I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 136 Xia Xiaoxiao's Past and Present Lives
"Hot pan, cold oil!"

Don't put the spatula in the pan just yet, there's water on it.

"Ah!" The scalding hot oil in the pot splattered immediately upon contact with the water, startling Xia Xiaoxiao, who quickly stepped back and hurriedly shoved the lid back on.

"You're so stupid, don't be nervous, give me the spatula." Xu Qingfan reached out and turned down the gas stove flame, looking at her with amusement.

"I'm not learning anymore, you do it yourself!" Xia Xiaoxiao handed the shovel back to him, then frowned and pouted as she wiped the oil splattered on the spot.

"You're so clumsy. Just watch from the side. My mom and the others should be home soon." Xu Qingfan shook his head, then added the late-season cabbage after rendering the fat from the pork.

A cold front has arrived in Licheng in the past few days, with temperatures dropping to three or four degrees Celsius, making people shiver. Fortunately, the newly purchased air conditioner at home has heating, so apart from the dryness, it is quite comfortable to stay indoors.

When the weather gets cold, it's also the time when the late-season cabbage in Licheng is at its sweetest.

Anyone who has studied high school biology knows that plants respiration decreases when it's cold, allowing sugars produced by photosynthesis during the day to accumulate. The small late-blooming cabbage that I've been planting since before the Lunar New Year can grow to over a meter tall. It's a great choice to stir-fry, boil, or make porridge.

"Xu Qingfan, didn't you say that you can't cover the pot when stir-frying, otherwise it will turn yellow?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked in confusion after Xu Qingfan put the lid on the pot and turned the heat down.

"It depends on the situation. Some dishes need to be stir-fried over high heat, while others need to be simmered over low heat to remove moisture," Xu Qingfan explained.

"This is so troublesome," Xia Xiaoxiao pouted. "Xu Qingfan," she suddenly said, sounding dejected.

"What's wrong?" Xu Qingfan turned his head to look at her.

"Why didn't Daddy come back with Mommy? Does he...does he not want me and Mommy anymore?" Xia Xiaoxiao's eyes were red, and her voice choked up as she spoke.

Xu Qingfan said it was difficult to comment.

When Xia Xiaoxiao called Yao Jinping just now, she couldn't help but ask Lin Jing, "Is Daddy coming back?"

Lin Jing's answer seemed to have a hidden meaning: "He's not coming back."

Because the call was on speakerphone, Xu Qingfan heard it too, but Xia Xiaoxiao didn't ask whether he wasn't coming back this time or never coming back at all, and Lin Jing didn't say either.

Xu Qingfan felt that the key to solving the problem was to first understand what Xia Xiaoxiao and Lin Jing were thinking. It was probably confirmed that Xia Guofu had cheated on his wife and had an illegitimate child, but whether or not to get a divorce was another matter. He actually thought they should get a divorce.

Many people say that parental divorce can cause great psychological harm to children, and that is certainly true.

but!

Unhealthy family relationships can actually cause greater psychological harm to children.

Xu Qingfan had experienced this deeply in his previous life. Lin Jing did not divorce Xia Guofu in the end, but after that, Xia Xiaoxiao's personality became taciturn, as if she had become a different person, and she was not as close to him as before.

Having been given a second chance at life, he naturally hoped that Xia Xiaoxiao could grow up healthy and strong, always playing the role of a stubborn, proud, lively, and cheerful little sister.

"Little."

"Hmm?" Xia Xiaoxiao looked at her with teary eyes.

"If, I mean if, your father had another woman outside the marriage, like the mistresses in those TV dramas, would you forgive him?" Xu Qingfan asked tentatively.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt her heart skip a beat, her mind went blank, and a voice seemed to keep repeating: "Daddy's having an affair, Daddy's having an affair."
Seeing Xia Xiaoxiao standing there as if she were possessed, Xu Qingfan quickly turned off the gas stove and came over to comfort her: "I was just saying, Xiaoxiao, don't scare me!" He waved his hand in front of Xia Xiaoxiao's eyes.

"I don't know." Xia Xiaoxiao came back to her senses and clenched her hands helplessly.

Xu Qingfan didn't dare to ask any more questions. He brought a stool over from the living room, helped Xia Xiaoxiao sit down, and then continued cooking.

"Xu Qingfan, is my dad cheating on me?" Xia Xiaoxiao whispered after a long while.

Because of the television as a medium, seven- or eight-year-old children actually understand a lot of things, and TVB dramas have often depicted scenes of divorce and infidelity between couples.

This phenomenon has become even more serious with the advent of mobile phones and short videos. Many elementary school students who are still in the fifth or sixth grade are more mature than college students and do all sorts of things that they should and shouldn't do.

She even openly says in front of the camera that they don't usually take any safety precautions, and her boyfriend says he will take responsibility.

Xu Qingfan would have been speechless if he had seen such an interview in his previous life.

After arranging the cooked bok choy on a plate, he hesitated and said, "If that were the case, what would you do?"

Xia Xiaoxiao is only an eight-year-old child, and it is obviously impossible for her to make decisions in the face of such an important matter. "I don't know. I will do whatever my mother does."

Xu Qingfan didn't know what choice Lin Jing would make in this life, given all the new variables.

Having an illegitimate child is one aspect, but age is another.

Lin Jing just turned 29 this year. Twenty years from now, there will be many people who are still unmarried at this age. Calling her a young lady is not an exaggeration at all.

What if your mother wants to divorce your father?

"Xu Qingfan, are my parents really going to get a divorce?" Xia Xiaoxiao was a little lost.

"If your mother wanted a divorce, would you support her?"

"I support Mom!" Xia Xiaoxiao answered firmly after hesitating for a while.

That's enough. Xu Qingfan felt it wasn't right to instigate someone to divorce. As for Lin Jing's choice, he'd wait until she came back to discuss it.

"That's settled then. There's no use thinking about it now. When Aunt Lin comes back, just tell her, 'Mom, I support you no matter what!' That'll be more effective than any sweet talk," he said with a smile.

"Hmm!" Xia Xiaoxiao seemed to have found her way after being lost, and was no longer hesitant and uneasy.

[Home is where Mom is!]
"Go call and ask them where they are. I'll finish cooking soon," Xu Qingfan said with a calm smile.

"Okay!" Xia Xiaoxiao got up and skipped out happily.

Around 6 p.m., the three adults, who had been away for more than three days, finally returned to the Lotus Courtyard. Xu Qingfan, who was there to greet them, prepared a sumptuous meal.

The eight dishes and one soup laid out in abundance smelled delicious, and the three adults were immediately impressed when they entered the room.

"Son, quickly get your dad a bowl of rice, the food at the service area is awful!" Xu Aiguo drank the soup in his bowl in one gulp and then handed the bowl to him.

Xu Qingfan took the bowl and served him rice, "Who else wants more rice?"

"Xiao Fan, get Auntie a bowl too." Returning to familiar surroundings and being able to eat a hot meal as soon as she got off the car, Lin Jing felt instantly cheerful.

"Okay~ Auntie, try that bitter melon and scrambled eggs dish, it was made by Xia Xiaoxiao!" Xu Qingfan said, pointing to the ugliest-looking dish on the table.

"Haha~ Xiaoxiao, did you cook this? Why are the eggs and bitter melon cooked separately?" Lin Jing's smile suddenly froze as she spoke.

Seeing this, Xu Qingfan quickly came to the rescue: "Xiaoxiao said she doesn't like bitter melon. Rather than forcing it together and making it hard to swallow, why not separate them and let those who want to eat eggs eat eggs, and those who want to eat bitter melon eat bitter melon?"

After he finished speaking, the room became even quieter.

Xu Qingfan really wanted to slap himself. His level of comforting people was so bad that he would have been better off not saying anything at all.

[Is it better to separate than force it? Is that what Xiaoxiao thinks too?] What Lin Jing can't let go of most is her daughter. If Xia Xiaoxiao doesn't want her parents to divorce, then for her sake...
“Xiaoxiao really hasn’t liked bitter melon since she was little.” Lin Jing smiled as she put the scrambled eggs from the plate into her own bowl. “Oh right, Auntie, you should try this braised duck with perilla leaves, it’s my specialty!” Xu Qingfan quickly chimed in.

Yao Jinping looked at him with suspicion. She hadn't realized what was happening when she came in, but now she remembered to ask, "Did you make all these dishes? When did you learn to cook?"

Xu Qingfan shrugged indifferently: "I learned it from TV. Didn't I cook crayfish at my mother-in-law's house the year before last?"

"You're doing a pretty good job of speculating on land," Yao Jinping said with a smile, patting his head. "From now on, you'll be in charge of cooking all the meals at home during holidays!"

Xu Qingfan:
"No, Mom."

"Hmm? You have a problem with that??"

"without"

"Then Auntie and Xiaoxiao will have to come over for meals every day from now on!" Lin Jing said with a smile.

"Okay, Auntie, remember to come! Xia Xiaoxiao will do the dishes then!"

"Hmph~" Xia Xiaoxiao was in a good mood and secretly pinched Xu Qingfan under the table.

After eating and drinking her fill, Xia Xiaoxiao obediently went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Yao Jinping and Lin Jing mysteriously pulled him into the room.

Xu Qingfan thought to himself, [Shouldn't she be talking to Xia Xiaoxiao about these things? Why did she pull me into the room?]
"Mom, Auntie, why did you call me in?"

Lin Jing looked hesitant to speak, but Yao Jinping spoke first: "That dog Xia Guofu, your Uncle Xia, cheated on you and had an illegitimate child."

"Hmm, and then?" Xu Qingfan thought to himself, as expected, with a calm expression.

Lin Jing and Yao Jinping exchanged a glance. Yao Jinping, thinking her son didn't understand, explained, "What does 'cheating' mean?"

“It’s about keeping a mistress, the other woman gets pregnant and has a baby, I know what I mean,” Xu Qingfan interrupted.

"You brat!" Yao Jinping was both angry and amused. How could he even utter the word "keeping a mistress"?

"Auntie wants to divorce your Uncle Xia, but she doesn't know how to tell Xiaoxiao," Lin Jing said hesitantly.

Xu Qingfan's eyes lit up, and he recounted his conversation with Xia Xiaoxiao in the kitchen to the two of them, "Xiaoxiao said that no matter what decision you make, she will always support you, Auntie!"

"Yes!" Lin Jing was moved to tears. She wasn't afraid of her parents' and relatives' opposition. What she was most worried about was Xia Xiaoxiao's opposition.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lin Jing felt a great sense of relief.

If you can't hold onto the sand, just let it go; if you can't keep someone, then don't try to hold on to them.

Rather than letting Xia Xiaoxiao receive incomplete fatherly love, it's better to keep the house clean and tidy. With a mother like herself and a brother like Xu Qingfan, she firmly believes that even if Xiaoxiao's childhood lacks a father figure, it will not lack love.

"Auntie understands, Xiaofan, thank you." Lin Jing gratefully patted Xu Qingfan's head.

“Auntie, I support you too. I’m going to help Xiaoxiao wash the dishes. Let her come in and talk to you!” He stepped forward, gently hugged Lin Jing, and got up to leave.

"Xiao Fan is so sensible." After watching Xu Qingfan leave the room, Lin Jing smiled at Yao Jinping.

"Even a little one is fine." Yao Jinping felt incredibly proud; this brat had really made her look good.

Xu Qingfan came to the kitchen, patted Xia Xiaoxiao on the shoulder and said, "I'll wash up. You go to your room. Your mother has something to say to you. She wants to divorce your father and hopes to get your support."

Xia Xiaoxiao paused in her washing of dishes for a moment, and only came to her senses half a minute later. "I understand." She nodded seriously, as if she had made a decision in her heart.

Adults often think that children don't understand, but in fact they understand everything.

In her past life, Lin Jing always felt that Xia Xiaoxiao was still too young to be told such heavy topics, so she avoided Xia Xiaoxiao every time she argued with Xia Guofu.

But in fact, the precocious Xia Xiaoxiao knew everything. She knew why her parents were arguing, and she also knew that her parents were intentionally avoiding her.

Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't understand why her mother would forgive Xia Guofu so easily, especially knowing that he still had lingering feelings for her.

Why should such a marriage continue? Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't understand it in her past life.

If she knew that her mother was only settling for her sake, Xia Xiaoxiao would probably be even more confused.

It was precisely because of the lack of necessary communication that Xia Xiaoxiao inexplicably developed a sense of disgust and rejection towards marriage and love.

So much so that whenever Xu Qingfan confessed his feelings, she would feel fear, hesitation, or even try to escape.

Does she like Xu Qingfan? The answer is yes.

Xu Qingfan is tall and handsome, meticulous in his work, and caring; these are all his strengths.

But the problem is that he doesn't just take care of himself; he also takes care of others.

Given Xia Guofu's experience, and Xu Qingfan being a central air conditioner, how could Xia Xiaoxiao feel comfortable agreeing to his request?
Xia Xiaoxiao thought, "Why don't you repeat a year? If you don't change your mind after repeating a year, I'll agree to your request."

A year later, the female classmates from high school were indeed gone, but a new class assistant had joined.

Xia Xiaoxiao hesitated again. She thought, maybe I should wait a bit. After all, we're together every day, so whether we're together or not doesn't really matter. So she told him, "I don't plan to date during college. If you still like me during these four years, I'll agree to be your girlfriend after graduation."

The problem is that a tall, handsome, caring, and single man like Xu Qingfan is bound to attract attention from girls in college. Even if they can't become boyfriend and girlfriend, being his best male friend would be great too.

In contrast, Xia Xiaoxiao had no male friends other than Xu Qingfan during her university years.

He had more female friends than he did in high school: upperclassmen, classmates, and lowerclassmen.

The year she graduated, she read a novel online called "My 26-Year-Old Female Tenant". In the story, the female protagonist secretly gave birth to a child abroad without telling the male protagonist in order to test him.

Xia Xiaoxiao was still a virgin, so having children was out of the question. But this gave her an idea. She spent two weeks studying for the IELTS and easily scored 8.0. Later, her application to Harvard went smoothly.

On the night she left, she said, "I received an offer from Harvard. If you still like me when I come back from studying abroad, I will marry you."

Xu Qingfan's disappointed gaze pierced her heart like a sharp sword, but she still chose to continue.

She repeatedly told herself, "[The clouds weave patterns, the stars convey sorrow. If love between two people is destined to last, why should they be together every day and night?]"
But when she saw Xu Qingfan chasing after the taxi, crying out her name in a heart-wrenching manner, Xia Xiaoxiao still broke down in tears.

Xu Qingfan seemed angry and didn't call her once during her studies abroad, but Xia Xiaoxiao didn't think it was a big problem. At least from the information she had gathered, he hadn't changed his mind.

When I graduate and go back, everything will have a happy ending.

Then, during a shopping trip, she came across a free purchase offer.
A bullet piercing a person's heart doesn't kill instantly. In the last minute or so, Xia Xiaoxiao was still thinking about Xu Qingfan: "If only I had agreed to marry you from the beginning, I really, really want to marry you."

Therefore, online novels are purely fictional; please do not imitate them if you are obsessed with romance!
Thank you so much, Brother Qianranwuli, for the 10000 Qidian Coins!

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(End of this chapter)