Chapter 13
Xu Zeli pursed his lips and said hurtly: "Bitang, I know I hurt you too deeply.
Xu Zeli pursed his lips and said hurtly, "Bitang, I know I hurt you too deeply. I hope you can live a good life in the future. By the way, are you living well after returning to Shanghai?"
Bei Bitang said, "It's very good, there's nothing wrong with it."
Xu Zeli stared at Bei Bitang's porcelain-white face and said sadly, "Bitang, I'm sorry, I love you. You are the woman I love most in this life, and I'm most sorry to you in this life. I can only repay you in the next life. I will never forget you, you will always be in my heart."
The rice balls from the morning were churning in her stomach. Bei Bitang resisted the urge to vomit and asked, "Love me? Can't forget me? Then why did you break up with me?"
Xu Zeli sighed and said, "This is the error of the times. Bitang, if we could live in a society without comparisons, without distinctions between educational attainments and family backgrounds, we would definitely be able to live happily together."
Bei Bitang used to think Xu Zeli was innocent, kind, melancholy, and knowledgeable, but now she thinks he is just fake.
Bei Bitang didn't waste any time talking to him. She took out a notebook from her trouser pocket, put it on a certain page, handed it to Xu Zeli, and said, "Take a look for yourself."
Xu Zeli took it and looked at it. It had the date, amount of money, and reason written on it. Without exception, his name, Xu Zeli, was written on every line.
Xu Zeli said somewhat dissatisfiedly: "Bitang, you remember it so clearly?"
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Xu Zeli, have you forgotten? I like to keep accounts, even if it's just a penny, no matter where it's spent. Do you think I specifically wrote down the money I spent on you?"
Xu Zeli was filled with shame. He murmured, "Bitang, I..."
Bei Bitang didn't want to hear his explanation, so she interrupted him and said seriously, "All the money you earned in the Corps was spent on your father's medical treatment. Later, so that he could get better nutrition and recover, I sent you 500 yuan. Later, so that you could focus on the college entrance examination and you didn't work, I was worried you wouldn't have enough money, so I gave you another 300 yuan. When you went to college, I gave you another 200 yuan to keep with you for emergencies."
"I went to the countryside for four years. I earned 30 yuan a month, twelve months a year, so that's less than 1,500 yuan in four years, a little over 1,400 yuan. I gave you 1,000 yuan."
"I won't mention the other miscellaneous expenses, after all, it's a give and take, but you have to pay me back this thousand yuan. As long as you pay me back, I won't come looking for you again. Don't worry, if we meet on the road in the future, I will pretend not to know you."
The money issue was irrefutable, so Xu Zeli said, "Okay, I'll pay you back."
Bei Bitang said coldly: "You still don't want to pay back the money?"
Xu Zeli explained: "No, I paid it back."
Bei Bitang pressed the issue, "Xu Zeli, when are you going to return the money to me? Let's set a time and place. Or you can just wire it directly to me without having to meet."
At the end of the conversation, Bei Bitang felt that transferring money without meeting in person was a good idea, and she looked at Xu Zeli with anticipation.
Xu Zeli, however, looked embarrassed. He smiled bitterly and said, "Bitang, my family has already used up all our savings to treat Dad. Mom really didn't have the money to buy medicine for Dad, and she was in debt. That's why she borrowed money to call and tell me that Dad was sick."
"My parents' salaries, which were suspended for years, have been repaid, but there's not much left after paying them back. I can't come up with this thousand yuan right now. How about this? I'll write you an IOU and pay it back in installments, one year at a time. After I graduate, I'll pay it back in full, along with all the interest, within two years."
What Xu Zeli didn't say was that his family had saved some money for him to use when he got married. The amount was not much, just one thousand yuan.
Bei Bitang shook her head and said mercilessly, "No, Xu Zeli, this is taking too long. I'm desperately waiting for the money. You're a college student, and your parents have their reputations restored. Borrowing money shouldn't be difficult, right? I don't care if you have to kneel down to borrow it or beg on the street. You must pay me back this thousand yuan in one lump sum as soon as possible."
Except for the first few months in the Corps, she earned 30 yuan. Later, as she worked more and harder, her salary increased. But it wasn't much. In her early 40s, she needed food, drink, and groceries, so saving 30 yuan a month was considered good. She hadn't told Xu Zeli the truth, but her actual savings weren't much higher than 1,500 yuan; it was only a little over 1,500 yuan.
In order to return to Shanghai as soon as possible, she also spent 350 yuan to make connections. Even if Xu Zeli was cheating on her and broke up with her, she felt that the money was worth it. So she didn't charge Xu Zeli with the money.
Three hundred and fifty yuan is not a lot of money, but many educated youth could not afford it. They usually had to send money home to support their families, or spend it on their own families, or spend it lavishly.
Bei Bitang will be able to return to the city at the beginning of this spring. I wonder how many people will be envious of her.
Xu Zeli gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, three days from now at nine o'clock in the morning, still in People's Square, I will bring you a thousand yuan to return it."
Bei Bitang said with satisfaction: "Okay, I'll wait for you to pay me back."
It was only natural to pay back debts, and besides, she wasn't deliberately trying to embarrass Xu Zeli; she was truly short of money. She wanted a job quickly, but without money, she couldn't make a single move.
Bei Bitang reached out to take the notebook back, tore off a blank page, and handed it to Xu Zeli, saying in a businesslike manner, "You happened to have a pen with you, so write me an IOU."
Xu Zeli wrote the IOU angrily. Bei Bitang took it, read it twice, and after confirming that it was correct, folded it in half and stuffed it into his trouser pocket.
"Bitang..." Xu Zeli wanted to say something.
Bei Bitang interrupted and said, "Today's business is over. Xu Zeli, you can go now."
Xu Zeli said, "Let's go together, this is the last leg."
Bei Bitang said, "I don't want to leave yet. I want to see the pigeons."
Xu Zeli felt lost in the face of Bei Bitang, whose every expression of rejection was written all over her. Bei Bitang had always been all about him, but now she had broken up with him so decisively. Could it be that women should be as rational as men in their relationships, and should act decisively when necessary? Aren't women said to be emotional beings? Was Bei Bitang special, different from other women, or had men never seen women clearly, and were they wrong?
Xu Zeli stood there for a while, hoping that Bei Bitang would not be able to resist the pleading look in his eyes and accompany him for the last part of the journey.
Bei Bitang was as hard as iron and remained unmoved. Xu Zeli thought of his date with Zeng Linlin, sighed, turned and left, startling a flock of pigeons.
As one of the first foreign investors to enter the mainland, Gu Wangxi accompanied several Hong Kong businessmen who came to Shanghai to investigate the market to visit People's Square in order to establish good relations with the government.
When he was walking from east to west and changing direction, several investors said they wanted to go to the bathroom, so he had to stand there and wait for them.
Gu Wangxi's eyes were aimlessly scanning the people and objects in the square when he spotted a young woman sitting by the flower bed. Although it was only a glance, and the girl was dressed casually today, not as elaborately as she had been that day, Gu Wangxi recognized her immediately as the young lady he had met at the gate of East China Normal University that day.
Gu Wangxi glanced at Bei Bitang and then moved his gaze away. This girl was just pretty, and there was nothing special about her in his heart.
Gu Wangxi has been to parks and squares in many countries and regions, and most of them have something in common. This is not his first time to come to the People's Square. There is nothing new to see, so Gu Wangxi quickly withdrew his gaze.
When he retracted it, he did not retract it in a straight line between two points, but in a scanning manner in the opposite direction, so Gu Wangxi's gaze fell on Bei Bitang again.
It was unknown why the young girl was crying, or when. She clenched her teeth, white as shells, in perfect order, and silently shed tears. Her skin was so pale that the tears reflected the light. She was so charming and touching that it moved people's hearts.
That day, she was wearing a yellow dress, and although her eyes were slightly red, she looked like a tree that had weathered the wind and rain, with a unique resilience. Now, she is like a scattered white flower, delicate and dainty.
Bei Bitang didn't know why she cried after Xu Zeli left. She hated herself for being so fragile. She had known since she was a child that her mother disliked her the most. To avoid being hurt, she took the initiative to avoid getting close to her mother.
The knowledge that her mother doesn't like her has been deeply ingrained in her mind since she can remember. However, after so many years, she still can't let go of the mother-daughter relationship, and still cries secretly like when she was a few years old and reached out to her mother for a hug, but was coldly rejected.
It was the same with her mother, with her elder sister, and with Xu Zeli. When she saw Xu Zeli, her resentment, disgust, and calmness were real, but when he was not in front of her, she thought of all the good things in the past and could not control her tears and sadness.
Some people's feelings will fade away when they can't see each other, and slowly their feelings will become pale and powerless. However, some people's feelings will become stronger and stronger when they can't see each other, and their memories of them will become more and more beautiful. Bei Bitang is the latter type of person.
"Here, wipe it off."
The voice was gentle and full of charm. Bei Bitang subconsciously looked up and followed the voice. Her eyes were blurred with tears and she could not see the face of the person in front of her. She only vaguely sensed that the other person was a man, tall, dressed in black, and from the sound of his voice, he should be young. He reached out and handed her a blue handkerchief.
Bei Bitang's tears stopped flowing from her eyes. She was stunned. After a moment, she realized that she had been seen crying by a strange young man.
Bei Bitang's face flushed red. She reached out to take the handkerchief, closed her eyes, and slowly wiped them. "Thank you."
Gu Wangxi didn't know why he did this. He has always been indifferent. Other people's sadness has nothing to do with him. He is a gentleman, but that is just etiquette, not his nature.
By the time he realized what he was doing, he had already walked up to the young girl and handed her the blue silk handkerchief from his lapel.
Seeing the other party take it, Gu Wangxi couldn't help but frowned.
Bei Bitang wiped her face thoroughly and looked up. There was nothing in front of her. There was no young man. She looked down at the handkerchief in her hand. It wasn't an illusion.
Bei Bitang couldn't help but stand up and looked around, but still didn't see any similar figure. She sat down dejectedly and found a paper bag next to her.
This should also be something left by a strange man. Could it be sugar-roasted chestnuts? Judging from the packaging, it really looks like it. Bei Bitang took it and opened it to take a look.
The young man not only left her a handkerchief, but also a small bag of rice.
A fat pigeon walked to Bei Bitang's feet and pecked her shoes lightly.
Bei Bitang glanced at the fat pigeon, then at the rice in her hand. She couldn't help but laugh and whispered, "You have a really good nose."
The fat pigeon's small eyes fixed on Bei Bitang, and then pecked her. Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'll feed you right away, don't worry."
A pigeon? Could a flock of pigeons be far behind? Within two or three seconds, a large flock of pigeons appeared in the open space in front of Bei Bitang.
A huge flock of them, their brown and white wings fluttering, stirred up a small breeze. Bei Bitang smiled as she scattered rice, selecting a few to pet on the head.
Several Hong Kong businessmen came back from the restroom and found Gu Wangxi empty-handed. They were all puzzled. A man about Gu Wangxi's age asked, "Julian, where's the pigeon food you're holding?"
Gu Wangxi spread his hands and said helplessly, "It was taken away by pigeons. Several pigeons just now worked together. One flew around in front of me, disturbing me, and the others grabbed the bag and flew away."
Several Hong Kong businessmen burst into laughter, and even the most serious ones in Zhongshan suits couldn't help but smile.
Gu Wangxi thought to himself, this is good, everyone is happy, this side is happy, and the girl over there should also be happily feeding the pigeons. God knows, he just doesn't want to squat on the ground and feed pigeons with a group of big men in formal suits.
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