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墨書 Inktalez
When Qinglan and Xiang Yuanqiu returned to the town, Xiang Yuanqiu repeatedly invited Qinglan to her house for dinner before heading home. Initially, Qinglan intended to decline, but it happened to be lunchtime. It would be unreasonable to refuse her and then buy food from a stall in town right in front of her, or to go home on an empty stomach. That would be even worse; it takes an hour to walk home from the town, and she really wouldn't have the strength to walk on an empty stomach.
After having lunch at Xiang Yuanqiu's house and returning to Liu Family Village, it was already past three in the afternoon.
The sky was dark and gray, with remnants of unmelted snow still clinging to the pine trees on the mountain and the dry grass by the roadside. The cold wind was biting.
Clearly, it had just snowed here a few days ago.
Qinglan walked nervously into Liu Family Village along the hard path.
Countless times returning home had never made her feel as anxious and unsettled as this time, accompanied by some indescribable complex emotions swirling in her heart.
As she reached the gate of the courtyard, she ran into Liu Jiawei coming out.
"Lanlan is back!" Upon seeing Qinglan, he turned his head and shouted into the house with a bit of excitement on his face. This kind of happy expression was something he had never shown before, indicating that with his changing living environment and broadened horizons, his temperament had quietly transformed. He was beginning to understand how to express human emotions, and sibling affection now warmed his heart with longing and concern.
In the past, he could spend ten days or half a month outside without knowing what it meant to miss someone or what it felt like to miss family. After returning from outside, he would immerse himself in his own world, rarely showing warmth or care for his family, even for his only sister.
Although only a hint of happiness showed on his face, it made Qinglan feel warm inside.
After Qinglan entered the courtyard, he peered out like a thief towards the small path leading into the village.
Seeing no sign of An Shaojie seemed to relieve him.
"Brother, when did you come back?" Qinglan asked Liu Jiawei as she walked into the house.
She hadn't expected Liu Jiawei to return home before her. Before the holiday, they had spoken on the phone about their return times; Liu Jiawei's holiday started earlier than hers. However, he planned to help his master for a few days before coming back and took this opportunity to learn some things from him, so he would definitely return later than her.
It turned out that not only was Liu Jiawei studying in Shenzhen, but Qing Shusheng also helped him find an off-campus master while looking for schools for him. This master was a technical supervisor at a furniture factory nearing retirement age. Besides studying, Liu Jiawei spent his remaining time learning skills from this master to solidify his practical foundation.
Hearing Qinglan's question, Liu Jiawei's gaze flickered slightly as he avoided answering her: "I thought I’d come back early, so I didn’t go to my master’s."
Qinglan looked at Liu Jiawei in confusion and then tossed everything she was holding to him: "I'm exhausted; help me take this inside."
Liu Jiawei took the item from Qinglan's hand without any complaints.
He had been watching his younger sister from the entrance of the courtyard, so it was only natural for him to help her carry things.
Upon entering the main room, Grandma and Liu Xiuzhen came out to greet her.
"Where is Father?" Qinglan asked Qing Shusheng before she even sat down to have a sip of water.
"She loves him the most," Liu Xiuzhen said, tapping her forehead and addressing Grandma. "She never asks me; everyone else has their daughter's little cotton-padded jacket, but this daughter of mine has her father's little cotton-padded jacket."
Qinglan smiled charmingly at Liu Xiuzhen and took the cup of tea from Grandma's hand, gulping down a few sips.
"It shows that our Lanlan is a child with a conscience. Her father hasn't spoiled her for nothing; from day to night, he works hard, and now his children listen to him. He must feel gratified," Grandma said sweetly.
Just then, Qing Shusheng arrived, wearing an open-front cotton-padded jacket and cloth shoes, carrying a load of firewood. He dropped the load under the Old Locust Tree and leaned the firewood and carrying pole against the Locust Tree.
"I am surnamed Qing, just like my father. How can I not love him?" Qinglan retorted playfully to Liu Xiuzhen. "You complain about me being your daughter but let Brother take your surname?"
"Who is complaining about you?" Liu Xiuzhen replied with mock anger. "You little girl, you've always been like this. Who in this family doesn't dote on you?"
Qinglan pouted and turned towards the courtyard, only to see Qing Shusheng coming in with a two-pound yellowtail fish as if performing a magic trick.
"Where did that fish come from?" Liu Xiuzhen asked.
"When I was carrying firewood just now, I passed by the reservoir and saw an old man fishing by the water. I put down my load and watched for a while," Qing Shusheng said, raising the fish in his hand. "I happened to have some money in my pocket, so I bought it. We'll have fish soup tonight."
As soon as Qing Shusheng finished speaking, he turned to Qinglan: "Just in time for Lanlan to come back today."
Qinglan tugged at Qing Shusheng's clothes: "Father definitely knew I was coming back today and intentionally bought this fish. He probably even walked around the reservoir; there's no old man fishing there. It must be someone from another village catching fish for the New Year, and Father forcibly bought one."
Qing Shusheng laughed heartily: "You really think so? The Hou Family Village was fishing at that pond near the reservoir. I happened to pass by there, and the village chief insisted on giving me a fish. I checked my pocket and had just enough money, so without weighing it, I gave him some money as a token gesture and brought the fish back."
Liu Xiuzhen brought the fish into the kitchen, and Grandma followed her in.
After finishing the story, Qing Shusheng brushed off the dust on his clothes, took off his cotton jacket, and walked into the yard. He vigorously shook it against the Locust Tree a few times to get rid of the thorns stuck to it before putting it back on.
"Lanlan, weren't you supposed to come back yesterday?" Qing Shusheng asked as he returned to the main room.
"I stayed overnight at Lin Sister's house," Qinglan replied.
"Oh, Lanlan, you went to your Mother En's house?" Liu Xiuzhen asked with a smile as she peeked out from the kitchen upon hearing Qinglan's words.
"Yes," Qinglan said as she walked into the kitchen.
"How are your Mother En and Uncle Lin?" Liu Xiuzhen asked.
"They're fine," Qinglan replied. "Uncle Lin hardly has time to stay at home."
"I haven't seen Lin Xi in many years," Liu Xiuzhen continued. "Last time your Father left, I forgot to remind you to come back with Lin Xi."
Qinglan stood by the stove in the kitchen. "You didn't tell me that her Mother En and Dad were coming; otherwise, she would definitely have come back with me."
"Does Lin Xi have a boyfriend?" Liu Xiuzhen suddenly asked. Just then, Qing Shusheng and Liu Jiawei walked in. "Yes." Mentioning this topic made Qinglan lose her earlier enthusiasm; her expression immediately turned somber, and her voice lacked the previous liveliness.
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