At this time, the villagers were still fishing for oysters in the sea.
Xia Liu wasn't idle either, after tidying up, he took his basket and entered the woods.
As usual, by the time it got dark, the herbs he had gathered were very sparse, and it was questionable whether he could even refine two hundred boxes of Beauty Mud.
"It looks like I have to be more diligent in the future." Looking at the dim sky, Xia Liu muttered to himself.
Finding herbs was difficult, but it was a quick way to make money. If he wanted to get money, he had to be diligent.
When he got home, Zhang Xiaoxue and Zhang Xiaoman had already prepared the meal.
The two of them saw Xia Liu's car parked at the doorway; they were waiting for him to join them for dinner.
Seeing the two pretty faces, Xia Liu felt very warm inside.
There were times when he really wanted to slow down and quietly live with the two young women.
But he couldn't stop, everything was still not set up well, and since he had made a promise, he had to fulfill it and do it beautifully!
After dinner, the two women helped Xia Liu process the herbs.
Since there weren't many, Xia Liu didn't rush to refine them right away. The herbs could last for five days, by then he'd accumulate more to process together.
"Brother Xia Liu, I won't be here in the future, you have to take good care of my cousin." After processing the herbs, Zhang Xiaoman abruptly said.
Seeing Xia Liu's slightly anxious expression, Zhang Xiaoxue couldn't help but chuckle.
"Brother Xia Liu, Xiaoman is starting school tomorrow, she needs to report to the school."
Xia Liu was speechless, it sounded like they were parting forever.
"Hehe, Brother Xia Liu, I'm going to stay at home tonight, can you drive me home?"
"Okay, then Xiaoxue, you get some rest, I'll take Xiaoman home."
On the quiet field, the two walked side by side in silence.
Xia Liu wanted to ask Zhang Xiaoman if she had told Zhang Xiaoxue about him and Zhang Qing.
"Brother Xia Liu, I might only come back once every month or two." Saying this, Zhang Xiaoman stopped walking, looked up and gazed at his handsome face under the bright moon.
"Take good care of yourself at school, don't worry about Xiaoxue."
"That's not what I meant." Zhang Xiaoman said, then lowered her head, and a faint voice came out, "I'm leaving tomorrow, don't you want to do something for me?"
Xia Liu almost spit out a mouthful of old blood, this was so blunt!
Was Zhang Xiaoman really not afraid that he would devour her!
"Xiaoman, you also saw about me and Zhang Qing, so..."
"Yeah, I saw it, but so what, there's a fat pig in town with five wives." Zhang Xiaoman looked at Xia Liu expectantly.
"Brother Xia Liu, I want to bite your tongue." Seeing Xia Liu silent, Zhang Xiaoman mustered the courage to say boldly.
"Bite my tongue?" Xia Liu murmured to himself, and after understanding, couldn't help but deflate.
He felt he was already indecent enough, and now admitted defeat.
"You little girl, what are you thinking, go and study properly." Xia Liu forcibly cooled the turmoil in his heart.
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoman no longer threatened, but instead wanted to make a bet with Xia Liu!
"A bet on what?" Xia Liu couldn't guess what was on the girl's mind, but still, his eyelids twitched a few times when she spoke of the wager.
"Bet on me topping the class, and once I graduate, you'll marry me!"
"Let's not, If you meet the right guy in the future, you shouldn't have any regrets." Xia Liu looked at Zhang Xiaoman dazedly for a while, then slowly lowered his raised hand.
"Hmph! I'm home now, you can go back." With a cold snort, Zhang Xiaoman carried her bag and entered through the gate.
She leaned against the door, and after Xia Liu had walked away, she clenched her fist toward the direction he had left.
"The man my cousin and I are interested in, you can't escape!"
Muttering to herself, Zhang Xiaoman entered the house with her bag, her mind busy with plans on how to let her cousin conquer Xia Liu first.
Walking on the road, Xia Liu wondered if he was holding Zhang Xiaoman back, but he didn't realize that he had already been marked as prey by someone else.
"Xiaoxue, why haven't you gone to bed yet?" Returning home, Xia Liu saw Zhang Xiaoxue sitting in the room wearing a chiffon nightgown, her youthful fragrance continuously wafting through the air.
"Brother Xia Liu, my high school classmates are organizing a reunion in the county tomorrow, and I can't make up my mind, so..." Zhang Xiaoxue was very troubled by this.
She attended high school in the county, and most of her classmates were from the county town; if she didn't go,
she would certainly be accused of looking down on her old classmates when she met them in the street in the future.
Her reluctance stemmed from the fact that she had dropped out of university halfway through and returned home, which was quite embarrassing.
She vividly remembered how thrilled her classmates were when she got into one of the top universities in the country.
Now, she had let them down.
"Another class reunion..." Xia Liu was already somewhat tired of it; he had just accompanied Liu Lanxin to a so-called class reunion.
"Xiaoxue, since it's a local reunion, it wouldn't hurt to go."
Zhang Xiaoxue was indeed frightened; it had been at least four years since she had last seen her high school classmates.
They definitely knew about her business, and she felt ashamed to meet them...
"Hehe, Hejing County is our turf, don't panic. Just tell me the place, and I'll be there to Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today!"
Seeing Zhang Xiaoxue react this way, Xia Liu made up his mind.
He definitely should not go with this girl; he needed to help her build some resilience.
"I think it's at the Longteng Hotel." Zhang Xiaoxue said timidly after a moment.
"Then there's even less reason to worry. Tomorrow I'll drive you there; I know everyone at Longteng Hotel."
"Alright then, I'll listen to Brother Xia Liu. If I can't handle it, you must come out and help me." Zhang Xiaoxue looked at Xia Liu with trembling eyes.
If it were before, she would have definitely declined such a gathering, but knowing that it was held at Longteng Hotel gave her some confidence.
After all, she had dined with Sister Fang Fei, the owner of Longteng Hotel, and they had quite a chat last time.
Now with Xia Liu by her side and Sister Fangfei there, she felt fearless.
"Then, Brother Xia Liu, I'm going to bed now. You have to drive me there tomorrow morning." Taking the opportunity to pass by Xia Liu, Zhang Xiaoxue quickly pecked him on the cheek.
Touching his slightly moist cheek, Xia Liu's throat went dry.
Feeling extremely restless, he stepped outside, took a bucket of water to the bathroom, and indulged in a thorough wash.
The next morning, Zhang Xiaoxue got up early.
When Xia Liu saw her, he almost couldn't resist teasing her.
This girl had probably not closed her eyes last night, with dark circles under her eyelids.
However, with her stunning beauty, the dark circles only added an air of mystery to her looks.
On the way there, Zhang Xiaoxue kept her head down, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
"Xiaoxue, don't be nervous. Trust me, you'll be the most dazzling person today."