Chapter 82: What’s Wrong?

Hearing what Xiao Jie said, Jing Xi became even more curious.

Hurry up and say it!

“What kind of person is it?”

Jing Xi stared directly at Xiao Jie, her curiosity almost overflowing from her face.

She was thinking, Hurry up and say it! Say it already!

Xiao Jie’s face turned a little red as he clutched the soda bottle. “I don’t know how to say it. Talking about this kind of thing feels really embarrassing.”

Jing Xi was speechless. After waiting so long, this was all he had to say?

“…Then why did you even bring it up to tease me? Do you know how frustrating it is to only hear half the story—”

Xiao Jie quickly interrupted, “Then just pretend I never said anything!”

He really felt too awkward to say it out loud.

Jing Xi was about to lose her temper. Seeing her displeased expression, Xiao Jie immediately changed the subject. “Do you want some soda?”

Without waiting for a reply, he quickly popped open the bottle cap and handed it to her.

A fresh, fizzy soda scent burst from the small bottle opening—it smelled so sweet.

Soda.

Fine.

It tasted good.

And it was refreshing.

Jing Xi wiped the bottle’s rim and took a small sip.

When the two of them walked out of the kitchen, Jing Xi immediately noticed that Liang Chen and Liu Chun were sitting as far apart as possible—almost twenty meters apart, if they could.

Both of them were also drinking soda.

Jing Xi tucked the item Xiao Jie had given her into her pants pocket, then got ready to leave.

Seeing that she was about to go, Liu Chun quickly stood up as well. “I need to get back to school too. Xiao Jing, let’s go together.”

Jing Xi nodded. She was actually quite curious about Liu Chun’s situation.

But when she turned around, she saw a hint of disappointment on Liang Chen’s face. Still, he got up and grabbed his car keys. “I’ll give you two a ride.”

Jing Xi was just about to refuse, but Liu Chun spoke first. “No need, no need! It’s not far. You guys stay busy! We’ll head out first!”

After saying that, she slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, grabbed Jing Xi’s arm, and quickly walked out.

The two of them went straight to the hallway and headed downstairs.

Now, it was just the two of them.

Jing Xi could tell from Liu Chun’s little gestures that she had something to say, but she wasn’t in a hurry—she just waited.

Sure enough, less than thirty seconds later, Liu Chun tugged at her sleeve. “Xiao Jing, don’t tell my parents about today!”

Jing Xi glanced at her. “What happened today?”

Liu Chun hesitated. “Well… about me being at Liang Chen’s place.”

Jing Xi let out an “Oh.” “Why not?”

Liu Chun fumbled for an answer. “Uh… you know I’m still in high school. My parents wouldn’t let me date—they think I’m too young!”

Jing Xi squinted at her. “So, are you and Liang Chen dating?”

That fast?

Liu Chun immediately shook her head. “No, no, no! We’re not dating! We really just ran into each other on the street, and then he asked if I wanted to hang out for a bit, so I came.”

Jing Xi suddenly felt like teasing her. “He asked, and you just went? What if he had bad intentions?”

Liu Chun shot back without hesitation, “That’s impossible! We all know he has good character.”

Jing Xi, however, recalled what she had heard when dealing with Hong Qifu—that Liang Chen often visited certain red-light districts.

Whether he went there for the Long family’s business or for personal reasons, it was hard to stay completely clean in such places.

Even though the Long family had presented a mostly positive image to her so far, when it came to character, you could never truly know someone’s heart.

“So, do you actually like Liang Chen?”

Liu Chun bit her lip, her face turning bright red.

That was enough of an answer. Jing Xi understood immediately.

“Chun’er, it’s okay to have a crush, but you need to think about reality too. Right now, your priority is studying—romance isn’t something you need right now. If Liang Chen really likes you, he’ll wait for you to get into college. If he’s the right one, he won’t run away.”

Liu Chun nodded. “I know that studying is the most important thing. But…I just can’t help it sometimes. I really didn’t expect to run into him today.”

Jing Xi nodded. “As long as you remember to focus on school. By the way, how’s your sister doing? Still as serious about studying?”

Hearing about Liu Yan, Liu Chun’s expression brightened. “She’s really focused, but she’s not forcing herself to study all the time anymore. She even makes time to go for walks at the track now.”

Jing Xi was relieved. “That’s good! Your sister is definitely going to get into her dream university. And you need to work hard too—next year, it’ll be your turn! Remember, study hard. Nothing else matters right now.”

Liu Chun nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, I get it!”

After walking Liu Chun back to her school, Jing Xi headed to the bus station to return to the village.

On the way back, she reviewed the information on Kong Yi and Wang Xiaoli again.

If what Zhao Qin said was true—that she had hit her cousin because of Kong Yi—then when Kong Yi borrowed money and never repaid it, could he have used force to threaten Yuzhu too?

Yuzhu had been so afraid of Kong Yi whenever his name was mentioned. It seemed highly possible.

But where did Yuzhu even get that much money?

In 1977, when people were struggling just to have enough to eat, how did she manage to lend out 1,000 yuan?

1,000 yuan!

Even 100 yuan was a huge sum back then!

A rural girl who had never worked a day in her life could not only take money out of her own pocket to support her husband’s family when she got married but could also lend out a huge sum of one thousand yuan after their separation!

No matter how you looked at it, something didn’t add up!

Jing Xi had a gut feeling that Yuzhu was hiding some kind of secret.

But things like this could only be uncovered with time.

Even if she racked her brain, she still wouldn’t be able to figure it out.

The more she thought about Yuzhu, the less she could understand her.

Looking back at the years the original host had spent with Yuzhu, she hadn’t eaten well or dressed well. While she was never starved or physically abused, she was constantly sent out to work and help make ends meet.

Yet, Yuzhu somehow managed to turn around and lend someone a thousand yuan without hesitation?

Jing Xi couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling in her heart.

She didn’t believe that Yuzhu had truly loved her when she was a child.

If Kong Yi had forced Yuzhu into lending him the money, then that would be a different story.

Some things really shouldn’t be overanalyzed—because the more you think about them, the more suspicious details emerge.

Thinking about all the grievances this body had suffered in childhood, she felt more determined than ever.

No matter what, Kong Yi had to return that thousand yuan.

Once she finished her current tasks, she had to find a time to properly pay a visit to that family.

By the time she reached the village, it was dinnertime.

Jing Xi went to check on the house construction, but everyone had already gone home for their evening meal.

Only two stray cats had discovered some leftover scraps from lunch and were licking at them.

Jing Xi took a quick look at the progress, then turned and went back to the Liu family’s house.

Liu Jianchang and Zhang Rui had set aside a meal just for her.

After finishing her dinner and washing the dishes, she sat down and chatted with the couple for a while before returning to her own room.

Lying in bed, she tossed and turned.

In the end, when she still couldn’t fall asleep, she locked the door, drew the curtains, and entered her space.

She harvested the fully grown vegetables, but the refrigerator was already full with no more room to store them.

Just as she was wondering what to do, her gaze landed on a pack of hot pot seasoning off to the side.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

Something felt like it was missing in her stomach.

Why not have hot pot?

She pulled out a pot, washed the vegetables, and then went to check the freezer—what surprise ingredients did it have in store for her today?

Sure enough, as if the universe knew she wanted hot pot, the fridge contained lamb, beef, duck intestines, tripe, and other classic hot pot ingredients.

What about dipping sauce?

She wanted an oil-based dip.

Grabbing an empty bowl, she peeled some garlic, mashed it into a paste, added fragrant sesame oil and salt, then sprinkled in some chopped green onions and cilantro.

The mere sight of it had her mouth watering.