Then he looked at Qi Zhifang suspiciously. "Impossible! They work in the same factory, even a rabbit wouldn't eat the grass near its burrow! She wouldn't be so immoral, would she? Hopefully, something bad will happen and she won't get pregnant, otherwise it would be too embarrassing."
While she was still lost in thought, Zhao Dahu urged her to get in the car. His eyes swept across the room and he saw Qi Zhifang's expression. Zhao Dahu said in confusion, "Why is she looking at me like that? Like I'm crazy!"
Wei Shuqing rolled her eyes. Was Qi Zhifang looking at you? She nudged him and whispered something in his ear. Zhao Dahu exclaimed, "Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Wei Shuqing shook her head and said, "Let's go!"
Actually, Lao Liang got off work early today and happened to run into Zhao Dahu when he came to pick up Li Yuemei. They chatted for a bit. The cafeteria director is retiring, and Zhao Dahu is the most likely candidate to succeed him as deputy director of the cafeteria. It wouldn't hurt to talk to someone like that a bit more. Besides, with Zhao Dahu's cooking skills, you never know when you might need him.
But Qi Zhifang didn't know? Countless possibilities ran through her mind as she walked home in a daze. Her love always came so suddenly and ended so abruptly. Thinking about it, every relationship was a pity.
"Love is free, and sacrificing oneself for love is noble. Only those who don't understand love would feel ashamed! I'm not wrong. I'm just pursuing love, nothing more." Thinking of this, she felt very tired and needed a strong arm to comfort her, even if only for a moment. That tall figure appeared in her mind, and suddenly she desperately wanted to see him.
Then she went to the hospital herself and asked the hospital staff to contact Xiao Hu.
When she knew the call had been made, she lay reassured on the hospital bed and waited. Two hours later, Xiao Hu came in, looking travel-worn. Seeing Xiao Hu in his military uniform, she suddenly felt relieved, gave a tired smile, and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you again."
Xiao Hu took off his hat and hung it on the coat hanger, saying, "What happened to you? The hospital called to say you fainted?"
Looking at this tall and imposing man, Qi Zhifang's eyes reddened and she said in a tearful voice, "Brother Xiao, I really don't want to live anymore."
Xiao Hu was taken aback and said sternly, "Nonsense! I think you're just bored and have nothing better to do than daydream!"
Qi Zhifang looked at Xiao Hu with a wronged expression, her nostrils flared slightly, her lips trembled, and she suddenly turned around and lay on the bed crying, "Why don't you understand me? Am I guilty? I'm just a person who can't be independent. After Yanda left, he left me and my three children all alone in this world. He didn't even give me a chance to adapt before he left. I was deceived and harmed. Am I guilty enough to die? I'm just a widow, a useless widow."
Xiao Hu was getting annoyed by the crying. He ripped open the top button of his shirt and said, "Nobody's saying you're useless. Everyone makes mistakes. If you correct them, you're a good comrade. What's so scary about making mistakes?"
Qi Zhifang shook her head and said sullenly, "But they won't give me a chance. Everyone looks at me like I'm a criminal. I really can't take it anymore." As she spoke, she suddenly stood up, hugged Xiao Hu, and cried, "Brother Xiao, what should I do? Tell me!"
Xiao Hu stood there awkwardly, not daring to move, his face flushed with anxiety. Qi Zhifang felt his stiff body and cried even more pitifully, saying, "Brother Xiao, please don't push me away, please hug me, okay? It's been a long time since Yan Da left, and no one has hugged me so quietly. Many times, if I had a strong arm to hold me, I wouldn't get lost, and I could hold on!"
Xiao Hu said in a low voice, "Comrade Qi Zhifang, please don't do this. I'm a married man..."
Qi Zhifang shook her head, pressed her face against his stomach, and cried her heart out, "Brother Xiao, I don't want to do anything, just let me hug you for a while, okay? I'm a woman, I need someone to hug me when I'm most helpless, can you just hug me as a favor to Yanda?"
After she finished speaking, she burst into tears. Xiao Hu didn't push her away again. Instead, seeing how heartbroken she was, he gently hugged her back and patted her back until she was tired and fell asleep. Xiao Hu left twenty yuan on the bedside table with a note on it, which read in strong and powerful strokes: "Death is cowardly, only living brings hope!"
After Qi Zhifang woke up, she put away the note and money, called the factory to ask for leave, and went home. Her mother, suppressing her anxiety and trying to appear calm, saw Xiao Cui off early in the morning. She stood at the door, craning her neck, waiting for Qi Zhifang to return. Unable to get any information from her outside, Qi Zhifang's mother lowered her voice and said as soon as she entered, "Where have you been? You haven't been home all night. Are you going to repeat your old tricks?"
Qi Zhifang said wearily, "Mom, I'm sick. I was taken to the hospital and got injections all night." She showed her mother the injection marks on her hand. Her mother said with concern, "Oh dear! Are you alright?"
Qi Zhifang shook her head and said, "Mom, I'm so sleepy!" Qi's mother nodded and said, "Go back to sleep! I'll cook you some rice porridge."
Qi Zhifang nodded and went back to lie down. She felt completely drained and stayed up for a week.
Life went on peacefully. Lao Liang was like an interlude. Li Yueqin, because of Xiao Hu's pressure, was unable to cause any real trouble. She and her friends would occasionally verbally insult Qi Zhifang. Faced with this situation, Qi Zhifang continued to live a secluded life. Of course, she was not idle either, and would harass Xiao Hu from time to time.
Through mutual probing of boundaries, the relationship between two people who shouldn't have been in contact became unusually ambiguous. The price was that Xiao Hu would give Qi Zhifang a monthly allowance of between twenty and twenty-five yuan. Several receipts.
And so, 1965 arrived peacefully.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
