Volume 1: Rebirth Chapter 80: Warmth

  Everyone, including Feng Yuhua, was shocked with their mouths wide open, completely unable to believe what they were seeing. How could Liu Jianjun be in Mayor Leng's car? Had he already established a connection with Mayor Leng without anyone knowing?

  He got off the car, with a smile all over his face, and bowed to the people in the car, saying: "Mayor Leng, please rest assured that I will definitely handle this matter well. Okay, I'll definitely pass it on to them, yes, yes, okay, you can rest assured." After finishing speaking, he took a few steps back, left the car, but still didn't straighten his waist, and kept looking at the car with a very respectful attitude.

  Feng Yuhua and they could only faintly see Leng Yun's figure from the slightly lowered car window.

  Leaders who are not summoned to come forward on their own initiative are committing a major taboo, so even if Feng Yuhua wanted to go up and greet Mayor Leng, she could only think about it.

  Liu Jianjun was extremely flattering in front of Leng Yun, even more so than Sunzi, but instead of feeling contemptuous, everyone couldn't help but feel envious and resentful that he had such an opportunity.

  The car slowly started and drove away, Liu Jianjun still maintained that posture, motionless until the car went far away and disappeared from sight. Only then did Liu Jianjun straighten up, turn around and look at the stunned crowd behind him, with unspeakable joy and excitement in his heart. With a wave of his hand, he said with great fanfare: "Mayor Leng is here to handle private matters this time, and is in a hurry, so he won't meet with everyone. Let's go back, and after we get back, we'll immediately hold a party committee meeting, where there will be important instructions from Mayor Leng that need to be conveyed to everyone." After speaking, he put his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, held his head high, and savored the envious glances of others as he walked towards the Jeep.

  The crowd behind him rushed to follow in his footsteps, completely ignoring the county head Feng Yuhua who had just been surrounded by them, even though two of them were relatives of the Feng family. Reality is cruel, even if Liu Jianjun and Mayor Leng really didn't have any relationship, but Mayor Leng would handle private matters with Liu Jianjun in the car, which left a lot of room for imagination, let alone that Liu Jianjun had important instructions from Mayor Leng to convey, it seemed that Secretary Liu was taking the initiative, and he should be more careful, it seemed that he had taken sides too early.

  Since seeing Liu Jianjun get off the number two bus, Feng Yuhua's heart had sunk. It wasn't that he didn't understand, it was just that the world was changing too fast - wasn't this Liu Jianjun one of Hong Gang's people? How did he so quickly cozy up to Mayor Leng? This sudden and unexpected turn of events was really too sudden, leaving his mind a jumbled mess, unable to make sense of it all.

  "Village head Feng, let's go, we're waiting for you." Seeing that Feng Yuhua was still standing there, someone on the car urged him.

  "Damn it, they're all wall grass!" Feng Yuhua cursed under her breath, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and got on the bus with a huff. If it were in the past, those good-for-nothing dogs would still be waiting there obediently, and no one would dare get on the bus unless she did, let alone urge her to do so. Alas, people's hearts are not what they used to be.

  The car got on the 108 National Highway, and the speed picked up immediately. The 108 National Highway was built with investment from the government and Feiyuan Company, and the road conditions have improved a lot. The road surface is a two-way six-lane highway, very flat, paved with good asphalt, and the car drives very comfortably on such a road. Moreover, in this era, most people take public transportation, and it's rare to have private cars. There aren't many vehicles on the road, unlike later generations, where traffic jams are common. Therefore, before long, they arrived at the Municipal Government's residential compound.

  All the way, Xiaowei stared at the scenery outside the window without blinking, although she was not taking a bus for the first time. Last time Zhu Jianjun picked her up in Xichang, she also took a more luxurious Mercedes-Benz, but that feeling still made her very curious.

  As the car drove into a courtyard with guards at the gate, the guards not only opened the railing but also saluted in unison to the car she was riding in. Wei couldn't help but feel a little nervous again - would this new home welcome her?

  The car turned left and right, stopping in front of a two-story courtyard door. As soon as the car stopped, Du Guoping got out of the car and opened the door for Leng Yun'ai, with his right hand still on the roof to prevent Leng Yun'ai from hitting her head when getting out of the car.

  "Xiao Wei, we're home." Lingyun pulled Xiao Wei out of the car and pointed at the house, saying: "This is our home now, do you like it, Xiao Wei?"

  Xiao Wei was too busy looking around and didn't notice to answer his question.

  At this time, the door opened and Li Yuanfen came out to greet them, smiling and saying: "I heard the sound of the car and knew you were back. Has Xiaowei returned too?"

  As soon as the words fell, it seemed that Leng Yun saw Xiao Wei being led by someone, and hurriedly walked forward, looking at her with affection and saying: "Hmm, this must be our little Wei, she's really cute, come on in quickly!"

  Just arrived in an unfamiliar environment, although Li Yuafen showed a kind and gentle smile that made people feel very close, but Xiaowei seemed to still be a bit shy, her body slightly leaning towards Leng Yunying's side, as if only then did she feel safe.

  As for Xiaowei's performance, Li Yufen seemed to think nothing of it, smiling and pulling Xiaowei's other hand into the house, saying: "Xiaowei, let's go take a look at your room first, I just decorated it, you see if there's anything you don't like, we'll change it together right away, so our little Xiaowei can live happily."

  Xiao Wei was pulled into the house like a puppet by Leng Yunying and Li Yuafen. After entering the house, Leng Yunying sat down, while Li Yuafen insisted on taking Xiao Wei to visit every corner of the house. Xiao Wei seemed uncertain, looking at Leng Yunying with her eyes. Leng Yunying smiled and said to her: "Go ahead, this is your home now, don't be afraid." Her eyes were full of encouraging expression.

  Xiao Wei seemed to have finally put her mind at ease, and with a boost of courage, she followed Li Huanfen around to take a look, including the room that belonged to her. However, she was still being cautious everywhere, constantly looking at the adults' facial expressions, just like a startled bird that would fly away immediately at the slightest movement.

  This is probably also related to her own experiences, having suffered a lot of hardships and difficulties, never feeling safe, and can only close herself off and protect herself.

  While Xiaowei was taking a bath in the bathroom, Leng Yunlei told Li Huafen everything she saw when she went to pick up Xiaowei. Li Huafen was also very angry and her maternal instincts were aroused, feeling even more pity and sympathy for Xiaowei, deciding to take good care of this poor child, driving away the shadows that shrouded her heart, giving her a sunny and happy life.

  After taking a bath, she put on the new clothes that Lian Yufen had prepared for her. Lian Yufen also styled her hair beautifully, and Cinderella instantly transformed into a lovely and charming Snow White.

  Xiao Wei had never worn such beautiful clothes before. Not even at her uncle's house, or when celebrating the New Year in her own home, could her parents afford to buy her clothes that looked so good. She was truly dressed more beautifully than Xiaohong, who was known for being from the richest family in school and loved to show off her new clothes everywhere. She sat there, not daring to move a muscle, afraid that she might accidentally wrinkle or crease the beautiful clothes - this was the kind of clothing she had always dreamed of wearing.

  Looking at the clothes on her body, looking at the furnishings of the houses around her, looking at the two kindly and gentle uncles and aunts, Xiaowei felt as if she was in a dream. Sometimes she even dared not blink her eyes, fearing that once she closed them, everything before her would turn into an illusion, and when she opened her eyes again, she would find that it had all been just a dream, the dream would be over, hope would be shattered, and she would return to a place full of hardships.

  After school in the afternoon, Leng Zhenglin and Leng Binghan, two brothers, also returned home. At home, there were only three brothers, so it was rare to have a sister, especially Leng Zhenglin. Usually at home, Leng Zhengxiang was the eldest brother who had to take care of himself. Although Leng Binghan was his younger brother, this younger brother was really formidable and extraordinary. When they were together, Leng Zhenglin couldn't find any sense of being an older brother, but instead felt pressure and frustration. Now it's great, with a sister, he can finally be a proper older brother.

  Lingyue had arrived in a new environment, and it was natural to feel constrained. However, children always need to be close to each other, and since Lingyue had been filled with guilt towards her from the beginning, he wanted to make amends even more. Being around the same age as Xiaowei also helped. Using his magical ring to perform a few tricks that made objects disappear and reappear, he managed to fool Xiaowei into staring at him with wide eyes, full of curiosity and confusion. Although they still hadn't spoken, their interaction had become quite harmonious. The only thing that felt off was that Xiaowei was 12 years old, older than himself, and his parents insisted that he call her "sister". This made Lingyue, a person who had lived for almost 40 years in total, feel very depressed.

  The dinner at night was exceptionally sumptuous due to Xiaowei's arrival. There were chicken, duck, fish and all sorts of dishes, plus Li Huifen's good cooking skills, which made everyone eat with great relish. Xiaowei didn't dare to pick up her chopsticks when she got to the table, those dishes were just too good, many of which she had never eaten before, and even during Chinese New Year, they couldn't have such a feast at home, besides, she was not used to eating much at home and would get scolded if she picked up too much food.

  Looking at the table full of delicious food, Xiaowei was drooling, but she didn't dare to pick up any dishes. She felt anxious and worried that her uncle and aunt would dislike her because of this and drive her away again.

  But soon she didn't worry, because seeing her not picking up dishes, everyone at the table helped her pick up dishes. This one gave her a chicken leg, that one gave her a piece of fish meat. In no time, her bowl was piled high with all kinds of dishes until it couldn't hold any more and only then did everyone stop.

  Looking at the full and delicious food in the bowl, looking at everyone's warm and friendly smile, looking at the beautiful and clean house around her, looking at the beautiful clothes on her body, Xiaowei finally couldn't hold back the excitement and gratitude in her heart, and suddenly tears filled her face. A huge emotion was rising in her mind, filling her entire heart, warming her whole body, just like basking in the warm sunshine, is this what happiness feels like?

  When her father passed away, Xiaowei didn't cry. When the family encountered misfortune, Xiaowei didn't cry either. Even when she was scolded by her aunt at her uncle's house, Xiaowei still didn't cry, because she told herself that crying wouldn't help and couldn't solve any problems, so she had to be strong and brave enough to live on. But now, she couldn't hold back anymore, tears poured out like a burst dam, instantly wetting her collar, yet at this moment, her heart was filled with joyful and happy feelings of happiness.