Chapter 1671 - 608: Returning Home

After more than three months, He Tiantian returned to the small county.

Her feelings were somewhat complicated.

Like it was a lifetime ago?

A bit, after all, she didn’t just leave for three months; she also lived lifetime after lifetime in the novel world.

Seeing the place she grew up in again, she felt a mysterious sense of unfamiliarity.

The things have remained but the people have changed?!

That’s not quite the case!

Look, He Tiantian had just left the county’s long-distance bus station, and before she could even take a ride to County First Middle School, she ran into someone she knew.

"Oh, Tiantian, what did you do during the winter vacation? Did you know your Aunt came looking for you?"

The speaker was a middle-aged woman in her forties. He Tiantian paused for a moment, and only remembered a few minutes later that this was her neighbor.

To be precise, she lived next door when she stayed with her eldest aunt.

Last year, her eldest aunt got married, sold the house and the small supermarket, and He Tiantian moved into the school dormitory, gradually losing contact with these neighbors.

However, after living together for more than a decade, even after not seeing each other for a year, that aunt was still very affectionate when she saw He Tiantian.

"My aunt?"

He Tiantian reacted, called out to her Aunt, and then asked in some surprise, "She came looking for me?"

How could that be?

The eldest aunt always considered her a burden; she was happy to get rid of her and marry into the city, so why would she come looking for her?!

Unless—

He Tiantian thought seriously for a moment, and then she had a guess.

Perhaps during the New Year, because she didn’t contact her real parents proactively, her biological parents felt a bit ashamed or annoyed.

It’s not that they really miss her or are eager to see her.

They, um, probably have that typical parental authority and control drive at play.

Maybe they thought, since He Tiantian is a child lacking in love and craving a family, though she could hold out normally, she would feel lonely and desolate during such special family-gathering occasions like New Year and then would proactively contact her parents and relatives.

Maybe they also wanted to seize this opportunity to show their power so that He Tiantian would know who the real parents and the dominant authority at home are!

He Tiantian knew that when she called her real father He Shengli asking for child support, it must have infuriated him.

She made him think she’s a defiant child, an unfilial daughter, challenging his authority as a father!

It’s just that, due to his job and reputation, and fearing that He Tiantian would really cause a scene, which he and his wife couldn’t handle, he grudgingly gave the money.

Although money was given, the hearts of He Shengli and his wife must be extremely aggrieved.

They surely thought spitefully that no matter how rebellious He Tiantian is, she’s just a teenager.

Not to mention needing money for college and marriage in the future, even during special festivals like the New Year, it’s hard for her to endure alone.

They all waited for He Tiantian to give in and then planned to seize the opportunity to manipulate.

In the end, He Tiantian didn’t contact them proactively at all.

He Shengli must have been furious, but he considered his status and didn’t want to rush to the small county to find He Tiantian.

So he called He Shengnan, asking her to come over and have a look.

Firstly, He Shengnan lives in the city, which is closer to the small county;

Secondly, He Shengnan is He Tiantian’s "Foster mother," so their relationship should be better, at least closer than with He Shengli and his wife.

Even if there’s no affection, having raised He Tiantian for more than ten years, the surrounding neighbors would also recognize their aunt-niece relationship, so seeing He Shengnan looking for He Tiantian wouldn’t be surprising.

Unlike He Shengli, who moved to the Provincial City after passing the exams and rarely returned to the county for over twenty years.

Even the surrounding neighbors don’t know he’s He Tiantian’s real father.

So if he abruptly rushed back to the county and went to school to find He Tiantian, it would definitely attract attention.

He Shengli loves face, coupled with an inexplicable restraint, and doesn’t want to be inquired about or pointed at.

He Shengnan is the most suitable one to come forward.

"Yeah, on December 28th, your aunt came back once, specifically went to school to find you!"

"After the New Year, on the sixth day of January, your aunt came again, and almost got into a fight with your class teacher!"

"...Oh dear, this whole affair, half of the county knows about it."

"Oh, right, Tiantian, where did you go after all? Someone said you went to another place for work? What kind of job did you find?"

This Aunt was gossiping with He Tiantian while looking her up and down.

As if she wanted to know what kind of work such a pretty teenager, standing in front of her, could have done in another place.