Chapter 109
Xia Qingtang was slightly startled, but soon came to her senses. She said softly, "When I married Jinxuan, I didn't do it very well... Because of the special situation in my family, we got married secretly. No matter whose family it was, no one would be happy."
No matter how open-minded your parents are, marriage is such a big thing, and even if they say a few words before getting the marriage certificate, the elders will feel more comfortable.
But the two of them were simply acting without prior consultation. If you put yourself in their shoes, if Xia Qingtang's child did the same, she would probably be unhappy too.
But the whole family knew Xie Jinxuan's character, and no one wanted him to be unhappy, so even if the elders did not approve, they still accepted Xia Qingtang who suddenly married into the family at the first opportunity.
Xie's mother whispered, "I knew you could understand these feelings. In fact, I don't have a problem with you. At that time, no matter who Jinxuan married, I would not be happy. Although his father and I did not pay much attention to Jinxuan, I did not expect Jinxuan to secretly marry without telling the family. At that time, his father and I were reflecting on ourselves. Is it because we did not care enough about our son for so many years that he did not have such a deep relationship with us, so he even had to hide the marriage from us. In addition, he brought you home, but we could not visit the in-laws, which made me feel even more uncomfortable. You are so beautiful, I have never seen a girl as beautiful as you. I am worried that Jinxuan was deceived because of this, and I am also worried that you can't live a good life with him. Who knew that after getting to know you slowly, you turned out to be a sincere child. Although you did not do well in the matter of marriage, you lived with Jinxuan steadily afterwards, and your father and I slowly put our minds at ease. Now that things have come to this, I am not afraid that you will be unhappy when I tell you these things."
Seeing that Xie's mother was very sincere, Xia Qingtang also said sincerely: "Mom, I won't be unhappy. Even if you and Dad don't quite approve of us now, this is normal. After all, I am a stranger. Although Jinxuan and I have formed a family, you don't know me. Even if you spend a year, you may not be able to fully understand a person. You are Jinxuan's parents. You consider so much for Jinxuan's sake. Not only will I not be unhappy, I will also be happy for Jinxuan, because he has very dedicated and good parents."
Mother Xie smiled and said, "Not really. His father and I are at most qualified parents. But you are indeed a very good wife. Although you have been in our family for more than a year, and although it is a little late to say this, I still want to say thank you for marrying Jinxuan."
Xia Qingtang paused for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, there was a light knock on the door of the ward, and Xie Chengye's voice rang out from outside: "I'm here, is everything ok in there?"
"Okay." Xie's mother said towards the door.
Xie Chengye came in holding a cloth bag, his whole body was cold and his face was flushed: "Look what I bought? I bought roasted sweet potatoes! Do you want some?"
Mother Xie smiled and said, "I don't want to eat. I just had dinner."
Xia Qingtang shouted "Dad" and picked up the basin to splash water.
Xie Jinxuan walked in and said, "Mom, since Dad is here, Qingtang and I will go back first and not disturb you two from talking."
Xie's mother said, "You two haven't eaten yet. It's so cold, and the food will get cold if you take it home."
"It's okay, we can just go back and heat up the food."
Xie Chengye took out two baked sweet potatoes wrapped in paper from the cloth bag: "Take this back and eat it."
"Okay, thank you Dad." Xie Jinxuan said, then packed up her things and went back with Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang took his arm and walked out slowly. Xie Jinxuan asked, "What did mom say to you just now?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"I could vaguely hear you guys talking outside, but I couldn't make it out clearly."
"I did say a few words. My mother thanked me for helping her go to the toilet. It was just a small thing."
Xie Jinxuan said: "Before, when mom used the bedpan, she wouldn't let Xiaoyun and I help her, so we went to find the nurse. The nurse said that raising a son is not as good as raising a daughter. Today, seeing that you can help mom go to the toilet, I thought of what the nurse said. It seems that sons are really not very useful."
Xia Qingtang joked: "So you have to get married. If you get married, you will have someone to take care of your mother."
"That's not good. My parents gave birth to me and raised me, so when they get old, I should take care of them. But my parents didn't give birth to you or raise you. If you want to take care of them, that's out of affection. If you don't want to take care of them, that's what you should do." Xie Jinxuan said, "I'm thinking that it would be better for us to have a daughter in the future. A daughter is closer to her mother and can take better care of you in the future."
Xia Qingtang laughed, "But having a son or a daughter is not something you can control. If you ask me, it doesn't matter whether you have a son or a daughter, having a child is good. Having children can provide for old age, but you can't have children just for the sake of old age, right? If you really want to consider the issue of elderly care, you might as well make more money in the future. I think there will be jobs that specialize in caring for patients in the future. If it's inconvenient for children to take care of their children themselves, it's the same as paying someone to take care of them. Let's not talk about the issue of sons and daughters. If they serve in the army in other places like Leng Feng, will their parents die? There is always a way to solve it."
"A job that specifically takes care of patients? It seems like there is really a need for this job." Xie Jinxuan focused her attention on this thing.
Xia Qingtang was not lying. She heard from her cousin's husband that the father of a business partner he knew was sick and in the hospital, but the couple were very busy and had no time to go to the hospital to take care of him, so they paid a nurse to take care of him there 24 hours a day.
Just do this, it's much harder than being a nanny and requires a lot of strength. Of course, you can earn more money than a nanny.
"Don't count on it now. Let's wait until we don't need food coupons to buy rice and flour anymore." Xia Qingtang said, "Dad has lost a lot of weight during the few days when mom was in the hospital. Xiaoyun has lost a lot of weight too."
Xie Jinxuan said, "Dad is staying at the hospital tonight, so how can we sleep well on the small sofa? Fortunately, Mom will be discharged from the hospital in two days. When I get home, I will find a way to get some fresh fish home and ask Aunt Liu to make soup for everyone to nourish themselves."
Because of Xie's mother's sudden illness, the whole family actually lost a lot of weight. Xie's mother was probably very touched, and Xia Qingtang especially felt the subtle changes in her attitude towards herself.
Before this, Xia Qingtang and Xie's mother had never been very close, but they didn't have a bad relationship either. The two of them had always been on good terms, but they had never had a very in-depth communication, unlike Xia Qingtang and her grandmother, who often sat together and talked about family matters, work, relatives and friends, or any interesting things they had heard.
But starting from the next day, when Xia Qingtang went to the hospital to visit Xie's mother after work, she began to have a deep chat with her.
Although it was just a small change, Xie Jinxuan was the first to notice it.
Xia Qingtang was very accepting of all of this. Whenever Xie's mother chatted with her, she would chat happily and nothing changed because of it.
Soon, after confirmation from the doctor, Xie's mother was able to be discharged from the hospital.
The day of discharge happened to be Sunday, and everyone in the family was free, and they all rushed to pick up Xie's mother from the hospital. However, Xie Chengye thought that too many people would be noisy, so he only took Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang with him.
Xie Jinxuan packed up the things in the ward neatly, and waited for Xie Chengye to complete all the formalities. Then several people took a jeep to take Xie's mother home.
After returning home again, Xie's mother sighed and said, "It seems that nothing happened, but now I feel like I'm dreaming when I'm back home. I dare not even think... If I had endured the pain that night for a little longer, what would have happened later?"
Xie Chengye said, "Pfft, don't say such nonsense! What can it be? It's just appendicitis, it's nothing serious. Besides, I noticed your stomachache just now. No matter what it is, I will definitely send you to the hospital."
Mother Xie smiled, reached out and held Xie Chengye's hand, and whispered, "Thank you very much."
"Hey, what are you talking about? We are husband and wife, and you are thanking me. Isn't this being too formal?" Xie Chengye said, "The doctor said you need to rest after coming back. Come, I'll carry you upstairs."
Xie's mother said, "Forget it. You couldn't carry me that night, and now you can't carry me up the stairs. I don't need you to carry me. I'm fine. I can walk up slowly by myself holding the handrail."
As she spoke, Xie's mother held onto the handrail of the stairs and walked up very slowly.
Xie Jinyun was worried about her mother, so she stayed by her side all the time. As long as her mother frowned slightly, Xie Jinyun would say, "Mom, how about I carry you up there?"
Xie's mother felt very warm in her heart, but she still refused sternly. After some time, she went upstairs by herself.
At noon that day, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan still had lunch in the small Western-style building.
During this period, because Xie's mother was in the hospital, they had not cooked in their own small yard. Every morning when they woke up, they ran here to talk with their grandparents and have breakfast.
Dinner was also cooked by Aunt Liu. They either ate it in the hospital ward or came back to eat it, so after lunch, Xia Qingtang took half a cabbage and a bundle of dried vermicelli from Aunt Liu's kitchen. Otherwise, they would not be able to cook for themselves in the evening.
When they heard that Xie's mother had been discharged from the hospital, neighbors, relatives and friends came to visit her.
Mother Xie could only come down from upstairs and sit on the sofa on the first floor with a small blanket on her legs and a cup of hot water in her hand, greeting and talking with a smile to everyone who came to visit her.
People won't sit for too long because there are too many people visiting. Basically everyone will leave after sitting for ten minutes.
But the coming and going of people obviously had a certain impact on Xie's mother's spirit, and she soon felt tired.
Xie Jinxuan carried her mother upstairs and let her rest quietly there, while the others stayed downstairs to deal with the endless stream of visitors.
Xia Qingtang also didn't like dealing with so many guests. Seeing that Xie's mother went upstairs to rest, she went back to the small courtyard with cabbage and dried vermicelli. She read a book comfortably in the living room for a while, soaked mushrooms and black fungus, and made a hot dinner with cabbage and vermicelli.
After that, Xie's mother took a long vacation and had a good rest at home for a while.
Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang also went to the small western-style building every day. They would either go there to talk with Xie's mother after dinner, or go directly to the small western-style building after work to have dinner with Xie's mother.
Xie's mother knew that her children were filial, so she said to the two young people after a few days: "Okay, you don't have to come here every day to accompany me. I don't have much to do here. I have to go back to work in a few days. You should just come here once or twice a week as usual. Seeing you come here every day, you must be not used to it. Jinxuan studies so hard, and she stays up late to study when she goes home at night after talking to me here. Why bother?"
Xie Jinxuan said: "Mom, I'm fine. I don't get enough sleep anyway."
"I find you annoying, so can you stop bothering me in the future?" Xie's mother pretended to be angry.
Xie Jinxuan then said, "Okay, I understand. I'll still come twice a week from now on."
Without having to go over to accompany Xie's mother every day, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan's lives returned to normal.
On Saturday noon, when Xia Qingtang was giving a lesson at Guan Chenxiang's house, Xie Jinxuan suddenly rushed in from outside on a bicycle in a panic.
"Jinxuan, what's wrong with you?" Guan Jueming asked curiously.
Xie Jinxuan looked very excited. He lowered his voice and said, "Teacher Guan, after searching for so long, I finally found news about Xiaojun!"
Xiaojun is Guan Jueming's son. When Guan Jueming got into trouble, his ex-wife divorced him immediately and left with their son Xiaojun.
Guan Jueming lost contact with them and later went to look for his ex-wife's parents, but they refused to give in and would not tell Guan Jueming the whereabouts of the mother and son.
Guan Jueming asked Xie Jinxuan for help, but after searching for so long there was still no news. Guan Jueming was actually about to give up. He even thought that maybe his ex-wife and son were no longer around... so that's why he couldn't find them.
Guan Chenxiang and Xia Qingtang both walked out of the house. Guan Jueming was holding a book in his hand. As he listened to Xie Jinxuan's words, his grip loosened and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
But he was completely unaware that the book had fallen. He was still staring at Xie Jinxuan, stunned.
Guan Chenxiang walked over and gently pushed Guan Jueming's arm. She whispered, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Are you overjoyed to hear this news? Jinxuan just said that he found news about Xiaojun!"
Guan Jueming finally came back to his senses. He looked at Xie Jinxuan and asked in a trembling voice, "Really? Did you really find him? Really...really?"
Xie Jinxuan said, "Really, we found him. We even have the address! He and his mother are now in Hongxing County in the next city. His mother remarried and is living quite well in the county."
Xie Jinxuan had been helping Guan Jueming find his son a long time ago, but there was no news after a long search.
Because Guan Jueming's ex-wife married and moved to another province with their son ten years ago. That province is too large and it is impossible to find her without accurate information.
Just when Xie Jinxuan thought there was no hope, no one expected that Guan Jueming's ex-wife actually remarried and brought her son back to the province, and she was in the county seat of Hongxing County, not far from here. It only takes more than two hours to drive from here, which is really very close.
Xie Jinxuan briefly explained the basic situation. Guan Jueming cried while listening, and then laughed out loud after crying. It was obvious that he was very happy.
"My Xiaojun is still alive! He is still alive!" Guan Jueming hugged his sister, and both brother and sister jumped up excitedly.
Guan Chenxiang said: "I was thinking Xiaojun must still be alive! Now it's good, we finally found him, and he's so close, we can go find him anytime!"
Guan Jueming was stunned for a moment. He looked at Xie Jinxuan and asked, "Jinxuan, do you think... can I go over to see him?"
"That's Teacher Guan's biological son, so of course Teacher Guan can go and see him," said Xie Jinxuan.
"But... after so many years, he must have forgotten me a long time ago, right? He was so young when his mother took him away. He... must have forgotten me a long time ago..."
"It's okay to forget. You are Xiaojun's father. This is a fact. Xiaojun is a teenager now. He is still a child. His mother can't stop his biological father from visiting him."
Guan Chenxiang also said: "Jinxuan is right, brother, that is your biological son. Comrade Tang has hidden Xiaojun for so many years. Now they have returned to our province. We also found the news by our own ability. Why can't we go to see Xiaojun? Even if there is a lawsuit, he is still your biological son! Brother, I will accompany you to see Xiaojun!"
Guan Jueming said with red eyes: "Okay, let's go see Xiaojun... Then... when are we going to see him?"
Xie Jinxuan said: "If Teacher Guan wants to go, he can go anytime. It's very close anyway. If he leaves in the morning, he can see him in the morning. If he wants to go, he can go this Sunday."
Guan Jueming rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "Sister, do you think we should go tomorrow?"
Guan Chenxiang said: "Go!"
"Okay, I'll apply to the school now. If the team has a car ready to go tomorrow, we'll go find Xiaojun together tomorrow!"
Guan Chenxiang said: "Yes, we will go together tomorrow. I am well now. Don't worry, brother, I will never let Comrade Tang bully you!"
Xia Qingtang heard from Guan Chenxiang that Guan Jueming had always been a soft persimmon in his marriage with his ex-wife because he was too good-tempered. His ex-wife had always been mean to him. Later, when something happened to the housekeeper, Comrade Tang was the first to draw a line with Guan Jueming and immediately returned to her parents' home with her son.
Comrade Tang was good-looking and found a supporter for herself not long after returning to her parents' home. At that time, Guan Jueming could still contact them by writing letters, but not long after, there was no news from there.
When Guan Jueming found his ex-wife's parents, they said that Comrade Tang had not lived there for a long time, and they didn't know where she had married with her son.
If it were Xia Qingtang, when her son went missing, she would definitely have a big fight with the people over there. Even if she had to stay in their house for a year, she would definitely get any news about her son. But Guan Jueming had such a good personality. He didn't say anything and didn't make things difficult for Tang's parents. He just came back like that.
If it weren't for Xie Jinxuan, he would never see his son again in this life.
He has such a gentle personality. If Guan Chenxiang didn't accompany him, he might not even be able to see Xiaojun when he arrived in Hongxing County.
Xie Jinxuan also considered this and said, "Otherwise, I'll go with the two teachers. With me around, things will be easier to handle. Besides, I know someone there too."
Guan Jueming said, "Isn't this too much trouble for you? You have spent so much time and energy to help me find my child, and you have asked so many friends for help. I don't even dare to settle the favors I owe you. I feel like I will never be able to repay them in my lifetime."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Then forget it. I'll just owe you a little more. When I need it in the future, I'll ask Teacher Guan to pay it back together."
Guan Jueming smiled innocently: "Okay, then let's write them down."
Xia Qingtang said, "Are you the only ones going? Why not take me with you? I've never been to that place before, so I'll just treat it as a trip. We'll go in the morning and come back in the evening, so we can go out and relax."
Guan Jueming said: "Since everyone wants to go, let's go together. I'll go borrow a car now."
After saying that, he ran towards that end.
"Brother, bicycle, you have a bicycle!" Guan Chenxiang shouted helplessly from behind.
"Yes, yes, I have a bicycle." Guan Jueming ran back with a smile, rode away on his bicycle.
Guan Chenxiang watched her brother walk away, she let out a long sigh and said, "Jinxuan, thank you so much, you are a benefactor to my brother and me. Not only did you save our lives, but you also helped my brother find his child. My brother and I owe you a debt that we will never be able to repay in this lifetime!"
Xie Jinxuan said, "Teacher Xiaoguan, don't say such things. There is no such thing as a debt or no debt. I will help you now if I can. Who knows when it will be your turn to help me in the future. How can things in this world be so absolute?"
Guan Chenxiang said: "You helped my brother find Xiaojun. One day, even if it costs him his life, he will give it to you."
"I dare not ask for this. It's useless even if I ask for it." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile: "Xiao Guan teacher must tell Teacher Guan that now that his son has been found, he must live well from now on."
Guan Jueming was lucky enough, as the school just happened to have an empty car that would not be used tomorrow. When they heard that he was going to look for his son, they gave him priority. However, the driver would not follow them. Fortunately, Guan Jueming knew that Xie Jinxuan could drive, so he registered with the school and asked the leader for a gas ticket, thus arranging tomorrow's transportation.
When he came back, Xie Jinxuan said, "Okay, let's go a little earlier tomorrow morning, and leave from the provincial capital university at 6:30. I know where the motorcade is, and Qingtang and I will go directly to the motorcade to wait for you in the morning. When we drive there, it will be just after we get up. If the talks go well, Teacher Guan can take Xiaojun to have lunch in the county town."
"Then I will bring my meat coupons! If I can have dinner with Xiaojun, I will buy some delicious food for Xiaojun!" Guan Jueming was very excited.
Guan Chenxiang said, "Yes, take the meat coupons with you. Also, since we are going there suddenly, we should also bring some gifts. I think we should take the can of malted milk at home. It has not been opened yet."
"There's also a bag of brown sugar, take that too!" Guan Jueming looked at himself in the glass window and said, "Do you think I look okay? If I go to see them tomorrow, I won't scare the kids, will I?"
Guan Jueming is not very old, but because of years of suffering, he had white hair early on. Fortunately, he has taken good care of himself this year and his complexion is much better than before. But the white hair cannot be turned back, and he is worried that he will look too old and be disliked by his children.
Xia Qingtang said: "Teacher Guan has a good image now. I have always heard the female students in your school praise Teacher Guan, saying that you are gentle and refined, with a good temperament, like a scholar in ancient times."
Guan Jueming laughed, "You're making fun of me again. How can I look like a scholar? I just look poor and shabby... But since you said so, I should be fine this way. I'll go to the bathhouse to take a bath in a while, clean myself up, and change into clean clothes. I must leave a good impression on the children tomorrow."
"Teacher Guan, don't worry. You are now a university teacher, which is a very respected profession. Your children will definitely have a good impression of you!" Xia Qingtang emphasized: "It is different now than in the past."
Guan Jueming felt relieved: "Yes, things are different now than they were in the past..."
Xie Jinxuan said: "Qingtang, it's almost time, shouldn't you go back to work?"
Xia Qingtang looked at her watch and realized that it was getting late. She quickly said goodbye, got on her bike and went back to the cotton mill.
After finishing work and returning home, Xia Qingtang heard voices coming from the house before she even walked into the small courtyard.
She parked her bike, pushed the door open and walked in. A warm fragrance wafted over. She smiled and said, "Jinxuan, are there any guests at home?"
"Yes, there are guests coming. Look who this is?" Xie Jinxuan pointed towards the sofa.
Xia Qingtang looked over there and saw that it was Xu Zhenhua who had fainted on the roadside. She was surprised and said, "It's Teacher Xu. Has he recovered?"
Xu Zhenhua showed a somewhat embarrassed expression, and said: "Yes, I have recovered and I am fine now. Thank you so much for sending me to the hospital that day, and then you helped me pay for the medical expenses. You really helped me a lot. Now that I have recovered, I must come to thank you in person."
"Teacher Xu, you are too polite. We already know each other. It's just a small favor, not a big deal. You don't have to come and thank me in person. I was not the only one who sent Teacher Xu to the hospital that day. I didn't contribute any effort. It was a few kind brothers who carried Teacher Xu to the hospital. Besides, when Teacher Xu's wife returned the money to us, she wrote me a handwritten thank-you letter. It's just a small thing, but you made such a grand matter." Xia Qingtang said.
Xu Zhenhua's lover found Xie Jinxuan on the third day and gave him ten yuan and a handwritten letter, expressing sincere gratitude in the letter, so Xia Qingtang didn't expect Xu Zhenhua to come here in person.
Xu Zhenhua said: "I have thanked those comrades one by one. Although it was just a piece of cake for you, it really saved me. Isn't it my duty to come and thank you?"
"Teacher Xu, what was wrong with you before? Why did you faint on the side of the road?"
Xu Zhenhua said a little embarrassedly, "Actually, there is nothing serious wrong with me. I am just malnourished and anemic, and I have some old illnesses. At noon that day, I forgot to eat again, and I lost consciousness while walking on the road. Later, I was sent to the hospital for a check-up. Apart from the old illness, there was nothing else. I was just very weak, so I had to replenish my body. So, I was forced by the leaders of my unit to stay in the hospital for so long. The doctor arranged a lot of nutritious things for me, both medicine and nutritional supplements, and I recovered quickly. I am discharged from the hospital now, and I am fine. I happened to go to see classmate Xie today. I heard that you were free in the evening, so I followed you. Comrade Xia, thank you so much for that day."
"No need to thank me, no need to thank me. I'm glad you're fine. Since you're malnourished, you should eat well." Xia Qingtang said, "Teacher Xu, you don't look like someone from a poor family. Why are you malnourished?"
Xu Zhenhua waved his hand and said, "My family is not in financial difficulty. There are only my wife and I at home, and we don't even have a child. We both get paid and have food coupons, so we have enough to eat every month. I am malnourished purely because of my bad habits. I often forget the time while reading. I missed the meal time and there was no food in the cafeteria, so I was too lazy to go out for some biscuits. Over time, I naturally became malnourished. But after this incident, I have learned my lesson and will never forget to eat again. I also promised my wife that I will eat three meals a day in the future. Even if I don't eat, I will remember to drink a glass of milk and eat a few biscuits. I will never faint again. Research can be done slowly, but if you lose your life, you can't do anything."
Xia Qingtang said: "Yes, health is the most important thing. Talents like you are very scarce in the provincial university. If something happens to you because of poor health, wouldn't it be a loss for the university?"
Xu Zhenhua sighed slightly, "I am not a talented person. It's just that many of the previous teachers are gone, so it's my turn to take on the responsibility. In fact, I am still learning, and I hope I can really become a talented person in the future. Anyway, thank you very much for this matter. My wife asked me to buy some things and bring them over. I don't know if you like them. They are all snacks. She said that young girls will like them."
"Thank you, my love. I like to eat everything. I'm not picky about food." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
"That's good, as long as you like it... There is one more thing, I have also said it to the other brothers. This time, I owe you a big favor. If there is anything you need me to do, as long as I can do it, I will do my best to repay this favor." Xu Zhenhua's words surprised Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan.
After being surprised, Xia Qingtang saw that Xu Zhenhua's expression was very serious. Knowing that he was sincere, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: This man is a teacher in the archaeology department. He should be very proficient in appraising treasures. If I ask him to appraise the treasures, would it be feasible?
But she quickly overturned this idea, because she could only ask someone to appraise the treasure two or three times at most. If she went to them again after that, she would owe them a favor. Besides, when it comes to buying and exchanging antiques, it is always better to do it by herself.
Thinking of this, Xia Qingtang said, "Teacher Xu, do you mind taking me as your disciple?"
Xu Zhenhua laughed: "Take in a disciple? Xiaoxia, do you want to learn archaeology from me? Or should we let Xie learn it?"
Xia Qingtang waved his hand and said, "I'm not studying archaeology. I want to learn some antique appraisals. It will give me some knowledge about antiques. When I see some porcelain or something, it would be best if I could tell whether it's real or fake."
"You like antiques?"
"I guess so." Xia Qingtang said.
Who doesn’t like valuable antiques? Even people who don’t know much about antiques will like them.
Xu Zhenhua laughed again and said, "Xiao Xia, it seems that your hobby is quite special."
"Everyone should have some hobbies, but I don't know if Teacher Xu is willing to teach. I don't want to learn much, so I don't need to learn knowledge that is too old. I will just learn about the Ming and Qing dynasties."
Xu Zhenhua said, "I can teach you, but it's not easy to learn. I just heard from Xiao Xie that you found a teacher at the provincial university to learn foreign languages. You have to study foreign languages, work, and learn antique appraisal from me at the same time. This is not an easy task."
Xia Qingtang said, "I can learn slowly. I only need to take one class with Teacher Xu a week. We focus on taking things slowly. It's a bit unreasonable if it takes too long, but I will pay Teacher Xu's tuition afterwards. What do you think? It doesn't matter if it doesn't work out. You are so busy at work, it's normal for it to not work out."
Xia Qingtang's main idea is to go with the flow. If Xu Zhenhua is really willing to teach, then she will learn it well. It is never a bad thing to learn an extra skill. If Xu Zhenhua doesn't have time, that's fine too. At most, if she comes across something good in the future, she will ask Xu Zhenhua for advice and use up the favor.
Xu Zhenhua waved his hand and said, "I don't want your tuition. The salary offered by the provincial university is enough for my expenses. I don't have to pay for food and accommodation. Why should I charge you tuition? Besides, there are not many people who are willing to learn these things on their own initiative. Since you want to learn and I know how to do it, why don't I teach you? One class a week is indeed too little, but you are an amateur. I have to go back and think about how to bring out an amateur like you. You know, some of the young masters in the past were not professionals in this field, but they could recognize and distinguish treasures when they saw them. I guess you probably want to learn like this, right?"
Xia Qingtang was immediately delighted to see that Xu Zhenhua understood her intentions at once. She quickly said, "Yes, Teacher Xu, you are really amazing. You saw through my intentions at once."
"If this had happened a few decades ago, there would have been a lot of people who thought like you. However, since you want to learn from me, I can't bring out a poor student. I'll go back and do some research and come up with a set of courses specifically for you. Have you graduated from high school?"
"Graduated."
"That's OK, the foundation shouldn't be too bad, then you wait for my news."
"Really?"
Xu Zhenhua said: "Of course it is real. If you want to learn, I can teach you. But there is only one thing. Once you really start taking my class, you must learn it well. Apart from other things, when you finish learning from me, if someone gives you a Ming Dynasty bottle, you must be able to recognize it. As for judging the authenticity, it is not something that can be learned in one day. You have to practice, and you have to keep looking at good things. In the past, many young masters did not learn it specifically, but the objects they used since childhood were good things. At a glance, they automatically knew whether it was real or fake."
Xia Qingtang nodded quickly: "Anyway, I will listen to everything Teacher Xu says. I will learn whatever you teach me! If I really can't learn it, Teacher Xu, don't be polite, just drive me away! In short, I will never embarrass you as a teacher."
As a person, you should know how to be content. What if she is particularly dull in this area and simply cannot learn it? Then you can only give up. This kind of thing should be said in advance.
Xu Zhenhua laughed and said, "Okay, then it's settled. I'll go back now and think about how to teach you. If it's ready, I'll go find Xiao Xie and tell him the time for your first class. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I'm really good. It's just that I have to trouble you, Teacher Xu. You have to take good care of your health. I, as a student, am counting on you." Xia Qingtang said, "If you like to eat something, you can tell me. I'm very good at cooking!"
After seeing Xu Zhenhua off, Xia Qingtang happily spun around in circles in the room.
Xie Jinxuan held her back and said, "Why did you suddenly decide to learn this from him? I remember you said before that you wanted me to sit in on Mr. Xu's class when I'm free."
"It was just a sudden thought. Besides, what you learn from auditing the course is too professional and too systematic. I don't need to learn so systematically or so proficiently. I just need to roughly recognize some antiques. If I can learn, I will be able to identify these things when I encounter them in the future, and maybe I can buy some treasures at a low price. Of course, I won't do this as a regular job, it's just a hobby. If I come across it, it's my good fortune, and if I don't, it doesn't matter. You don't need to learn it, you should study your major well."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "If you want to learn, you will be busier and busier. Can you really handle it?"
"I can handle the workload. At most I can reduce the foreign language class once a week. The weather has been too cold recently and I feel like slacking off again."
"You've already learned enough English to this point, so you can be lazy now."
Xia Qingtang said: "Although I have almost done it, I still feel a little unsatisfied and want to learn more. Well, I should learn more knowledge while I am young and have time and energy. What a good day today is! Good news comes one after another! Tomorrow I can go to see Teacher Guan's son, and Teacher Xu is willing to teach me. This is too happy!"
"I don't know if Teacher Guan's son will recognize him. The child was taken away by his mother when he was so young. Comrade Tang remarried two husbands with him and he went through two different families. The child might not even know that he has a biological father."
"We don't know now, but we'll know tomorrow." Xia Qingtang patted his shoulder, "We should be more positive and think positively!"
The next morning, several people, each with different moods, got into the jeep driven by Xie Jinxuan and headed directly towards Hongxing County.
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