Chen Xiaopei chimed in as well. “Exactly. I regret it all the time. How did I end up giving birth to a little demon like Xiao Guang? It’s a pity Hu Zhi works in public service and we were only allowed one child. Otherwise, I would have loved to have a daughter like Wuyou.”
Hearing the couple praise Xiao Hua, Jiang Chan was genuinely happy. It proved that her way of raising Xiao Hua had been a success. While they were talking, Hu Xiaoguang came out with messy hair.
He was still half asleep, but the moment he saw Xiao Hua and Jiang Chan standing in the living room, all his drowsiness vanished.
“Jiang Wuyou, you’re here?”
Xiao Hua pursed her lips in a small smile. “Yes. For the next week, I’ll be troubling Uncle, Auntie, and Brother Xiao Guang to take care of me.”
Xiao Hua was a few months younger than Xiao Guang, so calling him brother did not cost her anything. Besides, having that word in front might make him feel embarrassed about pulling little tricks on her all the time.
This was something Jiang Chan had taught her. Calling someone by a polite title cost nothing. Just a flick of the tongue was enough. For the sake of peace over the coming week, Xiao Hua decided to endure it for now.
Hearing Xiao Hua call him brother, Xiao Guang immediately puffed up his nonexistent chest and patted it loudly. “Don’t worry. While you’re at our place, big brother will protect you.”
Xiao Hua played along smoothly. “Then thank you, Brother Xiao Guang.”
Having been thoroughly softened by two calls of brother, Xiao Guang floated off dreamily toward the kitchen in search of food. Seeing how easily Xiao Guang had been dealt with, Xiao Hua’s eyes lit up. It seemed she had finally found the correct way to handle him.
Hu Zhi and Chen Xiaopei, who had been watching the whole scene, exchanged a glance. Silly son. At the same time, their fondness for Xiao Hua deepened even more. Being smart was not frightening. As long as one was guided properly, it was better to be smart.
Xiao Hua went to her room and began placing her books neatly on the shelves. Chen Xiaopei followed to help. When she saw that the books Xiao Hua took out were all fifth grade textbooks, she was stunned.
She turned to Jiang Chan, who had followed in. “Auntie, Wuyou is only ten years old, right? She’s already in fifth grade?”
Xiao Guang, holding a fried dough stick, froze as well. The dough stick hovered in midair, forgotten.
“She can keep up, so I took her to sit for the grade skipping exam. She did fairly well,” Jiang Chan said, nodding. What she did not mention was that after Xiao Hua passed the exam, several teachers had competed to have her.
Hu Zhi overheard and immediately slapped Xiao Guang on the back. “Did you hear that? From now on, Wuyou is your senior. With your grades always scraping the bottom, you’d better learn from her.”
Xiao Guang nodded distractedly, still immersed in the painful realization that Xiao Hua was now a senior student. But when he recalled how Xiao Hua had called him Brother Xiao Guang earlier, he immediately perked up again.
He lifted his chin like a proud little rooster. “So what if she’s a senior? She still has to call me Brother Xiao Guang.”
Chen Xiaopei and Hu Zhi both looked at Xiao Guang. Seeing how high his tail was practically wagging, they decided not to tell him the truth just yet. Let the silly boy enjoy his daydreams for a few more days.
Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Chan gave Xiao Hua a few more instructions before hurriedly heading for the airport.
After experiencing train travel once, Jiang Chan no longer wanted to put herself through it again. Now that she was not short on money, buying a plane ticket was nothing to her. Three hours later, Jiang Chan appeared at the airport in the province.
She pulled a single suitcase and was dressed neatly and efficiently. Though she was alone, her presence was imposing. She was very familiar with this province, returning five or six times a year.
As soon as she exited the airport, a salesman from the factory greeted her with a smile like a blooming flower.
“President Jiang, you’re finally here. If there hadn’t been a client today, President Liu would have personally come to pick you up,” Xiao Liu said as he took Jiang Chan’s suitcase, stuffed it into the trunk, and attentively opened the back door for her.
This person was practically the stabilizing pillar of the factory. Without her technical skills, would the factory have developed this well over the past few years? And after she went to the capital, the factory had received even more orders.
Thinking of this, Xiao Liu’s smile grew even wider. He stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
“He can stay busy with his work. I came back this time to take a look at the workshop as well. I’ve had a few new ideas recently and need to come back and test them,” Jiang Chan said, leaning back in the seat and chatting casually with Xiao Liu.
Xiao Liu was also Liu Yuan’s nephew, though the relation was distant. After starting work, he had stayed at Liu Yuan’s factory the entire time and had personally witnessed the development of Xinxin Food Factory.
“President Liu will definitely be thrilled. He’s been waiting for you to come back,” Xiao Liu said fluently. As a salesman, there were few who could not talk well. Even introverted people, after a few years of training, learned how to speak appropriately in any situation.
It was September, and the weather was still warm. After getting into the car, Jiang Chan rolled down the window and felt the cool air rushing in as the car moved.
While waiting at a traffic light, Jiang Chan glanced out the window. On the crosswalk, a couple was about to cross the road with a child around seven or eight years old.
The boy looked plump and fair, and the couple’s clothes were decent enough. They looked oddly familiar. Jiang Chan stared for a long time before finally recognizing them.
Were these not the original host’s second son and daughter in law? Zhou Fugui and Wang Mei. The boy they were holding must be Zhou Xiaobao. Looking again at the clearly pampered child, Jiang Chan suddenly felt bored and detached.
Perhaps because she stared too long, Zhou Xiaobao, who had been looking around curiously, suddenly looked over and met Jiang Chan’s gaze. Jiang Chan looked at him calmly for a moment before shifting her eyes away.
The family of three looked happy and harmonious. They had probably long forgotten Xiao Hua’s existence. Jiang Chan indifferently withdrew her gaze and rolled the window back up. Seeing the light turn green, she reminded Xiao Liu, “We should go.”
Xiao Liu simply thought Jiang Chan was tired, and the car sped away.
At the crosswalk, Zhou Fugui suddenly frowned. “Did you feel like someone was staring at us just now?”
Wang Mei nodded. “I felt it too. I looked around but didn’t see who it was.”
Zhou Xiaobao said, “I saw that grandma. She was looking at us for a long time.”
Wang Mei slapped Zhou Xiaobao on the back. “What nonsense are you talking about? Don’t casually use the word grandma. Your grandfather will be unhappy.”
Five years had passed. Jiang Chan and Xiao Hua had become taboo in Zhou Dayou’s household. No one was allowed to mention them in front of him. They had already tacitly accepted that Jiang Chan and Xiao Hua were dead, and no one was permitted to speak of them.
Zhou Fugui curled his lip. “Alright, what’s the point of talking about this? They probably died somewhere outside long ago. Don’t ruin the mood. Xiaobao did well on his exam today. What do you want? Dad can reward you.”
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Thanks for the chapter!