Xavier was startled and quickly said, "How can that work? These chickens are all raised by the villagers. If you blow them up, losing money is a small matter, but getting scolded is a big deal!"
This also brought back some memories for Xavier. When he was a child, he also seemed to like catching other people's chickens everywhere.
Although he never caught any in the end, in order to catch these chickens, he stepped on someone else's vegetable patch and was scolded soundly.
His mother even had to go to their house to apologize, and he only got off the hook after being beaten with a stick.
"Let's go, let's go."
Xavier shook his head, shaking these memories out of his mind, and led the group towards where Taigong was.
Saying it was Taigong's residence wasn't entirely accurate, because Taigong lived in the same place as his grandfather and his eldest uncle.
Before they even arrived, Xavier heard the sound of people talking and chatting from not far away.
It was very noisy; one could tell there were many people.
Turning the corner, the scene before them appeared.
This was indeed Taigong's doorstep, adorned with wreaths and various items typically found at funerals.
Many people were also talking and chatting at the entrance, looking as lively as a daily gathering.
And although it was a funeral, everyone didn't seem overly sad; it was quite normal.
This was also very normal, after all, Taigong's generation didn't know many people, so naturally, there wouldn't be too much emotion.
"So many people..."
Xavier was actually very surprised, because in his memory, his family didn't seem to have so many relatives.
Perhaps many of them were fellow villagers.
Seeing unfamiliar faces appear, the few people at the entrance who were cracking melon seeds and chatting immediately fell silent.
They all turned their gaze to Xavier, scrutinizing him, seemingly trying to figure out who he was.
One of the aunties suddenly asked, "You're Old Fourth's Xiao Xuan, aren't you?"
Xavier smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm Xavier."
"Oh my, after more than ten years, you've grown into such a handsome young man! Let Auntie have a good look!"
Rural aunties are always so enthusiastic. She put down the melon seeds in her hand and came to Xavier's front.
She walked around him twice, insisting on seeing Xavier thoroughly.
Although Xavier was a bit embarrassed, he didn't react much.
The others also gathered around and started exchanging pleasantries.
"He's really changed, he used to have snot bubbles hanging from his nose when he was little, I didn't expect him to grow into a handsome young man in the blink of an eye."
"Yeah, look at his skin, it's just different from ours."
Xavier didn't know if this sentence was praising him or being sarcastic; he always felt a bit strange.
"Hu Tao, their way of speaking is so strange. How is it different from the people we met in Jiangcheng?"
Furina, still some distance from Xavier, felt uncomfortable everywhere and quietly asked Hu Tao.
"Oh, if you go to Liyue, you'll probably encounter this kind of situation too. Elderly people in the countryside all speak like this!"
Hu Tao didn't react much to this situation, it seemed that Liyue's culture and Dragon Country's culture were quite similar.
"Hmm, it's so strange. Xavier and they haven't seen each other for a long time, but it feels like it's very light, very light."
Klee tilted her little head, her finger resting on the corner of her mouth, completely unable to comprehend everything happening before her.
To be honest, Xavier couldn't quite understand it either. They weren't that familiar with each other, so why were they acting like relatives?
"Let's go, let's go inside."
Although these people meant him no harm, Xavier really couldn't handle such occasions.
He waved to Furina and the other two, calling them to come inside.
It was then that the uncles and aunties noticed that Xavier had brought three people with him.
"Oh my goodness, these two girls are too beautiful!"
"This skin, this figure, this demeanor, you can tell at a glance they're from a big city!"
"What's Xiao Xuan doing, coming back for a funeral and bringing young girls back?"
"I'd say they must be his girlfriends. It's perfectly normal to bring them back this time to meet the family."
"Nonsense, how can he have two girlfriends? Look, there's also that little girl, could she be their daughter..."
After hearing these words, Xavier almost fell to the ground.
That's just nonsense! How old was he? How could that be his daughter, hey!
Besides, Hu Tao is only around 10 years old, and Furina is only...
Alright, even though she's over 500 years old, he'd only known her for a short while, so how could they have a child so quickly?
Many rural houses have a large courtyard in the front, and the main house is located behind it.
On either side are either kitchens or side rooms.
And Furina and the other two were like cold water in a hot oil pan, causing a stir wherever they went.
However, as soon as they entered the courtyard, the people gathered there all looked over.
"Clatter!"
Someone even dropped their water cup on the ground, their eyes wide with astonishment.
"Whose daughters are these? They're too beautiful."
"And this little girl, she's like a porcelain doll."
"The one next to him seems to be Old Fourth's Xiao Xuan..."
At this moment, everyone finally recognized Xavier, because although they hadn't seen Xavier much, they were more familiar with Xavier's parents.
Xavier's eyebrows carried some of his parents' charm, so he wasn't particularly difficult to recognize.
"Xiao Xuan is back?"
A middle-aged woman wearing an apron walked over, her face full of smiles.
"Second Aunt." Xavier greeted her with a smile.
Xavier's Second Aunt in his memory was very kind and amiable, but unfortunately, she had little status in the family and rarely returned to her hometown.
"Hmph, you don't know to come back unless we call you, do you? You're just like your parents, barbarians!"
Another man walked out of the room, with a full beard and a fierce look on his face.
Xavier frowned when he saw this middle-aged man, not even bothering to greet him.
This person was his eldest uncle, the one who forced his parents away.
"Eldest, what are you doing? Xiao Xuan just got back..."
Xavier's Second Aunt looked at her Eldest brother reproachfully, signaling him to stop talking.
"Second Sister, don't speak. Eldest Brother is right to scold him."
Another middle-aged man walked out, dressed in a suit, looking like a successful person.
Xavier, of course, knew this person; he was his Third Uncle.
He usually liked to team up with his eldest uncle to suppress his father; he wasn't a good person.
Xavier still remembered his parents mentioning once that he seemed to have done some business and now had some wealth.
He used to like to look down on people, and now he looked at people through his nostrils, throwing his weight around everywhere.
"Xiao Xuan, it's one thing that your parents argued with your Eldest Uncle and defied your grandfather's wishes back then, but why are you, as a grandson, so insensible?"
"If we hadn't called you back this time, would you have returned? Do you still bear the Lin surname?"
"Don't say anything, first apologize to your Eldest Uncle, and then kowtow to your grandfather!"
Compared to Xavier's Eldest Uncle, Xavier's Third Uncle clearly enjoyed the feeling of control more.
He immediately gave Xavier a warning, trying to overwhelm Xavier with his imposing manner!
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