Chapter 95

Xie Xiaoshuang's left hand tightly clenched her right hand. She didn't know how to answer and just looked at Xia Qingtang with shame on her face.

Xia Qingtang was a little angry at her for not fighting back, but when she thought of her previous experience, her heart softened again. She could only reach out and pat Xie Xiaoshuang on the shoulder, saying, "At least, stand up straight. You didn't make any mistakes, so why are you so dejected? You should stand up straight and be confident."

Xie Xiaoshuang subconsciously straightened her back. She looked at Xia Qingtang and wanted to explain something, but she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

On the other side, Ding Changzhi and Fang Weihong were still fighting.

Fang Weihong burst into tears: "You admitted it! You, Mr. Ding, admitted it! You really just like me because I'm pretty. You despise me because I'm ugly and old! You're such a piece of shit! I was also a young girl when I married you. You've wasted my time for so many years, and you still dare to despise me now! I'll beat you to death, you heartless dog!"

As she spoke, Fang Weihong kicked and stabbed Ding Changzhi without any reason. Ding Changzhi kept a sullen face and said nothing, but he kept his hands holding Fang Weihong tightly to prevent her from throwing a tantrum.

The commotion was so loud that even though it was raining heavily, many neighbors came out with umbrellas to watch. They stood outside the door and no one dared to come over to break up the fight.

When Fang Weihong started to curse Ding Changzhi's ancestors, Xia Qingtang interrupted their quarrel. She said coldly: "Put aside your quarrel for now. There are more important things to be solved. You should solve the problem here first. After that, I won't care if you want to fight to the sky."

Ding Changzhi was stunned for a moment and looked at her, not knowing how to respond.

Fang Weihong was still howling and crying. Xia Qingtang touched her ear and said, "It's too noisy. Can you let your lover be quiet for a while?"

Ding Changzhi quickly covered Fang Weihong's mouth. At this moment, Xie Jinxuan ran over with Luo Xiangqian holding an umbrella.

"Qingtang, I saw that no one was at my cousin's house, so I came here when I heard the noise here." Xie Jinxuan ran up the corridor, not forgetting to call Xie Xiaoshuang her cousin.

Ding Changzhi became even more flustered when he saw Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian. He stared at the two tall young men outside the door with his mouth open, his face pale.

Fang Weihong was struggling desperately, whimpering.

Ding Changzhi didn't know where he got the courage from. He pressed Fang Weihong against the wall and said viciously: "Do you still want to go down? If you want to go down, shut up! Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian are here. Do you want to offend the Xie and Luo families and make me lose my job? Fine, then you will support the two of us from now on. If I don't have enough food, I will beat you up!"

Fang Weihong was startled and trembled all over. She finally shut up and didn't dare to struggle anymore.

Seeing Fang Weihong finally quiet down, Xia Qingtang turned to look at Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian. She said softly, "Come here? I was just looking for your support. Don't you know that this family insulted our cousin..."

"No! We didn't! Secretary Xie, this is a misunderstanding, it's really a misunderstanding, my wife misunderstood! Really, I'm not lying to you! It's my fault, I have bad intentions, I think your cousin is pretty, and it's not easy for a girl to live alone, so I often want to go over and help. But we really didn't insult your cousin, really not, please believe me!" Ding Changzhi's lips were trembling slightly.

Fang Weihong also reacted. She looked at the tall figures of Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian, then at her own man. She also shuddered and realized that she had indeed done something wrong.

She rolled her eyes and said, "We are all neighbors, it is normal to have some misunderstandings..."

"Is it normal to have a little misunderstanding? I don't think it's normal to misunderstand an unmarried lesbian for seducing her husband and throw dirty water on her." Xia Qingtang said coldly: "Then I can also say that I misunderstood that you, Comrade Fang Weihong, seduced several married men in the company and had that kind of relationship with them."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Fang Weihong was about to get angry, but was suppressed by Ding Changzhi again.

"It was indeed a misunderstanding. It was really my wife who misunderstood. It was my fault. It was all my fault. It was my fault alone. I had bad intentions. I apologize to Comrade Xie and all of you. I am really sorry! I won't dare to do it again next time. I will never do it again!" Ding Changzhi took a step forward and bowed deeply in the direction of Xie Xiaoshuang.

Xie Xiaoshuang was stunned for a moment and looked at Xia Qingtang in panic.

Xia Qingtang said: "Where is your lover? Don't you need to apologize?"

Fang Weihong glared at Xia Qingtang fiercely, but Ding Changzhi reached out and pinched her waist from behind. Fang Weihong had no choice but to say, "I misunderstood, but it takes two to tango. Flies don't bite cracked eggs. We did misunderstand, but you'd better take care of your cousin. Otherwise, if there are more people who misunderstand in the future, who will be responsible for that?"

"It's your fault." Xia Qingtang said seriously, "How can a slap not make a sound? Do you want to try and see if my slap on your face makes a sound?"

Fang Weihong stopped talking and just stared at Xia Qingtang with angry eyes.

Xia Qingtang continued, "Also, you can't control your husband, so you misunderstand that someone else seduced him. This is not a misunderstanding, it's your own incompetence! If you can't even keep a bad man under control, then what use are you? I tell you, if there are such misunderstandings in the future, I can guarantee that all misunderstandings will be blamed on you, Fang Weihong. No matter who misunderstood, no matter who said outside that they misunderstood, it's your fault, Fang Weihong. Once I hear it, I will go to your unit, your home, and all the places you go, and tell everyone that you, Fang Weihong, have also been misunderstood, and that you, Fang Weihong, have cheated on your man. I don't want you to stay anywhere! I mean what I say!"

Fang Weihong was a little dumbfounded: "What did you say? You just said that people who talk nonsense will go to jail."

"Then isn't it nice for us to go to jail together? You framed my cousin, I framed you, you did it on the first day, I did it on the fifteenth, we're even." Xia Qingtang said with a smile, "But I'm different from you. I've been in jail for more than ten days, and my husband won't despise me, let alone do anything to me just because I lost my job. He will only love me and support me forever. But what about your husband? If you lose your job, will your husband support a freeloader like you at home? I see he's only 30 years old, still quite young. You've been married to him for so many years and haven't given birth to a boy or girl. When you go in, Comrade Ding can divorce you and find another wife. Maybe you'll give birth to a fat baby next year. Comrade Ding, don't you agree?"

Ding Changzhi was stunned at first, and then fell into deep thought.

Fang Weihong burst into tears again: "You damned bastard, are you really considering it? If you dare to divorce me, I will fight you to the death! I will strangle you to death first, and then hang myself!"

"Enough! Stop making trouble! Who caused this today? If you hadn't misunderstood her, would this have happened? If you don't want a divorce, then you should behave yourself! Can't you see that she's not easy to mess with?" Ding Changzhi said viciously, "You did something wrong, you wrongly accused Qing'an, if you are really locked up later, I won't care about you! She's not wrong, I'm only 30 years old, still pretty young, you haven't been able to give birth to a child for so many years, even if I really marry someone else, your parents won't dare to complain to me!"

Fang Weihong was dumbfounded, she didn't expect that after so many years of marriage, Ding Changzhi actually had no regard for marital affection at all.

The neighbors outside also started talking, and Xia Qingtang could hear several people saying "Old Ding is not a kind person."

Xia Qingtang sneered. This man already has a wife, but he still thinks about unmarried women every day. Do we have to see this to realize that he is not a kind person?

Fang Weihong was sad and angry. She pinched her nightgown and wanted to fight, but she was afraid that Ding Changzhi would really divorce her and marry a younger woman.

But a wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. She immediately rubbed her eyes and looked at Xia Qingtang: "Oh, I... I was wrong. Isn't it okay to be wrong? Wasn't I mad at that bastard Lao Ding? He insisted on going to help your cousin. You know, how upset I was when I saw him? You are also a married woman, you should understand me. I really didn't mean it, and I didn't want to wrongly accuse your cousin. I was confused for a moment. Look, this Comrade Xiao Xie is a good comrade who is pure and innocent. I hit myself in the face, Xiao Xie, don't be angry with me, I am a rough man, I hit myself, calm down, I won't dare to do it again in the future."

As he spoke, Fang Weihong actually raised his right hand and slapped himself hard on the mouth twice.

The two blows were so severe that her mouth was visibly swollen, which shows that this woman is not a simple character.

She said: "Look, is this apology sincere?"

Xia Qingtang looked at Xie Xiaoshuang: "What do you think? Do you think he is sincere?"

Xie Xiaoshuang hesitated for a moment, and she whispered, "It's up to you to decide."

Xia Qingtang said seriously: "This is your own business, you have to make your own decision. You must think carefully about what you want to do. I can't come to help you all the time. There will always be times when I'm not here. If I'm not here, what are you going to do? Are you going to solve it by keeping silent and crying?"

Xie Xiaoshuang was startled. She clenched her hands and her breathing became heavier. It was obvious that she was very excited.

Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian stood in the corridor without saying a word, but their expressions looked very serious, like two door gods.

After a long while, Fang Weihong looked at Xia Qingtang, then at Xie Xiaoshuang, and said, "Well, what did you say? We are all neighbors. Even if we did something wrong, even if I offended you, you don't have to force us to death, right? I was really mad at Lao Ding today, but I didn't have to target you. You, Xiao Xie, are usually very quiet and don't like to say anything. I know that. I was confused. I was actually jealous that Lao Ding always stayed with you. I know it's not your fault, but I was just jealous. Anyway, I know I was wrong now. Comrade Xie, please give me a definite answer. What do you want? Can you forgive me?"

Everyone in the room was waiting for Xie Xiaoshuang's response. Xie Xiaoshuang finally raised her head. She first glanced at Xia Qingtang and saw her encouraging eyes. Then she looked at Fang Weihong and finally spoke.

She said, "I can forgive you today, but I want you to swear to heaven that from now on, you will never provoke me again, and you will never make up gossip about me again. Also, your husband, Lao Ding, must also swear that from now on, when you see me, you will stay away from me, and you are not allowed to talk to me again, let alone peek at me through the glass window!"

As soon as these words came out, Xia Qingtang was shocked again: "What did you say? A guy named Ding went to peek at you? Isn't that a hooligan?"

Luo Xiangqian, who was outside the door, was also furious: "How can such a thing happen in our compound? Hurry up and call someone to arrest him!"

Ding Changzhi was shocked. "I didn't, I didn't! I said it was a misunderstanding! I came back from outside that day and passed by Xiao Xie's room. I heard a clanging sound coming from her room. Then she screamed. I thought she fell in the room, so I went to knock on the door and asked her what happened. But she didn't respond. I was worried that she might get hurt, so I looked inside through the window a few times, but her windows were covered with curtains and I didn't see anything. Later, I saw that there was no movement in the room, so I thought she was fine, so I left. I really wasn't peeking at you that time. I was worried that something had happened to you."

Xie Xiaoshuang said: "I don't care what happened to you that time, I want you to swear, swear quickly!"

Ding Changzhi quickly swore an oath as she said. Seeing that Luo Xiangqian was angry, Fang Weihong did not dare to delay and followed Ding Changzhi and swore an oath as well.

After listening to this, Xie Xiaoshuang nodded and said, "I heard your oath. If you can't do it, I will never let you go! I don't like to talk because I like quietness, but don't think that I'm easy to bully because I'm quiet! I... I also have someone backing me up!"

"Yes, she has someone backing her up. If you do it again, just wait and see." Xia Qingtang added.

"No, no, really not! Even if I fight with Lao Ding to the death in the future, I will never blame Xiao Xie again, really not! Don't worry, I will also supervise Lao Ding. If he dares to come over again, I will be the first one not to let him go!" Fang Weihong was so anxious that she almost jumped up, afraid that they would not believe her.

Ding Changzhi didn't dare to speak, he just stood beside Fang Weihong with his head down.

Xia Qingtang said: "That's it, both of you, stay away from my cousin from now on, otherwise, Xie Jinxuan will not let you go."

"I know, I know." Fang Weihong regretted it very much now and just wanted to send them all away.

Xia Qingtang walked over and took Xie Xiaoshuang's arm, saying, "I'll take you home."

"Okay, thank you." Xie Xiaoshuang followed Xia Qingtang out.

Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian did not move. When they almost reached Xie Xiaoshuang's house, Xie Jinxuan said in a deep voice: "You are so brave that you dare to bully our Xie family."

"No, no, really not... I said I was wrong, I really know I was wrong..." Facing the imposing Xie Jinxuan, Fang Weihong suddenly felt her legs go weak and she couldn't even stand.

She had indeed heard from others that Xie Xiaoshuang was a relative of the Xie family, but because the Xie family seldom came over, and only Xia Qingtang would come here to deliver things or sit for a while, Fang Weihong had always thought that the Xie family would not support Xie Xiaoshuang. Now that she was frightened by Xie Jinxuan, she would never dare to bully Xie Xiaoshuang again in her next life!

Ding Changzhi also trembled and said, "Secretary Xie, I really don't dare to do it again. Please believe me. If I do it again, I will ask my leader to punish myself! Please believe me!"

"Let's go and see." Xie Jinxuan said coldly and turned away.

Luo Xiangqian raised his boss's fist towards the house, made a threatening gesture, and then followed Xie Jinxuan.

On the other side, Xia Qingtang turned on the lights in the house, found the mosquito coil that Xie Xiaoshuang had placed under the table, lit it and placed it on the open space.

"Are you okay? Have you had dinner?" Xia Qingtang asked.

Xie Xiaoshuang looked at her with shame on her face, and after a while she said, "Qingtang, I'm sorry..."

"You haven't done anything wrong to me, so don't say that." Xia Qingtang gave her a hug and said, "Xiao Shuang, I just don't understand why you are like this? You clearly didn't do anything wrong, so why can't you stand up and protect yourself with confidence?"

Xie Xiaoshuang bit her lower lip and said nothing. Xia Qingtang sighed and said, "I really can't rush over to help you all the time. After all, each of us can only rely on ourselves in the end. You don't have anything to be afraid of now. You can protect yourself."

Xie Xiaoshuang's eyes were red. "I know. I'm just afraid of getting into trouble. I'm afraid that if I get into trouble, it will lead to more and bigger things. So, when she called me over just now, I thought it was better to have less trouble than more. I didn't say anything anyway. When she had scolded me enough and was happy, I would come back to sleep. I didn't expect that you would come over... I'm sorry."

"Most of the people living near you are young, and most of them are good people. It was Director Zhang and his wife who came over to inform me. They must have seen you being bullied, so they called me. So don't be afraid. There are many good people among your neighbors. You are on the right side, so just find a few neighbors to testify for you, and then you can yell back. You don't need to be polite to people like them. Another thing, if you really don't want to cause trouble, when that Ding keeps harassing you, you can tell me, and we can work together to find a way to get rid of him."

"I had always thought that as long as I ignored him and kept silent, he would go away..."

"If you don't say anything, the other person might think you are indulging him to get closer. Men are like this, they will often distort your meaning. You are good-looking, and you will be paid attention to and cared for wherever you go. If you don't need their attention and care, you should directly say that you don't need it and tell them to stay away from you. If you refuse loudly and they still come to talk to you, you should immediately go to his lover and ask her to take care of her husband. Men like them are most afraid of being found out by their wives. As long as you say this, everything will be fine. If you meet a single person who pursues you normally and you are not interested in him, you can say that you already have a partner. If someone asks in detail, just say that your partner is out of town. I'll be back later. Anyway, it's just a spur of the moment thing. Does she really want to steal your love? When she heard that you had a partner, she left. You have a soft temper, that's nothing. You don't want to cause trouble, that's fine, but we have to learn to solve problems and protect ourselves. "Xia Qingtang hugged her, "I feel so sorry for you being treated like that today. Besides, this is a very simple matter. When she calls you over, you just tell her to take care of her rotten man. If she harasses you again, you go to her unit to complain to her leader. Do you think Fang Weihong will be afraid? The food factory is far away from here and from your mother's house. For a small dispute between neighbors like this, people will not go to your workplace to cause trouble for you, so you don't need to be afraid."

"I remember, I remember everything, I will... do it this way next time." Xie Xiaoshuang said softly: "Qingtang, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, you help me like this, but I'm so useless, I always let you down, I'm sorry..."

"You didn't disappoint me, so don't keep saying that. I know it's hard to change these things, and besides, I know why you don't want to cause trouble. But we are good-looking, and even if you don't cause trouble, you have to protect yourself. Just keeping silent can't stop those bad guys from having ideas. We just have to be domineering, and don't think that shrews are bad. When the time comes, shrews can solve the problem." Xia Qingtang said seriously.

This was something she discovered later when she worked as a nanny. In their community, there were also employers who withheld nannies' wages. Those honest nannies who could only wipe their tears would most likely not get paid in the end and would just leave crying.

But some nannies are very wild and aggressive. They will curse and stand in front of the boss's door, find a broken basin and knock on it day and night. Within two days, the boss will pay all the wages.

This is how the world is. Good people are often bullied. What's more, Xie Xiaoshuang lives here alone. If she can't stand up, even if others don't bully her, they will definitely look down on her. If she meets someone who likes to take advantage of others, they will come to take advantage of her in big and small matters.

Even if they are small things, they will definitely affect your mood in the long run.

The purpose of life is to live a peaceful and happy life. If you suffer from unnecessary troubles every day, you will get sick sooner or later.

Xie Xiaoshuang clenched her fists, looked at Xia Qingtang's big, shining eyes, and felt like crying.

Seeing her complex expression and speechlessness, Xia Qingtang said, "It's getting late, and the weather is bad today. Close the doors and windows and go to bed early. Have a good rest and think carefully about what I said. Xiaoshuang, you want to go abroad and start a new life one day, right?"

Xie Xiaoshuang nodded gently, and Xia Qingtang continued, "Then you have to make changes now. It is impossible for a person who has always been taciturn to suddenly become eloquent and talkative one day. You want to go to another place to start a new life. If you don't make changes now, when that day really comes and you can go to another place, are you sure you have the courage and ability to go out?"

After saying that, Xia Qingtang gave Xie Xiaoshuang another hug and then walked out.

Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian stood in silence in the corridor. Seeing her come out, Xie Jinxuan handed her Yu, who was leaning against the door, to her and asked, "Go home now?"

"Yes, go home." Xia Qingtang said: "Why is Lao Luo here too?"

The three of them held up their umbrellas and walked back slowly. The heavy rain had now subsided a little and the temperature had dropped significantly.

"I don't know what happened. I thought there are young people here, so if there is a fight, I will go and ask Xiang Qian to come over and help protect you two." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile.

Luo Xiangqian said, "Yes, I thought they were going to fight, but who knew they were here for this kind of thing. Your friend is so timid. How could he not fight back when he was bullied like this? For this kind of thing, wouldn't it be enough to just let that female comrade take care of her husband? In our compound, people often get jealous over this kind of thing. In fact, it would be enough to just scold them, but why did she make herself feel so wronged? Besides, she is a relative of the Xie family. Even if she won't quarrel, she won't use the Xie family to scare people, right? Didn't Jinxuan say it a long time ago? You can just use his name to scare people in the compound."

Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "There is a reason why my classmate became like this. Give her some time to grow up slowly. I believe she will get better."

Luo Xiangqian said: "She really needs to learn more from you. You look weaker than her, but with your personality, who would dare to bully you? If someone really dares to bully you, I think you can fight them with a knife!"

Xia Qingtang laughed: "Thank you so much for giving me such a high evaluation."

Luo Xiangqian also laughed out loud: "Only you would take this as a compliment!"

"This is actually a compliment. No one dares to bully me. Isn't this a good thing?" Xia Qingtang said, "I also hope Xiaoshuang can become like me, even if she is only one-third as willing as I am."

"Hey, temperament is something that will stay with you for a lifetime. My mom always says that you can tell a person's character by the age of three. If your classmate really can't change, then you should help her find a reliable man to marry and have someone to protect her. That'll be all."

There was nothing wrong with what Luo Xiangqian said, but Xia Qingtang knew Xie Xiaoshuang's special situation. If he wanted to find a partner for her, it would take who knows how many years. It was very likely that Xie Xiaoshuang would live alone for the rest of her life.

Moreover, even if she could find a reliable man to marry, what if that man didn't live long? What if she died before Xie Xiaoshuang? Would she still have to rely on herself?

People can rely on others, but they cannot rely on others for everything all their lives. There will always be a day when they need to stand on their own feet.

The only thing Xia Qingtang was thankful for now was that she let Xie Xiaoshuang live near her, so she could help if anything happened.

When they reached the intersection, Xie Jinxuan said, "Xiang Qian, thank you for today. Qingtang and I will treat you to a drink on a Sunday."

Luo Xiangqian's eyes lit up: "Okay, okay, Xiaoxia, let me tell you, I want to eat the salt and pepper potatoes you made, and make a random salad and some cold noodles, that's all. It can go well with wine, and it's filling!"

"Okay, then let's do it this Sunday. I'll treat you to lunch at noon, and then I'll ask Jinxuan to buy some beer." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.

"Okay, it's settled then." Luo Xiangqian smiled and turned around and walked over there.

Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan also turned and walked towards their own small courtyard. When they returned home, the rain gradually became heavier. Xie Jinxuan closed the doors and windows, and Xia Qingtang opened two umbrellas in the guest room to dry.

"It's getting cooler." Xie Jinxuan walked over, reached out and touched her head, and said, "Are you okay?"

"It's okay. I was a little angry, but I wasn't angry at Xiaoshuang. I was angry at that couple. They both picked on a girl who lived alone and bullied her. They were so inhumane!" Xia Qingtang said, "I was also wrong. I was too busy recently and didn't pay much attention to Xiaoshuang. I should have asked more about her life."

Xie Jinxuan said, "You already care about her a lot. Your work has changed recently and you can't take care of her. Of course, I can't blame you. Let me tell grandma tomorrow. When Xiao Xie comes back from get off work, I will take grandma to see her and sit at her house for a while. I will say hello to the neighbors to show our support for her. From now on, I will invite grandma to sit for a while every once in a while. As long as people see it, no one should dare to bully her."

Xia Qingtang looked at Xie Jinxuan's gentle and serious eyes, smiled and leaned into his arms, then whispered: "Why are you so good? How could I be so lucky to meet you?"

Just as Xie Jinxuan was about to speak, Xia Qingtang continued, "However, it is not enough for us to take care of her like this. Xiaoshuang still needs to be strong herself. Apart from anything else, Grandpa will retire in a few years. According to Xiaoshuang's personality, if she doesn't get married and lives here in a few years, when Grandpa retires, no one will look after the Xie family. What will Xiaoshuang do then?"

After experiencing two lives, Xia Qingtang firmly believes in one thing: people have to rely on themselves in the end.

Xie Jinxuan said: "You have a point, but you can also think of it this way. At least, there are still a few years left for her. So don't be too anxious. If it's your own business, you can be a little anxious, but this is someone else's business, you can't rush it at all."

Xia Qingtang smiled again: "You are right, there is still time, don't panic. Okay, I will go brush my teeth and go to bed. Judging from the situation, it will rain tomorrow as well."

As expected, the rain continued to fall for a long time. Although it stopped for a while in the middle of the night, it started again at around six o'clock.

After breakfast, Xia Qingtang put on her rain boots, packed a pair of clean cloth shoes in her bag, and went to the bus stop holding a big umbrella.

On rainy days, many people who used to ride bicycles took the bus to work instead, so Xia Qingtang set out early on purpose, but apparently many people shared the same idea as her, so the bus was still crowded.

She squeezed through the crowd and staggered to the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, where she found that many of her colleagues had arrived early.

Zhang Ke sat at the table, biting a coarse flour steamed bun, and said with a smile: "Xiao Xia is here? How was your visit yesterday? What do foreigners look like?"

"They look completely different from us. There is a female comrade who is very pretty, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and very tall..." Xia Qingtang used gestures to describe the foreigner's appearance to Zhang Ke. The other people also gathered around and listened with great interest.

"Were you scared when you saw them?" someone asked.

"I wasn't scared. After all, people only have two eyes, a nose and a mouth. I was just a little surprised. I wasn't used to it at first, but I got used to it after a while. Especially that female comrade, the more I looked at her, the more beautiful she became. Her facial features are really extraordinary." Xia Qingtang told the truth.

“I also want to go and see foreigners.”

Zhang Ke said, "I heard that foreigners are coming to our city to build a factory. Just wait and see. You will get a chance to see it in the future."

So, everyone started discussing foreign factories enthusiastically. Some people also talked about foreign soda, saying that it tasted weird and wondered if foreign electrical appliances would also taste weird.

Xia Qingtang listened to everyone's discussion, poured herself a cup of water, took out the content she had written down yesterday, and walked to Zhang Ke's desk: "Sister Zhang, can I ask you a question? It's about yesterday's meeting."

"Okay, you go ahead." Zhang Ke immediately sat up straight.

Xia Qingtang said, "It's like this. There were two translators yesterday, and one of them made some mistakes in the translation of a few minor points that were not very important. I was wondering how to record this. Should we write down the original English text of the foreign guest and annotate the correct explanation, but also write down what the translator said at the same time?"

Zhang Ke was stunned for a moment, and then he said, "Xiao Xia, do you understand English?"

"I can understand some of it, but not much. There are a few obvious mistakes. Even a beginner like me can tell that they are wrong, so I think it might be a slip of the tongue by the translator. But slips of the tongue are also mistakes. Isn't it a bit bad to just record them like this?"

Zhang Ke showed an expression of admiration: "Good fellow, no wonder you were loaned here to work, not only can you write articles, you also know foreign languages! This is considered a scarce talent, young man like you, it's really amazing."

Xia Qingtang quickly said: "I'm really just a beginner in English."

"Anyway, it's great to be learning." Zhang Ke said, "Back to the content... I think you should just do it according to your ideas. Write down the original English text, mark the correct explanation, and write the translation as usual. When the time comes, the leader will see it at a glance and make his own judgment."

"Okay, that's what I'll do." Xia Qingtang said, "By the way, Sister Zhang, Secretary Yang asked me to sort out yesterday's meeting minutes before three o'clock in the afternoon, so I'm afraid I can't do any other work before three o'clock today."

"Of course. Meeting minutes are very important. You should write the minutes well. Just do this one thing today and it will be fine. This will be shown to Chairman Wu and kept for future reference. I would not have arranged for you to do other work anyway." Zhang Ke smiled and said, "Xia, you are very positive about your work. I like this most about you."

"Thank you for the compliment, Sister Zhang. I'm a young man, and I'm borrowed here to help. Being able to do the job well is the greatest help I can give." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.

Xia Qingtang returned to his seat, drank some hot water, stared out the window for a few minutes, and then began to organize yesterday's meeting minutes.

Her work attitude has always been very serious and she works very quickly, so she finished the cleaning before three o'clock.

After finishing, she saw that there was still enough time, so she gave it to Zhang Ke to review and asked her to check for any omissions.

Zhang Ke flipped through the pages with great interest, and then said, "Very good. I think it's a pity for you to stay in the cotton mill with your level. You are so capable. If we are short of manpower in the future, we can officially transfer you here."

Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "In fact, no matter where you work, you are serving the people. My fellow workers at the cotton mill also need me."

Zhang Ke nodded and liked this humble young man even more.

Chairman Wu and Yang Dachuan didn't come back until half past three. Xia Qingtang saw Yang Dachuan hurried back to the office with a briefcase. She immediately walked out with the minutes of the meeting and knocked on the door of Yang Dachuan's office: "Hello, Secretary Yang, the minutes of yesterday's meeting have been sorted out. Do you want to give them to Secretary Yang for review? Or should I give them directly to Chairman Wu?"

Yang Dachuan said, "Please put it on my desk. I will give it directly to Chairman Wu after I read it."

"Okay." Xia Qingtang put the meeting minutes on Yang Dachuan's desk and turned to leave.

"etc."

Xia Qingtang turned around and said, "Secretary Yang, do you have any other instructions?"

Seeing her serious expression, Yang Dachuan couldn't help laughing. He said, "You don't have to be so serious. This is in the office. I am a serious person and I won't do anything to you here."

Xia Qingtang still had a serious face: "It's best to handle official business impartially. I naturally believe in Secretary Yang's character."

"Okay, go back and take a rest. It must be tiring to sort out so much content at once. Thank you for your hard work."

"Yes, I'm going back." Xia Qingtang walked out with a stern face, and only felt relieved when he returned to the office.

After that, she sat at the table, drinking water, reading the newspaper, and occasionally looking out the window at the drizzle still falling for a while.

When it was five o'clock, Zhang Ke called Xia Qingtang to get off work: "Xiao Xia, you didn't ride a bike today, right? Let's go take a ride together?"

"Yes, I didn't ride a bike today." Xia Qingtang changed out of his clean cloth shoes, wrapped them in paper and put them in his bag, then put on his rain boots.

Just as the two of them were about to leave the office, Yang Dachuan suddenly came over. He knocked on the door and stood at the door and said, "Xiao Xia, Chairman Wu wants you to come over."

Xia Qingtang was stunned: "Chairman Wu called me? Is there something wrong with the meeting minutes?"

"I'm not too sure, I guess so. Anyway, you go over there first." Yang Dachuan looked quite serious.

Xia Qingtang didn't know what was going on, so he asked Zhang Ke to go back alone and he quickly went to Chairman Wu's office.

When she got there, she saw Yang Dachuan standing there.

Chairman Wu saw Xia Qingtang and immediately said, "Xiao Xia is here, come over here."

"Chairman Wu, is there any problem with the meeting minutes?" Xia Qingtang asked quickly.

"Oh, no, no, the minutes of the meeting were very well done, quickly and well. You have good working ability," said Chairman Wu.

Xia Qingtang didn't understand. Since it was fast and good, why did they call her over?

Chairman Wu also noticed the confusion on Xia Qingtang's face, so he said, "I noticed that you have made annotations in English in several places, and added correct explanations. I called you here to ask you, how long have you been learning English?"