Chapter 25

Ye Xiaoxiao ended up going out with Ye Changsheng, using the excuse of needing to familiarize herself with the village.

Although the village didn’t have many households, it was really big.

The courtyards of each household were quite far apart, so you wouldn’t hear anything from your neighbors at night.

Ye Changning carried the lunchbox, looking at Ye Xiaoxiao, who was struggling to walk, and couldn’t understand why she would come out to suffer in this cold weather.

When they were not far from the production team’s yard, someone suddenly called Ye Changning’s name from the side of the road.

“Ningzi, come here!”

Ye Changning recognized the face, and he didn’t know what he thought of, so he shoved the lunchbox into Ye Xiaoxiao’s arms.

“See that? The earthen wall ahead, with the red characters, that’s the production team’s yard. Go ahead and go in.”

Ye Xiaoxiao remembered that Ye Changning was betrayed and killed by his good friend in the original book. She immediately asked nervously, “Where are you going?”

Ye Changning: “I’m going to talk to my buddy for a bit.”

Ye Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. “Then come find me soon. I’m scared to walk alone.”

Ye Changning waved his hand. “Got it.”

Girls were so troublesome.

If it were a brother, he would have left him here.

Ye Changning and his friend left, clearly not just for a quick chat.

Ye Xiaoxiao carried the lunchbox towards the production team.

As she reached the entrance, she bumped into someone coming out.

Li Deshu’s eyes lit up. “Xiaoxiao, what are you doing here?”

Ye Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. “I’m here to deliver food.”

Li Deshu stopped her. “Who are you delivering food to? I’ll help you.”

He reached out to grab her hand.

Ye Xiaoxiao dodged his outstretched hand. “No need, I can find it myself.”

Li Deshu was usually surrounded by friends and had never been treated so coldly. He felt a sense of injustice, but it made him even more eager.

Facing such a beautiful face, he couldn’t get angry.

Li Deshu asked, “Xiaoxiao, have I offended you? Why do you always ignore me? How about we become friends?”

Ye Xiaoxiao’s tone was cold. “I don’t like making friends.”

Seeing Li Deshu still blocking her way, Ye Xiaoxiao kicked him.

“Ouch.”

While Li Deshu was holding his foot, she ran into the courtyard.

There weren’t many rooms here, so it was easy to tell who was where.

As soon as Ye Xiaoxiao entered the room, she saw Lu Hanchuan.

It was an office, with old desks and chairs, and no stove.

It was as cold as a cellar.

Lu Hanchuan: “Why are you here?”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “My mom asked me to bring you food.”

Lu Hanchuan stood up. “Let’s go. Go back to your house to eat.”

It was too cold here, not suitable for staying long.

Zhang Rengui, who was in the room, immediately assured him when he saw them leaving. “Don’t worry, Chief Lu. I’ll keep a close eye on him here.”

Lu Hanchuan nodded and left with Ye Xiaoxiao.

When they reached the entrance of the courtyard, Li Deshu was still there.

But he didn’t dare to approach them anymore.

Lu Hanchuan’s aura was like a sharp sword, no one dared to challenge it.

As they passed Li Deshu, he even took a step back.

Lu Hanchuan didn’t look in that direction, but he suddenly asked, “Was he waiting for you here?”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “I don’t know.”

Lu Hanchuan glanced at her.

On the way back, Lu Hanchuan walked ahead, and Ye Xiaoxiao followed behind.

He could block some of the wind.

When they were almost at the Ye family’s house, Lu Hanchuan said again, “The Ye family isn’t wealthy, and this place is far from the county. As far as I know, the only high school in the entire county is in Baichuan County. If you go to school, you’ll have to live in the dormitory, which will be very hard.”

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up at him, wondering why he was suddenly talking about this.

Lu Hanchuan: “I can help you transfer to a school in the capital city. Even if you don’t want to go back to your old school, you can choose any school. It’s better than the environment and teaching quality here.”

Ye Xiaoxiao finally asked, “Are we that close?”

Lu Hanchuan smiled. “I’m kind-hearted.”

Ye Xiaoxiao refused. “No need to go back to the capital city. I think it’s pretty good here.”

Actually, she was a little nervous. In the era she lived in, student accommodation conditions were already quite good.

Moreover, she had only lived in a dormitory during university, and her roommates were all adults at that time.

As for now… Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be.

But Lu Hanchuan knew that in the freezing cold, students living in dormitories might not even have hot water.

Someone like Ye Xiaoxiao, who obviously grew up pampered, wouldn’t be able to survive these six months easily.

“Then think about it again.”

Lu Hanchuan was sure she would ask him for help.

Although he hadn’t received a reply to his call for a month, he remained confident.

The two of them had been talking outside for a while, and they were both freezing. They didn’t warm up until they got back to the house.

There was a heated kang in the house, but it was only warm on the kang.

Because there was no stove, other parts of the house were very cold.

Iron stoves were expensive, and ordinary families couldn’t afford them.

Winter here was tough.

Ye Xiaoxiao still wore her padded jacket at home.

Lu Hanchuan was fine. Although he also felt cold here, he was not someone who couldn’t endure hardship.

But he had already decided that when he could leave Baishi Village, he would send some practical things over.

Ye Changning didn’t come back until almost nightfall. When he got home, everyone else had already finished dinner.

Zhang Xue, his sister-in-law, had left him some food.

Zhang Xue: “Why are you back so late?”

Ye Changning smiled sheepishly. “I forgot about time playing with my friends.”

Zhang Xue: “You’re such a troublemaker. Dad will scold you again.”

Ye Changning pouted. “There are other people at home. Dad probably won’t have time to scold me.”

Ye Xiaoxiao walked out of the east room. “Dad doesn’t have time to scold you, but Third Brother, you broke your promise. You said you’d come back with me.”

Ye Changning really had forgotten about Ye Xiaoxiao.

But he had never seen such a delicate person in the village. She could just go home by herself.

“Brother was busy with something important. And didn’t you find your way home?”

Ye Changning laughed. “When Brother makes money, I’ll buy you delicious food.”

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately became alert and said deliberately, “Third Brother, what important things can you do?”

“I’ll tell you a secret about making money. After the New Year, I’m not going to work at the forestry farm anymore. Third Brother is going out to see the world.”

Ye Changning was talking when Zhang Xue came over and knocked him on the head.

“Don’t talk nonsense. If Dad hears this, he’ll beat you up.”

“Sister-in-law, you can’t tell on me.”

Zhang Xue: “I don’t care about your business. Eat quickly, and wash the dishes after you’re done.”

Ye Changning knew that his family didn’t believe he could make money, but this time he was serious.

Gangzi said that he had relatives in coastal cities who were doing business and had made a lot of money.

What opportunities were there in this small mountain village? He had to go out and see the world.

Ye Xiaoxiao decided to ask a few more questions. “Third Brother, how do you make money?”

Ye Changning had indeed made a lot of money at the beginning, so this trip should be smooth sailing. There was no need to worry too much.