half thorns, half joy

After staying for another night, Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan planned to go back.

Xiao Zihan asked his assistant to buy the plane ticket, and he and Tang Xuan cleaned up the house again, taking some meaningful things to Tang Xuan.

"Let's take this photo album with us too," Xiao Zihan said to Tang Xuan.

Tang Xuan hummed, seeing that Xiao Zihan was interested in the photo album, thought for a few seconds, got the key, opened the drawer, and took out the other two photo albums.

"This is a photo of my parents before, let's take them back."

"Okay, take it back and watch."

Time was running out, Xiao Zihan didn't read it seriously, he just flipped through two pages and put them in his bag.

After packing up, Tang Xuan went downstairs to bid farewell to Aunt Liu. Xiao Zihan picked up his bag, checked the doors and windows carefully, and locked the door with the baby in his arms.

He walked down the steps step by step and walked to the door of Aunt Liu's house.

The door of Aunt Liu's house was unlocked, and the voices of the people inside could be heard clearly.

"Hey, take this insole. I originally wove it for Xiaocheng's wife, but now his wife doesn't even have a shadow, and she doesn't need it. You can wear it."

"No, no, no, Aunt Liu, you don't have to do this."

"Take it." Aunt Liu raised her voice, "Xiaocheng, why didn't you come out to say hello when Xuanxuan came, why are you so rude! You are classmates from childhood to adulthood, why are you so ignorant!"

When Xiao Zihan heard this, his nerves suddenly tightened.

He gently knocked on the door with the child in his arms, and pushed open the half-closed door. Hearing the sound, Aunt Liu and Tang Xuan who were in the room looked towards the door together.

"Hello, Aunt Liu." Xiao Zihan smiled and greeted respectfully and politely.

As soon as Aunt Liu saw Xiao Zihan, she unconsciously shrank a little. She sighed and nodded awkwardly, "Okay, you're also fine."

At this time, the door of the bedroom opened with a click, and the sound of slippers being stepped on.

Aunt Liu's son, a man called Xiaocheng, came out of the bedroom.He stood far away, with the messy chicken nest on his head, and looked at Tang Xuan sleepily.

He still smelled of alcohol.

Apparently a hangover.

"...Well, that, Tang Xuan, you're back." Xiao Cheng's gaze was uneasy and dodged.

The smile on Tang Xuan's face remained motionless, "Yes, long time no see."

Aunt Liu frowned, "What do you mean you're back? I told you the day before yesterday that Xuanxuan was back and told you to go say hello to her. You're still embarrassed to go. What's so embarrassing? It's been so many years I'm no longer a classmate, I see, it's just you who are so cowardly that you can't hold your head up in front of Tang Xuan!"

Xiao Cheng didn't respond to his mother's criticism. He lowered his head and stared at the slippers on his feet.

A grown man in his twenties, scolded, looked like a large, miserable dog.

Tang Xuan has no interest in Aunt Liu's education of her son, anyway, she has finished what she should say, she interrupted Aunt Liu's thoughts about Xiao Cheng, and said with a smile: "Aunt Liu, we have to catch a plane today, time It's getting late, we have to go."

"Ah, I'm leaving now." Aunt Liu's face was full of reluctance, and she was sincerely reluctant, "You guys are really in a hurry, I was thinking of asking you to come to my house for dinner tonight, hey."

"There's a chance next time." Tang Xuan walked over to take Xiao Zihan's arm, took some luggage from Xiao Zihan's hand, and waved to Xiao Cheng, "Let's go, goodbye."

Aunt Liu chased into the corridor, and forced the two pairs of insoles she embroidered into Tang Xuan's hands, "Take it, Auntie has nothing to give you, this is a little kindness from Auntie."

Tang Xuan really had no choice but to accept.

"Then I'll take it. Aunt Liu, take care of yourself. If I come back next year, I'll come see you again."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you." There was another hope in Aunt Liu's eyes.

Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan went out of the courtyard and got into the car. Aunt Liu followed. Wearing a pair of red slippers, she kept waving goodbye to Tang Xuan.

That intimacy and reluctance made Tang Xuan feel like her own daughter.

But to Tang Xuan, Aunt Liu was not like a mother.

After watching the car drive out of the alley and disappearing, Aunt Liu reluctantly turned and went upstairs.

"Did the girl from the Tang family upstairs just leave?" A neighbor who saw the scene just now asked Aunt Liu curiously.

Aunt Liu nodded, "Yes, I just sent them off. Hey, they all have jobs in the city and are very busy. This time I came here on leave. I have to go back to work."

"That girl from the Tang family is pretty good, and I think her husband is also pretty good, he looks like a person from the city."

"I'm originally from the city, and people can't understand our local dialect." Aunt Liu didn't look inferior, but she was full of pride, as if Xiao Zihan was also her son-in-law, "But people are really polite. , I’m embarrassed to call you aunt one by one.”

"Why are you embarrassed? I think this girl from the Tang family is a good girl. You used to be kind to her, but now that she's developed, she can't repay you."

"That's far away. It would be nice if people can come back and have a look."

The person who compliments compliments casually, and the person being complimented doesn't really take it to heart.But in his mouth, he was still proud a few times.

For Aunt Liu, her son went to a junior college, found a small company to work after graduation, and resigned after failing to get a good job. He went home to review and planned to take the entrance examination for a public institution. After reviewing for half a year, he did not get any results. On the contrary, the rumors from neighbors have gained a lot.

For Aunt Liu, Tang Xuan's return was a long-lost honor that could be shown off.

Don't blame Aunt Liu for being so snobbish and hypocritical. A lot of middle-aged women with empty lives are like this.

……

Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan got out of the car and boarded the plane with the baby.

When he came, Xiao Zihan was curious and restless, but when he came back, Xiao Zihan was heavy and serious.

He will never forget that when he knelt in front of Tang Xuan's parents' grave, he made a pious promise to take good care of Tang Xuan.

Although, he has always thought so and practiced it this way.

After the stewardess came to remind me to fasten the seat belt again, the plane started to ascend with a rumble.

Xiao Zihan turned his head to look at Tang Xuan who was beside him. Tang Xuan looked out through the porthole of the plane with no expression on her face. She didn't know what she was thinking.

Xiao Zihan reached out and took Tang Xuan's hand.

Tang Xuan turned her head and looked at Xiao Zihan.

"Reluctance?" Xiao Zihan asked.

"No." Tang Xuan shook her head, looked outside again, and then slowly said, "From here, let alone our county, this city is very small. When I went forward, I felt that it was so big and so far away. Woolen cloth."

Xiao Zihan paused for a few seconds before saying, "Maybe, it's because you were small and your heart was small before."

When you are small, you feel that everything around you is big.

If you have a small heart, you will feel that all sorrows and joys are big.

As people grow older, people gradually grow up. After experiencing ups and downs, those setbacks and sorrows that used to be considered insignificant become smaller when compared.

Tang Xuan didn't say anything more, she gently touched the corner of her mouth and nodded.

……

More than two hours later, the plane stopped at the tarmac in City A.

As soon as I got out of the plane cabin and walked onto the corridor bridge, the familiar, humid heat wave hit my face.

Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan didn't leave their luggage and walked out with the child in their arms. Xiao Zihan took out his phone, turned it on, and sent a text message to the driver who came to pick him up.

"Zihan." Tang Xuan suddenly called Xiao Zihan.

After Xiao Zihan finished sending the text message, he looked up at Tang Xuan, "What's wrong?"

"Look over there." Tang Xuan pointed to the right, and asked Xiao Zihan in a low voice, "Is that person Lin Qiaoer?"

Because it was a little far away, and the person was wearing a mask, Xiao Zihan recognized it for a few seconds before saying, "It seems to be her."

"...She's coming this way." As soon as the two of them finished speaking, they saw Lin Qiaoer pushing the suitcase and walking towards them.

Lin Qiaoer looked down at the ticket in her hand, she didn't notice Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan.

But it's so close that it's hard not to notice it.

Three meters away from Xiao Zihan and Tang Xuan, Lin Qiaoer stopped in her tracks, embarrassment flashed across her eyes.

"Hi." As a man, Xiao Zihan greeted first.

Lin Qiaoer lowered her head, and after a while, she raised her head again, "Hi."

Xiao Zihan noticed the passport in Lin Qiaoer's hand, and couldn't help asking: "Are you going abroad?"

"Um……"