49 Flowering period

◎He and she were instinctively entangled◎

The medical industry does not have statutory holidays or weekends off. In the few years that Song Qinggui has been with Jingtian, he has been working every day unless there is a major incident.

She likes the smell of disinfectant in the hospital; it makes her feel safe, so even though the workload is very heavy, she doesn't feel tired.

Now that he's at the Xue family, he's in an even higher position than he was at Jingtian. However, Xue Tan is decisive in his work and good at managing his subordinates. There aren't many dirty or messy things going on in the group. Apart from the trouble Zhuang Xiaomeng caused at the banquet a while ago, the rest were just trivial matters.

After spending a tender night with Xue Lu, Song Qinggui was unusually lazy and didn't want to go to work or move around.

Seeing her like this, Xue Lu also took leave and cooked a beautiful Christmas meal for her.

In the afternoon, the two of them snuggled on the sofa and watched a movie that had just been re-released, Shunji Iwai's "Love Letter," which is also a story about a teenager's unrequited love.

"Why didn't you confess your feelings to me back then?" Song Qinggui suddenly asked curiously.

Xue Lu looked into Song Qinggui's eyes, a bitter smile playing on his lips: "Because of pride."

Song Qinggui seemed to be deep in thought...

Yes, Xue Lu is a natural focus of attention, the moon surrounded by stars. What right does she have to make the moon bow down?

"What are you thinking about?" Xue Lu asked when she didn't speak.

Song Qinggui smiled, somewhat sadly: "I was thinking that even if we had missed each other, I would probably still be doing well, but I might never have known that people could be so happy."

“We won’t miss it,” Xue Lu said firmly.

"Why?"

Xue Lu's eyes shone with a defiant light: "Because of my confidence. You will definitely fall in love with me, it's only a matter of time."

Song Qinggui smiled knowingly: "You win."

As the two chatted, Song Qinggui's WeChat notification sounded; it was a series of voice messages from the bright young man.

"Sis, I'm going to Lancheng for my art exam tomorrow. After the exam, can you take me out for a nice meal? You can treat me, and I'll pay."

Not content with this, here comes another one.

"I know you're busy with work, but we haven't seen each other in so long. Sister, please keep me company."

They seemed very familiar with each other, and the flirting was quite obvious. Xue Lu felt a little jealous: "Who is it? Where did you get this little brother from?"

Song Qinggui: "Xiao Tian, ​​when we went to Cangcheng, the noodle shop owner was Aunt Sun's son."

Xue Lu suddenly remembered: "By the way, how did you and Aunt Sun meet? You two seem to be very close."

Song Qinggui: "They are indeed very close."

Song Qinggui began to recount his childhood, a period he had never mentioned to anyone before.

When she was a child, her grandfather abandoned her at the Changli Island pier, where she was picked up by Meng Yuxing, who was only sixteen years old at the time.

At that time, Meng Yuxing was already living with Feng Zhe, and Song Qinggui lived with them in that dilapidated tenement building on Xingfu Road.

However, neither Meng Yuxing nor Feng Zhe were mature adults. They had both dropped out of school early. Meng Yuxing had run away from home to date Feng Zhe, severing ties with her family. As for Feng Zhe, he was an orphan with no relatives left on the island. Neither of them were educated and had volatile tempers. Taking Song Qinggui in was merely a momentary impulse born of kindness from Meng Yuxing, but caring for Song Qinggui was far beyond their capabilities.

This strange family of three had no stable source of income. Meng Yuxing was a minor, and those years on the island coincided with a crackdown, so no one dared to hire her. Only Feng Zhe went out to do odd jobs. If he earned more, they would have enough to eat for a while; if he earned less, Song Qinggui and Meng Yuxing would go hungry.

Song Qinggui remembers that for a long time they had to make a living by "running knives".

"What is 'running the knife'?" Xue Lu asked.

Song Qinggui explained: "Have you ever played a game called Call of Duty? In it, players run around picking up items, which is called 'running with a knife.' Back then, Meng Yuxing took me to the vegetable market on Changli Island. After the vendors had sold out and packed up, there would be some rotten vegetables left on the ground. We would rummage through them again, picking out the ones that were still edible, and we would have a meal when we got home."

Xue Lu felt a pang in his chest. Song Qinggui had once asked him if he knew what true poverty was.

He felt she was targeting him. Although he came from a wealthy family, he didn't consider himself superior. He had never looked down on the poor, but she presumptuously assumed he was born arrogant.

However, he is now increasingly aware of how little he has any imagination about the other side of this world.

Song Qinggui finished her primary school years in this way. Because she skipped a grade, she was the youngest in her junior high school class, so her petite figure did not attract the attention of those around her.

Until one day, when she went to sell knives on her own, she encountered the city management officers inspecting her stall, and that's when she developed a deeper connection with Aunt Sun.

At that time, Song Qinggui and Aunt Sun were already acquainted, but that was all they could say.

Aunt Sun was widowed young, and her son, Xiao Tian, ​​was born posthumously, weighing a mere four pounds. He was weak and frail, and her in-laws believed she was a jinx, constantly sick after childbirth, and they didn't know if he would survive. They considered her an unlucky woman and wouldn't tolerate her. Aunt Sun then took young Xiao Tian back to Changli Island.

She catches seafood and sells it at the market every few days. She often sees Song Qinggui and knows that this young girl makes a living by scavenging at the market, so she will intentionally leave her something. Sometimes it's a few shrimp, sometimes it's an octopus.

Aunt Sun was new to the market and it was her first time doing business there. She didn't know that she needed a permit to set up a stall in a fixed location like the market. Because of her honest nature, many people bought her seafood, which aroused the jealousy of other stall owners. They complained to the urban management officers about Aunt Sun. The officers, seeing that she was a woman and easy to bully, spoke to her very rudely. Song Qinggui had witnessed this several times.

So when Song Qinggui encountered the city management officers that day, he ran over to inform Aunt Sun.

As luck would have it, this was a proper inspection by the authorities. All the unlicensed vendors who couldn't escape that day had their vehicles confiscated and were fined. Only Aunt Sun managed to get away with it.

Aunt Sun thanked Song Qinggui and became close to her, gradually developing a bond similar to that of family.

Six months later, Aunt Sun remarried and opened a noodle shop with her second husband on the shore of Changli Island.

She went to the market and brought Song Qinggui, who was busy picking up vegetable leaves, back with her. She cooked her a bowl of seafood noodles. That was the first time Aunt Sun had a heart-to-heart talk with Song Qinggui.

“Aunt Sun asked me how old I was,” Song Qinggui said. “I told her I was twelve, and she was shocked, saying she had always thought I was only seven or eight. After dinner that day, she took me to the hospital for a checkup. I was anemic and malnourished at the time, but fortunately my bone age wasn’t affected, otherwise I would have been a dwarf for life. Aunt Sun took pity on me and bought me medicine and nutritional supplements. She also told me that if no one was home to cook, I could come to her place for noodles, it was just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks. I didn’t want to eat for free, so I begged Aunt Sun to teach me to swim and dive. Whenever I had weekends off, I would go to the sea with Aunt Sun to be a fisherwoman.”

"The Fisherwoman?" Xue Lu asked, suppressing the pain in his throat.

“Do you know the Korean haenyeo? We’re the same as them.” Song Qinggui’s face wasn’t bitter; in fact, it was somewhat nostalgic for the past: “Wearing black diving suits and carrying small baskets, we went into the sea to catch seafood. I was really good at it; I could catch fish with ease. Almost all the grouper in Aunt Sun’s shop was caught by me, as well as sea urchins.”

Xue Lu couldn't laugh; he only felt a tightness in his chest and a dull ache in his heart.

"Thinking back, I was really happy during the time I spent with Aunt Sun. Every day, besides reading and doing homework, I would go into the sea. The sea is vast, gentle, and powerful. When I was underwater, it felt like I was being embraced by the sea, and it seemed like all my troubles could be melted away by the seawater."

Xue Lu remained silent, but tightened his grip on Song Qinggui's arm: "Then I must take good care of Xiao Tian. What is he taking the art exam this time?"

“Director. He wants to be a director in the future.” Song Qinggui replied, “Xiaotian has loved making videos and taking photos since he was a child, but his grades are not very good. He couldn’t get into Communication University of China. A couple of days ago, he told me that he wanted to try harder to get into Lancheng Communication University.”

Xue Lu lowered his eyes and thought for a moment: "Yan Fengqian sent me an invitation a couple of days ago. He's getting married early next month. Let Xiaotian stay here for a few more days, and we'll take him to Fengqian's wedding."

Song Qinggui also received a wedding invitation, but it was sent to her by Xu Xiaofeng.

She looked at Xue Lu with some suspicion. Since their marriage, Xue Lu and Yan Fengqian had completely broken off relations, but now he not only wanted to attend the wedding, but also "Fengqian" himself.

Lawyer Xue explained, "Xu Xiaofeng is a Best Actress winner at the Venice Film Festival. Her wedding with Yan Fengqian will definitely be attended by many well-known directors in the film and television industry. The entertainment industry is very complex, and connections and resources are very important. Since we have this opportunity, we should take Xiaotian along to make connections. It's always good if he can get to know us."

Song Qinggui was moved: "Actually..."

Xue Lu didn't give Song Qinggui a chance to refuse: "There's something else I need to tell you. Song Qinghe..."

Upon hearing this name, Song Qinggui's smile immediately froze.

“I’ve sent Song Qinghe to work at Jingtian headquarters.” Xue Lu said somewhat apologetically, “Qinggui, don’t blame me for making this decision on my own. On one hand, Chengcheng knows about his relationship with us at the Lancheng Hotel, so we can’t scold or beat him, and he might cause more trouble. On the other hand, I want to give him a chance to make amends to you. You don’t have to accept it, but as a member of the Song family, he should make amends to you.”

Song Qinggui stared at Xue Lu for a long time, his eyes welling up with tears again.

Xue Lu touched her cheeks with both hands: "Why are you crying?"

Song Qinggui, with tears welling in her eyes, smiled and said, "I just feel so powerless. Lawyer Xue, I don't like this feeling of having no way to repay you... I..."

"Who says I have nothing to repay you with?" Xue Lu gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with his thumb: "I really liked what you did last night. You hugged me, kissed me, and even wore a very beautiful and alluring dress for me."

Song Qinggui's cheeks suddenly flushed: "I need to make this clear to you. I won't wear those kinds of clothes often; they're too embarrassing."

"Then hug me and kiss me," Xue Lu said, acting coquettishly.

Looking at Xue Lu's obsequious and ingratiating manner, Song Qinggui couldn't help but chuckle: "You're thirty years old already, why are you still acting like a child?"

"Because my wife loves me." Lawyer Xue said this with great confidence.

Song Qinggui stopped talking and responded to him with her actions.

She cupped his face in her hands and gently kissed him. The moment their lips met, their souls seemed to connect, instinctively entwining.

Soon, Song Qinggui heard Xue Lu's panting and felt the tension in his body.

"I'm sorry... I... I couldn't control myself." Xue Lu's eyes grew even deeper, and his voice became hoarse.

Song Qinggui gazed into his moist eyes: "Then don't control it."

Xue Lu's lips curved into a smile, his heart melting with happiness. His wife, the woman he had loved for ten years, seemed to have finally opened her heart to him after a long period of guardedness.

Without further hesitation, he rolled over and pinned her beneath him, then pressed her into his body, as if they would never be separated for all eternity.

The room was filled with the colors of spring until the setting sun.

The evening glow outside the window was hazy, and the lights were turned on.

Song Qinggui's chest heaved deeply, and her legs and lower abdomen trembled uncontrollably. Xue Lu held her, feeling the rhythm of pleasure emanating from her body.

After a long pause, Song Qinggui nestled against Xue Lu's chest and said, "To be honest, sometimes I think that a man's prime might actually be shorter."

Xue Lu chuckled: "Take this as a compliment."