Chapter 170 Growing Old Together

The car engine roared as it turned around. He peered out the window and seemed to see Xia Qianqian standing there, silently waiting for him to return.

"Qianqian...wait for me!" he roared in his heart. "Wait until I go back and explain things to Chief No. 3, wait until I'm cleared of suspicion, then I'll come and get you! I'll definitely marry you then!"

As Qin Yan was being led into the back of the car, he even felt that being arrested might be a turning point. If he could prove his "true feelings" for Xia Qianqian, she would eventually change her mind!

He leaned against the cold metal carriage, closed his eyes, and a self-deceiving smile still lingered on his lips.

The news of Qin Yan's arrest spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the clinic. When Xia Wenwen heard the words "Xia Qianqian reported," the enamel mug in her hand crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

"No...it's impossible!" She sat up abruptly, the movement aggravating the wound on her face, causing her to gasp in pain. "That bitch Xia Qianqian! How dare she?!"

Qin Yan was her last lifeline.

She knew better than anyone that in this tense atmosphere, once Qin Yan was labeled as "colluding with capitalists," even if he managed to escape, there was absolutely no chance of him being reused!

All her plans and all her reliance were completely shattered by Xia Qianqian's single strike!

"Ah—!!!" Xia Wenwen clenched her crippled left hand tightly, the charred and twisted finger bones cracking as she squeezed them, the excruciating pain making her vision go black.

But this pain is nothing compared to the hatred in my heart.

Like a trapped beast on the verge of death, she let out a mournful wail, and tears finally rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the pus on her face, leaving two ugly tear tracks on her blistered face.

"I regret it... I really regret it..."

If she had known she would lose so badly, she would never have provoked Xia Qianqian in the first place! Nor would she have harbored those despicable thoughts!

Xia Wenwen is truly seriously ill this time.

After being taken back to the Xia family, she lay in bed all day. Mr. Xia looked at his daughter's emaciated appearance and thought about how Qin Yan had completely disappeared in the provincial capital. Even though he hated Xia Qianqian with a passion, he lost his confidence.

After the turmoil, Xia Qianqian's life in Xiangyang Village finally returned to peace.

"Qianqian, look how pretty the tiger-head hat Mom sewed is!" Wang Meihua sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding up a newly sewn tiger-head hat. Her reading glasses slipped down to the tip of her nose, and wrinkles gathered at the corners of her eyes as she smiled.

Xia Qianqian leaned closer, her fingertips brushing against the soft pom-poms on the tiger-head hat, and nodded with a smile: "Mom, I can't learn your skills. I can only help out."

As soon as she finished speaking, Daya came over holding up a pair of tiger-head shoes the size of her palm, her eyes sparkling: "Mom! I sewed these for my little brother!"

Xia Qianqian took the little shoes, looking at the crooked yet densely packed stitches, and then at her daughter's slightly red eyes, her heart ached with warmth and pain. She pinched Daya's cheek: "Silly child, I told you you didn't need to rush like this, look how tired you are."

“It’s the off-season for farming now,” Daya explained in a soft voice.

Snowflakes were falling outside the window, and her nose was red from the cold: "Everyone is resting at home, and I have nothing to do. I'm not good at sewing clothes, but I can make a pair of shoes."

As soon as she finished speaking, Er Ya's little face puffed up, and she clenched her little fists anxiously. She was still young, and her hands trembled when she held a needle. How could she do needlework? But her older sister had already made shoes for her younger brother, and she couldn't lose!

Er Ya's eyes darted around, and she ran to the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), bringing out a small wooden box painted red. It was her "treasure box" where she collected her treasures, and anyone who touched it would burst into tears.

She squatted on the ground and rummaged around for a while before finally squeezing out a bright blue glass marble, which she held up to Xia Qianqian: "Mom! This is for my little brother!"

Xia Qianqian looked at the marbles gleaming under the kerosene lamp and her heart softened. This girl usually protected these marbles like the apple of her eye. Even if Daya borrowed them to play with for a while, she would chase after her and cry for a long time. Today, she was actually willing to take them out.

She gently rubbed Er Ya's red nose with her fingertips, softening her voice even more: "Then Mommy thanks you on behalf of your little brother. But how about Er Ya keeps these beads for him for now? When he grows up, you can teach him to play the beads yourself, okay?"

"Okay!" Er Ya quickly stuffed the jewels back to the bottom of the wooden box.

Xia Qianqian looked out the window and saw that, without her noticing, snow had begun to fall. Large snowflakes drifted down like cotton wool, quickly covering the ground with a thin layer.

She pulled her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself, silently calculating in her mind: in two more months, the little one in her belly will be born.

Is he a chubby-cheeked little boy, or a sweet and caring daughter like Da Ya and Er Ya?

Xia Qianqian lowered her head, gently touching her lower abdomen, a faint smile spreading across her lips. Whether it was a boy or a girl, they were both her precious babies. The thought of soon holding a soft, cuddly little baby filled her with a warmth as if basking in the sunshine.

"Da Ya, Er Ya," she turned around and smiled at the two sisters playing on the kang (heated brick bed), "How about we have hot pot tonight?"

"Great!" Daya and Erya cheered in unison, their little faces full of excitement.

The last hot pot my mom made was so delicious that they still can't forget the taste. Especially in this cold winter, eating a hot pot is simply the best thing in the world!

Xia Qianqian smiled and ruffled their hair, then stood up and said, "Then you stay here obediently, Mom will go get the ingredients."

She made an excuse to go to the outer room to get something, but instead went into her own room. With a thought, she stepped into the Peach Blossom Spring.

"Old Hei, I want to have hot pot tonight. Can you help me prepare some ingredients?" Xia Qianqian said to Old Hei, who was tending to the vegetable garden.

Upon hearing this, Lao Hei and the other people from Peach Blossom Spring immediately got to work. They worked quickly and soon prepared all sorts of fresh ingredients: thinly sliced ​​mutton, beef, and cleaned chicken, and even large shrimp and sliced ​​fish from the sea.

Xia Qianqian looked at the dazzling array of ingredients, nodded in satisfaction, and then walked into the vegetable garden to select a few fresh and crisp vegetables.

After packing the things, Xia Qianqian asked Lao Hei and the others about their transaction with Sixth Brother. Seeing that the accounts were clear and the goods were flowing smoothly, she took the things home.

As soon as I pushed open the door, I saw Lu Zheng come in from outside, covered in snow from head to toe, looking like a snowman who had just been dug out of a snowdrift.

Upon seeing this, Xia Qianqian couldn't help but smile, and reached out to pull him into the courtyard.

"What are you doing?" Lu Zheng was a little confused when she pulled him into the snow. He quickly took off his cotton-padded coat and wrapped her up tightly.

Xia Qianqian didn't speak, but led him slowly around the snow twice until their hair was covered with fine snowflakes. Then she looked up, pointed to her hair, then to his, and whispered, "Look."

Lu Zheng reached out to brush the snow off her hair, but Xia Qianqian smiled and pressed his hand down.

She gently brushed her fingertips across his snow-covered hair, her eyes reflecting the swirling snowflakes, her voice as soft as cotton candy: "Lu Zheng, do you think... does this mean we've grown old together?"

Lu Zheng was taken aback. Looking at her eyes, which were shining brightly in the snow, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. Suddenly, he reached out and hugged her tightly, pressing her face against his snow-covered shoulder. His voice was low and solemn: "Silly girl...we really will grow old together."