Chapter 25: I feel relieved when someone is not doing well

He Xiaolan was sobering up in the hotel bathroom when she heard the news of Qin Tiantian's breakup. The people at the table were still waiting, so she could only text them back, saying she'd call back later. From the bathroom stalls, she could hear the men, speaking in dialect, discussing how they had to send their grandson to school early the next morning. A sip of baijiu made her wonder whether Biden could win the election.

The evening dinner was a result of my uncle using his connections to find the mayor of He Guoqiang's hometown. He had dinner with the mayor and asked him to help persuade the father and son. When my uncle introduced He Xiaolan to a job, he gave her seven or eight titles. If you didn't know her, you would think she was a high-end person with an annual salary of several million and living in Beijing.

Drinking was simple. Although she didn't drink much baijiu on a daily basis, the genes were still there. When Ms. Zhang Xinrong was young, she would drink at least a pound of baijiu. After several rounds of toasts and persuading, the mayor's mouth was as unclear as if he had a toad in his mouth, but He Xiaolan still heard the main points clearly. He promised her to persuade He Guoqiang and He Tianci tomorrow, but the helplessness in his tone made He Xiaolan feel that what their family was doing was not that simple, and this task was very likely to be impossible.

My uncle was still the first to gossip, mainly because he wanted to get the information so he could tell it to my aunt at night and take credit for it. He asked questions here and there and finally pieced together the complete story.

The mayor's wife and He Tianci's mother were cousins, within the fifth degree of kinship. In a small place, relationships start to become complicated. Previously, He Tianci's mother had approached the mayor and asked him to help find a job for He Tianci. After asking around, she found a company where she could work as a warehouse manager. The salary was 2,000 yuan a month, with social security and housing provided.

But He Tianci's family didn't think it was a good job, feeling the mayor looked down on their son. After some disapproval, they still went to work. He Tianci played games in the warehouse every day, and despite the rule of not smoking there, he still insisted on doing so. One day, he accidentally set fire to someone else's goods. Only when the fire was put out in time did it only burn down half the warehouse. They definitely had to pay compensation, but the family couldn't afford the 2,000 yuan, so the matter remains unresolved.

"You don't know, neither of these two people answered the phone, and the company calls me every day," the village chief handed the phone to He Xiaolan, "Look for yourself, that manager is going to eat me up."

It was almost ten o'clock when the mayor left. The uncle insisted that He Xiaolan take a taxi with him. "I'll just walk around by myself. It's okay. I ate a lot, so I need to digest it." They could walk along the riverbank and be home in no time. Years of training in Beijing had given them strong legs. A kilometer or two was a breeze. On the way, He Xiaolan called the two people who were queuing at the gate of Hu's house.

"You're eating so well behind my back? Is Teacher Qin okay?"

"He's still alive, so he's a man. It won't be a problem to find another one."

Qin Tiantian and Hua Hudie each held a cell phone, both with their cameras on. He Xiaolan now had eight voices in her ears. "You two turned off your cell phone, aren't you stupid?"

"Oh yes, yes, we are together."

"You two are not together. One of you is at the end of the world, and the other is at the corner of the sea."

Qin Tiantian finally turned off her phone, and He Xiaolan finally felt a lot quieter. The noise just now was so loud that she wanted to vomit. "How have you been handling it these days? We didn't dare to ask you."

"Not very good. The old bastard brought the little bastard to make a big scene, and the house was not sold. I'm starting over again these two days."

"What the hell? I'll tell you when you go back, take us with you. We can't beat people, but we've never lost when it comes to scolding people."

"Teacher Qin, as a teacher, can we be a little gentler?"

"I'm off work at this hour!"

Qin Tiantian has always been like this, with a clear distinction between love and hate. If she doesn't press it, she will bite people when she gets angry. Once, He Xiaolan and Qin Tiantian encountered two dogs fighting on the road, "Do you look like you? That Pomeranian."

Teacher Qin, who was defeated, kicked He Xiaolan in the butt, and used an entire afternoon and countless video evidence to prove that he was a strong German Shepherd.

When He Xiaolan entered the house, Ms. Zhang Xinrong was still sitting on the sofa and browsing her mobile phone.

"Where are my aunt and uncle? Are they asleep?"

"I went to Tingting's place. She said the due date is next week. I have to start packing and preparing in the next few days. Drink some hot honey water to sober up. I didn't drink much."

"With my uncle here, how much can I drink?" He Xiaolan drank the honey water in the cup in one breath. The temperature was just right. I don't know how many times Ms. Zhang Xinrong took the temperature, waiting for He Xiaolan to come back so that she could drink it directly in one gulp.

"Mom, let me tell you, He Guoqiang's son is a social destabilizer. He will do anything except the right thing. You don't even know what he has done."

"Xiaolan, your parents have been so sorry to you over the years and made you suffer so much."

"You're suddenly saying this? You also drank with my aunt at home tonight?"

"Go take a shower. I have nothing to say to you."

"This is my mother, don't feel sorry. What we say doesn't count in this matter. Fate has the final say. Go to bed quickly."

Qin Tiantian and Hua Hudie couldn't sleep. They stood under the Drum Tower, looking at the not-so-clear night sky, sighing and lamenting He Xiaolan's life. Why was it so difficult? Others, after suffering, had sugar in their hearts, but she still had shit that couldn't be cleaned up.

"Let's take the earliest high-speed train tomorrow. I'm in a bad mood, so I need someone to vent my frustrations and give her some support." Qin Tiantian slapped her thigh and proposed the idea. "I don't have anything to do tomorrow anyway, so let's just go. Let her treat us to dinner. I've been craving barbecue and flavored eggplant for a long time." No-Brain and Very Greedy Mouth decided to leave early tomorrow morning. They hadn't felt this excited in a long time, and they were so excited that they couldn't sleep. Heartbreak, men, no longer mattered! Butterfly even took out her wedding high heels, saying they could use them as weapons if necessary.

There is no high-speed rail station in He Xiaolan's hometown. When she received the news, she rushed to the high-speed rail station in the next city without even buying clothes and washing her face to pick up the two aunts. "Why didn't you tell me last night that you two were coming?"

"I told you there's another surprise? Are you surprised to see us?" Qin Tiantian took out He Xiaolan's favorite Shake Shake burger from her bag, "I ordered it for fast delivery early in the morning. Enjoy it! It's still hot."

Huadie had seen the world, so she fell asleep calmly. I told Qian Helin about this at night, and he insisted on coming along, but he had a lot of things to do at the beauty salon, so he finally gave up the idea. It had been seven days since the two of them resubmitted their divorce application, and Qian Helin had changed a lot in those seven days. At least he knew to put his smelly socks and shoes where they belonged after he got home.

As long as a man does something humane, he is a good man. It is easy to be a man, and it is even easier to be a good man.

Qian Helin is no longer like before, when he would just throw away his stinky shoes and start playing games or computer games after returning home. When he has nothing to do, he also studies the hobbies of flowers and butterflies.

He first learned that Hua Hudie had been in love with a celebrity for so long. Just when he heard that celebrity was going to have a concert, he rushed to buy tickets. After failing to find any tickets, he fought with scalpers and finally bought tickets for the front row for 1,000 yuan more. When Hua Hudie found out, she was very distressed because the scalpers in her circle of friends only charged 500 yuan more. So she gave the scalper a meal of Yang Da Ye Shabu-shabu.

Qian Helin told Hua Hudie about the affairs of Wang Qingwei's company and repeatedly warned her not to tell He Xiaolan. Hua Hudie was a tight-lipped person and she felt very sad when she saw He Xiaolan running around and looking obviously haggard.

"What's going on with those two bastards? Why are they suddenly going crazy again?" Hua Hudie was awakened by the music in the car. She opened her mouth in a daze, and her hands were not idle looking for water everywhere. Qin Tiantian unscrewed the bottle cap and threw it to her, hitting Hua Hudie and making her scream "Ah!", almost scaring He Xiaolan back the words she had just organized.

On the way home, she kept repeating what the mayor said to the two of them, and then they got home. Auntie and Ms. Zhang Xinrong had already prepared a table of food. When Ms. Zhang Xinrong saw Qin Tiantian and Hua Hudie coming, she couldn't help crying as soon as she called their names.

The aunt happily circled around Qin Tiantian and Hua Hudie several times, repeating over and over again, "These two girls are so pretty. Are they married? How old are their children? They are so beautiful."

He Xiaolan saw Ms. Zhang Xinrong turn her head away, as if wiping tears. She quickly walked over to her side and embraced her. When had Ms. Zhang Xinrong become so thin? The once invincible mother had also begun to become fragile. But now was not the time for the mother and daughter to cry, so she quickly found a way to change the subject.

"Mom, hold it in, don't cry. Aren't the comrades from Beijing here to see you?" This amused Ms. Zhang Xinrong, who slapped He Xiaolan on the butt, "Are you kidding your mom?" Butterfly devoured the buns made by her aunt, and when she was full, she remembered and asked, "What's the filling in these?"

"Whatever wild vegetables grow in the fields in spring, you can find them all here. Ms. Zhang Xinxiang's handmade works are so free-spirited."

Qin Tiantian just picked up the second one and was about to take the second bite, but immediately stopped. For a moment, she didn't know whether to spit it out or swallow it. Her fragile stomach might not be able to withstand such a complicated diet.

"Why don't you go out for a walk this afternoon? There's nothing much to do here, so just take them around."

"I have to go find He Tianci's mother. I think some things still need to be grasped."

"Why go to her? If she had been reasonable, would she have done something like that?" Ms. Zhang Xinrong was immediately upset. She had only met this woman once, but she had been like a fishbone stuck in her throat for half her life, a constant reminder of the failure of her marriage.

"Never mind, we have them two. I have a way. We'll go after a short rest."

There is only one main road in the entire town. Although I haven't asked where He Tianci's mother's barber shop is, I can guess that his mother's name is Qi Meihua. Looking all the way, there is a dilapidated small bungalow sandwiched between a vegetable stall and a meat stall. The sign on the door has long faded, and you can vaguely see the five words "Meihua Barber Shop" hanging faintly on it.

"You two wait for me in the car, roll down the windows and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, rush in. If nothing happens, just wait for the barbecue in the evening."

"You really don't need us. I've been doing bodybat in the gym for two months and I'm very strong."

"Teacher Qin, this is a negotiation, not a fight, so be gentle. I know you are angry and you took it out on yourself at night."

He Xiaolan grabbed her phone and went there. She happened to see Qi Meihua drying towels outside. They looked like clean, washed rags, though they were called towels. She had changed, too. The arrogant pregnant woman back then was now a thin, middle-aged woman. Even though she had dyed her hair, the white patches at the roots were still noticeable.

When Qi Meihua saw He Xiaolan coming over, she looked her up and down and asked, "Are you here to get a haircut?"

"I am He Xiaolan."