After Xiao Yuan finished eating, he swapped places with Si Linna to drive.

He soon got on the highway.

Xiao Yuan usually takes the train or bus to Hai City from home, and hasn’t driven himself before. He asked Anning to pull up the navigation for him, so he could drive while checking the navigator.

To be honest, Si Linna hadn’t driven back to her hometown either. She wasn’t sure about the route, and worried that Xiao Yuan might take a wrong turn, so she also kept an eye on the navigation.

In this way, Xiao Yuan drove on the highway for two hours and exited at the county. Si Linna was familiar with the roads from the county to their home, so once in the county, she swapped with Xiao Yuan.

She first drove to Erdaowan to drop off Xiao Yuan.

Before Xiao Yuan returned, he had called home, so Mr. and Mrs. Xiao were already waiting for him.

They had been waiting since midday and continued until afternoon without seeing anyone. Mrs. Xiao said to Mr. Xiao, "You should take the motorcycle to the station and see if Erhu has returned."

Mr. Xiao agreed with a sigh, and just as he was about to head to the garage to get the motorcycle, he heard the sound of a car outside.

"Who’s that?"

Mrs. Xiao muttered and ran out to see.

She opened the courtyard gate to find a car parked at their door, and Xiao Yuan stepping out.

"Erhu, you’re back."

Seeing her son return thrilled Mrs. Xiao: "Old Xiao, the second one is back."

Mr. Xiao abandoned the motorcycle and ran out.

Xiao Yuan chatted with Mrs. Xiao while taking the luggage out of the trunk.

Mr. Xiao hurried over to help. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Si Linna and Anning also stepped out of the car.

Mrs. Xiao sized up Si Linna, finding her increasingly familiar.

"Who are you?"

Mrs. Xiao looked carefully.

Si Linna called out, "Sister-in-law, don’t you remember me? I’m from Fengtai Village, and I used to be Fengfeng’s classmate."

Mentioning Fengfeng triggered Mrs. Xiao’s memory: "Oh, it’s you. I thought you looked familiar. You used to come to our house. What’s this about...?"

Si Linna smiled and pulled Anning next to her: "I brought my sister back home to have a look. My sister and Xiao Yuan are classmates, and upon finding out he was heading home, we gave him a lift."

Mr. Xiao hurriedly said: "Thank you. Please come inside and rest. I’ll go buy some meat, and you can have a meal at home."

Si Linna was about to decline when Xiao Yuan said, "Sis, let’s eat here. Your place hasn’t been lived in for ages, and there’s nothing at home. It’s better to grab a bite at my house."

Mrs. Xiao took Si Linna by one hand, Anning by the other: "You’re not outsiders, no need to be polite. Come in for a rest."

Mr. Xiao and Xiao Yuan took the luggage inside, then Mr. Xiao rode off on the motorcycle to buy meat.

Mrs. Xiao pulled Si Linna inside and invited Anning to sit down, pouring them each a cup of water on the coffee table. She then examined Si Linna and Anning, starting with Si Linna: "If I remember correctly, you’re Nana, right? Haven’t seen you in years."

Si Linna laughed: "Afterward, I moved to Hai City with my parents. Time flew. How’s your health, Sister-in-law? You haven’t changed a bit."

Mrs. Xiao touched her face: "No, I’m old now. But you still look young and pretty."

She turned to Anning: "This is your sister? She’s so lovely. I’ve never seen someone this pretty around here."

Mrs. Xiao knew the Shi family only had Shi Linna and Shi Ye, no younger sister.

She thought Anning might be Shi Linna’s sister-in-law and judging by Anning’s demeanor and attire, she wasn’t from an ordinary family.

Back then, news of Shi Linna marrying into a wealthy Hai City family spread far and wide.

After all, both Fengtai Village and Erdaowan had people working in Hai City. The villagers, especially those from Fengtai Village, were aware of the Shi family’s troubles, leaving just a daughter in school and a young son. People felt sorry for these kids and those working in Hai City occasionally visited Shi Linna and Shi Ye, sometimes helping with tasks, just trying to support the kids to get by.

This back and forth meant Shi Linna never lost ties with the villagers. When she got married, she invited people from her hometown, so even Mrs. Xiao knew she married into an unimaginably wealthy family.

Seeing Anning’s demeanor today, Mrs. Xiao thought the daughter from a wealthy family indeed looked charming; her fair and tender appearance was pleasing.

"Sit down, I’ll wash some fruits for you."

Mrs. Xiao smiled and stood up.

She stepped out of the main room and remembered some walnuts, chestnuts, and dates from last year, deciding to prepare some for Si Linna and Anning to taste.

She found a clean plate and went into the storeroom in the west wing.

Just as Mrs. Xiao found the bag of walnuts, Xiao Yuan came in.

"Mom, later pack some of the walnuts and chestnuts for Sister Shi to take home."

Xiao Yuan said from behind Mrs. Xiao.

Mrs. Xiao laughed: "Okay, I’ll find a clean bag to pack some. I was thinking of giving her some, though I was afraid she wouldn’t like it."

"She absolutely would."

Xiao Yuan smiled, opening the bag of dates: "Sister Shi loves these things."

Watching Mrs. Xiao put walnuts on the plate, Xiao Yuan gently inquired: "Mom, what do you think of Anning?"

"What about her?"

Mrs. Xiao glared at Xiao Yuan: "She’s lovely. Her looks are truly charming. I haven’t seen such a pretty girl in all my years."

Xiao Yuan leaned closer and whispered to his mom: "Isn’t she beautiful? She’s my girlfriend, your future daughter-in-law, she’s perfect."

Mrs. Xiao froze.

She stopped packing immediately and turned to Xiao Yuan: "What did you say?"

Xiao Yuan openly declared: "I said Anning is my girlfriend. We’ve been dating for a long while."

Mrs. Xiao was shocked and took a while to respond: "You... really, do you think the girl is willing? Is the girl Lina’s sister-in-law? I heard her family is quite wealthy. Do you really think she’d be interested in our family? Are her parents okay with it?"

This matter also troubled Xiao Yuan.

He sighed: "Her parents certainly don’t approve. They want her to marry for alliance, found her a match with the richest family’s son. But Anning isn’t interested. She insists on being with me and has cut ties with her family, refusing any family assets, living independently."

Mrs. Xiao got angry and smacked Xiao Yuan’s back: "You rascal, how could you do this? She broke ties with her family because of you, how heartless."

Xiao Yuan quickly soothed her: "Mom, don’t be mad, it wasn’t me who made that happen. Her parents and brother aren’t good people; they wanted to sell her for benefits. Whether she dated me or not, she would’ve cut ties eventually rather than be severely harmed by them."

He continued as he rubbed Mrs. Xiao’s back: "Mom, I truly love her. She’s the one for me. Rest assured, no matter what, I’ll be good to her. I’ll work hard and make sure she lives well."

What more could be said? Her son was willing, and as a mother, there wasn’t much to argue.

Besides, in this situation, it’s the girl who’s been sacrificed, and the family benefited greatly. Going forward, all they could do was treat her well, to avoid criticism for being unfair.