1046 Reunion



When Xia Guang heard that Xia Mao's health was fine, he heaved a sigh of relief. Xia Jun only had these five children. Among them, they would rather take it upon themselves than let anything happen to Xia Mao. Xia Mao was the one who followed Xia Jun into the battlefield since he was young and could be said to be the child whom Xia Jun cherished the most. If Xia Mao were to pass away, Xia Jun would not be able to withstand the shock given his current physical condition.

"Second Brother is back too. Since everyone is back, I'll get Xia Wen to bring Father over for a meal. Let's have a proper gathering," Xu Lan said with a smile.

"Will Qiao Mei come over later? I haven't met this kid yet," Xia Guang said.

"Qiao Mei is in the advanced stage of her pregnancy now. Since it's getting late, let's not ask her to come. Xia He is staying at the old residence to accompany Qiao Mei," Xu Lan explained. In fact, Xia Wen had specially instructed her not to inform Qiao Mei about the gathering. If Qiao Mei was around, it would be very difficult for them to handle the matter at hand today.

Xia Guang thought for a moment and asked, "Is Fifth Sister coming? Is she busy at the hospital?"

He had not returned to the capital for a long time and wanted to take this opportunity to meet everyone. In this world, these were the only people he cared about. Other than his own family, he only had these relatives left.

"I've called and asked her. She's on duty tonight and will probably come to stay over in the latter half of the night. I'll ask the helper to keep a lookout and let her in when she comes," Xu Lan said.

Only then did Xia Guang feel at ease. It was a rare occasion for him to take leave to come back. He definitely intended to stay for an extended period so that he could spend time with Xia Jun and his siblings.

After everyone entered the house, they seemed to have an unspoken mutual understanding not to mention the issue regarding Zhou Hua. Zhou Hua also knew her place and kept a distance from everyone. She sat alone in the corner in a daze and would occasionally respond with a sentence or two when spoken to. Most of the time, she just sat there alone.

"Second Brother, I haven't seen you for a long time," Xia Guang said as he went forward.

"That's true. We haven't seen each other for two years. You've been busy in other regions and don't have much time to come back for a visit. Have you thought about transferring back to the army unit in the capital?" Xia Yao asked tentatively.

Xia Yao was a person who did not have any grand ambitions. He worked as an army clerk in the capital troops and would occasionally go on business trips to other regions with his superiors. His work was not dangerous, but it was a different story for Xia Guang. This year, Xia Guang was assigned to the border troops again. Although he would be promoted when he returned from the assignment, the border was a dangerous area. If not for Xia Mao's accident this time, it would probably be at least three years before the family could see Xia Guang again.

"I'm doing quite well at my current unit now. Let's see how things develop in the future. It's better to stay put for the time being," Xia Guang said after thinking for a moment.

The two brothers chatted about their future plans. Both brothers wanted to settle down in the capital eventually. Xia Yao also wanted to spend more time with his family. Given that Xia Guang's latest posting was very recent, he would be criticized if he returned to the capital now. People would spread rumors about him doing it by getting through the back door or something like that. It was better for him to stay at the border for two years and wait for his promotion to be finalized before returning to the capital.

While they were preparing the food, Xia Wen arrived with Xia Jun. Along the way, Xia Jun had a dark expression on his face and did not say a word. He did not visit Xia Mao immediately after the accident because he himself had also been sick recently.

Xia Jun had been in poor health since the beginning of winter. After hearing about what happened to Xia Mao, the shock he felt had affected his heart and he caught a bad cold. However, he still talked to Xia Wen on the phone every day to find out more about Xia Mao's health.

He also knew that it was Qiao Mei who had saved Xia Mao this time. If not for Qiao Mei, he might not have been able to see his eldest son again. Therefore, Xia Jun was here today to back Qiao Mei up.

"Grandfather, don't pull a long face when you enter the house later. It's not easy for my second and third uncles to be able to come back. If you're unhappy, then Second Uncle and Third Uncle won't feel comfortable either. The one who causes the trouble should bear the responsibility. Don't blame the innocent parties," Xia Wen reminded as he sat in front.

"You little brat, how dare you educate me. Even your father doesn't have the guts to do that," Xia Jun said with a doting smile.

Xia Wen said mischievously, "That's because Grandfather dotes on me. Otherwise, I would never dare to talk to you like that."

When the car reached the main door, people started coming out of the house to welcome Xia Jun. Xia Wen held Xia Jun's arm and whispered, "Grandfather, put on a smile. Don't pull a long face and refuse to talk."

"Oh… all of you are here," Xia Jun said coldly.

"Father, how have you been recently?" Xia Guang asked.