CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 73: LUO XUHUA (PART 1)

This person was dressed in a cloth jacket, looking very neat and clean. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with skin that wasn’t the distinctive dark of rural people, yet not overly pale either. Overall, he was a very spirited young man.

If it were just someone she was sharing a ride with, Beisitian wouldn’t pay much attention. But the more she looked at this man, the more familiar he seemed.

The man noticed Beisitian’s gaze, turned his head, and nodded politely.

Beisitian realized she was being rude and smiled apologetically, refraining from looking further.

"Thanks for the temporary ride!" the young man expressed his gratitude.

This donkey cart was called by the Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop, and if Beisitian didn’t allow him to board, the driver wouldn’t say much.

"It’s nothing," Beisitian replied.

This donkey cart was probably the last run of the morning going that way; the next one would be at three or four in the afternoon.

"Which village are you from?" the young man asked.

"Kao Village," Beisitian replied, looking at him.

The donkey cart sometimes picked up people from several nearby villages, so people often chatted among themselves.

The young man was obviously taken aback when he heard her answer, then showed a look of surprise, "I’m from Kao Village too? Which family are you from?"

Beisitian’s heart skipped a beat—could he be a relative of the Luo Family?

"The Luo Family."

The young man couldn’t help but smile when he heard this, "East of the village or west of the village? There are quite a few Luo Families in the village."

"What, do you know the Luo Family?" Beisitian asked.

The young man laughed heartily, "I’m from the Luo Family; I’m from the East End Luo Family."

The East End Luo Family... there are only two: one is Luo Er’s family, which is their family, and the other is Uncle’s family!

This young man looked at least twenty-seven or twenty-eight, definitely not from Luo Er’s family, so he must be from Uncle Luo Aiguo’s house!

"My dad is Luo Aiguo; you probably know him. Which Luo Family are you from? Looking at your age, I should have seen you before."

Luo Aiguo’s son!

Beisitian was bewildered, then suddenly realized that this person was indeed in the original owner’s memory.

Luo Xuhua, the eldest son of Luo Aiguo, but his mother wasn’t Qin Hongmei; she was Luo Aiguo’s first wife, also a local from Kao Village!

The Luo Xuhua in the original owner’s memory was still a rebellious teenager, often getting into big fights with his family and running away.

In the original owner’s memory, every time she saw Luo Xuhua, he was full of resentment, so she remembered him quite well.

Recalling that time’s Luo Xuhua and seeing the present Luo Xuhua, Beisitian felt a sense of transformation washed over him.

He had been away from Kao Village for about ten years—what had he been up to?

"So you’re Luo Xuhua, and I’m Beisitian."

"Beisitian?" Luo Xuhua was startled, "Doctor Bei’s daughter?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you say you were from the Luo Family?" Luo Xuhua looked at Beisitian, trying hard to reconcile her with the timid little girl in his memory, but ultimately failing.

The saying goes, ’Girls change in eighteen ways!’ How true!

Beisitian smiled slightly and said, "I’m from Luo Er’s family."

Luo Er’s family, known in Kao Village as Luo Er’s family, naturally meant his uncle’s family.

Upon thinking for a moment, Luo Xuhua suddenly understood and laughed heartily, "So you’re my sister-in-law! I didn’t expect us to be family, hahaha, how is that kid Xudong doing? So he got ahead of me!"

Beisitian had a peculiar expression on her face. It seemed like Luo Xuhua had lost touch with Kao Village after being away for so many years.

Luo Xuhua laughed for a while, but seeing no response, looked intently at Beisitian’s odd expression and asked, "What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that, sister-in-law?"

"Nothing. Since you’re the big brother, why don’t you help me carry these things back?"

As they chatted, the donkey cart had already stopped at Dayan, which meant they had arrived at Kao Village.

Luo Xuhua quickly said it was no problem; with him around, they didn’t need to take the donkey cart into the village, saving some money.

After unloading the things from the cart, Luo Xudong looked at the Kao Village below Dayan. The familiar little bridge, the smelly ditch, and the uneven dirt road all made him nostalgic.

Luo Xuhua had a complex expression on his face. Ever since his mother passed away, he felt that life had lost its joy, but this place carried his entire childhood memories and was a deep, intrinsic longing for him.

Carrying those things wasn’t very heavy; Luo Xudong, being over six feet tall, was not bothered at all. As he entered the village, many people gave him a glance.

Some people recognized him and looked thoughtful, while others were simply curious.

Because it was midday when they entered the village, there were relatively few people outside, and no one recognized Luo Xuhua along the way.

Luo Xuhua didn’t hurry into the house; he first escorted Beisitian back.

Seeing the main gate of Luo Er’s family, Luo Xuhua smiled warmly. He remembered clearly that whenever he got spanked at home, he would come to his little uncle’s house to hide and even eat there.

Especially when Qin Hongmei came looking, Second Aunt would protect him. It could be said that if it weren’t for Second Aunt, he might not have grown up this well!

After his mother passed, he was closest to Second Aunt.

"Don’t say anything yet," Luo Xuhua whispered to Beisitian.

Looking at his eagerness to surprise Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo, Beisitian remained silent, fearing that once he knew the current situation, his smile would fade.

When he heard the door creak, Luo Anping came out, saw an unfamiliar person, and became vigilant, "Who are you?"

Luo Xuhua was also taken aback when he saw Luo Anping, then smiled, "I’m your Uncle!"

Luo Anping: "..."

Beisitian: "..."

Beisitian’s face darkened. He mistook Luo Anping for her son.

"Come in and sit; he’s Xudong’s younger brother." Beisitian stepped past Luo Xuhua and entered the house.

Luo Xuhua’s smile froze.

Luo Anping quickly picked up Zhuangzhuang and followed behind.

Luo Xuhua watched as the big and little figures entered the house, feeling like he must have misheard or Beisitian must have misspoken.

Xudong’s brother?

This kid is about four or five years old, and if he’s the brother, Second Aunt must have been over forty when...

Luo Xuhua quickly followed in, lifting the curtain, seeing Mrs. Qin sitting on the kang doing tasks, and Luo Anguo leaning against a pillow smoking, just like when he used to come here.

"Uncle! Aunt!" Seeing their heads full of gray hair, Luo Xuhua felt a pang of sorrow.

Mrs. Qin’s hand trembled when she heard this voice, quickly raising her head to peer over, only to see a blurry figure standing at the door.

"Xu, Xuhua?"

Luo Anguo stared blankly when Luo Xuhua entered the house, and only when he spoke did he quickly sit up straight.

"Huazi!"

It was only then that Luo Xuhua saw that neither of the two looked quite right.

"Aunt, what’s wrong with your eyes? Uncle, what’s wrong with your leg?" Luo Xuhua’s face changed color.

Beisitian was pulling Luo Anping into the west room. Mrs. Qin had basically prepared lunch, just waiting for her to come back. But seeing the current situation, it seemed like they would cry for a while, and it looked like lunch would be delayed.