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At the beginning, Xu Hongqi was seriously massaging Xu Nian's feet and massaging his tendons. He had learned the basic techniques in the army, but he seemed to have difficulty controlling the strength. Xu Nian's feet, which had not been exposed to the sun for many years, gradually turned from white to pink, and he also inexplicably felt heat rising on his face.
"Grass!"
When Xu Nian heard the answer, she thought she had misheard. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and Xu Hongqi was squatting at her feet. This gave her the perfect opportunity to take action. Hearing the swear words, she couldn't help but slap Xu Hongqi on the head.
"Are you still swearing?"
Xu Nian was ready to have a verbal confrontation with Xu Hongqi, but the man just put his foot down and walked out.
Xu Nian frowned, thinking, is he angry?
She was still angry. It turned out that distance creates beauty. Now that they are together every day, there is no novelty anymore. When she communicates with him, he is still impatient!
She glanced at the palm of the hand that hit the man. There were clear lines and a gold ingot mark on it. She felt relieved instantly. She was blessed with great fortune. A good woman never fights with a man.
After Xu Nian finished thinking, he shouted outside the door: "Brother Hongqi, I want to eat."
Xu Hongqi washed his hands several times and stared at them for a long time. His palms felt numb. He looked at them over and over again, but nothing had changed. There was only a big horizontal line, which meant he would bring disaster to his father and mother.
Although Xu Nian's foot was not seriously damaged, he still needed to take good care of it for two days. He first brought the baked steamed buns into Xu Nian's room, then went out and made two bowls of brown sugar water and brought them over.
Everything was ready. The two of them began to enjoy dinner while listening to the sound of rain. Xu Hongqi looked at the untouched roast duck, his heart softening. He took it and prepared to tear it apart for easier eating. Xu Nian saw his intention, chuckled, and waved his hand, "Brother, you have worked hard. Let me do it."
Xu Hongqi's warmth faded in an instant. If he still didn't understand her, he would have lived in vain.
He said unhappily, "I've already washed it, several times."
Xu Nian instantly felt justified, and while tearing it apart, he said, "You even washed it several times, you look down on me, I didn't even say I looked down on you, humph!"
"Your last name shouldn't be Xu, it should be Li."
Fortunately, the roast duck tasted really good. The two of them didn’t say much after that, and ate the hard-earned delicacy with cherishment.
After the meal, Xu Hongqi went to clean up the dishes. He was very strict with Xu Nian's studies and did not let her relax too much even after the exam. He forced her to memorize all the ancient poems and essays in her second year of high school before letting her go.
——
National Day is just two days away after the monthly exam. This year, there are two days off for National Day, and Xu Nian has been looking forward to it for a long time. It's not for any other reason, she just wants to sleep in. She can't do that on weekdays because she has to go to school, and she is not allowed to get up too late on Sundays. Only on holidays does Xu Hongqi promise that she can sleep until she wakes up naturally.
Such a good day is so rare. Xu Nian usually wakes up around noon. This National Day is no exception. She actually woke up around ten o'clock. It was really because her biological clock had been formed. She couldn't sleep. When she woke up, the house was quiet and she didn't want to move, so she just stayed in bed until noon.
She waited until her waist was stiff from lying down before she slowly walked out of the house. Everything was brightly illuminated by the bright sun. She saw two and a half bags of things in the yard at a glance. They looked like some kind of materials.
Xu Hongqi came home at this time. Seeing Xu Nian's expression, he knew that she had just woken up. He said casually, "There's rice soup in the pot. Go drink some and have lunch later."
Xu Nian nodded first, then pointed at the pile of things and asked, "What is this?"
Xu Hongqi parked the car and said while washing his hands, "Cement."
After washing his hands and shaking off the water droplets, he went into the house and didn't come out for a long time.
Xu Nian lost interest instantly when she heard the word cement. She felt that this meant work, but the word work blocked all her interest and enthusiasm.
In order to avoid working, she actively studied in the afternoon. It was shameful to avoid it, but she was really happy. Fortunately, she really learned it and studied for the whole afternoon without moving her butt.
She was doing the test paper when she suddenly heard Xu Hongqi calling her name.
Xu Nian stretched himself, kicked his legs and walked out. As he walked out the door, he exclaimed, "Brother Hongqi, you are amazing!"
Xu Hongqi, sweating profusely, put his hands on his hips and gave her a look, "Come here."
Xu Nian avoided the fruits of his labor and stumbled past.
From this angle, you can see the small yard in its entirety. There is a cement road about 70 centimeters wide between the gate and her room. The cement is still wet, showing the results of the labor.
Xu Hongqi walked to the gate and said to Xu Nian, "Come, leave some footprints!"
Xu Nian was stunned for a moment, and somewhat awkwardly tucked the hair that had scraped her face behind her ears.
"That's what kids do."
Xu Hongqi laughed: "You are just a child."
Under Xu Hongqi's indulgent gaze, Xu Nian felt as if she was instantly transported back to her childhood, when she was still in the orphanage.
Human memory is very strange. Some things that you think you have forgotten long ago will reappear inadvertently. I also remember that it was a sunny day. A kind-hearted person was repairing the ground in the yard. One of my companions accidentally stepped on the newly paved ground that had not yet dried, and was scolded by the director for a long time.
No one blamed the director; children mature quickly after experiencing life too early. The little friend cried for a long time and felt guilty for a long time. This incident had nothing to do with her, but she remembered it for a long time. Until a certain lesson overshadowed it, she thought she had forgotten it, only to realize that it had run deep into her brain...
"What are you standing there for? Come here." Xu Hongqi called her.
Xu Nian ran over with a smile, "I'm going to step on it with both feet."
Xu Hongqi nodded and said, "Step on it!"
Xu Nian thought of something and shook his head, "We'll step on both of them."
Seeing that Xu Hongqi wanted to refute, she quickly said, "The two of us put our feet on the right sign, which means that the road we walk on, the road of our lives, will all move in the right direction."
Xu Hongqi first hummed softly, then added in a stronger tone, "It has a good meaning, but it's okay if things don't go smoothly sometimes. I'll let you hug my thighs."
Xu Nian was a little touched, but also felt very embarrassed, and made a "tsk" sound as if to cover it up.
The two talked openly, fiddling with the footprints for a long time before finally landing on something solid. When they carefully lifted them up, they found that they were really good. Xu Hongqi's big footprints paired with Xu Nian's small footprints reminded people of the classic advertising slogan, "to be number one."
Life is getting better and better, and Xu Nian's grades have also improved significantly. She used to have the wrong study methods, but under Xu Hongqi's guidance she has learned to summarize the results on her own. She has to say that she is lucky to have such a teacher around her.
When Xu Nian was studying happily, she received letters and packages from home. She felt that time passed very quickly without her noticing. The older generation did not seem to be very sentimental. They were all concerned about small things. The most they could show their concern was asking if she had enough money. They said that the national policies were good in the second half of this year, and she could do some small economic business and earn some money. They sent some to her and told her to spend it without worry, so that she would have enough food and drink and not miss home.
Although fabric is still in short supply nowadays, the situation is better than in previous years. She tore off some fabric and made a set for each of them, and asked Xu Hongqi to accept it to thank him for helping take care of her.
She also said there was another piece of great news, Xu Mai was pregnant. Her aunt now told everyone that marriage cannot be rushed and one must wait for the right time to come. This was not the case with their daughter who had a perfect career and marriage.
Xu Nian flipped through the yellow letter paper. The handwriting on it was obviously from her third brother, and the narrative style was obviously from Xu's mother. Her brother was too lazy to even change the sentences that didn't flow smoothly. She flipped through it and read it three times before putting it down.
Xu Hongqi was concentrating on calculating at the desk. Xu Nian went to the side to unpack the package. There were two new sets of clothes. Xu's mother also wrapped them in an old cloth inside the big package. When Xu Nian took them out, they were wrinkled, but it didn't affect her mood at all.
She was wearing a two-piece red dress. The top had a little frill-shaped collar and a small yellow flower embroidered with yellow thread. It was very cute.
The men's suit is dark blue. Although the fabric is not stiff enough, it looks quite sturdy. It is a shirt-style top, but different from the popular cloth pockets on the waist, it has a pocket on the chest, a bit like a Zhongshan suit. The pants are no different from ordinary ones, except that they are quite long.
She sat down at the desk with her things in her arms and poked Xu Hongqi's arm. "Brother Hongqi, are you really studying?"
Xu Hongqi paused and glanced at her. "Everyone is like you."
Xu Nian muttered, "They only talk about me."
She held the clothes in her hand in front of the people, "Ding ding ding, look, what is this."
Xu Hongqi said with a hint of smile in his eyes, "Clothes."
Xu Nian stretched out his index finger and shook it, "This is not just clothes, it also shows the love my mother, your aunt has for you."
"You know!"
Xu Hongqi couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth, "Do I need you to tell me?"
Xu Nian rolled his eyes and said, "You are the most pretentious person in our family."
Xu Hongqi acted helpless and said, "If you say so, then so." Then he took the clothes from her hand.
Xu Nian's chin hit the edge of the table, and he turned around to ask, "Brother Hongqi, my mom said we can't go back home for the New Year this year. Do you think we should go back?"
This place is quite far from her hometown, and ever since her family found out that Xu Nian was almost kidnapped last time, they have regretted letting her go. They are still scared now, and thinking that the child won't be able to stay for a few days at home, they decided to wait until the exams are over before going back.
Xu Hongqi went back last time when he sent Qi Meiyue off. He was actually fine. He had been drifting around for so many years and now he had become a "weirdo" who wanted to be lively but didn't like it. So he mainly wanted to know what Xu Nian thought.
"Do you want to go back?"
Xu Nian sighed and said, "Of course I do, but it's too troublesome. Besides, our head teacher said we can only rest for ten days at most. I think it would be too rushed if we go back."
She thought for a moment, then turned to Xu Hongqi and said, "I won't be so unlucky as to fail the college entrance examination three times."
She asked the question politely, but her eyes were cold and she knew she would kill the person if he dared to answer "yes".
Xu Hongqi was sometimes afraid that she would go crazy. He stroked his forehead and said, "How is that possible?"
Xu Nian suddenly perked up, "Young man, you have good taste."
After saying that, he slammed his hands on the table and gave a summary speech: "Then let's work hard this year and not go back. Next time I will return home in glory and take back everything I lost."
Her eyes were sparkling. Xu Hongqi was speechless for a moment. The word "nerve" was already on the tip of his tongue, but he forced himself to swallow it, packed up his books, picked up his new clothes, and quietly went out.
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