The two of them stared at each other silently for several seconds.
Xu Ji slowly shook his head and sighed softly, "Wei Lin has done so many evil deeds."
Xiao Ya: ?
Xu Ji picked up his chopsticks again, thinking that if Wei Lin hadn't found Li Family Village, then it was most likely his nephew who had taken the person back to stay at the Sheng Family.
Isn't that doing evil indeed?
Aunt Man and her husband sitting across from them were completely bewildered.
They wondered why Xiao Ya would haggle with a man? Why bargain when she's so wealthy now? And what was this renewal thing about?
Hadn't they not answered each other's questions yet?
How did it end already?
They couldn't help but whisper to themselves, wondering if this was how rich people communicated.
Xu Ji was completely different from Ke Muning - he ate elegantly and methodically.
At this point, there was no need to put on airs anymore. He gestured for his assistant to come forward and help separate the chicken meat from the bones, making sure to remove all the small bone fragments.
"Would you like it cut up?" Xu Ji thoughtfully asked Xiao Ya, showing no signs of holding a grudge.
"No need, gnawing on the bones makes it tastier," Xiao Ya refused.
"Really?" Xu Ji immediately tried it enthusiastically. With a "crunch," he frowned: "The bone fragments hurt my teeth."
Xu Ji had to give up on the attempt.
After eating for about half an hour, Xu Ji put down his chopsticks and smiled at Aunt Man: "The food was delicious, thank you for having us."
Aunt Man thought that her earlier impression must have been wrong - this man was so polite and good-tempered.
"So tonight..." Aunt Man wanted to invite them to stay, but she knew her home wasn't in the best condition. Letting them stay would be like throwing pearls in the mud.
Secretary Wang politely responded, "We'll drive to the city to find lodging."
"Good! Good! It's getting late, and there aren't many streetlights in the countryside - the roads will be harder to navigate later," Aunt Man got up to see them off.
When they went outside, the crowd of onlookers had mostly dispersed. Under the moonlight, they could faintly see scattered homes with glowing lights.
Aunt Man watched as they got into the car. She wanted to say something more, but after thinking about it, she realized that Xiao Ya was doing well enough now - what more advice could she possibly need to give?
Though small in stature, she had already traveled through a broader world, with more experiences and probably more wisdom than herself.
The car started with a roaring sound.
"Goodbye, Xiao Ya," Aunt Man's voice was drowned out by the engine noise. "Go live your good life."
In the car, the assistant was already searching for hotels in town.
After a few minutes of searching, he looked up in despair: "There are no hotels, only guesthouses - the kind that's 30 yuan per night..."
Xu Ji remained calm and asked, "How does it compare to sleeping in the rainforest?"
The assistant wanted to say that the rainforest might actually be better, but before he could speak, the car suddenly stopped.
"Flat tire," the driver said gravely.
The assistant's brows furrowed so tightly they could have killed a mosquito: "No wonder they said it's not good to travel late - did we hit a sharp rock on the road?"
Xu Ji spoke calmly: "Not a sharp rock, it was a specialized tire puncture device. The feeling when the tire rolls over it is different."
The assistant's expression changed slightly: "Could it be aimed at you... but that shouldn't be possible, no one would know..."
Xiao Ya pointed at herself: "Is it aimed at me?"
"Those people couldn't possibly have such keen intelligence," Xu Ji chuckled. "It must be locals. Only locals would receive news this quickly. Come on, let's get out and take a look."
The assistant was quite nervous: "Let's not - country folk can be quite fierce. When each person carries a hoe, they fear nothing!"
Xu Ji wagged his finger: "That's in the past. This place has already been forcefully subdued once, there aren't many troublemakers left."
The assistant paused: "Yes, although that's true..."
Xu Ji turned to Xiao Ya and said: "Let's go."
Xiao Ya opened the car door and jumped out.
Xu Ji turned back with a smile: "See? Not even a child is as brave as you."
The assistant couldn't voice his complaints.
He thought to himself, if the child encounters danger, you'd probably rush to save her.
But if I encounter danger, would you care about me?
And with your physically inactive lifestyle... carrying this child while running might be fine, but carrying me... I think it'd be more realistic for me to carry both of you!
The assistant suppressed his inner grumbling. After standing still, he looked around - the mountain forest was dim and shadowy, with each peak seeming to transform into a man-eating monster.
While the assistant was still lost in these thoughts, he heard the young girl ask: "Did you bring extra coats?"
The question was clearly directed at Xu Ji.
The assistant quickly snapped back to attention and answered: "Yes, we did."
Then he opened the trunk and took out a trench coat.
Xu Ji smiled with narrowed eyes: "Are you cold? This will drag on the ground if you wear it."
However, Xu Ji imagined that scene and found it quite amusing.
He immediately said: "Try it on and let's see."
"I'm not cold, you are. People who are sick are more likely to develop a fever at night. You wear it."
Xu Ji paused: "Oh."
Then he obediently spread his arms, letting the assistant and driver help him put on the trench coat.
"You're not cold?" Xu Ji didn't believe it and reached out to touch Xiao Ya's face.
Not only was she not cold, but she was quite warm.
"Let me warm up against you," Xu Ji didn't let go.
Xiao Ya: ?
The assistant was also speechless - you really aren't afraid at all, are you?
The people crouching in the forest couldn't help but twitch their mouths.
"These city folks aren't scared?"
"Let's go!" The leader's expression turned ugly, particularly irritated by how relaxed and composed their targets appeared.
Flashlight beams moved about, quickly illuminating this small area.
The leader was a young woman, though she looked haggard.
"Li Xiaoya!" the woman called out, her voice both anxious and pained.
Xiao Ya wanted to move, but Xu Ji held her back by the neck.
Xiao Ya immediately stayed still and didn't respond.
The woman approached with more than ten men carrying farming tools.
"I've been trying to catch you! Tell me, where is Qingqing? Why did she disappear after leaving? I've asked everywhere, but no one will tell me! Did you kill my daughter?" the woman demanded angrily.
Xiao Ya stared at her face for a long while before finally remembering... this was Li Qingqing's mother.
"Why won't you speak?" The woman clenched her fists. "I know you're a city lady now, but that doesn't mean you can harm my Qingqing!"
Xiao Ya let out a soft sigh.
Li Qingqing had been so happy, and her mother loved her so much... why did she still get involved with Li Jiang in doing bad things?
Xu Ji let out a light laugh: "Madam, there's no Li Xiaoya here."
"What? She is Li Xiaoya! She..."
"This is Miss Zhang."
"Yes, yes, she changed her name, I know! But so what? That doesn't change the fact that she is Li Xiaoya!"
Xu Ji shook his head and said leisurely: "I'm afraid not. Only we can call her Xiao Ya now."
Li Qingqing's mother found this amusing: "Oh really? You think you're so special? If you're so capable, why don't you have us all arrested!"
The assistant: "..."
I've never heard such a ridiculous request.
He took out his phone: "Well, let me call the police chief then, just wait a moment."
