By the time the two returned to the classroom, Xu Fan found Shi Yong and asked about Shi Lei's situation.

Shi Yong was Shi Lei's cousin, and he felt a little embarrassed when Xu Fan brought up the matter.

Previously, Shi Lei had instructed him not to tell Xu Fan about this, to avoid making things difficult for Xu Fan.

But now, Xu Fan already knew about it, so what should he do?

Xu Fan noticed his difficulty and smiled, "Shi Yong, I don't need you to tell me about anyone else, you just need to tell me where Shi Lei and his family are living now. That's all."

"This, alright then!"

Shi Yong bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, then wrote down the address of Shi Lei's family for Xu Fan.

As Shi Lei's cousin, seeing his family go through such a change, he had thought about lending a hand.

But the economic difficulties faced by Shi Lei's family were too severe to be solved by a student like him.

Even his parents had strictly forbidden him these past days, telling him not to try and play the hero.

"Boss, my cousin's family situation is really tricky. It's normal if you can't help, but I hope you can help him bounce back!"

Shi Yong now pinned all his hopes on Xu Fan, bowing deeply.

Soon, it was time to leave school. As soon as the bell rang, Xia Xiaodie, who was already restless, grabbed Xu Fan and ran out of the classroom.

Xu Fan watched and was speechless. Was this girl a Lei Feng or what?

Since Shi Lei's home had been demolished, leaving them homeless, his family of three was now staying at his uncle's place.

Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie took a cab and arrived at the neighborhood where Shi Lei's uncle lived in about fifteen minutes.

Following the address given by Shi Yong, Xu Fan quickly found the destination with Xia Xiaodie in tow.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?"

Standing at the door, they knocked, and soon there was a response from inside.

"Who are you looking for?"

A middle-aged woman about 1.6 meters tall opened the front door, then adjusted the glasses on her nose, looking at Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie with questioning eyes.

Not knowing whether she was Shi Lei's mother or aunt, Xu Fan smiled slightly and explained, "Hello, we are Shi Lei's classmates. We came to see how his parents are doing."

"Yes! Yes! Are his parents at home?"

Xia Xiaodie chimed in, nodding and asking.

"Hmph, they're at home, wishing they could stay at home every day!"

When the middle-aged woman with glasses heard that Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie were looking for Shi Lei's parents, her expression suddenly darkened.

With a sour face, she snorted and walked back into the house.

"..."

Such an attitude surprised both Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie. Xia Xiaodie looked at Xu Fan questioningly, and Xu Fan shrugged, saying, "Let's go in and see."

They followed the middle-aged woman with glasses into the house.

Upon entering the house and looking inside, Xu Fan quickly noticed a middle-aged couple.

The woman was hunched over, diligently mopping the floor, while the pale-faced man was crouched at the bathroom door, washing clothes.

As Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie wondered what was happening, they heard the middle-aged woman with glasses lazily shout at them, "Hey, your son's classmates are here to see you. Finish your chores before meeting guests, understand?"

After speaking, she glanced at Xu Fan and Xia Xiaodie with disdain and snorted, "Hmph, you don't even know to bring a gift, such penny-pinchers..."

It seemed that because they hadn't brought gifts, the middle-aged woman with glasses wasn't bothered to chat more with Xu Fan and simply walked into the bedroom.

Only at this moment did Shi Lei's parents dare to lift their heads.

Shi Lei's mother wiped the sweat from her brow and said to Xu Fan with a simple smile, "You must be Lei Lei's classmates, right? Have a seat, and auntie will come to take care of you after finishing the work."

Shi Lei's father, not very good with words, gave Xu Fan a foolish smile and nodded, signaling a greeting.

At this moment, Xia Xiaodie was completely confused. After sitting down next to Xu Fan, she couldn't help but tug at Xu Fan's arm and whispered, "Xu Fan, what on earth is going on here?"

Xu Fan looked at the two of them and gave a bitter smile, "What else could it be? Under someone's roof, you have to bow your head."

It was normal for Xia Xiaodie, who came from a wealthy family, to have never seen such a thing.

At this moment, Shi Lei's parents were ordered around by Shi Lei's aunt, doing chores—likely because his aunt felt imbalanced and wanted to use this method to compensate for the burden of having three extra people live in her house.

As Shi Lei's parents were currently struggling financially, they had no choice but to submit.

Soon, Shi Lei's parents finished their work.

Shi Lei's mother, wiping her hands on her clothes, walked over to the coffee table.

"Lei Lei's classmates, I'm really sorry for the lack of hospitality. Let me make you a cup of tea," she said.

Shi Lei's mother had an ordinary appearance but was very warm-hearted. Seeing this, Xia Xiaodie smiled sweetly, nodded, and said, "Thank you, auntie."

"Who told you to touch the tea! Put it down!"

Shi Lei's mother had just opened the tea caddy when Shi Lei's aunt burst out of the bedroom.

She rushed over in a few strides and snatched the tea caddy from Shi Lei's mother.

With a face full of anger, she pointed at Shi Lei's mother's nose and scolded, "Did I say you could use this tea? Do you know how expensive this tea is?"

"Hmph, if you have the face to invite people over, can't you buy your own tea?"

Shi Lei's aunt didn't care if Shi Lei's parents were embarrassed; she scornfully berated them with a sharp tone.

Shi Lei's mother awkwardly grinned and said with a bitter smile, "Sister-in-law, it's just that I wasn't prepared. Let's consider this tea a loan from you. I'll buy some and give it back to you later, okay?"

"Haha? Buy? Are you joking?"

Hearing Shi Lei's mother's submissive compromise, Shi Lei's aunt let out a mocking laugh!

"Do you know how much this tea costs per ounce? Eight hundred! With your family's current situation, can you afford it?" she challenged.

"Hey! You're being too much!"

Seeing Shi Lei's aunt's aggressive demeanor, Xia Xiaodie couldn't stand it anymore and glowered at her discontentedly.

"Hmph, it's just eight hundred yuan per ounce. I'll pay for it," she retorted.

The tea at her home usually cost tens of thousands per ounce; Xia Xiaodie really didn't understand what there was for this woman to be proud of.

"Hmph, little girl, quite the talker, aren't we? If you're so capable, why don't you take this family of moochers home with you?"

Shi Lei's aunt looked at Xia Xiaodie disdainfully. Birds of a feather flock together. Knowing Shi Lei and having the impression that she brought no gifts, she didn't believe for a second that Xia Xiaodie was from a wealthy background.

"You!"

Xia Xiaodie was so angry she couldn't take it and stood up, ready to argue, but at that moment, a noise came from the front door.

"Huh? Big Bro, Xia Xiaodie, you guys, what's going on?"

The one who entered was Shi Lei, with a look of surprise on his face; he clearly hadn't expected them to find their way here.

"Hmph, Shi Lei, has your aunt not taught you, or what? She told you not to bring these shady people back home. Can't you understand human speech?" she snapped.

"You!"

Hearing his aunt's harsh words, Shi Lei was furious, his eyes burning with rage! He had heard the quarreling right from the doorstep. Without asking, he knew all too well what had happened here previously!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.