Chapter 33
◎ Gu Wangxi turned his head away, expressing boredom. Zhou Lechan's words did not hurt him at all◎
Gu Wangxi turned his head away, expressing boredom. Zhou Lechan's words didn't hurt him at all; she wasn't his girlfriend. Besides, facts spoke louder than words. He had genuine confidence, so he didn't care what others said.
The person involved didn't react at all. Huo Shixun's laughter didn't last long. He said with a red face, "Wangxi, I think you were quite annoyed by what happened between Zhao Chenggang and Zhou Lechan tonight, right?"
Gu Wangxi didn't say anything and agreed.
Huo Shixun continued, "Seriously, Wangxi, you really should find a girlfriend. Otherwise, more and more people who want to be matchmakers will bring you directly to you. Will they let you go as a good son-in-law, niece-in-law, or nephew-in-law? If you keep rejecting them one by one, people will think you are ungrateful."
Gu Wangxi frowned slightly. From Hong Kong to Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and then to Shanghai, there was a constant stream of people trying to matchmake him for someone else. Some even brought people to knock on his hotel room door.
Gu Wangxi quickly relaxed his frown, regained his composure, and said, "Let's talk about it later."
Huo Shixun suggested, "As long as you find a girlfriend to block it out, even if there are a few rumors, you don't have to get married, and you won't have these troubles."
Seeing Gu Wangxi's disapproval, Huo Shixun explained, "You don't have to feel sorry for others. Think about it, you are rich and beautiful, and you have never had a girlfriend. You are not a playboy. You have all the qualities of a good boyfriend. The other party is not at a disadvantage. He is dating a handsome man who is rich, young, and intelligent."
Huo Shixun watched Gu Wangxi's car drive away, smoked a cigarette on the spot, and said softly: "Wangxi, if you find a girlfriend soon, my sister will give up sooner."
Two weeks later, Bei Bitang received her first month's salary. Although the money was not much, only 17.5 yuan, she was in a very good mood, the best she had ever felt since returning to Shanghai.
The red sun is high in the sky, cicadas are chirping, and there are few pedestrians.
Bei Bitang rarely slept in on her day off. When she woke up, she found that Miao Xiuxiu had not left any breakfast for her, but she was not angry.
Take a slow shower and change into going-out clothes.
Before leaving, Miao Xiuxiu told her to remember to buy groceries and cook for lunch. Bei Bitang said nothing.
Miao Xiuxiu muttered, "Now he's really capable. He even sleeps in and doesn't even cook breakfast."
Before going to bed last night, Bei Bitang told Miao Xiuxiu that she would sleep in tomorrow. She also indirectly told Miao Xiuxiu that she couldn't make breakfast and that someone else would do it.
Miao Xiuxiu said she was lazy.
Bei Bitang retorted that she never got up to cook lunch for the family when her eldest sister was resting, let alone her eldest brother-in-law.
Miao Xiuxiu choked. There was nothing she could do; she had to make breakfast the next day.
Lin Bilan and Uncle Huang didn't say a word about this. Whoever made breakfast would be their turn anyway.
Bei Bitang went out and came to the nearest noodle shop near her home. She ordered a bowl of scallion oil noodles and savored it carefully.
Bei Bitang spent nearly an hour eating a bowl of noodles. She left the noodle shop and walked under the scorching midday sun to the grocery store to find Feng Guangmei.
Seeing the sweat on Bei Bitang's forehead, Feng Guangmei quickly invited her in and turned sideways to give her the seat in front of the electric fan.
Bei Bitang felt the cool breeze from the floor fan, staring at it intently, and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this fan expensive?"
Feng Guangmei replied, "It's not bad, just over 80 yuan, plus a fan ticket. There are more expensive ones, this one only has two buttons, and there's a bigger one with four buttons, which costs over 200 yuan."
Bei Bitang said enviously, "Your salary and living conditions are really good. You even have an electric fan. Many dual-income families don't even have that at home."
Feng Guangmei lowered her voice and complained, "Don't mention it. The day before yesterday, our director finally took out the electric fan. I learned from my master that this year the store turned on the electric fans a month later than in previous years."
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Guangmei, I've received my salary. Have you received yours?"
Feng Guangmei instantly became happy and said happily: "I got it too."
Bei Bitang asked Feng Guangmei about her night shift, and then they each bought a twenty-cent soda, drinking and chatting. After Feng Guangmei finished work and had lunch, Bei Bitang left the grocery store and went to the vegetable market to buy some vegetables to take home.
Bei Bitang put the tofu and green vegetables in the kitchen, then went to the inner room, lowered the curtain, and changed into cooler clothes.
Miao Xiuxiu drank barley tea and complained that it was so hot.
Bei Bitang sat on the bed, leaning against the wall, took out the high school Chinese textbook and read it slowly.
The sun was shining brightly, and even with the curtains drawn, the light in the room was bright enough.
After reading most of the page, Miao Xiuxiu's words came from outside. She asked Bei Bitang: "Aren't you going to make lunch yet?"
Bei Bitang didn't even raise her head, her eyes still on the textbook, and said in a calm tone: "Guangmei bought me a soda. I'm not hungry, so I won't have lunch."
Meaning if you want to eat lunch, make it yourself.
After a while, Miao Xiuxiu finally spoke: "It's so hot today! I don't have much of an appetite either. I'll just pour some hot water into the leftover rice and eat a mouthful or two."
Miao Xiuxiu waited for a long time, but Bei Bitang didn't say to her with concern, "Mom, let me go cook and make you something nutritious."
The inner room was quiet. Miao Xiuxiu stood up, hummed, and went to the kitchen.
Bei Bitang also waited for a long time, but did not see Miao Xiuxiu come in to lift the curtain and educate her.
Bei Bitang was a bit puzzled and fell into deep thought. Miao Xiuxiu had been much more tolerant of her recently. In the past, she had always been the one to force herself, but Miao Xiuxiu always managed to outmaneuver her, and in the end, she was the one who gave in. This tactic of Miao Xiuxiu's had always been effective against her.
Is it because the children have grown up that parents are no longer as tough?
Bei Bitang thought about it without paying much attention, and finally her mind returned to the textbook.
Bei Bitang did not maintain her good mood for the whole day.
The postman downstairs was calling her, so she hurried downstairs and the postman handed her a bright red invitation.
Bei Bitang's face darkened. She stared at the gilded font on the surface of the big red hardcover book. There were four big words: Wedding Invitation.
Her fingers turned white as she opened the invitation and took a look.
At the very top, right in the middle, are three big words: Invitation.
Then it goes on to say that Comrade Bei Bitang is sincerely invited to take the position.
Groom: Xu Zeli, Bride: Zeng Linlin
A small banquet has been specially prepared, and we sincerely invite you to attend.
Then came the time and place of the wedding banquet, signed by Xu Zeli and Zeng Linlin.
Needless to say, the person who sent her this wedding invitation must be Xu Zeli. Who else could it be besides him? It couldn't be his fiancée, could it? It was very likely that the bride-to-be didn't even know she existed. Bei Bitang couldn't help but speculate about Xu Zeli with the utmost malice.
Bei Bitang was so angry at Xu Zeli's shamelessness that her chest heaved and her face flushed red.
She stared at the name "Zeng Linlin" for a long time and remembered it deeply.
Bei Bitang closed the invitation roughly and walked quickly to the other end of the phone room with a lot of unexpressed anger.
This was the first time Bei Bitang took the initiative to call Xu Zeli.
Xu Zeli ran to the phone booth with a smile on his face, picked up the phone, and said in surprise, "Bitang, you finally decided to call me."
Bei Bitang was furious and asked loudly, "Xu Zeli, what do you mean by sending me an invitation?!"
Xu Zeli said with a smile: "Bitang, how did you know it was me who sent it to you?"
Xu Zeli's tone made Bei Bitang even more angry. She gritted her teeth and said, "Only you can do such a shameless thing."
The smile in Xu Zeli's tone disappeared. He said, "Bitang, didn't I tell you last time that my wedding was postponed? Now it's been rescheduled. I thought of sending you an invitation so that you don't worry about me, and you can also share in my joy."
Xu Zeli grew more and more excited as he spoke. He continued boastfully, "Bitang, you can rest assured. The wedding preparations are all complete. My family doesn't have to spend a penny more. My mother-in-law has already handed over all the cash. You don't have to worry about me not returning your mere thousand yuan."
Bei Bitang was so angry that her breathing became heavier. It had only been a short time, but Xu Zeli's face had become thicker and thicker, and his tone of voice had become more and more greasy. He looked like a middle-aged man with a big belly and a bald head.
Xu Zeli had been feeling very happy recently, but as he had hoped, Zeng Linlin's trip abroad didn't happen. The Zeng family had no choice but to focus on preparing for his and Zeng Linlin's wedding.
He was in high spirits, and was flattered by many people who had once looked down on him and whom he could not even reach. Gradually, he became arrogant, and spoke like a teacher, like a seasoned old man.
Bei Bitang took a deep breath and interrupted him, saying, "Xu Zeli, you invited your ex-girlfriend to your wedding because you were afraid I might bump into the bride."
Speaking of the word "ex-girlfriend," Bei Bitang almost vomited. Xu Zeli showed no respect for himself, nor for his future wife.
Xu Zeli was silent for a few seconds and said, "No, it's not just you, Bitang, that I invited. I also invited other female classmates from junior high school. Bitang, you can blend in with them and won't be discovered. Linlin loves me and she's not a mean person."
Bei Bitang remained silent. Xu Zeli spoke earnestly, "Bitang, you don't want to come, do you? I'm doing this for your own good. The banquet was booked at the Renhe Hotel near Jing'an Temple. They weren't accepting any other guests that day, so the entire restaurant was booked out just for my wedding. Twenty-five tables in total, and the food alone cost over ten thousand yuan, not including the cigarettes and alcohol. We felt the hotel's cigarettes and alcohol weren't high-quality enough, so we bought our own."
"Not only is the wedding banquet grand, but the people who come to attend it are even more extraordinary. Bitang, you will never meet any of them in your life. I want you to come and broaden your horizons. This is my intention as an old classmate. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in this life. Bitang, you must come and don't let me down. Renhe Pavilion, the first Saturday of next month, Bitang, remember it."
Bei Bitang didn't say whether she would come or not. She hung up the phone with a gloomy face.
Xu Zeli on the other end heard the busy tone, smiled indifferently, hung up the phone, and walked back home with a proud look on his face.
Bei Bitang muttered to herself, "Zeng Linlin."
She looked up at the direct sunlight, her eyes stinging so much that tears were about to come out. For the first time, she had the urge to take revenge on someone.
Among the four great joys in life, Xu Zeli had the honor of passing the imperial examination, but he could not have everything he wanted.
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