Chapter 301

“Do you have any objections?” Jiang Yexun glared coldly at Luo Shanzhu.
Luo Shanzhu quickly reined in his expression, apologetically smiling at Jiang Yexun. “Brother Ye, how could I dare to have any objections about your affairs? It’s just that I’m not used to spending so much money at once; it’s a bit painful to hear.”
Jiang Yexun knew that Luo Shanzhu had to support younger siblings and that he spent money quite freely. So, even though his monthly income was substantial, there was not much left after deducting work-related expenses.
Jiang Yexun ignored Luo Shanzhu from then on, and the others did the same.
Su Xiaoxiao, who had been eavesdropping, remained silent and soon fell asleep with her face buried in a large red scarf. Her cheeks looked like two soft, white rice cakes, so tempting that one might want to take a bite.
Jiang Yexun and Su Hongchen looked at her with gentle affection, silently observing.
Seeing their expressions, Luo Shanzhu wanted to lean in for a closer look, but when the two noticed his movement, they immediately scowled at him.
Luo Shanzhu, startled, withdrew his neck and quickly sat up straight, not daring to glance around.
Su Hongchen frowned and looked at Jiang Yexun.
[You need to resolve this quickly. It’s disgusting.]
[Yes, it’s already arranged.]
The two communicated silently before returning their gaze.
The path at night was difficult to navigate, and they swayed for nearly three hours before reaching their destination.
However, Su Hongchen, Jiang Yexun, and Luo Shanzhu were used to staying up late, so they remained alert throughout the journey. When they encountered eyes glowing in the forest, they immediately raised their rifles, causing the beasts hiding in the woods to retreat obediently.

When they arrived at Su Xiaoxiao’s home, she was still asleep.
Aunt Guo had woken up earlier. She shook her head at the others, then carefully lifted the quilt and slid down from the cart.
The cold wind seeped in, causing Su Xiaoxiao to frown slightly in her sleep. Aunt Guo quickly adjusted the quilt to cover her more tightly.
Su Hongchen then picked her up and carried her into the house, placing her on the kang. He removed the military coat and cotton clothes she was wearing but left the rest for later. The young girl would take them off after she woke up from the middle of the night.
After closing the door, Su Hongchen stepped out of the room.
Jiang Yexun immediately asked with concern, “She didn’t wake up, did she?”
“No,” Su Hongchen shook his head.
Jiang Yexun then turned to He Xingzhi. “You should head back to rest. Meet us here at 7:30 tomorrow morning. We have a car to Shanghai at 2 in the afternoon.”
As he spoke, he handed a rifle to He Xingzhi and looked at Luo Shanzhu. “Give yours to Tiewa.”
“Brother Ye, aren’t there four rifles? One for each of us is just right.”
Jiang Yexun couldn’t help but sneer. “Tiewa will be staying to guard the house while we’re gone. He Xingzhi will bring his rifle tomorrow morning. What about you?”
“I live close to the foot of the mountain. It’s safer to have a rifle in case we encounter wild beasts,” Luo Shanzhu awkwardly forced a smile and explained.
Su Hongchen, annoyed, said, “If you’re so worried about danger, why didn’t you buy a rifle yourself? Does he owe you? Or do you think everything he has should be shared with you?”
“I… I didn’t mean that,” Luo Shanzhu’s face turned pale, and he could only hand over the items to Zhang Tiewa.
Zhang Tiewa felt something strange in the atmosphere but didn’t dare to think too much about it. He quickly accepted the items.
“Then Brother Ye, we’ll head back first. I’ll come over in the morning,” Zhang Tiewa waved to them and hurriedly left with He Xingzhi.
Luo Shanzhu, seeing they left him behind, was furious but eventually calmed down when he realized that he was now a city dweller and would only drift further from them in the future.
“Tomorrow we’ll be taking a train for three days and two nights to Shanghai. Should I heat some water for you to bathe? Xiaoxiao can wait until tomorrow morning if she wants to bathe,” Aunt Guo suggested.
“No need, I’ll bathe tonight as well,” Su Xiaoxiao said, peeking her head out the door.
The three of them were startled.
Jiang Yexun and Su Hongchen even narrowed their eyes slightly.

Though one had received professional training and the other frequently hunted, they had not noticed Su Xiaoxiao’s movement at all.
“How did you wake up? You were sleeping so soundly just now,” Aunt Guo asked worriedly.
Su Xiaoxiao wanted to say that Luo Shanzhu’s loud voice had disturbed her, but seeing her brother and his partner’s stern faces, she swallowed her words.
“I just felt a bit thirsty,” Su Xiaoxiao said, smacking her lips.
The hotpot flavor earlier had been heavy, and with no cool water on the way, she was now quite parched.
“I’ll get some water,” Jiang Yexun assumed she had run out of water in her room and immediately went to the kitchen.
Aunt Guo also hurriedly said, “Then I’ll go boil some water so we can all have a bath.”
In a short while, Jiang Yexun returned with two cups of warm water, handing one to Su Xiaoxiao and one to Su Hongchen before heading back to the kitchen to help.
Su Hongchen, peeking through the partially open kitchen door, watched Aunt Guo and Jiang Yexun busy in the kitchen and curiously asked Su Xiaoxiao, “Do they do everything at home like this every day? Even if you’re thirsty, they won’t let you get your own water?”
“Yes, my daily tasks are just to dress myself, eat, and wash up. It’s nice to sit on the kang eating, making dumplings, listening to the radio, or chatting with Yexun and Aunt Guo. Otherwise, it would be really boring,” Su Xiaoxiao complained, pouting.
Su Hongchen looked at her with some exasperation. “Even if you’re bored, don’t think about doing any work. If it’s really unbearable, I’ll send you newspapers from various places with essays and short stories. Those are your favorite, right?”
“Thank you, brother,” Su Xiaoxiao said, happily wrapping her arms around his.
Seeing her still as clingy as when she was a child, Su Hongchen lovingly ruffled Su Xiaoxiao’s head.
“You’ve finally grown up and found yourself a good partner.”
However, upon hearing this, Su Xiaoxiao’s smile faltered slightly. A sour feeling surged in her heart, making her eyes well up with tears.
Her growing up had come at the cost of their family’s lives. If given a choice, she wished she could remain a child forever.