n

n

n

n

n

nQiao Mei smiled and nodded. Not long after she sat down, Xia Zhe finished cleaning up. Qiao Mei wanted to go in and have a look at the space to see how the furniture could be arranged, but Xia Zhe stopped her again.

n

n“The furniture is all angular. Sit down and let me do it so that you won’t accidentally knock into them.” Xia Zhe busied himself with work after saying that.

n

nAfter that, Xia Zhe kept giving all sorts of reasons to stop Qiao Mei from doing anything.

n

n“These things break easily. What if they break and you cut your hand? Go and sit at the side. Don’t worry about these things.”

n

n“Don’t get up. Just sit there. It’s still very dusty even though it’s already been cleaned once. Wait for me to clean it again. Don’t come in yet.”

n

n“The soil in this backyard is dirty. Tell me what you want and I’ll do it for you.”

n

n“Don’t move this thing. Tell me what you want to do. This thing is so heavy. What if you can’t carry it and hurt yourself?”

n

n“…”

n

nIn the house, there was only the sound of Xia Zhe nagging non-stop. Sitting at one side, Xia Fang and Xia He were stunned. They did not expect Xia Zhe, who was usually cold and quiet in front of them, to have such a side to him.

n

nAt the sight of this, Xia He could not help but think of the time when Kong Lu wooed her. Back then, he agreed with her on everything, but now…

n

nXia He felt sad again. There were still good men in the world, but this particular good man was her own brother. She did not meet a good man herself.

n

nXia Fang could tell what Xia He was thinking. She reached out to stroke Xia He’s back and said, “The family will always be your strongest backer. Don’t be afraid.”

n

nXia He nodded and said, “I’m fine. I just feel that it’s really good that Xiao Zhe turned out this way.”

n

n“That’s true. Qiao Mei is also a smart and quick-witted kid. Moreover, she’s very capable and knows how to do almost everything. She learns everything very fast. Xiao Zhe really found a treasure this time,” Xia Fang looked at Qiao Mei and said with a pleased look.

n

n“Since Aunt says so, then she must really be quite good. But for some reason, I feel that my mother doesn’t like her very much,” Xia He said.

n

n“Tsk, don’t you know your mother? She just doesn’t like the fact that Qiao Mei is from the countryside and is uneducated.” Xia He rolled her eyes and got angry just thinking about it.

n

nQiao Mei looked at the old house and the busy Xia Zhe. He did not allow her to do anything. What exactly was she allowed to do?

n

n“Aunt! Come and discipline your nephew! He doesn’t allow me to do anything. I’m so bored!” Qiao Mei rushed to Xia Fang’s side and complained to her.

n

nAnyone who heard this delicate voice and saw the aggrieved look on her face would think that she did not do anything wrong at all. It must be someone else’s fault.

n

nXia Zhe stood where he was and looked at Xia Fang, indicating to her that he did not do anything.

n

n“How about this? It’s getting quite late. Let’s go out to buy groceries and then come back to cook,” Xia He said.

n

n“Good idea. I suppose it will be alright with you if I just cook!” Qiao Mei turned around and shouted at Xia Zhe.

n

nXia Zhe looked at Qiao Mei, who was so annoyed with him, and found her so cute and funny.

n

n“Yes, yes, yes. You guys go ahead then. I’ll stay at home and pack these things.” After saying that, Xia Zhe went back into the house to continue packing.

n

nQiao Mei walked out arm in arm with Xia Fang and Xia He on each side. After a short distance, Xia Fang tapped Qiao Mei’s hand.

n

n“Walk properly outside and don’t do unnecessary things. If others see you, they’ll gossip about you again. Later, they’ll put up posters in the alley to criticize you!” Xia Fang said.

n

nQiao Mei retracted her arms aggrievedly and walked behind silently. Even if it made Qiao Mei feel wronged, Xia Fang had to tell her that. Otherwise, it would not be good if someone got hold of some evidence and gossiped about it.

n

nAfter all, once gossip started spreading, there was no way to know how the story might get twisted in the end.

n

nIf one bought a fish today and the neighbors found out and spread the word about it, the story narrated tomorrow might be that one had bought a cow. This was quite common.

n

nOne needed to be careful when one was outside. Some people were just plain nasty and could not bear to see others doing well. If you were doing well, they would get jealous and then think of ways to snatch away what you had.

n

n