Is not being able to do as you please also called rebirth?

Chapter 55 Cousin Zhao Ruoyu

When Jiang Xun and Yang Kaiyi came out of the skating rink, the streetlights were already on.

Under the cover of night, Yin County was far from the prosperity and hustle and bustle of later generations, and the old town streets appeared exceptionally tranquil.

The lights of thousands of homes in the distance are like twinkling stars in the night sky, so near yet so far.

The two walked on the somewhat chilly street, and Yang Kaiyi curled up like a hedgehog because of the cold weather.

Jiang Xun opened his down jacket, wanting to walk over and wrap her petite body around his chest.

But the result might be that Yang Kaiyi delivers a fatal elbow strike to him; this girl is no joke when she gets fierce.

So after thinking about it, he took off his down jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"No need, you're wearing so little underneath, you'll catch a cold." Yang Kaiyi instinctively wanted to refuse, but she was no match for Jiang Xun's strength.

"With my constitution, do you think I'm that easy to catch a cold?" Jiang Xun said with a light laugh after forcing her to put on her clothes.

Under the dim streetlights, Yang Kaiyi's gaze secretly swept over the slightly bulging muscles under Jiang Xun's thermal hoodie, the blush on his face hidden by the night.

The image of Jiang Xun taking off his shirt on the basketball court was uncontrollably flashing through her mind; that photo had been reposted many times online.

In the period after the sports meet ended, she often saw others posting about it on social media, and then she... 'accidentally' saved it.

Wearing Jiang Xun's down jacket and smelling the lingering scent of youth on his clothes, the girl's mind was in turmoil.

She said in a barely audible voice, "Then, then put your hands in your pockets, it'll be warmer that way."

"Huh?" Jiang Xun didn't understand what she meant at first. He was only wearing a hoodie, so where did he get a pocket?

"Oh." But he quickly understood and put his hands into the pockets of his down jacket.

In this way, the two of them could only walk close together, with Jiang Xun's hand in his pocket pressed against the girl's soft arm.

They could smell each other's scent and even feel each other's temperature.

The scent of youthful hormones wafted between them; their hearts beat faster and faster, and their breaths seemed to heat up.

Unbeknownst to them, the distance between the two grew closer and closer until they were almost touching, and Yang Kaiyi seemed oblivious to it all.

It wasn't until they reached the main road with heavy traffic that she hurriedly distanced herself from Jiang Xun, her eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze.

"I...I'll take a taxi back first," Yang Kaiyi said in a low voice, preparing to return Jiang Xun's clothes to him.

Her family doesn't allow her to be out after 8 PM, so even though it's only 7:30 now, she has to go back.

"Wear this first, I'll go with you." Jiang Xun stopped her and hailed a taxi.

After the two got into the car, Jiang Xun asked the driver to drop Yang Kaiyi off at the entrance of her residential complex first, and then take her home.

His unintentional gesture filled Yang Kaiyi's heart with sweetness, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

When the taxi arrived at the entrance of her residential compound, she returned the clothes to Jiang Xun and then waved goodbye as if nothing had happened.

She stood by the roadside watching Jiang Xun get into his car and leave before turning around and walking into the residential area.

As he walked, he couldn't help but skip and jog, humming the song he wrote, "As You Wish".

……

The city-wide joint exams at the end of the semester require the exam papers to be scanned and graded uniformly in the city, so the results are released relatively late.

It will probably be released around February 1st, which is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month. Today is the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, so there are still a day or two left.

Jiang Xun didn't pay much attention, but his parents were more concerned and would ask about it from time to time.

This afternoon they are going back to their hometown in the countryside to celebrate the New Year with Jiang Xun's grandparents, just like every year.

Not only them, but also Jiang Xun's second uncle and younger uncle's families will gather together, a grand reunion that only happens once a year.

Jiang Xun and his family went back in his uncle's van, and also took his second uncle's eldest son, Jiang Zheng, with them.

Jiang Zhengze's second uncle's family farmed in their hometown, while Jiang Zhengze studied in the county town and lived at the school, returning home once a month.

Jiang is currently a first-year high school student at Yinxian No. 2 Middle School. Students at No. 2 Middle School are admitted after No. 1 Middle School has already admitted its students, so their academic performance is generally lower.

He stayed at his uncle's house in the county town during his vacation and only went back now.

This kid is a chatterbox; he kept talking non-stop to Jiang Xun the whole way, and all he talked about were the latest gossip from school.

A large portion of them were related to Jiang Xun, and Jiang Zheng spoke with admiration and envy on his face. The key point was that many of them were exaggerated rumors, making Jiang Xun so embarrassed that he scratched his toes on the ground.

Jiang Xun's parents and uncle listened with great interest, as they hadn't expected him to have so many interesting stories at school.

Upon arriving at their hometown, the three Jiang brothers busied themselves chopping firewood and carrying water, while Zheng Yun and Jiang Xun's second and youngest aunts washed pots and dishes.

This was in preparation for hiring someone to slaughter the New Year's pig the next day. The New Year's pig was raised at home by Jiang Xun's grandparents.

Despite being in their sixties, the two elderly people are in excellent health. They not only raise a few pigs, but also grow some corn and potatoes.

Jiang Xun originally intended to help, but several adults chased him away, telling him to read by himself or take his younger siblings out to play.

In front of these elders, he was still just a child.

The next morning, the butcher who had slaughtered the pig arrived at their home, and the three Jiang brothers also asked the male laborers from their neighbor's house to help them catch the pig.

Slaughtering the pig for the New Year is definitely the happiest time for children.

They can wrap fresh pig brains in vegetable leaves and cook them, or roast lean meat or pig pancreas over firewood.

Just as a group of people were helping to slaughter the pig, a black Volkswagen drove in from the bumpy road at the entrance of the village.

The car stopped on the rammed earth embankment in front of the Jiang family's old house, and then the car door opened, and a well-dressed couple got out.

A similarly glamorous young woman followed behind.

The moment the girl stepped off the bus, even the gloomy weather around her seemed to brighten up.

She had a pretty, round face, thick, long, smooth black hair, and a curvaceous figure.

Yet her eyes, as cold as autumn water, made her appear somewhat arrogant.

Upon seeing them, Jiang Xun realized that her aunt's family had also come back to celebrate the New Year together this year.

That proud girl, as proud as a peacock, was her aunt's only daughter, named Zhao Ruoyu.

Her nickname is Zhao Jiujiu because she was born on September 9th.

They played together when they were little, but Jiang Xun remembered that this little girl was very proud and he didn't like her very much.

After getting off the bus, Jiang Xun's aunt, Jiang Yuchang, wearing high heels and carrying a small bag, walked towards the group of people slaughtering pigs with a beaming smile, greeting everyone.

Jiang Xun's uncle, Zhao Dongyang, carrying some gifts, walked directly into the house along the stone path.

A group of men were busy slaughtering a pig when Jiang Xun's mother, Zheng Yun, took the initiative to go up and exchange pleasantries with his aunt, Jiang Yuchang.

"Hey, is this Ah Xun? You've gotten so tall and handsome!" Jiang Yuchang suddenly noticed Jiang Xun standing next to her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Auntie." Jiang Xun nodded obediently in greeting, neither overly affectionate nor cold.

At this moment, Jiang Yuchang waved to Zhao Ruoyu behind her, "Jiujiu, come here quickly and call your aunt and Jiang Xun."

Zhao Ruoyu stepped forward, looked at Jiang Xun, and called out "Auntie" and "Brother Jiang Xun" expressionlessly before turning her gaze elsewhere.

“This child.” Jiang Yuchang glared at Zhao Ruoyu, then smiled and asked Zheng Yun:

"Sister-in-law, Xun is a senior in high school now, right? How are her grades? What did she get on the joint entrance exam?"

Zheng Yun answered honestly, "I don't know, their results haven't come out yet, they said it will be in a couple of days."

"No, Jiu Jiu and the others' results have already come out."

Jiang Yuchang's expression was a little strange, and she wondered if Jiang Xun's exam results were so bad that her sister-in-law was too embarrassed to say it.

However, I heard that Jiang Xun's grades were not good to begin with, so it's normal that he would find it hard to admit that he scored two or three hundred points.

"They're out?" Zheng Yun was also a little surprised. She looked at Jiang Xun, who explained, "Maybe the schools in the city let out earlier."

At this moment, Zheng Yun casually asked, "Xiao Yu must have done very well on the exam, right?"

Jiang Yuchang shook her head, looking somewhat dissatisfied.

"She's not usually very focused, and this time she only scored a little over 600 points, which is about 20th in the city."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun slightly pursed his lips.

Sure enough, it was still the same familiar aunt, unchanged at all.

　Second update, a transitional chapter. Thank you for your support! Please vote and follow!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)