Rebirth Counterattack with Space

"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, Brother Aiguo and I will be fine. Plus, we’re not going far tomorrow, just around nearby," Shitou said, grinning at Xia Yuan, "As long as you remember the direction, there’s no need to fear getting lost. Brother Aiguo and I have tested this many times."

"Alright. You guys are grown-ups, I’m not really worried about you. But still, don’t go too far off," Xia Yuan said, somewhat helplessly, eventually persuaded by the two but not forgetting to caution them.

"Actually, instead of you guys running around on your own and wasting more time, it would be better to let your brother-in-law lead you. After all, the day after tomorrow is Sunday, both sister and brother-in-law will have the day off."

Lu Aiguo and Shitou looked at each other helplessly and nodded.

"I’m going with you guys tomorrow as well," Lu Yun interjected as soon as they finished speaking.

"No way."

Lu Aiguo and Xia Yuan rejected in unison.

Frowning and scrunching up her nose, Lu Yun looked at them discontentedly and persisted, "I won’t cause any trouble, and I can be of help. Have you forgotten about the flatbed cart?"

"That’s true, let her come along. Otherwise, Shitou and I really won’t be able to bring back all those things to be picked up," Lu Aiguo couldn’t help but laugh as he said to Xia Yuan, "The flatbed cart is still in her big warehouse. When the time comes, we’ll just let her sit on the cart, and Shitou and I will push her along."

"So tomorrow during the day, I’ll be the only one left at home?" Xia Yuan glared at Lu Yun, "Are you telling me that you’ve already planned to use the family’s flatbed cart and not have it shipped, is that what you’ve schemed all along?"

"Giggle."

Lu Yun laughed and playfully made a face at her, "Mom, Auntie said she’ll come over to keep you company tomorrow, didn’t she?"

Mom and Auntie haven’t seen each other for more than ten years, and although they’ve been in touch through letters off and on, they definitely have a lot to catch up on after such a long separation. So, I won’t be in the way of their private conversations.

"Go ahead, go ahead. Birds are meant to leave the nest when they grow up. You’re already impatient to spend more time with your mother," Xia Yuan said with a look of disappointment as she watched Lu Yun.

Startled, Lu Yun quickly ran over and it took a great deal of cajoling, coquetry, and acting spoiled to finally bring Xia Yuan back to a sunny mood.

After dinner, the four of them made their beds and sorted through their belongings for a while. They went to sleep only after everyone’s hair was dry.

Before sleeping, Xia Yuan casually took out the envelope Xia Na had given her and opened it to find that in addition to the remaining eighty-four yuan, there was also a red paper packet with ninety-nine yuan and a letter. After reading the letter, Xia Yuan passed it to Lu Aiguo with tears in her eyes.

Upon reading it, Lu Aiguo saw that the letter specifically mentioned that the money wrapped in red paper was a wedding congratulations for them, wishing them everlasting happiness together.

Besides, listed in detail at the bottom were all the expenses made on their behalf for every single item purchased.

"Sister and brother-in-law are really thoughtful."

Repeatedly looking at the elegant script on the letter, bearing the brief message of blessing, Lu Aiguo felt deeply moved. The blessings from Xia Na and Gu Tianming, "May you have everlasting happiness," seemed to be etched into his heart.

--

The next day, Lu Yun woke up to the faint, distant sound of her mother and aunt chatting and laughing. She opened her eyes to reveal a sincere smile and lay quietly in her bed, listening to them for a while before getting up.

She glanced beside her and, as expected, saw that Shitou’s bed was empty, with the thin blanket neatly folded on top.

Lu Yun walked into her parents’ room, where only her mother and aunt were present. She heard her mother say softly to her aunt, "... You’re not well-off yourselves, how could you give so much..."

Her mother fell silent upon seeing her walk in.

Xia Na noticed Lu Yun coming in. The little girl, dressed in a fruit-green shirt gently frilled with ruffles at the hem, paired with light coffee-colored pants, entered the room. Her hair was parted into two braids, each adorned with a pink strawberry hair clip, swaying as she walked, making her look especially playful and cute.

Immediately smiling, Xia Na beckoned her over. Upon seeing her neatly done hair, she couldn’t help but express her surprise, "Xiaoyun’s up! Come here, let Auntie see. My goodness, did you dress yourself and do your hair all on your own?"

"She just learned recently. Once she did, she refused to let us help her. Since she manages it pretty well, I let her be," Xia Yuan explained with a smile, pride evident in her voice, along with a faint sense of loss. While it was good that her daughter was capable, being too self-sufficient meant that she no longer needed her mother to help her dress, which was indeed a pity. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Our Xiaoyun is really capable," Xia Na couldn’t resist touching Lu Yun’s little head, generously lavishing praise upon her. Lu Yun didn’t mind being patted; she looked up at Xia Na with a shy smile instead.

Moved by her smile, Xia Na’s heart softened even further. Smiling back, she pinched the girl’s chubby cheek and said to Xia Yuan with envy, "Little girls really are the cutest. Unlike the two little rascals at my place – so rowdy, they are downright bothersome."

Xia Yuan watched in surprise as her daughter, who didn’t shy away from Xia Na’s head pats and cheek pinches but instead seemed affectionate and stuck close by her, wondered how this was possible. This was only their second meeting, wasn’t it? How could her daughter show no signs of unfamiliarity or rejection toward her sister? Even with Zhang Cai and her older sisters in Yushu Village, Xiaoyun had never given them this kind of face. If they touched her face, she’d show her displeasure and couldn’t wait to run off...

Xia Na, oblivious to Xia Yuan’s astonishment, was fully focused on engaging Lu Yun, who was also willing to chat with her.

"How about you come to Auntie’s house to play tomorrow? I’ll have the two boys keep you company, okay?"

"Yeah, that’s fine. I like big brothers – with a brother to protect me, nobody will dare to bully me," Lu Yun said, stealing a glance at her mother’s surprised face before smiling even more sweetly and innocently at her aunt.

The more Xia Na looked at Lu Yun, the more she adored her, even wanting to whisk her away and keep her. Tentatively, she asked, "If they dare to bully you, you tell your aunt, and I’ll give them a good scolding. Or why not just come home with your aunt tonight and stay over, would that be good?"

"I can’t. I need to stay at home and be with my parents tonight. But later on, when I’m free, I can come to Auntie’s house during the day to play, and Auntie can come visit me at home often too," Lu Yun replied, delightfully suggesting to her aunt who seemed to be unwittingly losing her heart to her.