“I’m on, no serious trouble now, really,” Tian Xiaobei forted her, then added, “I’ve already packed my things. Let’s go.”
“That’s it?” Xia Dabao looked at Tian Xiaobei’s hand, which held only a very deflated bundle.
“There’s not much to take. The clothes I wore after ing here were all discarded by my uncle, and there were some that Brother Dongdong outgrew. It wouldn’t be appropriate to take them back, so I don’t really have anything to take,” Tian Xiaobei said with a hint of sadness.
“Well… let’s go, then. My dad has already prepared the horse carriage. He’s going to take you to the town now. After you get to the town, you’ll have to figure out a way to take another horse carriage by yourselves.”
“Yes, I know. Don’t worry, I know. Besides, I still have someone with me now,” Tian Xiaobei looked at Xia Dabao and just found her indescribably adorable.
…
Ye Ge’s horse carriage was already waiting at the entrance to the village. Since the back was just a flatbed, it couldn’t fit so many people. Ye Ge didn’t want Tian Xiaobei and Xia Dabao to be crammed together, so he told Xia Dabao not to e over, saying there would be other days for them to meet.
So Xia Dabao just stood dumbly under the lychee tree at the village entrance, watching the horse carriage gradually disappear into the distance.
It wasn’t until the carriage was entirely out of sight that Xia Dabao turned around and slowly walked back home.
Her heart felt empty, as if she had lost something. When she got back to the courtyard, she saw Nan Feng sitting under the eaves shelling beans. She walked over to Nan Feng and called out hoarsely, “Mom!”
“Hmm, have Xiaobei and the others gone far?” Nan Feng asked, then pulled Xia Dabao down to sit next to her.
“They’re gone,” Xia Dabao looked very dejected.
Nan Feng couldn’t help but laugh, “Our Dabao has always been a child with strong emotions, so it’s hard for you now Xiaobei is gone, isn’t it? But you have to think about it. After Xiaobei goes back this time, he can be reunited with his parents and won’t have to live under someone else’s roof in the village anymore. How great is that, right? We should be happy for Xiaobei. If you keep frowning, Xiaobei would be sad too.”
Xia Dabao nodded, “I understand this reasoning. Besides, I don’t have the right to make him stay. But why didn’t Dad let me go see Xiaobei off?”
Of course, Ye Ge had his reasons for not letting Xia Dabao see Tian Xiaobei off; he was worried that Xia Dabao, being so impulsive, might just follow Tian Xiaobei away.
But Nan Feng wouldn’t tell Xia Dabao these things, she just smiled and said, “Of course, it’s because the horse carriage couldn’t fit everyone. Besides, your dad had to go to the town for an errand. It was convenient just to send Tian Xiaobei on the way, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Xia Dabao trusted Nan Feng the most, so she calmed down and started shelling beans with Nan Feng.
…
After parting with Tian Xiaobei in town, Ye Ge drove the horse carriage back alone.
And Tian Xiaobei went with his medical attendant to transfer to a horse carriage headed for the county town. From the county town, they had to take another trip to the Provincial City.
Perhaps having nothing else to do, the medical attendant chatted with Tian Xiaobei about Ye Ge. Speaking softly, the medical attendant said, “That big man who just saw us off, his stature and aura were really impressive, huh? Does your village have many such burly men from the mountains?”
“No,” Tian Xiaobei grew serious the moment Ye Ge was mentioned, as though in his absence Ye Ge might appear out of thin air, so Tian Xiaobei always spoke with reverence, “He’s the only one like that. The others aren’t the same. And their whole family can scale walls and rooftops with ease; they are really amazing.”
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