Back To The 80s-Chapter 410 - 420: Kindness_1

Gu Xiaobei laughed as she looked at the two: "Tired from the train ride, Fang Jing? I thought you all were not going to make it for Chinese New Year."

Bai Xiaolan removed her scarf, took off her coat, had a seat by the kang bed, and picked up Mo Wang with a smile, "They had nothing to do in the Capital City, so we persuaded them to come."

"Yes, Aiguo said it wouldn’t be fun to celebrate Chinese New Year without you. Upon discussing, we packed our stuff and came here." Upon completing her sentence, Fang Jing smiled and said to Xiaopang, "Come here, Xiaopang, call for auntie to hug."

Xiaopang, seeing so many people around, cheered up from her just out-of-bed mood and grinned at Yueyue.

"Who are the two that followed you?" Gu Xiaobei curiously asked.

Bai Xiaolan knitted her brows and replied, "We met them at the train station. They claimed to be Xiangdong’s former foster father and sister."

Gu Xiaobei was surprised, she had heard that Song Dajiang wanted his daughter to marry Ji Xiangdong, which led to Xiangdong running away from home. Why did they show up here? What are their intentions?

The expressions of the people in the east room were not good. Lu Songyuan asked Song Dajiang to take a seat on the kang bed. Lu Aiguo sat cross-legged on the kang bed without any hesitation. Ji Xiangdong stood by the window with his hands in his pockets, his expression indistinguishable — no one knew what was on his mind.

As Wen Xiuqing sat on the edge of the kang bed, she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable. She should appreciate the Song family for feeding Xiangdong back then, but the thought of the reason for his departure made her disheartened.

Zhanguo, who stood beside Ji Xiangdong, quietly observed Song Da Jiang and his daughter. Why on earth would they travel to the city in severe winter? It felt quite strange.

Song Wuxiu stood by the fire-wall, keeping her head down. Upon seeing Ji Xiangdong at the train station, with his tall firgure, calm and handsome face that had become more mature and enchanting over time, she found herself looking like a 40-year-old woman at the age of thirty, poorly dressed, with straw-like hair and a pale face, feelings of inferiority welled up within her.

With no one uttering a word, the room fell into a silence so deep that even the faintest sound could be heard.

Lu Songyuan cleared his throat and said to Zhanguo, "Go take care of the kids, let Xiaobei and the rest make breakfast, we’ll talk about things after we’ve eaten."

Sitting cross-legged on the kang bed, Song Dajiang quietly pulled his socked feet with holes in them under his thighs and whispered, "I’m not hungry. It’s okay if I don’t eat."

Lu Songyuan looked at Song Dajiang and asked, "How did you manage to find your way here?"

"We were left an address by Tian Cheng’s brother the last time he visited, so we followed it. When we reached the army barracks and enquired, we were told the person we were looking for was not there, so we thought of going back. But, we happened to come across you all at the train station." Song Dajiang said uneasily.

"Do you have any business with Xiangdong?" Wen Xiuqing couldn’t help but ask.

"Did he change his name to Xiangdong? Err...no, nothing specific, we just thought we hadn’t sent anything back home this year..." Song Dajiang said in a stuttering manner.

With eyes half-closed, Ji Xiangdong gazed at Song Dajiang; his eyes flickered with a dark light. He didn’t understand why Song Dajiang was lying but chose not to expose him.

Lu Songyuan, unaware of the real reason, couldn’t help but ask, "You guys just came all the way here solely based on an address. What if it was all in vain?"

"We didn’t know that your...no, that Xiangdong’s brother was not in that barracks, which is why we came all this way for nothing." Song Dajiang endeavored to keep his lie intact.

Out of the blue, Lu Aiguo asked, "How did you know my second brother found my eldest brother? If he hadn’t found him yet, what was the purpose of your coming to find him?"

Song Dajiang raised his voice as if he had gathered a lot of courage and said, "We also took a chance, just to see if you brothers have recognized each other. Besides, Wuxiu is now divorced. After all, she was once betrothed to Xiangdong. He can’t abandon her."

Out of the blue, Ji Xiangdong asked, "Who suggested this idea to you?"

Song Dajiang was stumped by this question and, opened his mouth, his face wearing an expression of surprise, "What do you mean by who gave this idea? I have raised you for sixteen years, you ought to owe me that much gratitude, right? Wuxiu was kicked out by her in-laws because of you, can’t you be bothered?"

Ji Xiangdong let out a cold laugh, his words delivered calmly, "No matter who gave you the idea, I will not short-change the obligation I owe. The items for you this year should be delivered home in a day or two, and every year they’re delivered around the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month. Moreover, you two appeared at the train station early in the morning but don’t appear tired from spending the night on the train. The train to Zhangbei departs at midnight, why were you at the train station so early?"

Song Dajiang, taken aback by Ji Xiangdong’s shrewdness, had his mouth opened and quickly shut it again, choosing instead to remain silent.

Lu Songyuan also had some inkling, "Elder brother, you kept saying that you have raised our older brother for sixteen years. We should thank you for that. But if you have any matter to discuss, you should just speak up."

Song Dajiang lowered his head and remained silent.

Song Wuxiu who had been standing by the fire-wall burst into quiet sobs.

Seeing this, Lu Songyuan gave up on asking any more questions and nudged Lu Aiguo by his side, "Get down quickly and help your wife bring in the meals."

Lu Aiguo scratched his nose, put on shoes and as he was about to leave the room, he glanced at Song Wuxiu by the wall near the entrance, then shook his head and left.

Ji Xiangdong quietly observed the two, yet his mind was swiftly analyzing the situation. From the moment he saw the Song father and daughter at the train station in the morning, he knew that it was not a coincidence; it felt as if it had been deliberately arranged to create this encounter.

Gu Xiaobei, Fang Jing, and Bai Xiaolan were also wondering about the intentions behind the visit of Song Dajiang and his daughter while they were in the kitchen.

Unaware of the story behind Song Wuxiu, Bai Xiaolan curiously asked, "You think they came all the way here to coerce Xiangdong into taking care of them when they get old?"

Fang Jing shook her head, "I don’t think so. From what Aiguo said, every winter, our eldest brother sends stuff home. Why come to the city bringing the daughter along?"

Fearing Bai Xiaolan would feel uncomfortable if she found out, Gu Xiaobei laughed and said, "It’s probably because Zhanguo gave them the address last year. With nothing better to do this winter, they came here."

Fang Jing, being straightforward, directly asked, "Did he bring his daughter because she was once engaged to our eldest brother?"

Bai Xiaolan exclaimed in surprise, "What do you mean she was once engaged?"

Feeling that she might have made a mistake, Fang Jing looked at Gu Xiaobei, unsure of what to say.

Gu Xiaobei quickly explained the circumstances behind Ji Xiangdong’s departure to Bai Xiaolan, followed by, "It can’t really be considered as being betrothed, he was only sixteen at that time. What did he know?"

Bai Xiaolan, infuriated, tossed away the green onion in her hand, "This is extremely outrageous! Fortunately, Xiangdong met Old Master Ji, otherwise he would have been pitiful. How could a family behave like this?"

Lifting the cotton curtain, Lu Aiguo stepped in and said, "Three women gossiping are like 1500 ducks squabbling, I could hear your chatter as soon as I approached the doorway."

Fang Jing glared at him, "Now is not the time for your wisecracks. What are they here for?"