Chapter 1015: Returning to the Village

The day before the Qiu family's full-moon banquet, Xiao Fu and Liu Chuxue took leave and returned to Willow Tree Village first.

Xiao Mu, being far along in her pregnancy, stayed home and asked the neighboring Cheng family to help look after things a bit, because Du Juan would also be accompanying the Xiao family to attend the full-moon banquet for her cousin's son this time.

As for Chunxiao, since she had classes and the full-moon banquet was on a Tuesday, she would wait to go with the main Xiao family group on the actual day and head straight to the Qiu family then.

Xiao Fu and Liu Chuxue carried the prepared items, boarded a freight truck from the meat processing plant, arrived at the crossroads, and as soon as they walked into the village, someone called out: "Shan, oh no, Changsheng is back?"

Xiao Fu stopped, smiled, and handed over a cigarette: "Uncle Lao Wu, where have you been?"

Uncle Lao Wu had a bundle of firewood on his back: "We're running low on firewood at home, so I went up to the ridge. Today was lucky; I found a dead tree, and I was just thinking of coming back to call Wen Yang and the others to help drag it back."

Taking advantage of his pause, Liu Chuxue called out: "Grandpa Wu."

"Oh my, being in the city makes a difference; not only are you fairer, but you seem to have grown taller too."

"Not seem, but actually have grown taller."

She had grown a few centimeters since first arriving, and she was quite satisfied with her current height of one meter sixty-eight.

"You're getting prettier and prettier. By the way, Changsheng, your daughter Chuxue has been engaged for quite some time; when is the wedding?"

Hearing the question, Xiao Fu smiled: "It was set before the New Year; the wedding is on May Day."

"Today is already the fifteenth of February, mid-March, so the wedding date is coming soon."

"Yes, soon. When the time comes, come with Secretary Zhi and the others to drink a toast of wedding wine."

"Will it still be held in the village then?"

Xiao Fu didn't know how to reply, so Liu Chuxue took over: "Grandpa Wu, it won't be held in the village then, but my fiancé will drive a car back to pick everyone up. If you have time, you must come."

"Go to the city? A car will pick up villagers to go to the city?"

"Yes, to pick everyone up to go to the city for the banquet."

"That's wonderful. I went to the city once when I was young, following a cart driver master. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye; I wonder what the city has become."

"Then you must go even more; it's just right to see if there have been any changes."

"Ah, ah, ah, good, good, good, I'll go, I'll go. By the way, why did you two father and daughter return together today?"

Thinking of his little grandson, Xiao Fu's smile deepened the wrinkles on his face: "Today is the fifteenth of the lunar month; it's just right to light up the house tonight. Also, tomorrow is Xia Qiu's son's full-moon banquet, so we came back a day early to go over there earlier tomorrow."

"Oh, Xia Qiu's son is already a month old?"

"Indeed; today marks forty-two days, and the full-moon banquet is tomorrow."

"Oh my, you've become a grandfather too; truly, time ages people."

Liu Chuxue still wanted to enter the mountains, so the father and daughter did not delay further.

Xiao Fu picked up the items: "Uncle Lao Wu, we'll head back first; we still need to tidy up the house."

"Ah, ah, ah, go back quickly; come sit at my place when you have time."

After entering the village, they took the small path by the drying ground and went straight home.

Before leaving, the kang and the cabinets had been covered with plastic sheeting, so it didn't take much effort; the father and daughter worked together, one tidying the house while the other went to the kitchen to start the fire, using the pipes on the wall to drive the chill out of the house.

Once everything was tidied, Liu Chuxue took a backpack, threw a rope inside, held a machete in her hand, and prepared to go up the mountain.