I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 233. Back to Our Home

After digesting his food, seemingly to help Xia Xiaoxiao rediscover her childhood, Xia Guofu drove to town and bought a trunk full of fireworks and firecrackers.

When the two large boxes of fireworks were placed at the entrance of the courtyard, Xu Qingfan was unsure whether Xia Xiaoxiao had rediscovered her childhood, but the group of children who had just been severely criticized were clearly very excited.

Xia Guofu glanced up at the girl intentionally or unintentionally, but Xia Xiaoxiao remained seated on the stone bench by the door, playing on her phone, and didn't look at him or the firecrackers at all.

Not long after, Liang Siyu finally finished cleaning the kitchen and came out of the living room. Xia Xiaoxiao seemed relieved to see that she was no longer busy.

"Mom took me to set off fireworks, and Dad bought a lot of fireworks!" Xia Tian let go of his grandfather's leg and ran over to Liang Siyu instead.

"Let Daddy help you put it down, Mommy won't," the woman said with a smile, wiping away the snot that Xia Tian had blown out of his nose.

"Dad always peeks at my sister." The child glanced at Xia Xiaoxiao, perhaps because he was shy, and didn't dare to call her "sister" properly.

Xia Xiaoxiao looked up at the two of them, and Liang Siyu also looked at Xia Xiaoxiao at the same time. Their eyes met, and the girl pretended to be nonchalant and continued to play with her phone.

Feeling embarrassed after being exposed by his son, Xia Guofu picked up a bunch of fireworks from the cardboard box and said, "Come here, Dad will teach you how to set off fireworks!"

"Yay!" Xia Tian excitedly ran forward.

Xia Guofu glanced at Xia Xiaoxiao again, wanting to see her reaction, but the girl kept her head down playing with her phone the whole time.

He sighed silently to himself, composed himself, and happily lit the firework in his hand.

Setting off fireworks during the day also has its own unique charm. By observing the formation of smoke, you can track the trajectory of the fireworks, and when they explode at their highest point, the smoke drifts away like ink splashed on white paper.

Of course, all the praise in the world can't compare to a simple sentence: "Dad is amazing! Dad, I want to watch more!"

Xia Xiaoxiao stopped scrolling through her phone at some point and stared blankly at the sky, lost in thought.

"Mom, I've learned how to set off fireworks! I'll teach you!" Not long after, Xia Tian ran over to where Liang Siyu was sitting and insisted on pulling her up to set off fireworks.

Xia Tian actually wanted to bring Xia Xiaoxiao along to play, but he got shy when he saw such a beautiful older sister. He only dared to steal a few glances at her from time to time and didn't dare to do so.

As for Xu Qingfan, he certainly didn't hold back; he immediately started playing wildly with a group of kids.

The various novel ways to play made the kids shout and cheer, completely forgetting that he had just betrayed them.

For example, you can dig a hole in the middle of a bamboo stalk, light a firecracker, and stuff it inside. The bamboo will then break into countless pieces and explode, creating a real firecracker.

There's also an advanced version where firecrackers are stuffed into beverage bottles and arranged in a matrix; once lit, they can shoot fire in place like fireworks.

Xu Qingfan had a lot of fun, the kids had a lot of fun, and Xia Guofu and his family of three must have been happy too.

Xia Xiaoxiao sat alone, looking sullen. She had figured out many things, but the more she figured them out, the more confused she became.

Is marriage just about spending your life like that woman, doing laundry, cooking, having children, and taking care of your in-laws?
She couldn't do what her own mother could, so she divorced that man.

She suddenly understood the meaning of what Xu Qingfan said that day: "Marriage has its disadvantages, and not getting married has its advantages."

[But Aunt Yao and Uncle Xu.]
Xia Xiaoxiao wanted to find a counterexample, but she immediately thought of Aunt Yao, who seemed to have a bad relationship with her in-laws and hadn't been back for many years.

She wasn't too familiar with Lin Wanning's family, but she knew that Xiao Ruanwen's and Wu Lingyu's families seemed to be the same.

[And Yi Yi's mother, perhaps she got divorced for similar reasons?]
The more Xia Xiaoxiao thought about it, the more pessimistic she became about marriage.

[Aunt Yao is definitely not that kind of person!]
But Auntie seems to really like Xiaoyu.
[Xiaoyu is particularly diligent and always loves to help the aunt with housework. She always helps out when buying groceries and cooking, and the aunt likes her very much.]
Xia Xiaoxiao seemed to be going to extremes, her mind wandering, and finally she stared blankly at Xu Qingfan setting off firecrackers.

Although there was no chance of anything happening between her and Xu Qingfan, it didn't stop the girl from starting to daydream. She fantasized about her life after marrying Xu Qingfan.

I get up at six o'clock in the morning to make breakfast for the whole family, then buy groceries, do housework, and cook lunch. After eating lunch on a small stool in the kitchen, I wash the dishes.
After thinking for a short while, Xia Xiaoxiao shook her head. She didn't want to live that kind of life, even if the person in question was Xu Qingfan.

As she thought about these things, the images of Wu Lingyu and Lin Wanning inexplicably popped into her mind; perhaps they would be willing, who knows?
[I'd never marry that stinky dog!]
Putting aside whether Xu Qingfan would marry her, just considering how often Xu Qingfan cooked for her when they were at school, Xia Xiaoxiao couldn't recall it at all when she tried to imagine it. This shows that women's imaginations can be completely irrational.

This is why couples who have argued, even after making up with kisses, hugs, and piggyback rides the night before, often wake up the next day to find their girlfriends have blocked them on WeChat and their phones.

The lesson Xia Xiaoxiao learned from Xia Guofu was that men are unreliable, and so are relationships. A tall building starts from the ground up, and a woman can only rely on herself!

[But what if I really like him?]
Just as a very bold idea was forming in the girl's mind, Xu Qingfan suddenly grabbed her hand. "What are you doing!" Xia Xiaoxiao was startled and looked at him in surprise.

"What are you doing? Let's go fry fish! There's a reservoir there, lead the way!"

"How childish." Xia Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him and put her phone back in her bag.

Perhaps Xu Qingfan had told the children something beforehand, because the two walked away hand in hand, but no one chased after them.

Xia Xiaoxiao glanced back at the direction of the courtyard. Xia Guofu, that woman, and her adopted brother were still setting off fireworks. After all, they were the real family.

She turned back and grasped Xu Qingfan's hand in return: "I'll take you to a place that my mother and I discovered when we were little!"

"Hey, slow down."

"Hmph~ That's how you used to pull me!"

After passing through a grove of trees, the two soon arrived at a deserted railway line.

Xia Xiaoxiao sat comfortably on the railway tracks, her hands resting on her feet, gazing into the distance.

Xu Qingfan looked down and checked, but found no trace of the beef jerky, so he sat down as well.

He took out two fireworks from the snakeskin bag he had brought, one for himself and one for Xia Xiaoxiao.

"Hey, you've been looking down all day, so why don't you set off some fireworks?"

"Tch~ I was just thinking!"

Xu Qingfan ignored her, lit his own cigarette with a lighter, and handed the lighter to her.

Xia Xiaoxiao lit her fireworks not long after.

The two of them, like idiots, sat on the ground at a 30-degree angle setting off fireworks. The beams of light exploded on the grass not far away, blowing up a cloud of black smoke.

One after another, they piled up discarded cardboard sticks on the ground without anyone noticing.

In winter, darkness falls quickly. By 4 p.m., the sky has already turned from blue to yellow. Unidentified insects chirp in the dark corners, creating a tranquil and serene atmosphere.

When Xia Xiaoxiao looked at Xu Qingfan this time, she realized that she had been thinking too much. The stinky dog ​​was definitely not that kind of person, just like Uncle Xu was not that kind of person either.

"Thank you," Xia Xiaoxiao suddenly turned her head to look at him and said.

Xu Qingfan: ? ? ?

"Are you sick?" He placed his hand on the girl's forehead.

"Damn it, why don't you just die!"

"Haha~ That's more like it! You scared me half to death!"

"Get out of here!"

After cleaning up the trash on the ground, the two got up and returned. People in the countryside always cook very early, and they could already see smoke rising from Xia Guofu's chimney in the distance.

When they reached the intersection, Xu Qingfan suddenly stopped because Xia Xiaoxiao had gone the wrong way.

"Are you stupid? You're going the wrong way!" he shouted, stopping in his tracks.

The girl turned around and said to him, "Go home, go home to our home."

After saying that, she ignored him, humming a tune as she walked with light steps, seemingly in a good mood.

"How rude." Xu Qingfan shook his head helplessly and chased after him.

(End of this chapter)