<h4>Chapter 408: Chapter 408 Ayi’s Death Anniversary</h4><h4></h4>


    "Young Master, Young Madam has set off!"


    Old Chen, after moving thest load, shouted towards the living room.


    "Okay,ing." Qiao Xi, holding her bag and phone, prepared to get in the car.


    Aunt Qian hurriedly followed her out, stuffing two thermoses into her hands and admonishing, "Young Madam, this is the soup I stewed all night. You and Young Master must eat well in the countryside. If it’s really not possible, just let Old Chen drive you to a restaurant in the county seat. Or... shall Ie with you too?"


    She was genuinely afraid that Qiao Xi and Huo Xingzhou would starve in the countryside.


    Qiao Xi smiled as she took the thermoses and said, "Thank you, Aunt Qian. You should stay at home. We will be back after just one night; don’t worry."


    Aunt Qian still felt reluctant, "Thene back early, don’t travel at night."


    "Mm, got it!"


    "Young Master, you also need to take good care of Young Madam and help out with some housework," Aunt Qian really wanted to cover all the bases; she worried she might have missed something, checking back and forth several times.


    Then she sighed as she watched them go.


    "Goodbye, Aunt Qian, don’t miss us too much."


    Qiao Xi sat in the car and waved at her. Huo Xingzhou, sitting beside her, seemed much calmer, watching them with reluctance, the corners of his mouth lifting in a gentle smile.


    "Goodbye."


    The car soon left the Huo family’s small vi and drove toward Moon Vige.


    The journey from Haicheng to Moon Vige wasn’t too far. If Old Chen didn’t stop to rest at the service area, it would take only about three to four hours to reach the countryside. The road into the vige had been repaired, a project personally funded by Huo Xingzhou.


    The vige’s infrastructure had also seen some improvements, all of which Qiao Xi knew nothing about.


    Huo Xingzhou didn’t bring it up to take credit.


    This time.


    After several hours of bumping along, Qiao Xi saw the transformed vige and couldn’t help but widen her eyes. Moon Vige used to be quite backward, but now there was even arge square and senior fitness equipment.


    The roads were smooth asphalt now, which used to be muddy whenever it rained.


    "This... how has it changed so much?" Qiao Xi asked in surprise.


    She had even thought about saving some money to help the vige pave roads and assist some lonely elders. She was from Moon Vige, and having achieved some sess, she wanted to give back to those who had been kind to her.


    Old Chen smiled and said, "Our Young Master allocated special funds from the Xingyue Foundation for Moon Vige’s development. Young Madam, how do you find the effects? Your ancestral home was cleaned up and even renovated a few days ago."


    Old Chen slowly drove into the vige; this Lincoln was quite a rarity there.


    It attracted some onlookers.


    The car stopped when it reached the courtyards of Granny Qiao and Cheng Han.


    Both neighboring courtyards had been renovated and didn’t look run-down at all; they really resembled a hidden paradise.


    "Qiao Xi hase back!"


    "Miss Qiao, you’re finally back? This must be your man. His legs have really been healed by you; it’s truly a case of bitterness leading to sweetness."


    The neighbors, hearing themotion, gathered around to see if they could lend a hand.


    Qiao Xi let Old Chen distribute the gifts from the trunk right there to avoid having to deliver them to each house individually.


    Aunt Chunhua grabbed two silk quilts, her smile so wide she couldn’t close her mouth, "I just mentioned it in passing, and you really brought them for me. I’ve already cleaned your house; you can move in right away. Even the new quilts your granny prepared have been sunned and still smell warm."


    "Thank you, Aunt Chunhua."


    "Oh, no thanks needed," Aunt Chunhua replied, looking at them, "Qiao Xi, you’vee back to pay respects to Granny Qiao and that boy, right? This morning, when I was up in the hills, I even bumped into a young man..."


    "Young Madam, which gifts are for whose family? Could you pleasee and check?" Old Chen yelled, his voice straining.


    There was too much in the trunk, and he didn’t recognize all these vigers.


    The important thing was that these people even went home to grab a plethora of local products, insisting on stuffing them into the car. Old Chen even saw a live chicken, its wings and ws tied, clucking nonstop.


    The scene was too chaotic!


    Qiao Xi responded hurriedly, "I’ming! Aunt Chunhua, I’ll go check it out first. Sit in the courtyard for a while, I have some things to give you too."


    Aunt Chunhua agreed repeatedly, "You go ahead with your tasks."


    Huo Xingzhou moved a small round stool for Aunt Chunhua, "Please have a seat."


    Aunt Chunhua was ttered.


    She felt somewhat at a loss, as Qiao Xi’s man looked so distinguished, yet he was moving a stool for her, a simple countrywoman.


    Her stature felt incredibly elevated.


    Aunt Chunhua sat down uneasily, giving an awkward smile.


    Huo Xingzhou sat on a stone bench opposite her, every movement exuding a uniquely elegant charm. His gaze swept over Qiao Xi, who was busy nearby, and he began speaking gently,


    "You mentioned a young man earlier, what kind of young man?"


    Qiao Xi hadn’t noticed.


    But Huo Xingzhou knew many secrets and suspected the identity of that so-called young man. The vige was full of familiar faces; a noticeable one had to be a stranger.


    Once Huo Xingzhou mentioned him, Aunt Chunhua started talking nonstop, "I have arge flock of sheep, and I take them up the mountain every day. This morning, I saw a young man wearing a hat and a mask going up the mountain, heading towards the vige cemetery. I even casually asked him..."


    "He said he was just walking around, but I thought he didn’t look like an ordinary person. That posture, that demeanor..."


    Aunt Chunhua stared at Huo Xingzhou for a while and said, "Like you, unlike us ordinary folk. After that, I didn’t pay attention to where he went. Is he a friend of you and Miss Qiao?"


    "Sort of. He arrived here before us."


    Huo Xingzhou replied with a smile, but his eyes were devoid of warmth. The hotel’s staff hadn’t mentioned Zhong Yi running out; he really was bold, unafraid of exposing himself.


    This was a risky move.


    Was Moon Vige that significant to him?


    "I knew it, he must be your friend, no wonder he looked so refined. Even though I didn’t see his face, I could tell he must be good-looking."


    Aunt Chunhua chatted for a while and found that Huo Xingzhou was quite approachable, without some city people’s bad habits.


    He was indeed a good match for Miss Qiao.


    When Qiao Xi and Old Chen had sorted out the gifts in the car, it was already early afternoon. The vigers wouldn’t let them cook, so Aunt Chunhua insisted they go back to her house for a meal, a generosity they couldn’t decline.


    As evening approached, it was still light.


    Qiao Xi and Huo Xingzhou went up the hill to the vige cemetery. Old Chen followed behind, carrying some offerings.


    "Up ahead is Granny’s grave, and a bit further is Ayi’s," Qiao Xi mentioned Ayi very naturally in front of Huo Xingzhou, as they had already discussed this childhood friend, with no apprehensions.


    "Actually, today is Ayi’s memorial day."


    Qiao Xi spoke softly, "I came to pay respects to Granny and took this chance to honor him too. I’m afraid someone might forget him. I heard that ghosts in the Netherworld need money too, and I don’t want him to be poverty-stricken and bullied by other spirits."


    No wonder she had Old Chen go to the vige store to buy so manyrge bills from the Heaven and Earth Bank.


    Huo Xingzhou responded with a smirk, "With so much, he surely won’t be able to spend it all."


    Old Chen chipped in, "Had I known, I would’ve bought a couple of paper-mache beauties at the store to burn for him, to keep himpany."


    Qiao Xi nced at them, feeling their tone a bit odd.


    Yet her attention was quickly drawn to the eucalyptus flowers in front of Granny’s tombstone, and not far away, there was a bouquet at Ayi’s grave too!


    Who had ced those?