Chapter 184
It is midsummer again, and the weather is very hot. The tall trees on both sides of Hongjiang Road have become listless due to the scorching heat. The leaves seem to be scorched and hang on the branches, swaying weakly in the wind.
A beautiful white sedan drove slowly over from the other end of the road and stopped in front of the courtyard gate of a small Western-style building on Hongjiang Road.
At this time, people who work are at work, and those who are on summer vacation stay at home because the weather is too hot. Therefore, the streets are quiet and there is no one.
"Mr. Xia, we're home." The young woman in the driver's seat called out softly.
This is a young woman in her mid-twenties, with a neat and fashionable short haircut, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, and an apricot short-sleeved suit. She looks very capable.
In the back seat of the car, Xia Qingtang was sleeping soundly while holding a huge panda doll.
She was wearing a loose white T-shirt and simple jeans, with the hem of the T-shirt tucked into her trousers. Although she was sitting back in an awkward posture, one could still see that she had a slender waist and long legs.
"Mr. Xia, we're home." Seeing that Xia Qingtang didn't move at all, the young woman in front could only raise her voice and call out again.
This time, Xia Qingtang heard the voice and woke up with a start: "Huh? Home?"
"Yes, we're home." The young woman's voice returned to its previous softness. "Do you need to wait a little longer?"
Xia Qingtang let go of the panda doll, stretched, yawned, and then said, "I'm awake, go ring the doorbell."
"Yes." The young woman got out of the car, walked to the iron gate and rang the doorbell.
This was the pointed-roof villa that Xia Qingtang bought from Lao Zhang and Lao Chen. Xie Jinxuan hired someone to spend almost a year renovating the house inside and out. It was not until the summer of 1988 that the family of three moved in and settled down here.
At that time, Xiaoxiao was already six years old and could start primary school. As the child grew older, the small yard in the big compound seemed a little cramped.
It just so happened that the compound passed a decision to build a new residential area where the former sports field was. Thinking that the construction site would affect her sleep and rest, Xia Qingtang decided to move out.
Grandma and Sixth Aunt were very reluctant to let them go, but they also knew that the children were grown up, and Xia Qingtang was getting richer and richer. She already had several houses in her name. It was unfair for her to live in the small courtyard for the past few years, so they finally helped them move.
After moving out, because the house was too big, Xia Qingtang asked Aunt Liu for help to hire a live-in nanny.
Now, they have lived here for two years. Xia Qingtang likes this house very much, especially the grape vines and swing frame in the yard. This is where she and Xiaoxiao spend time together.
There is also a small attic on the roof. Xie Jinxuan helped Xia Qingtang decorate it to look like something in a foreign movie. When she is not busy, she will go to the attic alone with a book. When she gets tired of reading, she will lie on the small window and look out, watching the people and vehicles coming and going on the street. This is her favorite relaxing time.
When Xiaoxiao came back from school and couldn't find her mother anywhere at home, she would climb up the small stairs by herself, and then pester Xia Qingtang to tell her a story in the attic.
Sometimes Xie Jinxuan would climb up and read books and listen to music with her in the attic. Xia Qingtang would then make up a bizarre little story and play the roles of a pair of adulterous young people with Xie Jinxuan, which was also very interesting.
The doorbell rang for a while, and a middle-aged woman in her forties ran out from the door on the first floor. She was thin and lean, but had a round face with a very friendly smile on her face. She looked very energetic.
She was wearing a light blue T-shirt, light gray summer pants, a large off-white apron, and a pair of slippers. She smelled a little of broth.
"Mr. Xia is back?" The middle-aged woman quickly opened the big iron gate.
The young woman immediately opened the door on Xia Qingtang's side. Xia Qingtang got out of the car holding the panda doll and said, "Sister Hu, I'm back. Is Xiaoxiao back?"
"Not yet. She's still swimming at this time. After swimming, she said she would go to the bookstore with her kids to buy books and would be back later." Sister Hu said with a smile, "You must be exhausted from the business trip in the hot summer. My husband asked me to buy a lot of delicious food yesterday. I cooked the sweet soup this morning and put it in the refrigerator. The chicken soup is also cooking. If Ms. Xia wants to eat something, you can tell me right away. It's still early and we can prepare everything. My husband will be back from get off work on time today. He also prepared a new bottle of red wine."
Xia Qingtang said, "It's too hot. I've been out for a few days and have eaten greasy food. I don't have anything special to eat, so just cook some light dishes in the evening. Also, I'm a little sleepy. I'll go upstairs to take a shower and then take a nap. When Xiaoxiao comes back, just call me. Oh, by the way, Xiaoqi."
The young woman who had just opened the trunk immediately responded, "Yes, President Xia."
"I won't be using this car for the next two days. You can just drive back and have a good rest. Then come pick me up for work on Monday morning."
Xia Qingtang has been on a business trip for several days. Today is already Friday, and she plans to rest for two days and go back to work on Monday.
Although she has become a big boss a long time ago, Xia Qingtang is still very busy and still needs to go out on her own to do many things.
Xiao Qi immediately said, "Yes, I understand. Mr. Xia, have a good rest. I will come right over if you need anything."
Xiao Qi was an assistant hired by Xia Qingtang after he opened a garment factory. She had a college degree, which was considered very good in that era, but she was assigned to an unsuitable unit after graduation. After working for a year, she had a big conflict with her leader, so she simply resigned and went out to do business. As a result, she was recruited by Xia Qingtang and has been employed by him ever since.
She offered Xiao Qi a very high salary and bonus, so Xiao Qi served her wholeheartedly. Whether on a business trip or working locally, Xia Qingtang's itinerary was arranged properly without any mistakes.
"Okay, and also, the small white bag of those specialties we brought back is for you, remember to take it back and eat it." Xia Qingtang said.
Xiao Qi smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Xia. I will."
"See you on Monday." Xia Qingtang walked in alone holding the panda doll, while Sister Hu and the young woman started taking the luggage from the trunk.
The whole yard is beautifully decorated, with many evergreen plants and Xia Qingtang's favorite roses, which come in several colors and bloom brilliantly.
There are beautiful tables and chairs under the dense grape racks. In the summer evenings, the family of three likes to have dinner and enjoy the cool here.
She opened the door and walked in. Xia Qingtang's usual slippers were already placed on the floor. She changed her shoes and went straight up the wooden stairs, then walked into the beautiful big bedroom.
This large bedroom was also designed by Xie Jinxuan based on the designs in foreign movies. Since the house is large enough, a large bed was placed inside the house, along with an indoor bathroom and dressing room. This is a very advanced design concept.
After family and friends came to visit, many people said that such a bedroom looked very comfortable. Luo Xiangqian also said that after they moved to a new home, they would decorate it like this.
Xia Qingtang’s dressing room is very large and filled with things.
She started out in the clothing business, and she has taken good care of herself over the years. Even though she has given birth to a child and is already 32 years old, she still has a slim figure and looks very young. Sometimes when she walks alone on the street, people will ask her where she went to college, so her closet is filled with many beautiful clothes.
These clothes are of various kinds, some are produced by her factory, and some are bought from all over the country and abroad. Sometimes she can't wear them all, so she will give the clothes to relatives and friends.
Not long after Xia Qingtang resigned from the Future Electric Appliance Factory, he opened his third store, which was the second store of Xinfeng Clothing Store. The store was located near the Future Electric Appliance Factory. Because there were family quarters for two large factories, the electric appliance factory and the automobile factory, the store's business was very good.
When the business of this store became stable, Xia Qingtang opened a second Little Duck children's clothing store next door.
This place is very far away from the central road, so the shops on both sides do not compete with each other for business. Instead, it provides convenience for those who are too lazy to go to the city to purchase, and they all become loyal customers of these two stores.
The clothes that Xia Qingtang chooses are not only trendy in style and bright in color, but also of very good quality, so his business is booming and his monthly income is very considerable.
A year after leaving her job, Xia Qingtang bought her first car, a black one produced by a car factory in this city. She also took a driver's license and learned to drive by herself.
When she drove her car into the yard, the whole yard was in an uproar.
When Xia Qingtang resigned from the Future Electric Appliance Factory, almost everyone didn't understand, and many people thought she was crazy.
But it didn't take long before she drove her own car, proving that she didn't need a stable job at all. Her own abilities were the best job.
Of course, there are still a small number of people who are extremely disgusted with this kind of business behavior. Some people even live in the past ten years and always feel that doing business is wrong. Maybe one day all their assets will be confiscated.
The Xie family fully supports Xia Qingtang. Although Grandpa Xie has retired, the Xie family is well-off, so they will never lack money. Even if Xia Qingtang really spends all his money, their Xie family can afford it.
The timing of her buying that car was very good. Not long after, Xie Jinxuan was assigned to work in a county town below. The distance was not too far and it only took two hours to drive there.
Because Xiaoxiao was still young and had to stay in the compound to attend nursery, and as Xia Qingtang opened more and more stores, she also stayed in the provincial capital to accompany Xiaoxiao.
But every weekend, she would drive to the county town to find Xie Jinxuan, spend the weekend with him, and drive back on Monday morning, without any delay.
Sometimes when business was not busy, she would stay in the county town with Xie Jinxuan for a while, and would not drive back until home called her to go back.
During those years, she divided her time into two parts, one half was used to accompany Xie Jinxuan, and the other half was used to accompany her daughter.
Fortunately, Xiaoxiao has no lack of love. There are so many members of the Xie family, and each of them loves her very much. Whenever Xie Jinyun comes back from vacation, she will also pamper Xiaoxiao to the sky, so Xia Qingtang can do his career without any worries and spend as much time as possible with Xie Jinxuan.
Her career is developing at a rapid speed, and Xie Jinxuan's career is even faster than hers.
Xie Jinxuan is a top student who graduated from a university in the provincial capital. He was originally a key training target, so after staying there for a few years, he worked his way up until he became a county magistrate. Last year, the province transferred him back to the provincial capital. He is expected to work in the provincial capital for a few years before considering developing elsewhere.
Xia Qingtang's clothing factory has also been opened. Now she is the famous Ms. Xia and is getting busier and busier. Fortunately, she enjoys this kind of busyness.
Xia Qingtang took a hot bath in the beautiful bathroom, put on a short silk nightgown, turned on the air conditioner in the room, drew the gauze curtains and went to sleep.
The schedule of this business trip was quite tight, so Xia Qingtang didn't get much sleep. While no one was at home, she fell into a comfortable sleep. She didn't wake up until she heard the clear cries of a little girl downstairs.
When I looked at the time, it was already past five o'clock.
"Mom, mom!" Xiaoxiao's crisp voice floated over from outside.
Xia Qingtang stretched lazily on the bed and slowly sat up.
Just as I sat up, there was a knock on the bedroom door: "Mom, can I come in?"
The little girl was well taught and would never open the door on her own without a response.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "You can come in."
The door was opened and Xiaoxiao ran in like a happy little bird.
The child is already eight years old and will be in the third grade next semester. She inherited Xia Qingtang's beauty and Xie Jinxuan's height. She is very tall at a young age, and has long arms and legs. It seems that she will be over 1.7 meters tall in the future.
Xiaoxiao is very beautiful, and because she has eaten well since she was a child, her nutrition is sufficient. Xiaoxiao always looks energetic. In addition, she is good at various sports like Xie Jinxuan, so she is always a little tanned, but she looks even healthier and more energetic. She has a completely different style from Xia Qingtang when she was a child.
Her grades are also very good. She is always among the top five in the class in every exam. If she doesn't do well in an exam, she will not accept it and will immediately catch up next time.
"Mom! I miss you so much!" Xiaoxiao rushed over and wanted to throw herself on Xia Qingtang's big bed, but was stopped by her.
"Wait, you're all sweaty. The bedding on my bed was newly changed by Sister Hu. Wait for me to get up." Xia Qingtang smiled and lifted the thin quilt, then stood up and hugged her daughter.
"Mom, I haven't seen you for four days!" Xiaoxiao said exaggeratedly, "Mom, do you miss me?"
"Of course I want to smile." Xia Qingtang bent down and kissed his daughter's little face.
"What about the gift you bought for me, mom?"
"Guess where I put it?"
Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes and looked around the room. Not finding any gifts, she pulled Xia Qingtang out and said, "I see. You must have left it in my room."
"That's correct."
Xia Qingtang accompanied Xiaoxiao to her bedroom, and sure enough, there was the big panda doll on her little chair.
"Wow, this one is so big!" Xiaoxiao was very excited and immediately rushed over to hug the panda doll. "I have never seen a panda this big!"
"I've never seen a doll this big, so I bought it for you."
"Thank you, Mom. I like this gift very much." Xiaoxiao came over with the panda doll and kissed Xia Qingtang.
"You're welcome. As long as you like it."
Xiaoxiao held the doll and pulled Xia Qingtang downstairs: "Mom, will your store sell this doll?"
"It should be sold, but such a big doll is not cheap, so I have to discuss it with everyone." Xia Qingtang said with a smile: "However, we have decided to sell the doll house that you played with last time."
The Little Duck Children's Clothing Store is still a general store. In addition to selling various children's clothing, it is still the best toy store and stationery store in the city. New toys from all over the country can be bought here, so every weekend, the store is always crowded with parents who bring their children to shop.
Xia Qingtang's business trip this time was to go to another place to discuss cooperation with a toy factory.
Xiaoxiao immediately opened the toy house that Xia Qingtang gave her last time and said happily, "That's great, now they can buy this toy house too!"
Xiaoxiao always has the best and newest toys, so her friends like to come to her house to play. And there is no need to worry. As long as Xiaoxiao starts playing with a toy, everyone will be able to buy it at the Little Duck Children's Clothing Store in no time.
Xia Qingtang said: "Then you can bring your friends to see your giant panda in the next few days. I wonder if they will like it."
"They will definitely like it. However, such a big panda must be very expensive," Xiaoxiao said.
"Indeed, such a big one will be very expensive, but we have various sizes, from this small to this big, and they can choose according to how much pocket money they have." Xia Qingtang explained to Xiaoxiao patiently.
Xiaoxiao nodded immediately: "Then mom, can I get a complete set later? I want to have one from this small to this big!"
"Well, I need to think about it. If you rank in the top three in the midterm exam next semester, I will buy you a complete set."
"Really?"
"real!"
"Then let's make a deal! I will definitely be in the top three!" Xiaoxiao was extremely happy and rushed over to give Xia Qingtang a big kiss.
The mother and daughter were chatting and laughing upstairs when they heard Sister Hu's voice from downstairs: "Boss Xia! The master is back!"
"Your father is back!" Xia Qingtang immediately let go of Xiaoxiao and ran downstairs.
Xiaoxiao has long been accustomed to this. After all, her parents value each other the most, and then her, their precious daughter.
Xie Jinxuan just got home and is now changing into slippers.
He is already 34 years old, which is the best age for him. He wears an ordinary white shirt and black trousers. His handsome face shows no signs of aging and he still looks young. However, with the increase of his working years, his aura becomes more and more powerful, always giving people a feeling of majesty without even being angry.
Everyone in the province knows that the successor of the Xie family looks like a handsome man, but in fact he is a man of great ability, both civil and military, and knows how to advance and retreat. Everyone is optimistic that he will be able to take the position of Grandpa Xie, or even higher.
Xie Jinxuan himself didn't think so much about it, he just worked diligently.
But over the years, Xia Qingtang has obviously contributed much more to the family than he has.
Because she is the boss, she can adjust her own schedule, so most of the time, Xia Qingtang adjusts her working hours to match his days off.
"Jinxuan! You're back!" Xia Qingtang ran down the stairs and threw himself into Xie Jinxuan's arms.
Xie Jinxuan has never forgotten to exercise over the years, so he still caught Xia Qingtang easily, then picked her up and spun her around several times on the spot.
"You're back." Xie Jinxuan smiled and kissed her on the cheek, "I missed you so much."
"I miss you too, but now that this deal is done, I won't have to go on business trips for a while." Xia Qingtang leaned on him and was unwilling to get down.
Seeing her wearing a short light purple silk nightgown, revealing her long, straight white legs, Xie Jinxuan asked, "Have you slept since you came back?"
"Yes, after a nap, you and Xiaoxiao came back."
Xiaoxiao ran down behind him. She walked over obediently and picked up Xie Jinxuan's briefcase, saying, "Dad, can I help you put the bag in the study?"
"Okay, please put it at the door of the study for me." Xie Jinxuan said.
"I know. I won't go into dad's study." Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue, ran upstairs with Xie Jinxuan's briefcase, and left the room to her parents.
As soon as Xiaoxiao disappeared, Xia Qingtang immediately kissed Xie Jinxuan.
They have been an old married couple for a long time, but their relationship is always so good. After every short separation, they feel even sweeter than when they were first married.
All their relatives and friends were amazed at their relationship, and some came to ask Xia Qingtang for advice, but she couldn't say why. She felt that she and Xie Jinxuan were destined to be like this.
After the kiss, Xie Jinxuan whispered, "Sister Hu said dinner will take a while, should we go to the bedroom first?"
"Go!" Xia Qingtang pulled Xie Jinxuan and ran upstairs.
Xiaoxiao ran into the two of them upstairs, and Xia Qingtang immediately said, "Xiaoxiao, mom and dad want to discuss a very important matter. Go downstairs to find Aunt Hu first. If you're hungry, eat some of the specialties that mom brought back!"
"Ah..." Before Xiaoxiao could react, her parents had already walked into the house and slammed the door shut.
This was not the first time something like this had happened at home. Although Xiaoxiao had no idea what important matter her parents were going to discuss in the room, she was a sensible child, so she went downstairs again to ask Sister Hu for some local specialties.
After about an hour, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan, who had just finished discussing work, came down from the stairs. They both changed into light summer home clothes, and both had rosy complexions and looked in great shape.
Sister Hu asked, "Do you want to eat inside or outside?"
"The sun has gone down, let's eat in the yard." Xia Qingtang said.
"Okay, I'll prepare it right away." Sister Hu immediately went to the yard, lit the mosquito coils first, and then served the food.
The phone suddenly rang, and Xiaoxiao immediately ran over to answer it: "Hello, who are you looking for?"
Their family was one of the first in the city to install a private telephone. The initial installation fee was very expensive, but it was very convenient after the installation. Xia Qingtang also bought a mobile phone so that he could keep in touch with his family at any time even when he was on a business trip.
"Dad, it's my uncle calling. He said he has something to talk to you about." Xiaoxiao shouted towards him.
"Okay, I'm here." Xie Jinxuan let go of Xia Qingtang's hand and walked to the phone.
"Xiao Yun? What's the matter?"
I don't know what was said on the other end of the phone, but Xie Jinxuan's expression changed slightly, and then he laughed. He said, "Okay, I get it, but can't you tell your parents yourself?...Okay, I'll help you tell them, then when will you be back?...Okay, then I'll ask your sister-in-law's car to pick you up....Okay, we're going to have dinner...That's it, bye."
After hanging up the phone, dinner was ready in the yard. Xia Qingtang took Xie Jinxuan's arm and walked out: "What's wrong with Xiaoyun?"
"He said he wanted to bring a girl back to meet his parents."
Xia Qingtang was shocked: "What? When did Xiaoyun start dating?"
The extra chapter will continue tomorrow.
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