Chapter 115
Xie Xiaoshuang said, "It's easier said than done. Looking ahead, it's actually not that easy. This is Yanni's first time dating. Without two or three months, she might not be able to get over it. I get angry when I think about this. Didn't Gu Xing'an know about Yanni's family situation before he confessed his love? If he knew, couldn't he have imagined the difficulties they would face in the future? He's still a college student, but he has a pig brain! If he hadn't told Yanni about dating first, with so many of Xie Jinxuan's classmates and friends in this compound, which one should he introduce to Yanni? Wouldn't Gu Xing'an be much better? It really pissed me off! He's wasting Yanni's time! Look, in the blink of an eye, Yanni is already 22 years old. She's not a little girl anymore! Youth is so precious!"
Xia Qingtang took her arm and said, "I know you are angry, and I am angry too, but to be honest, you also know the situation in Gu Xing'an's family. Now that he has taken the initiative to break up, I am actually happy. Besides, it is better to have some experience in dating. In the future, Yanni will know how to distinguish good men from bad men. It is definitely not a waste of youth. Yanni is a college student now. She plans to get married after graduating from college, so it is not too late at all. Wait until she calms down and waits a few days, then I will introduce her to someone. By the way, if you go to see her, pay more attention to her love life. She is good-looking, and there are always boys pursuing her in school. This time, we can't let her be deceived by some bad men again."
"Yes, yes, I think so too. You must come to help introduce her. You are a steady person and you will definitely be able to introduce her to a good one." Xie Xiaoshuang said, "I don't have any wishes. I just hope that I can go to another city as soon as possible. If you and Yanni have found a place to go before I leave, I will feel relieved."
Xia Qingtang nodded: "Don't worry, if Yanni still hasn't found a place to stay before you go abroad, I promise you that after she graduates, she will definitely marry a good man."
"Then it's a deal." Xie Xiaoshuang said with a smile: "By the way, where did you buy that thick vermicelli you had today? I've eaten it twice before, but I've never seen it for sale."
"I didn't buy it. It was brought to my grandparents by a relative of the Xie family who came from another place to visit them. Do you like it? I have more at home. Come on, come with me and get some."
"Then I won't be polite to you. I'll just take a little."
When the two returned to the small courtyard, Luo Xiangqian had already left. Xia Qingtang gave half of the remaining thick vermicelli to Xie Xiaoshuang, and then sent her out.
Back in the house, Xie Jinxuan was cleaning the living room. Xia Qingtang said, "When I came back, I saw that there were not many people in the bathhouse. How about we go take a bath now?"
Although having a heater at home means it won't be too cold to take a bath at home in winter, it is still much more comfortable in a bathhouse. In cold winter months like this, going to a bathhouse and taking a comfortable hot bath, then lying in bed when you come back, is definitely a heavenly day.
Xie Jinxuan nodded: "Okay, wait a moment, I'll be ready soon."
"Then I'll go clean up the basin and clothes." After saying that, Xia Qingtang ran to the bedroom, took out two people's spare clothes, and packed bath towels, soap and other items.
There were indeed not many people in the bathhouse at this moment. Xia Qingtang took a long and comfortable hot bath and felt that all the fatigue in her body was gone. Seeing that people who had finished dinner were gradually coming over, she put on her clothes and walked out.
Xie Jinxuan was waiting for her outside. When she saw her come out, she quickly handed her a dry towel and asked her to wrap her hair with it to prevent herself from catching a cold on the way home.
A familiar aunt smiled and said, "Xiao Xie, you are so considerate. You are worried that your wife will catch a cold. She hasn't given birth yet. She is young and hot-tempered. It's not a big deal."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "It's not a big deal to wrap it up, and it will make it quicker."
After Xia Qingtang wrapped her hair with a towel, the two went home together.
Her body was still warm and her cheeks were red. She looked very moisturized and full of youthful vitality.
As soon as she got home, Xia Qingtang quickly took off her cotton coat, untied the towel on her head, stood next to the coal stove and began to shake out her long hair.
The room was dry and warm. My hair was mostly dry after just a few moments of fiddling. Xie Jinxuan came over with a cup of hot milk and said, "Drink this."
"Okay." Xia Qingtang drank half of it in one breath and pushed the rest to him, "You drink it."
Xie Jinxuan smiled, and when she finished drinking and was about to wash the cup, she was hugged by Xia Qingtang.
"What's wrong?" Xie Jinxuan touched her half-dry hair and quickly used her hands to help her hair dry faster.
Xia Qingtang said: "Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to hug you, because I think we are really good together."
It's pretty good. The relationship and life of the two of them are stable. There is no financial pressure to separate them, and they don't cheat each other. It's really good.
Xie Jinxuan immediately understood the meaning of her words, and he said softly: "Yes, we are really good together. It's great that you are willing to be with me."
"Hehe." Xia Qingtang raised her head and gave him a mischievous smile. Her big, bright eyes were filled with smile and warmth, and she looked a little more gentle than usual.
Xie Jinxuan couldn't help but lower her head and kissed the corner of her eyes, then whispered: "Qingtang, don't leave me in this life."
"Then I'll see how you perform. If you treat me badly, I'll definitely run away faster than anyone else. And vice versa, if I treat you badly, you should also run away quickly, don't be sentimental." Seeing that he was very serious, Xia Qingtang whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here."
"I know, I just want to confirm it again." Xie Jinxuan also laughed.
Xia Qingtang stayed in his arms for a while, then withdrew and ran to the bathroom: "Xie Jinxuan, do you still want to study today?"
"You can learn it or not. I have already finished my homework."
"Okay, I'll wait for you in the bedroom later. You don't have to study today." Xia Qingtang turned on the faucet and started brushing his teeth. He then applied some cold cream on his face and went to the bedroom smelling fragrant.
That night, the two young people celebrated the first day of this new era in the most intimate way, and they celebrated until very late, which made Xia Qingtang almost late for work on the first day of the new year.
Fortunately, my colleagues all arrived late, and when asked, they said they had too much fun going out the day before and overslept.
The new year also brought a new atmosphere. The cotton mill also had a new deputy director of the office. I heard that he was transferred directly from the government agency.
This made Xia Qingtang feel a little surprised, but others seemed to be used to it.
Li Yue said: "The factory director is about to retire, and the successor will definitely be Deputy Factory Director Zhao, so there will be a vacant deputy factory director position. It will be too late to fill a position by then, so we have to get one in advance. You will see, he is now the deputy director of the office, and in the second half of the year he will be the deputy to the factory director."
"Is there such a promotion? Isn't it too exaggerated?" Xia Qingtang was surprised.
"It's no exaggeration. He must have made some special contributions or received a transfer order from his superiors. Anyway, he will definitely be promoted in the second half of the year. This is because Director Huang has someone above him, so he firmly holds the position of director. Otherwise, this person should have been the director as soon as he came. The promotion of director is actually more legitimate. However, our cotton mill is not a large factory like the steel mill, and the employees below don't care about these things. As long as those of us sitting in the office don't object, there will be no problem."
Wu Feng also said: "Xiao Li is right, this kind of thing is quite common. Xiao Xia, you are young and don't see much, but you will be familiar with it after working for a long time. Look at this new deputy director, he is not young at all, and it is obvious that he came to our cotton mill to retire. It is obvious that he will retire as the deputy director. Although we are a small factory, the treatment for retiring as a deputy director is very good, and there is also glory. It is a good way."
"So that's how it is. I really learned something today." Xia Qingtang said sincerely, "Thank you both for your guidance."
Li Yue said proudly: "It's good that you know. Although you are very smart and have a strong learning ability, you young people will not be able to figure out these twists and turns even if you have another seven or eight years."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Yes, I definitely need to learn more from Director Li in this regard."
"You really need to learn from me. On New Year's Day, our cotton mill's program was highly praised by the city leaders, and we even received a certificate of honor. Look, my name is known throughout the city." Li Yue looked even more proud.
"Secretary Li is really awesome, congratulations." Xia Qingtang was also happy to praise her.
A few people chatted for a while, and then the afternoon working hours began. Chairman Qin walked in with a notebook, started the meeting with them, and conveyed some instructions from the city.
After the meeting, Xia Qingtang quickly sorted out the meeting minutes, copied them and handed them to Chairman Qin, and then it was time to get off work.
The Chinese New Year is relatively late this year, and we have just passed the Lesser Cold. Although the weather is gloomy, it is not particularly cold.
Xia Qingtang went downstairs and unlocked her bicycle, and saw Xia Daming walking towards her with a cloth bag in his arms.
Although his leg injury has healed, he still doesn't look as good as before and he doesn't walk as fast as before. It can be seen that he is very concerned about the movements of his legs, which makes his walking look even more strange.
But everyone knew that his leg was seriously injured, so no one paid special attention to it even though his posture was strange.
"Dad, why are you here?" Xia Qingtang hurriedly pushed his bicycle out.
Xia Daming walked up to her with a smile and said, "I brought you something. Your brother asked me to give it to you."
Xia Qingtang was stunned: "Why is Xia Qinghai so kind?"
"Don't say that. Your brother is living a good life now, so he always thinks about us and you, his sister. Look, there is a salted duck in it. He picked the fattest one. There are also some dried vegetables underneath. Your mother and I dried them. They are not valuable. It's winter now, so he just eats them occasionally to change his appetite. You can take them home and eat them."
"Then I'll take it." Xia Qingtang took the cloth bag, which was indeed a bit heavy. She opened it and took a look. There was a big salted duck inside. She said, "I'll return the cloth bag to you tomorrow. Please tell him thank you for me. And thank you for the dried vegetables, too."
It would be a waste if she didn't take it. They were willing to give it to her, so of course there was no reason for her to refuse.
When Xia Daming saw that she accepted it, he became very happy. He immediately said, "Okay, just give me the cloth bag tomorrow. By the way, I want to discuss something with you."
"What's the matter?"
"You and son-in-law...can you come to our house to celebrate the New Year this year?" Xia Daming walked very slowly, and when he said this, he could hardly walk.
Xia Qingtang frowned and said, "Isn't this bad? Besides, when it comes to eating, can you make the decision, Dad? Inviting people to dinner requires food."
Would Zhao Meizhen let Xia Qingtang eat for free at her home? Was she dreaming?
"I can make the decision. Now your brother has become successful. He treats me well and can control your mother. Now your mother listens to me on major issues. Besides, she has almost changed. At that time, your grandmother was angry with your aunt and stayed in our house and didn't want to leave. It was me who asked your mother to drive her away. She really drove your grandmother back, and she hasn't come back since then. Your mother is not a good person, but now someone is in charge of her, and she can't do anything ridiculous. I know that you definitely don't want to go to my house for dinner after I said this. How about this... you go back and talk to your son-in-law? If your son-in-law wants to come, you can come together, okay? You don't have to carry anything when you come back. This year, your mother and I have a good meal and always eat eggs. Your brother also sent pork and fish home. When it comes to the Little New Year, your brother said that he would bring fish and pork. We... we have never eaten together for so long..."
Xia Qingtang said, "Okay, I'll go home and ask Xie Jinxuan. If he doesn't mind, I'll go with him. But I'll make it clear. If Zhao Meizhen says anything unpleasant, I'll leave immediately. When that day comes, don't blame me for ruining your festive atmosphere!"
"Don't worry, I'm here, and your brother is here too, she won't dare to do that again." Xia Daming lowered his voice and said, "Besides, she wouldn't dare to offend her son-in-law. You don't know, she often talks about her son-in-law's family being high officials at home, and she looks like she regrets it."
Xia Qingtang sneered: "Don't talk about this, it will only make people unhappy."
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore."
As they were talking, the two of them had slowly walked to the gate. Xia Daming said, "Then you go back. I'll go to the mail room to get the mail and then go home."
"Okay, then I'm leaving. Goodbye, Dad." Xia Qingtang walked to the factory gate, got on his bike and left.
When she got home, she took out the salted duck and then took out a thick pile of dried vegetables from the bottom of the bag, including dried cowpeas and dried eggplants. They were all tied up with straw ropes and tidied up very cleanly. They looked pretty good.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Such a big salted duck? Where did it come from? It can be eaten for several meals."
"More than that, add some thousand sheets or dried tofu and steam them together, and you can eat at least ten meals. Look, the duck skin is so thick." Xia Qingtang said: "Xia Qinghai asked my dad to give it to me. The dried vegetables were given by my dad."
"Xia Qinghai is indeed living a good life. He is willing to give away such a fat salted duck. It seems that he has plenty of food."
"Of course there is no shortage. My dad has said that he and Zhao Meizhen often eat eggs and meat. They are all sent by Xia Qinghai. You see, Xia Qinghai's father-in-law and mother-in-law are really brave."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "It's not that I'm brave, it's just to eat some good food. As long as the family has enough money, we can actually buy it back. Didn't we use the money to exchange for pork in order to make bacon before?"
"Yeah, Wu Jinfeng's family probably has quite a bit of money. Anyway, if he wants to give it to me, I'll keep it. After all, he ate so much of my food in the past, it's only right that he gives it back to me now." After Xia Qingtang finished speaking, he asked Xie Jinxuan to hang the salted duck on the hook on the wall with a rope, and then took out the dried eggplants, washed them, and made stewed rice with potatoes.
The Xie family actually had enough food, but everyone had gotten used to it over the years. Xia Qingtang also got used to adding other things to the rice when cooking, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, taro, various beans or various dried vegetables, so that they could eat more and fill their stomachs.
While cooking, Xia Qingtang thought of what Xia Daming asked, and said, "Jinxuan, Xia Daming invited us to his house for dinner, and asked me to come back and ask you what you think. What do you think?"
Xie Jinxuan said: "Does he want to invite your brother and the two of us to celebrate the New Year together?"
"Yes, he also said that Xia Qinghai would bring fish and meat."
"Then go and eat. Since there are delicious dishes, we won't suffer any loss. If we go on the Little New Year, we don't have to go to pay New Year's greetings to them in the first month of the lunar year. On the Little New Year's Day, bring white wine, brown sugar, and canned food. It will be considered as a New Year's etiquette."
Xia Qingtang thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case, so he said, "You're right. If we don't eat, it's a waste. So we can go over to have a meal on the Little New Year's Day, and in the first month of the year we can say that we have something to do and won't go to pay New Year's greetings."
After dinner, someone suddenly came to look for Xie Jinxuan. Xie Jinxuan went out for a while, then ran back into the house and whispered in Xia Qingtang's ear, "My friend is looking for me, so I have to go out for a while and may be back a little late. When you're done, go to bed first. Don't lock the door, and don't wait for me. I'll be back to bed when I'm done."
Xia Qingtang knew that Xie Jinxuan was looking for someone to investigate Kong Liangchao and Hongxing County recently. He knew from his expression that something important was going on, so he asked, "Are you going out at this time? Is it about Kong Liangchao?"
"Yes, that's the thing. Li Rui said there's something new. Let's go over and take a look."
"Okay, I get it. Go do your thing. I'll clean up and go to bed."
"Then I'll go out." Xie Jinxuan kissed her on the forehead, then put on a thick cotton coat, wrapped a scarf around her neck and put on gloves. When she was fully armed, she went out with a flashlight.
Xia Qingtang watched him push his bicycle out, then closed the door, lowered the curtains in the living room, and started doing his English homework.
Today's English homework included a short composition. After Xia Qingtang finished writing one, he felt that his inspiration was flowing like a spring, so he simply took out a new piece of manuscript paper and wrote a short article in Chinese on it.
This is completely different from her previous works submitted to the Workers' Daily. Those were some of her thoughts on work. Today's article is purely prose, and it is purely Xia Qingtang's own feelings. She is excited about the upcoming new era.
After finishing a thousand-word article in one breath, Xia Qingtang felt her fingers were a little sore. She smiled and raised her head, only to realize that it was already very late. The clock had already pointed to ten o'clock, and Xie Jinxuan had not returned yet.
Xia Qingtang stood up and looked outside, then packed up his books and pens, then fetched some water to wash himself.
At half past ten, Xia Qingtang turned off the lights in the living room and went back to the bedroom to lie down.
The room was not cold, but Xia Qingtang felt a little uncomfortable without Xie Jinxuan. She tossed and turned for a long time, and finally fell asleep after eleven o'clock because she was extremely sleepy.
The next morning, the alarm clock woke Xia Qingtang up at the usual time. She sat up in a daze and turned off the alarm clock. She looked to the side out of habit, but her breath was immediately choked - there was no sign of anyone sleeping on the pillow and quilt beside her!
In other words, Xie Jinxuan did not come back all night.
"Xie Jinxuan? Xie Jinxuan, are you home?"
No one responded, there was no one at home.
Xia Qingtang, who was originally a little sleepy, suddenly lost all sleepiness. She jumped out of bed, quickly got dressed, and without even having time to wash her face or brush her teeth, she went to the toilet and grabbed the key to go to the small western-style building.
The family was preparing to have breakfast. Xie Jinyun was standing on the stairs reciting aloud from a book. The aroma of food came from the kitchen, and the house was lively and warm.
Xia Qingtang rushed in and shouted, "Grandpa and grandma, Xie Jinxuan didn't come back last night. I don't know where he went. Is he in trouble?"
The whole family was stunned, and grandma was the first to change her expression: "What? Jinxuan didn't come back all night?"
"right."
"When did he go out?" Grandpa Xie asked immediately.
Xia Qingtang said: "We had dinner at that time, around seven o'clock, his friend... a man named Li Rui came to see him. He went out and talked to me in the yard, then came in and told me that he was going out for a while, and told me to go to bed by myself and not to wait for him. I fell asleep around eleven o'clock, and he hadn't come back yet. But I was too sleepy, and Xie Jinxuan said she would definitely come back, so I fell asleep. I was woken up by the alarm clock just now, but when I got up, I found that there was no sign of sleep next to me, and there was no one at home, so I ran over. Grandpa, Jinxuan won't be in trouble!"
Grandpa Xie said, "Child, don't worry. Leave this matter to me and your father. Don't worry, Jinxuan is not a child anymore, and now is not the time before. Jinxuan will definitely not get into trouble suddenly."
Xie Chengye said, "But...Jinxuan is not the kind of person who doesn't explain himself. It shouldn't happen to him that he doesn't come back all night. He didn't come back, it could only be that he was detained by someone. Otherwise, even if there was something wrong, he would have asked someone to come home and deliver a message at this time."
"What should we do now? Should we go look for Li Rui first?" Xia Qingtang asked in panic.
Grandpa Xie said: "He and Li Rui are still out so late, do you know what they are busy with recently?"
"I know." Xia Qingtang looked at the people in the room, wondering if he could say it.
Grandpa Xie saw the hesitation on her face and said, "Qingtang, you and your father come to the study with me to talk. The others wait outside. Don't panic."
"Got it." Mother Xie responded, then walked to the kitchen and said, "How about we eat first?"
Xia Qingtang followed Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye to the study on the first floor. After entering, Xie Chengye closed the door casually.
Grandpa Xie sat down behind the desk, pointed at the stool at the end and said, "You two should sit down and talk too."
"Yes." After sitting down, Xia Qingtang hesitated for several seconds before slowly telling him about his previous encounter with Kong Liangchao and the man with the black mole in Hongxing County, and how the two men concluded that they might be up to no good, so Xie Jinxuan went to find someone to investigate them.
After listening, Xie Chengye said, "At first I thought you were being too suspicious, but Jinxuan didn't come back all night. Could Kong Liangchao be doing something bad? Dad, what do you think? Could it be that Kong Liangchao detained Jinxuan?"
"It shouldn't be Kong Liangchao. How dare he go against our family? But Jinxuan didn't come back all night, so it must be related to this matter." Grandpa Xie pondered for a while and said, "I think I have some ideas. I have to go out for a while. Chengye, go to the motorcade and call for help immediately."
The driver would not come so early to pick up Grandpa Xie for work. He has a regular working time, so the car and the driver are in the fleet at this time.
Before Xie Chengye could say anything, Xia Qingtang said, "I'll go. I'll be there soon, by bike."
"Okay, go ahead." Grandpa Xie said.
Before he finished speaking, Xia Qingtang rushed out.
She rode her bike to the fleet and called for the driver and the car. Grandpa Xie had already put on his clothes and was about to go out without even having time to eat breakfast.
Aunt Liu quickly put two vegetable cakes in a lunch box and stuffed a thermos cup into his hand: "Grandpa, eat in the car. You can't go out in such a cold day without eating."
"Okay, thank you." Grandpa Xie took the lunch box and thermos cup and got into the jeep.
After the car drove away, Xia Qingtang started to panic again. She didn't know what she should do, and she didn't know whether she should ask for leave today.
Grandma saw what she was thinking and said, "Why don't you take a day off and stay at home today? I see that you are in this state. If Jinxuan doesn't come back, I'm afraid you won't be able to go to work with peace of mind."
"Well, then I won't go to work today. I'll call and ask for leave after eight o'clock." Xia Qingtang scratched his head, only then realized that he hadn't combed his hair or washed his face after getting up, and was running around in such a mess.
Aunt Six said, "Don't worry too much. The old man said he knows what's going on. Jinxuan will be fine. Come on, it's getting late. Come have breakfast. Qingtang should come too."
Xia Qingtang said, "I haven't brushed my teeth or washed my face yet, so I won't eat. I'll go back and clean up before coming back."
"Okay, then come back when you're done. I'll leave breakfast for you." Aunt Six said as she sent Xia Qingtang out the door.
Xia Qingtang returned to the small courtyard and found that Xie Jinxuan had not come back yet. She sighed, quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, then combed her hair and poured herself a cup of hot water to calm her mind.
If I had known, I would not have let Xie Jinxuan get involved in those matters. In fact, revenge on Kong Liangchao was her business, but Xie Jinxuan asked someone to investigate that side in order to help her vent her anger.
If something happened to Xie Jinxuan because of this, Xia Qingtang would never forgive himself in his entire life.
Looking at the empty house, she couldn't help but clasp her hands together and began to pray to God, hoping that Xie Jinxuan would return safely.
Xia Qingtang drank some water and waited until he calmed down a little before going to the small western-style building.
After breakfast, Xie Chengye and his mother went out to work. Xie Jinyun comforted Xia Qingtang for a few words and also ran to school. Only the three of them were left at home.
Seeing Xia Qingtang's pale face, grandma said, "Don't worry, your grandfather said that nothing will happen. Jinxuan will definitely be fine."
"How can I not be worried when she hasn't come back all night and there's no news?" Xia Qingtang whispered, "Besides, it's all my fault that Jinxuan would meddle in other people's business... Now it's all my fault."
"It's not your fault. Jinxuan is a very upright and good child. Although I don't know what he is doing, it must be a very just thing. Since it is a just thing, then believe him and believe in justice." Grandma patted Xia Qingtang's shoulder vigorously and said, "Good child, you eat first. When you are done, your grandfather may send back news."
Xia Qingtang couldn't eat anything, but her grandmother and Aunt Six kept persuading her. She had no choice but to eat some breakfast reluctantly, and then sat on the sofa in a daze.
Seeing her like this, Grandma and Aunt Six felt helpless and could only sit beside her and accompany her.
After eight o'clock, Aunt Six whispered, "How about, old lady, should we go and help Qingtang call for leave?"
Xia Qingtang came back to his senses: "Yes, I still need to call and ask for leave."
"Just sit down. We'll go play and be back soon. Don't worry." Grandma said as she put on her coat and went out with Aunt Six.
When grandma and the others came back after making the call, there was still no news from Grandpa Xie. Xia Qingtang was really about to cry. A lot of bad thoughts flashed through her mind, such as Xie Jinxuan was locked up by bad guys, or Xie Jinxuan met with an accident... In short, all the dangerous plots flashed through her mind.
It was almost nine o'clock, and just when Xia Qingtang's eyes were really red, Grandpa Xie finally sent someone back with a letter.
The envelope was sealed and the recipient was grandma. She took the letter and tore it open immediately. She saw only two simple lines of words inside, saying that Xie Jinxuan was safe and sound, and was currently cooperating with a special investigation team to investigate a secret matter. She would definitely be able to go home tonight.
After reading the letter, Xia Qingtang burst into tears: "That's great, Jinxuan is fine! That's great... wuwuwuwuwu..."
Grandma quickly hugged her: "Yes, Jinxuan is fine... Don't cry, don't cry, good girl, don't cry, you must be scared, hey..."
"What is that investigation team? They detained someone in the middle of the night without even sending anyone to deliver a message to the family. Don't they know that the family will be worried to death?" Aunt Six said angrily.
Grandma said, "They said they were investigating something secret. They probably didn't want the news to get out, so they didn't pass the news on to the family."
"So the old man told you that only after he went there?"
"Yes, if the old man hadn't gone there, I would not have been able to find out. But at least we can rest assured that we have a specific time to go home." Grandma also breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she had been comforting Xia Qingtang, she actually had no confidence in her heart. After all, in those years, many people suddenly disappeared overnight, including some of her friends and acquaintances. It was impossible for her to say that she was not worried about Xie Jinxuan at all.
Xia Qingtang finally stopped crying. She said, "Yes, at least she said Jinxuan will be home in the evening. That's enough. I am finally relieved. I will go back to work in the afternoon."
The union was very busy before the Chinese New Year, and Workers' Voice would be suspended for one issue, so she didn't dare to take leave boldly.
Xia Qingtang had a simple lunch in the small western-style building at noon, then went home to take a short nap and then rode his bike to the factory.
As expected, the colleagues in the union were all busy. Seeing Xia Qingtang coming over, Feng Xinhui was surprised: "Your family said you had a fever today. Are you better now? Don't force yourself if you are not feeling well."
Xia Qingtang said quickly: "I'm fine now. I thought I'd be very busy recently and it would be inconvenient for you guys without me, so I came here anyway."
Wu Feng said: "Xiao Xia, you are so serious. You are so spirited that you go to work despite being ill."
Li Yue said: "What's the big deal? I was able to do this when I was young. I would not leave the front line even if I was slightly injured. Now I can't do that. After all, I'm getting older. Xiao Xia is so young, it's okay for her."
"Yes, I'm young, it doesn't matter." Xia Qingtang immediately got down to work.
After a busy afternoon, Xia Qingtang returned home dizzy and found that the house was still quiet and Xie Jinxuan's bicycle was not in the yard. She went to the small Western-style building again.
There's no way. It's easy to have wild thoughts when staying at home alone. All the TV shows and movies I watched in my previous life will appear in my mind as Xie Jinxuan, so it's better to stay with others.
"Xie Jinxuan hasn't come back yet." Xia Qingtang said.
Xie's mother got off work early today. She said, "I read Dad's letter. Since it said it was in the evening, it must be in the evening. I guess they might have some special actions today, which are usually easier to do after dark. So don't wait now, do what you need to do. Jinxuan may not come back until very late at night, such as late at night. Of course, these are all my guesses."
Grandma said, "Yes, Qingtang, don't worry. Your grandfather said that Jinxuan is safe, so even if she comes back at twelve o'clock, she will be fine. You also know what kind of person the old man is. He will never watch Jinxuan get into trouble."
"I know." Xia Qingtang sighed, "I just can't help but worry."
Mother Xie smiled and said, "You have a really good relationship with Jinxuan. You care about him more than I do as a mother."
"Of course. Parents and children will eventually separate. Only husband and wife really need to support each other throughout their lives. Qingtang and Jinxuan must have a good relationship." Grandma said with a smile.
Aunt Liu said, "Qingtang, please sit down and have a rest, drink some calming tea, and then wait for dinner."
"I have vegetables today, including cabbage and dried tofu." Xia Qingtang said.
"Then you can eat tomorrow. Eat here today." Aunt Six said, "You look so distraught. It's not safe to cook by yourself at home. Just wait and eat the ready-made food."
Xia Qingtang stayed, and when Xie Chengye came back from get off work, everyone sat together to have dinner.
There are many people at home today, and Aunt Six probably wanted to make everyone happy, so she made a more special dish with yam. Xie Jinyun and Xia Qingtang both thought it was delicious. Aunt Six was very happy and quickly said she would make it for everyone later.
After dinner, Xia Qingtang felt a little restless sitting here, so he went back to the small courtyard.
She first fetched some water to wash up, then wanted to do her homework, but found her mind was a mess and she couldn't read anything, so she had to take out the radio and listen while waiting.
She waited until half past ten, and her eyelids began to droop, but Xie Jinxuan still didn't come back.
Xia Qingtang didn't get enough sleep last night, and now at this time, she was already too sleepy to bear it.
I don't know when, she fell asleep on the table.
She had a dream. In the dream, she was trapped in a place. She desperately looked for an exit, but she couldn't find it. She was so anxious that she burst into tears...
"Qingtang! Qingtang?" A gentle and pleasant voice began to call her in her ear.
Xia Qingtang was stunned for a moment and wanted to see who was calling her, but she couldn't see anyone.
"Qingtang! Wake up, Qingtang!"
Xia Qingtang took a deep breath and finally woke up from his dream.
"ah!"
"Qingtang, what's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare?"
When I opened my eyes, I saw Xie Jinxuan's handsome face, but it was different from the one he had before he went out yesterday. Today, there was a lot more stubble on his face, and he looked a little tired. There was even a very small scratch on his right cheek. Only his deep and beautiful eyes were still bright and full of spirit.
Xia Qingtang was startled and reached out to touch the scratch: "How did this happen?"
"Oh, I did it accidentally, but it's okay. It's just a minor injury, so you don't even need to apply medicine." Xie Jinxuan smiled at her, then said, "Sorry, did I make you worry?"
Xia Qingtang moved her body slightly, and then she realized that both legs were numb. Tears came out when she moved: "It hurts..."
Xie Jinxuan quickly carried her sideways to the sofa, and then let her slowly restore her blood circulation: "This is what happens when you sleep on your stomach. Your body will definitely feel numb. I'm sorry, it's all my fault. From the look on your face, I know you're worried about me."
"Everyone said you'd be fine, but I just couldn't help but worry. Grandpa said you'd definitely come back at night, so I wanted to sit here and wait for you so you could see me as soon as you came home. I didn't expect that I would actually fall asleep. I was really too sleepy." Xia Qingtang grimaced in pain. After the discomfort passed, she whispered, "I didn't expect you to come back after twelve o'clock. Mom is really experienced."
"Really? What did mom say?" Xie Jinxuan gently massaged her legs.
"Mom said that you might be cooperating with someone else's operation today, and it would be better to do it after dark, so you will definitely be back very late. So, did you go on any operation? And what happened? Why can't you come back after going out?"
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