Chapter 426 – Fiery People and Love
“Brother Xiangbei, I missed you so much too,” Huang Minyue whispered into Xu Xiangbei’s ear.
In this era and among these fiery-hearted people, if you miss someone, you should just say it out loud. There’s no need to feel shy.
Holding Huang Minyue, Xu Xiangbei inhaled her fragrance, feeling immensely content in that moment.
In the past, Xu Xiangbei thought it wouldn’t matter if he never married or never found someone he truly liked.
Back then, he didn’t understand the sweetness of his older brother and sister-in-law’s relationship.
He felt he had family and a business, and his life was fulfilling and satisfactory.
He thought that even if he lived like this his whole life, he would be just fine.
Until he met Yueyue…
Having tasted the various flavors of love—the sweetness, the bitterness, the joy of being in love, the pain of parting, the bitterness of longing, and the satisfaction of this embrace—he realized how foolish he had been with his previous thoughts.
Meeting Yueyue made him realize that his life had always been incomplete until now.
Embracing the girl in his arms, the missing piece was finally filled, and he felt a sweet joy.
Xu Xiangbei could imagine that once he married Yueyue, his life would be even sweeter and better.
“Brother Xiangbei, let’s go inside,” Huang Minyue said, though she wanted to stay in his embrace a bit longer. Still, feeling a bit shy and mindful of being in public, she suggested they go inside.
Xu Xiangbei smiled, “Alright, let’s go inside.”
The return of Xu Fanghua, Xu Jinning, and the others undoubtedly made Xu Aiguo, Zhang Ailian, and the rest very happy.
Considering that Song Yi hadn’t returned from abroad yet, and today was a day for family reunions.
The Song family, after discussing it, decided to cook together at Xu’s house, and in the evening, both families had dinner there.
Of course, this arrangement was also considerate of Xu Fanghua.
They feared that during such times, she might miss Song Yi too much.
With both families gathered together, the lively atmosphere helped Xu Fanghua shift her attention away.
At home, Xu Jinning’s mood was undoubtedly good. She was in a relaxed state, with no studying or work to worry about. Each day, she enjoyed her mother’s delicious meals, sometimes helping her brother and sister-in-law with the children, other times assisting her mother with shopping and cooking, or visiting the orchard to check on the fruit trees her brother and sister-in-law had planted, and occasionally helping her second brother sell clothes at the market…
She also visited the construction site to see how the elementary school was progressing.
Over the past few months, the foundation had long been laid, and now the first floor was under construction.
Given that this was the first elementary school in Qinghe Village, and everyone understood the importance of education, the school was naturally important.
So, the construction site had many visitors every day, including the elderly and children.
They were all looking forward to the school being completed soon, so the little ones could start attending classes.
They could even imagine how excited and happy they would be when the school was finished, gazing at the new building, with everyone likely to be moved to tears.
Xu Jinning looked at the smooth, paved roads, the bustling traffic, and the ongoing construction of the school… Seeing all this, she truly felt that Qinghe Village was developing increasingly well.
And with the efforts of everyone in the village, its future would undoubtedly be even brighter.
As for Huang Minyue, she came to Qinghe Village because she missed Xu Xiangbei. Now that she had finally arrived in Qinghe Village, the place where Xu Xiangbei grew up, she naturally wanted to explore the village and spend time with him.
Whenever Xu Xiangbei had free time, he would take Huang Minyue around the village.
There was no doubt that rural areas were different from cities. Rural development lagged behind urban areas, especially when compared to Beijing, the capital, where Huang Minyue was from. Qinghe Village couldn’t compete with Beijing.
But Huang Minyue found that Qinghe Village had its own charm.
There were beautiful landscapes, fresh air, and warm-hearted villagers. The collective effort of everyone in the village, all working towards the betterment of Qinghe Village, deeply touched Huang Minyue.
She also noticed an interesting point: the Xu family seemed to hold a somewhat elevated status in Qinghe Village.
Almost everyone in the village had a very favorable impression of the Xu family.
This was partly due to the Xu family’s leadership in the village’s development and also because the Xu family members themselves were genuinely good people.
And then there was…
Jinning!
Yes, another reason was Xu Jinning.
Or rather, Xu Jinning’s status in Qinghe Village was particularly exceptional. Many of the elders and children regarded Xu Jinning almost like a celestial being.
Initially, Huang Minyue thought this might be a metaphor, perhaps due to Jinning’s kindness.
But after hearing the elders talk about Jinning’s past fortune and the people who had directly or indirectly received her help, Huang Minyue realized that this wasn’t just a metaphor. They genuinely believed it.
So, was Jinning really a celestial being descended to earth?
That evening, Huang Minyue curiously asked Xu Xiangbei about it.
Xu Xiangbei smiled and said, “I’ve heard that rumor for a long time. Ningning does have good fortune, but…”
Xu Xiangbei’s expression turned serious as he said, “Ningning is truly like a lucky star for our family and for the entire Qinghe Village.”
“You can’t imagine what our family and the village would be like without Ningning.”
“Perhaps, we might never have met.”
Xu Xiangbei spoke of possibility, but in reality, if it weren’t for Ningning, they definitely wouldn’t have met.
Because he might have died several years ago.
If he had died, how could he have gone to Beijing and met and fallen in love with Yueyue?
“And Ningning is so pure, never asking for anything in return. That’s another reason why we all like her so much.”
“Because she is truly wonderful.”
Huang Minyue found this a bit mystical, but she believed Xu Xiangbei wouldn’t lie. Of course, she also thought Xu Jinning was great. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such an effort to talk and get along with Jinning back in their same class. While Jinning’s looks played a role, it was her character that mattered most.
About a third of the way through the summer vacation, Xie Ting’an received a call from Beijing and immediately informed Xu Jinning that there had been a resolution regarding Lin Wangshu.
As Xie Ting’an had predicted, Lin Wangshu had returned home.
She had gone back to her biological parents in Haishi.
She had gained her freedom, though it wasn’t complete freedom. There would be someone monitoring her in the shadows, which, while being surveillance, also served as protection.
