Chapter 65

Feng Xinhui had been concentrating on her work. When she heard Li Yue's complaints, she looked up and tried to speak up for Xia Qingtang. However, Xia Qingtang said bluntly, "Yes, young people nowadays are really bad. So, Director Li, you must be careful when you speak in the future. We young people don't have any scruples. If an old comrade like you talks nonsense and bullies others, we won't be polite to you. We will report to the leader when necessary."

These words were so righteous that Li Yue was a little dumbfounded. Wu Feng burst out laughing, and Zhang Ning also covered his mouth and laughed.

After a while, Li Yue stared at Xia Qingtang and said, "We are all colleagues, and you are new here. Aren't you afraid of damaging your relationship with your colleagues by doing this?"

Xia Qingtang smiled brightly: "Secretary Li, an old comrade like you is not afraid of damaging the relationship between colleagues. I am a young and ignorant person, so what should I be afraid of? Anyway, I am young. If I did something wrong, I can admit my mistakes to the leaders. The leaders will say that they will give young people the opportunity to correct and improve. What do you think I should be afraid of? Besides, the relationship between colleagues is mutual. If you are good, I am good. If you are not good, why should I be good? Young people are young, not fools."

Li Yue was completely speechless. She could only stand up and slam the chair angrily to express her dissatisfaction.

Chairman Qin happened to walk in. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Li Yue throwing a chair. She immediately asked, "What happened? Why is she throwing a chair while working?"

Li Yue was startled and said quickly: "No, no, I didn't drop the chair. There was a nail sticking up on my chair, and I wanted to smash it on the ground to drive the nail in."

She usually speaks quickly, but she does react quickly at critical moments.

Other colleagues did not expose her, so Chairman Qin believed her and said, "Then you should pay attention to safety. Don't drop the chair like that. Go to the maintenance team and get a hammer to hit it."

"Yes, I will go. Thank you, Chairman Qin, for your concern." Li Yue lifted up the chair. "Does Chairman Qin have any work to arrange?"

"Ah, yes." Chairman Qin sat down in the empty seat she was used to, and continued, "I went to the city for a meeting this morning. This year, because it is special, in addition to focusing on production, May Day should also be celebrated in a grand manner. The city is selecting city worker representatives to attend the city-wide conference on May Day, and our union needs to report this candidate. However, our factory had four advanced workers last year, and only two of them can attend the city-wide conference. This is a great honor, so we must not treat it casually. Those who are not selected will definitely be very sad, and we must give them a reasonable explanation and reason. What do you think should be done? How to choose?"

Generally speaking, in such situations, Feng Xinhui, who is experienced and diligent at work, is the first to speak, and her views or opinions are usually very practical, so everyone will wait for her to speak first and then just agree with her.

But the situation was different today. Feng Xinhui was still thinking when Li Yue suddenly said, "Chairman Qin, why don't you let Xiao Xia talk about her ideas first? Young people have very flexible minds, unlike us who are old and can't think straight."

The others immediately looked at Xia Qingtang, and they all knew that Li Yue was deliberately taking revenge on her for her previous actions.

Chairman Qin didn't know the whole story. He just smiled and said, "That makes sense. Then Xiao Xia, tell me which two people we should choose to attend the city's conference. It doesn't matter. You can speak boldly. It doesn't matter if you are wrong. After all, this is the discussion stage."

Xia Qingtang was not afraid that Li Yue would deliberately retaliate against her. She thought for a few seconds and said, "Since Chairman Qin asked me, I will tell you my idea. The matter of choosing two out of four is very simple. Just let all the workers vote. We can get a big cardboard box and ask the workers to anonymously write down the names of two of the four people on paper and then throw them into the cardboard box. In the end, the two people who get the most votes will go. This anonymous voting is fair and will not cause any conflicts."

Chairman Qin said: "I have thought about letting all employees vote before, but I want an open vote. I just write the names of four people on the blackboard behind the workshop and let the employees go over and draw a bar. Anonymous voting is indeed fair and will not cause conflicts, but isn't the workload a bit too much? People in the workshop may not have the leisure to do it."

"Since the participants were reported by our union, it must be our union that does this. We prepare enough small slips of paper, take them to the workshop and ask people to write them down one by one, and then put them in cardboard boxes. Before the end of voting, the boxes will remain sealed and will not be opened until the vote counting. As for the subsequent vote counting, we can ask a few colleagues from relatively leisurely positions such as the cleaning team and the factory office to come and help to provide testimony to prove that our vote counting is also fair and just. In this way, the employees who are not elected will have nothing to say, after all, it is the whole factory that votes." Xia Qingtang said.

Chairman Qin said, "It's good. I think it's good. Do the rest of you have any comments?"

Zhang Ning said: "This idea sounds good, but I just want to ask, what if some employees don't want to write their names on the paper?"

"What the vice chairman is talking about is abstention votes. In any fair and just election, there will be a certain proportion of abstention votes. If he doesn't want to write his name, let him put a piece of blank paper in. Later, when the votes are counted, we can announce the number of abstention votes without names written on them." Xia Qingtang said.

"Then I have no problem." Zhang Ning said with a smile.

Li Yue said, "Chairman Qin, we are usually very busy with work. Do you want to hand this over to us? Shouldn't each department vote and count the votes before handing it over to us? We don't have the time to do this."

Feng Xinhui, who had been silent, said, "Chairman Qin, I think this matter should be handled by our union. First, the city attaches great importance to this matter. There should be no problems with the list we submitted, so it can only be handled by our union. Second, Xiaoxia may be a little busy. After all, in addition to her daily work, she also has to complete a big-character poster of the Voice of Workers. But the rest of us, especially Director Li, are not too busy at work. If Chairman Qin is assured, just leave this matter to Director Li and me."

Li Yue's face turned dark, but she couldn't curse or say anything unpleasant in front of Chairman Qin, so she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

Chairman Qin smiled and said, "Xiao Feng, you usually have a heavy workload. Otherwise, let's give this task to Lao Zhang and Xiao Li, and you two can complete it together. Lao Zhang, you are experienced, so you need to give Xiao Li some advice. Lao Zhang, do you think it's okay?"

Zhang Ning was not too busy, and voting was quite interesting, so he agreed with a smile: "Yes, I will take on this glorious task. Xiao Li, we must complete the voting and statistics work well and strive to do our best."

Li Yue was so angry that her face turned red, but there was nothing she could do. After all, Zhang Ning happily took the job, so what right did she have to say that she didn't want to do it?

I could only swallow my anger and say, "I understand. Please rest assured, I will follow the vice chairman and complete this task to the best of my ability."

"Okay, it's settled. The time is within a week. You will count the votes next Monday and report the final candidate to me. Okay, that's it for now. I'm going back." Chairman Qin said, and called Feng Xinhui out again to explain some things to her alone.

After Chairman Qin left, Li Yue continued to complain in the office, saying that Xia Qingtang was looking for trouble and causing them trouble for no reason.

"Isn't it just a choice between four? Can't you just nominate two old employees' names? And get all the employees in the factory to vote? Oh, you don't need to do this, but it will tire us to death!" Li Yue said as she deliberately banged the notebook on the table, making a loud noise.

Before Xia Qingtang could say anything, Zhang Ning said, "Xiao Li, didn't you recommend Xiao Xia to speak?"

Li Yue was blocked for a moment, but quickly said, "No, Lao Zhang, Vice Chairman Zhang, you also have to take care of this matter now. We should be on the same front. Why are you helping Xiao Xia?"

Zhang Ning said: "I think it's interesting for all factory workers to vote anonymously. In the past, we drew bars on the blackboard, but some workers were too concerned about their reputation and relationships to choose the real candidate. Now, we can choose someone anonymously according to our true feelings. Isn't that great? Let's do a good job of anonymous voting now, and we can learn from this experience in the future."

"What you said, you are a person who usually just reads newspapers and drinks tea, but now you are pretending to be a model worker." Li Yue curled her lips.

"Yes, I should start pretending to be a model worker now, is that not okay? I tell you, the leaders have assigned the work to you, so just do it happily and don't make yourself unhappy. Also, let me tell you, I won't indulge you. If you want to be lazy, that's absolutely not allowed. Okay, now hurry up and find the materials. Let's make the big voting box first, then cut the voting paper, and start asking everyone to vote tomorrow." Zhang Ning waved his hand.

Li Yue had no choice but to stand up angrily, rolled her eyes at Xia Qingtang, and then went to the storage room over there to look for materials to make a box.

Xia Qingtang continued working at her seat with an expressionless face. Anyway, when she talked about anonymous voting, she was not targeting Li Yue, and she didn't know that this job would be assigned to Li Yue. She was even mentally prepared to complete it herself. But it was reasonable for the job to be assigned to Li Yue. After all, Chairman Qin knew the workload of every employee in the office.

After a busy day, Xia Qingtang went to pick up his mail after get off work, then pushed his bicycle to the factory gate. He saw Zhao Meizhen, whom he had not seen for a long time. Zhao Meizhen was holding the hand of an old colleague with a proud look on her face and talking incessantly.

During the Chinese New Year, she looked sallow and skinny, but now her face is rosy and even her cheeks are fuller. I don’t know if she is in high spirits because of the happy event or if she has really gained a little weight.

"Yes, our Qinghai is a capable one. He is handsome, has good character, is smart and capable, and everyone praises him! That Xiao Wu, although she is the child of a cadre, it was her great luck to find our Qinghai! Being able to marry our Qinghai is a blessing she has accumulated in several lifetimes!" Zhao Meizhen said proudly.

Xia Qingtang pushed her bicycle over without looking around. An old colleague of Zhao Meizhen saw her and shouted, "Hey, Qingtang, your mother is here!"

"Hello Aunt Shen, I'm going home." Xia Qingtang smiled and got on the bicycle.

Zhao Meizhen was originally very proud, but when she turned around and saw Xia Qingtang riding a shiny women's bicycle, her eyes widened and she asked, "How did you get a bicycle?"

"I bought it." Xia Qingtang said lightly.

"No! This is a women's bicycle. It's hard to buy. How can you afford a women's bicycle?" Zhao Meizhen suddenly rushed over and grabbed the back seat of Xia Qingtang's bicycle. "Where did you get the bicycle?"

"I said I bought it, what are you going to do?" Xia Qingtang narrowed his eyes, looking unkind, "Don't forget, your son is getting married, if you don't want me to make a scene at your son's wedding, then let go!"

As soon as her precious son was mentioned, Zhao Meizhen was really afraid of the consequences and immediately let go of his hand, but she still asked loudly: "Such a good bicycle, are you worthy of riding it? Did you use the two hundred yuan you stole from me to buy this bicycle? Give me back the money!"

The old colleague looked at her awkwardly and whispered, "Old Zhao, don't be like this. Didn't you think that incident was embarrassing enough?"

"What a shame! This damn girl really stole two hundred dollars from me!"

"Your old Xia has already said that he took out the two hundred yuan to pay back Qingtang. It was money saved from Qingtang's own salary. We all know that."

Xia Qingtang sneered, "Did you hear that? Everyone knows what happened to the money, so stop blackmailing them here."

After saying that, she rode away on her bike without paying any attention to Zhao Meizhen's angry curses.

On Wednesday morning, Xia Qinghai and Wu Jinfeng took the certificate issued by their work unit to the street office to register and officially became husband and wife.

Wu Jinfeng's health had not yet fully recovered, so she needed to rest at home. Xia Qinghai came to the factory to work after getting the marriage certificate, and distributed wedding candies everywhere, including to the trade union and the factory office.

He must have bought a lot of red paper this time. Even the wedding candies were wrapped in red paper into small portions, and one portion was placed on each person's table.

"Congratulations on getting what you wished for." Xia Qingtang picked up the bag of wedding candy and said lightly.

Xia Qinghai smiled and said, "Thank you. I guess this is a happy ending after all the hardship I've endured."

Feng Xinhui and others expressed their congratulations, and Li Yue was no longer sarcastic this time. After all, it was a good day for a wedding, so she managed to keep her mouth shut.

"Thank you, everyone. Jin Feng and I will not let you down. We will live a good life." Xia Qinghai thanked them and said to Xia Qingtang, "Sister, can you come out for a moment? I have something personal to discuss with you."

Out of curiosity, Xia Qingtang followed him to the corridor. Seeing that there was no one around, Xia Qinghai whispered, "I know about the conflict between Jinfeng and the Xie family. Now that she has married me, she will not do anything rude to her brother-in-law. But I still want to take Jinfeng to visit the Xie family in person and apologize to everyone in person. It's just that the gate of your compound is not so easy to enter. What I'm thinking is, if I can't enter the compound, otherwise, I will take Jinfeng to my brother-in-law's office to apologize?"

The Xie family had previously informed the gatekeeper of the family compound that no one coming to see them could be let in easily without the Xie family's permission.

But as for the provincial government, you can enter by registering with your real name with your factory work permit during working hours. Of course, Xie Qiming and others will definitely not be able to see them, but you can go to Xie Jinxuan and others' offices at will.

If I really apologized to Xie Jinxuan at his workplace, it would definitely cause discussion among my colleagues.

Xia Qingtang's face darkened: "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. I really want to live a good life with Jinfeng. Besides, I'm your biological brother. Jinfeng will be your sister-in-law in the future, and the children she gives birth to will be your nephews and nieces. We live in the same city. Can I hide forever? We are all married people. Some things are better to be talked out. I know you won't be a good relative of mine, but there is no need to be an enemy, right? Jinfeng and I will go over to apologize and explain, so that the Xie family can rest assured. Don't you think this is a good thing?" Xia Qinghai said with a smile: "I don't have any bad intentions. Besides, who in the Xie family is not smarter than me? I can't even beat you, what can I do to them? Let me go, can I still cheat the Xie family out of a few hundred dollars?"

Xia Qingtang said: "I'm going to go home and discuss it with Jinxuan. I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm on the early shift tomorrow, I'll wait for you in the workshop." Xia Qinghai laughed again, turned and left.

His steps seemed light and he was obviously very happy.

But it is normal to be happy. Xia Qingtang learned from Secretary Wang that not only did the Wu family not ask for a penny of dowry from the Xia family, but the Wu parents gave a lot of dowry. For example, for their current residence, the Wu parents bought them a big bed, bought new bedding, and decorated their new house. It is said that because it is inconvenient for them to go to work, they will also buy a bicycle for the young couple.

Such a marriage is very rare in the entire cotton mill. Now all the young men in the factory envy Xia Qinghai and wish they could find a relative like the Wu family in the future.

In the evening, Xia Qingtang returned home and talked about Xia Qinghai's words while cooking.

Xie Jinxuan thought for a moment and said, "If he wants to come, let him come. Let's make an appointment. We'll go to the door to pick them up, talk to them, and then let them go. It's pretty simple."

"Okay, then what time is it?"

"This Sunday, Mom and Dad are both at home, but Grandpa might not be here, but that doesn't matter. Let's meet at the gate of the family compound at 9 a.m. on Sunday."

"Okay, I'll tell him tomorrow."

Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "But before that, you have to inform your family first and tell them that Wu Jinfeng is getting married to your brother. Didn't you keep it to yourself?"

"Indeed, I forgot to tell them, but I did tell you, didn't you reveal anything at all?"

"Of course I won't tell them anything you didn't say."

"Then after dinner, let's go home and sit for a while. Let's tell grandma and the others first." After saying this, Xia Qingtang lowered his head, made six mixed vegetable pancakes in one breath, and called Xie Jinxuan to serve the meal.

Dinner consisted of shepherd's purse and tofu soup and mixed vegetable pancakes. The batter was stuffed with four kinds of chopped vegetables and an egg. It tasted delicious when eaten with the shepherd's purse and tofu soup. Both of them were very full.

"I am so happy to have enough to eat every day." Xia Qingtang let out a sigh of relief after finishing her meal. "Spring is so nice. I love spring."

During this season, there will be many changes in the meals of every household. Regardless of whether the food is good or not, at least even the poorest families can have enough to eat.

Aunt Six and grandma would go out to look for wild vegetables every day and bring some here. On the grass, under the trees, and anywhere else where wild vegetables grew, you could see employees rummaging through them during their breaks.

Of course, those who go late will definitely not dig up anything, and only those who go early will get something.

It doesn’t matter if you can’t find any wild vegetables. There are plenty of vegetables available in spring. Lettuce and cauliflower are very cheap recently, and these two types of vegetables are more filling. Adults can cook more vegetables and less grains.

After Xie Jinxuan washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, they filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove. Then the two of them put on their coats and went to their grandparents' house.

Unexpectedly, everyone was here tonight. When she saw them coming, grandma quickly took out some crispy candies for Xia Qingtang to eat.

Xia Qingtang waved her hand: "Thank you, grandma, but I just had dinner and can't eat this now."

"Then take it back and eat it." Grandma put the candy down again, ready for her to take it back.

The old man asked, "Why are you here?"

Xia Qingtang said: "There is something I think I should talk about."

Everyone looked over, even Aunt Six came over from the kitchen: "What's going on? It's quite serious, it can't be a big deal."

"It's not a big deal." Xia Qingtang said quickly: "It's like this, everyone should still remember Comrade Wu Jinfeng..."

"Is she going to bother Jinxuan again?" Xie's mother's face changed.

"No, no, Wu Jinfeng started dating my brother Xia Qinghai during the Chinese New Year. Because she is pregnant, the two of them registered their marriage this morning. Xia Qinghai distributed wedding candies at the factory this morning, but Comrade Wu Jinfeng is still at home taking care of the baby because her health has not recovered yet." Xia Qingtang said quickly.

After she said this, the whole room fell silent. After a long while, grandma said, "This... this is a good thing."

"Ah, yes, that's a good thing." Xie Chengye also said, "Getting married and having children is definitely a good thing. I won't bother Jinxuan anymore in the future."

Xie's mother said, "This Wu Jinfeng was making such a fuss before, insisting on being with Jinxuan, why did she suddenly change her mind? I think there's something wrong with this person. Is it really okay for your brother to marry her?"

Xia Qingtang said: "My brother is a smart man, he should be able to control Wu Jinfeng. Besides, he didn't marry Wu Jinfeng out of love, they just got what they wanted."

"Everyone takes what they need? What does that mean?" Xie Jinyun didn't understand, and her face was full of curiosity.

"Xiao Yun, go to your room and do your homework. This is an adult matter." Xie's mother pointed her finger, and Xie Jinyun had no choice but to go back to her bedroom obediently.

Grandma said, "Your brother likes the Wu family because they are a cadre family. Then what does Wu Jinfeng like about your brother?"

"My brother looks pretty good, although not as good as Jinxuan." Xia Qingtang told the truth.

Everyone laughed. Xie's mother said, "That's right. Qingtang is so handsome, so his brother must not be ugly either. Wu Jinfeng fell in love with Jinxuan because she was pretty. Now she has found a good-looking man, and it's the same. So... congratulations to them, and wish them a long and happy marriage."

Xie Chengye said: "Yes, I hope they live well. This is a good thing for us Jinxuan, it will save us trouble in the future."

The old man asked, "You came here specifically to talk about this matter. Is there anything else you haven't said?"

These wise old people are different. You can tell why they come even without them saying anything.

Xie Jinxuan said, "My eldest brother-in-law hopes to bring Wu Jinfeng here to tell him in person that they are married and apologize to avoid being enemies in the future. I thought about it. Although Qingtang and her brother are not close, they are blood relatives after all, and they live in the same city. It is impossible for them to never meet again in their lifetime. It is better to let them come here, apologize and talk it over, and don't bring up the past again in the future."

"That makes sense." Grandpa Xie nodded: "Then when do you want them to come over?"

"I'll go to the door to pick them up at nine o'clock on Sunday morning." Xie Jinxuan said, "We can say a few words to them and then ask them to leave."

Grandma said, "That's fine. We haven't met Qingtang's family yet. It's okay to meet them now."

"That's settled then." Grandpa Xie said, "I won't be here on Sunday, so you can just talk to me casually."

Since the time was set, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan took the candies and went back to rest.

The next morning, Xia Qingtang went to workshop 3 during his break and told Xia Qinghai the scheduled time.

Xia Qinghai was really happy: "Then your sister-in-law and I will prepare some gifts for you."

"There's no need for gifts. Even if you bring them, they won't accept them. Although they're not enemies, they're not close friends either, so forget it." Xia Qingtang said, "We don't plan to treat you to a meal either."

"If you don't bring gifts, at least bring a bag of cakes. Although my family is very poor, I have known since I was a child that I should bring something when I go to someone else's house, even if it's just a handful of red dates. I can't go empty-handed."

"Then just take a bag of pastries. You can take the other gifts home too." Xia Qingtang said and was about to leave.

Xia Qinghai called her again: "Dad, can you come with us to take a look? You've been married for so long, and Dad has never seen what your in-laws are like. Since I can go, can Dad go and take a look too? That will put his mind at ease."

Xia Qingtang thought for a moment and said, "Don't let Dad go with you. After your wedding banquet is over, I will invite Dad to have a meal alone."

"Okay, I understand. By the way, has your uncle come to see you? I went to give him wedding invitations and candies, and he asked a few questions. It seems that he knows about the Xie family."

"He must have known about it. He followed us to the family compound once and chatted with the people there. I also thought he would come to the factory to find me, but I waited for so many days and didn't see him. Maybe the Xie family was too scary and frightened him." Xia Qingtang said.

"My uncle will definitely come to the wedding banquet. If he tells the truth then, will it be okay for you?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm mentally prepared." After saying that, Xia Qingtang turned around and went back to continue working.

Sunday happens to be April 1st. In the late 1990s, young people and children would celebrate this holiday, but nowadays, no one knows what April Fools' Day is.

Xia Qingtang got up and stared at the calendar for a while, and couldn't help laughing.

"Why are you so happy alone?" Xie Jinxuan came back from outside holding a small pot filled with breakfast bought from the cafeteria.

Taro porridge was still cooking on the coal stove in the kitchen. It was also cooked by Xie Jinxuan early in the morning. They could eat as soon as Xia Qingtang finished washing up.

Xia Qingtang turned around and said, "I was thinking, time is passing too fast. Today is April 1st, and in another month, it will be my birthday."

Xie Jinxuan also laughed: "Of course? I heard that grandma is already preparing a birthday present for you."

"That's why I'm secretly happy." Xia Qingtang said, "I'm waiting for everyone to give me something."

The two of them had breakfast first, and when it was almost nine o'clock, they walked hand in hand to the main entrance of the compound. Xia Qinghai and Wu Jinfeng were already waiting there. When they saw them, they immediately smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, sister."

Wu Jinfeng didn't say anything, but she forced a smile, but it was uglier than crying.

Xie Jinxuan said, "Let's go in. My parents are at home today."

"Is Mr. Xie not at home?" Xia Qinghai asked immediately.

"Grandpa is very busy. He is working in the morning."

"It's really tiring." Xia Qinghai looked around as he walked, and said, "This is my first time here."

"It's similar to other compounds, but our compound is a little smaller because it's in the city center. Military compounds have basketball courts, large playgrounds, and their own swimming pools, but we don't have that because we don't have the space to build them." Xie Jinxuan said: "If there's not enough space to live in, we can only tear down the basketball court and build a house."

Xia Qingtang knew about this. In the 1990s, in order to improve the residential environment, the basketball court was indeed demolished in the compound for the families of the provincial party committee, and then a six-story building was built to move some people living in the bungalows into it. Afterwards, the bungalow area was demolished and a six-story building was also built, but the units were larger and had heating. Many people were envious at the time.

But she couldn't say it out loud, so she could only bite her lip and follow silently.

When they arrived at the small Western-style building, Xie Jinxuan shouted and led Xia Qinghai and the others inside.

Aunt Six and grandmother were trimming flowers and plants in the backyard. When they heard the noise, they hurried back to the living room. Xie Chengye and Xie's mother also came down from the second floor.

Only Xie Jinyun was ordered to do her homework in the room and was not allowed to come downstairs, let alone eavesdrop on the stairs.

Xie Jinxuan introduced: "Grandma, Mom and Dad, this is Qingtang's brother, Comrade Xia Qinghai."

Xia Qinghai quickly took Wu Jinfeng to bow and greet everyone. He looked very generous and generous, which made Wu Jinfeng seem a little petty.

"Xiao Xia, sit down." Grandma said, "You do look a bit like Qingtang."

"Qingtang is much prettier than me. Relatives always say that Qingtang is too good-looking and doesn't look like our child." Xia Qinghai smiled and took out two packages of snacks and placed them on the coffee table. "These are egg cakes and peach cakes. They are not expensive. They are just for daily consumption. I am Qingtang's brother. It's my first time here, so I can't come empty-handed. Please accept them."

The two packs of dim sum were not really expensive gifts, so grandma said, "Thank you, it's very thoughtful of you. Xiaoliu, make tea for the guests."

"Got it." Aunt Six made two cups of tea and placed them in front of the two of them.

Wu Jinfeng kept her head down and didn't say anything. Xia Qinghai chuckled and pulled her sleeve, whispering, "Jinfeng, don't you have something to say to the elders? We are already here, and the elders are all kind and amiable people. Just say whatever you want to say."

Wu Jinfeng then slowly raised her head. Her complexion looked much better. Perhaps the recent pregnancy care was effective, and her cheeks were a little fuller.

Xie's mother hated Wu Jinfeng very much, so she looked at her coldly with a sullen face.

Wu Jinfeng scanned the expressions of the people in the room and then whispered, "I have done a lot of stupid things in the past. Now, I am married and about to have a baby. I thought I should come here and say sorry to you, especially Comrade Xie. I am especially sorry for you. I have caused you a lot of trouble in the past. I am sorry. I don't ask you to forgive me for anything. Just don't treat me as a bad person when we meet in the future."

After saying that, she grabbed Xia Qinghai's wrist, looking very nervous.

Xia Qinghai said quickly: "As Jin Feng's husband, I can also say responsibly that Jin Feng is not a bad person. From now on, we will concentrate on living our own lives and raise the child well after it is born. We will definitely not cause any trouble to you. Please believe us."

"Jinxuan, what do you say?" grandma asked.

Xie Jinxuan said: "I believe what Comrade Xia Qinghai said and I accept your apology."

"That's great, brother-in-law, you are so generous. Thank you." Xia Qinghai stood up again and bowed respectfully to each member of the Xie family. "Thank you all for believing in my wife and giving her a chance."

Seeing this, Wu Jinfeng also stood up and bowed to everyone along with Xia Qinghai.

Judging from their status, it is obvious that Xia Qinghai is the one who has the final say at home, and Wu Jinfeng follows his pace.

After bowing, Xia Qinghai immediately said: "We are here today to apologize. Now that we have apologized, we dare not disturb everyone's rest anymore. We will go back now."

Grandma said, "You haven't even had two sips of tea yet, and you're leaving now?"

Xia Qinghai quickly picked up the teacup and gulped down the cup of tea in front of him, then picked up Wu Jinfeng's cup and drank it, then smiled and said, "This is really good tea, with a fragrant aroma. It's a pity that the doctor didn't allow Jinfeng to drink tea, so I'm the only one enjoying it."

Grandma laughed and said, "You are really good at talking."

"I am like Qingtang in this respect. Qingtang can also talk. Well, everyone, we'll take our leave now." Xia Qinghai stood up with a smile, and Wu Jinfeng quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Are they really leaving? Then Jinxuan will see them off." said grandma.

Xie Jinxuan sent them both out, and Xia Qingtang followed beside them. Xia Qinghai said, "Just send them here. Today is Sunday, and we can't disturb you anymore. And we'll remember the way out."

"Okay, then you can go back." Xia Qingtang said, "Congratulations."

Wu Jinfeng actually listened to him and followed his pace, which shows that Xia Qinghai is much more powerful than before.

Xia Qinghai understood the meaning of his sister's words and couldn't help but laugh: "I deserve this congratulation. After all, I have also paid a lot."

Wu Jinfeng didn't understand what they said. Just when she was about to ask something, Xia Qinghai held her hand and said gently, "Let's go home first. You are weak and have walked a lot today. I will massage your legs when we get home to prevent you from feeling uncomfortable."

Wu Jinfeng immediately smiled and said, "Okay, let's go back quickly. I don't want to stay in this place anymore."

Xia Qinghai smiled at Xie Jinxuan and the others and said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Xia Qingtang watched them leave. After they walked away, she said, "In the future, the Wu family's assets will definitely fall into Xia Qinghai's hands."

"This is a good thing. Your mother will live a good life in the future and won't bother you anymore." Xie Jinxuan pulled her to close the yard door and then went back into the house.

People in the room were also discussing Xia Qinghai. Xie's mother said, "Brother Qingtang doesn't look like her at all. I'm not talking about looks, they are similar, but I'm talking about personality. Xia Qinghai is full of calculations, he is a shrewd man."

"Only a smart person can marry Wu Jinfeng." Grandma said, "Wu Jinfeng's personality is not easy to get along with. How can you win her over without some tricks? Looking at the way Qingtang's brother is, I can guess how much suffering Qingtang has suffered since childhood. With such a brother, the parents will definitely care more about him and will definitely ignore their daughter Qingtang."

Xia Qingtang said: "Indeed, but fortunately he is my elder brother, so he has to go to the countryside to join the production team, and I can stay in the city."

Everyone laughed, and grandma said, "I like Qingtang's personality. He always looks at the positive side of everything."

"Yes, although Qingtang is not as smart as her brother, being smart is not a good trait. It is better to be a little stupid than to be too smart." Xie's mother said, "By the way, they are getting married, aren't they having a wedding banquet?"

"Yes, we'll set up a few tables in the cotton mill cafeteria next Sunday. I've received the wedding invitation and I'll go there alone," said Xia Qingtang.

"Why don't you take Jinxuan with you?" Xie Chengye asked.

Xia Qingtang said: "Many of my relatives will be there by then, so there's no need to cause trouble for Jinxuan. I'll go alone and ignore everyone. I'll come back after dinner, which is very convenient."

Xie Chengye smiled and said, "So that's the reason. Fortunately, it's not something our Jinxuan is ashamed of."

Everyone laughed along, and Xia Qingtang said, "There's another reason... I'm a little worried that my uncle will tell the story of the Xie family at the banquet. He followed us and already knows who Jinxuan's grandfather is. All the relatives will be there that day, and Jinxuan is a good person. I'm afraid he will be entangled by the relatives. I don't care, I will scold them anyway."

Grandma burst out laughing: "Then your parents will know about us."

"Yes, after the banquet is over, I want to invite my father to my house for a meal so that he can see my current living environment." Xia Qingtang said, "After dinner, if you grandma and you are at home, I want to bring him over to sit for a while and have some tea."