An older sister who had never seen Pei Yan sighed after seeing his appearance: "This young man looks really energetic, no wonder..." She wanted to say, no wonder Hua Jin rejected Qin Jie's boyfriend when she introduced him to her. But before she could say this, she swallowed it back because she thought it would offend people.
"This is a match made in heaven." Sister Qin pretended not to know what she was thinking and nudged Hua Jin with her elbow. "Why don't you go and get him? If they keep staring at you like this, I'm afraid your boyfriend will be scared away by their eyes."
Hua Jin put down the half-peeled garlic, washed her hands in the basin, walked up to Pei Yan and asked, "Why did you buy so many things?"
"I prepared gift boxes for them." Pei Yan pretended not to notice other people's eyes and put the gift boxes on the wooden table. The wooden table looked a little old, but it had been washed early in the morning and placed in the open space in front of the house to dry.
"It's so cold today. Are your hands pinched?" Hua Jin grabbed his hand, spread his fingers and felt them, then generously took Pei Yan to greet the neighbors.
After some good-natured teasing, the neighbors asked Hua Jin to take Pei Yan to sit inside for a while as it was windy outside.
"It's okay. We are all here, chatting and having fun together." Pei Yan distributed the gift boxes to everyone. "Thank you all for taking care of Huahua."
"Why be so polite? It's not a big deal for neighbors to help each other." When Old Lady Chen saw Pei Yan driving a luxury car and wearing a high-end suit, she knew that he must have an extraordinary family background. She was happy that Hua Jin found a good boyfriend, but she was also worried that rich men were unfaithful and could not be loyal to her.
No one present was familiar with Pei Yan, and his imposing manner made everyone unconsciously polite, and the atmosphere on the scene became restrained and awkward.
Seeing that everyone was unable to move freely, Hua Jin pulled Pei Yan to sit on the small stool next to her: "Come, help me peel garlic."
Pei Yan looked at the small basin of garlic that had been soaked in water but had not yet been peeled, and obediently started to peel it like Hua Jin.
"Have you peeled it before?" Hua Jin asked.
"I have peeled it before." Pei Yan recalled carefully, "When I was in college, I went out for a picnic with my friends and peeled it a few times. It was quite interesting."
Hua Jin: “…”
"You rich people have quite unique hobbies."
"In a harmonious society, everyone is equal. We oppose discrimination against the rich." Pei Yan put the peeled garlic into the bowl, "Be nice to your boyfriend."
Hua Jin smiled and bumped Pei Yan with her shoulder. The two leaned against each other and talked in whispers.
Sister Qin, who was originally sitting next to Hua Jin, saw that the young couple was peeling garlic with great affection, so she picked up her own small stool and stood up to join the other neighbors.
"How is it?" The female neighbor asked Sister Qin when she saw her coming over, "I think these two have a good relationship. Can they really make it?"
"I think Mr. Pei treats Huahua very well. He doesn't act like a rich man in front of us. If he didn't like Huahua, how could he do this?" Seeing that Sister Qin didn't say anything, the female neighbor continued, "In the past, we all wondered when Huahua would find a boyfriend. I didn't expect that she would find a boyfriend at all. Once she found one, it would be a top-notch one."
"What can I see? I think the relationship between the two is pretty good." Sister Qin sorted the dishes on the table, "Stop gossiping. Are the pickled radishes for the duck soup ready?"
"Oh, I forgot." The neighbor stood up and said, "I'll get some from the jar of pickled cabbage at home."
Seeing her leave, Sister Qin breathed a sigh of relief. As a woman with an unsuccessful marriage, she really didn't dare to say too much for fear of being a pessimist.
"I didn't expect there are so many people living in this building. It's quite lively." Everyone gathered together to chat, cook and wash vegetables together. This experience was new to him.
"We all come from all over the country to make a living in the big city. Those who can afford to rent a house here are already considered to be relatively well-off." Seeing that Pei Yan was very interested in peeling garlic, Hua Jin placed half a pot of garlic in front of him and began to sort the garlic herself. "After this meal, it will be difficult for us to meet again in the future."
They are tenants, temporary neighbors, and it is fate that brings them together. But they are all passers-by in this city, and it is difficult for them to spend energy to get together again because they have to work hard to make a living.
Pei Yan probably couldn't understand this kind of living condition, but Hua Jin didn't want him to understand either.
Pei Yan looked at her worriedly: "Are you sad?"
"I'm a little reluctant, but people always have to move forward and look ahead." Hua Jin smiled and skillfully removed the skin at the root of the scallion, leaving the white and tender root. "For people who make a living outside, separation is the norm."
"I am alone, and you are alone too." Pei Yan smiled, "But when we walk together, we become a family. From now on, you don't have to wander around. No matter where you go, the lights at home will be on and waiting for you to come back."
Hua Jin looked at him blankly, and suddenly smiled.
She was born into an unexpected family. She had a family, but she lived like an outsider. In fact, she had no family after her grandmother passed away. She was Aunt Gao's apprentice, and Aunt Gao treated her very well, but an apprentice is an apprentice and can never become a family member.
She was not afraid of being alone, but now someone told her that he wanted to build a family with her.
Not to give her a home, but to form a home with her.
"Okay." Hua Jin smiled, "If possible, I want to have a home with you."
"After dinner, we'll go home." Pei Yan said happily, "Our room..."
"Wait." Hua Jin interrupted him, "Before we got married, there was no room for us, only your room and my room."
"Oh..." Pei Yan's hands, which were peeling garlic frantically, slowed down.
At lunch time, everyone brought the prepared food and drinks to the table, opened the beer, and filled everyone's glasses. When pouring wine for Pei Yan, Hua Jin held his glass and said, "We agreed not to pour his wine, so stop making trouble."
"It's okay, drink a little..." Pei Yan was stopped by Hua Jin before he could finish his words.
"What do you mean it's okay? You will have skin allergies if you drink too much. Don't you know that?" Hua Jin glared at him and said to the neighbor, "He has to help me move things and drive later. I can just drink the wine."
"Don't drink and drive, you're right." After hearing that Pei Yan was allergic to alcohol, everyone stopped making a fuss and skipped Pei Yan and continued to pour wine for the next person.
Pei Yan glanced at Hua Jin silently: "..."
No, when did he become allergic to alcohol?
"Don't talk." Hua Jin glared at him and whispered in his ear, "You don't usually drink, and if you suddenly start drinking, it will hurt your brain."
"I only drink a little."
"Today we are all together, once we start drinking, we can't just drink a little bit. If you get drunk, how can you take care of me?" Hua Jin said confidently, "Today is my home court, you just have to accompany me for dinner."
"Okay." Pei Yan laughed and put some food in her bowl with chopsticks, "Eat some food first to fill your stomach."
He didn't stop Hua Jin from drinking, he knew she wanted to drink today. The only thing he could do was to feed her a few bites of food and soup from time to time.
"My hometown is in the north. I saved money two years ago and bought a house in the county town. I only live there for a few days a year, but now that I have a house, my son is studying in the city, and when his classmates ask him where he is, he can hold his head high." After a few glasses of wine, everyone started talking. "I have been working hard outside for so many years, just to give my parents and children a good life?" The man who was talking wiped his face, "Come on, let's have a drink."
When talking about the elderly and children at home, the neighbors all had something to say, and the chatter was very lively. Sister Qin had to take care of the children, so she didn't drink. He tilted his head to look at his son sitting next to him and scooped him a bowl of soup. Xiao Hai drank the soup and picked up a chicken wing for her, "Mom, you eat too."
Sister Qin smiled, and her smile became even more obvious when she saw Pei Yan, who was sitting opposite her and removing fish bones from Hua Jin.
Hua Jin doesn't usually drink, so her alcohol tolerance is not very good. After a few glasses of beer, her cheeks were stained red. She opened her mouth and ate what Pei Yan fed her, then smiled brightly at Pei Yan, her eyes shining like stars.
Pei Yan couldn't help but pinch her cheek: "Are you drunk?"
Shaking her dizzy head, Hua Jin smiled, "I'm awake."
"Yeah, you're very sober." Pei Yan fed the bowl of soup to Hua Jin's mouth, "Drink a sip."
Hua Jin drank it obediently.
He is usually so obedient, he is obviously drunk.
"There's a saying that goes 'It's not the wine that makes you drunk, it's you who makes you drunk.'" Hua Jin wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue, "Pei Yan, I'm... happy today."
Although there was separation and reluctance, she still felt an irrepressible joy.
"Hua Jin, I wish you and Mr. Pei a happy and long-lasting marriage." A female neighbor raised her glass and looked at Hua Jin and Pei Yan and said, "When I first moved here, I was unfamiliar with this place, but you took me shopping and took me shopping. When I fell ill and passed out, you noticed something was wrong with me and called an ambulance for me. I am really grateful to you."
"Upstairs and downstairs, there's no need to say these polite words." Hua Jin clinked glasses with the female neighbor and drank the wine in the glass. "When I was sick, wasn't it you who accompanied me to the hospital to pay the bills and get the medicine?"
"Yes, I'm lucky to meet neighbors like you when I'm working hard outside." The female neighbor filled her own glass and toasted everyone.
"From now on, everyone should take good care of their health. You can never make enough money, but you have to live your life well."
"cheers!"
"Dry."
As the wine went down, Hua Jin's eyes became brighter and brighter. By the time the wine and food were all gone, half of the people present were drunk. Pei Yan held Hua Jin's shoulders, listened to everyone's drunken talk, and gently helped her wipe the corners of her mouth.
The banquet was over, but no one said they wanted to leave.
Finally, it was the oldest, Mrs. Chen, who sighed, glanced at everyone, and whispered, "Go away."
No one spoke.
"I made some sauce for everyone. Everyone can take a bottle home to eat." Old Mrs. Chen stood up and tapped her shoulder. "Let's go, let's go."
The first to leave were a couple who had only lived here for half a year. People gradually stood up and began to go back to their rooms to pack their things.
When Pei Yan helped Hua Jin up and was about to send her back to her room, he was suddenly stopped by a middle-aged woman.
"Mr. Pei." Sister Qin walked up to Pei Yan and seemed to have a lot to say. She stared at the two of them for a while before uttering a few words, "Take good care of her."
"I will." Pei Yan nodded.
"Well, goodbye." Sister Qin held Xiao Hai's hand and said, "Xiao Hai, say goodbye to Sister Hua Jin."
Hua Jin opened her eyes. She felt dizzy and lost her usual rationality and scruples when she spoke: "Sister Qin, take good care of Xiao Hai. He is a good boy."
"I know." Sister Qin smiled, "You have to take care of yourself too."
Hua Jin touched Xiao Hai's head and said, "You have such a good brain, you must be a smart child. Don't keep things to yourself in the future. The most important thing for children and parents is not to be angry, but to communicate."
Xiao Hai whispered: "Sister Hua Jin, I can't bear to leave you."
"Communication is so advanced nowadays, we can meet whenever we want." Hua Jin smiled, "Take care of yourself and your mother."
"Yeah!" Xiao Hai nodded heavily.
Pei Yan helped Hua Jin upstairs and found that Hua Jin had already packed up her things. Several large boxes were neatly placed in the corner, and the whole room was empty.
"Are we leaving now?" Pei Yan helped her sit down on the chair, "Is there anything you left behind?"
Hua Jin shook her head, put her arms around his waist and said nothing.
"Then I'll have someone come up to move the things, and I'll take you down. Do you want to say goodbye to your neighbors again? Do you have their contact information?" Pei Yan was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable, so he patted her back gently.
"No need. For those of us who make a living outside, we will meet a lot of people. After we separate, even if we have contact information, we won't keep in touch often." Hua Jin sighed, "Fortunately, I have you now, otherwise I will definitely be sad."
When you have too little, losing even a little bit will make you feel miserable. But now she has a complete love, and she feels relieved when facing separation.
"So do you want me to carry you down or carry you down on my back?" Pei Yan took the opportunity to ruffle her hair.
"There are kids in the building. It would be embarrassing to carry them down. Carry me on your back." Hua Jin's voice was a little unclear. "When it rained in elementary school, other students had their parents come to pick them up. The roads were muddy and difficult to walk on after the rain. Many parents of pre-schoolers and first and second graders would carry their children on their backs."
"But I've never been carried on my back." Hua Jin pouted, "Not even once."
Pei Yan bent down and kissed her forehead, then he bent over and carefully carried Hua Jin on his back, whispering, "Little Hua, you are really heavy."
"I'm not heavy, I just ate too much at noon." Hua Jin hugged Pei Yan's neck, "You should exercise."
"Okay, I'll go exercise and try to be able to carry you when I'm in my seventies or eighties." Pei Yan carried her out of the room and met several assistants who had caught up with him.
"Mr. Pei..." The assistant was stunned when he saw Pei Yan, dressed in a neat suit, carrying his girlfriend on his back.
"The things are in the room, let's move them downstairs." Pretending not to notice the assistants' surprised looks, Pei Yan carried Hua Jin downstairs.
Hua Jin was already very drunk, but she was clear-headed. She knew who was behind her back. She put her arms around his neck and leaned against him with confidence.
"Mr. Pei." Old Mrs. Chen, who was waiting in the corridor on the second floor, saw Pei Yan coming down with Hua Jin on his back. "Your car is parked there. I'll take you there."
"There are some sauces and medicinal wine in it. Xiaohua has a bad knee. When it rains, rub it with this medicinal wine and it will feel better." Old Mrs. Chen followed Pei Yan, chattering about some trivial things.
When she reached the first floor, she met an assistant who was waiting downstairs, and Mrs. Chen handed the things to him.
Pei Yan stopped and said to Old Lady Chen: "Thank you for taking care of Huahua. Take care of yourself. Goodbye."
"You guys have to be well." Old Mrs. Chen wiped her eyes, "Don't let her down. This child has not been easy."
Pei Yan nodded, carrying the person on his back, and left the dilapidated old building step by step, very firmly.
The author has something to say: Pei Yan: What I carry on my back is my heart, my liver, and three quarters of my life.
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