Three days later, Xu Xia received a telegram with only two words: “Urgent return.”
Telegrams were charged by the word, and though her family hadn’t specified the matter, it must be important. After some thought, Xu Xia decided to request leave and return home despite the inconveniences.
When Zhao Manfu and his wife learned that Xu Xia had family matters to attend to, Zhao Manfu had just glanced at his son when his wife tugged his arm.
He Hongying said gently, “Second Son, don’t you still have unused leave? Why not accompany Xiaxia back? A young woman might struggle to handle certain matters alone. Help where you can—consider it repaying the debt of gratitude on your father’s behalf, alright?”
Zhao Hui had always been more responsive to soft persuasion than commands. Had his father ordered him, he would have refused outright. But with his mother making the request and mentioning the debt of gratitude, he had no reason to decline.
As Xu Xia sat with Zhao Hui on the train, she still felt somewhat dazed.
The train rumbled loudly. When Xu Xia tilted her head, she noticed the man beside her keeping his eyes closed, resting.
Even now, Xu Xia didn’t understand why Zhao Hui had agreed to accompany her home. Yet, with him there, she felt an inexplicable sense of security and slept deeply throughout the journey.
The next day, they arrived at the train station. Xu Xia led Zhao Hui to take the bus. After getting off, she said, “When we reach my home, can I call you ‘brother’? Otherwise, the neighbors might ask questions and misunderstand our relationship.”
Her eyes were flustered, as if eager to clarify any association with Zhao Hui, and he noticed it all. How interesting, he thought. Could there be someone else she’s considering in this old alley?
Zhao Hui casually grunted in agreement, and Xu Xia took it as his consent.
They proceeded to the Xu residence. Upon entering, Xu Xia saw her aunt, Tian Mei, washing clothes in the courtyard. Before Xu Xia could speak, Tian Mei rushed over.
“You’re finally back! Take that mad dog brother of yours away—we can’t keep someone like him here!” Tian Mei only then noticed the tall, imposing man behind Xu Xia, with his buzz cut and fierce gaze. Her courage faltered. “Who are you?”
“He’s Second Brother from the Zhao family. Where is Fengshou?” Xu Xia asked with a stern face.
Tian Mei pursed her lips. “Inside. Go see for yourself. I don’t know what sin our family committed in a past life to end up with such a creature.”
Xu Xia didn’t know what had happened, but based on her understanding of her brother, he couldn’t be at fault this time. “Aunt, what do you mean by ‘mad dog’? And what is ‘such a creature’? I’ll remember your words. Once I get to the bottom of this, I’ll settle accounts with you!”
After delivering this warning, Xu Xia entered the house.
Tian Mei felt a twinge of fear. She had expected Xu Xia to return alone, but this Zhao fellow kept staring at her as if she were some oddity—intimidating, and who knew what his relationship with Xu Xia was that he’d accompany her back.
Xu Xia pushed the door open and saw her younger brother sitting on the floor. Her heart ached as she approached. “Fengshou, I’m back. Tell me what happened?”
Xu Fengshou rubbed his eyes, confirming it wasn’t a dream, and began to sob.
Xu Xia hugged her brother, soothing him softly. “I know you’re a sensible child. It must have been Aunt and the others who started the trouble, right?”
“Mm.”
“Then tell your sister exactly what happened. We can’t just suffer losses without understanding why. If we’re leaving, we should argue our case confidently before going, don’t you think?” Xu Xia held her younger brother, noticing a shadow at the doorway. Without even thinking, she knew it was Zhao Hui, but she couldn’t concern herself with him right now—she needed to get to the bottom of this first.
The room fell silent. Tian Mei in the yard, afraid she couldn’t handle Xu Xia alone, had gone out to call for help.
When Xu Chun returned and saw Zhao Hui standing outside the house, her heart skipped a beat—she had never seen such a ruggedly handsome man before.
Was this really Xu Xia’s partner?
Xu Chun knew the full story behind the fight between the two younger brothers. At first, her mother had refused to explain, but after repeated questioning, she finally learned the truth.
She blamed her mother for being too hasty and not handling things properly, but since it had already happened, they could only focus on damage control. They absolutely couldn’t afford to get a bad reputation.
“Brother Zhao, you must be tired after coming all this way. Let me pour you some tea. Whatever the matter is, we can sit down and discuss it calmly,” Xu Chun offered proactively. “My mother is just an ordinary woman—please don’t take her too seriously.”
After she finished speaking, Zhao Hui ignored her, creating an awkward silence.
Just then, Xu Xia emerged from the room with a dark expression. “Tian Mei, how dare you? Trying to steal the house from your niece and nephew who have no parents—do you really think there’s no justice in this world?”
“What did you call me? Tian… Tian Mei?”
Tian Mei stared in disbelief. “Xu Xia, have you no manners?”
“My manners are based on you having basic morals, but you don’t deserve any courtesy from me!” Having just learned what happened, Xu Xia was trembling with anger. “You told others you were just helping clean the house. If that were true, why would Fengshou argue with you?”
“Xu Xia, you’ve misunderstood,” Xu Chun explained. “How could my mother do such a thing? Fengshou has never been good with words since he was little—don’t be so aggressive. My mother meant well. Jianshe was bitten by Fengshou, leaving a large scar on his arm, and he might even be permanently disabled. If we’re really going to tally things up, you’re not the ones suffering—Jianshe has it worst.”
“Xu Xia, you’re something else, twisting black into white. I only believe what my brother says. I’ve long seen that your mother has her eyes on my house—that’s why I told Fengshou to guard it fiercely until I returned. If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll go to your husband’s workplace and let him see what a scheming, unreasonable person you are!” By now, Xu Xia no longer cared about maintaining her image in Zhao Hui’s eyes. Knowing her brother had been wronged, she just wanted to vent her anger freely.
Mentioning her husband made Xu Chun press her lips together tightly.
But Tian Mei refused to admit anything. “Xu Xia, since when does whatever your brother says become the truth? Don’t think I don’t know—you’ve climbed up in the world now and think you can trample all over us. Who do you think you are? Even if the Emperor himself showed up, our family wouldn’t keep troublemakers like you around!”
“I never planned to stay anyway. But Tian Mei, this house was left to us by our parents, and I will never hand it over to you.” As soon as Xu Xia finished speaking, she saw her grandmother returning and immediately teared up, calling out pitifully, “Grandma.”
Wang Xiufang’s heart softened at the sight of her granddaughter, and she hurried over to look her over. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Xiaxia. Have you been well?”
“I’m doing well. This is Second Brother Zhao from the Zhao family. His family has been very kind to me.” After introducing Zhao Hui, Xu Xia brought up the matter concerning her aunt and younger brother. “Grandma, Uncle, this is what Fengshou told me. I believe what my brother says. As for who you choose to believe, I won’t interfere. However, I will be taking Fengshou with me, and I’ll also be dealing with this house.”
Upon hearing Xu Xia’s words, Wang Xiufang and Xu Dazhong both turned to look at Tian Mei.
Tian Mei was momentarily stunned before hurriedly shaking her head. “I didn’t do anything! Don’t listen to Fengshou’s nonsense. I really didn’t try to take the house.”
Wang Xiufang, however, didn’t believe her. “Are you sure you didn’t? Right after Xiaxia left, you mentioned several times that you wanted Jianshe and Fengshou to live together. Tian Mei, this house was allocated by your father-in-law before he passed away. Even though Erzhong is gone, by all rights and reason, it should belong to Xiaxia and her brother. How can you be so ungrateful?”
Her words were harsh. Xu Dazhong also looked at Tian Mei with mixed feelings. He had believed Tian Mei’s story and had been cold toward his nephew and mother these past few days. Now that things had turned out this way, how could he face his niece and nephew?
“I… I just didn’t do it!” Before coming, her daughter had advised her that since no one else was present that day, as long as she didn’t admit to it, no one could do anything to her.
If she admitted to this, she would become the wicked aunt who tried to steal her nephew and niece’s property. Her reputation in the neighborhood would be ruined, and it would also affect her three children’s future prospects and marriages.
Xu Xia said, “Do you dare swear to heaven? Swear by Xu Chun’s marriage, Xu Jianshe’s disability, and Xu Qianjin’s life?”
She knew Tian Mei wouldn’t dare—her three children were her life.
“Xu Xia, how can you be so vicious as to make me swear such an oath?” Tian Mei pointed at Xu Xia. “I didn’t do it, so why should I swear?”
“Fine, I won’t waste words with you.” Xu Xia knew that Tian Mei had likely been coached by Xu Chun. Since no one else was there that day, there was no way to prove who was telling the truth. Fortunately, Grandma was already leaning toward her and Fengshou—that was enough.
“I will take Fengshou away. As for this house, I will either sell it or rent it out. From now on, it has absolutely nothing to do with any of you.”
“No! This is our Xu family’s house!” Tian Mei panicked. She had two sons, both of whom needed to get married. Where would her eldest son live when he returned? Where would her younger son live after marriage?
With one more room, all these problems could be solved.
“Tian Mei, don’t Fengshou and I have the surname Xu? Aren’t we part of the Xu family?” Xu Xia let out a cold, mocking laugh.
“You’re a daughter who will marry out someday—what does it have to do with you?” Tian Mei blurted out.
“Who knows what will happen in the future? At least I’m not married now. Besides, my brother is still here. What, do you wish he hadn’t survived that day?”
Xu Xia narrowed her eyes like a vengeful leopard. “And you claim you didn’t covet my house? The moment I mentioned selling it, you became so anxious. Tian Mei, how can you do such a shameful thing? Aren’t you afraid my parents will come looking for you in the middle of the night?”
Tian Mei instinctively glanced around, as if a cold draft had indeed blown against her neck. She shivered. “Xu Xia, don’t talk nonsense! Superstitions aren’t tolerated these days!”
Xu Xia snorted coldly and turned to her uncle and grandmother. “Grandma, Uncle, do you have any objections to what I just said?”
Xu Dazhong could no longer face his niece. He lowered his head and said, “No.”
Wang Xiufang felt more heartache than anything else. Every family has its own troubles to bear, and both the palm and the back of the hand are made of flesh. It wasn’t that she cared about Tian Mei herself, but the fact that Tian Mei had turned the grandchildren against each other like enemies. How could she face her late husband in the afterlife with such a situation?
“Since no one has any objections, I’ll take Fengshou to handle the transfer procedures right away. As for the house, I’ll…” Xu Xia glanced at her grandmother. She didn’t want to put her grandmother in a difficult position. “I’ll entrust the neighborhood committee to help with it.”
She took her brother’s hand and walked out. Only when they had left the alley did she realize Zhao Hui had been following them.
Before Xu Xia could speak, Zhao Hui said first, “Transferring schools isn’t that simple. Let me call my dad first.”
Xu Xia’s heart stirred slightly. She had been so furious that she had overlooked the fact that this was an era when getting things done was not easy. Fortunately, she wasn’t facing it alone.