Rebirth: Start to Save the Treasure Girl

"Mu Xue, it's time to come home for dinner."

Not far away, an old man waved to Gu Muxue. After seeing Gu Muxue wave back in response, Le Hehe joked to the young driver beside him:
"Look at Xiao Liu, he's already won people over at such a young age, that's impressive."

The driver gave an awkward laugh, thinking that saying the fireworks were a gift from Gu Muxue's boyfriend would spoil the boss's mood during the New Year. He then said:

"Miss Gu did this for you, so that the children in the village will remember your kindness."

Just like Zhao Lizhen, she donates a lot of things to the village every year, such as fitness equipment for the village committee, and distributes some grain, oil and other New Year's goods to every household before the Spring Festival...

From the driver's perspective, the one who benefits the most from these events is the old man. After all, Gu Muxue can only go home a few times a year. At such a young age, it's impossible that she has a desire to return home in glory; it's just for the sake of the family image.

The old man shook his head and explained slowly, "You're too short-sighted. It's never a bad thing to build good relationships with the masses..."

Whether you're in business, politics, or any other industry, building good relationships with your fellow villagers can be incredibly beneficial.

This approach not only maintains the image of "not forgetting one's roots" but also aligns with the policy of "common prosperity."

If Gu Muxue were to be embroiled in a public opinion storm one day, the positive image she had cultivated beforehand, along with those who had benefited from her, would spontaneously form a natural barrier against negative public opinion.

This is why, when many heinous criminals are arrested, a group of fellow villagers always stand up to defend them.

From the perspective of the villagers, he was clearly a kind-hearted "God of Wealth," so how could he possibly do bad things?

"I have benefited greatly from chatting with you." The driver felt enlightened.

This made him admire Xue Rui even more.

He had been wondering why a boy would give such a New Year's gift; it turns out it was to please the old man.
This young man is quite something...

"Wait a minute, is there something you're hiding from me?"

The old man narrowed his eyes, vaguely sensing that there was more to the story.

The driver chuckled and scratched his head: "I won't hide it from you anymore, these fireworks weren't bought by Miss Gu, her boyfriend delivered them last night."

"Jianfeng's son? That's not surprising." The old man laughed heartily.

But he also had his doubts.

Why didn't Xue Rui come to visit during the Chinese New Year when the two villages are so close?

Because his son wasn't home?

……

Meanwhile, at Xue Rui's home.

Xue Yao would occasionally bring out a dish from the kitchen and place it on the table with great force, deliberately making a crisp clinking sound.

She was incredibly busy, but her brother was sprawled out on the sofa, grinning foolishly at his phone, which made her feel very resentful.

Xue Rui was watching a video sent by Gu Muxue when he was startled by the sound of plates clattering together. He glared at Xue Yao with annoyance.
"Ten yuan will be deducted for breaking a plate."

"you!"

Xue Yao snorted coldly and returned to the kitchen, where she kept rubbing her temples to calm herself down.

"Sister-in-law, I can't stand my brother after he's only been back for a few days. How can you not beat him up when you're with him every day?"

Xue Yao was so angry that her veins were throbbing.

"Huh? Yao Yao, what are you saying? Move aside."

Lin Ruoxi picked up a plate of food and carefully walked into the living room.

After putting the plate down, she smiled slightly at Xue Rui and said softly, "Stop playing on your phone, the food will be ready soon."

Seeing that Lin Ruoxi didn't understand her, Xue Rui grabbed Ren Qunfang's arm and asked, "Mom, tell him what's wrong."

Ren Qunfang impatiently pushed Xue Yao away:

"Are you just bored? You should take care of yourself. Why are you always watching your brother?"

"Oh."

Xue Yao pouted, feeling utterly dejected.

This Spring Festival, my older brother became the good kid in the eyes of the elders, while she was the bad kid that no one cared about.

She took a box of ice cream from the refrigerator, and had just scooped out a spoonful when she heard Xue Rui's scolding voice:
"Put it back. We're about to eat. What do you want ice cream for?"

In an instant, an inexplicable anger rose in Xue Yao's heart.

It's so deceiving!

You're being too nosy.
The tiger doesn't roar...

Xue Yao had prepared many retorts in her mind, but for a moment she didn't know which one to say.

Suddenly, she noticed that everyone in the living room was staring at the ice cream in her hand.

Oh no, it seems I've angered everyone?

"Hmm... I'll just check if it's expired." Xue Yao muttered softly.

"It's frozen solid underneath. The meat from last Chinese New Year was still perfectly fine," Grandma explained with a smile.

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

Xue Rui's expression changed repeatedly. He had lived like this in his previous life and had never seen anyone get sick from eating it, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy about it now that he knew.

He really wanted to say: That's a refrigerator, not a time-stopping device.

But since it was the Lunar New Year, Xue Rui didn't want to argue with the older generation, so he didn't speak up to correct them at that time.

Xue Rui whispered to Lin Ruoxi, "Xixi, give me a hint later about which dishes we can eat."

The food was prepared by several people, so you only need to ask Lin Ruoxi to avoid eating stale or old meat.

As for others, he can't control them; he'll just treat it as a workout for his digestive system.

"Hmm, then I'll serve it to you," Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Xue Rui's expression was strange. Was Lin Ruoxi agreeing or not?
A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the dining table, and Xue Rui then discovered Lin Ruoxi's "little scheme".

Because he didn't know which meats were from last year and which were from the year before, Xue Rui didn't get a single bite of meat or vegetables and had to be fed by Lin Ruoxi.

"Xiao Rui, a young man should eat more meat." Grandpa smiled and put a few slices of beef on Xue Rui's plate.

Lin Ruoxi's eyes were fixed on the beef. When her grandparents weren't looking, she "stole" the beef from Xue Rui's bowl and ate it while they were serving him food.

After confirming that everything was alright, Lin Ruoxi put another piece of beef on Xue Rui's plate.

Xue Yao noticed Lin Ruoxi and Xue Rui's subtle actions and immediately understood what they were doing, so she confidently and boldly put beef into her bowl.

Thus, an extremely strange scene unfolded at the dinner table:
Any dishes that Lin Ruoxi puts on Xue Rui's plate will be cleared out first.

Xue Rui glanced at the table with a strange expression. Had a meal turned into a chain of suspicion?

"Hehe, Xiao Rui, try this duck gizzard." Xue Jianfeng put a piece of duck gizzard on Xue Rui's plate.

Xue Rui frowned and glared at him, his meaning very clear:
Lao Xue, did you use my Xixi as a test subject for poison?

"I didn't bring any duck gizzards last time." Xue Jianfeng confirmed that the duck gizzards were fresh.

Upon hearing this, the others picked up their chopsticks and began to eat in peace.

However, at that moment, Lin Ruoxi took the duck gizzard from Xue Rui's bowl and then put some beef in his bowl.

Xue Yao peeked under the table, secretly spat the duck gizzard onto the floor, and asked in a low voice:

"Dad, think carefully, did you take it the year before last, or the year before that?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Xiaying's face turned ugly. She had already swallowed half of what she was saying; these words were truly offensive.

"Xixi, is there something wrong with these duck gizzards?" Xue Jianfeng asked in return.

“No problem, Rui doesn’t like duck gizzards,” Lin Ruoxi said softly.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a bitter smile in their hearts. So they had been eating according to Xue Rui's preferences all day?
Xue Xiaying secretly nudged Xue Jianfeng, blinking her eyes and hinting repeatedly, "Brother?"

She really wanted to tell her mother that meat shouldn't be stored for too long.

But her position in the family didn't allow her to ask questions; otherwise, she would face endless nagging and scolding... "Sigh~" Xue Jianfeng sighed and began to explain things to the old lady, occasionally giving Xue Rui and Lin Ruoxi meaningful glances.

"Mom, you can't eat meat that's been sitting out for too long..."

Changing the older generation's mindset is not easy; ideally, it requires gaining everyone's approval.

"It's such a waste to throw it away. It doesn't smell bad to me," Grandma said with a regretful expression.

"Grandma, think about it, a piece of meat only costs a few yuan, but if it gets sick, hospitalization can be a huge expense..."

Xue Rui started to calculate the financial costs for his grandmother.

"It's not that dramatic. We've always done it this way, haven't we?" Grandma said nonchalantly.

"Hmph! If this continues, I won't come back for Chinese New Year. I won't even dare to pick up any food."

Xue Yao said, hands on her hips.

"No way, today's meat is all fresh. I'll let your grandpa eat the frozen meat," Grandma quickly explained.

Grandpa was speechless. So, I'm the only one in the family who deserves to suffer?

He got up and went to the kitchen. After a while, his grandfather's slightly hesitant voice came from the kitchen: "Old woman, I'm throwing it away."

"Hey? Don't throw it away, we still have a dog at home!" Grandma hurriedly got up.

Xue Rui looked down at Da Huang: "Da Huang, do you want some?"

Big Yellow tilted its head and wagged its tail in a fawning manner.

……

After lunch, Xue Rui went back to his "lying down" time. He lay on the bay window in the bedroom, basking in the sun, while Lin Ruoxi nestled obediently in his arms.

"Are you happy?" Xue Rui asked with his eyes closed, his head feeling dizzy.

"happy."

Lin Ruoxi nestled her head into Xue Rui's arms and tilted her head back to kiss Xue Rui's chin.

"Xixi, do you want to go home and see Grandma?" Xue Rui tried to clear his head.

According to the customs of Hedong, everyone should spend the first day of the Lunar New Year at home. However, because his family was small, he was quite relaxed.

The next few days will be different. She will have to get together with various relatives and friends. At that time, Lin Ruoxi will probably be very busy and will not have time to go back to see the old lady.

Since we have some rare time now, why not take the little girl back for a visit? After all, there's still plenty of time from this afternoon until tomorrow, and there's not much else to do in between.

"Go home?" Lin Ruoxi's eyes widened suddenly, her voice trembling slightly.

She was able to be here only because Gu Muxue gave up her place.

Does Xue Rui mean for him to leave?

No wonder... they didn't mention what would happen next.

"Well, then... then you and Mu Xue have a good New Year."

Lin Ruoxi wriggled out of Xue Rui's arms, trying hard to control her tears.

She opened the closet and began to pack her clothes.

Hearing the noise, Xue Rui groggily opened his eyes and saw Lin Ruoxi's suitcase on the bed. Lin Ruoxi was slowly putting clothes inside, glancing at him every now and then...

"Xi Xi, what are you doing?" Xue Rui instantly sobered up a bit.

"I'll listen to you and go home."

Tears streamed down Lin Ruoxi's cheeks uncontrollably; she dared not look Xue Rui in the eye.

"Come here!" Xue Rui waved his hand, gesturing for Lin Ruoxi to come closer to speak.

Lin Ruoxi dropped her clothes in an instant, hurriedly squatted down under the bay window, looked up at Xue Rui pitifully, and pouted as she said:
"I... I've already agreed with Mu Xue that I'll leave on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year."

Xue Rui's lips twitched. Lin Ruoxi actually brought up Gu Muxue...

It's as if it's saying, "Mu Xue will back me up," and "You can't kick me out"...

"What I mean is, since we have plenty of time now, let's go back and visit the old lady together, and we can still make it back for dinner."

Xue Rui hurriedly explained, otherwise Lin Ruoxi might complain to Gu Muxue in the next moment.

Lin Ruoxi blinked blankly; she had misunderstood Xue Rui.

Xue Rui is still so gentle and kind. Even though she was so tired, she still went back to visit her family's elders.

"No... please don't go back, okay?" Lin Ruoxi pleaded weakly.

"Why?" Xue Rui asked in return.

In Xue Rui's memory, Lin Ruoxi was a well-known filial daughter, which is why Xue Rui offered to accompany Lin Ruoxi home.

Since the little girl has suffered so much in her love life, we should make up for it in other ways.

Why do people find scumbags so alluring?
It's because of the attention to detail...

Whether it's sincere or not, doing something is better than doing nothing.

Lin Ruoxi was stunned; she couldn't understand the point of going back.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, Grandma would burn incense for Father and silently shed tears while looking at his photo. Isn't that what she did when she went back home?
Xue Rui is so tired now, she doesn't want him to go back.

Furthermore, there is a custom in the Hedong area that married girls cannot return to their parents' home on the first day of the Lunar New Year, otherwise it will bring misfortune to their parents' home.

Although she is not yet a married woman, Lin Ruoxi is very afraid that something bad will happen.

In short, in Lin Ruoxi's mind, going home on the first day of the Lunar New Year is a very bad deal.

“Hmm…” Lin Ruoxi fell into deep thought.

But it seems she can't bring herself to tell the truth.

Firstly, Xue Rui didn't want her to be superstitious.

Secondly, Lin Ruoxi was afraid that Xue Rui would discover that she was a heartless and bad girl.

"Could it be... that the old lady won't let me go back?" Xue Rui muttered to himself.

These are the reasons he can think of; otherwise, it just doesn't make sense.

Hearing Xue Rui's mutterings, Lin Ruoxi glanced at him weakly and silently apologized to her grandmother: "Grandma, I'm sorry."

"Yes..." Lin Ruoxi said, her face flushed, stammering.
"Grandma said that married girls cannot return to their parents' home on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Xue Rui's expression was strange. The little girl was blushing and stammering, and she looked like she was lying.

But you just said "getting married", so maybe it's because you're nervous and shy?
Xue Rui smiled and asked, "Okay, give me my phone, I'll call her."

In an instant, Lin Ruoxi's lips turned deathly pale, as if Xue Rui was about to expose her "scheme".

"Um, I'll go get your phone." Lin Ruoxi fled in panic.

After leaving the bedroom, she took out her phone and called her grandmother.

After the call connected, Lin Ruoxi was so anxious she was almost crying: "Grandma..."

"Xixi, don't cry. Did you suffer any mistreatment at his house? If you did, come back right away," the old lady said softly.

"No, I lied to Xue Rui... I'm very scared now." Lin Ruoxi said in a panicked tone.

"Xixi, why are you crying? This is a good thing. Tell me what you lied to him about."

The old lady said with a smile.

My granddaughter has made some rare progress, so I should praise her.

"Well, Rui said he'd take me home to see you today, but I don't want to go back, so I said it was you who wouldn't let me go back..."

"Could you...could you tell me a lie?" (End of Chapter)