Chapter 94

"I'm fine," Zhong Jing replied, tucking her hair behind her ears that had been messed up by the sea breeze. She then asked, "Is the movement in Beijing also very intense right now? Are you also affected?"

Xie Cong's answer was ambiguous: "Yes and no."

Zhong Jing smiled upon hearing this, as if recalling the past, and said, "You still speak the same way as before."

The words he said made it hard to understand what he meant.

Xie Cong said: "I was sorry for what happened back then. I have been regretting it all these years. I was too cowardly. If I had been a little more careless at that time, perhaps our fate would have changed."

Xie Cong's expression was painful, as if he was truly feeling pain and regret for what happened back then.

In comparison, Zhong Jing was much calmer. She said, "It's been so many years. I don't care about it anymore. Not only me, but Zhou Wen too. When you went to our place on a business trip, didn't I tell you? We just need to live our own lives."

Seven years ago, Xie Cong went on a business trip to the city where Zhong Jing was and happened to meet Zhong Jing. At that time, Xie Cong said the same thing to her.

However, Zhong Jing was already a mother at that time, with one child in her arms and another in her belly. Zhong Jing also told Xie Cong the same thing at that time, saying that what happened back then was a long time ago and Xie Cong should not take it to heart.

She thought that they would never meet again after Xie Cong left that time, but she didn't expect that one day she would meet Xie Cong here.

When she saw Xie Cong walk into the classroom, she was shocked. She had never thought that the teacher from Beijing that Lin Tao mentioned would be Xie Cong.

Why did Xie Cong come here? What was he doing here?

Xie Cong looked at Zhong Jing. Compared to a few years ago, Zhong Jing looked much more haggard. Although her clothes were clean, they had become pale from washing. There was fatigue in her eyes, and she was no longer like before. And all this was because Zhou Wen was labeled as one of the five black categories and was exiled to this island.

Zhou Wen did not fulfill his responsibilities as a husband. He failed to protect Zhong Jing, causing her to suffer a lot with him.

When Xie Cong met Zhong Jing by chance, he left after hearing her words and seeing her happy family. He did not ask about Zhong Jing for many years. But half a year ago, when he went there again on a business trip, he accidentally heard from others that Zhou Wen had been exiled to the island.

What can the five black categories do on the islands? Become fishermen?

Zhong Jing is a college student. She is a serious intellectual. How could she become a fisherman?

After Xie Cong returned to Beijing, he couldn't sleep for several times because of the news. After struggling, he finally decided to quit his job as a professor at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University and planned to go to Shengshan Island to teach, also for Zhong Jing.

When he learned that Zhong Jing's case was not serious and that she could still teach at school, he felt relieved. At least Zhong Jing didn't have to be a fisherman and she could continue to be her teacher. This might be a great comfort to Zhong Jing.

"The movement is very intense right now. Beijing is in chaos. I'm afraid the island won't be so peaceful soon. You have to be mentally prepared. The next round of movement is likely to come." After a while, Xie Cong said, "You have become much more haggard. Zhou Wen didn't protect you well."

But this was not what Zhong Jing liked to hear. She frowned and spoke in a somewhat cold tone.

She said, "Zhou Wen did not protect me well. He has been protecting me since we came to the island. He was not willing to be sent here. Xie Cong, you should not and have no right to say that about him."

Recently, Zhou Wen had indeed had several arguments with her because of some rumors outside.

But this can't erase Zhou Wen's kindness to her. Before Zhou Wen got into trouble, he was very good to her and the child. When Zhou Wen got into trouble, he actually talked to Zhong Jing immediately. He proposed to divorce Zhong Jing because it would not implicate her.

Zhong Jing herself was unwilling to do this. She would rather go to the island with Zhou Wen and suffer than get divorced.

Even when she came to the island, Zhou Wen had secured the job at the cannery for her.

Xie Cong was speechless for a moment after hearing Zhong Jing's words. After a while, he said, "I'm sorry."

What happened back then was his fault.

At that time, when Zhong Jing was still studying in college, it was the 1950s, when the movement had not yet started. Zhong Jing was one of the best students in his school and was therefore sent to Peking University to study for one semester.

At that time, Xie Cong was a progressive student at Peking University. He and Zhong Jing met each other at a student gathering held by the Poetry Society. The two had similar personalities and wrote several poems together, which were published in newspapers at the time.

The two started out as comrades, but their relationship gradually became less pure. Friends in the poetry club always liked to make fun of them, but Xie Cong never explained. Zhong Jing blushed every time she was teased, and she was really embarrassed, so she avoided Xie Cong.

During that period, Xie Cong wrote her several letters to express his feelings and also wrote love poems.

The relationship between the two was already in full swing, and they were just one step away from confirming the relationship, but at that time, Xie Cong received a letter from home saying that his parents were seriously ill and asked him to take leave and go back to take care of them.

At that time, Xie Cong was about to graduate, and he was an advanced student, so it was easy for him to ask for leave. After he finished the thesis and other things assigned by the school, the school approved a long vacation for him. Even if he did not come to school before graduation, he could still graduate smoothly.

But Zhong Jing didn't expect that Xie Cong would never come back after he went back to his hometown.

Until their class graduated and a group of friends in the poetry society left, Xie Cong never came back. Zhong Jing was not a serious Peking University student, so she could only study at Peking University for one semester and had to go back when the time came.

In order to wait for Xie Cong, she rented a house in Beijing after the end of this semester to continue waiting for him, but after waiting for the entire summer vacation, Xie Cong still did not show up.

She had no choice but to return to her hometown university to continue her studies. Before leaving, she left her contact information with her friends in the poetry club, asking her friends to give the contact information to Xie Cong if he came back.

After returning to her hometown, she waited for Xie Cong for another semester.

But Xie Cong seemed to have disappeared, or rather, as if he had never appeared. If she hadn't kept the letters and love poems Xie Cong had written to her, she would have doubted whether the time she spent with Xie Cong was just a dream.

But things were going to get worse. Before Zhong Jing was sent to Peking University for further studies, a female classmate in her class had always been resentful because she had never competed with Zhong Jing and thought that Zhong Jing had taken away her opportunity.

Sometimes Zhong Jing would stare at a letter in a daze. The female classmate took advantage of Zhong Jing's absence to rummage through her schoolbag and found the letter and love letter written by Xie Cong to Zhong Jing. She exaggerated and spread the news in the school that Zhong Jing was shameless, saying that the school sent her to Peking University for further studies, but she ended up having an affair with a male classmate.

The incident caused a lot of uproar at the time, and Zhong Jing was even punished for it.

But in fact, her relationship with Xie Cong did not hinder her academic progress. On the contrary, as an advanced student, Xie Cong's academic performance was also very good. When the two were together, Zhong Jing would often ask him about some things about study. In fact, she made a lot of progress because of Xie Cong's guidance.

But people's words are scary, and Zhong Jing's situation was very bad at that time.

Not only did people in school talk about her, but there were also rumors outside that she was with a man at such a young age while in school, and she was probably no longer a virgin.

After graduating, working, and even reaching the age of marriage, Zhong Jing's family began to worry about her marriage. In theory, college students at that time were very impressive. Before that incident, Zhong Jing had not yet graduated, but many people came to propose marriage to her.

But after that incident, those people felt that she was no longer a virgin and were unwilling to marry her, saying that they did not want their son to marry someone who was not a virgin.

Zhong Jing had to listen to her grandmother's scolding at home. Her grandmother favored boys over girls and looked down on her because she was a girl. After this incident, she scolded her even more harshly, saying that she should have been strangled to death when she was born. Her mother was also implicated by her and could not hold her head up at home.

During that time, Zhong Jing was in great pain.

But Zhou Wen didn't mind it. After he met Zhong Jing, they dated for half a year before talking about marriage. Of course, it wasn't until the day of their wedding that Zhou Wen realized that Zhong Jing was not like what people said outside, she was a virgin.

Although he no longer cared about this matter the moment he made the choice, he was still happy from the bottom of his heart when he learned that Zhong Jing was the only man.

He asked Zhong Jing why she didn't speak out because she was wronged.

Zhong Jing said that speaking out is useless, as rumor spreaders will only believe what they believe.

Zhong Jing was confused and distressed by Xie Cong's sudden departure, because she didn't know what happened to make Xie Cong leave and never come back, without even a word of explanation. She even considered going to Xie Cong's hometown to look for him, even if it was just to get an answer. However, the address Xie Cong left at the school was not detailed, and Zhong Jing couldn't find it even if she went there.

She also waited for him for two years. Before marrying Zhou Wen, she burned all those letters and love poems and chose to say goodbye to the past.

The two met again after Zhong Jing got married.

Xie Cong explained to her what happened that year. It turned out that his parents' serious illness was fake, and the real reason was that they conspired to trick him into going back and getting married.

There was a person in Xie Cong's family who was engaged to a girl when they were children. It was called an engagement, but everything was decided by both parents because the other person's father saved his father's life, so the two families arranged the engagement.

In fact, the woman didn't like Xie Cong at first, thinking that he only knew how to study, was simply a nerd, and boring. She liked other young men in the village. But when Xie Cong was admitted to Peking University, his family changed their attitude, and the woman cried and made a fuss about marrying Xie Cong.

After Xie Cong returned that time, he realized that he had been cheated and wanted to buy a train ticket back to Beijing on the spot.

But his father scolded and beat him, saying that he was an unfilial son. Someone else had saved his father's life, and as an intellectual, how could he not even understand the principle of repaying kindness?

His mother threatened him with a bottle of pesticide, saying that if he dared to take a step forward, she would drink the pesticide and die.

At first Xie Cong didn't believe it and thought they were just trying to scare him, but his mother actually drank the pesticide in front of him. Xie Cong was so scared that he quickly sent his mother to the health center to save her. Fortunately, she only drank a little and didn't swallow it all, so nothing serious happened. However, his mother forced Xie Cong to tear up his train ticket to Beijing in front of her.

Later, Xie Cong was forced to marry someone he didn't like.

She thought that after marrying him she could go to Beijing to enjoy a good life, but after getting married, Xie Cong decided to stay in his hometown and became a primary school teacher in the commune.

The two of them were not truly in love from the beginning, and they became incompatible after spending a long time together. After they got married, they were always quarreling. Later, the other party slept with the man she had liked before, and Xie Cong found out, so the two divorced.

After such a shameful incident, Xie Cong's parents were afraid that Xie Cong would be driven crazy, because during that period Xie Cong always locked himself in his room, refusing to eat or drink and doing nothing. They did not dare to force him anymore, so Xie Cong returned to Beijing.

At that time, all the friends in the poetry club had graduated. After several twists and turns, Xie Cong finally found the friend who had Zhong Jing's address and got Zhong Jing's address.

Then he took the train to find Zhong Jing. He knew he was several years late. It was not until he saw Zhong Jing, who was pregnant and holding her child, that he realized it was too late.

That day he saw Zhong Jing, living her own little life with a happy smile on her face. When Zhong Jing asked him why he was there, he pretended that he was there on a business trip.

The two chatted about some things that happened in the past in the teahouse. Zhong Jing was very calm when she talked about what happened in the past, and it was far less intense than what Xie Cong had heard from others.

Xie Cong told her the truth about his departure, but it was too late.

When Zhong Jing asked him how old his child was, he chose to conceal the truth and smiled and said an age that was older than Zhong Jing's eldest daughter.

He thought that he should keep this regret in his heart alone.

Zhong Jing is living a good life now. Her husband is a teacher and is said to be very good to her. She has two children and everything is peaceful. He should not get involved anymore. What happened back then ruined Zhong Jing's reputation and he has already let her down.

Just like that, with regret in his heart, Xie Cong left there and returned to Beijing.

He thought that he and Zhong Jing would miss each other for the rest of his life, but he didn't expect that during this business trip, Xie Cong unexpectedly learned the news that Zhou Wen had been demoted.

He looked at Zhong Jing in front of him, wondering if he still had a chance.

"Zhong Jing..." Xie Cong spoke.

Zhong Jing shook her head and said, "Xie Cong, you don't have to say anything more. I really don't care about what happened back then. As a teacher at Shengshan School, I am really happy that Shengshan School can have such an excellent teacher like you. It's too late, Zhou Wen is still waiting for me at home, I'm going back first, you don't have to see me off."

After saying this, Zhong Jing nodded to Xie Cong, turned around and left.

Xie Cong looked at Zhong Jing's back, somewhat dazed.

On the other hand, Zhou Wen almost ran all the way back home.