Chapter 458 Xiang Xianglan Arrives

Moreover, Yan Liti genuinely liked the Qiao family.

I didn't find the boys too noisy; on the contrary, I especially liked their liveliness and energy.

Most importantly, the boys are all very sensible. They can be mischievous when they want to be, and they are well-behaved when they need to be quiet. They are not annoying at all.

On the third day of the busy farming season, which was also the day after Yang Juan was hit by a car, around lunchtime, the Qiao family welcomed another unexpected guest.

"Aunt Yan, Aunt Yan!" Xiang Xianglan, carrying many bags and gifts, got off the tricycle and first looked at the impressive house in front of her.

Just as they were about to ask the two workers who were busy building houses nearby if Qiao Changdong and his group lived there, they saw Yan Liti walking past the gate of the courtyard. They jumped up excitedly and shouted inside.

In Hongfeng Town, the height of a courtyard is generally about half a person's height, or about one meter.

However, Qiao Changdong valued privacy, and Qiao Qiao's situation was special, so when Qiao Changdong had the wall built, it was two meters high.

In addition, the wall is decorated with a ring of ornaments and has a sharp design to prevent thieves, making it a full two and a half meters high.

Standing outside the wall, Xiang Xianglan couldn't see inside at all; she could only peek through the half-closed gate of the Qiao family's courtyard.

Yan Liti came out when she heard the noise, opened the courtyard gate, and was also very surprised.

"Xianglan?"

"I found it using the address Qiaoqiao gave me. Our school has a 14-day holiday this time, so I specifically followed the address here. I didn't expect to actually find it! I'm so happy!"

Xiang Xianglan said happily.

Qiao Qiao and Fu Yu, who were in the courtyard, heard the noise and came over to see what was going on. They were also surprised to see Xiang Xianglan outside the courtyard gate.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Xianglan actually came looking for them.

"Auntie." Fu Yu was also a little surprised to see Xiang Xianglan, but there was also a sense of joy.

"Xiao Yu!" Upon seeing Fu Yu, Xiang Xianglan happily dropped all the things she was carrying, ran over, and hugged him tightly, her eyes instantly turning red.

Xiang Xianglan's emotions were unusually agitated.

Like a child who has suffered all kinds of grievances outside and has finally found family and support, his voice was a little choked up.

Fu Yu's expression showed a slight surprise.

He wasn't really used to being so close to people, except for Qiao Qiao, of course.

However, given that Xiang Xianglan seemed a bit off, he didn't push her away.

It wasn't until Xiang Xianglan gradually calmed down that she let go.

When Xiang Xianglan calmed down, she found that the entrance to the Qiao family's courtyard was crowded with about a dozen heads, all looking at her with a bit of curiosity.

Xiang Xianglan was surprised to see so many people in the courtyard. Her face flushed, and she belatedly realized how embarrassed she was. She raised her face and glanced at Yan Liti with embarrassment.

Yan Liti smiled nonchalantly and took the initiative to pull her over: "You've come at just the right time. We're about to start eating. Come on in."

"Hey, something..."

Xiang Xianglan remembered the large and small bags she had brought. When she turned around, she found that the boys who had been in the yard had already gone out to help her carry them.

Once inside the courtyard, Xiang Xianglan saw that besides Qiao Changdong, there were three women and six imposing, tall men.

They were in an even more embarrassing situation.

Fortunately, after Xiang Xianglan entered the Qiao family, she discovered that the people there were really friendly and hospitable, even though they didn't know her.

Xiang Xianglan only spent the time of one meal at the Qiao family's house.

But looking at this lively, harmonious, and loving family, she finally understood why her nephew didn't want to stay in Haishi and insisted on coming to this small mountain village with the Qiao family.

Xiang Xianglan traveled by train from Haishi, a journey that took three days and three nights. Excluding the two nights on the train, she also rested for one night in Baoyi City.

After lunch, she felt a little tired and went to sleep in the room that the Qiao family had prepared.

But she didn't sleep for long before she was woken up.

Houses were still under construction around the Qiao family's house, but the knocking and banging sounds, though noisy, were not shrill. After listening to them for a while, she felt that they were a kind of hypnotic effect.

Unlike now, the sound that woke her was a particularly shrill wail.

Her wailing made her already restless brain throb with pain.

Xiang Xianglan rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. Following the sound, she found that apart from Qiao Qiao, Fu Yu, and Pei Yiyang, everyone else from the Qiao family was gathered at the gate of the courtyard, seemingly watching something.

Xiang Xianglan walked over and asked Fu Yu, "Xiao Yu, what's wrong? Why is it so noisy outside?"

Fu Yu was sitting on a small stool, bending down to take a loquat from a red bucket, peeling it, and then putting it into another clean enamel bowl.

Pei Yiyang sat beside Qiao Qiao, holding a spoon in one hand and a bowl in the other, feeding her the biggest and sweetest loquats he had picked out from a bucket.

He would occasionally use a handkerchief to wipe the sugar water from the corners of the little girl's mouth.

These loquats were just delivered by Fang Zhengnan this morning. They were grown by the Qiao family themselves, behind their old house in Qiaojia Village. They started eating them in April, and now they're nearing the end of their growing season.

The loquats are not very big.

It was about the size of an adult's thumb, and even though it was already completely yellow, it still had a slightly sour taste.

However, Qiao Qiao really enjoyed eating it. Even though it was so sour that her pretty little face twisted into a mess, she still ate it with relish.

However, she shouldn't eat too much, otherwise her teeth will become sensitive.

Fu Yu peeled the loquats from the bucket not to eat, but to make loquat syrup, just like before.

Making loquat syrup is very simple.

Simply peel the fresh loquats, soak them in lightly salted water for about ten minutes, remove the pits, and put them in a pot with white sugar. After the sugar has melted, bring it to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat.

The color turned amber. Stir slowly until the color becomes clear. Let it cool to a suitable temperature, then add some honey before bottling.

It has a very good effect on clearing the lungs and relieving cough.

The Qiao family used to brew several bottles of this every year to prepare for Qiao Qiao.

Although Qiao Qiao has always been in good health, she is still a child, and there are times when she doesn't know when to add or remove clothes in time during the spring and summer. Fang Zhengnan and Grandma Qiao would brew a few bottles of her medicine for her to keep on hand.

Now that Qiao Qiao has cultivated her skills, she no longer has these troubles.

But Fang Zhengnan and Grandma Qiao still remembered this. Fang Zhengnan had just finished working in the fields yesterday, and early in the morning he called a few boys to climb the loquat tree and pick the last batch of loquats, which he then brought over to Qiao Qiao to make loquat syrup.

When Qiao Qiao saw Xiang Xianglan come out, she immediately picked out the largest one from the bowl that Fu Yu had peeled and offered it to Xiang Xianglan as a token of appreciation: "Aunt Xiang, would you like some?"