Chapter 25 Song Zhao: "Hello, young comrade, you were looking for me..."
Nie Qingqing went to ask for leave, and Attorney He asked why. When he heard that the children hadn't gone to their mother's house and he was going to take the children out for a trip, Attorney He readily granted her a day off.
Attorney Zhu was quite puzzled; this wasn't like her master's style. She asked, "Master, aren't you most annoyed by people asking for leave for trivial matters? Why did you approve the leave?"
Attorney He said, "Keeping promises is an important thing. She doesn't ask for leave every month, so why not grant her leave? You are more professional than her, but you can learn from her how to conduct yourself and handle things."
Attorney Zhu disagreed, asking, "What could she possibly learn from a receptionist?"
But he still said, "I understand, Master. There must be something to learn from others in a group of three. I can see the strengths in others."
...
Nie Qingqing brought back a clay pot of chicken soup from Huazhi Lane and gave it to He Shumei, saying, "I've taken leave. There won't be any chicken soup for tomorrow or the day after. I'll stew some and bring it over the day after that."
He Shumei was very envious; she wanted to go too, but she was still in her postpartum confinement period. She pouted at Nie Qingqing, "Can't you wait until I'm out of confinement and then go together?"
Nie Qingqing laughed and said, "Ask Song Zhao. He arranged the time, saying the children couldn't wait."
She poured a bowl of piping hot chicken soup and placed it on her bedside table: "Chicken soup tastes best when it's hot."
He Shumei took a deep breath of the aroma, her appetite whetted: "I've been craving your chicken soup for so long, it smells so good! Okay then, let's go out together next time."
Factory Director Yu promised his wife, "After you finish your postpartum confinement and the baby is a little older, the three of us will go out for a trip."
He Shumei drank the chicken soup and felt comfortable all over. She became more emotionally dependent on Nie Qingqing. She thought that she could hardly have fun going out with the lazy Yu Zhengmin.
"It's more fun if both families go out together. Oh, and give the camera to Qingqing so she can take lots of pictures."
...
Song Zhao bought several rolls of film to take with him; it cost a lot of money. Nie Qingqing said, "Buying so much, how long will we last?"
Song Zhao: "Take more photos. There are so many children, we need to take group photos. We need to take photos of every child and every scene. It would be such a pity if they saw a scene in the future without them."
Nie Qingqing doesn't like taking pictures. She has very few photos from childhood to adulthood. She can't use her own thinking to imagine that others are like her, so she didn't say anything.
Tomorrow we're going out, so I need to conserve my energy. Before turning off the lights, she told Song Zhao, "If I'm too tired to walk and give up halfway, what will you do then?"
Song Zhao said, "Look at what you're saying, do you think I'm so heartless? I don't know what's wrong with me, but lately I just can't seem to get rid of all my energy, so I'm suffering from insomnia."
Nie Qingqing chuckled: "Who hasn't had insomnia? Just thinking about how I'll be tired all day tomorrow makes me fall asleep right now."
...
Song Zhao wasn't the only one suffering from insomnia last night. Tangyuan, who goes to bed late and wakes up early, had already come to knock on the door twice: "Mom, Mom, are we going out?"
Nie Qingqing turned over and said to Song Zhao, "Don't pay attention to him, it'll never end if you do."
Song Zhao turned on the light to check the time, then turned around and hugged her: "It's almost time. You can sleep a little longer. I'll make some breakfast for the children and check their luggage again."
With Song Zhao making arrangements, Nie Qingqing was the last to get up. Even though it was still early, the family ate breakfast, rode bicycles to Huazhi Lane, and then took a bus to the bus station to visit the places Song Zhao had arranged, where they could go hiking, fishing, and there was also a vast lotus pond.
In this season, the lotus flowers haven't all bloomed yet, and some lotus pods have already formed and matured. They are indeed very beautiful, and anyone who sees them will feel refreshed. Even Tang Guizhi, who is prone to motion sickness, no longer feels dizzy.
They went to the guesthouse to settle in first. Nie Qingqing was about to take the luggage that Song Zhao was carrying when Song Zhao stopped her.
"You and Mom rest, I'll take care of things."
He directed the group in a well-organized manner. The eldest brother and sister-in-law stayed with Tanggao, Mom and Xiaoyin stayed together, and Nie Qingqing stayed with him and Tangyuan Xiaoyuan.
She made all the arrangements, letting the children put away their own luggage and supervising them to put away their toiletries. She didn't have to lift a finger the whole time.
Tang Guizhi saw this and was satisfied. She said to Nie Qingqing, "It's so convenient to have someone who can make arrangements when we go out."
Nie Qingqing said somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't want the whole family to go out because I was afraid of the trouble. But now it seems that it's not troublesome at all. I didn't have to worry about packing anything before we left. Song Zhao and the three children did all the packing."
Tang Guizhi tapped her head: "Last night, your brother and sister-in-law almost had a fight over packing a bag for the outing. Song Zhao did all the troublesome things, and we all benefited from it."
...
If you leave early, you'll arrive at your destination early. Song Zhao arranged for a fishing boat and took everyone on a boat trip to pick lotus pods.
Tangyuan was overjoyed. The boat wasn't big, but there were ten people including the boatman. He still managed to run around, swaying from the stern to the bow. He almost fell overboard, but a villager caught him.
The villager escorted him to the adults and casually picked a plump lotus seedpod, tossing it over: "Little kid, you've never seen such a big body of water before, have you? It was all very strange at first, and it was strange for your family too, that you actually paid to take a boat ride. These lotus seedpods are free, eat as much as you want."
The boat fare was fair, so the boatman was generous and no one was greedy. Everyone picked a few plump lotus pods, peeled them, and ate them; they were sweet.
Tang Guizhi looked at the beautiful scenery and sighed with emotion, recalling her memories of her youth.
“When we were young, our hometown also had such a beautiful lotus pond. Back then, life was hard, and we couldn’t sell the lotus pods we picked. Who had the time to appreciate it? Now it’s so different. People come here specifically to see this.”
Sister-in-law Zheng Fanghui peeled lotus seeds one by one, her face full of relaxed smiles. Who wouldn't be happy to come out and see the scenery?
She stuffed a peeled lotus seed into the naughty Tangyuan's mouth: "That's right, we can only see this beautiful scenery because of the children."
Tangyuan leaned over the edge of the boat, put his hands in the water, and felt the current. He was so comfortable that he wanted to jump in for a bath when he suddenly exclaimed, "There's a ghost in the water!"
Xiao Yuan was so frightened that he pulled his hand back. Xiao Yin tapped Tangyuan: "Don't scare people."
The boatman laughed heartily: "It must have been a fish that touched your hand. There are so many fish in this water, they might even jump into the boat."
Seeing the relaxed smiles on the family's faces, and even Xiaoyin enjoying the moment without a care in the world, Nie Qingqing was glad that she hadn't spoiled everyone's fun. She had listened to Song Zhao's advice and come out without hesitation.
...
The sun was too strong at noon, so we ate lunch at the boatman's house. We paid him to cook for us; there was chicken and fish. After everyone had eaten their fill, we went back to the guesthouse to rest.
Now that we're out, Tangyuan couldn't sit still any longer and wanted to go hiking: "Dad, you said the mountain is very beautiful and you can see the wonders of nature. Let's go now!"
Song Zhao said, "The sun is too strong. Let's climb the mountain again tomorrow morning. There are still some fun things to do in the afternoon."
Avoiding the hottest part of the day, around 3 p.m., Song Zhao took several children to fish under the big willow tree. Her brother and sister-in-law, who are usually quite reserved, were having just as much fun as the children today, fishing under the willow tree.
Nie Qingqing and her mother went to check twice, and when they scooped up the fish basket, it was half full of various kinds of fish, enough for dinner.
"Mom, I just caught that fish, did you take a picture?" Tangyuan asked expectantly.
Nie Qingqing: "No."
"Mom!" Tangyuan cried anxiously, "I'll catch another one, you have to take a picture of it."
"Me too, Aunt Qingqing, I just caught one too! It's small, but Daddy said it's amazing." Xiao Yuan wanted to take a picture too.
Nie Qingqing had no choice but to stay and capture the moments without stopping. It has to be said that the joy and laughter of the family together like this is something that can't be found at home.
She shot two rolls of film today; it's a real shame.
Song Zhao had a different opinion: "What's there to feel sorry about? When you look at these photos again in the future, you'll only regret not taking more."
That's true. Memories are the most precious things, so let's take more pictures.
...
The next day, taking advantage of the cool morning air, Song Zhao woke everyone up to go hiking.
Tanggao was going to have a competition, and she was really amazing. She climbed to the designated destination on her own. Xiaoyuan couldn't climb anymore halfway, so Nie Qingqing and Song Zhao took turns carrying him.
Xiao Yuan felt ashamed and buried his head: "Aunt Qingqing, I'm too weak."
Nie Qingqing continued to praise him: "You've put all your strengths into your brain. When we get back, we'll work on it more. Your sister Tanggao is physically strong, but not as smart as you. But we can't let her hear this, or she'll get angry."
Tanggao waved from ahead: "Auntie, I heard you! Humph, I'm just bad at math, but I'm still very smart!"
Nie Qingqing: "Yes, you're the most clever."
Tangyuan: "Am I the smartest one in the family?"
Xiaoyin tapped him: "You want to argue about this? If you want to beat your sister, can you still call yourself smart?"
Tangyuan said "Oh," and immediately burst into laughter: "I'm the dumbest one in the family, so everyone's happy now, right?"
...
Climbing mountains is tiring, but when you see the panoramic view from the top, it's all worth it.
Nie Qingqing asked everyone to take photos next to the ancient tree that was hundreds of years old. They took many photos, group photos and individual photos, and used up an entire roll of film. She then said to Tang Guizhi, "Mom, you are in good health now. You can come with us every year when we go out to play."
Tang Guizhi: "I'm worried because I keep chickens at home."
Nie Qingqing laughed and said, "I'll kill one and make chicken soup when we get home!"
After descending the mountain, we found a place to fill our stomachs at the foot of the mountain. In the afternoon, we went to Lotus Pond and bought lotus pods. The people there also gave us about ten lotus buds that were about to bloom. Everyone was still enjoying themselves and agreed to do the same thing again next time.
...
After returning, Song Zhao first sent four rolls of film to be developed. He Shumei wanted to see the photos. Holding over a hundred photos, she was reluctant to look at them all at once. She looked at each one and asked questions, and then she played through them with Song Zhaomei herself.
She kept more than a dozen photos and asked Yu Zhengmin to promise, "Next time we really have to go together, otherwise when we're old, all we'll remember are arguments and unhappy things."
Factory Director Yu was just as envious. He stopped being stubborn and quickly agreed: "Okay, I will definitely persuade Song Zhao to take us with him. You see, having a good neighbor is the same as having a good relative."
...
More than twenty days later, Yunli and her family returned from Pengcheng. Yunli made a phone call and asked the three children to come and stay for a few days.
Before Nie Qingqing saw them off, she specifically told Tangyuan, "When we get to Aunt Yunli's house, don't ask about not sending a gift."
Tangyuan was unhappy. He was just about to ask why his mother wouldn't allow it.
He muttered indignantly, "It just wasn't sent, why can't I say so?"
Nie Qingqing: "People go out when they're busy. If they forget about you, they forget. It's enough that they brought you gifts. Asking this question is like your mother casually agreeing to something and then saying she prefers Grandma Chen's child. How can I really like her? It's all to make others happy. Uncle Ji casually agreed to something to make you happy, but you can't ask him to do that. He's not your father."
Tangyuan thought about it for a moment, and realized that what her mother said made a lot of sense, so she decided not to ask any more questions.
...
Nie Qingqing selected more than a dozen photos of Xiaoyuan and Xiaoyin, including solo photos of them holding lotus pods, group photos of them fishing together on the bank of the big willow tree, and photos of them with glutinous rice balls and sweet cakes, but none of them featured her and Song Zhao.
She put a lot of thought into selecting these photos, and she brought them to give to Yunli.
Song Zhao was just as indignant as Tang Yuan: "Keep a few here, keep a few there, we don't have many left for ourselves, is there any need to bring them to her?"
Nie Qingqing: "Don't we have the negatives? We can just develop another copy later. Yunli is the biological mother. Even if she can't participate in the children's play, she should know as soon as possible. The children would have told her. I'm doing things in advance, and she'll definitely be happy."
Song Zhao: "I don't object, but she really went too far this time. She promised to mail the gifts but didn't. She wanted to see photos of the children playing, but she took them out to play by herself and took the photos herself."
Nie Qingqing laughed and pinched his cheek: "They're not family there, so don't be so strict. Don't forget, Xiao Yuan's household registration is still with her family. Be careful they don't get angry and change Xiao Yuan's surname."
Song Zhao held his breath. Qing Qing was thinking a lot, and in the end, it was all for his and the child's sake.
He stopped arguing: "That's true, who would ask so much of an ordinary friend?"
...
When Yunli saw the photos of the trip she brought, and the children were laughing so happily, Nie Qingqing could detect a hint of sourness in her tone.
She asked, "The place in the photo is so beautiful, it must be so much fun!"
Nie Qingqing laughed and said, "I only took the most beautiful photos. Actually, they're just average. It was too hot. I spent most of my time at the guesthouse. I've seen many lotus ponds when I was a child. They're not really that special. But kids always find it fun wherever they go."
Xiaoyin knew her mother was jealous, but when her mother went out to play, neither her father nor Aunt Qingqing were jealous.
Xiaoyin and Song Zhao have very similar personalities; they are both indifferent to everything, and it's rare to see them laughing so happily outside like that day.
She said, "It's so-so, it's too hot. I'm glad I didn't go to Shenzhen with you guys, otherwise I would have gotten annoyed after staying there for so many days. It's so much more comfortable to stay at home with the fan on."
Tangyuan chimed in, "Yes, there are only lotus pods to eat over there. Auntie, the candy you brought back is so delicious!"
Xiao Yuan nodded along with "Mmm," saying, "It's delicious!"
Tangyuan is clever; as long as she follows her sister's advice, she's sure to get it right.
Yunli was delighted: "You three kids, it takes so much effort to take you out and you're still not satisfied? I won't take you out next time."
...
When Xiaoyin saw Nie Qingqing off, she was afraid that she would misunderstand, so she hurriedly explained, "Aunt Qingqing, don't be angry. The whole family had a great time. I just told my mom that it was so-so."
Nie Qingqing bent down and patted her shoulder to comfort her: "Of course I could tell. In our family, you're actually the smartest. Go back now."
She is the smartest and most sensible, which makes people feel sorry for her. They don't want Nie Qingqing to feel wronged, and they don't want their mother to be unhappy. At an age when she should be carefree, she still has to rack her brains to balance the relationship between the two sides. How can Nie Qingqing not feel sorry for her?
The three children stayed at Yunli's house for five days before returning home, bringing back quite a few things, including food, clothes, and a new schoolbag.
Later, when Xiaoyin started school, she didn't use a new schoolbag; she still carried the old schoolbag that Nie Qingqing had given her before.
Nie Qingqing was especially happy and proudly told Song Zhao, "She carried the schoolbag I gave her."
...
Now, with about a month left in summer vacation, He Shumei finished her postpartum confinement and was celebrating her one-month birthday when Zhigao returned with large appliances, attracting many neighbors to watch.
Downstairs, there were two large packages, each as tall as a person, printed with the word "refrigerator." It seems that once someone becomes successful, they can forget about the troubles they caused before.
Everyone touched the outer packaging, extremely excited, praising it one after another: "Zhigao has made money, he's buying a refrigerator for his family!"
Zhigao learned to be humble: "It's my dad's money. My uncle is good to me, so I bought one for my uncle's family too."
He Shumei glanced up from upstairs and snorted, "Summer's almost over, why buy a refrigerator? Showing off for nothing."
Two refrigerators cost over two thousand yuan, they really made a profit. Nie Qingqing advised, "Don't be angry. If they bought the refrigerators for me as a gift, I would at least give them a smile and save them for a meal."
He Shumei couldn't laugh when she thought about Zhigao's personality and the things he had done.
...
Zhigao directed the workers to carry the refrigerator up and install it. Seeing that his aunt wasn't smiling, he pleaded, "Aunt, don't glare at me. If you don't want it, then give it back to my dad. I know how good you and my uncle are to me."
He Shumei's heart softened again, and she pulled him into her home and asked, "I didn't want to interfere, but how are you and Xiao Qi going to live together? You're so young, is it appropriate for you to be separated for so long?"
After going out and seeing the world, He Zhigao became even more self-righteous: "How is this outrageous? There are many such separated families in the factories in the south."
Unable to argue with him, He Shumei asked about something else.
"Xiao Qi wants to go to Pengcheng with you, why don't you agree? Do you have someone there? Tell the truth!"
Zhigao raised his hand and swore: "Really not! If she goes, my mom will definitely go with her. If my mom goes, how can my dad do business in peace? It's not that I don't want her to go, but I'm very busy helping my dad right now. Let's wait two more years."
...
Nie Qingqing flipped through the refrigerator's instruction manual, looking it over inside and out. This refrigerator is really good; no wonder people with money want to buy this and that and can't save any money.
"Having a refrigerator is so convenient; I can make more dumplings and steamed buns."
He Shumei took her hand, secretly pleased: "It's my house, so it's your house too. If you have anything, just bring it over and put it down. Don't be shy with me."
Song Zhao didn't want that, and said to Nie Qingqing, "Let's buy one too, we don't need someone else's."
He said he would do it, but Nie Qingqing was afraid he would spend money recklessly, so she made him promise: "You are not allowed to make decisions on your own. If you want to buy it, you have to wait until next summer."
Keep him calm and don't let him spend money recklessly. We can decide next year whether to buy it or not.
Zhigao stayed at home for a few days before returning to Pengcheng. Yu Wenhui went upstairs, talked with He Shumei for a while, and then left.
Then He Sumei came to Nie Qingqing: "My sister-in-law said that Zhigao has been staying in the same room with Xiao Qi these past few days. She eavesdrops at night and the two of them still do 'that' as usual. She thinks the young couple is getting along well. I'm too lazy to say anything to her."
Nie Qingqing had no good solution and couldn't persuade them: "If they're not family, they'll end up in the same household. If they want to live that kind of life, let them be."
...
There was a little incident when Zhigao bought refrigerators for his family and his uncle's family. Yu Wenhui's neighbor across the street put leftovers in her refrigerator and got sick from eating them, demanding compensation for medical expenses.
Factory Director Yu ordered the police to be called. The investigation revealed that the dish in the refrigerator was fine to eat; the problem was with another dish of leftover wood ear mushrooms from the previous day.
After finding out the truth, Qi Yujiao scolded the neighbor across the street for half an hour, and Yu Wenhui's refrigerator was no longer allowed to be put into other people's homes.
He Shumei said, "That's good, it saves me from having to come here to freeze things. I'm not talking about you, you treat my house like your own home."
Nie Qingqing, of course, didn't stand on ceremony with her. She made dumplings and put them in the freezer. They were frozen solid overnight, and when she cooked them in the morning, they tasted the same.
That's wonderful! She took some frozen dumplings back to Huazhi Lane and cooked them for Tang Guizhi to try.
"Mom, pack more for me next time. I can freeze them in Shumei's fridge. Look how well they're frozen; they taste just like fresh ones."
Normally, Tang Guizhi would immediately go to buy meat, chop it into filling, and make dumplings, but today she had other important matters to attend to.
Tang Guizhi said, "Let's not talk about dumplings. Your second aunt wants to get married, but she's afraid your cousin won't agree. She's caught in the middle. How can I have the mind to make dumplings?"
Nie Qingqing exclaimed "Ah!" and then beamed with joy. Her second aunt was getting married, so be it, what was there to worry about? But there hadn't been a single hint beforehand; they'd kept it a secret for a long time.
"Mom, you didn't even tell me, but now you want me to do it, you have to tell me who my second aunt is marrying, right?"
Tang Guizhi: "It's not that I'm hiding it. Your second aunt hadn't thought about remarrying before. But a few days ago she got sick and your cousin disappeared. It was Geng Changlin who went to visit her and found out. He took her to the hospital and took care of her. Your second aunt thought that he was a good person and that both of them were interested. They should have a proper relationship so that they could live together."
Nie Qingqing laughed: "No wonder. Around the Dragon Boat Festival, Song Zhao gave Uncle Geng some zongzi and said that the ones at Uncle Geng's house looked just like the ones we make at home. I said that all zongzi are like that. It turns out that they were given by my second aunt. That's when you got together?"
Tang Guizhi: "Be serious. If Jia Cai doesn't agree, your second aunt won't be able to get married."
Nie Qingqing raised her hand and asked, "Mom, what do you think this is?"
Tang Guizhi didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
Nie Qingqing: "If he doesn't agree, I'll beat him until he does. In our family, the older sister is the one who disciplines the younger brother."
Tang Guizhi laughed: "Stop joking, go now and talk to him properly."
...
Nie Qingqing's cousin was learning carpentry from his master, but before he finished his apprenticeship, he didn't want to be a carpenter anymore, so he went to learn how to drive instead.
Nie Qingqing went over to her, and Jia Cai subconsciously stepped back: "Sister, you're so busy, just call me if you need something. It's so hot, why did you come all this way?"
Nie Qingqing grabbed his ear and said without further ado, "What's your reason for not agreeing to your mother's marriage?"
Jia Cai mustered his courage and said, "I'm afraid she'll lose face if she remarries when she's almost fifty."
Nie Qingqing angrily shouted, "You're even complaining about your own mother now? She raised you all these years and doesn't expect you to be filial. Now that you're looking for a partner, you're refusing because of your damn pride. It's your second aunt who's a disgrace for giving birth to you."
Jia Cai covered his ears and begged for mercy: "My dear sister, I didn't say I disagreed. It was my mother's own imagination that she wanted us to get married, and she wants us to get married right now."
Nie Qingqing then let go of his hand and gave him a sweet treat: "Don't hold a grudge. Uncle Geng has no children and this is his first marriage. What's yours will still be yours, and what's Uncle Geng's will also be yours. If you're smart, then be good to him."
Jia Cai thought about it and realized that his sister was wise beyond her years: "Don't worry, sister. With him by my side and taking care of my mother, I can let go and go out into the world."
...
My second aunt and Uncle Geng hosted a simple banquet with a few tables. Nie Qingqing and Song Zhao brought their children along, and Uncle Geng even asked Song Zhao's father to be their witness.
After the wedding, Uncle Geng moved into his second aunt's house. Nie Qingqing and her mother helped clean up the banquet afterward and asked Song Zhao to take the children back first.
The door across the hall was open, and He Shumei ran out, winking at Song Zhao: "Director Song, a young man is looking for Qingqing. I'd like to invite him to my house."
The young man has already started his career. He's just graduated, clean-cut, tall and thin, and quite good-looking.
Song Zhao wasn't fooled and asked frankly, "Hello, young comrade, what can I do for my wife?"
The young man hurriedly explained, "Director Song, hello. I always hear Sister Qingqing praising you. I'm an intern lawyer at the law firm, and I need to go back to the office to get some documents. Today is the weekend, so I can only come to Sister Qingqing to get the keys."
Song Zhao nodded: "I know where she put the key, but I have to wait for her to come back and prove your identity before I can give it to her."
The young people understood: "This is how it should be."
Song Zhao opened the door and turned to invite them in: "Come and wait at home. The family across the street has a baby, so don't bother them."
He Shumei muttered to Song Zhao, "Stingy, can't take a joke."
Tangyuan ran to He Shumei's house to see the baby. Tangyuan laughed and said, "Aunt Meimei, you didn't make my dad angry, but you got angry yourself. Haha, it's not worth it."
...
Not long after, Nie Qingqing returned. Seeing the new intern lawyer at the law firm actually coming to get the keys, she praised, "You're so hardworking! You don't even rest on weekends?"
Xun Guangshan stood up: "For the sake of the client, we need to do more homework so that Attorney He can spend less time reviewing materials on Monday morning."
If it were any other intern lawyer, Nie Qingqing definitely wouldn't give them the key; she would accompany them. However, Attorney Xun and Attorney He have known each other for a long time and know each other well, so she could give them the key.
She found the key and gave it to him: "You don't need to return it today. Tomorrow, go to open the door ten minutes earlier. I need to make coffee before Attorney He arrives, which will take at least ten minutes."
Xun Guangshan quickly agreed, thanked him, and left.
...
As soon as she left, Song Zhaoshu stopped reading, grabbed a rag, and followed her around, wiping here and there, chatting idly: "I've never heard you mention him before. When did your workplace get such a person?"
Nie Qingqing remembered it clearly: "I did say that, but you didn't listen carefully. Just a few days ago, I said that there's someone in our unit with connections, and that's him."
Song Zhao said "Oh," then remembered: "You didn't mention the age of the people with connections. I didn't expect them to be so young, just graduated, right? Attorney He, aren't your requirements very high? Why are you hiring so many interns?"
"There aren't that many. He and Attorney He's apprentice are considered interns."
Nie Qingqing said mysteriously, "His identity is quite extraordinary."
Song Zhao calmly asked, "Oh, is it wealth or nobility?"
Nie Qingqing: "No, Attorney He's ex-boyfriend is his uncle. Isn't that a big deal?"
Song Zhao's heart went through a rollercoaster of emotions: "It's alright, it's nothing."
He Shumei was internally aggravated by holding it in. Song Zhao was a complete chatterbox, which was delaying Qingqing's speech and also delaying her listening.
"Qingqing, Song Zhao doesn't like to hear this. Come to my house and tell me, I'll like to hear it."
Song Zhao: "Did I say you wouldn't listen? You've learned to imagine things too."
Nie Qingqing laughed, interrupting the two of them, and continued, "Actually, there's not much more to it than that. When Attorney He broke up with his uncle, Xun Guangshan was still a college student. He started to have a crush on Attorney He back then. Attorney Zhu told me that, and based on my observations over the past few days, he's definitely still in a crush on her now."
He Shumei was very excited when she heard this: "You followed me here after graduation, that's quite a long-lasting commitment."
Song Zhao was very rational: "Young people act on impulse, it doesn't mean they like someone. Let them calm down and reflect."
He Shumei pulled Nie Qingqing away: "Qingqing, only you find Song Zhao interesting. If you weren't here, I wouldn't even bother talking to him. I'd be so angry. Come on, let's go downstairs and buy a watermelon, then we can eat it chilled when we get back."
Song Zhao thought to himself that he had to hurry up and buy the refrigerator.
...
On Monday morning, Nie Qingqing arrived early. Smelling the rich aroma of coffee, she saw that Attorney Xun had already made coffee and given her a cup.
"Sister Qingqing, I asked a classmate to help me buy some beans. Please try them."
Nie Qingqing couldn't tell the difference between good and bad tea, just like coffee—it was so bitter, she couldn't get used to it.
She mimicked Lawyer He's way of praising people while drinking coffee, saying, "It smells very good, even better than what I make."
Nie Qingqing knew that Attorney Xun was happy, and she was also very pleased that he would be in charge of making coffee from now on.
Attorney He arrived, followed closely by Attorney Zhu. This time, he didn't accept the coffee and went straight into the office. Seeing that his apprentice hadn't followed, he raised his voice: "What, are you still trying to hide? Come in with me."
The atmosphere is so heavy. Yesterday was the weekend, I wonder what happened?
Nie Qingqing asked Attorney Xun, "What happened between Attorney He and Attorney Zhu? Do you know anything about it?"
Attorney Xun hurriedly shook his head: "I don't know. The last time Attorney He got this angry was when she broke up with my uncle. Attorney Zhu must have done something unforgivable to make her so angry."
What could it be? Nie Qingqing picked up a rag and mop: "I'll go mop the floor again."
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