Chapter 67: The Wind and Rain Cease as I Return to My Hometown

  Xue Xiang gazed at the little guy with eager eyes, a piece of apple cut into a pudding shape, almost reaching her lips. The little guy gave him a disdainful look and still ignored him. Seeing that the little guy was not giving him any face, he could only laugh and take it himself. With a flick of his wrist, the apple block flew accurately into his mouth, chewing with relish, as if savoring the most delicious taste. This time, the little guy was really annoyed. You're so heartless, won't you coax me for a bit? I don't want to eat it, and you actually ate it yourself!

  Xue Xiang's mouth was happily chewing, the little guy rushed into his arms, and his small mouth bit hard on his chest. This time, the little guy made a ruthless move, no, a ruthless mouth, it hurt so much that he gritted his teeth, "Ah" and the apple fragments in his mouth fell out, about to fall on the little guy's clothes. Xue Xiang's face changed greatly, afraid of provoking this little ancestor again, his hand moved like lightning, and with a slap, he swept the fragments away, but they coincidentally splattered on his own face, making him look like a clown. The little guy burst out laughing, delighted to see his teeth but not his eyes, his small face was like a flower in bloom, swaying gently in the spring breeze.

  The little guy was delighted, Xue let out a sigh of relief, and he didn't suffer in vain. With his skills, how could he have mistakenly hit the wrong target? It was just his own self-directed farce. Alas, he wasn't afraid of heaven or earth, but only her small tiger teeth. He tore open his clothes to take a look, and saw a deep red mark, with faint bloodstains showing through.

  The little guy also saw the red mark on Xue's body, and seeing that he had bitten his big brother hard, the little guy's happy smile suddenly fell. He opened up the clothes he had just put down, leaned his head close to the affected area, and gently blew air onto it to stop the pain. Xiao Xin regretted it extremely, Big Brother had just come back to life, what if he fainted again after being bitten so hard? The little guy thought about it more and more, his delicate willow leaf eyebrows were tightly locked, his mouth was downturned, and he looked like he was about to cry out loud.

  Xue Xiang quickly rubbed her head, handed over a heart-shaped apple slice, and the little guy's attention was diverted, not crying. Seeing that his brother had been bitten by himself and still gave him an apple, he couldn't bear to lose face, opened his mouth, took a bite, and started eating the apple. As for the matter of crying, let's talk about it later.

  Xue Xiang saw the little guy calm down, and looked up at Kang Tong and asked: "What about the girl who was locked in the cave with me? Which ward is she in now?" Earlier, he was busy comforting Xiao Shi and Xiao Wan, and the question that had been lingering in his mind wasn't convenient to ask. Now that he had a chance, he couldn't help but ask again.

  As soon as this question came out, three people showed a ambiguous smile, even the usually honest Kang Tong also smiled slyly.

  "Third Brother, your heroic rescue of the beauty is truly impressive, this move is also extremely poisonous. Such a prominent big sister, I've been to all four corners of the city for over a decade and haven't met another one like her. I'm impressed, brother! You don't know that when you were sleeping, reporters from the People's Daily came to take photos of the rescued nurse, but as soon as they saw how stunning she was, our leader said that this photo couldn't be taken or published in the paper, it would have a bad influence. Who knows, some people with ulterior motives might misunderstand our people's hero." Zhu Shijun chattered on and on, glancing at Xue Yang with a sly smile that was hard to bear.

  Xue Xiang was looked at by everyone with some embarrassment, and he forced a smile: "I asked you where the person went, do I need to use such white words on you?"

  "I know, I know! The pretty sister who moved in with you was discharged from the hospital yesterday and even came by here on her way out?" The little guy was lying in Xue's arms eating an apple when he suddenly popped out and answered loudly.

  It's all right, Xue's hanging heart finally put down, he knew that Liu Ying'er's face was tender and she could come to see him, which already took extremely great courage.

  Xue Xiangzheng was chatting with everyone when Xiao Wan came in carrying a large bowl of wontons, followed by Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi wasn't wearing his hospital gown and had a rosy complexion, clearly much recovered. Xue Xiang was delighted to see this and took the bowl from Xiao Wan, finishing it off in just three or four mouthfuls. After visiting the Temple of the Five Organs, he got out of bed, looking refreshed and fully recovered. He hadn't been seriously ill in the first place, just suffering from low blood sugar and mild dehydration, which would have been easily treated with a few bowls of porridge before Liberation.

  He didn't want to stay in the hospital for another moment, who knows how many people would come if they knew he was awake. What he feared most was the commotion of welcoming and sending off, it was fine if it were just his friends, but if reporters from various newspapers came, that would be a disaster. Xue called out to everyone, packing up their things, big bags and small bags, carrying a large pile of fruit, leaving behind a floor full of flowers, without even saying goodbye, they slipped away quietly.

  Xue Xiangyi and others had just arrived home, tidied up the house, and it was already past four o'clock in the afternoon. Before they could even sit down, a group of kids came rushing over, scaring Xue Xiangyi so much that he trembled with fear, thinking that some reporters had come to interview him. He didn't know that his glorious deeds were considered trivial by these young soldiers, and they didn't even know about it. It turned out that the TV at Xue's house hadn't been working for days because no one was home, so when they heard that Xue's house was open again, a group of kids rushed in. Twenty or thirty kids stared at Xue with wide eyes, not saying a word, implying "it's up to you now, we've waited long enough, don't be ungrateful".

  Xue Xiang couldn't help but laugh, waving his hand, "Go ahead and move, you won't be moving back tonight, let them get a good look."

  "Oh, oh, oh..." The earth-shaking cheers rose, and the first few kids rushed into Kangtong's room, moving TVs, pulling wires, this set of procedures was done with ease. The remaining kids followed out in a swarm, another round of shouting and calling out to their grandparents.

  After the noise subsided, the old Xu family house returned to calmness. Xiao Wan and Xiao Yi each went back to their rooms to rest. These past few days, both siblings were ill, busy with work, and were extremely exhausted. The little one, of course, refused to leave Xu Xiang's arms and go back to her room. However, she wasn't much better off herself, and before long, she began snoring softly as she entered dreamland. Fortunately, she fell asleep quickly, because Xu Xiang was already burning up with fever, his arm wrapped around the little one was drenched in sweat. Seeing that she had fallen into a deep sleep, he hastily put her back in her room, turned on the electric fan for her, and casually picked up a few packs of cigarettes before returning to the main hall.

  Kang Tong and three others scattered around the electric fan, one of whom grabbed a bottle of iced soda water and blew it hard. With the refrigerator, they were having a more enjoyable summer than anyone else. Xue Xiang raised his hand and tossed over three aluminum boxes, scattering them in all directions like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers. The three cigarette boxes landed precisely in front of each of them, and the three men caught them with ease.

  "Third Brother, don't even mention it, this cigar is really great to smoke. Last time I smoked one, I even dreamed about it at night. Where did you buy it?" Lei Xiaotian recognized the cigarette box and saw that it was the same aluminum box as last time. He hastily opened one for himself and lit it up, then tossed one each to Kang Tong and Zhu Shijun.

  "This can't be bought, I'll tell you the truth today, so that you won't suspect anything. This is a famous...". The "No. 2" that Xue Xiang handed over to the three of them was actually obtained from Jiang Chao Tian through threats and deception. After getting the six cigars he treasured, he sealed up the remaining five and opened one package for each of the three people to enjoy. Everyone enjoyed the treatment like a leader, smoking until they were drunk with praise. Xue Xiang didn't tell the three people about the origin of the cigarettes in detail, only letting them smoke at home without taking them out to show off. Lei Xiao Tian had asked once before and was brushed off by him casually. This time, seeing Lei Xiao Tian bringing it up again, Xue Xiang made a systematic explanation of the cigarette's origin, his treasured degree, and the consequences of revealing it.

  After listening to Xue Xiang's confession, the three of them were stunned. Even Lei Xiaotian, who had the thickest nerves, was also stunned, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape with a cigar stuck to his lower lip, trembling with fear. The news was truly shocking, as if ten million thunderbolts had exploded in their ears. The great leader was like a god to them, and they were honored to have tried the cigars he used, which were imperial products. They felt stimulated, excited, and terrified, with a thousand emotions surging up at once.

  "Xiao Kang, old pig, return the cigar I gave you, I've changed my mind!" Lei Xiao Tian was the first to come back to his senses and let out a loud howl. After finishing his howl, he pounced on Zhu Shi Jun, wanting to take back the cigar he had casually handed over. He chose to attack Zhu Shi Jun after some thought; Kang Tong's fighting skills were still above his own, so he could only start with this bookworm first. As for Kang Tong, he would have to use emotional tactics a bit later.

  Zhu Shijun was a sly thief. He had long known that Lei Xiaotian was a bit of an idiot. When he heard Xue Xiang tell him about the preciousness of cigars, he had already made preparations to run away with them. As soon as Lei Xiaotian stood up, Zhu Shijun slipped behind the sofa and poked his head out to sneer at Lei Xiaotian: "You're really shameless, Lei! You don't even know how to give a cigar properly - you want it back after giving it away? Don't you have any face?"

  Lei Xiaotian was completely unprepared to show his face, raised his hand and extinguished the lit cigar, carefully putting it back in the aluminum box. "Old pig, you can say whatever you want, but this treasure, you must return it to me. I need to take it home to worship, if you know what's good for you, quickly hand it over."

  Zhu Shijun was not someone who could be intimidated by a few words, and he ignored the threat. One person was stubborn, the other refused to give in, and the two of them chased each other around the sofa. Xue Xiangsheng was afraid that they would wake up Little Zu, and he himself would get into trouble. Weighing the two evils and choosing the lesser one, he hastily stopped the two people who were chasing each other, took out his wallet, and compensated Lei Xiaotian for three cigarettes. Only then did the commotion subside.

  "Ding ding ding, ding ding ding....." The phone on the square table in the hall rang. This was a gift from Old Wang to Xue Xiawen after he became an advisor to An Ban. His family originally had a phone, but unfortunately, it was removed along with his uncle's downfall. Since installing this new phone, the little guy transformed into a telephone superhero, randomly dialing numbers and talking to whoever answered, regardless of who they were. Fortunately, most people on the other end of the line were upper-class individuals who didn't scold her for her mysterious calls. Occasionally, she even met someone with a good temper who would chat with her for a few sentences, letting her satisfy her cravings. However, having only outgoing calls and no incoming ones was not enough to satisfy the little guy. She then made a rule that whenever there was an incoming call, she had to be the one to answer it.

  Lei Xiaotian was about to pick up the phone when Xue Xiang stopped him. Just as Xue Xiang was about to tell the little guy to answer it, he heard a childish voice coming from his room: "No one is allowed to answer, let me do it, let me do it..." As soon as the words were spoken, the little guy pattered over, barefoot and running.

  "Hello? This is the home of Xue Xiang, Xue Wan, Xue Yi and me. Who are you looking for?"

  The little guy is polite and courteous, don't know where he learned it. Everyone watching her perform can't help but laugh, this phone call was made for Xue Xiang, only a few people know this number, who else would they look for at this time?

  The little guy turned back and gave everyone a white eye, then said: "What, you're looking for Xue Xiang? Ah, you don't follow the rules, you should ask who I am."

  The voice on the phone suddenly disappeared, probably because of the sudden question from Little Devil, which made him dizzy. Xue Xiang couldn't bear it anymore and smiled as he took the phone from the little guy's hand, and there was sound again on the other end. The little guy glared at him with dissatisfaction, pouted, and ran back to his room.

  The phone was called by Old Wang, saying that General An Lao wanted to see him. Xue Xiang had expected the call and arranged for Kang Tong and three others to prepare dinner. He changed into his military uniform and went out.