I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 232. Xia Xiaoxiao's Change of Mindset

Six years have passed since we last met, and Xia Xiaoxiao has grown from a little girl who was just over 1.2 meters tall into a graceful young woman.

The house was still the familiar house she remembered, but when she looked at the people in the house again, she felt a strange sense of distance from them. She felt like an outsider who had suddenly intruded, and she felt uncomfortable all over.

This made Xia Xiaoxiao feel very uncomfortable. Even when visiting a classmate's house, no matter how many relatives or elders there were, she shouldn't feel this bad.

The people inside the house shared the same thought. So many years had passed, and many things had changed. Xia Xiaoxiao was no longer the little girl they remembered.

"You've grown so much taller."

"Correct."

"Are you still ranked first in the exam?"

"second."

"Being second in the grade is still very impressive."

"Ah."

After Xia Xiaoxiao entered the room, she sat motionless on the mahogany sofa, with Xu Qingfan, who was also being punished, sitting on his left.

We were surrounded by relatives, like a three-way trial on TV, with everyone asking us questions.

What do you usually eat at home?

"Have a meal."

She gave a perfunctory answer while praying that time would pass quickly. If she could turn back two hours, the girl would never come back.

"You silly child, of course it's about eating! I mean, who's cooking, eating out or at home?" Xia Xiaoxiao's second aunt teased, noticing the awkward atmosphere.

“Xu Qingfan cooks, and he’s a really good cook.” Xia Xiaoxiao felt that her previous answer was too lame, so she pointed at Xu Qingfan.

"Oh? This child can cook? That's amazing."

"Haha, that's right. You guys still remember the crayfish business a few years ago, right? The recipe was invented by Xiao Fan. That kid has been smart since he was little." Xia Guofu quickly chimed in.

"That's amazing! How are Xiao Fan's grades?"

What kinds of books do you usually read?

"You can tell this arm is strong just by squeezing it; it means the person likes to work."

Xu Qingfan:
Xia Xiaoxiao successfully diverted everyone's attention to Xu Qingfan by shifting the blame. She then took the opportunity to sneak away under the pretext of going to the toilet, leaving the stinky dog ​​alone in the room as punishment.

"A third grader who still can't recite multiplication tables? My little one and I could recite them in kindergarten. I think this child is probably slacking off on his studies. Auntie, you really can't be lenient with him. The winter break for third graders is the worst!"

"Did you hear that? You're not going to sleep tonight unless you memorize the multiplication tables!"

"What? My cousin only got 58 on his final English test? Uncle, this is a warning sign! The winter break in fifth grade is crucial. Don't get agitated, let me explain."

Being tortured was not Xu Qingfan's style, so he quickly turned the tables and started a mini-lecture for the adults in the room.

Xia Xiaoxiao had only been gone for a few minutes when she returned to find herself witnessing this incredible scene.

Her younger cousins ​​were taking turns lining up, and those who hadn't yet reached their turn were nervously waiting. Those who had already been pointed at and talked about were crying on the side. The adults nodded in agreement as if they had heard some profound truth.

Xia Xiaoxiao chuckled, secretly peeked at him through the crack in the door for a while, then turned and left.

[That mean dog! It only knows how to bully kids!]
There was one thing Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't understand: Lin Jing was better than that mistress in every way. Did she really have the right to cheat on her husband just because she wasn't a boy?

She didn't really want to believe such an excuse. If that was the only reason, she should have just secretly had a child instead of getting sterilized; the tens of thousands of yuan fine wasn't something she couldn't afford. Although she had come to terms with it, she still couldn't understand what Xia Guofu was thinking. Had more than twenty years of relationship just been wasted like that?

Xia Xiaoxiao hoped to find the answer from that woman, so from the moment she entered the room, she intentionally used her peripheral vision to secretly observe the other woman.

Perhaps because she had given birth and worked on the farm for many years, Liang Siyu looked more than ten years older than when she first met her. In terms of appearance, she couldn't compare to Lin Jing. If the maximum score was 100, then her mother would get 100 points, while she would probably only barely pass.

She had been working ever since she entered the house, always wearing her sleeves, and seemed to have a very harmonious relationship with her family, something her mother couldn't match.

Wiping tables, cooking, and soothing children—the woman seemed to never stop for a moment. Xia Xiaoxiao had only observed for a short while and felt exhausted just watching her.

[Doesn't she get tired?]
Xia Xiaoxiao recalled that when she was a child, she would come back to the village with her mother for the New Year. Xia Guofu would be busy in the kitchen, while Lin Jing would take her for a stroll around the village and fry cow dung.

It wasn't that Lin Jing was lazy and didn't want to help; it was just that her grandmother thought she was clumsy and wouldn't let her into the kitchen.

But that seems to have been a long time ago, so long that she can hardly remember it.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt that she had a vague answer, but she was not sure yet.

On the other side, Xu Qingfan spoke until his throat was dry, finally answering all the parents' questions and helping each child develop a comprehensive overtaking plan for the new semester.

Lunch was served promptly at noon. Due to their special circumstances, he and Xia Xiaoxiao were not seated at the children's table, but instead ate at the main table.

In just a short while, Xu Qingfan had already figured out the personalities of everyone present, so he was able to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner party with ease.

[That stinky dog ​​never disappoints.] Xia Xiaoxiao thought to herself as she watched Xu Qingfan chatting and laughing at the dinner table.

With this stinky dog ​​by her side, she suddenly didn't feel uncomfortable anymore, and even her appetite improved a lot.

After finishing her bowl of rice, she was about to go into the kitchen to get more when she saw that Xu Qingfan's bowl was also empty, so she picked it up as well.

"Don't fill it too full," Xu Qingfan patted her back as a reminder, then continued chatting with the adults about the history of the Ming Dynasty without even looking up.

Xia Xiaoxiao secretly kicked him and turned to walk into the kitchen.

"Xiaoxiao, would you like some rice or soup?" Grandma and Liang Siyu were eating on small stools in the kitchen. When she came in, they both stood up at the same time.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt uncomfortable all over again. She didn't look at the woman and said to her grandmother, "I'll get my own food."

"Yes, it's good for Xiaoxiao to eat more while she's growing!"

"Okay." Xia Xiaoxiao quickly finished getting her food and fled the kitchen as if she were escaping.

She said she hadn't seen the woman at the children's table; it turned out she was eating in the kitchen with her grandmother.

Xia Xiaoxiao really couldn't accept this behavior. When she was little, she had told her grandmother many times to come to the dinner table and eat, and even threatened her not to eat, but it was no use at all.

She truly couldn't understand this behavior. She had painstakingly prepared a large table of delicious food, only to have to sit on a small stool by the stove in the kitchen to eat. The Qing Dynasty had been gone for so many years, yet such a bad habit still existed.

And this bad habit seems to have been passed down.

The girl, who had returned to the dining table, suddenly lost her appetite. She only ate a few mouthfuls of rice before dumping the rest into Xu Qingfan's bowl. Anyway, this stinky dog ​​was going through puberty and ate a lot.

Lunch lasted almost an hour. Amidst Xu Qingfan's constant compliments, the men were all quite flushed from drinking. As for him, being a minor, he naturally substituted tea for alcohol.

After the dinner party ended, the woman got busy again.

Xia Xiaoxiao observed and observed, and gradually seemed to have found the answer.

(End of this chapter)