Chapter 548 - 563: Going Home

An Ning ate the piece of cantaloupe on her fork in one bite, then finished the rest of the fruit in the container in a few more.

With a CLATTER, she tossed the fork into the container and snapped the lid shut with a CLICK.

An Ning expertly took the napkin Jiang Xia handed her, wiped her hands and mouth, and waited to get home.

The car stopped at the toll booth. The young woman working there took the card Jiang Xia handed her through the window. With a BEEP, the toll appeared on the screen. She collected the payment, gave back the change, and raised the gate. They were on their way.

Once they were off the highway, An Ning felt an inexplicable sense of joy, looking forward with anticipation.

The car drove along the newly paved cement road. Ten minutes later, they made a turn and entered Shili Gou.

It was then that An Ning noticed the main village road had been paved with cement, and many flowers, plants, and trees had been planted along both sides.

"They made it look quite pretty, but honestly, planting some corn would have been good too. It’s green, and you can eat it."

An Ning’s words made Jiang Xia crack a smile.

’That’s An Ning for you!’

"You little brat—get back here!"

"You little rascal! If I don’t give you a good thrashing today, you’ll never learn who your father is!"

A dark-skinned boy was running ahead, shouting as he ran, "Dad—have you lost your mind?"

Having successfully added fuel to the fire, the boy kept running, his agile movements making it impossible for the person behind to catch him.

An Ning looked from inside the car. ’Isn’t that Hei Dan’er and my big brother, An Guoqing?’

"Hei Dan’er! Big Brother!"

An Ning pressed her whole body against the car window, waving one hand high in the air and yelling.

Hei Dan’er, who was running for his life to save his own hide, turned his head when he heard her. He nimbly changed direction and grinned widely at An Ning. "Auntie, save me!"

"Little Sis—You little bastard! Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up today, it wouldn’t do any good!"

An Guoqing didn’t even finish his sentence as he gave chase, a stick in his hand.

By now, Jiang Xia had stopped the car. An Ning hopped out, and a curious An Guoping got out as well. He stood to the side, enjoying the show, and asked, "Hei Dan’er, what did you do this time?"

"Nothing much—just had my dad do a good deed for the school. He’s getting old, probably going through menopause."

Hearing this, An Ning and An Guoping knew he deserved every bit of the beating he was about to get. That mouth of his... was asking for it.

"You little rascal! A good deed? How can you even say that with a straight face? Since you started school, you’ve broken windows all over the place! I’ve had to replace eighty-two panes of glass for the school in one damn semester, you little—"

An Guoqing only got angrier as he spoke.

Eighty-two panes of glass?

Impressive.

"It’s only natural for a son’s debt to be paid by his father! It’s your fault for being my dad. If I asked someone else to pay, that would be so disrespectful to you!"

An Ning and An Guoping simultaneously gave Hei Dan’er a thumbs-up. Amazing. What a badass!

Every beating he got was well-deserved.

Hei Dan’er kept running. Probably realizing that even his Auntie An Ning couldn’t save him, he sprinted purposefully toward the Big Willow Tree at the village entrance. Lin Cuihua, walking back from the small store, saw An Ning first.

"Dear—"

"Grandma—"

Lin Cuihua was startled by Hei Dan’er’s shout, and her immediate reaction was a single thought: ’Serves him right!’

"Grandma, am I still your beloved eldest grandson?"

"No!"

Not only was Lin Cuihua stern and impartial, she even conveniently pulled a switch from the side of the road and, holding it, shouted to An Guoqing, "Eldest, what’s he done now?"

"Paying for glass!"

"You little turtle-grandson! How many panes has it been! At this rate, the school might as well be rebuilt! You little bastard, why can’t you keep your hands to yourself!"

What was originally a solo match had suddenly turned into a doubles beatdown.

Hei Dan’er broke through the pincer attack, only for his mother to appear out of nowhere, blocking his escape in another direction.

"Mom—"

"Don’t you call me Mom. I can’t handle the honor. You’re my ancestor!"

Hei Dan’er’s expression changed, though it was hard for anyone to tell given how dark his skin was.

"Ah—the heavens themselves are against me—"

With a sorrowful cry, An Guoqing finally caught up and landed a flying kick right on Hei Dan’s butt.

Right after, the bamboo switch was about to come down. An Ning took a few steps forward, let An Guoqing get in two hits, and then stepped in to pull them apart on the third swing.

"Alright, Big Brother, that’s enough."

"Thanks, Auntie!"

Taking his chance, the clever Hei Dan’er hid behind An Ning, his bright, dark eyes watching An Guoqing. ’Only two hits today, not bad.’

"Little Sis, don’t protect him. You have no idea how much trouble this stinky brat causes. At that school, replacing glass is a regular thing. I’ve even had to repaint the school walls countless times, and I’ve replaced that swing set three times already."

"Are you going to school? Or are you demolishing it?"

"Son of a—"

"Grandma, Dad’s cursing at you!"

With that one sentence from Hei Dan’er, An Ning, who had been shielding him, silently stepped aside. She patted his head and said, "I can’t help you anymore."

"Auntie—"

"Nope. Your auntie here doesn’t want to get her butt spanked at her age."

Hei Dan’er’s reflexes were pretty sharp. The moment An Ning moved, he leaped several feet away and, like a little monkey, bounded off and ran away.

The three adults behind him yelled a few more curses after him, but that was all they did.

"That little rascal. It’s like he’s eaten a superpower pill. His feet never touch the ground all day, and he’s got so much energy he’s always stirring up trouble."

Lin Cuihua finally walked over to An Ning, looking her up and down. "Hm, you’ve gained weight. That’s not easy."

"Of course. I’ve been very good, eating well every day."

An Ning affectionately hugged Lin Cuihua’s arm. With her sister-in-law on the other side and her big brother walking ahead, the family walked back home, talking and laughing.

An Guoping decided not to get back in the car either. Only Jiang Xia was left to drive, following behind them. Along the way, he watched An Ning greet the other villagers and make small talk.

Jiang Xia felt that An Ning truly loved living in the village.

Her smile was free of pressure, unburdened by any other thoughts. It was just the purest, simplest form of happiness.

When the group reached the Jiang family’s gate, two identical four-year-old boys ran out. One hugged their mother and the other hugged Lin Cuihua.

"Mom—"

"Grandma—"

"I’m hungry!"

The twins’ chemistry was on full display.

"How are you hungry again? Didn’t you just eat?"

Lin Cuihua grumbled as the boys’ mother, standing beside her, told the twins to greet their relatives.

An Ning had been back before, but the visits were short, so the children didn’t have a strong memory of her.

"Auntie!"

"Little Uncle!"

An Ning answered cheerfully, taking one boy by each hand as she walked into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, An Sancheng had already come out of the house, followed by Second Brother An.

The family was finally all together.

With An Ning and An Guoping back, the house became even livelier.

Lin Cuihua sent An Guoming out to buy meat—ribs, pig’s trotters, and the like—while An Ning volunteered to go pick vegetables from the greenhouse.

As smoke began to curl up from the chimney, the aroma of cooking food filled the air.

An Ning sat on the small stool by the stove, feeding the fire just like she always had. It seemed as though nothing had changed.