Chapter 107
Grandma breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So it's an acquaintance. I was wondering, you are such a cautious child, how could you buy so much at the street corner in one go?"
"So it was sold by an acquaintance, so there shouldn't be any problem." Aunt Liu was also relieved.
Xia Qingtang said, "It's definitely okay. Her brother is a very reliable person and he doesn't sell things for a one-time deal. Such delicious peanut cakes will definitely attract repeat customers. If everyone thinks it's delicious, I'll go to their house next week and ask him to buy a few more bags."
Grandma said curiously, "Since you praised it so much, it must be delicious. But why is Xiao Hu's brother selling this on the roadside? Is he... unable to find a job?"
"Yes, they just can't find a job. Most of the educated youth who returned to the city have no place to stay. There are no jobs now. It's hard to get a temporary job. Everyone is waiting for the factory to recruit next year." Xia Qingtang said: "I heard from people in the city that it will be completed in the spring of next year, and then they can recruit workers on a large scale. But we have to wait so long, and it's boring for the eldest brother of the Hu family to stay at home. It's better for him to come out and sell things to earn some pocket money."
Aunt Six said suspiciously, "Can a gay man really make snacks? Is this really delicious?"
"It's delicious, Aunt Six, Grandma, you'll know once you try it. I won't lie to you." Xia Qingtang patted his chest and made the promise.
Grandma and Aunt Six each took a small piece and put it in their mouths. Sure enough, both of them widened their eyes instantly.
"It's really delicious." Grandma said and picked up another piece.
Aunt Six said, "It's not just delicious, it smells so good, how is it made?"
"These are all private crafts. They won't tell us how to make them, and we're embarrassed to ask them. These are all skills to make money." Grandma smiled and said, "If you like to eat them, you can ask Qingtang to buy some from the Hu family later. It just so happens that you can take care of their business."
"Okay, then Qingtang will buy some next week. I think it's delicious." Aunt Six said, "Do you want to ask Xiaoyun to come down and have a couple of pieces?"
"I'll go and call her. Xiaoyun will definitely like it too!" Xia Qingtang ran upstairs and knocked on Xie Jinyun's door. "Xiaoyun, I bought some delicious peanut cakes. Do you want to try some?"
After a while, the door was opened, and Xie Jinyun smiled: "Of course I want to try it!"
Xia Qingtang took Xie Jinyun downstairs and saw that grandma was already making tea. He knew that she really loved this peanut cake.
The four of them sat there, drinking a pot of freshly brewed green tea, and quickly finished a bag of peanut cakes.
Xie Jinyun was still unsatisfied: "No more? Not enough..."
"There is still one packet left, but don't eat it today, save it for tomorrow." Grandma said, "Don't eat all the delicious food in one go."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I still have two packs in my bag. I was planning to take one pack to share with my colleagues when I go to work tomorrow. Now I won't share it with them. Let's eat it ourselves."
"No, you should take it to the office." Grandma said, "It will be time for dinner soon. If you eat another bag of peanut cakes now, you won't be able to eat much later. Xiaoliu is making mushroom and potato stewed rice today, and he also added lard residue. It smells very good. Let's be patient and wait for dinner."
Aunt Six said, "Yes, no matter how delicious snacks are, they can't be eaten as meals. By the way, Qingtang, do you and Jinxuan want to come here for dinner today? I bought a lot of potatoes today, so I made a big pot of stewed rice. It's enough."
Xia Qingtang also missed the stewed rice made by Aunt Liu, so he said, "Then I'll go back and call Jinxuan over. Although he should have washed the vegetables, we can bring them over to fry."
"Then go and call him. Your parents will be back soon and we will have dinner." Grandma said with a smile.
"Grandpa still won't be home for dinner today."
"Yes, the old man is so busy all day long. But he will retire soon. Once he retires, he will have time to eat at home every day." Grandma said with a smile.
"Then I'll go back now." After Xia Qingtang said this, he went out with his bag on his back.
When she was riding her bike past the Luo family's door, she turned around and happened to see Luo Xiangqian sitting in the yard smoking dejectedly.
During this period, Luo Xiangqian never went to see Xie Jinxuan. Xia Qingtang thought he was in a sweet relationship and spent all his free time on dating. Who knew he would become so depressed.
She stopped her bike, walked to the gate of Luo's yard, and whispered, "Old Luo, I bought some delicious food, you can take a bag."
Luo Xiangqian came back to his senses. He walked to the gate of the yard with a cigarette between his legs and said weakly, "I don't want to eat anything delicious. I can't eat anything recently."
He had an untidy beard and looked listless. He had dark circles under his eyes, messy hair, and wrinkled clothes. He was completely different from the sunny and cheerful Luo Xiangqian.
Xia Qingtang was startled: "Lao Luo, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly become like this?"
Luo waved his hand forward, smiled bitterly, and said, "It's nothing, don't say anything."
"You're... having problems with your relationship, right? Did you have a fight with Comrade Xiao Ding?"
Luo Xiangqian said nothing and smiled bitterly again.
Xia Qingtang knew that he was right, so he asked, "What happened? Why are you quarreling? Is it related to her sister?"
Luo Xiangqian was shocked: "How did you know? Could it be that Ding Ruyu is causing trouble for you again?"
"Sure enough, it's related to Ding Ruyu. I knew that you and Comrade Ding would definitely have a quarrel. Before, I went to the head of the Foreign Languages Department to complain, and we guessed that Ding Ruyu would definitely go home and quarrel with his sister. What's the situation between you two now? You look like you've been quarreling for how long?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"We've been arguing for a long time. Their family... asked Yu Rou to come and force me. If I don't help them, Yu Rou will definitely break up with me. Although we haven't broken up yet, I don't know if we can still be considered a couple. I have visited her several times, but she doesn't want to talk to me. She just said that either I agree to help them or I marry her immediately. But I can't do either of these two things, and I don't know what to do. I don't want to break up with Yu Rou just like that, so I'm very sad... Xiao Xia, tell me, what should I do?" Luo Xiangqian scratched his hair with his hands, and his already messy hairstyle became even more like a chicken coop.
Xia Qingtang said: "What exactly does their family want you to do for them? Help Ding Ruyu pursue Xie Jinxuan?"
Luo Xiangqian sighed and said, "Not only that, Yu Rou's parents asked me to help Ding Ruyu to ask Jin Xuan out, find a secluded and safe place, get Jin Xuan drunk, and then let him do something crazy after drinking... and make Ding Ruyu a real couple... Her mother said that a family like the Xie family would not dare to default on their debts. When the time comes, as long as they make a fuss, Xie Jinxuan will definitely divorce you and marry Ding Ruyu. But how could I help them do such a thing? Not to mention that Jin Xuan is my best brother, even if Jin Xuan is an ordinary person, I will never do such a bad thing! My grandmother has always said that it is better to destroy a temple than to destroy a marriage. Can I do such a wicked thing?"
Xia Qingtang showed an expression that looked like she wanted to laugh but was too lazy to do so. She said, "What do the Ding family think of you? What does Comrade Ding Yurou think of you? Does she really like you? She knows that you and Jinxuan are good friends. How could she agree with her parents' idea and come to you to make such a request?"
At this point, Xia Qingtang's eyes welled up with deep sympathy. Luo Xiangqian was a very good young man with a good personality, good character and a good job, but how come such a good man couldn't meet a good girl!
Luo Xiangqian sighed heavily again, and whispered, "I have doubted this too. I have always wondered if she really likes me... But her family is also threatening her. If she doesn't come to see me, she will be asked to move out. As an unmarried girl, is she really going to move out alone?"
"But Comrade Ding is already in his twenties. He can just move out of home. At worst, he can apply for a dormitory from his workplace. So many single young people live in dormitories. It's not a big deal. Why can they live there, but she can't? Besides, look at my friend Xiaoshuang, who has lived alone for so long, isn't she doing well?" Xia Qingtang didn't quite understand what Ding Yurou was thinking.
Luo Xiangqian is a very good candidate. If you can hold on to Luo Xiangqian, what is the point of having that girl's family?
Although Luo Xiangqian did not plan to get married so soon, he was a very responsible man. As long as the two of them had been together for a certain period of time, he would definitely marry Ding Yuruo. Ding Yuruo's move out was only temporary. Even if she found a relative to stay with for half a year, she could actually wait until she married Luo Xiangqian.
Ding Yurou seems to be a smart person, how could she not be able to figure out these things?
Luo Xiangqian said, "I told her the same thing. I think at our age, it's not a problem for us to move out and live alone. With a family like hers and parents like her, why should she stay at home and suffer? But Yu Rou disagreed. She...seemed unwilling to leave her parents' home. She said that she could only move out of her parents' home because of one thing, which was the day of her wedding. However, we have only been together for such a short time, and I am not sure whether I should marry her. How can I agree to this? Marriage is a very important matter. It cannot be done hastily or rushed because of something like this. In short, the more I think about it, the more confused I feel, and I don't know what to do. You say, should I think about her and marry her now, so that she can move out willingly..."
"That's definitely not the right thing to do. If you feel it's not time to get married, then it's really not time to get married. Marriage is indeed a big deal, and you should go at your own pace. No matter what the other person says, no matter what the other person urges you to do, and no matter what emergencies you encounter, unless you are pregnant, you must wait until you really want to marry her and you are determined to get married before you get married." Xia Qingtang said, "You must be very determined to get married. In short, this is my own experience. If you are hesitant about this marriage, then you must not get married. There will definitely be problems after getting married."
"But I still can't bear to leave Yu Rou. Now she doesn't want to see me and wants me to make a choice between the two." Luo Xiangqian looked really distressed.
Xia Qingtang frowned and thought for a while, then whispered, "How about this, you go find her again, and ask her to tell her parents that you two have broken up. But secretly, you can still date each other. Comrade Ding is not a fool, you two are already grown up, you have your own lives, it's easy to lie to your family, there's no need to tell them everything."
Luo Xiangqian was shocked: "Oh my god, Xiaoxia, how can you be so smart! Why can't I think of such a simple thing? Yes, we can pretend to have broken up and continue to date secretly, right? We are already so old, we can meet anywhere in normal times, and we don't even need to tell our families!"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Yes, since you have thought it through, go to Comrade Ding's workplace tomorrow and tell her that you two can get along privately, so that she doesn't have to worry about being kicked out of her parents' home. When you two are together and ready to get married, she can move out secretly then, right? You can even get married secretly. I got married without telling my family. It's too easy to hide it from my parents."
Luo Xiangqian rubbed his hands happily: "You are so right! What am I waiting for? I will go find Yu Rou now!"
"Hey, hey, come back, come back! Look at yourself, your beard is unshaved, your hair is messy, and you look so haggard... If you go to her like this, she will be scared. You should clean yourself up tonight, take a shower, wash your hair, shave your beard, and have a good sleep. Tomorrow, you should appear in front of Comrade Ding in high spirits. That way it will be effective."
Luo Xiangqian laughed: "Okay, okay, I got it. I'll go wash my hair and take a shower right now. I'll go see Yu Rou tomorrow when I'm ready. Hey, Xiao Xia, do you think I should bring her a gift?"
"Of course. Comrade Ding, who lacks family love, will be very happy to receive a gift." Xia Qingtang said, "You can bring her an expensive gift, so that it will appear more sincere."
"Expensive gift? Like what?"
"I remember that Comrade Ding's watch looked like an old watch that had been used for many years. Her sister had a very beautiful new watch on her wrist. I think Comrade Ding's family would treat her badly in such matters. It was really not easy for her. You might as well buy her a new watch to express your sincerity. This way, it will be easier to win her back."
Luo Xiangqian said, "Then I have to find my dad and get me a watch ticket right away. Xiaoxia, thank you so much for this. If I hadn't met you, I would be worried at home!"
"You're welcome. It's all my duty." Xia Qingtang said, "Go take a shower. I'll go call Jinxuan for dinner."
"Okay!" Luo Xiangqian ran into the house happily. Xia Qingtang smiled, then quickly rode his bike home to call Xie Jinxuan to go to the small western-style building for dinner.
As expected, he had already picked and washed the vegetables for dinner. Xia Qingtang filled a small basket with the clean vegetables and took Xie Jinxuan with him to go there.
In the evening, Aunt Liu fried the black cabbage and bean sprouts they brought as side dishes. The mushroom and potato stewed rice was also very delicious. Everyone ate two big bowls.
But even though they were so full, everyone still opened the other bag of peanut cake to share.
Xie's mother said, "This peanut cake is so delicious. How come it smells so good?"
Aunt Six said, "I also want to know how it's made, but the old lady said it's someone else's secret recipe and she definitely won't tell us."
"If he's still selling it, let's buy some more and bring them back to eat." Xie's mother said, "I'll also bring some to the office for them to try."
Seeing that everyone liked peanut cakes so much, Xia Qingtang went straight to the Hu family after work the next night and asked Hu Yanhui to order ten packs at once. He took them home the next day and put most of them in the small western-style building.
Xie Jinyun also liked to eat this peanut cake. He even brought some to school and invited his good classmates to eat it together. As a result, his classmates also liked it.
Grandma even invited the neighbors next door to try some. Suddenly, everyone came to Xia Qingtang, vying to buy the peanut cake made by Hu Yanhui.
Xia Qingtang could only go to the Hu family again, explain the needs of everyone in the compound, and then said: "Brother Hui, these people will probably be repeat customers in the future. In my opinion, after you open up the market like this, you might as well just take orders in the future and require a partial deposit in advance. You can also slightly increase the selling price. Because there are so many people who want to eat this, but you are doing this alone, the output is limited. By slightly raising the price, you can also select the customers with the strongest purchasing power and who want to eat this the most."
Hu Yanhui said: "I have repeat customers in other government agencies, and many of them have paid me more privately to let me sell to them first. I am indeed considering this, so why not implement advance reservations. Moreover, I can also queue up for their reservations, after all, the peanut cakes I make are limited."
Xia Qingtang immediately said, "Then let's write down the reservations I brought here today. I'll advance the money for them. I'm here now, and if I don't help them with the reservations, I won't be able to explain myself when I go back."
"Okay, wait a minute, I'll take a note." Hu Yanhui went into the bedroom, and after a while he came out with a brand new notebook, saying, "From now on, I'll use this notebook to record guests' reservations. Come on, tell me how much you want."
"Today? I want forty packs today." Xia Qingtang said.
Hu Yanni's eyes widened beside her: "What? Forty bags? Qingtang, how many people are you booking for?"
"There aren't many people, just a few families sharing some." Xia Qingtang said, "Don't think it's an exaggeration. The peanut cakes made by your brother are really popular among our neighbors. I originally planned to bring them to the office for my colleagues to try, but now I don't dare to bring them. I'm afraid that after I bring them there, I won't be able to buy them."
"So amazing... I never thought that my brother could actually make money by doing small business." Hu Yanni was a little surprised.
In fact, Hu Yanhui not only made money afterwards, but also made a lot of money.
Because there were too many customers making reservations, he raised the price of peanut cake. However, this did not discourage customers who liked to eat it. Instead, they continued to come to him to order.
Although he could not earn food coupons, he did make some money since he started selling the peanut cakes. With the money, he was not idle. Whenever he had time, he would go to the black market to exchange for some coarse grains and bring them home to help support his family.
Because he was making quite a bit of money, Hu Yanhui even treated his sister and Xia Qingtang to a private restaurant at home, where they had a delicious meal of special stir-fried dishes and noodle soup.
The business of private restaurants is now better than before, with many customers coming in an endless stream. Like Hu Yanhui, they need to make appointments in advance if they want to dine there. If they do not make appointments in advance and decide to dine there at the last minute, there may not be seats available.
This was very inspiring to Hu Yanhui. He said: "It seems that doing business is indeed a way out, but it is not very stable and you can't earn food coupons. Most people don't have enough food at home. It is definitely not a good idea to keep exchanging high prices for coarse grains. People can't stand eating coarse grains for a long time."
When people were very poor, they could use potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, and yam instead of refined rice and flour. However, eating them for a long time would cause heartburn, and people would become hungrier more easily. No matter how much they ate, they would always feel hungry, so food coupons were very important.
Hu Yanni said: "How can doing business be considered a way out? Even if you don't care about the food coupons, you can't do this for the rest of your life. When you get a job in the factory, you won't have to sell peanut cakes anymore. Although you make a little money, it's still too hard."
Xia Qingtang said, "No, why don't you sell it after you start working? Since so many customers like to eat it, even if you start working, you will always have time to rest. Why don't you make a batch at home on Sunday and sell it to those customers who really want to eat it at a high price? You still have to make money. Although you think money is not as important as food coupons now, sooner or later money will become more valuable. Saving more money will definitely be beneficial."
Hu Yanni said: "As far as I can remember, everything has been limited and supplied. Money is useless. At most, you can buy big items like watches and bicycles, but who would buy big items every day? We ordinary people live on food coupons, cloth coupons, and soap coupons."
This made several people laugh. Xia Qingtang laughed and said, "You are right, but haven't we already started to trade with foreign countries? I heard that we can buy grain from abroad in the future. And our own grain production is also increasing. It won't be long... I think that in a few years, grain will not be so tight. The production of cloth will also increase, and even everything else you can think of will increase. By that time, there will be no need to buy and sell with tickets, and money can buy more things. Tell me, is money important or not?"
"But I still can't imagine what it's like to buy things without a ticket. If I want to buy a watch, can I buy it without a watch ticket?" Hu Yanni asked.
"Yes, as long as more and more watches are produced and the supply can meet the demand, why do we need tickets? Whoever wants to buy one can just go and buy it."
Hu Yanhui slowly pondered what Xia Qingtang said. After a while, he said, "I think what Qingtang said makes a lot of sense. Although it may not be obvious now, money will definitely be very important in a few years. So I agree with what she said. Even if I go to work, I will continue to sell this peanut cake. This thing is not complicated to make, it just has an exclusive secret recipe and is a little more laborious. Looking at this kind of family restaurant, I also think that if I can open a store in the future, I can also open a small shop with this exclusive secret recipe!"
He was in high spirits and clearly had positive visions for the future.
Hu Yanni was very surprised. She said, "Brother, opening a shop won't affect your work? I mean...what if you lose your job because of opening a shop?"
"It's okay. I will work hard. I don't have to do everything myself to open a shop. I can hire some employees or wait for my mother to retire and let her work in the shop. There are many ways. Besides, I'm talking about things in the long run, not now, so don't worry. Don't worry, I know what is a serious job. I will definitely go to the factory when it recruits next year."
It is really inappropriate and unreliable to not have a proper job these days. No matter how much money you can make from selling things, without food coupons, your family will have no livelihood and you will always be an unemployed young man.
Therefore, everyone must have a formal unit, no matter where they are, and they can only feel at ease if they get food coupons every month.
However, there is still a long time before the factory starts recruiting workers, so Hu Yanhui still stays at home and makes his peanut cakes peacefully.
Now he doesn't need to go around selling the goods. He just needs to make the goods according to the quantity on the order. Then he can pick a fixed time and go to a few fixed locations outside to wait for customers to come and pick up the goods.
As a result, not only did his business flourish, but he also had more time to help with housework at home every day. The Hu family was also very glad that he had returned from the countryside early.
However, because his business was too prosperous, it aroused jealousy and dissatisfaction among some people in the family quarters. Some people secretly went to the street to report that Hu Yanhui was doing small business.
The street office actually sent people to inquire and investigate, but there is no explicit regulation prohibiting this kind of thing, and Hu Yanhui has no higher-level supervisory unit, so even if they wanted to handle it, they couldn't, and in the end the matter had to be left unresolved.
But this incident also made the Hu family alert. Hu's father, who had experienced those times, thought about it for a night and made a request to Hu Yanhui that once he entered the factory and had a formal job, he was not allowed to touch small business anymore.
Hu Yanhui didn't want his family to worry about him, so he had to agree to his father's request.
Hu Yanni told Xia Qingtang about this matter and said that if she knew who reported it, she would definitely go find that person to settle the score.
Xia Qingtang patted her shoulder and said, "It can't be helped. There are always many jealous people who don't work hard themselves but can't bear to see others live well. But since someone will report it, it means that now is not the time to do business seriously. Forget it. In the past few years, food stamps are still the most important. When your brother is recruited to work in the factory, he will work hard and don't think about other things. With the money he earned during this period, he will get married and buy a three-turn and a gong. It will be enough."
Xie Xiaoshuang was extremely surprised: "What? Just selling a peanut cake, how can you make so much money? You can even afford a three-turn and one-ring."
Hu Yanni whispered, "I'm only telling you secretly. My brother said that if he continued to sell like this, by the time he got a job, he could afford not only a three-wheeler but also a washing machine and a refrigerator. And isn't the factory that recruited workers later an electrical appliance factory? My brother said that once the employees have priority to purchase, he will buy electrical appliances for the family."
Xie Xiaoshuang's eyes widened: "It seems that he really made a lot of money. I never thought that he could make money like this by running a small business."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "That's totally unrelated. I heard from my family that there is some news from the higher-ups that there may be some policy openings next year. By then, there will be cities that are specifically designed for making money. If you go to such places, you can make a lot of money."
Xia Qingtang was talking about the special economic zone. She remembered very clearly that there would be a special economic zone next year.
In her previous life, Xie Xiaoshuang and her husband went to that special economic zone, but in this life, Xie Xiaoshuang's path has become different, and she doesn't know if she can meet her husband from her previous life again.
If she didn't meet him, she didn't know if she would be willing to go so far to do business on her own.
Xie Xiaoshuang looked at Xia Qingtang thoughtfully and whispered, "If there really is such a place, I would really like to go there to make money. No one knows me there, and there is a chance to make money, how great."
Hu Yanni immediately said, "Xiao Shuang, don't you want to stay here now? Have you been having a bad time recently?"
Xie Xiaoshuang smiled and said, "I've been doing pretty well lately. I have a normal job, eat well and sleep well. My neighbors are also very polite to me, and even my family doesn't put any pressure on me. After all, my mother has been in jail, and now no one in the neighborhood dares to introduce a date to our family. To say it's easy, I'm really living a pretty easy life now. It's just... I'm always upset. As long as I'm still in the food factory, I will uncontrollably think of everything that beast did. I even often run into their family in the factory. This matter... I really can't let it go. The more stable and normal my life is now, the harder it is for me to bear."
After these words were spoken, both Hu Yanni and Xia Qingtang fell silent.
Indeed, although Xie Xiaoshuang kept her job at the food factory, this job was the biggest scar in her heart. As long as she worked in this food factory for one day, she would never forget what happened before.
Xia Qingtang gently patted Xie Xiaoshuang on the shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Let's wait until next year. If that city that can make money really comes out, I will help you find out. If there is a chance, I will take the train to accompany you to take a look. If you can really go there and you can really make money on your own, I support you to go there."
Xie Xiaoshuang smiled and held her hand, then whispered: "Thank you, Qingtang, I am really grateful to you. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I could do. If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have survived. It's because of you that I can live well until now. Don't worry, no matter how far I go, I will come back to see you. Although I don't like this place, I will always think of you."
Hu Yanni reached out and hugged her: "Of course you have to come back to see us. If you don't come back to see me, I will go find you. Don't expect to get rid of me. In this life, you are my good friend and you can't run away!"
The three of them laughed together, and Xie Xiaoshuang looked much better. She seemed to be looking forward to the city that Xia Qingtang mentioned where she could make money in the future.
Xia Qingtang looked at her big, bright eyes, and she was looking forward to the arrival of next year even more.
It was December soon. Although winter came late this year, it got cold very quickly. It wasn't long before the weather became freezing cold. People reduced their outdoor activities. As soon as Xia Qingtang got off work, he would ride his bicycle and rush home quickly.
Before winter came, Xie Jinxuan asked someone to make a new coal briquette stove, which she placed next to the coffee table in the living room. After the ventilation duct was installed, the whole house could be heated by this coal briquette stove.
Although the temperature inside the house would not rise too high due to the shortage of coal briquettes, it was still much warmer than outside. They would also leave the bedroom door open when they went to bed at night so that the warmth from the living room could blow into the bedroom.
While thinking about the warm and comfortable living room of her home, Xia Qingtang rode her bicycle hard in the howling cold wind.
She wore thick cotton gloves and a thick woolen scarf wrapped around her face. Even so, she felt it was not enough, so she added a cloth mask inside the scarf.
She made the cloth mask herself. It was made of relatively soft fabric and it was indeed warmer when worn. Therefore, she made one for Xie Jinxuan as well so that he could wear it on his face to keep warm.
Ever since Xie Jinxuan started riding a bike to school wearing a mask, many people at the provincial university have followed suit.
Xia Qingtang heard from Guan Chenxiang that Xie Jinxuan is now a celebrity in the provincial university. Not only is he handsome, but he also has excellent grades. Since he entered the school, he has scored very good scores in every quiz.
Not only his classmates like him, but his teachers like him too. The department treats him as a top student and focuses on training him. Although he is only a freshman, every teacher can see that he has a bright future.
Xia Qingtang rode grunting to an intersection and saw a roadside shop selling sugar-roasted chestnuts. He suddenly had an idea and rode over, intending to buy a bag to take back home.
It's always easier to get hungry when the weather gets cold. Xia Qingtang likes snacks more than usual. Xie Jinxuan studies too long at night, so eating a few chestnuts can fill her stomach.
Xia Qingtang weighed a pound of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and the clerk wrapped them in oil paper for her. She took it with a smile and carefully put the hot package into her bag. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a passerby scream in front of her: "Oh, someone fainted! Help me, hurry up!"
Xia Qingtang was very close, so he pushed his bicycle and followed the crowd to take a look.
There was indeed a middle-aged man lying on the ground. He was wearing a thick cotton coat and had slightly long hair with bangs hanging down to cover his eyebrows. But Xia Qingtang felt that the fainted man looked a little familiar.
She moved closer, took a closer look, and slapped her forehead. She realized that she actually knew this person.
Previously, when they accompanied their aunt's family to climb the mountain, they met Teacher Xu Zhenhua in the pavilion on the top of the mountain. He was a teacher in the Archaeology Department of the Provincial University. At that time, he asked Xie Jinxuan if she would like to study archaeology.
I haven't seen him since then, but today I ran into him fainted on the roadside.
The onlookers were very enthusiastic. Some people went over to feel Xu Zhenhua's pulse, and an old lady squatted down and pinched his philtrum hard, but it didn't work.
"What should I do now? Even pinching the philtrum doesn't work. It looks like something is really wrong!"
Xia Qingtang said: "It looks quite serious, why don't we... send him to the hospital right away."
Someone shouted, "Does anyone know this person? If we take him to the hospital now, they won't admit him without money. It would be better if you knew where he works. Look in his pockets to see if he has anything from his workplace."
"Don't bother. After he wakes up in the hospital, the doctor will ask him for medical expenses."
"Then you can send him there. I don't know him and I don't have any money on me. What if the hospital asks me for medical expenses?"
Xia Qingtang had no choice but to say, "It's okay. I know this person. He is a teacher at the provincial university. You just need to send him to the hospital. I can go to the provincial university to inform his leaders or colleagues."
"Oh, you're a teacher, why are you so dizzy?"
"Okay, since you know him, then... call a few male comrades over, let's get a door panel and carry this teacher to the hospital!" an enthusiastic middle-aged male comrade shouted.
There were still a lot of enthusiastic people, and soon several strong men came out. The shop next door also provided an empty door panel. They placed Xu Zhenhua on the door panel and carried him to the nearest hospital.
As Xia Qingtang knew Xu Zhenhua, he naturally followed him on his bike.
After being sent to the emergency room, the hospital immediately took Xu Zhenhua to the emergency room. The enthusiastic uncle followed him there. Xia Qingtang was stopped by someone and asked to register his information and pay the fee.
Xia Qingtang always carried some money with her in case of emergency. Thinking that Xu Zhenhua worked in a regular unit, she did not hesitate and took out ten yuan to pay his medical expenses first. Then she said something to the uncle at the door of the emergency room, and she got on her bike and pedaled all the way to the provincial university.
When they arrived at the guardhouse, Xia Qingtang said quickly, "Hello, comrade. Teacher Xu Zhenhua from your school's archaeology department fainted on the side of the road. He has been sent to the Second People's Hospital in front and is being treated in the emergency room. Please quickly notify Teacher Xu's leader or family members and ask them to go to the hospital to see Teacher Xu."
The guard was startled and said quickly, "Okay, I'll go find someone from the archaeology department right now!"
One of the brothers immediately pushed open the door and ran out, then rode a bicycle parked nearby and disappeared in a flash.
Xia Qingtang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the remaining comrade inside quickly said, "Thank you, young comrade. You look so tired. Take a rest."
Xia Qingtang untied the large scarf covering her face and waved her hand, saying, "You're welcome. I just need to tell Teacher Xu's family about something. I just paid 10 yuan for Teacher Xu's medical expenses at the hospital. Please remember to pay me back later."
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