Chapter 240: Chapter 232: He Chengsi Outsmarted Again
Summer vacation approached quickly, and Tian Xinhua called Tian Sisi, asking her to meet him in Beijing; from there, they would head to Inner Mongolia together. Tian Qinghua, Hu Weixin, and Tian Sisi were the ones going to Beijing. Originally, Sisi wanted to take her two younger brothers as well, but Zhu Aiqing disagreed, saying they were still too young and could travel when they were older.
Hu Weichao, having graduated from high school this year and planning to go to the countryside like his brother Hu Weiwen in the latter half of the year in Inner Mongolia, didn’t go with them this time. In a couple of months, he would be heading there for labor anyway.
Initially, Tian Xinhua had also planned to invite Jianguo and Tang Qiubai, but they politely declined. Jianguo just finished building a new house and had almost spent the six hundred yuan he managed to save up; he needed to focus on earning money now!
The reason for Tang Qiubai was the same. He needed to help his grandfather with chores and take care of his meals and daily living; he didn’t have the luxury to go out and have fun.
At the beginning of July, Tian Sisi and Tian Qinghua were brought to the Shanghai Railway Station by Tian Mantong, with Hu Weixin waiting for them at the station. Their tickets were purchased well in advance. Hu Weichao brought them there on his bicycle, bringing along a lot of scallion egg pancakes and tea eggs made by Tian Manxing, as well as some snacks for Hu Weiwen.
Originally, He Xuewen wanted to accompany them to Beijing, but Tian Sisi playfully declined, promising to call home as soon as they arrived in Beijing. He Xuewen was really worried and was not willing to let go, but the Old Man made up his mind, saying that children grow up and can’t always be tied to their parents. After all, they were being seen off and picked up, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
The journey was very smooth. Tian Sisi remained calm, having been to Beijing frequently, but both Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin were excited about their first independent trip, constantly looking around with curiosity.
They arrived in Beijing in the late evening the next day. Tian Xinhua drove to pick them up. Seeing the jeep, both Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin were curious, touching and asking questions nonstop, just like two curious babies.
Tian Sisi was exhausted. Previously, when traveling with He Xuewen, she could sleep soundly until dawn, but this time, although she was the eldest amongst them, she regarded herself as an adult taking care of two children, constantly worried and didn’t dare to sleep deeply. That’s why she didn’t sleep a wink last night, and couldn’t sleep during the day due to the noisy carriage.
"Ah Nan, lie down in the back seat; we’ll be home soon."
Seeing Sisi’s pale face, Tian Xinhua knew she lacked sleep and immediately scolded Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin to keep quiet.
Sisi murmured, curled up in the back seat and fell asleep. Perhaps feeling secure with Tian Xinhua beside her, it wasn’t long before she was breathing evenly, deeply asleep.
Upon arriving at Yun Mansion, Tian Xinhua, still seeing Sisi deeply asleep, carried her up and handed over Hu Weixin and Tian Qinghua to Niu Erniu. He then carried Sisi to her bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, and covered her with a thin blanket. Every movement was cautious, fearing he might wake the girl.
Sisi showed no signs of waking up; indeed, she was extremely tired. Being awake for a whole day and night caused her 13-year-old body to protest vehemently. Now, she could probably sleep through anything.
Tian Sisi’s cheeks were flushed in her sleep, her red lips slightly pouting, showing a hint of her silver teeth, which made her look like she was inviting him to take a bite. Tian Xinhua, without any hesitation, leaned down and nibbled joyfully until Sisi made a sound of discontent. Tian Xinhua then stopped, seeing her brows had furrowed tightly.
He smoothed her brows with his hand, pressed another kiss onto her lips, smiled gently, then stood up to go tend to the two younger brothers outside.
Tian Qinghua and Hu Weixin had already had dinner, and the two sat quietly in the living room, not daring to look around too much, behaving as docilely as ladies. Tian Xinhua couldn’t help but laugh; at home, they were like tigers, but outside, they turned into cats!
"Are you full?"
"I am, Sixth Brother. The food here is really delicious, I ate five bowls." Seeing his own Sixth Brother, Tian Qinghua immediately felt at ease, and his courage grew.
"I ate three bowls too," Hu Weixin added.
"I’ll take you to bathe and rest. The grandma we met just now was Granny Niu, and there are also Mr. Yun and Grandpa Luo, whom you will meet tomorrow. Remember to greet them when you see them, got it?" Tian Xinhua explained the situation in the mansion as they walked.
"Got it, Sixth Brother. What about Chengsi? Wasn’t he with you? Why haven’t I seen him?" Tian Qinghua, who had the best relationship with He Chengsi, felt somewhat disappointed not to see his good friend.
"Chengsi has gone to the military for training and won’t be back until the school term starts," Tian Xinhua said lightly.
Meanwhile, He Chengsi, who was roasting a wild rabbit on a mountain in Lanzhou, cursed as he cooked, "Damn it, that pretty boy, you tricked me again, huh!"
He Chengsi sighed, seemingly embarrassed by repeatedly being outwitted by Tian Xinhua, but then he perked up, sliced the roasted rabbit with a dagger, and ate it.
"Sisi sister, you must wait for me to come back!"
He Chengsi quickly finished a whole wild rabbit and climbed a tree to sleep. Looking at the bright moon above, he resolved to quickly find his target and complete his mission so he could see his dear sister Sisi sooner. Poor He Chengsi wasn’t aware that the Sisi he was longing for was no longer in Beijing!
"Niu Heizi, why didn’t you wait for me? The company commander paired us together so we could advance and retreat as one. How could you go ahead alone?" A girl’s crisp voice rang out from beneath the tree, but He Chengsi did not react, only responding indifferently:
"If you’re too slow, it’s not my problem. I certainly don’t want a teammate who lags behind. In my opinion, you might as well rest at the foot of the mountain while I locate the target. When I do, we can meet up, and the credit will be shared between us both. Wouldn’t that be better?"
"Niu Heizi, don’t underestimate women. I won’t enjoy the fruits of your labor, hmph, if you won’t wait for me, then fine. I can find the target myself, and we’ll see who finds it first!"
The speaker was a tall girl with thick eyebrows and big eyes, her skin sunburnt red and black, exuding a healthy beauty.
"Not a small talker, are we? Let’s see who’s more capable," He Chengsi said before closing his eyes, no longer paying attention to the girl under the tree. Soon, even breaths could be heard from the tree.
Humph! The girl stomped her foot in anger, but quickly calmed down. She rekindled the dying fire, picked up a huge pile of firewood, and then leaped into the darkness. Before long, she returned with a skinned and gutted wild chicken.