Old love and old memories
If Xu Nian just felt a little uncomfortable just now, he was angry now.
"Give me back my money, why are you looking at him?"
Qi Meiyue had never expected that she was so fierce. Feeling guilty, she brushed the hair on her face to her ears, and finally retracted the hand that was handing over the money.
She actually had no bad intentions, she just felt that living alone was lonely and hard. Thinking carefully, she felt that nothing had gone smoothly since she started having an affair with the man. When she was fixing the glue on her shoes, she always thought of Xu Hongqi's kindness. She now desperately hoped that her life would return to the starting point.
But since settling down in the shoe factory, Xu Hongqi hasn't come to see her for a long time. She has been married and had men before, and she knows that things between men and women cannot be left to chance. If they are left to chance, they will really get cold. Since Hongqi doesn't come to see her, it would be the same if she takes the initiative.
Xu Hongqi felt a little confused by the look on his face, but it was no use to just stand there and say, "Since Sister Meiyue has come all the way here to return the money, just keep it."
Then he said to Qi Meiyue: "It seems that Sister Meiyue is doing very well in the shoe factory."
Qi Meiyue was stunned for a moment. He had never called her sister before, so why did he suddenly...? She must have hurt him at that time. She silently decided that she would compensate him well in the future and take good care of their common benefactor Xu Nian.
After calming down, he followed Xu Hongqi's words and said, "Hongqi is right. You can keep the money. I'm not good at expressing myself, so please don't mind."
Having said that, Xu Hongqi called her sister and helped to pass on the message, so Xu Nian simply took the money.
It was almost noon. Xu Hongqi and Xu Nian were not hungry since they had eaten late, but there were guests at home after all. Xu Hongqi prepared to knead the dough and finish his meal early. Later, he planned to watch Xu Nian do a set of math tests. His mind had been playing wildly for the past two days.
After hearing this, Qi Meiyue immediately stood up and followed, saying, "I'll help you."
Well, seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Xu Nian prepared to go back to reading the novel. As for whether she trusted Xu Hongqi, she might have been a little skeptical at first, but after the brief conversation just now, she was full of trust in him. After all, he was hers and he couldn't escape.
Xu Nian was watching with fascination. Xu Hongqi took out some flour from the window. There was some black flour showing through, and it was obvious that it was ground by farmers in the countryside.
"Hongqi, you are really capable." Qi Meiyue said as she poured some water into the basin with a wink.
"To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing, but I haven't had such a good meal in a long time."
Xu Hongqi paused and continued with his work, "Is the food in the shoe factory bad?"
Qi Meiyue shook her head. "The food at the factory is pretty good, but I... I've moved out and rented a house."
She lowered her head and kept silent, hoping that Xu Hongqi would ask something, but after a while she didn't hear what she wanted to hear.
"It's good to be out. I can have my own private space and do whatever I want."
She frowned, "Why don't you ask me why I came out to rent a house?"
Without waiting for Xu Hongqi to answer, she said dejectedly, "Hongqi, I feel like you've changed. You've become much more distant from me."
Xu Hongqi was surprised. They were strangers before. At most, they played together when they were young. It seemed inappropriate to say anything in response, so he simply kept silent.
He didn't say anything, but Qi Meiyue couldn't help but ask, "Do you dislike the fact that I'm married, so you have a grudge against me?"
The words were becoming more and more confusing, and he couldn't help but speak.
"Miyue, it's your freedom to get married or not. We are friends, and I have done everything a friend can do. There is no rift between us. We are all grown up and have our own lives, so it's normal to have some distance. Don't think too much about it."
Qi Meiyue's hand holding the gourd ladle kept clenching, "Then can we still be the same as before?"
Xu Hongqi nodded, "Of course."
Qi Meiyue followed up, "What I said is the same... I meant that we should live together in the future just as our parents wish."
She lowered her head after she finished speaking, but it was like a thunderclap to Xu Hongqi. He said that something felt so wrong, and it seemed that the two of them were not thinking the same thing at all.
He glanced at the doors and windows of Xu Nian's room, then stopped what he was doing and said seriously, "Sister Meiyue, I have someone I like. Please don't mention this again. We were just kids back then, and our parents were just joking. We shouldn't take it to heart. To me, you're just the older sister next door."
Chinese culture is extensive and profound. Xu Hongqi is no longer a very straight man. If he had just called her "big sister", it would not have embarrassed Qi Meiyue so much. Not only would he have refused to admit it, but the word "big sister" would have hurt people's hearts deeply.
Qi Meiyue said excitedly: "You don't like me, but you took care of me since I was a child? You don't like me, but I asked you to borrow money, and you gave me so much when you couldn't even handle it yourself? You don't like me, but you helped me get away from Jiang Fan's family? You don't like me, but you helped me find a job and settle down?"
"I don't believe you don't like me. You just mind that I got married without you, but I had no choice at the time. I wanted to leave home so badly. I was with Jiang Fan because I saw no hope. I know I'm vain and power-hungry, but Hongqi, you know I treat you well." Her voice was choked with sobs at the end.
"Speak softly..." Xu Hongqi had no other thoughts at the moment. His first reaction was not to let Xu Nian hear it, otherwise he would probably not have a good New Year.
Qi Meiyue's tears were falling, but she saw that his eyes were looking at a room in the yard. The usually calm man's eyes showed a bit of nervousness. She was choked for a moment, and then a wave of embarrassment, sadness, and unbearable emotions rushed into her chest. She could no longer stay there, so she left Xu Hongqi and ran out.
Xu Nian was startled by the "bang" sound, and complained in his heart that the two people were not cooking at all, but were more like demolishing the house.
He curled his lips, too lazy to go out and read, rubbed his eyes, and turned the page to continue reading.
It was not known how long had passed before Xu Nian heard Xu Hongqi calling her from outside, so she packed up and went out.
There was no one in the yard, so I strolled to the kitchen and saw Xu Hongqi alone.
She looked puzzled and whispered, "Where's your childhood sweetheart?"
"Did you hear that?" Xu Hongqi thought Xu Nian heard what Qi Meiyue said, so he deliberately mentioned childhood sweetheart.
Xu Nian was confused, "What did you hear?"
Looking at her expression, you can tell she knows nothing.
"You spoke loudly, and Qi Meiyue passed by."
Xu Nian blinked, "What's going on with you guys?" The stove was cold, it didn't look like they had eaten without telling her.
"Why did she leave?"
Xu Hongqi breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her before saying, "I suddenly remembered something and left."
Xu Nian tugged at his lower lip with his left hand, "You're being really weird today. One moment you call her Meiyue, the next you call her Sister Meiyue, and now you're calling her by her full name. There must be something fishy going on between you two."
Xu Hongqi scratched his head and decided not to answer.
Xu Nian twirled his index finger around his temples, "I see, you two must have had a fight, haha."
Xu Hongqi's heart skipped a beat, and seeing that she looked like she was so smart, he suddenly relaxed from the depressed mood he had just been feeling.
He doesn't have many close people around him now, so naturally he hopes that all of them live well.
He simply said, "You are really smart. We just had a fight and she left in anger."
Without waiting for Xu Nian to continue asking, he said, "She's gone. Let's cook the meal."
Xu Nian: “…”
She saw that the flour in the basin was too thin and she couldn't knead it into dough.
"Are we having mixed noodles?"
When Qi Meiyue ran away, she poured all the water in the stream into the basin. Xu Hongqi sighed and scooped some flour into it. Due to the limitation of being a college student, he had no other source of income for the time being, so he had to save money.
"How about some noodle soup?" Xu Hongqi suggested.
Xu Nian naturally disagreed, "You said you wanted to eat mixed noodles."
Xu Hongqi was waiting for her to say this. "Okay, but it's not safe for you to hold the money. I'll keep it for you."
Xu Nian didn't know what the two had to do with each other. He uttered an "Ah," and then something clicked in his mind. "Are you out of money?"
After she finished speaking, she ran away. Xu Hongqi stayed where he was and touched his nose. He said that it was not entirely true that he had no money, but at least he had to spend it slowly before he could earn money.
The cold noodles were made with cold water, and his hands were very cold. He shook his hands and just put them into the noodles when he suddenly remembered that he had just touched his nose. Thinking that Xu Nian liked cleanliness, he was about to wash them, but that girl was too realistic. She ran away before he even asked her for money.
As soon as I mentioned the person, he ran out again, holding an envelope that looked both strange and familiar.
"Ding, ding, ding. You didn't expect that I saved the money you gave me without spending it." Xu Nian said with some pride.
Xu Hongqi felt his throat suddenly dry and he couldn't speak. After a long pause, he finally said, "Why are there no flowers?"
In fact, Xu Nian did spend the money in the account, but she only touched the small change and not the whole amount. Firstly, she had no tickets and no place to spend it, and secondly, she was afraid that the money might have come from illegal sources and there might be something wrong with it, so she didn't dare to spend it. However, it has been two years since the incident, and it seems that there is no big problem now. It is just right to return the money and the property to the original owner.
But she wasn't stupid enough to tell the truth. Instead, she said softly, "I have to keep it for you. You work so hard to earn money, so I can't bear to touch it."
Even someone as smart as Xu Hongqi couldn't understand that sometimes it's not just men who can lie, women can lie too.
But now he was only touched by his soft heart, let alone getting his money back.
"What I give you is yours, keep it for yourself."
"But you're broke, aren't you? I should have taken it out earlier. You're still a student, and even if the school gives you a subsidy, it won't be much. And you don't want the money my dad gives you. We always have our own private lessons, and I've neglected your hard work."
Xu Hongqi couldn't bear to hear her say these words. The more he listened, the more his heart was moved.
He blurted out everything he didn't intend to tell Xu Nian.
"I have money. You always ask me where it comes from. Actually, I sold Liu Jun's job."
Xu Nian was shocked. "When did this happen? Why haven't I heard about it?"
"It was when I went back to my hometown half a year ago."
Xu Nian knew that he had been back before, "Did he cause you any trouble?"
Xu Hongqi still feels happy when he thinks of Liu Jun's expression at that time. "He didn't have time to look for it. I was very quick. He couldn't afford to offend the buyer, and he couldn't find me since I was alone."
"Then their family can no longer stay in the county. They don't want to farm, they took your family's job, and they don't treat you well. They deserve this fate."
"Comrade Xu Hongqi, you did the right thing." Xu Nian would not pity that family. There must be a cause before there is a result. For a family like theirs, they should experience the feeling of drawing water with a bamboo basket in vain.
To celebrate this belated joy, Xu Nian waved his hand and said, "I'll cook something fresh for you today."
She was very energetic when washing her hands. She put salt into the basin and kneaded the dough. After she was done, she carried the basin with great effort to Xu Hongqi's room where there was a small stove.
After she had settled everything, she stopped and Xu Hongqi asked her what she was going to do. Xu Nian said she wanted to let the dough rest.
Xu Hongqi didn't feel bored so he waited with her. After about half an hour, Xu Nian opened the cloth wrapped around the dough, poked it and felt it was almost done, so he instructed Xu Hongqi to pour warm water into the basin.
Xu Hongqi didn't ask any questions and followed orders in all actions. He watched Xu Nian playing with dough in the water. Under normal circumstances, he would definitely say something, but now no matter what others did, he just thought it was good.
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