It's not too late
By the way, Yu Lei took a lot of effort to find the contact information of her mother's old friend.
The phone was dialed, "beep-beep-beep" The faucet could not be turned tightly, and rusty water was dripping. Yu Qionglin felt that his ears had become a cold cellar without sunlight. Suddenly, a spring stream surged out, "Hello, hello..."
From then on, the barriers collapsed and the world became brilliant.
After asking about each other's well-being, they made an appointment to meet.
In my memory, my old friend was bright and brilliant. But after so many years, trying to track her whereabouts is like catching a ghost. A slender ghost figure stuck in front of the glass window of a Chinese restaurant, tripped by a hint of sweetness mixed with the human world.
"Zhong Xia!" Before leaving, Yu Qionglin reminded himself to be calm, but his mood was like a roller coaster, he was overjoyed all the way, and his tone was unstable and overflowing.
Zhong Xia stood still. She had sparse long hair, was dark and thin, and wore a floral butterfly dress. Because she was stuck there, at a loss, the lace on her sleeves and hem fluttered freely, urging her to move, urging her forward.
"Oh, it's been over twenty years since we last met." Yu Qionglin grabbed her hand, his knuckles rubbing against his palm. "Let's learn some young people's romance. By the way, wasn't this shop originally a barber shop? We used to get our hair done here."
"Well, I don't know how long it's been a Chinese restaurant," Zhong Xia replied with a smile. He ordered his dishes in a formal manner and sat down at a window table. The waiter brought two cups of black tea.
"It's really not easy to find you." Yu Qionglin pinched her shoulder, "You haven't changed at all. If I met you on the street, I would definitely recognize you."
"You've become a little rounder, maybe you've gained weight because of happiness!"
When the delicious food enters your stomach, the greetings between sisters may not only make you feel cold, but also warm your body and mind.
Yu Qionglin learned that Zhong Xia was single and had a 25-year-old son. She spoke of this with a calm expression, not a hint of joy. The only thing she froze for was when she heard Yu Qionglin say, "My ex-husband is dead."
Zhong Xia cut the spring pancake in half and took half of it and passed it to her. "We won't marry the same person, will we?" She smiled, but it was too late to regret.
Yu Qionglin hummed an inaudible "hmm" and spoke cautiously, "Can our relationship go back to the way it was before?"
"Huh? Aren't we always this good? Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I feel like I see you in it."
…
Zhang Qian was secretly dating two girlfriends at the factory at the same time, Zhong Xia and Yu Qionglin.
Of course, the beginnings of the affection between the two women can be traced back to an earlier time.
They are from the same hometown. After graduating from university, they went to Xiangze together to work hard. They are considered the earliest group of highly educated employees in Zhang Qian's printing factory.
Zhang Qian's original intention was to extend olive branches to both girls at the same time, and be with whoever agreed to his pursuit, so that both sides would not be disappointed. The fact that two girls agreed at the same time not only did not catch him off guard, but also made him feel conceited and complacent.
He chose to marry Yu Qionglin, who came from a more affluent family, and let Zhong Xia be his underground lover.
"Don't tell anyone about our relationship, or it'll be embarrassing to have an office romance. Especially with your sister. We both joined at the same time. I'm attracted to you, not her, so it's inevitable that she'll feel unbalanced." Zhang Qian used the same rhetoric to both of them. He couldn't fire either of them—it would be too abrupt. Instead, he chose to promote Yu Qionglin and marginalize Zhong Xia, minimizing the risk.
Zhong Xia was forced to quit her job. At that time, she told Yu Qionglin that she had found true love, which would support her for the rest of her life. In the future, she might have to live somewhere else.
Yu Qionglin was in high spirits when she saw the happy event. She felt very sorry that her best sister couldn't come to the wedding. "Xiao Xia, actually, I have a happy event too. The one she is looking for is..."
While she was speaking, Zhong Xia's phone rang and she hurriedly said goodbye.
It turned out that Zhang Qian had booked a plane ticket for Zhong Xia. "Am I going alone?" she hesitated.
"Well, go and collect some scenery first to relax. We'll buy a house in the area you like. I have to go on a business trip for the next few days, so I can't go with you for the time being."
"Let's talk about that project? Didn't you say it was risky?"
"Women's views!" he scolded, then changed his expression. "Just be a hands-off manager, and others will be happy to help you."
Zhang Qian, under the pretext of a business trip, turned around and held a wedding with Yu Qionglin. Of course, all the employees in the factory were not invited.
In the same year, Yu Qionglin was pregnant. The so-called project of Zhang Qian, after the goods were shipped, the client ran away, and the factory suffered heavy losses. All his savings were used to repay the debt, and even Yu Qionglin paid a considerable sum of money to fill the hole.
Their lives were getting worse and worse, Zhang Qian was annoyed, and her secret lover was pregnant.
"I'm sorry, the factory closed down. I... don't have the savings to marry you, and I can't afford to buy a house. If you can't stand it, just run away. I still have a little money here, and I will raise this child..."
Zhong Xia burst into tears. She wanted to use the money to get an abortion, to start a new life, but leaving Zhang Qian would be like losing everything she had in the world. Paying for an abortion meant sleeping on the streets tomorrow; settling down first, watching her belly grow, and then having an abortion was unsafe.
Although it has been hard work in the past few years, fortunately there are only two mouths to feed. Zhong Xia is hardworking and intelligent. He started as an apprentice in a barber shop and rose to the position of deputy manager. The original manager and his wife were getting old, so they wanted their favorite student Zhong Xia to take over the business.
The money issue is easy to deal with. Zhong Xia has been frugal in the past few years and has saved a lot. "Then you should prepare some documents and information." The store manager and his wife said happily.
Zhong Xia paused. In her world, the last ray of hope suddenly folded, and her struggling hand was pinched hard.
She had imagined that after marrying Zhang Qian, she would transfer her household registration here. When her fantasy was shattered, she could have changed her mind and returned to her parents, but returning home with a big belly would have broken her parents' backbones; after giving birth, she would have been unable to go anywhere with a burden; after years of poverty, her ID card expired, and she could no longer go home.
She became an illegal resident.
If working in a barber shop is about skills, transferring the shop requires procedures.
Desperate, she remembered her biological father's words, "I will raise this child."
She reappeared in front of him, and he was completely relieved when he heard about her tragic experience, "God help me!" Zhong Xia was an illegal resident, and the reason why the child could not be registered was her, not himself.
The secrets of bigamy and infidelity can be kept hidden forever!
Coincidentally, during this period, Yu Qionglin was disheartened and left with her two children. She was worried about the loneliness she would face for the rest of her life, and she had no way to relieve it. Then the woman came back! The children came back too!
This dysfunctional family continued to exist. During this period, Zhang Qian cheated and deceived his younger sister Zhang Tian, earning many benefits. Zhang Jiangchi, who gradually became sensible, thought that his father's hard times would soon be over since he had money.
"Don't take my surname, Zhang." He paused so long that he forgot the conversation was still going on, then he deliberately added, "It's better to take the surname Zhong."
"Even if I have the surname Zhong, I have to have...
This was a conversation Zhang Jiangchi overheard his parents have while sitting outside their door. A crack had appeared in his tender heart. Acid rain and dirty water dripped in, rotting it.
Now that the child has grown up, Zhong Xia has thought about escaping from this man. After all, the private money saved from odd jobs can be used to make a living if she tightens her belt in the future. The most important thing is to solve the household registration issues one by one.
All the letters for help she wrote were secretly intercepted by Zhang Qian.
As soon as she ran to the police station, Zhang Qian hid and refused to cooperate.
He is unwilling to cooperate, unwilling to contribute, and even unwilling to pay.
She was disheartened, yet also sober and self-sufficient. She worked several jobs, clinging to every penny. Fortunately, her son thrived. With the help of a noble person, mother and son finally escaped the years of being an illegal immigrant.
Three years were wasted, and Zhang Jiangchi's household registration was changed to a three-year younger age, otherwise he would not have met the enrollment policy. Those three clearly countable years, but the uncountable, unspeakable, were the first half of his life, trapped in sadness and poverty.
Zhong Xia's voice broke down several times until she burst into tears. She was stunned. She thought that tears had disappeared and run out when she was young. Now, a string of hot tears flowed, and she liked this long-lost proof of a person's life.
"Fortunately, it's not too late!"
Yu Qionglin nodded in agreement, but Zhong Xia's "not too late" meant something else.
After completing his household registration and distancing himself from the scumbag, his son repeatedly expressed his desire for revenge, but Zhong Xia persuaded him to stop. Zhang Jiangchi's personality grew increasingly gloomy until one day in his second semester of high school, when he returned home excitedly, "Mom! I found them!" He had discovered the whereabouts of his imagined "illegitimate children," Yu Lei and Yu Ran.
"What did you find? Don't do anything stupid!" Zhong Xia asked worriedly, but his son didn't answer. He just kept muttering, "I will repay you for all the suffering you've endured a thousandfold!"
Zhong Xia couldn't ask or investigate anything. This man, between a boy and a man, her son, was becoming more and more like his biological father.
One day, more than a year ago, Zhang Jiangchi called Zhong Xia and whispered, "Mom, come quickly! I found out about him and his illegitimate child!"
Zhong Xia, fearing his son might do something foolish, arrived late. Yu Ran was nowhere to be seen; only Zhang Qian, slumped in his chair, face flushed and neck thick. Zhang Jiangchi resented his mother's late arrival, missing the perfect opportunity to confront his illegitimate son. Impulsively, he rushed from the shadows to Zhang Qian, demanding an explanation.
Zhang Qian was caught off guard. During the argument and shoving, Zhang Jiangchi shouted, "Who is your son?" "I am your son, you have to admit it even if you don't want to!" Seeing Zhong Xia behind him, he knew that all his efforts would be exposed. His heart ached and he collapsed to the ground...
Zhang Jiangchi was reluctant to take him to the hospital, but he couldn't bear the condemnation of the onlookers, saying, "How can a son just ignore his father when he's sick?"
The ambulance ridiculously took the culprit to the rescue. A kind-hearted elder brother held Zhang Jiangchi to the hospital. Zhang Jiangchi went through the hospitalization procedures like a zombie, and found two mobile phones on Zhang Qian. He tried to figure out the password of one of them, "0000", and secretly left the unlocked one at the payment window. He told the doctor, "I am the patient's son", and found a gap to slip away.
He took another phone with him. It was a new, expensive model that couldn't be flashed. People saw him acting suspiciously and were about to call the police. In a rage, Zhang Jiangchi smashed it.
The above, except that he did not see Yu Ran with his own eyes, are all Zhong Xia’s personal experiences.
"What I mean is, luckily it's not too late. My son didn't do anything stupid. Otherwise, if he had hurt your child, I would never be able to get over it!"
Yu Qionglin said nothing, but was actually being treacherous.
"Are you investigating the truth of the past?" Zhong Xia didn't know that Yu Ran had lost his memory. She thought the truth here was Zhang Qian's past.
Yu Qionglin had no time to figure out which truth it was, and just nodded vaguely.
"Fortunately..." she repeated, "If something had happened to Xiaochi, I would have no hope for the rest of my life."
"A little break." Yu Qionglin said with mixed feelings, "You are the only hope for yourself. You were forced to do this in the first half of your life, but it's not too late for you in the second half! If you are really tired, just secretly take half of my shoulder away from you."
Zhong Xia: “…”
She finally understood why when she looked in the mirror, the radiant side of her face always flashed with Yu Qionglin's smile.
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