On the fourth day after Han Ye returned, he suddenly left the Han family home and moved back in with Qiao Lanshu’s family.
He had often stayed there before, so Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng were already used to it. Neither of them thought much of it.
Qin Yuanzheng usually had to go to work, and Qiao Lanshu had plenty to keep her busy as well. That meant Xiaxia was generally home alone.
Xiaxia had plenty of childhood friends and classmates in Wencheng, but after going out to meet them for two days, she stopped leaving the house much.
Whenever she did go out, Han Ye would take her on the back of his bicycle. No one knew what the siblings did all day, but they always came home after dark.
Qiao Lanshu was quite at ease about the two children. Han Ye had grown mature and steady, and Xiaxia went without saying. Even if the two of them stayed out all night, Qiao Lanshu trusted them not to get into trouble.
But Han Ye had come home this time on annual leave, which meant his vacation was limited. In just a few days, he would have to return to his unit.
So Qin Yuanzheng thought he ought to leave work early these days, so he could come home and have a heart-to-heart talk with Han Ye.
Yet on the rare day he actually got off work early, Han Ye was nowhere to be seen when he got home!
With no other choice, he accompanied Qiao Lanshu to buy groceries.
Then, at a street corner, they saw Han Ye riding his bicycle with Xiaxia on the back.
Qin Yuanzheng glanced at them and frowned. “Han Ye has been taking Xiaxia out every day lately. What exactly are they doing? Was Xiaxia ever this attached to him before?”
Qiao Lanshu was curious too. The two of them followed them for a look and saw Xiaxia sitting on the back of Han Ye’s bicycle. One arm was wrapped around his waist, while she held a popsicle in the other hand. She took a bite herself, then held it out to him. Han Ye turned his head and took a bite from the spot she had just eaten.
When he finished, Xiaxia laughed and continued eating.
Her smile was so radiant. Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng rarely saw Xiaxia this happy.
Before long, Han Ye’s bicycle disappeared into the distance.
Qin Yuanzheng and Qiao Lanshu stood at the street corner. He was holding the groceries, while she had her arm linked through his.
The two of them fell into an awkward silence.
Nearly two full minutes passed before Qiao Lanshu finally spoke hesitantly. “When did Han Ye and Xiaxia become so close?”
Qin Yuanzheng looked solemn. “Don’t you think something’s off about them?”
Of course, Qiao Lanshu had noticed it too.
But she still said, “They grew up together. Sharing a popsicle isn’t necessarily a big deal.”
When Qin Qiao'an and Xiaxia were little, they often drank from the same cup and ate from the same bowl. Sometimes Qin Qiao'an even ate Xiaxia’s leftovers. After they started middle school, that happened much less often.
But it wasn’t as if it had never happened. So sharing a popsicle…
Qiao Lanshu rubbed her forehead. “Forget it. The more I think about it, the less normal it seems. How much does a popsicle cost? Ten cents? If they wanted one, they could have bought two. Why did they have to share?”
“Xiaxia has always disliked the two of them,” Qin Yuanzheng said. “She’s never eaten anything they’ve already had. She won’t even eat food you’ve taken a bite of.”
Xiaxia disliked eating anything other people had eaten, even if that person was Qiao Lanshu.
The only person in the family who didn’t mind was Qin Yuanzheng. He ate whatever his wife left behind, and whatever the children left behind too.
Now Xiaxia didn’t mind eating a popsicle Han Ye had bitten into. That was highly unusual—unless the two of them…
The husband and wife exchanged a look.
Qiao Lanshu wasn’t angry. She was simply astonished—extremely astonished.
Qin Yuanzheng, however, was somewhat angry. His face darkened. “Let’s go home.”
By the time they returned, it wasn’t dark yet.
It was only after night had fallen that the sound of a bicycle bell rang out at the gate.
A moment later, Han Ye pushed his bicycle into the courtyard with Xiaxia beside him, the two of them chatting as they walked.
They were both smiling and laughing, clearly in high spirits.
Xiaxia especially was so obviously happy that Qiao Lanshu couldn’t help taking several more looks at her.
The moment they saw Qin Yuanzheng and Qiao Lanshu in the courtyard, they stopped short.
Still smiling, Xiaxia said, “Dad, Mom, I’m back! I bought some apples and pears. Oh, and I bought sunflower seeds too. Mom, do you want some?”
Qiao Lanshu looked at her and said flatly, “No. Your mother doesn’t feel like eating anything right now.”
Qin Yuanzheng stood there with a stern, expressionless face, staring intently at the two of them.
He had been watching them ever since Han Ye and Xiaxia entered the courtyard.
They had been walking quite close together, side by side at first. And the way Han Ye looked at Xiaxia…
Qin Yuanzheng had been around long enough to understand exactly what that look meant.
Besides, the moment they saw the two adults at home, Han Ye and Xiaxia immediately put some distance between themselves. It was practically a confession in itself!
Qin Yuanzheng’s face darkened. “Han Ye, you…”
He had barely begun when Qiao Lanshu grabbed his arm.
She gave him a meaningful look.
Frowning, Qin Yuanzheng forced himself to hold back.
Han Ye sensed that the atmosphere was strange, but he didn’t dare ask. After all, he felt guilty.
He carried the things inside and asked, “Uncle, did you want to talk to me about something?”
“It’s nothing,” Qiao Lanshu said. “You two rest for a while. Dinner will be ready soon.”
With that, she pulled Qin Yuanzheng into the kitchen.
The moment they entered, Qin Yuanzheng couldn’t hold it in any longer. He lowered his voice and said, “Why didn’t you let me ask him just now?”
Qiao Lanshu lowered her voice as well. “Of course I couldn’t let you ask like that. Think about it. If there’s nothing going on between them, wouldn’t asking embarrass them? Wouldn’t it hurt their feelings? But if there really is something between them…”
She fell silent for several seconds before continuing. “Actually, when you think about it carefully, this is a good thing too. We know exactly what kind of person he is, and Xiaxia wouldn’t have to marry someone from outside the family. She could stay here with us. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Qiao Lanshu had only stopped being angry after thinking it through this way.
Qin Yuanzheng had previously favored Zhou Dingwen, believing that he was a good man.
But now that he looked at it, Han Ye was actually much more suitable than Zhou Dingwen.
A child they had watched grow up from infancy—there was no one more dependable than him.
Besides, Han Ye had always taken good care of his younger siblings.
That was all true, but Qin Yuanzheng was still displeased.
He said darkly, “That brat actually set his sights on Xiaxia. When do you think he started? Don’t tell me he had these intentions back when Xiaxia was still little.”
If that was really the case, he would break Han Ye’s legs himself.
