Chapter 99: Chapter 99: A Visitor Comes
“By the time we arrived at the split, Xia Chuyi was looking at the pile of gift boxes and parcels, clicking her tongue in slight amazement.
These must have been sent by Huo Shiqian. Uncle Xia would buy food and necessities himself, but he wouldn’t spend money on extravagant gift boxes and parcels.
‘So many, huh?’ Xia Chuyi clicked her tongue.
She hadn’t yet grasped Aunt Xia’s intention in dragging her away.
‘Yeah, these are it,’ Aunt Xia responded perfunctorily. She then glanced around before pulling Xia Chuyi to her side, suddenly lowering her voice to ask, ‘Chuyi, you and Huo Commander … you guys … don’t have something going on, right?’
Xia Chuyi’s heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, she immediately replied, ‘No, absolutely nothing!’
Her answer came out too quickly, making Aunt Xia look at her with even more suspicion. ‘There’s nothing between you two, but you, girl, you have something, right?’
Aunt Xia tapped her on the forehead,
‘You think I can’t see it? The way you look at Huo Commander almost gleams!’ Aunt Xia teased.
‘What nonsense? How could I…’ Xia Chuyi was so startled by Aunt Xia’s comment that she almost let out a shout.
That’s called gleaming? That’s called flashing with anger!
Aunt Xia, with the air of someone who’d been through it all, advised, ‘Don’t worry, I understand… It’s normal for you to like Huo Commander; indeed, he has many qualities that are attractive to young ladies… However, let me give you some heartfelt advice: like him as you may, don’t take it too seriously!’
‘You know, when I was young, I also had someone I really liked – not your uncle, oh, but that movie star Di Wei, you know the one always playing the hero?’
‘But look at me and your Uncle Xia, we are the real family.’
‘So, Chuyi, it’s fine for you kids to admire a hero or idol, but you need to recognize the difference between that and reality.’
Xia Chuyi was incredibly impressed; Aunt Xia had a whole system for doling out advice.
Knowing it was futile to argue, Xia Chuyi simply smiled and said, ‘Alright, I’ll heed Aunt Xia’s words and make a clear distinction.’
Aunt Xia, seeing her clear gaze and natural expression, finally relaxed a bit before turning to the gifts scattered on the ground. ‘Wow, I never expected the army’s annual consolation gifts to be this abundant! The Xia family has really hit the jackpot over the years!’
‘Too bad… All this will have to be sent back to the Xia family later, since you agreed to do so,’ Aunt Xia tapped her on the forehead again, quite displeased with her previous generosity.
Xia Chuyi laughed it off.
She had agreed so quickly at that time simply because she wanted to escape the Xia family as soon as possible.
Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia would probably never understand the intensity of her desire to break away from the Xia family.
After all, the events of her past life had not yet happened.
Uncle Xia was still around, and the Xia family, no matter how they behaved, still had some limits; at least they didn’t dare to tie her up and force her into marriage.
No, more accurately, they hadn’t tied her up and sold her to someone else.
Thinking this over, Xia Chuyi said, ‘There’s no need to give so much, Aunt Xia.
‘The army didn’t provide this much in previous years. We only need to send a bit according to past allocations. We can keep the rest for ourselves!’ She winked at Aunt Xia,
‘What?’ Aunt Xia was a bit slow on the uptake, ‘Is that okay?’
‘Don’t worry.’ Xia Chuyi patted her chest, ‘As long as the Xia family doesn’t suddenly come barging in to check, it’ll be fine.’
Some people, no matter what, shouldn’t be mentioned; just say their name, and they’re bound to appear.
‘Hey, Uncle Xia, it’s me, Grandma Xia!’ Grandma Xia’s robust voice came from the Zhao family’s yard, piercing directly into the Zhao family’s inner chamber.