“Why didn’t any of you help speak up, leaving your old mother to perform alone!”

Everyone had stood there like fools, unable to help – just thinking about it made Grandmother Xia angry.

“Mother, we still need to do business in front of No. 1 High School… Making such an ugly scene isn’t good for the shop.”

Grandmother Xia rolled her eyes, wanting to say ‘why do you care about your brother-in-law’s business,’ but since they were resting in Zhang’s restaurant’s backyard and though Zhang Manfu and Jiang Lianxiang were in the front shop, it wasn’t appropriate to say this in front of Zhang Cui herself.

Grandmother Xia didn’t know that “Zhang’s” was Xia Changzheng and his wife’s business, but everyone else knew. Seeing that Principal Sun was already quite unhappy today and worried about affecting Zhang’s business, how could Xia Changzheng and Zhang Cui dare to stick their necks out?

Xia Changzheng could stand up for his brother’s justice, but Xia Dajun not only hadn’t filed a report but had disappeared, leaving Xia Changzheng hanging. With Principal Sun testifying that Xia Dajun had injured himself, and the police coming and going, this incident couldn’t be used to trouble Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan. Xia Changzheng was furious.

In the end, forget about getting Liu Fen imprisoned, they hadn’t even gotten any medical expenses – the hospital bills were paid from Xia Changzheng’s own pocket!

Moreover, as uncle and aunt, how could he and Zhang Cui criticize their niece? Only Grandmother Xia had the right to confront Xiaolan… but she didn’t win. What could Xia Changzheng say? If the family didn’t leave quickly, they might get beaten by those excited students! Since moving to the county town, all the vendors Xia Changzheng supplied had treated him with respect – this was his first time losing face so badly.

A rift had also grown between Xia Ziyu and Wang Jianhua.

Wang Jianhua thought, outsiders’ harsh words were one thing, but he and Xia Ziyu had indeed wronged Xia Xiaolan in matters of love. Yet Grandmother Xia had publicly accused Xiaolan of seducing her brother-in-law, finally provoking Xiaolan and making everyone lose face.

When Xiaolan finally said she would find a better match, Wang Jianhua’s face burned with shame.

Xia Ziyu had also lost face.

Though she had indeed stolen Wang Jianhua, she didn’t want to bear such a reputation.

Yet Xiaolan had said it in front of everyone, and Wang Jianhua hadn’t spoken up to explain – how could Xia Ziyu deny it? If she denied it, Xiaolan might pull out Wang Jianhua’s “love letters” and read them publicly… Xiaolan was shameless enough to do such a thing!

Both young lovers were unhappy, and Wang Jianhua even asked Xia Ziyu:

“When are we leaving? Only ten-some days left of winter break, and I still need to visit the farm.”

“…Day after tomorrow. Building, see how chaotic things are at home, let’s stay in Anqing one more day.”

Wang Jianhua reluctantly agreed.

He had no choice – his saved living allowance had been spent on gifts for Xia’s family, and he needed Xia Ziyu’s money to visit his parents at the farm. Originally Wang Jianhua could deceive himself, but after Xiaolan demanded repayment at White Stream Temple’s entrance, he felt like a kept man. He and Ziyu were in love now, but if they had a falling out, would Ziyu learn from Xiaolan and demand repayment?

His Wang family had once been prominent, and he’d grown up pampered. After fortunes changed, he went from “Young Master Wang” to “Educated Youth Wang.” Getting into university wasn’t enough – he still faced all kinds of embarrassment.

Wang Jianhua desperately wanted success.

Zhang Cui found a chance to pull her daughter aside for private words:

“Will there be any impact with Principal Sun?”

Principal Sun, though not young, was a refined school leader – who’d have thought he’d also be enchanted by that little vixen Xiaolan and take her side? Zhang Cui knew better than Xia Changzheng how Zhang’s restaurant had opened – without Principal Sun, how could a rural woman like her get such a storefront?

Xia Ziyu knew there would be an impact but couldn’t worry Zhang Cui by saying so.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go explain to Principal Sun again. Oh, about the money you prepared for me – I need to take it now, just 5,000 yuan.”

The snack shop was their first pot of gold.

Xia Ziyu also feared business would decline, with more trouble coming and competitors watching like tigers. “Zhang’s” future was truly uncertain. If she didn’t get the money now, once business declined, her parents wouldn’t be willing to give her such a large sum.

Zhang Cui was already reluctant.

But Xia Ziyu was the family’s hope, so Zhang Cui nodded painfully:

“Alright, Mom will withdraw the money tomorrow.”

By evening, there were no more buses to Shangdu.

Xia Xiaolan and the Liu Yong couple walked two streets over to find Liu Fen holding Taotao and looking around.

“Didn’t I tell you to return to Shangdu first? You’ve been holding this stinky boy all afternoon?”

“Taotao said he was sleepy, so I carried him.”

Liu Fen had left through the fast food restaurant’s back door – how could she go to Shangdu without concern? She knew too well how unreasonable the Xia family could be. Watching the commotion from afar, seeing the police come and go without taking anyone away, Liu Fen told herself things were fine.

Liu Yong took his son, worried he’d catch a cold sleeping outside, and quickly woke him.

The family was exhausted. The state-run restaurant wasn’t operating on the fourth day of the New Year, so they simply found a guesthouse to stay in, paying extra for some food – just steamed buns and noodles, no fancy meals available.

After washing up and getting in bed, mother and daughter had a room to themselves, and Xiaolan told of Xia Dajun’s “disappearance.”

Liu Fen breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“It’s good he left. He’s still your father – if he kept coming to school, people would gossip.”

One righteous rejection was fine, even two or three times didn’t matter, but what if Xia Dajun blocked the school entrance every day? If he put on a show of remorse, over time, the teachers and students now supporting Xiaolan might start sympathizing with him. All that talk about no parents being completely wrong, about forgiveness – Xiaolan could imagine it all.

Then she’d have to stay home and study alone, no longer appearing at County No. 1 High School, waiting until July to directly take the exam!

After this scene, Xiaolan had planned to reduce her school visits, only attending important tests like the upcoming crucial pre-examination before the college entrance exam. Whether one qualified for university depended on passing the pre-examination score threshold.

Originally planning to return to Shangdu on the fourth day of the New Year, because of this drama, the family had to spend a night in an Anqing guesthouse, taking the next morning’s bus back to the provincial capital.

The business notice said they’d open on the fifth, and regardless of that day’s business, as owners, they should try to keep their word.

After getting off the bus, they headed straight to Er Qi Road. The whole family worked together to clean up, finishing near noon. While still mopping, customers came in to try clothes, and they sold two pairs of pants and a sweater that morning. Xiaolan joked they’d earned their lunch money, but Liu Fen told her to hurry and take their bags home first.

Their luggage from Qi Jing Village, besides a change of clothes, consisted of various gifts from villagers – roasted peanuts, pickled vegetables, and such.

Xiaolan used her key to open the door, and the courtyard gate was pulled open from inside.

“Happy New Year, Grandmother Yu!”

Grandmother Yu nodded, though her face wasn’t exactly dark, it wasn’t particularly pleasant either:

“Weren’t you supposed to return yesterday? I thought you weren’t renting this place anymore!”