I didn't come to the school cafeteria for the entire winter break, and nothing changed. The same few aunties were still serving the food, and the dishes were still the same variety.
Xiang Qiu glanced around the cafeteria and asked, "Which window would you like to eat at?"
Xia Qingqing had eaten a full lunch and wasn't particularly hungry at the moment. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Sister Qiu, I'm planning to have cabbage and pork dumplings."
Liu Huimin pointed to another window: "I want to eat steamed buns, so let's each get our own and then meet up again later."
Xiang Qiu ordered a serving of rice and two dishes. Chen Xiu wasn't particularly hungry, so she ate dumplings just like Xia Qingqing.
The four of them found an empty seat and sat down, eating and chatting about their fun experiences during the winter break.
Liu Huimin couldn't help but mention her beloved son.
She hadn't been home for a semester, and her child was still young and didn't even remember her as his mother.
Looking at her son's unfamiliar little eyes, Liu Huimin felt incredibly sad, and even more so, she felt guilty.
Other children have their parents with them, but her son only sees his mother a few times a year.
Although she only attended university for four years, those four years were a very important stage for her son, but she couldn't be by his side to witness his growth.
To elaborate, Liu Huimin's insistence on going to university stemmed from two main reasons: firstly, she genuinely wanted to provide a better life for her children in the future, and secondly, she hoped to fulfill her own dreams.
She is herself first, then a mother to her child, and a wife to her husband.
Seeing Liu Huimin's sad expression, Xia Qingqing changed the subject and asked, "Sister Huimin, has your husband considered coming to Beijing to develop his career? That way, your family can be together."
“Oh, it’s not that easy. He still has to work, and besides, my mother-in-law has to help take care of the child. My mother-in-law definitely won’t come to Beijing,” Liu Huimin shook her head.
Fortunately, she wasn't one to wallow in self-pity, and quickly cheered herself up: "Alright, let's not talk about me anymore. Sister Qiu, how was your winter break? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Xiang Qiu's face darkened slightly as she thought about what happened during the winter break. She couldn't complain while she was at home, and this pent-up anger had been building up inside her until now, when she could finally confide in her roommates.
"I'm so angry this winter break! Do you know what kind of guy my relative introduced me to?"
As soon as Xiang Qiu spoke, the other three stared intently at her, asking curiously, "What's your boyfriend? Tell us quickly."
Xiang Qiu stopped eating and slammed her chopsticks on the table, saying angrily, "I'm getting angrier the more I think about it. I have to consider my relatives' feelings at home, so I can't even vent my frustrations."
"Oh, hurry up and tell me, I'm so curious!" Liu Huimin urged impatiently as she saw that the girl was not getting to the point.
She has always been an impatient person and can't stand being kept in suspense.
Seeing that she was even more anxious than herself, Xiang Qiu's mood suddenly eased a bit, and she slowly recounted her unpleasant experiences during the winter break.
After the winter vacation started, Xiang Qiu stayed at home reading books, helping with housework, and taking care of her nephew. Although it wasn't as comfortable as being at school, it was still acceptable.
There's a lot of gossip surrounding the neighbors and extended family. Everyone's speculating that Xiang Qiu, who's almost 26 and still unmarried, might have some health problem.
Some even more outrageous speculations suggest that Xiang Qiu might have already gotten married and had children in the countryside.
This isn't uncommon these days. So-and-so's son married a woman in the countryside, and so-and-so's daughter married a man in the countryside. I heard they've already had two children, and now they've even gotten divorced and returned to the city.
As more and more baseless rumors circulated, more and more people gradually began to believe them.
Not only did the neighbors begin to believe it, but even Xiang Qiu's relatives started to believe these rumors.
There was nothing they could do; the story had spread so convincingly that if Xiang's parents didn't know what kind of person their daughter was, they probably would have believed it too.
Although Xiang's parents believed that their daughter was of such high character that she would never abandon her husband and children, it was a fact that she would soon be 26 years old.
What family has a 26-year-old unmarried woman? If she really waits until she graduates from university, she'll be 30. In the countryside, where people have children early, she'd be old enough to be a grandmother by now.
Xiang's mother was extremely worried and began to appeal to relatives and friends to help Xiang Qiu find a partner.
Xiang Qiu didn't want her mother to worry about her, so she agreed to go for the marriage proposal. After all, if she didn't find anyone she liked, no one would force her to marry him.
But Xiang Qiu never expected that the man her aunt introduced to her would be a 35-year-old widower with a daughter who had lost his wife.
To be honest, this man's conditions are not bad. He is a workshop director in a steel factory, and his monthly salary is more than 70 yuan, which is almost twice the salary of an ordinary worker.
The two are only 9 years apart in age, which is still within an acceptable range. If it were an ordinary 26-year-old female educated youth returning to the city, she might consider it and agree.
But Xiang Qiu worked so hard to get into Beijing University, and now you want her to be someone's stepmother? She's not just wasting her time.
She was already quite well-mannered not to lose her temper on the spot; when she got back, she only told Aunt Xiang that the two of them weren't a good match.
Aunt Xiang didn't have any bad intentions towards this niece; it's just that everyone has different thoughts.
There aren't many unmarried men in their mid-twenties in the city these days. They're either lazy bums who can't find wives, and Aunt Xiang thinks that such men are definitely not good enough for her college-educated niece.
The steel factory director had been looking for a suitable partner for my aunt for a long time. Although she had been married once, her ex-husband only had one daughter, who was being raised by her grandparents.
Once Xiang Qiu marries into the family and has a son, won't she be the one in charge? The daughters left behind will have to get married sooner or later.
Marrying a man is about having food and clothing; when it comes to a man, you still have to consider his family's financial situation.
Xiang Qiu was naturally unwilling. The meaning of her life was not to give birth to someone else's son. Besides, after graduation, she would be working in an office, and supporting herself would be too easy.
Xiang Qiuyi firmly rejected Xiang Dagu's offer, her words inevitably revealing her dissatisfaction with the potential partner.
Aunt Xiang kindly tried to find a partner for her niece, but was coldly rejected, which really hurt her.
Xiang Qiu felt aggrieved. She was a good college student at Jingbei University, and he introduced her to a 35-year-old man who had lost his wife. Who did he think he was?
If we reverse the roles, and suppose she were a man, a 26-year-old college student from Beijing could be considered a promising young man. Right now, her relatives and friends would definitely be introducing her to a beautiful young woman of seventeen or eighteen, not a 35-year-old widow with a son who has lost her husband.
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