Chapter 21 News about Fatty!
Qiao Xingyue quickly pulled An'an and Ningning in front of Shen Liping. She wanted to get the two children to greet her, but An'an and Ningning were quick and sweet-talking, and they shouted in unison, "Aunt Ping, hello!"
"Oh! You have such a sweet tongue!" Shen Liping's smile was soft and gentle. "You two little ones have grown so much!"
Although the two girls are twins, they are easy to tell apart.
One was quick-witted and lively, the other had a pale and sickly appearance.
Shen Liping already knew that Ningning had congenital asthma, and touching Ningning's head, she exclaimed without hesitation, "This is Ningning!"
He patted An'an's head again and said with absolute certainty, "This is An'an!"
"Look, Aunt Ping still remembers you." Qiao Xingyue had never laughed so heartily as she did today.
The two reminisced about the past and chatted for a while.
Seeing that they already knew each other, Huang Guilan was also a little surprised. "Pingping, I didn't expect you and Xingyue to be so destined for each other. So you've known each other for a long time. But I just heard you say that Xingyue used to be a chubby girl. How come?"
He turned to look at Qiao Xingyue, a puzzled expression on his face, and asked, "Xingyue, were you very fat before?"
Huang Guilan muttered to herself, "Pangya used to be very fat, weighing over 200 pounds. Could this Xingyue be the Pangya they've been looking for who's been missing for so many years?" If Xingyue really was Pangya, Huang Guilan would be laughing in her dreams.
At this moment, Shen Liping looked at Huang Guilan, who had a puzzled expression, and gave her a gentle smile. "Mom, Xingyue wasn't very fat before. She had just given birth to An'an and Ningning about two months ago, and she probably weighed over 140 pounds, right?"
Qiao Xingyue nodded and smiled, "Yes, that was shortly after I gave birth, and I weighed over 140 pounds."
More than 140 jin?
Huang Guilan was instantly disappointed. How could he only weigh a little over 140 pounds?
Why isn't it over 200 jin?
"Mingyuan and Zhiyuan, come here quickly and bring over the gifts you brought for your sister."
Shen Liping pushed her two sons in front of An An and Ning Ning. The two boys quickly handed over the toys they were holding, but An An and Ning Ning didn't dare to accept them and looked at Qiao Xingyue for approval.
Huang Guilan smiled and said, "An'an and Ningning, you can take the toys your brothers gave you. This is our eldest brother Xie Zhiyuan, and our second brother Xie Mingyuan."
Zhiyuan is ten years old this year, and like his father, he is almost 1.5 meters tall.
Mingyuan is nine years old and looks to be about 1.3 meters tall.
The two older brothers are much taller than An An and Ning Ning, and are clearly the older children.
Previously, the two brothers had been arguing with Shen Liping to give them another baby girl. Shen Liping also wanted to have another baby girl, but in this era, the policy of having fewer children, later in life, and eugenics is advocated, and the family planning policy is strictly enforced, so the two brothers' wish to have a baby girl could not be fulfilled.
So when they heard their mother say that two little sisters had come to their grandmother's house, and that they were beautiful and cute like dolls, they quickly prepared a gift for the two little sisters.
The kaleidoscope, red butterfly hair clip, and colorful hair ties in his hand were immediately stuffed into the hands of the two little girls.
"Little sister, here, this is a gift your brother brought for you."
"Here you go, Ningning, you get one too."
The speaker was Xie Zhiyuan, Huang Guilan's eldest grandson. He then added, "An'an and Ningning, if anyone dares to bully you in the compound, just tell your older brothers, and they will protect you."
For some reason, Zhiyuan and Mingyuan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity when they saw An'an and Ningning.
It was as if the two little girls were their little sisters, which immediately aroused the two older brothers' protective instincts.
Qiao Xingyue didn't know what kind of good fortune she had to be so fortunate to have such a connection with the Xie family. The group sat in the main room of the Xie family and started chatting. Deng Yingying and her daughter Jiang Chunyan couldn't get a word in edgewise, so they tactfully went upstairs and back to their room.
After closing the door, Jiang Chunyan muttered to herself, "Why is Qiao Xingyue so popular with the Xie family? I never expected that the eldest daughter-in-law would like her and her two children so much. Yingying, I feel like Xingyue is your nemesis. As long as she's around, you'll never have a chance to marry Xie Zhongming. Why don't you just give up on Xie Zhongming and marry Jiang Beiyang's second brother, Jiang Beisong? Then you won't have to go through all this trouble."
At this moment, Deng Yingying felt very aggrieved. Her eyes reddened and she cried, "Mom, I'm so annoyed. Can you please stop giving me bad advice? I've liked Zhongming for so many years. Am I just going to give up like this?"
She was unwilling to accept it!
"Jiangbei Yang's second brother, Jiangbei Song, is no worse than Xie Zhongming."
“But no matter how good Jiang Beisong is, he’s not Zhongming. Unless Zhongming really doesn’t want me, it’s not too late for me to marry Jiang Beisong. Anyway, Jiang Beisong is devoted to me, so I’m not afraid he’ll run away.”
...
Downstairs in the main room, Zhiyuan and Mingyuan were teaching An'an and Ningning how to play with a kaleidoscope.
The four children huddled together, making a lively scene.
Such a lively scene brought a kind smile to Xie Jiang's eyes. He had five sons and four grandsons. How wonderful it would be to have twin granddaughters like An An and Ning Ning!
Seeing her eldest daughter-in-law chatting enthusiastically with Qiao Xingyue, Huang Guilan called her fourth son, Xie Zhongming, into her room.
Then, he closed the door and lowered his voice, saying, "Fourth brother, your sister-in-law said that Xingyue used to be a chubby girl. Could Xingyue be the missing chubby girl?"
This conjecture stirred up a strange feeling in Xie Zhongming's heart, a surge of complex emotions welling up within him.
A 15-watt light bulb hangs from the roof beam.
The dim light, like a thin veil, stretched his shadow long, and reflected the complex emotions in his eyes, causing them to rise and fall.
His upright shoulders and back suddenly tensed up.
Even breathing became a cautious affair.
His hand, which was pressed against the seam of his pants, suddenly clenched tightly, his knuckles tightening, and the originally smooth fabric was creased into several deep wrinkles—could this Comrade Qiao be Fatty?
At this moment, Huang Guilan coughed a few times, which was inappropriate for the occasion.
Xie Zhongming went outside to get an enamel mug and poured a glass of water for Huang Guilan. As he put down the red thermos, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Qiao Xingyue, who was chatting with her sister-in-law.
Seeing her with her clean and bright eyes, almond-shaped eyes paired with a delicate teardrop nose, skin so white it glowed, and a slender and graceful figure, she was truly eye-catching.
That glance felt like a burn, and Xie Zhongming quickly looked away.
He picked up the water glass, clenched his fist tightly, and went inside.
Inside the house, Huang Guilan was still coughing, perhaps from catching a cold in the past two days. Xie Zhongming quickly handed her some warm water, saying, "Mom, have some water first."
After Huang Guilan finished drinking the water, she handed the cup to him and asked, "Fourth brother, think about it carefully again. What did Fatty look like before? Could it be that after she loses weight, she will look like Xingyue now?"
Xie Zhongming couldn't recall what Fatty looked like at all.
I only remember that she weighed over 200 pounds, and her body was trembling when she cried.
He couldn't reconcile the image of Fatty with that of Qiao Xingyue.
He held the enamel mug, his fingers clenched tightly.
The hot water in the cup sloshed and rippled, just like his tangled thoughts.
His gaze fell on the fine dust floating under the light bulb, and even his voice was deeper than usual.
"Mom, don't overthink it. Didn't you hear what Comrade Qiao said? Even when she was a little chubby, she only weighed a little over 140 pounds. Fatty weighed a little over 200 pounds. They're not the same person."
"..." Huang Guilan thought for a moment, suppressing her doubts, "That's true!"
Seeing that the doubt in Huang Guilan's eyes gradually dissipated, Xie Zhongming, after careful consideration, added:
"Mom, besides, Comrade Qiao's surname is Qiao, and her husband, who sacrificed his life for the country, used to be a soldier in the Kuncheng Military Region. Fatty is from Chadian Village. Everyone in Chadian Village has the surname Liu, and Fatty's name is Liu Fatty. How could they be the same person?"
“But…” Huang Guilan felt that something was not right.
The air in the room suddenly became heavy and stuffy.
Xie Zhongming's voice also carried a somber tone that he himself was unaware of, "Besides, Comrade Qiao speaks English and is knowledgeable in medicine, while Fatty has been illiterate since childhood and can't even write her own name. Fatty couldn't possibly be Comrade Qiao..."
The voice lacked its usual clear and powerful quality; it was heavy, carrying a sense of loss that even he himself was unaware of.
Huang Guilan remained silent for a long time.
The mother and son both wore identical expressions of sorrow and loss.
"Sigh!" Huang Guilan sighed deeply. "If Xingyue were our missing chubby girl, that would be wonderful."
...
The next day.
The peas and broad beans in the self-sufficient farmland of the compound have not yet been harvested.
Xie Jiang then led the soldiers from the logistics department to pick the fruit.
At noon, the sun was shining brightly outside.
Qiao Xingyue packed rice for Commander Xie in an aluminum lunchbox, along with the stir-fried twice-cooked pork and shredded potatoes from lunch, and a box of pork skin and winter melon soup.
"Aunt Lan, I'm going to deliver lunch to Uncle Xie."
Just like yesterday, she put the aluminum lunchbox in the mesh bag, hung the mesh bag on the handlebars of the old-fashioned bicycle, nimbly jumped on the bike, and rode out of the Xie family's courtyard by stepping on the pedals.
"Xingyue, ride slowly and be careful."
"Okay!"
Standing at the entrance of the main room, An'an tilted her head and asked, "Grandma Huang, when will Zhiyuan and Mingyuan finish school? An'an really wants to play with them."
For some reason, An'an and Ningning became close friends with Zhiyuan and Mingyuan after only knowing them for a day, like siblings.
Huang Guilan patted An'an's head, "Brother waits until the sun is almost setting before getting out of school. An'an, from now on, just call me Grandma, not Grandma Huang, okay?"
She wanted to be closer to An An and Ning Ning, but adding the word "Huang" makes it seem like they're not as close anymore.
"Okay, Grandma, I'll listen to you."
"That's good. Grandma will play cat's cradle with you."
Huang Guilan took the two children back to the house to play. An'an and Ningning were of school age. The preschool in the military compound only admitted children of cadres, children of military dependents, and children of military employees. Children like Xingyue, who were not formal military employees but were just temporary workers in her family, would not be admitted to the preschool.
She needs to find a way to get An'an and Ningning a degree so that these two children can learn something as soon as possible.
...
Outside the Xie family's courtyard gate, Deng Yingying's cousin Jiang Yongqiang was clinging to the door, shouting loudly, "Yingying, come out and open the door for your brother!"
The rough voice made Huang Guilan and the children stop playing cat's cradle, quiet down, and listen carefully to the sounds outside.
If Jiang Yongqiang dares to make a move on Xingyue again, she'll definitely pick up a broom and chase after him until he behaves himself.
Deng Yingying opened the door for Jiang Yongqiang, who was still carrying the bundle of brown sugar. "Yingying, could you say a few good words to Aunt Lan for me and introduce me to that handsome Comrade Qiao? If it works out, I'll give you a big red envelope."
"Are you stupid? Aunt Lan doesn't agree, don't you know how to do it another way?"
"What method?" Jiang Yongqiang asked, revealing a set of large, yellow teeth that, like his red, bulbous nose, were nauseating.
Deng Yingying was also a little disgusted. She walked out of the courtyard and said irritably, "Brother Yongqiang, don't spit in my face when you talk to me, and don't get too close to me."
"Why are you complaining about your brother? Tell me quickly, what's the best way to marry Comrade Qiao?"
Deng Yingying looked around and, seeing that no one was passing by, lowered her voice and said, "Brother Yongqiang, Qiao Xingyue went to deliver lunch to Commander Xie. You know that Commander Xie is harvesting peas and broad beans in the field where the army is self-sufficient? To get there, you have to cross a very long cornfield."
She added, "Not many people pass by that cornfield..."
Deng Yingying didn't add anything further. She knew Jiang Yongqiang. Back in his hometown, Jiang Yongqiang had assaulted a mentally disabled woman. The woman was simple-minded and couldn't speak, so Jiang Yongqiang was never arrested.
If she tells Jiang Yongqiang this news, Jiang Yongqiang will definitely sneak into the cornfield and wait for Qiao Xingyue. Then he will drag Qiao Xingyue into the cornfield, and her innocence will be ruined. Even if she is unwilling to marry Yongqiang, she will no longer be able to marry Zhongming.
Even if Qiao Xingyue were to sue Jiang Yongqiang afterward, it wasn't her idea, she didn't say anything, and Jiang Yongqiang's arrest had nothing to do with her.
"Yingying, take this brown sugar and drink it with your water."
"Brother Yongqiang, where are you going?"
"Nothing, you can go in."
Seeing Jiang Yongqiang stuff brown sugar into her hand and chase after her into the cornfield with a lewd smile, Deng Yingying smirked – oh, this is going to be good.
...
The regimental headquarters of Xie Zhongming in the Jincheng Military Region, a single-story building.
Xie Zhongming is writing a report at his desk.
Jiang Bei Yang didn't even knock before rushing in, shouting, "Zhongming, I have news about Fatty!"
At his desk, Xie Zhongming gripped his pen tightly, causing the words on the paper to suddenly become distorted.
He gripped his pen tightly, then suddenly looked up. "Any news about Fatty?"
"We'll talk about Fatty later. I need to ask you first, is your persistent 'plague' Aunt Jiang planning to introduce Comrade Qiao to that seemingly honest but actually thieving Jiang in the logistics department's mess hall? What's her name again?"
"Jiang Yongqiang".
"Yes, Jiang Yongqiang, Aunt Jiang wants to introduce Comrade Qiao to Jiang Yongqiang so they can date?"
Seeing Xie Zhongming nod, Jiang Beiyang looked worried.
"That's terrible! When my second brother came back from harvesting peas and broad beans in the army's fields, he saw Jiang Yongqiang following Comrade Qiao on his bicycle. Didn't you and my second brother beat up Jiang Yongqiang for following the women in the compound last time?"
Jiang Bei Yang's second brother is Jiang Bei Song, the man who has liked Deng Yingying for many years and is devoted to her.
Upon hearing the news, Xie Zhongming threw down his pen and stood up so forcefully that he knocked over the stool behind him without noticing. He strode out, but Jiang Beiyang grabbed his arm.
"Zhongming, my second brother has already returned to the cornfield, so you can rest assured about that. Do you want to hear from Fatty first, or go to the cornfield to take a look?"
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