Chapter 35
This question stumped Xia Weining. She was stunned and didn't know how to respond. "What are you talking about?"
Xia Li turned off the TV, sat cross-legged across from him, and said solemnly, "You are gentle and patient with us, always caring and loving us; in front of other teachers, you are polite and reserved, even a little unnatural, but in front of Uncle Huaizhou, you are very casual, speak more quickly, and sometimes even confront us."
Xia Weining felt that these words were too sharp and asked again and again, "Is there?"
"Yes." Xia Li thought for a long time and finally came up with a word, "I think you are very self-reliant in front of Uncle Huaizhou."
"self?"
"Maybe you only care about yourself. You seem to be more willing to compromise with others."
Xia Weining suddenly woke up in shock. She herself didn't notice these things, but they were seen by a little child.
These words were like a heavy stone, stirring up a whirlpool in her heart, from which a huge question mark slowly emerged.
Is she like this in front of Sheng Huaizhou?
At night, I was still thinking about this while lying in bed. I became insomniac and didn't fall asleep until the early morning.
She has always liked bed, especially bed in winter, which is simply the warmest place in the world. After struggling many times, she still couldn't bear to get up, so she opened QQ and sent a message to Zhou Renting.
[Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together.]
Zhou Renting quickly replied, "Okay."
She wanted to make things clear before the New Year so that she would have more buffer time and avoid embarrassment when school and work started.
As the agreed time was approaching, Xia Weining hid in the quilt and screamed a few times in frustration. She got up reluctantly and went to the agreed restaurant.
The wind outside was freezing cold, and the temperature had not yet warmed up, let alone the warm winter that would occur more than ten years later. It was a real winter.
Having just emerged from the bed, his body couldn't adapt to the sudden change in temperature, and he sneezed several times in a row. He looked up and saw Sheng Huaizhou standing in front of him, speechless, "Why are you always so elusive?"
"You're not looking where you're going, are you?"
"In the end, it's still your fault. It feels like I'm under some kind of spell. I keep bumping into you wherever I go. Or do you have a clone?"
Sheng Huaizhou was too lazy to answer his boring question, "You'd better wear something thicker when you go out."
"I want style, not warmth."
"casual."
Sheng Huaizhou rolled his eyes helplessly.
When Xia Weining arrived at the hotel, Zhou Renting had already arrived. She stood at the door and hesitated for a long time, feeling a little nervous and uneasy. She bit her lip and hesitated, feeling uneasy, not knowing what would happen next.
The waiter came over and said hello, "Miss, are you waiting for someone?"
"Oh, no, my friend is already here."
"Okay, please come in."
Xia Weining nodded, took deep breaths to calm her nerves, and followed the waiter inside.
"Teacher Xia, this way."
"I'm sorry, I'm late."
"It's okay, I just got here too."
Xia Weining looked at the empty table and asked in surprise, "Didn't you order anything?"
"I'll order when you come."
While waiting for the dishes to arrive, the two of them ate silently, their moods completely different. Zhou Renting was very happy, subconsciously thinking that Xia Weining agreed to his pursuit, and this meal was the best proof. However, Xia Weining felt very uneasy. She had a deep sense of guilt, especially when she saw how happy he was, and she was afraid that if she said it out loud, it would hurt him.
So she was a little conflicted for a moment. The constraints of conscience and morality made her set very high standards for herself, like a moral archway, imprisoning her within high walls.
She also knew that she had no self-esteem and was too concerned about other people's feelings and neglected her own.
Seeing that she was in a daze, Zhou Renting raised his hand and waved it, "What's wrong?"
"I……"
Xia Weining smiled, but didn't say anything in the end.
"You seem hesitant to speak, what's bothering you?"
"Teacher Zhou, I'm sorry."
"Why are you saying sorry?"
Xia Weining gradually straightened his back, took a deep breath, and determined what he was thinking, "I want to tell you about the two of us."
"You agree?"
"I'm sorry, I can't promise you."
Zhou Renting was stunned and hurt. "Why? Is there something wrong with me?"
"No, you're fine. It's because of me."
Xia Weining laughed at herself, "I'm actually not what you see. I have too many secrets that are hard to tell. Anyway, I didn't come here for love. What I'm pursuing is family, friendship, and myself."
Zhou Renting frowned, "I don't quite understand what you mean by this."
"Actually, I don't understand it myself, so this is where we are not suitable."
Zhou Renting was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled in relief, "Okay, I understand. I hope we can still be friends in the future."
"certainly."
Xia Weining breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Zhou Renting didn't like her very much. He just felt that he was old enough and needed to find a suitable partner. Therefore, his affection came easily and could be let go easily.
But this is good for them.
The problem that was bothering me was solved, and I felt inexplicably relaxed. I decided to reward myself by going shopping.
The streets and alleys were filled with the atmosphere of the Spring Festival. She chose a nearby shopping mall and decided to buy herself two new clothes.
"Beautiful lady, come and take a look at the clothes in our store. They are 50% off on the last day before the festival."
"Beauty, come here and try it."
…
The mall was also deserted on the last day before the holiday. Many stores had closed, and those that were open were busy greeting people. The only customers were her and a few scattered people.
Xia Weining walked into a larger store and tried on a down jacket and a sweater. They fit her well and she was tempted.
The proprietress came in from outside and stood behind her, full of joy, "Beauty, you look so beautiful in this."
"You are the one who looks good."
"I've been through a lot, so I'm used to being rough. I have nothing to do with being good-looking."
Xia Weining smiled and took off her clothes. "I want both. Can you give me a discount?"
"Chinese New Year is coming soon, and there aren't many people in the store today. I'd like to make an order and give you the actual price, with a 40% discount."
"50% off, everyone out there says it's 50% off, if you want to give it to me, I'll take it."
Xia Weining handed the clothes to her and pretended to leave, but she stopped him and said, "Okay, okay, I'll give you one at a 50% discount. I really don't make any money at this price." While packing the clothes, she said, "Sister, you're really good at bargaining."
"No way." Xia Weining paid the money, "I don't bargain."
"Come on, if you can't bargain, no one will."
Xia Weining smiled and took the clothes, "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Come back when you're dressed."
Xia Weining returned home contentedly. This was a New Year's gift she gave herself.
On New Year's Eve, Xia Weining received a call from Xia Li early in the morning, asking her to go home for the New Year. Xia Weining was overjoyed and rushed home singing.
As soon as she arrived at the door, Xia Li called her, "Teacher Xia, come and put up the Spring Festival couplets."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
"Happy New Year, uncle."
"Weining, Happy New Year."
Xia Weining took out a red envelope and gave it to Xia Li, "Happy New Year."
"Thank you, Teacher Xia."
Xia Weining teased her deliberately, "Call me sister."
"Thank you, sister."
"You're so sweet." Xia Weining pinched her face, "Give it to me, I'll help uncle put up the Spring Festival couplets."
Zhou Caimei came out of the house, "Weining is here."
"Happy New Year, Auntie."
"Happy New Year."
Xia Weining poked her head into the house, "Where are grandpa and grandma?"
"Just got up and is cooking in the kitchen."
After putting up the Spring Festival couplets, Xia Weining went to pay New Year's greetings to the two elderly people. They trembled and took out the New Year's money, saying, "Don't think it's too little."
"I'm already this old, why do I need New Year's money?"
"How old? We're still kids in our hearts."
"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma."
Xia Weining accepted the money, deeply moved.
Spent the whole day with family.
During the New Year's Eve dinner, her father introduced the bookstore to her. "Business is booming and we've made a lot of money. I've asked your aunt to save your money and will give it to you later."
"I don't want it." Xia Weining lowered his head and said in a low voice: "After I make money, I will take grandma to a big hospital for treatment after the New Year. If she needs surgery, she can have the surgery."
No one in the family expected her to say that.
Grandma was the first to react, "Why spend this money?"
"How can medical treatment be a waste of money?"
Xia Weiguo also agreed, "Mom, don't worry about the money. Caimei and I have already agreed to take you to see a doctor after the New Year. The money is ready."
"Yes, Mom, it's important to get treatment. We should get treatment now that we have the conditions."
Seeing everyone's determination, grandma finally couldn't help crying. No one wants to suffer from illness. She also wants to be cured, but she was just forced by reality before.
Xia Weining also started crying. In her impression, her father was the traditional Chinese father who carried the burden of life by himself, was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, loved his children so much that he cried, and would quarrel and fight when really angry; her mother was a hardworking, down-to-earth and kind person. She had never seen her angry and always devoted everything to her family and children.
But no matter what kind of people are, they like beauty and new things. "Uncle and aunt, you should also go get a set of wedding photos after the New Year."
"Is it suitable?" Zhou Caimei was a little tempted.
"Of course it's appropriate. Give yourself a sense of ritual, then go out and travel. Life will get better and better."
"The store is busy and I can't leave."
"It's not like we're hiring someone. I can help even if I don't have time."
"You are so tired from class, you can rest but not work."
Xia Weining lowered her head and smiled, and the long-lost feeling of happiness returned.
She suddenly thought of something, "Uncle and aunt, there's something I want to tell you about the bookstore."
Xia Weiguo put down his chopsticks and said, "You say."
"The majority of our customers are students from the neighborhood. If it's Sunday or when there are a lot of people and we can't keep up, don't ask the students if they haven't paid."
Once she bought a book and the boss forgot about it after she paid. He stopped her and asked if she hadn't paid. She said she had paid, but the boss didn't believe her, so she took out all the money and said how much money she had left after paying.
In the end, the boss let her go, but she was interrogated for a long time. Everyone was looking at her. She felt so ashamed that her cheeks were burning. She didn't dare to look up and locked herself in a small dark room, feeling that everyone was laughing at her.
She was afraid of seeing the boss's unusual look, so she didn't go to that bookstore for a long time.
“What if someone doesn’t pay?”
Xia Weining pursed her lips and opened her eyes, trying not to let them get too wet. "They are at the stage where they need to have self-respect. There are many things that are more valuable than books."
Xia Weiguo nodded and added, "It's still inevitable that there will be a small number of people who like to take advantage of others. It's hard to guard against them."
"It's even more unworthy to suspect more people because of a small number of people. If they lose money because of this, it will be deducted from my share."
"How can we deduct your money when you say that? We promised you that we would do as you said."
"Thank you, uncle and aunt."
"Why are we family members saying these polite words?" Xia Weiguo suddenly thought of something and patted his forehead, "There's something I forgot to tell you."
"What?"
"Your aunt and I have decided to set up a free reading room to provide those children with a place to read for free."
"Very good."
Xia Weining was genuinely happy and raised the glass in his hand, "Good things are happening one after another, let's toast together to celebrate."
The wine glasses clinked together, making a crisp sound, and everyone shouted, "Happy New Year!"
The Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV, the family gathered together to eat a sumptuous meal, and everyone's smiling faces were reflected on the wine glasses. It was warm, beautiful, and full of joy. This was the real New Year's Eve dinner. All of this was so precious, and she was willing to give everything to protect it.
Last year's New Year's Eve, she encountered bad people as soon as she arrived here, and spent the time alone in the police station and the hotel. But this year, she can spend it happily with her family. She is content and knows that fate is still kind to her.
Xia Weining held her chin with her hand and looked at every family member. A tear slipped down the corner of her eye unconsciously and she wiped it away gently. At this moment, she seemed to have found a point that made her feel relieved.
Xia Li, fully dressed and holding a cannon in his hand, came over and called her, "Sister Wei Ning, let's go."
"Where are you going?"
"Let's go to Shengxuan's house to watch the fireworks."
"Oh." Xia Weining remembered, put on her clothes and followed him out. "You go and see, I'll wait for you on the side, okay?"
"Why? We need to watch it together."
"Why?"
Xia Weining repeated this sentence, but Sheng Huaizhou's face flashed in her mind.
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