Chapter 17: A Day with Three Women
When He Xiaolan replied to Qin Tiantian in the group chat, Qin Tiantian was still asleep. When she opened her eyes, a bowl of wontons was already on the table. The only photo she sent to the group chat was the wontons. "Oh, I'm happy again," she said. Hua Hudie always managed to hit the point, getting to the point within ten seconds.
He Xiaolan opened the original image on the subway, zooming it in to the largest possible size, trying to find Jerry's face in the reflection of the wontons. "Why are you hiding your son so deeply? When are you going to let us, his godmothers, meet him?"
"Who is your son?" Jerry was concentrating on packing his clothes. When he heard the word "son", he pounced on Qin Tiantian and said, "Tell me, who is your son? Are you hiding a secret from me?" "Oh, the wonton is about to be kicked over, be quiet..." He is said to have unlimited energy. In just a few words, all the matched clothes were reset to zero. Everything happened naturally on the desk in the hotel. The weather outside the window was very good, and the sea breeze carried a little salty smell, pushing up the waves, hitting the rocks on the beach, and soaking the spreading seaweed.
For Qin Tiantian, this was a wonderful day. But for those two, it wasn't so easy. Before He Xiaolan even stepped into the office building, she saw He Guoqiang and He Tianci leaning against the doorway, looking around. "Why are these two great men here?" She quickened her pace, shielding her face with the canvas bag in her hand, and quickly slipped into the building. But before her butt hit the seat, Jiang Wei, He Guoqiang, and his son were standing at the door of He Xiaolan's office.
"Sister Xiaolan, your father and your brother said they have something urgent to talk to you about, so I brought them here for you."
He Xiaolan put on a forced smile and thanked Jiang Wei.
"Is the reception room empty?"
"Mr. Yang needs it at 2 pm, so it's empty before then."
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble."
"It's okay. Call me if you need anything. What would you like to drink? I'll have Xiao Qi bring it over later."
"No, they'll just sit for a while."
He Xiaolan was impatient. Her carefree father and mentally retarded son glared at her, neither willing to speak first. He Guoqiang poked his son several times, asking him to put his phone down and stop scrolling through Kuaishou, playing one cheesy background music after another.
"If you have anything to say, just tell me now. It's working hours now, I don't have time to sit here with you guys." He Guoqiang took out a cigarette and wanted to light it, but was frightened by He Xiaolan's glare and quickly put it back into the cigarette box.
"Your brother and I came here because we want you to help us find a job in Beijing. I already talked to Xiao Wang yesterday, but he's an outsider after all. You're his sister, so you'll definitely be more concerned."
"What brother? My mother only gave birth to me, so where does my brother come from?"
He Tianci listened to He Xiaolan's words and threw his phone on the table. "Your last name is He too, so don't be so decisive."
"Is it me who wants the last name He?" His smile was truly creepy, as he stared intently at He Tianci, who was still wearing boys' clothes. The old man had spent a lot of money on his lifeblood. He Xiaolan didn't bother to talk nonsense with them and stood up to leave.
"Your son is quite capable. He can find a job anywhere. He doesn't need to come here and suffer from me."
"He Xiaolan, what's the point of me giving birth to you and raising you? You won't even help with such a small favor. You really don't care about family affection or blood ties at all." He Guoqiang has always been like this. He will raise his voice as long as he is not right. There were colleagues coming and going in the corridor, and the tired Wednesday was suddenly refreshed by his yelling.
Ge Lin quickly grabbed a document and rushed to the reception room door to help He Xiaolan. "Hey, get back to work. Boss Yang will be here soon. If I catch you slacking off, should I record your attendance or not?"
"Give birth to me and raise me? He Guoqiang, tell me honestly, which of these two things have you accomplished? How could you give birth to me? Your shivering is useless, let alone raising me. After so many years, you almost forgot what I look like."
Ge Lin quickly knocked on the door and went in, pretending to hand it over, "Director He, please take a look at this, you will need it in the meeting later."
"You two should leave quickly. If you stay here any longer, I'll ask the security to take you away." He Tianci still had a bit of backbone. After hearing what He Xiaolan said, he grabbed his phone and walked out. Before leaving, he did not forget to say something harsh, "I wouldn't even come to your doorstep to beg for food."
"If you dare to make trouble at my company again, I will call the police. You and my mother are divorced. To be honest, we have nothing to do with each other. Don't let your baby have a criminal record. It will make it more difficult to raise him."
Standing at the door of the reception room and watching the father and son leave, He Xiaolan faced those furtive glances before returning to the office and generously introduced her family. "My parents divorced when I was in high school, and that silly boy was born to a stepmother. Okay, enough gossip, let's get back to work."
He Xiaolan's unrestrained attitude shocked Ge Lin, who was following behind her. "Sister, just tell me about the family matters directly..."
"What if I don't tell it? Let them make up stories behind my back. It's better for me to tell it myself. The gossip will be meaningless once it is revealed."
"I really admire you more and more. Just treat me as your sister."
"Haha, you're still playing games with me. Have you prepared your resume for today's interview? What time are your appointments?"
"They're all scheduled for the afternoon, from 2 to 4. There are six interviews in total, and their resumes are all here."
Let’s work. The DingTalk group rang again. No need to guess, Yang Fan was giving instructions again. The chickens were clucking and the cows and horses were shouting, “I got it.”
It's just that the strong shell is for outsiders to see. He Xiaolan sat in the toilet cubicle, turned off the mute and started crying, thinking that she could remain unmoved. But when she really realized that there were only a handful of people in this world who loved her, she still felt indescribable sadness in her heart.
I sent a message to Ms. Zhang Xinrong, telling her that He Guoqiang had come to Beijing. The moment I opened the chat box, I saw a video of Yueyue happily throwing herself into her grandmother's arms after school. During a break in the choir, Ms. Zhang Xinrong replied to He Xiaolan with three simple words: "Get him out."
These three words were also sent by Hua Hudie to Qian Helin. As soon as the 30-day cooling-off period was over, Hua Hudie arrived early to wait in the lobby of the Civil Affairs Bureau. People coming and going, getting married and getting divorced, were everywhere, but Qian Helin was nowhere to be seen. No one answered her calls, and she didn't reply to her WeChat messages. He was always like this: if something couldn't be solved, he would just hide away and not solve it.
When Qian Helin first confessed his love, Hua Hudie didn't want to accept him. He was funny, generous, and warm, but he always felt like someone floating in the clouds, a little unreal. It's undeniable that Qian Helin was impeccable as a lover. But when it came to family responsibilities, he was a boy who never grew up, always waiting to be cared for.
Hua Hudie was waiting in the Civil Affairs Bureau. Her parents and Qian Helin's parents both appeared in the lobby of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Why are you here?"
"If we hadn't come, we wouldn't know what kind of stupid things you two would have done." Butterfly's mother spoke first, pulling Butterfly out of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
"Xiaoxiao, if there is anything between you and Helin, we can sit down and talk about it together and solve it slowly. Don't just get a divorce." Qian Helin's mother persuaded Hua Hudie with gentle words, trying to make her give up the idea of divorce.
"Mom and Dad, we have already made up our minds about this matter. There is no need to force ourselves to live together if we can't get along. It will be very tiring for everyone." When Hua Hudie decided to divorce Qian Helin, she told him not to tell either side's parents. This time, he must have called his parents.
"Song Xiaoxiao, stop talking nonsense. What's wrong with a little money? Why can't you make ends meet? Didn't I tell you a long time ago that you two have to have a baby? You can't live well without a child."
"This has nothing to do with whether I have children or not. Don't try to persuade me. I am determined to get a divorce."
Hua Hudie didn't want the family to stand in the street and argue, so she took them back home. After one and two attempts at persuasion, the Civil Affairs Bureau closed, and in the end, the procedure was never completed.
After sending both mothers off, she sent a message to Qian Helin. "Can you be more mature and solve problems when they arise? Will hiding make this thing just pass naturally?" Qian Helin must have seen this message, because Hua Hudie sent it directly to Qian Helin's Xianyu account, and it was instantly read.
Qian Helin found an internet cafe in Shunyi and frantically played games. The ding-dong sounds in his headphones hammered at his heart, making him face his own actions, his age, and the reality that he had grown up. The last time he went out for a drink with Wang Qingwei, Wang Qingwei had asked him why he chose Hua Hudie as his wife. He held his chin in his hand and thought for a long time before saying it was because Hua Hudie was caring. She took care of everything from clothes to needles and thread at home.
"Isn't this how two people should be? One person is responsible for life, and the other enjoys life." But, is he really responsible? Even if he got married, it was because his parents said that he was not young anymore and should get married. He never figured out the meaning of marriage. From a dissolute life alone to a casual life with someone, marriage was just that to Qian Helin: having a partner to play with.
When he and Butterfly first met, besides being attracted to each other at first sight, he also felt they would be a good match. Furthermore, since they were both from Beijing, he could help take care of his parents if they had any problems. Qian Helin hadn't given any thought to how he would spend his days, just living his life to the fullest.
It was not known whether the game had awakened Qian Helin or the gun in the game had cleared the fog in Qian Helin's brain. He called Hua Hudie and told her to come out and wait for her downstairs. When Hua Hudie came downstairs, Qian Helin, who was standing there, did not see her. Instead, he saw the embarrassing thing hugging the street lamp and crying.
If it had been the middle of the night, it would have been fine, but he was drunk at 7:15, which happened to be peak time for neighbors to walk their dogs, and anyone who passed by would glance at him with concern. Hua Hudie immediately wanted to sell the house and move out within an hour. He couldn't be dragged away, and even yelling wouldn't wake him up, so they had to call an ambulance to take Qian Helin to the hospital to sober up.
Even though he was lying on the ground and could only move his body, Qian Helin still did not forget to support the actor and was determined not to let the words fall to the ground.
"What's the patient's name? How old is he?"
"Qian Helin, he's thirty-seven this year, right?"
"Doctor, look, this is your biological daughter-in-law, right? This is definitely not her biological daughter-in-law. I'm so old I can't even remember." Hua Hudie took the opportunity to wipe Qian Helin's mouth and pinched his cheek hard, "Shut up, you still don't think this is embarrassing enough?"
"Can you get in the car by yourself?" The doctor stood aside, staring at the two people helplessly.
"Please lift him up, he definitely can't stand up like this."
"Who said I can't stand up? I can do it myself..." He staggered to his feet, took three unsteady steps, and suddenly knelt next to the doctor. "Hey, hey, I'm fine. Happy New Year to you. Thank you for coming to pick me up..."
Hua Hudie went forward and tried to pull him up quickly, but he seemed to have taken the wrong medicine. He held Hua Hudie's legs tightly and cried and wailed, "Honey, don't leave me. It's all my fault. I won't be angry no matter what you do in the future. Even if you have an affair, I will still treat you well. Please, let's not get divorced, okay..."
Huadie now made her only wish for the rest of her life: "I wish to eat a balanced diet for the rest of my life, and not see myself on Xiaohongshu tomorrow..."
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