Chapter 166: Brought His Wife Back

As Xu Yang and Li Na reached the town’s archway, they saw Old Chen chatting with a few elderly men under the shade of a tree.

Xu Yang quickly approached to greet him. “Grandpa Chen, when are you heading back to the village? My wife and I would like to catch a ride with you.”

Old Chen, seeing him, smiled and said, “Comrade Xu, I’ve been waiting for you both.”

“Xu Zhiqing, told me yesterday that you two would return today and might miss the ride, so he asked me to leave a little later to wait for you. Hop on, and we’ll head back to the village now.”

Xu Yang placed the luggage on the ox cart and said with a smile, “Grandpa Chen, thank you so much for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all. Just sit tight, you two.”

The ox cart slowly started its journey toward the village. Old Chen smiled and asked, “Comrade Xu, how long will you and your wife be staying here this time?”

Xu Yang replied, “Grandpa Chen, we can stay for ten days this time. I haven’t been here for two years, so I’m mainly here to visit my sister’s kids.”

“Your sister’s triplets are doing so well! Just the other day, Xiao An brought the boys out to play. They’ve grown so handsome.”

“They’re only a year old, and they’re already taking a few steps. Tang Tang is so well-behaved too. She smiles at everyone, making her so lovable.”

Xu Yang and Li Na smiled as they listened to him praise the triplets.

When Old Chen had to take the ox cart to the cattle shed, he brought them to the educated youth courtyard. Xu Yang grabbed a handful of candy and handed it to him.

Old Chen quickly said, “Oh my, this is too much. Two pieces would be enough. Take the rest back for the kids.”

“Grandpa Chen, just take it. This is wedding candy from my wife and me, a sweet treat for you.”

Old Chen finally accepted the candy and smiled, “Alright then, since it’s wedding candy, I’ll take it. You two should hurry home now; your sister must be eagerly waiting.”

Xu Yang, carrying the luggage, led Li Na as they walked back. Li Na curiously looked around, “This place is quite nice, with beautiful mountains and clear waters.”

“It really is. Especially in the fall, there’s plenty of mountain produce, and in the spring, there are all kinds of wild vegetables. Here, as long as you’re not lazy, you won’t go hungry.”

Seeing that there was no one around, Xu Yang lowered his voice and added, “In winter, you can even go hunting in the mountains. Just a couple of years ago, Xiaotang hunted eight wolves in one go, and my sister made a lot of jerky to send to me.”

Li Na asked curiously, “Who’s Xiaotang?”

“Oh, that’s my brother-in-law! We had planned to come back together, but recently, he wrote me saying he had a mission and wasn’t sure when he’d return. He told me to come first and not wait for him.”

“He’s that skilled? He can take down eight wolves by himself?” Li Na asked in surprise.

Before Xu Yang could respond, they reached the door. He gave it a push, but it was locked from the inside.

Happily, he shouted, “Xiao Ning! Xiao Ning! Your brother’s back! Niu Pi Tang, your uncle’s here to see you all!”

Li Na, who had always seen him as calm and composed in the army, was surprised by how lively he suddenly became here.

Xu Ning was in the courtyard picking vegetables. Upon hearing his voice, she immediately ran to open the door.

Xu Yang, carrying two large bags, grinned at the sight of Xu Ning running out. “Xiao Ning, your brother’s back, and I’ve brought your sister-in-law too!”

Xu Ning’s smile almost faltered when she heard that. She gave him a quick glare.

What does he mean by “brought her sister-in-law back”? Xiao Mo wasn’t wrong—this older brother really doesn’t know how to talk!

Xu Ning smiled and said to Li Na, “Sister-in-law, you must be tired after such a long journey. Come inside and rest.”

With that, she took one of Li Na’s smaller bags and led her inside. Xu Yang, after receiving a glare, scratched his nose and followed them in, carrying the two large bags.

Li Na didn’t mind Xu Yang’s words and smiled at Xu Ning. “I’m fine, not tired at all.”

She then glanced around the courtyard. The space was quite large. Aside from a small open area near the door, the rest of the yard was filled with neatly tended vegetable patches. The place was clean and well-organized.

In the open area by the door, there was a small bed. The bed had been surrounded by barriers, with cloth tied around the edges, likely to prevent the little ones from getting hurt.

On the small bed stood three adorable little kids, staring at them wide-eyed as they came in.

Xu Yang quickly dropped the luggage by the door and moved toward the children, ready to scoop them up.

Li Na hurriedly stopped him, saying, “We’ve been on the road for days. Who knows how dirty we are? Let’s wash up before holding them.”

Hearing his wife’s words, Xu Yang sniffed himself and realized he did smell quite bad.

Smiling at the triplets, he said, “You three wait for me, okay? Uncle will come and play with you after I take a bath.”

Xu Ning laughed and said, “Brother, Sister-in-law, there’s hot water on the stove. You two go take a bath, and I’ll cook some noodles for you.”