Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 240 Family Heirloom

The old banyan tree at the village entrance is still there, its canopy spreading out like a giant umbrella, shading half of the road.

Song Huan walked ahead, dragging her suitcase, while Xiao Yunqing followed behind, wearing a white dress, her hair tied in a ponytail, and a smile on her face.

The two walked along the village road, one after the other. Aunt Liu was picking vegetables by the door when she looked up, squinted, and recognized her.

"Oh, Huanhuan's back?"

She stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked at the person behind Song Huan.

Xiao Yunqing stood there, fair-skinned and clean-cut, her skirt fluttering gently in the wind, like someone who had stepped out of a magazine.

Aunt Liu's eyes widened as she looked him up and down, then turned and shouted into the house.

"Dad, come quick! Wentao's son has brought his girlfriend home again!"

Song Huan's lips twitched slightly. "Sixth Aunt, I'll reiterate, she's not my girlfriend, she's a classmate!"

Aunt Liu waved her hand and smiled.

"I know, I know, we're classmates, I understand."

Xiao Yunqing stood to the side, blushed slightly, and walked past her sixth aunt without saying a word.

The gate to the yard was open. Chickens were scratching in the dirt, ducks were squatting in the corner, and geese were lined up at the gate, stretching their necks as if on patrol.

Before Song Huan could even step into the courtyard, Xiao Yunqing had already squeezed past her, pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and rushed inside.

"Grandpa and Grandma!"

She called out, her voice crisp and bright, and it resonated several times in the courtyard.

A yellow dog rushed out of the main room.

The little yellow puppy, a few months old, was fluffy with its tail held upright. It ran wobbly, as if it hadn't yet learned to walk in a straight line.

Song Huan's expression changed on the spot.

He forgot that his grandparents had an extra dog.

He remembered that Xiao Yunqing was terrified of dogs. One summer, a small mongrel scared her so much that it jumped onto him and hung there for a long time.

Just as he was about to rush forward...

Xiao Yunqing squatted down, pressed the dog to the ground, and rubbed its belly with both hands.

The little yellow dog lay on its back with its paws in the air, its tail wagging like a fan, its tongue lolling out, panting.

Xiao Yunqing rubbed the puppy while laughing, "What an adorable little puppy."

Song Huan was completely petrified.

He stood at the gate of the courtyard, his suitcase still clutched in his hand, his mouth agape.

No! Isn't Xiao Yunqing most afraid of dogs?

Grandpa and Grandma came out of the main room.

Grandma walked ahead, her foot still a little unsteady; it seems the aftereffects of her sprained ankle from last time are still there.

Grandpa followed behind, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, slowly fanning himself.

When Grandma saw Xiao Yunqing, all the wrinkles on her face smoothed out.

"Little Cloud is here too? Come in, come in and sit down. Are you tired from the journey? Are you hungry?"

Xiao Yunqing stood up from the ground, dusted off her skirt, ran over, and took her grandmother's arm.

"I'm not tired, Grandma. I'm not tired at all."

Grandpa stood to the side, looked at Xiao Yunqing, then at Song Huan, and nodded.

"Come in, the food is ready."

A large table was set out for lunch.

Boiled cabbage, poached chicken, boiled shrimp, and braised fish—not many dishes, but the plates were large and the portions were generous.

In the countryside, this is considered a feast.

Grandma sat next to Xiao Yunqing, constantly piling food into her bowl, saying, "Eat more, eat more, look how thin you are."

The food in Xiao Yunqing's bowl was piled up like a small mountain, with poached chicken, shrimp, and fish stacked one on top of another.

She picked up a piece of poached chicken, bit off half of it, and then threw the other half on the ground.

The little yellow dog crawled out from under the table, grabbed the food in its mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

Xiao Yunqing teased it under the table with her foot, touching its belly with her toe. The little yellow dog rolled over, its paws in the air, and its tail wagged happily.

Upon seeing this, Song Huan's lips twitched slightly.

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Aren't you most afraid of dogs?"

Xiao Yunqing looked up, her face blank. "When did I say I was scared?"

Song Huan stared at her face for a long time. "You forgot? That summer, you were so scared by a dog that you jumped on me."

Xiao Yunqing remembered, and her face flushed red, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears and down to her neck.

She lowered her head and stammered, "I...I'm just afraid of that dog."

Song Huan didn't say anything.

Xiao Yunqing didn't dare look him in the eye and buried her head in her rice.

My thoughts drifted over from her, softly, like someone caught doing something wrong.

[That dog was faking it.]

[How can he hug me if I don't jump on him?]

Song Huan's lips twitched again.

Holy crap! He's taking advantage of himself!

He glanced at Xiao Yunqing's flushed face and inwardly scoffed.

This little girl looks harmless, but she has so many tricks up her sleeve.

Song Huan stayed in the countryside for a few days.

Every morning I get up to feed the chickens for my grandfather, in the afternoon I help my grandmother pick vegetables, and in the evening I take a walk in the fields.

Xiao Yunqing followed along, standing by and watching when feeding the chickens, squatting beside him to learn when picking vegetables, walking beside him when going to the fields, and occasionally reaching out to tug at his sleeve.

The night before I left, the moon was very bright, hanging above the courtyard and illuminating the entire courtyard.

After taking a shower, Song Huan sat in the main room drying her hair.

Grandma came out of the room, carrying a small cloth bag, and walked up to Xiao Yunqing.

"Little Cloud, come with me for a moment."

Xiao Yunqing paused for a moment, glanced at Song Huan, and followed her grandmother into the room.

The door wasn't closed properly; there was a crack.

Grandma sat on the edge of the bed, opened the cloth bag, and took out a wooden box with carved flowers and polished lacquer.

She opened the box, and inside lay a silver bracelet with delicate patterns engraved on it, reflecting the light.

Grandma picked up the bracelet, held it in her palm, and looked at it for a while.

"This was given to me by your grandfather. We were poor back then and couldn't afford gold, so I saved up for a long time to get silver."

She looked up at Xiao Yunqing and said, "I'll keep it and take it out when Huanhuan gets married."

Xiao Yunqing was stunned.

Grandma handed the bracelet to him, saying, "Child, take it."

Xiao Yunqing quickly waved her hand, "Grandma, this is too precious, I can't accept it."

Grandma put the bracelet in her hand, closed her fingers, and held it.

"Both his grandfather and I only recognize you."

Xiao Yunqing held the bracelet tightly with her fingers.

She lowered her head, looking at the two silvery-white circles in her palm, her eyes reddening.

"grandmother……"

……

On the bus back to the city, Xiao Yunqing leaned against the window, clutching her bag, inside which was the bracelet. Song Huan sat beside her, watching her.

"What did Grandma say to you?"

Xiao Yunqing didn't look at him. "I didn't say anything."

Song Huan leaned back in her chair and didn't ask any more questions.

Her thoughts drifted over, crystal clear.

Grandma said she only recognizes me.

[The bracelet is for my granddaughter-in-law.]

Upon hearing this, Song Huan abruptly turned to look at her.

She was still looking out the window, a silly grin on her face.

Song Huan turned back stiffly, looking at the road ahead.

Holy crap, why did I give her all the family heirlooms?

……

The next day, the two stood at the entrance of the photo studio.

The shop window still displays the same sample photos: wedding photos, family portraits, and baby photos, just like three years ago.

The boss was the same auntie who was editing photos. She looked up when she heard the door open and recognized her immediately.

"It's you guys!"

She put down the mouse, walked over, and looked her up and down.

"Three years later, here we go again? What kind of notification letter did you get this time?"

Song Huan took out her admission letter from Nanjiang University, while Xiao Yunqing took out her admission letter from Jiangdong University from her bag.

The boss took it, looked at it over and over, and clicked his tongue twice.

"Nanjiang University and Donghai University are both good schools. Come on, stand in the same spot as before."

The background is light blue, and the lighting is soft.

Song Huan sat down, and Xiao Yunqing sat next to him. The two of them held up the notices side by side in front of their chests.

The aunt squatted down and raised her camera.

"Look at the camera, three, two, one!"

Click.

The shutter clicked crisply, just like it did six years ago, just like it did three years ago.

The aunt straightened up, looked at the camera screen, smiled, and said the exact same thing as last time.

"It looks great, even better than last time."

The photos have been developed, two 5-inch prints, laminated, with the corners neatly trimmed.

The two walked out of the photo studio, and the sunlight shone down from above, turning the whole street white.

Xiao Yunqing walked ahead, her steps light and quick, skipping along as she held up two photos, her ponytail swinging behind her.

Song Huan followed behind, hands in her pockets, strolling slowly.

Tomorrow, they will head to Nanjiang.

I'm going to be a college student!

……

(High School Chapter, End)

(Tomorrow we'll catch up on Lin Yue's side story first, followed by the main university arc.)