"Shall we invite your third uncle’s family too?" Xu Po asked hesitantly.

"Yes, let’s invite them. They didn’t join us for the family reunion last year, so it’ll be nice to have them this year. With Grandma and Grandpa here, they won’t dare cause any trouble," Xu Mumu said calmly.

"Alright then, I’ll discuss it with your second and third uncles, and get back to you tomorrow," Xu Po replied, not immediately agreeing to it. After all, Imperial City is far away, and it takes several days by train.

"Okay, you all come over, and I’ll cover the round-trip travel expenses," Xu Mumu said with a cheerful smile.

If they find it too far, surely at least one person from each family will come.

However, since Madam Chen and the others are in Imperial City, the chances of them coming for the family reunion are quite high, and the kids will definitely want to come over.

After hanging up the call, Xu Mumu was in a good mood.

In the village, after hanging up the phone, Xu Jiang and the others had pretty good hearing and caught most of what Xu Mumu said.

"Let’s go back and discuss it further," Xu Po said to Xu Jiang, knowing he couldn’t make decisions on behalf of the second and third families alone.

Back at Old Xu Family’s house, the whole family gathered together. Xu Po looked at Xu Jiang, "Second brother, I’m planning to take my wife and everyone over to take a look. What are your plans?"

"I also want to visit Mom and Dad. New Year’s is a time for the whole family to be together," Xu Jiang said, glancing at his eldest daughter. Seeing she didn’t object, he felt relieved and agreed.

The reason Xu Xue didn’t refuse was that she wanted to visit Imperial City to see Huo Qingze in person. Their correspondence had abruptly stopped, and she couldn’t accept that.

The family had saved up quite a bit, enough to cover the travel expenses for everyone.

With Xu Jiang and Xu Xue in agreement, naturally, Qian Ying would follow their lead.

Knowing that Xu Mumu was getting married, Qian Ying became worried. Xu Xue was only a year younger than Xu Mumu and still didn’t have a partner. Waiting any longer would make her an old maid.

Moreover, since Xu Xue wasn’t married, all financial power was in her hands, making it inconvenient for the two of them to do anything.

Xu Xue, holding her brother, noticed that Kangkang had grown quite a bit over the past year. He was no longer frequently sick like when he was born, but he was still quite thin and would catch a cold when the seasons changed, though he was much better now.

She put a lot of effort into her brother, treating him as her own son.

After the discussion, the two brothers decided to go to the county to find Xu Laosan the next day, to deliver the message regardless of the outcome.

After the fourth family left, Qian Ying worriedly looked at Xu Xue, "Xue, I’ll find someone to matchmake with you in a while. Your big sister is getting married, and you don’t have a partner yet. It’s time to get married."

"No rush, I’m not planning to get married for now. You aren’t allowed to meddle in my marriage," Xu Xue paused as she wiped her brother’s face. Ever since her third uncle came to borrow money, her relationship with her parents had been strained. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Child, you’re not young anymore. We’re doing this for your own good," Qian Ying said, exasperated.

"There’s no need for that. Instead of thinking about these things, it would be better to focus more on taking care of Kangkang," Xu Xue replied calmly.

Xu Hai didn’t know what to say, realizing that this child had become more assertive, beyond their control.

Xu Wan wasn’t too concerned about the conflict between her sister and parents. She couldn’t resolve it anyway; neither side would be pleased no matter whom she supported.

But she was happy about the possibility of visiting her big sister in Imperial City, as it had been over half a year since she’d seen her. Although they corresponded, she still wanted to see her big sister. Her big sister said there were many fun places in Imperial City, and she also wanted to visit the school where her sister studied.

To the younger kids, Xu Mumu was their role model.

When Xu Jiaojiao learned that they would be going to Imperial City for New Year, she was thrilled. Just after returning from washing clothes, she heard the good news.

"Dad, when are we going to visit big sis?" Xu Jiaojiao asked eagerly, looking at her dad.

"Once your third uncle confirms, we’ll go together," Xu Po said gently, looking at his daughter. Unknowingly, she had grown into a young lady. Over the past two years, she learned a lot from her big sister and became even more impressive.

Whenever they went out, people would always admire their child, and at those times, he felt especially proud. The awards his daughter won covered half the wall.

"So third uncle is coming too," Xu Jiaojiao pouted. She didn’t like Dongbao at all because whenever he came back, he always bullied them.

"Of course, he’s your big sister’s third uncle. How could they not be invited to her wedding?" Xu Po tapped his little girl’s forehead. Although Dongbao had a bad temper, he still hoped they could have a good relationship, as they were cousins.

"I won’t play with Dongbao," Xu Jiaojiao said disdainfully, crinkling her small nose.

"Up to you. Maybe he doesn’t even want to play with you," Xu Po said helplessly, not knowing what his daughter was thinking all day.

The next morning, the two brothers went to the county to visit the third family, coincidentally running into Xu He, who was on vacation, bringing the three brothers together.

At first, Xu He thought his second brother had come to ask for the money back, but since it was already spent, he had no way to repay it.

The factory’s profits were getting worse, although the salary was still being paid. He wasn’t sure how long that would last. At the year’s end, another batch of people were laid off, and he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t be next.

Fortunately, Xu Jiang didn’t bring up the debt, instead talking about the family reunion, which made Xu He quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

These past years, they’d been living worse than the eldest brother’s family he used to look down upon. Xu He had been holding back, wanting to surpass them, but fell short in every way, making him extremely frustrated. He had fewer children than his elder brother; Dongbao wasn’t as accomplished as his cousins, and he couldn’t even compete in earning money.

When he heard about going to Imperial City for New Year’s, Xu He initially thought of refusing. The distance meant expensive travel costs, and even if they stayed at the eldest brother’s, the travel wasn’t cheap. What if they wanted to buy something there?

But hearing that Xu Mumu offered to cover the travel expenses, he figured it wasn’t a bad idea. He’d never left the county, didn’t even know where his eldest brother’s family lived in the provincial city.

Lin Juan also heard them, sharing the same thoughts. She planned to take her son to Imperial City, hoping Xu Mumu could tutor him a little.

Dongbao hadn’t attended middle school, but she still wanted her son to study. Now that he was idle at home, the gap between him and the children from the first, second, and third families was widening, which made her uncomfortable.

In the past, their third family was the best, but now they lived worse than their two younger brothers in the countryside. Lin Juan was also unwilling to accept that.