Chapter 118 The Flowing Water Has Intentions "What?!" He...
"What?!" Aunt He's eyes widened, and she shouted loudly.
Aunt Li and Teacher Hou turned around when they heard the noise. Mingxi didn't want Aunt He to come out and cause any trouble, so she tugged at Aunt He's sleeve, gave her a look to signal her not to speak, and then waved her hand with a smile, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Aunt He's eyesight is failing her and she mistook the tree branch for a snake."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Li and Teacher Hou turned their heads back.
Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time let go of Aunt He's sleeve.
Holding her breath, Aunt He leaned close to Mingxi's ear and whispered, "Mingxi, are you serious? Does Teacher Hou have feelings for your Aunt Li?"
She frowned and said, "Are you overthinking this? I don't see it coming from you."
Mingxi looked at the two heads that were already pressed together not far away, and then looked back at Aunt He.
Isn't Teacher Hou making it quite obvious?
Following Mingxi's gaze, Aunt He hissed and said, "Looking at it this way, these two seem a little intimate..."
Mingxi: "Right, right, you think so too!"
But Aunt He was still unsure. She waved her hand and said, "Xiao Ming, you don't understand. Teacher Hou is a kind-hearted person. Once he starts talking about books and poetry, he never stops. He's the same with everyone."
If anyone else were this close to Aunt Li, Aunt He would definitely be suspicious, but Teacher Hou is different from the others.
Aunt He still remembers the first time Teacher Hou appeared. It was the first day she and Aunt Li set up their stall. They had just put their things down when Teacher Hou arrived.
Just like today, when Teacher Hou arrived, he first inquired about Xiao Gao, who sells large bowls of tea, before walking over to their stall.
At that time, Teacher Hou saw the tiger-head shoes on Aunt Li's stall and said that they were very finely made and suitable for children. He planned to buy a pair and send them to his newborn grandson.
However, because they lived thousands of miles apart, Teacher Hou didn't know how big her grandson's feet were or what size shoes to choose, so she asked Aunt Li for advice. Aunt Li, being experienced, simply asked Teacher Hou how old her grandson was. She explained that children's feet are all about the same size, and even if they're a little bigger, they won't be that much bigger. She suggested choosing shoes based on age, saying that about half the size should be fine.
Based on what Teacher Hou said about the child's size, she chose a slightly larger size, saying, "I estimate that your grandson currently wears shoes that are a size smaller than this, but since your grandson lives elsewhere, it will take some time to send them to him. So I've given you a little extra and chosen a size larger, so that your grandson can wear them as his feet grow. When it comes to shoes, it's better to choose a larger size than a smaller one. A larger size can be used to insert insoles, and a smaller size is difficult to alter."
Teacher Hou followed Aunt Li's advice and readily bought the items. He even praised Aunt Li for the beautiful embroidery of the "Fu" character on her tiger-head shoes, saying that she must have practiced before, otherwise the characters could not have been written so well.
Aunt Li laughed. What calligraphy had she ever practiced? She'd never been to school. When she was little, there was an old lady living nearby. Everyone said the old lady was eccentric and difficult to get along with, but Aunt Li got along with her perfectly and would often visit her. Later, she learned that the old lady was a seamstress who had escaped from the palace in the old society. She didn't know what fate had brought, but the old lady really liked Aunt Li and even taught her her embroidery skills, which were her livelihood.
Aunt Li didn't understand this when she was young, and she didn't study it seriously, so she only learned a little bit. The things she embroidered were only of average quality. The only thing she learned well was probably the old lady's skill in tracing characters.
When Aunt Li told Teacher Hou about this, she was quite emotional. When she was little, she thought she was just stupid and didn't seriously learn the old lady's embroidery skills. But now, looking back, she realized that the old lady didn't actually teach her embroidery skills seriously. Instead, she taught her to recognize characters by embroidering them.
Perhaps for her, it wasn't important whether the embroidery skills were passed down or not; what was more important was whether Aunt Li could learn more characters.
Aunt Li recounted this strange story, saying she had never been to school in her life, only learning a few characters from the old lady and attending a few days of literacy classes. Upon hearing this, Teacher Hou's professional instincts kicked in, and he immediately offered to teach Aunt Li to read. To prevent her from getting bored, he even used reciting poetry to teach her.
Bored on the day she set up her stall, Aunt He went over to listen for a bit, but found that Teacher Hou was talking about poems and lyrics, which made her sleepy, so she went to other stalls to ask for gossip.
Seeing that Teacher Hou and the other person were talking about poetry again, Aunt He couldn't help but say, "Xiao Ming, do you think you might be overthinking it? Teacher Hou just wants to talk about poetry with Old Li?"
Otherwise, which elderly couple is dating and one of them is lecturing the other?
Mingxi was initially quite certain, but after Aunt He's words, she couldn't help but start to have doubts.
She sensed that Teacher Hou was much more enthusiastic towards Aunt Li, and his eyes lit up noticeably when he looked at Aunt Li.
But... it seems that teachers react this way even to good students?
Mingxi scratched his head uncertainly: "Am I overthinking it?"
She couldn't help but crane her neck and secretly observe the direction of Aunt Li and Teacher Hou. She saw Teacher Hou standing next to Aunt Li, holding a book of poems in one hand and pointing at the words on the book with the other, explaining it to Aunt Li word by word. Aunt Li's head was very close to Teacher Hou's, but her eyes were fixed on the words on the book, and she didn't spare any attention for Teacher Hou next to her.
However, Teacher Hou would occasionally look up at Aunt Li with a gentle gaze.
Mingxi understood: Aunt Li might not necessarily be interested in Teacher Hou, but Teacher Hou definitely was interested in Aunt Li.
Mingxi whispered this to Aunt He, who observed carefully for a while and also noticed that something was wrong with Teacher Hou.
She paused for a moment, then sighed, "I never imagined that these days, an old man would pursue an old woman by lecturing her."
It's fortunate that Aunt Li is a studious person. If it were her, she would have lost interest as soon as Teacher Hou opened his mouth and said goodbye to him in her mind.
Teacher Hou chatted with Aunt Li for a while until another customer arrived at the stall. Only then did Teacher Hou take his leave. Before leaving, he invited Aunt Li, saying, "Tomorrow afternoon, retired teachers from our school will be holding a book club nearby. Everyone will share a good book they have recently read. Would you like to come and take a look?"
Aunt Li hesitated: "Is it inappropriate for me to go? I know all the retired teachers at your school, and I'm the only outsider..."
Teacher Hou: "It's okay. The book club was originally formed by retired teachers from our school for their own enjoyment, but later many outsiders joined, and not everyone knows each other. Even if you don't share, just coming to listen to others' sharing is fine too."
Aunt Li: "I..."
Teacher Hou warmly invited, "Come on, come on! After our book club meeting, we can have lunch together. And I also have a good book to share with you."
After thinking for a moment, Aunt Li finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll participate."
Teacher Hou smiled slightly and made an appointment with Aunt Li: "Then see you tomorrow."
After Teacher Hou left, Mingxi and Aunt He immediately went up to him. Aunt He smiled and joked, "Not bad, Lao Li, you're already making plans to go out for dinner together!"
She winked at Aunt Li, who was taken aback. After realizing what she meant, Aunt Li blushed and said angrily, "Old He, what nonsense are you talking about? Teacher Hou and I are just going to attend a book club together!"
Aunt He shook her head: "I'm not making this up. You think you're just joining a book club with him, but I don't think Teacher Hou necessarily thinks that way."
"If you don't believe me, ask Mingxi. She was the one who discovered it first!" Aunt He pointed her finger in Mingxi's direction, trying to shift the blame.
Mingxi's expression froze, and she puffed out her cheeks and blew bubbles.
Seeing that Aunt Li's expression was bewildered and didn't seem to be faking it, Aunt He couldn't help but say, "Really? Old Li, you really didn't realize that Teacher Hou has feelings for you!"
"Old He, don't talk nonsense, how could that be!" Aunt Li's first reaction was to deny it.
Aunt He: "How is it impossible? Xiaoming and I saw it clearly just now. Teacher Hou's eyes were different when he looked at you. He even brought you a collection of poems and talked about poetry with you. It's obvious that he's interested in you."
Aunt Li: "Teacher Hou has just been a teacher for a long time and doesn't want to give up on anyone who wants to acquire knowledge. Didn't he even give books to Xiao Gao?"
Aunt He: "He also invited you to dinner! Didn't he just ask you to have dinner together?"
Aunt Li: "That was just a side trip, I just went to the book club and had lunch there!"
Aunt Li was in a state of confusion and didn't want to argue with Aunt He anymore. She simply waved her hand at Aunt He and said, "Go away, you who can't keep your mouth shut, stop talking nonsense. It's fine if you talk about me, after all, this is how my life is. But don't drag Teacher Hou into it. Teacher Hou is a good person. He had a hard time in the past and finally got through it. If he has any more impact on my reputation, I will never forgive myself for the rest of my life."
Mingxi disagreed with what Aunt Li said.
She tightened her small face and said seriously, "Aunt Li, what are you saying? How could someone like you be so despicable? What kind of person are you? And how did your life end up like this? How can you be so insignificant about yourself?"
She said, "I think you are very capable. Look how good your craftsmanship is, how exquisite your embroidery is, and how beautiful these tiger-head shoes are. With this skill, you are better than most of the women in our Beicheng."
Hearing Mingxi's words, Aunt Li couldn't help but smile, but the smile quickly disappeared.
Aunt Li said, "So what if someone can make tiger-head shoes? There are plenty of people who can. It's not like there are many people like me who, at my age, are shameless enough to insist on getting a divorce."
Mingxi frowned: "Did someone come to you and gossip about you?"
She snorted and said, "Why bother with those gossipy people? You know them all too well. They talk about this and that behind people's backs all day long. They can't stand it if they don't gossip about people every day. Even Aunt He is too lazy to pay attention to them. Why do you take their words to heart?"
Aunt He nodded subconsciously: "That's right, even I..." She suddenly turned her head, staring straight at Mingxi, "Hey, no, Mingxi, explain to me what you mean by 'even I can't be bothered to talk to them'?"
Oops, I accidentally blurted out my true feelings.
Mingxi chuckled dryly, trying to smooth things over, saying, "Well, Aunt He, don't misunderstand. I just said it without thinking. But that's not the point. The point is, Aunt Li, don't worry about what others say. Don't even mention your divorce. When Dong Chunling got divorced, those gossipy people in the alley talked about it for days. If you ask me, you should learn from Dong Chunling's composure. Eat and drink as usual, and don't take it to heart no matter who's talking about you. Unless some shameless person comes up to you and nags you to your face, then you don't have to put up with it. Just confront them directly, and Aunt He and I will be on your side and help you deal with them."
Aunt He chimed in, "That's right, Lao Li, remember this: if anyone dares to come up to you and say anything to you, don't be afraid, just hit them back. If you can't beat them by yourself, call me, Xiao Ming, and the other people in the courtyard. If none of us are around, write down their name and come back to complain to us. We'll settle accounts with them then."
Aunt Li smiled helplessly.
Although many people have been gossiping about her behind her back lately, they are neighbors in the same courtyard and see each other all the time, so no one has embarrassed her to her face.
There was no need for Mingxi and Aunt He to help her with the accounts.
Mingxi and Aunt He were so indignant that they completely forgot about the matter of Teacher Hou that they had originally intended to discuss.
Mingxi spent most of the day in the small park with Aunt He and Aunt Li. Aunt He and Aunt Li sold most of their goods at their stalls, and as the sun began to set, they headed home.
Now that Aunt He can earn her own money, she's become more generous with her spending. On her way home, she passed a grocery store, went in, bought a pound of pork, and carried it home, saying, "I'm going to make dumplings when I get home today. Don't be shy, come to my house and have some dumplings with me!"
Mingxi: "I appreciate your kindness, Aunt He, but my mom is making pork ribs today, so I'll be eating them at home."
"Alright, alright." Aunt He waved her hand and looked at Aunt Li: "Old Li, what about you? You live alone, and it's too much trouble for you to cook for yourself. Why don't you come to my house for dinner?"
Aunt Li shook her head: "No, my Lili said she was bringing her son-in-law home for dinner tonight."
Aunt He: "Okay then."
She muttered to herself, "Life is so good now. I make dumplings and invite people over, but no one comes."
Mingxi returned to the courtyard with Aunt He and Aunt Li. At this time, Aunt Li's daughter, Sun Lili, and her husband had already arrived and were sitting in the kang (a traditional Chinese room). Upon seeing Aunt Li, Sun Lili immediately pulled her husband out of the house.
"mom!"
Aunt Li: "Hey, Lili, why are you here so early?"
Sun Lili: "Mom, I brought you something."
As she spoke, she instructed her husband to bring out all the things she had brought for her mother from the main room. Sun Lili had prepared quite a lot of things, and unlike Sun Xuewen who brought things last time, Sun Lili brought practical items.
"Mom, this is a thermos I bought with the industrial ration coupons I exchanged with my colleagues. It's still inconvenient to have just one thermos in winter. These are sheepskin gloves I saw when I went shopping at the department store today. They're really warm, you should be able to use them this winter. And this is a new sweater I knitted for you these past few days..."
Sun Lili took things out one by one, and the people in the courtyard praised her for being filial. When Aunt Li heard everyone's praise, she couldn't stop smiling.
Only Old Man Sun felt uneasy.
He was quite happy to see Sun Lili carrying large bags of things back to her parents' home, assuming that Sun Lili had brought them for him. However, he did not expect that all of these things were prepared for Li Chunzhi, and there was nothing for him.
He was indignant. Li Chunzhi was Sun Lili's biological mother, but he was also Sun Lili's biological father. If it weren't for him, would there be Sun Lili? How could this brat not know who she should be filial to!
Old Sun is neither a man of substance nor a man of ambition, but he's unwilling to slink away and go home in disgrace.
He stood in the yard, humming occasionally to assert his presence, but unfortunately, neither Sun Lili, Aunt Li, nor anyone else in the yard paid him any attention.
Sun Lili prepared a lot of things for Aunt Li, but it wasn't convenient to take them all out to show them off. So, after showing them off for a while, Aunt Li pulled Sun Lili home.
Some people in the courtyard followed Aunt Li home to join in the fun. Mingxi had seen enough of the excitement, so she turned around and went home.
Zhao Sulan: "You're back? Who came to the front yard just now? I heard a lot of noise."
Mingxi: "Sun Lili and her husband brought some things to visit Aunt Li, and everyone in the courtyard went to join in the fun."
Zhao Sulan: "No wonder."
Mingxi gossiped with Zhao Sulan: "I noticed just now that Sun Lili brought back a bunch of things, but she didn't prepare anything for Grandpa Sun. She gave it all to Aunt Li to take home. Grandpa Sun looked really unhappy."
Others might not have noticed, but Old Sun was standing right next to Mingxi. Mingxi could see it clearly: Old Sun's face was as black as the bottom of a black pot.
"Serves you right."
Zhao Sulan rolled her eyes. Putting aside the fact that girls are considerate and can feel sorry for their mothers' hardships, Old Sun's attitude towards Sun Lili was completely deserved.
Sun Lili was Old Sun and Aunt Li's first child. When Aunt Li gave birth, Zhao Sulan was by her side helping out. When the baby was born, the nurse informed the waiting relatives that it was a girl. Old Sun and his wife, who was still alive at the time, immediately left with dark faces.
Aunt Li and her newborn daughter Sun Lili were left at the hospital. Fortunately, with the help of people like Zhao Sulan and Aunt Ma, Aunt Li was able to stay in the hospital until she was discharged and took her newborn daughter Sun Lili home.
When Aunt Li returned home, she didn't even have a proper postpartum period. The day after she got home, she was forced to do chores by Old Mrs. Sun. Before Sun Lili turned one year old, Aunt Li took care of her herself. Old Mr. Sun and Old Mrs. Sun never helped her at all.
Later, when Aunt Li was pregnant with her second child, Sun Xuewen, Old Mrs. Sun specially had someone examine her and found out that Aunt Li was carrying a boy. Only then did she take over taking care of Sun Lili for a while.
At that time, Sun Lili was about two or three years old. After getting through the most difficult period, she became sensible and could speak. Old Sun and his wife treated Sun Lili a little better.
Mingxi wasn't even born when these things happened, but Zhao Sulan witnessed it all, and she disliked Old Sun ever since.
No matter what, Sun Lili was Old Sun's own daughter. He said he'd abandon her at the hospital, and he really did. Before she was a year old and didn't understand anything, he never even held her. Even then, Zhao Sulan saw through Old Sun's cold-hearted nature.
Not to mention the time after Sun Lili became sensible, he and his wife took over the child.
Isn't this just picking fruit?
It's fortunate that Sun Lili was sensible early on; she had long been disappointed in Old Sun and didn't treat him like a father.
Mingxi was stunned; she had never heard Zhao Sulan mention these things before.
Zhao Sulan: "You were young before, so I couldn't tell you everything."
Mingxi: "..."
It feels like she missed out on so much.
But Zhao Sulan didn't intend to tell Mingxi anything. She patted Mingxi's head and said, "Alright, stop thinking about those things. The ribs are almost done stewing."
Mingxi raised her hand: "Let me taste it, let me taste the saltiness!"
Zhao Sulan: "...Go get the bowl."
-
The next day at work, Mingxi's task was still to write the script for the host with Weining.
Last week, the two of them finished writing their respective parts. Today, they are writing the part that they need to combine, and they are discussing how to write it.
Wei Ning: "I think this part can be written like this..."
Mingxi: "I agree. Let's break the sentence like this: you start with the part from the comma, then I'll continue with the second half of the sentence up to the comma, and then we'll combine the last half of the sentence?"
Wei Ning: "Okay."
But as they talked, Wei Ning couldn't help but veer off-topic: "Mingxi, is there anything you like?"
Mingxi glanced at him: "Why are you asking this?"
Wei Ning: "I'm not asking anything, just wondering. Don't you have anything you like?"
Mingxi: "Of course I do, I like money."
Wei Ning: "..."
His lips twitched slightly, and his well-defined fingers tightened. He said, "Besides money."
Mingxi: "There's plenty! I like all kinds of delicious food and drinks, fun things, valuable things, and things that cost money."
Wei Ning remained silent for a long time before saying, "Alright, let's continue revising the script."
Mingxi said "Oh" and buried her head in reading the script.
After a long day at work, as it was time to leave in the evening, Mingxi stood up with her backpack when Wei Ning asked, "Shall I take you home?"
Why not take advantage of this opportunity? It's on Wei Ning's way anyway.
Just as Mingxi was about to agree, she heard someone at the door say that someone was looking for her.
When Mingxi went outside, she saw that the person who had come was Guan Lixin.
Guan Lixin: "Come on, I've arranged a gathering. My family of four, you and Aunt Zhao, and Skinny Monkey, let's have a meal together as a family."
Upon hearing this, Mingxi knew that Guan Lixin probably had something important to say, so she nodded and said, "Okay, then wait for me to go home and call my mom."
Guan Lixin waved his hand: "No need, I've asked my parents to call Aunt Zhao. You can come with me to the restaurant, everyone else is already waiting there."
Mingxi: "Okay then."
Mingxi went back to her office, slung her bag over her shoulder, and said goodbye to Weining, "I have something to do today, so you don't need to see me off. Bye-bye!"
Mingxi waved and left, tossing her braid.
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