Chapter 235: Xiao Mo’s Brothers in the Capital

The next morning, Xu An and Xiao Mo prepared to go to Beijing University to inquire about their parents.

As Lin Hua led them out the door, Father Xu and Mother Xu returned from outside.

Seeing them, they asked in surprise, “Why are you two back? Where’s your sister?”

Xu An quickly replied, “Dad, Mom, my sister hasn’t returned yet. Xiao Mo and I came back to check things out.”

Xiao Mo ran over and hugged their parents, exclaiming, “Dad, Mom, we drove that old woman and her family away! Are you happy?”

Mother Xu asked in delight, “Really? Your dad and I came back to handle this matter. How did you manage to get them to leave?”

Just as Xiao Mo was about to start explaining, Xu An interrupted him, saying, “Mom and Dad, let’s talk inside!”

“Right, right! Mom and Dad, let’s go home first. Aunt Lin has already tidied up your room; it’s the same one you used to live in. You should go in and take a look!” Xiao Mo said, pulling them toward the backyard.

“Wow, look at this kid! He’s even more eager than we are!”

Mother Xu then turned to Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin, saying, “Hua, Xiumin, thank you both!”

Lin Hua quickly waved his hand and replied, “Sister, don’t say that. If it weren’t for the old man taking me in back then, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Father Xu laughed, saying, “You two don’t need to be polite here. We’re all family; let’s skip the formalities from now on.”

Father Xu and Mother Xu went to the back yard to take a look. It was almost the same as when they left, with the furnishings and furniture hardly moved at all.

The group sat in the living room chatting, and Xu An explained to their parents how they managed to get the house back.

They also discussed their concerns.

“Dad, I feel that old woman will definitely be unwilling to give up; she might come back to cause trouble,” Xu An said.

Father Xu scoffed, “In the past, I didn’t press the issue out of respect for your grandfather, but now that we’ve severed ties with her, there’s no need to spare her any consideration. If she dares to make a scene, I have my ways of dealing with her.”

The brothers felt reassured knowing their dad had a plan.

Lin Hua quietly asked, “Brother Xu, should we take out the things you had me hide when you left?”

After a brief discussion, Father Xu and Mother Xu decided it would be best to wait a little longer before retrieving the items. Those included the gold pieces left for them by their in-laws and some of Mother Xu’s jewelry. They felt that taking them out wouldn’t be particularly useful at the moment.

Currently, they weren’t short on money; when they arrived, Xiao Ning had given them some cash.

Additionally, Xu Yang had saved up a sum and had written them a letter a few days ago, indicating he would be sending the money over soon.

The school had also compensated them with part of their salaries, so they had quite a bit of money on hand. They decided it would be better to keep the gold for the kids.

Father Xu mentioned that he would handle the situation with old woman Xu, so the brothers didn’t worry about it. Every day, after breakfast, they rode Uncle Lin’s bicycle around to explore.

In just a few days, they had covered most of the capital city. Xiao Mo also made many new friends, with kids frequently coming over to play with him.

Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin said that in all these years, there hadn’t been many visitors at home, but now, with children coming over to play every day, the house was much livelier.

Xiao Mo had become close with the other kids, calling each other brothers. He was the big brother now, and there were already more than ten kids in line beneath him, with more joining in continuously.

Seeing him having so much fun and not wanting to leave, Xu An reminded him, “Xiao Mo, have you forgotten about Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu?

Last time Aunt Lu left, you said you would go visit her and cook for her in a couple of days. Why haven’t you done anything about it these past few days? You’re not being a very good son!”

Feeling a bit ashamed, Xiao Mo realized that Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu had been so good to him, yet he had been too caught up in playing to remember them.

Seeing him reflect on this, Xu An smiled and said, “Go pack a couple of pieces of clothing. I’ll take you over there tomorrow to stay for a couple of days. When you come back, we should be getting ready to leave ourselves.”

“Okay, second brother! I’ll go pack right now!”

In the afternoon, Xiao Mo bid farewell to his newly made brothers, saying he would be going to cook for Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu for a few days and would be back to play with them afterward.

His brothers were reluctant to see him go, insisting they would come to send him off the next day.

Xu An watched the boys at the door acting like they were putting on a grand performance, thinking to himself that it was just a few days away—why make it sound like a tearful farewell?

Two of the kids even had red eyes, pulling at him as they said, “Big brother, come back soon!”

Xiao Mo patted their shoulders and waved goodbye, saying, “Brothers, go back home! When I return, I’ll bring you some snacks.”

With that, he strode confidently ahead, while Xu An followed behind, feeling something was off. Why did he feel like Xiao Mo’s sidekick?