I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 533. Silent Strategy
The next day.

On Saturday morning, after picking up some cigarettes, alcohol, and fruit, Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao boarded the bus back to their hometown.

Xia Xiaoxiao's village is in a place called Xinlong, which is about 40 or 50 kilometers away. It doesn't take too long to get there by car.

On the bus, Xia Xiaoxiao's mood didn't seem very high; she looked like a wilted eggplant.

Xu Qingfan placed her palm on his thigh, and then used his index finger to poke between the girl's fingers.

He played for five minutes, and Xia Xiaoxiao watched for five minutes. When their eyes met, Xia Xiaoxiao had an expression of concern for a mentally challenged child.

Xu Qingfan put her hand in his pocket and held it, jokingly saying, "With cigarettes and alcohol on the way, people might think you're bringing your fiancé home for a visit."

Xia Xiaoxiao tilted her head and stared at him without saying a word, just staring at him.

But Xu Qingfan understood what she meant: If you dare to admit it, I dare to agree!
"Haha...just kidding. Uncle Xia took such good care of me when I was a kid, so it's only right that I bring some good cigarettes and wine when I visit." He dodged the question.

Mentioning that man, Xia Xiaoxiao reluctantly withdrew her gaze and leaned back in her chair.

Xu Qingfan didn't say anything more, but gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her, indicating that he was still there for her.

On the first day of the New Year's Day holiday, there was a major traffic jam on the highway. What was originally expected to be a journey of more than forty minutes took an extra half hour.

However, because we set off early, it wasn't too late when we arrived in Xinlong.

Xu Qingfan hadn't come before, so Xia Guofu was asked to stand at the village entrance to greet him.

This time he remembered the way and had the driver take him straight to his doorstep.

Before he even arrived at the car, he saw a child in the distance setting off firecrackers to blow up the irrigation ditch in front of his house. The black sewage was blasted into the air and soaked him to the bone.

"Pfft, Mom, please hit me." Xu Qingfan couldn't hold back and subconsciously looked at Xia Xiaoxiao, noticing that the corners of her mouth were also slightly upturned.

However, when he looked over, Xia Xiaoxiao immediately composed herself, flashing a smile that made Xu Qingfan unsure if he was seeing things.

Upon hearing the child's ghostly howls, a middle-aged woman immediately emerged from the house. After assessing the situation, she picked up a rattan cane from the doorway and strode aggressively toward the child.

"Mom, I was wrong!" The child turned and ran away in fright, while the woman chased after him at a leisurely pace, occasionally giving him a light tap on the bottom.

As the car drew closer, the woman stopped chasing it and stared at the unfamiliar license plate.

Over the years, it has become a habit that if a car with an unfamiliar license plate enters the village, nine times out of ten it's there to steal dogs—they're really bad!
There aren't many child abductions. In the South, clan ties are very strong, and people won't raise children who aren't related to them by blood, for fear of not being able to bond with them properly.

Even in families that have absolutely no harvest, those with some financial means would usually think of adopting a child from one of their siblings.

When the child saw her mother stop chasing her, she ran home in a flash.

Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao got out of the car and their eyes met the woman's.

"Hello, Auntie, we came by car ourselves." Xu Qingfan knew that Xia Xiaoxiao didn't want to talk, so he spoke for her.

Liang Siyu was taken aback at first, then nodded enthusiastically and smiled, "Okay, I'll go call them out now!"

She turned around and took two steps, calling out a few words in the local Hakka dialect. Before long, everyone in the room came out.

Xia Xiaoxiao's grandfather fell from a tree. Due to his advanced age and osteoporosis, he now needs help to walk.

Upon seeing Xia Xiaoxiao, who had grown into a graceful young woman, the two elderly people were extremely excited. They held her hands and said, "Why haven't you come back to visit for so long?"

Xia Xiaoxiao felt like she was being roasted over a fire, and didn't know how to respond, so she could only secretly look at Xu Qingfan for help.

"Let's go inside and talk. Grandpa and Grandma, let's go inside and talk. It's cold outside," Xu Qingfan said loudly.

“Yes, yes, let’s go inside. You must be tired after such a long drive,” Xia Guofu immediately agreed.

A group of relatives swarmed around Xia Xiaoxiao as she entered the house, while Xu Qingfan and Xia Guofu lagged behind.

"You didn't even call ahead. I could have picked you up at the village entrance." Xia Guofu patted him on the shoulder. "Good lad, you're taller than me now."

Xia Guofu is only 1.8 meters tall, and Xu Qingfan has maintained a height of 1.85 meters for a long time, as if the potential of growth hormone has been exhausted.

However, he is quite satisfied with his current height; he would feel uncomfortable if he were any taller.

Moreover, he has reason to suspect that the growth hormone's potential has not been exhausted, but rather that it has gone to where it is needed more.

“It was cold in winter, so I remember the road was so wide that cars could drive right up to the door,” Xu Qingfan said with a smile.

Seeing that Xia Guofu seemed to have something to say to him, he stopped talking.

After everyone went inside, Xia Guofu took out his cigarette case and subconsciously wanted to offer him one, but then remembered that Xu Qingfan didn't smoke, so he tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

"What has your father been busy with lately?" he asked politely.

"I heard he became the president of the Licheng Fishing Association, and he spends all his time organizing fishing trips around." Xu Qingfan shrugged.

He knew that this wasn't what Xia Guofu wanted to ask, and since the two had an excellent personal relationship, it was impossible for him to act as an intermediary to find out about the situation.

"If it weren't for this big family, I would have retired like your dad. Haha, Xiao Fan, you're amazing. You won big in the football betting world without making a sound, and you made a fortune drawing comics without making a sound. You must be the reincarnation of the God of Wealth!"

Xu Qingfan smiled without saying a word, waiting for Xia Guofu to continue.

Sure enough, after a dry laugh, Xia Guofu put away his smile and asked, "How are Xiaoxiao and her doing lately?"

Although they were divorced, Xia Guofu still had feelings for Lin Jing, and Lin Jing became more and more attractive as she matured; any man would be tempted by her.

"Xiaoxiao is still the same as always, she studies very well, eats very well, and is very healthy." Xu Qingfan said with a smile, "Auntie is also very good. She earns several thousand yuan a month just from rent, and the franchise store also makes more than ten thousand yuan a month. She doesn't care much about school work anymore. She has reduced her teaching duties by one class and resigned from her job as a homeroom teacher. She spends her days shopping, getting beauty treatments, and going out with my mom. She's very relaxed."

After hearing this, Xia Guofu didn't know whether to be happy or sad. After all, he had wanted to say that if Lin Jing was struggling financially, he could provide some financial assistance.

It wasn't entirely about rekindling their past relationship; it was also about making amends to her, since Lin Jing hadn't accepted a single penny of the child support she'd given Xia Xiaoxiao over the years.

"That's good." He patted Xu Qingfan on the shoulder, silently lit the cigarette tucked behind his ear, and put it in his mouth.

"Then I'll go in first, Uncle." Xu Qingfan pointed to the door.

"Okay, Xiao Fan, you go in first. I'll have a smoke at the door." Xia Guofu nodded.

As men, Xu Qingfan could tell what was going on in his mind. He probably saw Lin Jing's recent photos on someone's social media and was now itching to get closer to her.

Although Xu Qingfan himself is a scumbag, he is still unhappy with Xia Guofu's behavior, probably because it's the same principle as intellectuals looking down on each other.
Inside the house, Xia Xiaoxiao sat upright in a chair, surrounded by a bunch of aunts and uncles chatting.

When she saw Xu Qingfan come in, she gave him a pleading look.

Hey jungler, come quick and save me!

Xu Qingfan could only suppress a laugh after seeing this. It was quite a contrast that the usually aloof and academically gifted girl could be so embarrassed. "Drink some water to warm up." It seemed to be Xia Xiaoxiao's second uncle, who held up his briefcase and gestured to Xu Qingfan.

"I won't drink, Uncle. I have a bit of a cold, and I took some medicine before leaving this morning," Xu Qingfan said with a smile, politely declining.

In short, both your second and third uncles are called "bo," so it's always correct to address them that way.

Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him. He wasn't helping her at all, and she was even thinking of exposing his lies. She hoped he would be forced to drink a whole bag of briefcases!

"His name is Qingfan, right? He's tall and handsome now. When are you going to start dating our Xiaoxiao?" Auntie teased.

"Yeah, they grew up together. What was that word they used on TV again?"

"My mom is my childhood sweetheart!"

“That’s right, childhood sweethearts. Afu and Xiaoxiao’s mother were also childhood sweethearts.”

After the relative, whose name I don't know, said this, the whole room fell silent instantly.

Xu Qingfan could even hear the cawing of crows flying overhead.

"What nonsense are you talking about? They only met in elementary school. Xiaoxiao and Qingfan grew up together since they were little, that's what you call childhood sweethearts!" Second Aunt slapped the person who had just spoken nonsense.

"Haha, right, right, I misspoke, I'll slap myself, slap myself." The woman slapped herself a few times.

"Uncle and Aunt, please don't talk nonsense. Our high school doesn't allow early relationships. We need to study hard and get into a good university in the future," Xu Qingfan said to ease the awkwardness.

"Haha, right, right! Don't fall in love too early, focus on your studies!"

"Did you hear what your brother Qingfan said? You only got a 30-something in English, and your math is even worse. If you get a single-digit score, I'll confiscate your comic books when we get back!"

"My son is even more outrageous. His homeroom teacher complained that he lost his eraser during the exam, and whichever side it landed on had to answer the question correctly. I was so angry that I smashed several clothes hangers!"

"Sit properly! Stand up!"

"Aww, no!"

"what!"

When the conversation turned to studying, the atmosphere inside the room suddenly changed, immediately transforming into a famous scene of parents disciplining their child.

Xu Qingfan never expected that his simple words would be so damaging; four children in the room had already been scolded and cried.

Xia Xiaoxiao's younger brother is in second grade this year and is also in the line of being scolded. However, the kid is too naughty and has a completely "dead pig doesn't care about boiling water" attitude.

"You can still laugh? Your sister gets full marks in every subject, while you don't even get 100 in Chinese and Math combined!" His grandmother spread out his hand and gently tapped it with a slap.

"Boys tend to be a bit more mischievous when they're little. Grandma, you can enroll him in a few more tutoring classes. Second grade is a crucial year. If his grades aren't good in second grade and he doesn't master the multiplication tables, it will be very difficult for him to learn math well later on."

"Think about it, if you don't do well in math, how can you possibly do well in physics and chemistry in junior high? You definitely won't get into a good high school, and you'll only be able to go to a vocational school, but everyone knows what kind of environment vocational schools are like."

Xu Qingfan gave a long and detailed analysis, making it sound very convincing. Coupled with his image as a top student, everyone in the room believed him without a doubt.

"What should we do? Nuan Nuan has always been bad at math, and she calls him 'brother'!"

"Yes, yes, my rascal is the same. Not only is he bad at math, but he's also bad at English. If he can't even do English, how can he have any international perspective in the future!"

"And me too."

Inside the room, the adults chattered amongst themselves, clearly regarding Xu Qingfan as a star educator.

Only the children shed tears of guilt, gazing at him with "grateful" eyes.

Xu Qingfan gestured for them to speak, indicating that he knew they were in a hurry, but asked them not to rush. "Everyone, speak one by one. Second Aunt, why don't you tell me about Nuannuan's situation first? I'll help you analyze how she can improve."

"My Warmhearted Girl"

After listening to her situation, Xu Qingfan thought for a moment and then offered a relatively comprehensive study plan: "Auntie, you can do this..."

It wasn't simply to torment elementary school students; his advice was actually excellent and more reliable than tutoring institutions that charge hundreds of yuan per lesson.

Xia Xiaoxiao felt that this scene was familiar, but at least she didn't have to be asked so many questions, which made her feel much more relaxed.

She leaned back in her chair, watching Xu Qingfan give a lesson. The parents seemed to have learned a lot, while the children reluctantly said thank you. It was hilarious; he even had to thank us.

Xia Guofu had been smoking a cigarette when he entered the room and was stunned to see the scene of people lining up for class.

Then he was soon dragged by Liang Siyu to line up for class. Xia Tian's poor academic performance had always been a worry for the couple.

Xu Qingfan was so busy that he was hoarse from talking until it was time to eat, and finally he could take a break.

"Xiao Fan is a really good kid. He's obedient, sensible, and polite, and he's also quite handsome."

"He has excellent speaking skills and knows how to handle situations; he's sure to achieve great things in the future!"

“She and Xiaoxiao look very well-matched sitting together.”

At the dinner table, everyone praised Xu Qingfan highly.

Xia Guofu probably regarded Xu Qingfan as his son-in-law, and felt very proud.

He laughed loudly, "Of course! I'd be more than satisfied if Xiao Fan became my son-in-law!"

Xia Xiaoxin's heart trembled slightly, and her gaze towards Old Deng softened considerably.

Xu Qingfan poured himself a full glass of baijiu, stood up, and said, "I won't say anything more. Thank you for your kindness, uncles and aunts. I'll drink it!"

Without even blinking, he gulped down a nearly two-ounce glass of baijiu in two gulps.

The crowd immediately erupted in applause and cheers, becoming increasingly satisfied with their son-in-law, Xu Qingfan.

After he sat down again, Xia Xiaoxiao thoughtfully handed him some tea to rinse his mouth. This scene of husband and wife working together elevated the atmosphere of the dinner party to another level.

After taking a few sips of tea to mask the taste, Xu Qingfan patted the back of her hand to indicate that he was alright.

It was just a simple little gesture, but Xia Xiaoxiao's inner defenses were instantly broken down, for reasons she couldn't explain.

Even though she knew that the stinky dog ​​had feelings for more than just her, she still enjoyed the feeling, or rather, she was infatuated.

The dinner was still going on, and the relatives switched their questions to Xu Qingfan instead of her. When they asked about her, Xu Qingfan answered the questions.

All she needed to do was sit quietly beside him, and that would say it all.

(End of this chapter)