Chapter 8

In Lijiazhuang, there once lived a pair of sisters. The elder sister was named Xie Baolin and the younger sister was named Xie Baoyi. They were outsiders.

This pair of sisters not only have outstanding looks but also excellent temperament. Matchmakers from all over the place have almost come to Old Xie's house to try them out.

After waiting for a long time, my elder sister Xie Baolin finally decided to get married. The news spread quickly and spread to the surrounding villages, big and small. Even many people from the city came to visit.

When choosing a husband, Xie Baolin did not look at his background or appearance. She eliminated countless young talents and finally chose an honest man named Li Chunhe, who had an elderly mother at home and was still single at the age of 30.

Countless people were pointing fingers behind her back, saying she would definitely regret it. Finally, Old Man Xie scolded all the matchmakers: "My daughter likes me, so I agree to this marriage. You are really meddling in other people's affairs!"

Later, with the help of Xie Baolin, the couple started a business. Who would have thought that the honest man was also very capable. In the business field, he won a good reputation with his good reputation. The business grew bigger and bigger, and they lived a prosperous life.

After a few years, Xie Baolin gave birth to twin boys, two chubby and white boys who were very cute. The couple named the two children, one Li and the other Xie.

You have to know that in that ignorant era, children could only take their father's surname. If they took their mother's surname, they would be criticized by others.

But Li Chunhe doesn't care about that.

Seeing this, Old Man Xie beamed. As long as the child had the surname Xie, he would be the grandson of the Xie family. In feudal times, carrying on the family line was extremely important.

Whenever Old Man Xie tended his crops, others would envy him and chat with him. Old Man Xie would then sit by the field and proudly say, "My daughter's taste is impeccable."

Seeing that her elder sister Xie Baolin had already given birth to a child, her younger sister Xie Baoyi's marriage was also put on the agenda.

Xie Baoyi was a naturally lively woman, even more handsome than her sister, and her tastes were extremely high. She had turned eighteen this year and still had no intention of getting married. At that time, eighteen was considered a grown-up girl, and girls generally married at fifteen or sixteen.

Xie Baoyi can be said to be the apple of the eye of the entire Xie family. The family holds her in their hands for fear of dropping her, and holds her in their mouths for fear of melting her. Since she doesn't want to get married, they just let her be.

That day, Xie Baoyi went to the provincial capital with her sister to buy some things, and the shopping would take four or five days.

If fate is really predestined, she met her ideal man on the first day she entered the city.

The man was driven out of the bookstore and fell to the ground in a mess.

Xie Baoyi had a cheerful personality. Seeing the bookstore owner treating a scholar like this, she couldn't help but feel angry, so she wanted to stand up for the scholar.

After careful inquiry, it turned out that the scholar wanted to take the exam, but had no money to buy books, so he had to borrow books. However, borrowing books also required money, and after a while, the scholar could not even afford to borrow books. Without money, the bookstore owner would not let him in, so he was kicked out by the owner.

Since her elder sister was already quite wealthy and was particularly fond of her younger sister, Xie Baoyi was not short of money.

She led the scholar into the house, slammed the silver ingot on the counter, and said to the scholar, "Go ahead and pick out the books!"

When the bookstore owner saw the money, he immediately smiled and kept complimenting her.

Xie Baoyi ignored the shopkeeper and just asked the scholar to pick out the books.

Seeing that Xie Baoyi ignored him, the shopkeeper stopped bothering himself.

After the scholar had chosen the books, he borrowed paper, pen and cinnabar from the shopkeeper and wrote an IOU, stating his name, where he lived, and finally put his fingerprint on it.

Xie Baoyi did it casually and had no intention of him paying him back.

But the scholar insisted on doing so, otherwise he would rather not have the book.

When the shopkeeper heard this, he immediately tried to smooth things over, saying, "Young lady, why don't you accept the IOU? This will save Mr. Sun from feeling uncomfortable. If you accept the IOU, he can focus on preparing for the exam, right?"

Although Xie Baoyi knew that the shopkeeper was trying to make money from the books, he still felt that what he said made some sense, so he accepted the IOU.

After leaving the bookstore, Mr. Sun stopped Xie Baoyi and said, "Thank you so much for today, young lady. If I, Sun Haoqiu, pass the exam in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness."

When Xie Baoyi saw that he had a handsome face, polite manners, and a scholarly air, her calm heart was finally stirred.

Blushing, she said, "If you really do pass the exam, come find me in Lijiazhuang, Xinglai County. My name is Xie Baoyi, remember that."

When Sun Hao saw Xie Baoyi like this, he felt like a shy lotus in a pond at dusk, which made him fantasize.

"You are such a fool. How can you just stare at someone?" Xie Baoyi said, turned around and left.

Sun Hao stared blankly at Xie Baoyi's back, feeling admiration for her. He seemed to be bewitched by her and staggered back home.

After Xie Baoyi returned home, she told her sister about this. Xie Baolin said, "People in the provincial capital are not like those in our country. Be careful not to be cheated!"

"I believe he won't lie to me." Xie Baoyi said.

Xie Baolin could see that her sister was moved, but she didn't point it out. She said, "If we have the chance to meet again, bring him here. I'll see what he looks like. I wonder if he could make my fairy sister fall in love with him!"

Seeing her sister teasing her, Xie Baoyi couldn't help but said coquettishly: "I'm ignoring you!"

The next day, Xie Baoyi unknowingly walked to the bookstore again. She didn't know why she came here, and happened to meet Sun Hao.

When Sun Hao returned home yesterday, his mind was full of Xie Baoyi's image. He was absent-minded the whole day and kept repeating "Xie Baoyi".

He came here today to see if he could meet Xie Baoyi again.

As the saying goes, those who are destined to meet will meet no matter how far apart they are. The two of them stood at the door of the bookstore, their eyes met, and they felt a sense of telepathy.

This went on for another two or three days, and the two unexpectedly hit it off. Xie Baoyi liked Sun Hao's erudition and conversation, and Sun Hao liked Xie Baoyi's lovely personality. Their feelings quickly heated up, and they even secretly decided to spend their lives together!

When Xie Baoyi was about to return to Lijiazhuang, she said to Sun Hao, "Sun Lang, you must not indulge in love affairs. Wait until you pass the exam, then marry me. If you don't, forget me!"

Xie Baoyi's original intention was to give Sun Hao motivation to concentrate on preparing for the exam, but it was this sentence that caused the two to never meet again in their lives.

Sun Hao held Xie Baoyi's hand tightly. This was also the first time the two had physical contact.

He raised her hands to his chest and said firmly: "You must wait for me to come back and marry you!"

Xie Baoyi nodded heavily, and then left resolutely.

When Xie Baoyi returned home, he had no appetite and became increasingly thin.

Her family members saw it and felt sad, thinking she was sick, so they invited several doctors.

Finally, a slovenly Taoist priest came and said, "The girl is suffering from lovesickness. Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine. There is no other way."

A few years passed and there was no news from Sun Hao. Xie Baoyi read "Romance of the West Chamber" every day, repeating the words "May all lovers in the world get married", as if she was possessed by a demon.

After several years of longing for love, she could no longer bear it. Her body became weaker and weaker day by day, and she finally died of depression.

After hearing this story, I couldn't calm down and asked, "Is this woman yours?"

"My grandmother is Xie Baolin, she is my great aunt." Grandma said slowly.

I asked her again: "Is there any news about Sun Hao?"

Grandma shook her head and sighed.

The scene of last night emerged in my mind. Xie Baoyi's smile was so clear. She didn't actually hurt me last night. It turned out that she was also a miserable person.