Chapter 151
Gu Xing'an's expression suddenly turned ugly. He was full of shame and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at Xia Qingtang's slightly angry eyes.
Xia Qingtang felt that it was pointless to get angry with such a person. Besides, Hu Yanni had found her own happiness now, so she said, "Student Gu, although it was you who found someone else first and then broke up with Yanni, Yanni doesn't know about it, and I won't tell her. So, you don't have to worry about these things all the time. Yanni is a very independent and strong girl. Dating is not a big deal for her. Her ideal has never been to find a good man to marry. She has always wanted to be a good teacher in the future. So, you really don't have to worry about her anymore. She is very good, very good, and will live a happy life in the future. As an ordinary classmate, you just need to take care of yourself and live your own life well."
Gu Xingan then raised his head, his expression recovered a little, and he whispered: "Thank you, I understand. I have always felt a little guilty, but I dare not say it out. Now that you say this, I understand, and I will never ask about Xiao Hu again."
Just as Xia Qingtang was about to speak, he heard a girl's voice behind him: "Xing'an! I'm here!"
Xia Qingtang looked back and saw that it was Gu Xingan’s girlfriend Chang Xiaohong who came.
I haven't seen Chang Xiaohong for a long time. She looks as ordinary as before, but her clothes are still very elegant.
In the midsummer weather, she did not wear a white shirt and a black long skirt or ordinary trousers like most students. Instead, she wore a red striped dress with a slightly puffy hem. The texture of the fabric also looked very good. She also wore a pair of very fashionable plastic sandals on her feet and carried a white long-strap leather bag on her back. She looked very fashionable.
Before, even women who loved dressing up only dared to carry black handbags, but starting this year, department stores began selling handbags in a variety of colors, including white, brown, gray and light brown.
Xie's mother also bought Xia Qingtang a white one, but she would only carry it on holidays and not at work because she was afraid it would be too eye-catching and cause unnecessary trouble.
But Chang Xiaohong dresses so fashionably when she comes to school every day. It seems that she really values Gu Xingan as a boyfriend.
But it is understandable. After all, Gu Xing'an looks good, but Chang Xiaohong looks ordinary. She doesn't put much effort into her dressing, so she doesn't look very compatible with Gu Xing'an.
"Your boyfriend is here, so I'll leave first. I'm in a hurry. Bye." Xia Qingtang smiled, got on his bike and left.
Behind her, she heard Chang Xiaohong say, "Xing'an, who is this? Why did you leave when you saw me coming?"
Gu Xingan said: "This is my classmate, have you forgotten? She is Xie Jinxuan's lover."
"Oh, it's her. I remember now. No wonder she dressed so elegantly. I was wondering when our school had someone who dresses so elegantly..." Chang Xiaohong said, "Why did your classmate leave without saying hello to me? She is so rude."
"She's in a hurry."
"What's the rush?"
…
Xia Qingtang couldn't hear what was said afterwards, but she didn't care much. She quickly rode her bike to Xu Zhenhua's office.
Although Xu Zhenhua didn't care much about being late, Xia Qingtang, as a student coming here to study, still had to have a correct attitude and shouldn't be late or leave early.
After knocking on the door, Xia Qingtang walked in and saw that in addition to Xu Zhenhua, there were two college students, a boy and a girl, in the office. They were surrounding Xu Zhenhua, and the three of them were studying something with their heads down.
Xia Qingtang said: "Teacher Xu, I'm here."
Xu Zhenhua then raised his head, looked at his watch, and said, "It's already eight o'clock so soon."
"Yes." Xia Qingtang said, "Teacher Xu, do you have anything else to do today? I can wait, it's okay."
"There's nothing urgent. Okay, since it's already eight o'clock, you two can go back first and come back at noon." Xu Zhenhua said, then stood up and stretched.
The two students looked at Xia Qingtang's delicate and fair pretty face curiously, and the female student even stared at her light blue trousers for a few more seconds.
This female student has good taste. Xia Qingtang's trousers were a gift sent by Xie Jinxuan's aunt. She said they were bought in Shanghai. The style is trendy and the fabric is of excellent quality. Not only are they cool to wear, but they also have a sense of drape. Combined with the well-cut trousers, Xia Qingtang's legs appear long and straight, exuding an elegance and competence.
She was wearing a very ordinary white short-sleeved shirt, but because her pants looked so nice, even the ordinary white shirt looked elegant.
The female student had already walked out of the office, but after thinking about it, she stepped back and stared at Xia Qingtang, wanting to say something.
Xia Qingtang put down his messenger bag and said, "Hello, classmate. What do you want to talk to me about?"
The female student's round face flushed, and she said a little embarrassedly: "Hello, classmate...Um, I want to ask, did you buy these trousers or make them? I think these trousers are very nice..."
"Ah, this was bought, but not in this city. My elders bought it in Shanghai." Xia Qingtang said.
"Shanghai Stock Exchange... Then I understand. Thank you." The female student was slightly disappointed.
"You're welcome."
The female student sighed and walked out.
After they both walked away, Xu Zhenhua washed his hands in the sink in the corner and said, "The color of your pants is quite nice, it's crab shell blue. But, after all, it's just a pair of trousers, why do you have to go to Shanghai to buy them? Can't you just find the same fabric and make them yourself?"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "This fabric doesn't seem to be easy to buy. Besides, this style is different from the usual ones. If you want to imitate it, you have to take this pair of pants to an old tailor to make it."
"Then your pants are probably not cheap, right?"
"It shouldn't be cheap. I don't know how much it is. It's a gift from my elders." Xia Qingtang said, "Speaking of whether it's cheap or not, I accidentally bought a few bowls. Can Teacher Xu help me take a look?"
As she spoke, Xia Qingtang took out three bowls wrapped in several layers of newspaper from her bag. She peeled off the newspaper to reveal the porcelain bowls inside.
Xu Zhenhua picked up one of them, looked it over, and asked, "Where did you buy it?"
"While walking on the roadside, I saw a man selling a lot of old bowls. I saw these looked like they were from the Qing Dynasty, so I bought them without spending much money."
Xu Zhenhua nodded and said, "You have a pretty good eye. These bowls are indeed from the Qing Dynasty. Can you tell me which period they are from?"
"It should be from the Daoguang period." Xia Qingtang said: "The shape of the vessel looks rather stiff, not round and smooth enough, so it looks worthless."
Xu Zhenhua had taught her before that because of the bad economy, the level of kiln firing had declined since the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, and from then on, no exquisite things could be made.
"Not bad, at least you remembered everything I taught you." Xu Zhenhua said with a smile, "This is indeed something from the Daoguang period, but it's not produced by any famous kiln. It's just an everyday item used by ordinary wealthy families. It doesn't have much value. Even if you send it to a museum, they may not want it. It's too ordinary. But it's still quite old. If you keep it as your personal collection, it should be okay. After a few more years, it should be able to sell for some money. Anyway, you bought it with the price of an ordinary bowl, so you won't lose out anyway."
Because of his contact with Xia Qingtang, Xu Zhenhua now believes that in a few years, the times will be different. In the future, in addition to private purchases of these antiques, they can also be sent to so-called auction houses for bidding.
Xu Zhenhua also asked Xia Qingtang where he knew these things, and Xia Qingtang casually pushed it to Xie Jinxuan. After all, he studied economics and was a member of the Xie family, so it was normal for him to have some advanced vision.
Xia Qingtang was quite happy after hearing what Xu Zhenhua said. She said, "Then I was indeed not wrong."
Although she felt that she had not learned much during the classes, she was able to accidentally identify a few old bowls, which was a small reward for her hard work.
"Yes, you are right. It also shows that you have listened carefully in class." Xu Zhenhua also looked very happy. He said, "You came to me to learn so that you can buy small things like this in the future, right?"
"Yes... No, I do have this idea in mind. If I can buy some small antiques at a low price and collect them, I can sell them and reap the benefits when everyone has money in the future. But even if I can't buy anything good that suits my taste, I think it's worth it just to learn these courses." Xia Qingtang said, "Although I can't do what Teacher Xu does, I am very happy that I have acquired more knowledge."
"That's pretty honest." Xu Zhenhua nodded with a smile, "Well, let's continue the class. I hope you study hard so that you can recognize talent when you go out."
Xia Qingtang quickly put away the three old bowls, sat down at the table where he usually attended classes, then took out his notebook and began to attend class seriously.
Xu Zhenhua usually talks non-stop during class. He hardly remembers to eat or drink, so he hardly ever needs to go to the toilet.
Therefore, when Xia Qingtang came here to attend class, she didn't drink much water in the morning. She would wait until Xu Zhenhua finished the three-hour class in one go, and then run off to solve her personal problems.
After class, Xia Qingtang packed up his things and went to the toilet at the end of the corridor. When he returned to the office, he saw that the two students from the morning had returned. They continued to surround Xu Zhenhua and started studying the previous things.
Xia Qingtang said: "Teacher Xu, I'm going back first."
"Okay, you go back." Xu Zhenhua didn't even raise his head.
Xia Qingtang continued, "Teacher Xu, have you had breakfast this morning? If you didn't, it's already lunch time, so go have lunch as soon as possible. If you really don't want to have lunch, at least drink a cup of brown sugar water and eat two cookies, otherwise, your body will definitely not be able to bear it."
Xu Zhenhua still didn't look up: "It's okay, I don't even feel hungry."
"When you feel hungry, it's too late. You will faint. You fainted once before. Besides, people will get sick if they don't drink water." Xia Qingtang said, "Are you two students of Teacher Xu? You should urge Teacher Xu to eat and drink water."
The male student was still in a daze, and the female student had already stood up: "Teacher Xu, I'll pour you some water and get you a meal."
"Ah? No need to be so troublesome. If you are hungry, just go and eat by yourselves. I'm really not hungry." Xu Zhenhua still looked indifferent.
The female student insisted: "No, Teacher Xu, you didn't have breakfast this morning. If you don't eat again, your body will have problems. Teacher, drink some water first, I'll go get you some food."
"Is that so? Okay then." Xu Zhenhua then raised his head.
Xia Qingtang watched the female student pour hot water into Xu Zhenhua's cup, and then she went out with her bag on her back, feeling relieved.
Although Xu Zhenhua did not allow her to say that she was his student, Xia Qingtang always regarded Xu Zhenhua as her mentor. No matter how much she could learn in the future, she hoped that Xu Zhenhua would not ruin his health, as a healthy body was the capital for research.
Walking downstairs happily, Xia Qingtang unlocked his bicycle and put on his light and beautiful little straw hat.
They had made an appointment in advance to invite the whole family to have lunch together at noon today, so she was going to ride her bike directly to the Provincial Capital Hotel. The whole family should have set off by now.
Xia Qingtang, wearing a beautiful straw hat, rode her bike quickly to the entrance of the hotel. Seeing many people buying cold drinks there, she quickly locked her bike and ran over to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola.
Orange soda is relatively cheap, but Coca-Cola is very expensive, and few people are willing to buy it. Xia Qingtang is beautiful and well-dressed. Now she is standing among those people holding a bottle of Coke, and she immediately attracts a lot of attention.
She herself doesn't care much about other people's gazes. After all, she has been used to being stared at for so many years.
On such a hot summer day, the cold cola slid down his throat, giving him a pleasant and stimulating feeling. Xia Qingtang took two sips and couldn't help but smile.
"Comrade Xia?" A familiar voice suddenly sounded from not far away.
Xia Qingtang looked over in the direction of the sound and saw Fang Manman standing a few meters away.
She looked a little thinner, wearing a light green dress, and her hair was cut very short, just a little behind her ears, but she looked very energetic.
Standing next to her was a young man in his twenties, of medium height and ordinary looks, but he seemed like a smart man.
Xia Qingtang remembered that Luo Xiangqian had mentioned this person. He was Kong Liangchao's colleague at the Grain Bureau and had once been one of his flatterers, but later had an improper relationship with Fang Manman, and even the child was this person's.
"Hello, Comrade Fang, long time no see." Xia Qingtang nodded.
Fang Manman came over with a cream ice cream, her face full of smiles: "Comrade Xia, you are still so beautiful, standing in the crowd shining."
"Thank you for the compliment. You look much more energetic now." Xia Qingtang said.
"Thank you. Kong Liangchao and I divorced a long time ago, so I am very energetic. Besides, I also brought a lot of benefits from their family. By the way, do you know anything about the Kong family?"
"I've heard a little bit about it, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I heard that he and his parents went to jail?"
Fang Manman nodded and said, "Yes, he was sentenced to ten years, his father was sentenced to seven years, and his mother was sentenced to twenty years. It is possible that they will never be released in this lifetime. But Kong Liangchao is still young. When he is released, he will only be in his thirties."
Xia Qingtang nodded slightly. She remembered Xie Jinxuan had told her that Kong's mother was the actual planner and executor of many plans, so it was normal for her to be sentenced to the highest sentence.
Thinking about the gap between his previous life and this life, Xia Qingtang couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
She said, "So you're waiting until he goes to jail before getting a divorce?"
"Yes, in situations like this, the couple usually die very quickly. People outside of the family also sympathize with me because I'm a good person after all. Their old man has passed away, but no one has come to claim his ashes, so they're still in the funeral home."
"How could this happen? Doesn't Kong Liangchao have a younger sister?" Xia Qingtang asked deliberately.
"His sister used to live with a group of hoodlums. After Kong Liangchao's parents were arrested, his sister ran away. Later, the gang caused trouble and were all arrested. His sister now lives with an old man. It is difficult for her to support herself, so how can she be in the mood to bury grandpa?" Fang Manman said: "The street office did find me and wanted me to be responsible for the burial. I directly took out the divorce certificate and said that I have nothing to do with their family. This kind of thing can't come to me. When the Kong family is released from prison, they will naturally take responsibility. Comrade Xia, do you think I am right?"
"That's true. It has nothing to do with you."
Fang Manman laughed: "I knew that Comrade Xia would understand. Speaking of which, I am about to remarry."
"Are you going to marry that gay man?" Xia Qingtang pointed at the young man over there.
Fang Manman smiled and said, "It's not him. Although he is the father of my child, his mother is very powerful and dislikes me. She always says that she doesn't believe the child is his. After my divorce, I have been fighting with his family until now, and I am impatient. Since they don't believe the child is theirs, I don't want to force it. In the end, isn't it just that they dislike me for sleeping with her son when I was married? But this kind of thing is consensual, and I gave birth to his child. I don't know why their family dislikes me."
"Then who are you going to marry?" Xia Qingtang was slightly interested. She also admired Fang Manman, a female comrade. In order to achieve her goal, this was not a simple role.
Fang Manman whispered, "I found a man from another place. He is much older than me. His wife died three years ago. They have been married for many years but have no children. The matchmaker introduced me to him. He saw that I was healthy and went to the hospital for a check-up. He said that I could definitely have children again. He wanted to marry me and was willing to raise my child. In fact, I have a lot of money and can afford to raise a child by myself. But I thought about it. Kong Liangchao will be released from prison in ten years. When he comes out, he may come to find me. I am certainly not afraid of him, but I am worried that the child will be unhappy. So, it is better to take the child and go far away. I didn't tell my parents where I would marry. In the future, no one can find me, so I can live there peacefully."
"You are amazing." Xia Qingtang said sincerely.
This is indeed a woman who always only considers her own interests. We cannot say whether what she does is right or wrong, but she truly only loves herself and is good to herself, which is exactly what many women lack.
Fang Manman smiled and said, "Thank you. I can see that you have never looked down on me. I know you mean it sincerely when you say this."
"I really mean it. I think you're amazing."
"Thank you." Fang Manman finished the last bite of ice cream.
"Will you continue to work after you go out of town?"
The current environment is the same everywhere. It is extremely difficult to find a job, and even temporary jobs require connections.
Fang Manman said: "I will have a job after I go there. This is one of the conditions for me to marry that man. He is not a leader, but his family has some connections. Otherwise, I would not want to go there. When you marry someone, you have to seek some benefits for yourself, right? As for the person behind me, he still doesn't know that I will go to another place to get married next month."
Xia Qingtang's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly put away her surprise and smiled: "There's no need to tell him, since he doesn't want to marry you anyway."
"That's right, that's it! His mother dislikes me, and actually he dislikes me too. I can see that. Do you think these people are funny? He didn't feel dislike when he slept with me, but now he is picking on me. I have given him many chances, but he himself doesn't like me and doesn't want this child. In this case, I can only leave by myself. This month, I will send my and the child's things over one after another, and when everything is ready, I will take the child away. In the future, he may not see the child, but this is also his own choice." Fang Manman lowered her head slightly, paused for a while, then raised her head again, then smiled and said, "I think this is probably the last time we meet. I'm very happy to see you today. This city is not big, nor is it small, but it seems that you and I always have a little fate. Every time we meet at a certain time, we can meet."
"I'm very happy to see you. I wish you good health and safety in the future." Xia Qingtang said softly.
She probably knew why Fang Manman always met her at critical moments. Perhaps it was destined, because in the previous life, their fates were actually intertwined.
At the beginning, Fang Manman was also deceived by Kong Liangchao. Later, Kong Liangchao divorced and remarried, but he did not stay with Fang Manman. At that time, Fang Manman was also old. It was said that she also went to another place and married an older widower.
Although Xia Qingtang did not ask Fang Manman which city she was going to, she guessed that the city Fang Manman was going to this time was probably the place where she got married in her previous life.
"Thank you. You too should live a good life. I'm leaving now. I still have to go to the movies. During this time, I have to treat that man well and let him spend all his salary on me and the baby." Fang Manman smiled, threw the popsicle stick into a small bucket under the counter, turned around and walked to the young man.
The young man whispered something to her, and then the two of them walked out together, arm in arm.
Xia Qingtang also finished the last sip of iced cola, then went to find the waiter and asked which private room the Xie family was in.
The waiter took her to the large private room they went to every year and opened the door for her.
A lively chatter came over, and Xia Qingtang walked in: "Sorry, I'm late."
"Not too late, not too late, the time is just right, we just came and sat down not long ago." Grandma smiled and said, "Come here, sit over here."
There was an empty chair between grandma and Xie Jinxuan. Xia Qingtang walked over, carefully placed her cross-body bag on the coffee table in the corner, and then walked over and sat down.
Xie's mother said, "You usually hang that cloth bag casually, why are you so careful today? What treasure is in it?"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "It's not a treasure, but it contains fragile things, so it's better to put it over there for safety."
"Why? Did you buy a cup?"
"No, it's a bowl."
Xie's mother asked, "Are you short of bowls at home?"
"I'm not short of bowls. I saw someone selling old bowls on the street. They looked like they were from ancient times, so I bought a few. I brought them to school today and asked Teacher Xu to help me identify them." Xia Qingtang explained, "This bowl is not for use."
"So what happened? What did Teacher Xu say?" Xie's mother asked with interest.
Xia Qingtang said: "It is said to be genuine, from the Daoguang period, but because it is used by ordinary people, it is not precious. I just collect it for fun."
"Oh, Qingtang has been learning for a while and can really identify antiques." Xie Chengye said, "I have an old colleague who used to like playing with these things. In the past few years, he didn't dare to touch them, but now the times are different and he has become interested again. Qingtang, if you meet him, you will definitely be able to chat with him."
"Dad, I've just started learning, and I can't talk to the old experts. I'd better wait until I finish all of Teacher Xu's courses. By then, maybe I can say a few words." Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing.
Everyone laughed along, and Xie Jinyun said, "Sister-in-law, I want to see the antiques you bought."
"It's not an antique, it's just an old thing. But I just wrapped it up a while ago, and it's almost time for dinner, so it's a bit troublesome to unwrap it. I'll show it to you when we get home, okay?"
"Okay, I'll come find you when I get back." Xie Jinyun lowered his head and took a sip of tea.
Xie Jinxuan reached out and touched Xia Qingtang's forehead. Seeing that her temperature was not high at all, she said, "You're not hot after riding your bike here?"
"It's hot, so I drank a bottle of iced Coke at the door before coming in." Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Have you ordered the dishes? Just order whatever you want today. I have enough money."
Xie Jinyun immediately said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. The dishes have been ordered a long time ago, and there will definitely be enough. We also ordered several different cakes and breads, as well as coffee. They said the coffee will be served soon."
As he was talking, the waiter came in with a large tray and served the dishes. At first, they served four cold dishes, all of which were new dishes here that we hadn't had last year.
After that, a few more cups of coffee were served. Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye didn't drink this stuff. Xia Qingtang had already drunk it at work, so she was not interested. Only Xie Jinyun, Mother Xie, Grandma and Sixth Aunt each took a cup.
Everyone gave the extra cup to Xie Jinxuan.
Xie Jinyun carefully added the milk and the sugar cube that Xia Qingtang had mentioned, then stirred it carefully with a small spoon for dozens of times. When his grandmother had almost finished half the cup, he picked up the small cup and carefully brought it to his mouth and took a sip.
Everyone looked at him with a smile on their faces. Xie Chengye asked, "Xiao Yun, how is it? Do you like the taste?"
Xie Jinyun showed a complicated expression. After a long while, he said, "I don't know whether I like it or not, because this is a taste I have never tasted before. It does have a bit of a burnt taste, but it's sweet and not hard to drink."
Everyone burst into laughter. Grandma said, "It seems that Xiaoyun is quite receptive. When your grandpa drank this for the first time, no matter how much milk he added, it didn't work. He said it tasted like pot washing water and told me not to drink it either."
Xie Jinyun said: "I have never drunk the water used to wash the pot, but Grandpa has?"
"Of course your grandfather drank it. Back then, he not only drank the water used to wash pots, but also ate bran and vegetables, chewed grass roots, and ate tree bark." Xie Chengye said, "So you really came to a good time. Especially now, look at the streets, there are all kinds of food for sale, and popsicles are available for purchase. The world is really different now."
Grandpa Xie smiled and said, "This is a good thing. The children no longer have to suffer. This means that life is getting better day by day."
Xie Jinyun said: "Yes, my classmates went to Shanghai for fun during the summer vacation. Grandpa, it's August now, can mom take me to Shanghai for fun too?"
Grandpa Xie said: "Our family can afford the money, but I'm afraid your mother doesn't have the time."
"I really don't have time. You know how busy I am." Xie's mother said, "In our family, your brother is the only one who has time to take you out to play. So, it's useless for you to beg me. It depends on whether your brother is willing to take you out to play."
Xie Jinyun finished his coffee, and then immediately looked at Xie Jinxuan: "Brother, brother, can you take me to Shanghai to play? I have money, I will give you all the New Year's money I have saved, and you don't have to pay."
Xie Jinxuan looked at Xia Qingtang and said, "What do you think?"
Xia Qingtang said, "You are on summer vacation anyway, why not take Xiaoyun out to play for a few days. We have new colleagues in the office, and we are not very busy recently. It's just right that you and Xiaoyun can go out to play next week."
"You may not be able to buy tickets for next week, so I'll go find someone to buy tickets this afternoon. Once I buy them, I'll take Xiaoyun to visit Shanghai." Xie Jinxuan said, "Do you want to take a leave and go with us?"
"I won't go. It's nice for you two brothers to go and have fun together. From Director Chai's tone, I can tell that there may be a new department this month." Xia Qingtang said.
"Okay then, I'll take Xiaoyun there alone." Xie Jinxuan nodded.
Xie Jinyun was so happy that she jumped up on the spot: "I'm going out to play! I'm going out to play!"
He was extremely excited. Even after many delicious dishes were served, he had no mood to eat. He was only focused on asking Xie Chengye what fun places there were in Shanghai.
Xie Chengye had been to Shanghai twice on business trips before, so he just shared what he knew.
Xie Jinyun listened with great interest. It was not until the lunch was over and the waiter brought the cake and bread that he realized that he was not full at all.
The whole family laughed. Aunt Six said, "What a kid! He looked forward to coming over to eat good food every day when he was at home. Now that he's finished eating, he says he's not full."
"It doesn't matter. He didn't come here to eat the delicious food. He came here for the cakes." Xie's mother said, "They look very nice. They are made very delicately."
Grandma said: "We have eaten these before. Foreigners can make this kind of sweet and sticky snacks, and they taste okay. However, they are still not as good as the delicate snacks in the past. They are like works of art. That's what dim sum is."
"No one knows how to make that kind of snack anymore." Xie's mother said, "Many people died in those years alone."
Xie Jinxuan said: "Master Liu's group from Mingyue Tower is still there, but I don't know if they can still come out and continue making dim sum now."
"Mingyue Tower has been demolished for many years. Where is he going to make snacks?" Xie Chengye sighed and said, "You know what, I really miss the lotus cakes made by Master Liu. They are so lifelike."
Xia Qingtang recalled that in the early 1990s, a Mingyuelou restaurant was reopened in the city. At that time, it was famous for the descendants of Master Liu. Although she had never eaten there, she heard from her cousin's husband that the taste was indeed good.
She said, "As long as there are still people who know how to do it, sooner or later, we can reopen the store."
"Opening a shop? Who dares?" Aunt Six said, "It would be a mistake..."
Grandpa Xie said: "It won't happen in the future. The foreigners are going to build a factory again. It's only a matter of time before we open our own store."
Xie Jinxuan said: "My teacher said that the first special economic zone is about to be completed."
"Special Economic Zone? The one in the south? I heard it's a very shabby place. How can you develop the economy there?" Xie's mother couldn't believe it.
"It will definitely develop." Xie Jinxuan said: "It can be seen that starting from this year, economic development is the most important thing."
Xia Qingtang nodded vigorously, and at the same time took a small cream bread and slowly broke it into pieces to eat.
Xie Jinyun didn't understand what was said, so she lowered her head and ate the small cream cakes. She ate two pieces of cake in one go, and a piece of bread with red bean paste in it. Then she said with satisfaction, "I'm full, finally full. These cakes and breads are really delicious. Can I come here often in the future?"
Xie's mother said, "As long as you have pocket money, you can come and buy them yourself. I just asked, these can be bought individually and eaten at home."
"Thank you, Mom. I'll come and buy it when I save enough money." Xie Jinyun laughed.
"You, you are so old, but you only know how to eat. When your brother was your age, he was very sensible." Xie's mother sighed.
Grandma said: "The eldest and the youngest are different. Jinxuan is already so sensible, and as for Xiaoyun, we can just do whatever we want."
Xie Jinxuan also said: "Yes, it's better for Xiaoyun to be like this. Our family doesn't need him to be too sensible."
After everyone had shared the bread and cake, lunch was over and the whole family went out together.
When I walked out, I happened to meet an acquaintance of Grandpa Xie, who smiled and said, "Is your daughter here for summer vacation again? So she brought the whole family over for dinner again."
Grandma's face immediately sank, but Grandpa Xie smiled and said, "No, my daughter and grandson have something to do this year, so they won't come for the summer vacation. Today, my granddaughter-in-law invited the whole family to have a simple meal."
"Really? Then your granddaughter-in-law is really promising. It must cost a lot of salary to treat her to a meal here."
After a few more pleasantries, the other party left, but grandma's face was still very ugly.
Xie Jinxuan saw that her grandmother was unhappy, so she held her arm and whispered comforting words in her ear.
Grandma sighed and said, "Don't call them again. You called several people, and your father called several people too, but your aunt just holds a grudge. It seems that she doesn't plan to have anything to do with us anymore. There's nothing we can do about it, just let her be. You don't have to worry about me being unhappy. I don't have any feelings towards this person a long time ago. I just don't like to hear about her."
Xie Jinxuan had no choice but to say nothing more and silently sent Grandpa Xie and Grandma Xie to the jeep. Sixth Aunt and Mother Xie also went back in the car, while the others rode back on bicycles.
Xia Qingtang waited until the car drove away before saying, "Aunt still doesn't write to grandma and the others?"
"Yes, it looks like they won't calm down for two or three years." Xie Jinxuan said, "We have tried our best in this matter, so we can only let it go."
Xia Qingtang said: "Actually, I'm still very happy even if they don't come."
She didn't like Xie Jinxuan's aunt very much because that person always looked down on her.
Xie Jinxuan smiled and touched her head, saying, "Then it would be best if they don't come over for summer vacation in the future."
"That's better." Xia Qingtang smiled and looked at Xie Chengye, then whispered, "Don't let Dad and the others hear us, or they'll say there's something wrong with me."
"You and I are family, and Dad knows what's important and what's not." Xie Jinxuan got on her bicycle and said, "There's no rice at home. Let's take a detour and go buy some rice first."
"Okay, let's go together." Xia Qingtang agreed readily.
After spending a happy Sunday, Xia Qingtang happily returned to the factory to work.
Shen Wen has taken over the translation work independently, and Xia Qingtang basically doesn't need to be called for help anymore, and he feels a lot more relaxed.
Xie Jinxuan bought the train tickets and set off on the journey with Xie Jinyun on Thursday afternoon. Xia Qingtang also packed a few sets of clothes and returned to the third floor of the small western-style building to stay for a few days.
When Xie Jinxuan was not at home, Xia Qingtang would accompany his grandmother and Sixth Aunt for a walk and chat after work in the evening. After coming back, he would take a bath and go to bed early. His life was very regular.
On Monday, the newspaper published the news about the first special economic zone. At the same time, there was also big news about the Future Electric Appliance Factory, that is, the factory was finally going to set up a trade union department.
The offices are ready, in the empty room next to the previous one.
Some people were surprised, but others felt that this was understandable. After all, other factories had trade unions, and the city would definitely pay special attention to this area.
"Then who is the union chairman? There is no one in our factory who is qualified for the position, right?" Li Zifang asked curiously.
Cheng Shuangmin knew some information, so he said, "I heard that the person sent by the Municipal Labor Union will be the chairman of the labor union."
"The factory director also agreed?"
"This is the result of a long discussion, and of course we agree to it."
"Then we need to recruit new staff, right?" Shi Xiaoyu asked.
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