After crossing over: kidnapping a female hunter to be the stepfather of the three cubs

The banquet lasted until almost 15:00 PM in the afternoon, and the people writing the gifts gradually disappeared. Xu Qingzhao moved his sore arms. This job was quite tiring.

Zhao Huanxi came over and asked Xu Qingzhao if he was tired and if he wanted to rest for a while.

"It's okay, it's almost over."

Zhao Huanxi was amazed when he saw the handwriting on the gift book.

The handwriting was natural and smooth, and the brushstrokes flowed like a mountain stream. Zhao Huanxi began to look at this big boy with a new respect.

Handwriting is a powerful reflection of a person's character. The strength of handwriting is just right, neither too rigid nor too weak. It possesses both strength and softness, allowing one to appreciate the writer's inner peace and resilience.

If this calligraphy is written down, framed and hung up, who can tell whether it was written by a master or not?

There were still a lot of big steamed buns left in the basket behind him. Zhao Huanxi thought that it would be enough to give two to each person who came to help.

"You live alone. If you don't mind, just stay for dinner tonight. We're all family, so it's no big deal."

Xu Qingzhao grasped the key point: his own family...

Smiling, he raised his head and agreed without hesitation: "Okay~"

After telling him, Zhao Huanxi ran to the kitchen to see what was going on. The women had already finished their meals and were helping to wash the dishes and pots.

The eldest Sun came over and said to her, "Girl, you wanted to have some wine at the table without consulting me so I could stop my husband. He was so drunk today that he had to be carried home by several people."

Huanxi knew that Da Sun was not really blaming her, so she took Da Sun's hand and apologized with a smile:

"Auntie, I was wrong. I'll go to your house to apologize tomorrow."

Da Sun poked her head and smiled dotingly: "You are still acting like a spoiled child, even for such a big girl."

When they were almost done, Zhao Huanxi gave each of them two large steamed buns and two pounds of pork. She also packed up some leftovers to take home.

Anyway, the weather is getting hotter now, and we can't finish all the leftovers at home. So we can share them so that everyone can have a taste.

In the end, most people had left, leaving only Old Mrs. Tian and Mrs. Liu.

"Huanxi, let's go back first. You have worked hard these days. After you finish cleaning up, go to bed early." Old Mrs. Tian advised.

Zhao Huanxi nodded and looked around. There was almost nothing left in this thatched cottage, but there were some things that could be used. He thought about asking Mrs. Tian and Mrs. Liu to take anything they needed. Their new home had everything they needed.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law picked and chose and took a lot of things back.

Xu Qingzhao said goodbye to him and went home, saying that he would come over for dinner in the evening. Zhao Huanxi agreed and returned to his new home.

When I opened the door, I found several maids and two adults playing shuttlecock in the yard.

"Sister Hongying! It's your turn!" Xiao Yin was sweating from playing.

Xiao Pan and Yu Yan sat in the corridor of the reception room and watched them laughing and making noise.

Xiao Nian noticed Zhao Huanxi coming in and ran over to hug her: "Mom, you're back~"

Zhao Huanxi casually placed the gift book in his hand on the high table next to Yu Yan and picked up Xiao Nian from the ground.

"Niannian, have you gained weight? I can hardly hold you anymore."

This girl has become much heavier, and it’s really hard to hold her now.

"Hey, mommy, Xiao Nian is not fat." She waved her short little hands, trying to break free from Zhao Huanxi's arms.

Yu Yan saw the gift book on the table. Just then, a breeze blew over and turned two pages of the book.

At just one glance, Yu Yan's expression began to twist, and she couldn't help but pick up the gift book and flip through two pages.

Zhao Huanxi put Xiao Nian down and found that her eyes were filled with tears, which were now falling down.

So he quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, asking with concern: "Miss Yu Yan, what's wrong with you?"

Yu Yan looked at the handwriting on the gift book in a daze and asked with a choked voice.

"Huanxi, who wrote this gift book?"

Zhao Huanxi felt a little distressed when he saw her tearful face. He wiped her tears and said gently, "This was written by Mr. Xu who was with me last time. What's wrong?"

When Yu Yan heard the name, she could no longer control herself. She excitedly grabbed Zhao Huanxi's hand and asked her, "How old is he this year?"

Zhao Huanxi thought: She really didn’t know her exact age. She heard that she was thirteen or fourteen years old when she was picked up. Now she didn’t know how many years had passed. She estimated that she was in her twenties, but she couldn’t say exactly.

I could only comfort him: "Don't worry, he will come over for dinner tonight, how about you ask him in person?"

Pang Hongying also noticed Yu Yan's abnormality at this time, stopped joking with the children and walked over to ask with concern.

Yu Yan's emotions gradually calmed down. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and looked at Huan Xi with some embarrassment:

"Miss Huanxi, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"It's okay, you guys rest here for a while, I'll go to the kitchen to prepare dinner." Zhao Huanxi didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only find an excuse to slip away quickly.

Several maids also followed Huanxi to the kitchen tactfully.

The new kitchen was fully stocked with new pots and pans, and all the seasonings were neatly arranged. There was even an area in the backyard dedicated to firewood, with bacon hanging from the beams. There was also a separate compartment for food and other supplies.

Yu Yan and Pang Hongying in the front yard entered the guest room and closed the door. Pang Hongying sat down and poured Yu Yan a cup of tea and asked:

"Xiao Yu'er, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly..."

"Hongying, you know everything about me, right..." Yu Yan suddenly interrupted Hongying and looked at her with a sad face.

Hongying nodded hesitantly.

"My father was the Minister of Public Administration during the previous emperor's reign. When the new emperor ascended the throne, he was demoted to a remote region as a minor official. Later, my father's colleagues deliberately framed him and imprisoned my entire family. My mother died within two weeks of being imprisoned. My father still wanted to appeal... but how could he have a chance to turn things around if he had been deliberately framed?"

As Yu Yan spoke, tears flowed down her beautiful cheeks. Pang Hongying quickly stepped forward and comforted her softly:

"Xiao Yu'er... I'm here... I'm fine now..."

"Hongying, my brother was a Jinshi. They beat his hand and crippled it. He will never be able to write again. In despair, he hit his head against the wall and died..."

Pang Hongying didn't know about these things. Her father only told her that something had happened in Yu Yan's family and someone had entrusted her to look after her for a few years. Her father didn't tell her anything else in detail.

Now listening to Yu Yan telling these things herself, Pang Hongying just felt distressed, and at the same time hated those bad officials.

"Later, I heard that it was a prominent figure in the capital who rescued my father from prison and reinstated him. But my father refused to accept the offer and took me to Jiangnan. Until this year, my father caught a cold in the winter due to a chronic illness he contracted in prison and passed away..."

At this point, Yu Yan could no longer control her sadness and hugged Hong Ying crying bitterly. Hong Ying also put her hand gently on her back to comfort Yu Yan who was crying so hard that she was out of breath.

"Then what does all this have to do with Master Xu?" Hongying was still puzzled. Up to now, Xu Qingzhao had not appeared.