The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

That noon, Li Xiao had lunch at the Qin family's house.

After dinner, Qin's mother took her daughter to another room and helped her pack her things.

Qin's mother talked with her daughter in the house for a long time. When they came out, Qin Huairu's face was covered with a blush of shyness.

After leaving ten silver dollars as a betrothal gift for Qin Dachuan, Li Xiao pushed his bicycle out of the Qin family courtyard.

Qin Huairu also came out carrying a small bundle. She looked like she was about to cry, clearly feeling reluctant to leave the home that had given her birth and raised her.

Qin's mother kept comforting her daughter.

"Girl, you're going to the city to live a good life, you have to be happy!"

Li Xiao said to Qin Huairu, "Huairu, it's not far from Beijing. I'll bring you back to visit again when the weather gets a little warmer!"

Hearing this, Qin Huairu finally stopped feeling reluctant to part.

He then smiled at Qin Huairu's parents and said, "Uncle, Aunt, you don't need to worry about food. I will send someone to deliver fifty catties of flour and fifty catties of rice to you every month from now on."

Mother Qin waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "This is too precious and too much! If you have any extra cornmeal, just give us some!"

"Auntie, please don't be so polite. Since I've managed to open this restaurant, I naturally have access to grain. This little bit of grain is nothing to me!"

He said in a gentler tone, "Huai Ru has two uncles, right? I imagine their families aren't doing well either. We can share some of this grain with them; at least no one should starve! Don't you think so?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Dachuan, this rough-looking man, also had tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Xiao Li, you are a great benefactor to our entire Qin family!"

"Uncle, you flatter me. It's nothing!"

After saying goodbye, Qin Huairu sat on the back of the bicycle and turned to wave her little hand to her parents.

Some villagers, young and old, also witnessed this scene and came to Qin Dachuan's house to inquire about the situation.

......

By the time we got back to No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, it was already 4 p.m.

After Li Xiao got out of the car, Qin Huairu clutched her small package tightly in both hands, her face full of unease.

She held onto Li Xiao's sleeve with one hand, her small face turning somewhat pale.

She was, after all, just a little girl in her teens, and it was her first time visiting Beijing.

In this unfamiliar place, and soon to meet her future mother-in-law and her sister-in-law whom she had never met before, it was inevitable that she would be nervous.

Li Xiao turned around and saw her nervous expression. He couldn't help but take her small hand and say, "Don't be nervous, my mother is a very nice person, and your sister Qianqian is very gentle!"

"Okay, sure!"

Qin Huairu nodded her little head.

Li Xiao opened the front gate of the east courtyard and pushed his bicycle inside.

Wang Xia heard the noise from the front yard and has already come over.

"Son, you're back..."

Before Wang Xia could finish speaking, she spotted Qin Huairu, who was wearing a patched cotton-padded jacket.

"Huh, who's this little girl?"

Li Xiao smiled and said, "Mom, let's go inside and talk, it's cold outside!"

"Okay, okay!"

After returning to the main house in the backyard, Li Xiao then introduced Qin Huairu's identity.

Wang Xia was stunned after hearing this. She looked at the little girl in front of her, who was tightly hugging her bundle and was too nervous to speak, and then looked at her son. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

However, she quickly composed herself, smiled, and pulled Qin Huairu over to look her up and down, saying, "Girl, your name is Qin Huairu?"

"Yes...hello, ma'am!"

"Oh, so good!"

Although Qin Huairu was not as radiant as Thirteenth Aunt at this time, her remarkable appearance and pitiful look, like a frightened little rabbit, immediately aroused a feeling of pity in her heart.

"Little girl, don't be afraid. Now that Xiao'er has brought you home, you're part of our family!"

"Yes, thank you, ma'am!"

Qin Huairu's voice was barely audible, and the extreme tension in her heart gradually eased as Wang Xia spoke softly.

After comforting Qin Huairu for a while, Wang Xia brought her a plate of snacks.

"Huai Ru, why don't you eat some snacks to tide you over?"

Qin Huairu looked at the plate of walnut pastries on the table and couldn't help but swallow.

This was the first time in her life she had ever smelled such a sweet-smelling food as walnut shortbread.

"Hurry up and eat it!"

Wang Xia picked up a walnut pastry and stuffed it into Qin Huairu's hand. Then she pulled Li Xiao to the next bedroom.

"Xiao'er, why didn't you tell your mother about such a big thing?"

Wang Xia was somewhat dissatisfied with her son suddenly bringing home a young girl and saying he wanted to marry her.

"Mother, I fell in love with her after seeing her by chance."

"I also inquired about her in the neighborhood. This girl is from Changping County, north of Beijing. She is very hardworking and kind. I believe she will get along well with Qianqian in the future."

Hearing this, Wang Xia nodded and said, "Now the Li family only has you and Feng'er left as male heirs. The future of the Li family depends on you brothers. Now that you've brought her back, treat her well and don't let her suffer any injustice!"

"Mother, please don't worry!"

Wang Xia tapped Li Xiao's forehead and said, "What are you going to do when Qianqian comes back?"

"Well..."

"Mother, this...why don't you go and talk to Sisi yourself?"

Li Xiao wasn't good at handling these kinds of things, so he had to ask his mother to step in.

"By the way, where did Sissi and the others go?"

Li Xiao had just returned home today when he found that only Wang Xia was there.

"Oh, Mr. Lou sent a car to pick up Qianqian, Xiaofeng, and Xiaoqian at noon today."

"Oh, is something going on at Mr. Lou's house today?"

"Today is the fifteenth birthday of Mr. Lou's eldest son, Lou Xiaohui, so Xiao'e is insisting on bringing Qianqian and the others over to celebrate together!"

Since Lou Xiao'e met Liu Qianqian and the others, she has finally found some playmates she can talk to.

Despite the significant age difference among them, Lou Xiao'e still considers them her best friends.

Wang Xia continued, "Originally, President Lou wanted to invite my daughter and me to his residence, but you weren't home, so I didn't go and waited for you at home."

"Hehe...then it'll be the three of us having dinner tonight!"