Borrow money

"Brother Hongqi, do you want to cut your hair inside or outside?"

"Why not outside?"

Xu Nian walked into the yard with a pair of scissors in her hand and started talking, without caring whether the other person agreed or not. Because she was still excited about her hair being shorter, she shook her head and looked very happy and didn't care about anyone else's life or death.

Xu Hongqi pulled out some of his hair and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Why not? Stop looking at me with suspicion. Can't you sense my excellence?"

To prevent Xu Nian from continuing to boast, Xu Hongqi took the initiative to move a stool and sit outside, "Come on!"

After hearing this, Xu Nian finally shut up. This time she didn't need to be careful when cutting. After all, two kills were also experience.

Both of them were silent for a moment, only the sound of scissors clicking could be heard...

Xu Hongqi couldn't remember the last time he had such a normal life. He wasn't actually worried about what Xu Nian's haircut would look like. After the age of seven, it was hard to even fill his stomach, so it would be ridiculous to worry about appearance.

Sometimes he felt that these two months seemed to connect with the time before his parents died, and the eight years in between were just a nightmare.

If Xu Nian and the Xu family had not appeared, he thought he would not have been able to hold on at that time. In a trance, he always felt that life was meaningless, and the idea of ​​dying together often flashed through his mind.

How did he gradually calm down? He raised his eyelids and looked at the little girl in front of him with a pout. It must be Xu Nian. Although she was stupid, she was like a vibrant light, which mobilized his other emotions and gradually made him stop being trapped in the vortex of darkness.

Xu Nianke didn't know the future boss's psychological activities. She just felt that she was too outstanding. She held the scissors in one hand and raised the other hand. She took two steps back and looked, "Oh my God! Such a handsome head was actually created by her."

As she thought about it, she saw some scattered long hairs beside her ears, so she walked closer to trim them. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. Somehow she thought of many hairstylists in her previous life who would design cooler hairstyles with stronger layers on the back of people's heads.

She started with confidence and took two scissors. Then she began to feel guilty, her mouth puffed up unnaturally, and she put down the scissors in her hand.

Without daring to speak out and even being extremely modest, he took away the tattered shirt draped over Xu Hongqi and said exaggeratedly: "Brother Hongqi, the haircut is done. You are so handsome. As expected, you look so handsome with just a simple haircut."

Xu Hongqi's thoughts were interrupted. Before he could fully recover, he asked reflexively, "Shouldn't you say you cut it better?"

Later, after his IQ returned to normal, he felt something was wrong. Based on his understanding of her, she would definitely brag about herself after the haircut. A bad premonition suddenly came over him, and hesitantly said, "Bring me the mirror, let me see."

Xu Nianxiang, it’s amazing!

I took a look at the people and felt relieved that the people ahead were very strong.

He took out the mirror slowly and said, "Here, here, look how handsome you are."

If it weren't for his wandering eyes, Xu Hongqi really felt that he had wronged someone.

The boy in the mirror, after two months of not working, not being exposed to the sun, eating well, and getting enough rest, has obviously become whiter in the face and smoother in the skin. He is transforming into a teenager and is much more energetic.

Xu Nian’s craftsmanship is not that great, but his design is very clever, giving people the feeling of a refreshing, sunny, handsome big boy.

He felt a little guilty, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. "Thank you. If there's any popsicle store selling popsicles tomorrow, I'll buy you a milk-flavored one."

Xu Nian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and answered sensibly, "I don't want milk. I like red bean popsicles."

Xu Hongqi unconsciously rubbed the mirror and said, "Okay."

Xu Nian decided to quit while he was ahead, took the mirror away, and saw the man carrying the stool back to the house. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he wanted to laugh but was also worried. This could not be concealed for long, after all, the two bald spots on his back were really obvious.

“Ahhhhhhh, I’m going to die!”

When the Xu family came home in the afternoon, they noticed the changes in Xu Nian at a glance and praised her a lot. It was the eldest sister-in-law who asked her to take the hair back from Yan Zi's house when the time comes so that she can go to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange it for something else.

Xu Nian felt that the supply and marketing cooperative was really omnipotent, and then she felt elated by the flattery of her nephews.

At this moment, she never expected that the retribution would come so quickly.

As the weather got cooler, the Xu family set up a table in the yard and ate dinner outside. After dinner, they chatted and relaxed, which was quite pleasant.

As for Xu Hongqi, since his hands and feet gradually recovered, he has been doing things within his ability, such as moving the table back into the house after meals and cleaning the place.

Xu Nian continued to wash the dishes as usual. She had dry skin, and her hands would become very dry if she washed too much. After a few conversations, the eldest and second brothers of the Xu family took turns buying her clam oil.

For now... just pretend you don’t see the eye rolls from your elder and second sister-in-law!

While she was applying clam oil in the house, she suddenly heard Xu Ma's voice outside: "Hongqi, what's wrong with your hair? Why is there a piece missing at the back?"

"This... this isn't going to be a leprosy, is it? Come here quickly and let me take a look..."

Xu Nian felt her heart tighten, so tight that she couldn't move her legs. Her heart was pounding and she didn't dare to leave the house.

And the voice outside continued, "Hey, Hongqi, it's not a leper."

"Did you learn to cut your own hair from Nian Nian? Next time I'll cut it for you, look at how messed up this part is."

The more he looked at it, the more regretful he felt. He couldn't help but mutter a few words, "It seems that every profession has its own specializations. It seems that Nian Nian is also a skillful child."

Xu Ma didn't realize that Xu Hongqi hadn't responded since she started talking, nor did she notice that Xu Hongqi's hand holding the broom was tightly clenched.

I saw him sweeping his sharp eyes towards the doors and windows on the diagonal side, and the bones on his cheeks were sticking out. But at this moment, he was the most angry. He really wanted to slap himself. Why did he believe her?

“…”

After this incident, Xu Nian was prepared for Xu Hongqi to scold and beat her, but she didn't expect that he didn't touch her at all and kept assigning her homework, saying that her brain had too much to learn.

Xu Nian looked so... powerless with big dark circles under his eyes.

Fortunately, the schoolbag was finally made on the last day of school. As soon as Xu Nian got it, she ran to Xu Hongqi's house to "beg for forgiveness". She wanted to get a "breathing break"!

"Hey, Brother Hongqi, are you going out?"

Xu Hongqi had already walked to the door. Seeing Xu Nian running towards him with something in his arms, he said "hmm" without any emotion.

Xu Nian said hurriedly: "Wait a moment before leaving. I have a gift for you."

"Look." He then unfolded the army green backpack for people to see.

Xu Hongqi was in a hurry to go out today. Seeing Xu Nian working herself to death on her homework these past two days, he was actually no longer angry. He didn't care about these things in essence. He was just angry about this girl's behavior. She even came close to him and asked for popsicles. Why couldn't she just kill herself!

The backpack was very novel, something Xu Hongqi had never seen before. He felt a little surprised and happy, but in order to prevent Xu Nian from doing anything wrong in the future, he kept a blank expression and dismissed him with a simple "OK".

Xu Nian looked at Xu Hongqi's face, which was still indifferent. He put the paper on the table in the room with a bit of disappointment and displeasure.

While she was doing this, Xu Hongqi had already left the house. Xu Nian couldn't control her mouth and asked again, "Where are you going? Take me with you!"

Xu Hongqi didn't even turn his head. "It's inconvenient. You can memorize the formula on the table at home. I'll come back to check it."

Xu Nian: “…”

She was wrong. She shouldn't have come here in the first place. If she hadn't come here, she wouldn't have met Xu Hongqi. If she hadn't met Xu Hongqi, she wouldn't have to suffer all this. How happy she would be if she didn't suffer all this!

——

Xu Hongqi walked towards Xujia Village again. He had walked this road alone countless times. He thought he would have many complicated emotions, but in fact he was surprisingly calm.

He started training after his right leg recovered, so his speed is still very fast. This time he went back mainly to give money to Qi Meiyue. Some time ago, Qi Meiyue asked someone to borrow money from him to treat her brother's dental disease.

Because the message was passed on by someone else, it was vague and he didn't know much. It seemed that her half-brother had a fever some time ago. After going to the village doctor and getting a fever-reducing injection, not long after, many brown spots gradually grew on his teeth. People were saying that he had a dental disease.

Xu Hongqi didn't know how Qi Meiyue knew that he had money now, but since she asked, he had to lend it to her.

Before his parents divorced, their two families were neighbors, and his mother Liang Xin and Qi Meiyue's mother Yu Shuang were good friends.

Before being abandoned by her husband, Yu Shuang was quite caring towards him even though he had lost both his parents. However, it was not until they divorced and married to a man living in the countryside and were unable to help him anymore that the two families drifted apart. Only Qi Meiyue, who was still a child, would occasionally keep them company.

Life in the countryside is hard. Yu Shuang is remarried and has a daughter, so she is not free at all. Xu Hongqi can understand that.

He admits that he is not a good person, but he cannot ignore those who helped him in those difficult days.

Besides, although he doesn't have much money now, he may be able to use the money to help others and repay a favor at the same time, which is worth it.

It is natural to walk faster when you are familiar with the road. Compared with Xu Nian who had to use his legs to reach the village, Xu Hongqi arrived at Xujia Village easily.

He did not go into Qi Meiyue's house. He looked up and saw that it was almost noon, so he went directly to the vegetable garden to look for someone. As he expected, Qi Meiyue was picking vegetables in the vegetable garden.

"Qi Meiyue."

While picking vegetables, Qi Meiyue was still thinking about her brother with a frown on her face. Suddenly she heard someone calling and was startled. When she turned around and saw that it was Xu Hongqi, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked up to the person.

"Hongqi, I... I thought you would not come back." She knew that her behavior was a bit shameless, but she really had no choice.

Xu Hongqi had experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature over the years, so he naturally understood her feelings at the moment, so he said directly: "No."

The short words "can't" blocked Qi Meiyue's attempt to say something, but instead touched her heart and made her burst into tears.

She choked up as she told the truth, "Hongqi, I'm so scared. I heard them talking about marrying me off to get money for my brother's medical treatment."

"It's not just some stains on the teeth, it's that serious." Xu Hongqi was a little confused, "Besides, your mother probably won't agree." He had the impression that Yu Shuang loved her daughter very much.

Qi Meiyue cried even harder when she said this, "...my mom, uh...she also agreed."

"They said that if my brother's condition can't be cured, it will be hard for him to find a wife. He might even need to exchange wives. Rather than that, it's better to marry me off now."

Xu Hongqi frowned then. He didn't expect Yu Shuang to agree, but after a few moments of thought he understood that the environment changes people, and people from the past can naturally no longer be viewed as they were before.

He couldn't help but feel sad and sneer in his heart. He himself had already become unrecognizable here. If Xu Nian hadn't intruded at the beginning, it is unknown what he would be like now.

Xu Hongqi looked at Qi Meiyue and asked, "How much money do you want to borrow?"

Qi Meiyue was still crying, but when she heard the question, she ignored her tears and said, "I heard from my mom that it was four hundred."

No matter how much money Xu Hongqi had, he usually carried it with him. After listening to her, he took out four hundred yuan from his trouser pocket and counted it out to her.

Qi Meiyue looked at the money in her hand, and all kinds of complicated thoughts of gratitude and joy surged into her heart. She slowly raised her head to look at her childhood neighbor, who later became her playmate who kept each other together for warmth.

He gave her this huge sum of money without even frowning, and was still the same as before, so steady and reliable no matter what happened. In fact, she was one year older than him. After looking carefully, she found that he was getting better and better, while she was getting worse and worse.

"Hongqi, I want to go with you."

"Meiyue, how did you know I had money? Who told you?"

They both spoke at the same time and were stunned for a moment. Qi Meiyue blushed in embarrassment and was about to explain when she heard a loud noise coming from the street.

Someone shouted, "This year, new educated youth are going to the countryside!"