his family.


    But thinking of the information he heard from the two kidnappers, a solemn expression fleeted across his eyes. He didn¡¯t expect that this incident would have a connection with them. Are they really feeling good to see him, a young one, together with his grandpa, and an old man, being bullied? He will definitely settle this account with them once he goes back!

 CH 23

    ¡°Old man, it¡¯s a happy new year for you!¡± Grandpa Luo escorted Luo Xiao and Ye Lan to the office of the town hall after eating lunch.


    Still holding onto a newspaper with a laid-back attitude, the old man who was Grandpa Luo talking to, lifted his head when he heard his voice, ¡°It turns out to be you, Old Man Luo. It looked like you¡¯re so carefree that you have time to knock on my door to see me. That¡¯s not good, right?¡±


    Grandpa Luo put his hand inside the pocket of his coat and pulled out an earthen cigarette before throwing it in his direction. He laughed and scolded, ¡°You old man, you really can¡¯t stop your dog mouth from spitting out some bad words. Say, why can¡¯t I visit you on new year to greet you?¡±


    ¡°Go, go, don¡¯t visit me. Yo, who are these two well-behaved little kids?¡± Old Man Tong questioned as he looked at the two children standing behind him.


    ¡°This one is my grandson.¡± Grandpa Luo pointed his finger to Luo Xiao, ¡°And this child is my grandson¡¯s good friend, and he is from another city. He lost contact with his family.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like your second grandson. He¡¯s very well-behaved.¡± Old Man Tong reached out his hands and rubbed Luo Xiao¡¯s hair fondly and sighed with emotion, ¡°so why is this child here?¡±


    ¡°To borrow a telephone from you so he can call his family and report his safety .¡± Grandpa Luo waved his hand and replied lightly.


    A crease appeared on Old Man Tang¡¯s forehead when he heard his words. There was only one public telephone for the whole town hall, and the above entrusted him with the task of managing the telephone on account of his good work for the past few years. He was the one in charge of the usage of the telephone. Additionally, even the people in the town hall had to ask for the leader¡¯s permission to use the telephone.


    ¡°Oh, you Old Man Tong, why don¡¯t you just lend me the telephone for a while? You¡¯re here to keep an eye on us, what¡¯s there to be scared of?¡± Grandpa Luo approached him and persuaded him, ¡°Moreover, I looked around carefully before I entered the door, and found that there were just a few people outside. Only a few of us here will know about this. Others will simply not learn it unless we deliberately reveal it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Old Man Tong was still having second thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, you old man, what are you still worrying about!¡± Grandpa Luo slapped his back using his hand, moved closer to him, and said in a low voice, ¡°Think carefully, just tell me who has the ability to use a phone at this time? The answer is either a person with influence or wealth. You are now blocking a person with an unknown background from calling, in case you accidentally offend someone¡­¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, just do it quick.¡± Old Man Tong thought for a few seconds before nodding his head as his agreement.


    ¡°Alright, Xiao Ye, you can use the telephone to make a call. Grandpa Tong and I will just go out for a while to have a nice talk.¡± After saying that, Grandpa Luo threw a look at Old Man Tong, and then moved his legs to get out of the room. It was a good thing that a small glass window was installed on the door, so Old Man Tong can monitor the events inside without worrying every minute.


    Seeing the door being closed, Ye Lan hurriedly went straight to the telephone, touched it and started calling. It didn¡¯t take long before someone answered the call, ¡°Hello, this is the Ye family. May I ask who you are looking for?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Fang, it¡¯s me. Is grandpa there?¡±


    ¡°Young master? Is it really you?¡± Uncle Fang questioned emotionally, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°This, Uncle Fang, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m alright. Right, is grandma at the house?¡± Warmth filled Ye Lan¡¯s eyes as he heard the voice laced with worry on the other side of the telephone.


    ¡°Old Mr. Ye? Yes, yes. What for a while, young master. Old Mr. Ye, Old Mr. Ye.¡±


    Ye Lan focused his attention on the voice that was slowly disappearing, and a scene over there played in his mind involuntarily. Speaking of which, this was the first time he heard Uncle Fang speak emotionally.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Old Fang?¡± Old Mr. Ye furrowed his brows as his voice filled with excitement entered his ear.


    ¡°Old Mr. Ye, young master, he, he called.¡± Uncle Fang shared happily.


    ¡°What?¡± Old Mr. Ye stood up in surprise, ¡°Is what you said true? Did Lan¡¯er really call?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, you can see downstairs.¡± With a resolute attitude, Uncle Fang nodded.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Old Mr. Ye moved out behind the desk, and quickly moved his legs to walk downstairs.


    ¡°Hello? Lan¡¯er? Lan¡¯er, is it really you?¡± Old Mr. Ye touched the telephone and fired questions one after another excitedly, ¡°Are you okay? Where do you live now? Are you hurt? You¡­¡±


    Ye Lan listened to his grandpa¡¯s constant questioning with patience, and replied after he stopped talking, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t be anxious. I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m currently at¡­¡± Ye Lan glanced at Luo Xiao who was beside him.


    ¡°In Town C, located below the City S of Province Z. As of now, I¡¯m staying at a friend¡¯s house. His address is No. 305, Group 43, Wuling Village. Right, grandpa, this is the number of the telephone in their town hall. If possible, don¡¯t contact this number any more since it will be inconvenient.¡±


    ¡°Alright, grandpa will keep it in mind. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll send someone to fetch you there immediately.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, that¡¯s not needed for now. If I choose to return, there is a possibility that it would ruin their future plans. I¡¯m aware of how long you have been waiting for this opportunity. This time, your plan cannot fail because of me. So, I¡¯ll return after the things there have been settled.¡±


    ¡°Good, grandpa know your worries.¡± Old Mrs. Ye said yes, ¡°So, it happens that a good friend of grandpa who visited our house last New Year, do you still remember? He happens to be living in City S now. How about you stay there for a while? Grandpa will fetch you once the problems here have been solved.¡±


    ¡°Okay, grandpa. By the way, grandpa, it looks like there¡¯s a mole there since this kind of thing happened to me. Grandpa, you and Uncle Fang both must watch over your own safety over there!¡± Ye Lan¡¯s mood turned anxious again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, grandpa and your Uncle Fang will be okay. We still want to see you grow up, get married and have children! Well, that¡¯s it, I¡¯ll end the call now, lest those people discover it. After all, being extra cautious is best for now.¡± Old Mr. Ye replied with a hint of unwillingness in his tone.


    ¡°Then okay, grandpa. You must take care of your body!¡±


    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry. Lan¡¯er, see you later.¡±


    ¡°Bye, grandpa.¡± Ye Lan finally ended up hanging up the call first, since he knew that if he didn¡¯t hang up on his side, his grandpa wouldn¡¯t hang up the call either.


    Luo Xiao remained standing at the side and was feeling remorseful inwardly. Actually, just why did he choose to follow his grandpa just now? Right, it was because of Ye Lan since he pulled the corner of his clothes with him. But after hearing the content of the conversation of the other party, to be honest, he had a feeling that he got access to some news that shouldn¡¯t be known to others. And from the looks of it, the next step would be silencing him, isn¡¯t it?


    But in fact, in the not-too-distant future, Luo Xiao was indeed ¡®silenced¡¯, but of course, it¡¯s a different way of being silenced¡­


    ¡°Grandpa Luo, Grandpa Tong, I¡¯m done using the telephone.¡± Ye Lan approached the door, pulled it open, and said to the two old men outside the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re done.¡± Grandpa Luo rubbed his hair, ¡°What happened? Were you able to contact your family and talk about the matter of going back?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my grandfather responded that I should go to City S first and stay there for the time being.¡± Ye Lan nodded his head and replied.


    ¡°City S?¡± Grandpa Luo pondered for a few seconds and his eyes brightened, ¡°Just in time, Luo Xiao¡¯s little uncle will be back to City S to work for a few days after the Chinese New Year. When the time comes, you can go with him. With him by your side, we are at ease that you will be safe.¡±


    ¡°En, thanks a lot grandpa!¡± It seemed that luck had come to his side, Ye Lan thought. After all, he was unfamiliar with Province Z and having someone to take him to City S was a good thing. Besides, it was too dangerous for a ten-year-old kid like him to travel from one place to another, adding to the fact that those bad guys were still trying to catch him.


    Luo Xiao stood aside and watched as Ye Lan pretended to be a well-behaved child in front of his grandfather there, and looked away with his lips curved disdainfully.


    He thought inside: What the hell, how much time has it taken you to get familiar with his family? It¡¯s so quick. Come on, you are not at all related to grandpa and uncle, okay?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, kid? Are you envious?¡± When he saw Luo Xiao¡¯s awkward face, Old Man Tong rubbed his head and asked with his mouth lifted.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± A tinge of red appeared on Luo Xiao¡¯s face. Being enviously doesn¡¯t exist in his dictionary at all, understand? Also, what are you looking at? Don¡¯t think that I didn¡¯t notice the smile in your eyes.


    Ye Lan observed the way Luo Xiao stared at him, and concluded that he looked like a puppy who couldn¡¯t get the comfort of its owner. For some reason, the more he looked at him, the more his urge to laugh increased. But in order not to blow the other party¡¯s hair, he still withdrew his eyes after struggling hard.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Kids, let¡¯s go.¡± Grandpa Luo bid goodbye to Old Man To g and took the children out of the town hall.


    Old Man Tong looked at the departing figure of the three, and his mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch. He said under his breath, ¡°What the hell, this is simply blatant bullying. Couldn¡¯t he be more obvious of running away after getting what he needs?¡±


    After the three of them got back home, Grandpa Luo told Luo Yong about the matter. Luo Yong patted his chest and spoke, ¡°Ye Lan, it¡¯s okay. Uncle will make sure to send you there safely. Right, where is the place you¡¯re going to live in?¡±


    Ye Lan touched his nose and replied awkwardly, ¡°Uncle, I don¡¯t know the exact address is. I only know that the owner of the house is my grandfather¡¯s good friend. When he visited our house last Chinese New Year, he happens to say that he has opened a shop in City S.¡±


    ¡°A shop?¡± Luo Yong¡¯s interest was piqued and he inquired, ¡°What kind of shop?¡±


    ¡°It seems to be a grocery store,¡± Ye Lan replied with an unsure tone.


    A grocery store? The moment these three words entered Luo Xi¡¯s mind, he was unsure of the reason, but a picture subconsciously appeared in his mind. However, it shouldn¡¯t be what he was thinking, right?


    Meanwhile, inside a small building that has two floors in Town C, several people holding different cleaning materials were running back and forth to clean the building. The reason was because the owner was about to move in here¡­


    The author has something to say:


    When Thorn was writing this chapter, he suddenly realized that he really made a bad name! (?¨s?¡ã?¡õ?¡ã?£©?¨s?¦à? ?©ß?©¥?©ß


    Luo Xiao¡¯s nickname already sounds like a girl, and it turned out! Our protagonist Gong, who finally appears on the stage, also has the same problem. Lan¡¯er, Xiaolan, Lanlan, Xiaoye, and so on. Why do all of them sound girly!


    This is the last day of 2014, Thorn is here to wish all my friends all the best in New Year. Hope that it will come true~ See you next year. Right, it¡¯s actually see you tomorrow~