"Exactly! I only found out today that Xia Xi actually gave the jade pendant her mother gave her to Lin Xiangdong!"
Xiang Cuihua was filled with regret, wishing Xia Xi had not disappointed her.
Old Father Xia pondered for a moment, "It's good that this matter has come to light. This way, Xu Shanshan and Lin Xiangdong will be tied together. Then Lin Xiangdong won't have any opportunities to entice other female comrades for favors."
Xiang Cuihua spat, "That bastard can talk a blue streak. Those female educated youths, and our daughter, weren't they all captivated by him?"
"Don't worry about them, just keep a close eye on our daughter. Besides, Jing Wa will be back tomorrow. We'll find an opportunity for them to meet. If this works out, we won't have to worry about her being tricked by Lin Xiangdong anymore."
"Right!"
Xiang Cuihua felt the same way.
The next day, early morning.
As soon as Xia Xi woke up, she heard a cat meowing under the window.
The sound was all too familiar.
She opened the window and saw a note left by Lin Xiangdong.
There was a line written on it, saying where to meet.
Xia Xi glanced at it and a slight smile touched her lips, "You just wait."
"You're the one who should be anxious now."
Lin Xiangdong took leave from work today.
Xia Xi didn't plan to meet him. She took her bicycle keys, "Xiao Yan, Auntie is going to the county town today, are you coming?"
Xiao Yan excitedly rushed forward and hugged Xia Xi's thigh, "Yes, I knew my auntie loved me the most!"
Xia Xi pushed him away, "Get the small woven basket and tie it to the bicycle, let's go!"
"Okay, Little Auntie!"
Da Nuo also wanted to go.
Yu Qiu held him back, "Little Auntie took you last time, this time she'll take your younger brother."
Da Nuo pouted, "Xiao Yan, you're not allowed to secretly eat anything. When you get back, I'm going to smell your mouth."
Xiao Yan hummed twice, ignoring his older brother.
Xia Xi's salary had always been kept by herself.
She had about sixty yuan on hand.
She had been working for over a year, earning eight yuan a month, and she hadn't used much of it. Her parents didn't want her money either, so she had saved it.
Tianxing Brigade was thirty li from the county town, about an hour's ride.
Although Xia Xi was raised fair and tender, looking delicate and soft, she was actually not delicate at all.
Her father was a pig butcher, and when she was young, she would hang around him, collecting pig's blood, pulling out pig hairs, and jumping around.
Even now that her father was the team leader, he still had to do the pig butchering.
She still collected the pig's blood.
She was very strong.
It was just that her family hadn't let her work. She had been studying before, then teaching, and on top of that, she was naturally fair-skinned, the kind that glowed, and looked slender, naturally appearing delicate and soft.
In one hour, Xia Xi rode directly to the county town without any rest.
She went to the train station first. Not seeing anyone, her face was filled with disappointment.
She didn't know what time Lu Jing's train was.
She didn't know why she had come here either; she just wanted to see him.
Lost and found, separated for half a lifetime.
She missed him, missed him terribly.
She just wanted to see him from afar.
Perhaps it had been too long, the image of him in her mind had already become blurry.
The most vivid memory was only from every night.
When he and she were intimate.
He was always rough, charging in recklessly.
This was one of the reasons she disliked him.
But later, he died for her, and these things faded away.
Xiao Yan asked obediently, "Little Auntie, who are you looking for? I'll go to the train station and help you ask. You can ask which train returned from where, and you'll know."
Xia Xi really liked this clever little cub.
Xiao Yan went to ask.
Xia Xi waited for him under the shade of a tree.
The little cub returned after a while, "Little Auntie, the train from Beijing City arrived at nine in the morning, and it's already ten now."
The aunt and nephew left at nine. With over an hour of travel time, they had indeed missed it.
Xia Xi waved her hand, "Then let's go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative."
Xiao Yan's face was full of gossip, "Little Auntie, who are you looking for?"
Xia Xi ignored him.
Xiao Yan started guessing, "Are you looking for Uncle Lu Jing from next door?"
Xia Xi looked at Xiao Yan, "What nonsense are you talking about."
"I heard Grandma Lu say that she wants to marry you to Uncle Lu Jing as his wife. Uncle Lu Jing is the most amazing soldier, worthy of my beautiful auntie who looks like a fairy."
Xia Xi couldn't help but laugh, "If you used your brain for studying, I'm sure you'd get full marks in every subject."
Xiao Yan looked troubled, "Little Auntie, those are too easy, I'm too lazy to write them."
Xia Xi gently patted his head, "You're starting second grade soon. Get a perfect score and show your grandma how proud she can be."
Xiao Yan hummed twice, "Even if I get a hundred points, Grandma will say it's because Little Auntie taught me well. Others will say Little Auntie deliberately gave her nephew full marks.
Little Auntie, I don't want to make things difficult for you."
Xia Xi was amused, "Xia Yiyan, what's in your head? You think so much and worry so much at such a young age. No wonder you're not growing tall."
"Without me, this family would fall apart."
Xia Xi couldn't help but laugh.
The aunt and nephew chatted as they arrived at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
As soon as they entered, Xia Xi started buying things.
Meat, a whole string of pork belly, and white flour, malted milk food.
Her parents' bodies were too weak, which was why they had fallen ill.
She had received her salary for so long, but she hadn't shown them filial piety.
Xiao Yan's eyes were about to pop out, "Little Auntie, you're buying so much?"
The little cub was very smart. As he spoke, he helped Xia Xi carry things.
The aunt and nephew put the items into the woven basket and were about to leave.
A tall figure in a green military uniform suddenly caught their eye.
Xiao Yan excitedly tugged at Xia Xi's clothes corner and shouted, "Auntie, look quickly, look! Soldier Uncle, so tall! So handsome! So amazing!"
Xia Xi saw him.
The familiar yet strange person.
He was still as upright as a pine tree, standing proudly on the mountaintop.
His features were resolute and handsome, his skin dark.
But even so, he wore his green military uniform impeccably.
It was him!
The man who had given his life for her in her past life.
Tears instantly filled her eyes.
Obviously, Lu Jing had also seen Xia Xi.
His world only had her; everything around him seemed to freeze, turning gray.
She was the only color in his world.
It was her!
The girl he had secretly admired and wanted to marry and keep in a golden house.
Xia Xi was the first to regain her senses. She swallowed back the tears in her eyes and looked at him, smiling, "Lu Jing, Deputy Camp Commander Lu!"
Her clear voice broke into his world.
He slowly came back to his senses, looking at her and smiling, "Xia Xi, like a babbling brook in summer."
Xia Xi couldn't help but smile.
This was what she had told him when he asked her why she was named Xia Xi when they were young.
The two of them looked at each other, smiling faintly, seeing each other in their eyes.
This peaceful and beautiful scene, with the brilliance of summer flowers, was shattered by Xiao Yan's scream.
"Ahhh! Uncle Lu Jing, you're Uncle Lu Jing! I knew you were so handsome! So you're my Uncle Lu Jing."
The little cub pounced forward and hugged Lu Jing tightly.
Lu Jing put his long arm around the seven-year-old cub and pulled him into his embrace.
Lu Jing looked at Xia Xi and asked, "Is this Xiao Yan?"
"Yes, when you left last time, he was only two years old. But how did you know it was Xiao Yan and not Da Nuo?"
Xia Xi was a little curious.
The two cubs looked exactly alike. It was only as they grew older and Da Nuo became sturdier that the difference became apparent.
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