Chapter 23
Xia Qingtang could feel her breathing gradually becoming rapid. There was a fire in her heart slowly rising up and soon it reached the top of her forehead. Her mind was instantly filled with anger.
She stood up quickly and wanted to find Zhao Meizhen to ask for clarification.
Opening other people's letters privately should be against the law. Even if Zhao Meizhen is her mother, you can't treat her like this!
There were so many letters written to her, but she never received any of them!
Unbeknownst to her, so many people had carefully written to her, telling her about their feelings and emotions, but she knew nothing!
Not only did Zhao Meizhen reject all those who came to propose marriage, she also blocked all those who actively pursued her!
Why? This is a letter to her! She has the right to know who likes her and the right to choose a marriage partner from among those who like her!
Even if all the people who wrote the letters were unqualified, were not good people, and had no sincerity, she should have been the one to reject them, instead of being kept in the dark by Zhao Meizhen for a lifetime like she is now!
Yes, Xia Qingtang was indeed confused in her previous life and her mind was not clear enough, but her not being smart did not mean that her parents could hide the truth from her and make all the decisions for her!
This is her life! She should walk it by herself and make her own choices! Even if she falls to pieces, she should experience it all!
What's more, the life that Zhao Meizhen chose for her is a complete mess. She herself is not a smart or wise person. Why does she have the right to control everything about her daughter?
No wonder people always said in her previous life that Xia Qingtang deserved it. Several female classmates had said more than once that Xia Qingtang was a fake. So many good men had pursued her, but she chose a mediocre man and was finally kicked out by the man's family.
She used to find it strange because she had never heard of most of the men they talked about who had pursued her, and she didn't know that there were men from higher-class families and more capable men who had pursued her.
She still remembered that after her divorce, she met her former class monitor and a male classmate she hadn't seen for many years on the street. The class monitor joked at the time: "Qingtang, if you had chosen Lao Ma, you wouldn't be divorced now. Lao Ma would definitely treat you well for the rest of his life. After all, he is a very down-to-earth person. Moreover, Lao Ma is successful now. He went to the south to do big business. This time he came back to buy a big house for his parents! What a pity, you are just unlucky."
The male classmate also laughed along with the class monitor, and said that his family was ordinary and could not compare to the Kong family. No wonder the school belle didn't like him.
At that time, Xia Qingtang thought they were mocking her for trying to climb up the social ladder without knowing her own limitations. She even whispered, "What can I choose? I haven't had any contact with classmate Ma since graduation. What are you talking about?"
The squad leader laughed out loud at that time. She said, "Qingtang, are you kidding me? Lao Ma pursued you seriously, okay? What do you mean you didn't have any contact with him? It was you who ignored him! What? Was it because there were too many people who liked you at that time that you forgot about Lao Ma?"
At that time, she had just been divorced and was in a very unstable mood. She felt a little embarrassed when she saw the squad leader's smiling face. She turned around and ran away without asking clearly.
Now it seems that Lao Ma must have written more than one letter to her.
Xia Qingtang opened all four bundles of letters and flipped through them one by one. As expected, she found the letters written to her by Lao Ma. There were three letters in total. One of them had no postmark, only "Xia Qingtang (to)". It was probably sent directly to her door.
At the same time, she also found the letter that Xie Jinxuan wrote to her. The mailing address was the staff quarters of the city's steel plant. It was probably sent from her third aunt's house.
The envelope was made of kraft paper. Perhaps due to improper storage, there were some dusty marks on the outside. Xie Jinxuan's powerful penmanship was very eye-catching on it. Xia Qingtang's eyes reddened and he took out the letter inside.
There were four pieces of letter paper in total, with neat and generous handwriting, full of words, and the opening paragraph reads: Hello, Xia Qingtang, you may not know me yet, but I have known you for a long time. I am a student of No. 1 Middle School like you, but I am two years older than you. Now, I would like to formally introduce myself to you. My name is Xie Jinxuan. After graduating from high school, I came to the northwest of the motherland and became a liberation army soldier to serve the motherland...
Xia Qingtang read the letter written by Xie Jinxuan word by word, feeling very complicated and excited.
This letter does not use too many beautiful words. It is simple and sincere at the same time. The author's deep feelings can be seen between the lines.
He introduced his life in the army, reminisced about the time they spent together on the No. 1 Middle School campus, and finally wrote about his feelings for Xia Qingtang.
He wrote: I heard that you have become a glorious textile worker. I am sincerely happy for you. The two of us are dedicating our youth to the motherland in different places. This is really a happy thing. I have been waiting for the day when you will join the work after graduation. Now, I have finally waited for it. I can finally tell you my friendship with you. Since I joined the army, I often dreamed of you in the middle of the night. I saw you walking slowly under the shade of the trees with long braids. The conditions where we are stationed are very difficult. Wind, frost, rain and snow are common scenes, but I feel happy when I think of you. Having written here, I think you should understand my mood. I, Xie Jinxuan, want to become a close friend with you on the road ahead. If you are willing to be friends with me, please write to me. I will wait for your reply with great expectations. This is my mailing address...
The content of the letter ends here. In the lower right corner of the letter paper is Xie Jinxuan’s beautiful signature, and the date is October 8, 1976.
He really wrote a letter to himself, and he was expecting a reply from himself, but he got nothing. Xia Qingtang couldn't imagine how disappointed Xie Jinxuan must have been at that time.
She held the letter in her hand, her hands trembling slightly, and her heart trembling slightly too.
She suddenly remembered that Xie Jinxuan had said that he had also attached a photo of himself in the letter, so she quickly took the envelope and knocked the opening against the table.
Sure enough, a two-inch black-and-white photo fell out. It was of Xie Jinxuan in military uniform. He had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose and thin lips. He was really outstanding.
To be honest, Xia Qingtang was not sure whether she would have been able to be with Xie Jinxuan if she had received this letter normally in her previous life. But judging from the content of this letter, as long as she received it, she would definitely write back to him.
Because Xia Qingtang liked the sincere emotions in his writing, even if the two of them could not become a couple, they could still be a pair of pen pals with a good relationship.
But Zhao Meizhen eliminated all possibilities!
Not only did she wipe out Xie Jinxuan's expectations, she also trampled on the countless thoughts contained in those envelopes and hid them in a dark corner, and then used her coldness and selfishness to easily determine Xia Qingtang's lifelong event in his previous life!
Starting over again, Xia Qingtang has been reflecting on herself. She reflects on herself for not being brave enough, not being smart enough, and choosing to take the shortcut by climbing up the ladder because she was afraid of hardship. But she is not the one who should reflect on herself the most!
If she could receive these letters in her previous life, her life would be completely different.
Even if she chose the wrong person here, it was her own decision and the life she chose!
Why do you treat her like this?
How could Zhao Meizhen, who had done such a thing, have the nerve to sell her daughter to the Kong family with a clear conscience, and then kick her out of the house when her daughter was left with nowhere else to go?
After such a long time back, Xia Qingtang felt her emotions losing control for the first time. Her tears burst out, as if she wanted to shed all the tears she hadn't cried out in her previous life...
"Qingtang, why aren't you sleeping yet?" The small door separated by wooden boards was pushed open with a creak. Hu Yanni rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked over. Then she saw Xia Qingtang with tears on her face. She was startled and lost all her sleepiness. "Qingtang, what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong?"
Hu Yanni hurried over and held Xia Qingtang's hands tightly. Xia Qingtang just watched her tears streaming down her face but couldn't say a word.
"Qingtang, don't cry. Tell me, what's wrong?" Hu Yanni patted her back gently, waited until she calmed down, and then took a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Xia Qingtang waited until she could cry no more before she showed the letter on the table to Hu Yanni.
Hu Yanni was extremely shocked. She had never thought that her parents would do such a thing. She picked up the opened envelopes and read them one by one. Then she said, "Is the letter Comrade Xie wrote to you here too?"
"Here, this is it." Xia Qingtang handed the envelope to Hu Yanni, "There is also a photo of him in military uniform inside. It is very nice. His letter is also written very sincerely."
"Didn't your mother always want you to marry into a good family? But by hiding these letters, didn't she miss out on a cadre's son like Comrade Xie? The Xie family is much more powerful than the Kong family."
"Because Xie Jinxuan didn't write about his family in the letter, and the letter was sent from the steel plant's family quarters, Zhao Meizhen must have thought he was from the steel plant. She wouldn't let me marry a worker unless that person was the plant director's son. But no one among the top leaders of the steel plant has the surname Xie, so she thinks Xie Jinxuan is from an ordinary worker's family." Xia Qingtang's emotions had stabilized by this time. She spoke slower and her body no longer trembled slightly.
She would no longer call Zhao Meizhen mother because she was not worthy of it.
Hu Yanni sighed and said, "Your mother is really too clever for her own good. Besides Comrade Xie, there may be some other people with good conditions who are hidden by her. In fact, I also find it strange. At the beginning of this year, I heard people say that Liu Yuhe likes you, but it's a pity that you don't like him. Do you still remember Liu Yuhe? He is the big guy in the next class. His family lives in the military compound. His grandfather is very powerful. His family also lives in a two-story cadre building. He is also serving in the army now. If I had known earlier, I should have asked you at that time. Maybe if you went home to ask at the beginning of the year, these letters would have been found out long ago. If you had found out, you would definitely write a reply to these people."
"Even if you told me at the beginning of the year, I wouldn't have thought of this. Who could have guessed that there would be such parents? They hid all the letters from their children, and she read them all." Xia Qingtang said word by word: "I will never forgive her in my life."
"If it were me, I wouldn't forgive such a mother." Hu Yanni patted her back again and whispered, "So what are you going to do? Are you going to take these letters back to ask her clearly?"
"No need. I don't want to see her or talk to her. In my heart, this mother doesn't even exist." Xia Qingtang said slowly, "I'm just glad that at least I know the truth now. At least, Xie Jinxuan and I are together..."
In her previous life, she was kept in the dark for her entire life! For her entire life...
However, why didn't Xia Daming give these letters to her in his previous life?
Xia Qingtang felt that there was only one possibility, that is, after Zhao Meizhen was sure that her daughter had married into a good family, she happily burned all the letters.
In this life, Xia Qingtang found someone to marry, and Zhao Meizhen was still angry, so she didn't have time to deal with these letters.
"You and Comrade Xie can be together because you came out to find a partner and avoided your parents. That's why you are where you are today." Hu Yanni said, "Our parents are confused, so we have to be more sober."
"Yes, Yanni, you are right. You have to rely on yourself for everything. I was indeed too confused before. The reason why Zhao Meizhen was able to hide so many letters was because I was too stupid. I was confused all day long and had no idea where my future was going. But it won't be like that in the future. No one can control my life anymore. I want to move forward at my own pace." Xia Qingtang said firmly.
Hu Yanni hugged her: "I support you! Qingtang, you can do it!"
The two good friends hugged for a while, and Xia Qingtang said, "It's late, you should go to bed. I'll put away these letters and go to bed too."
"I'll help you clean up." Hu Yanni said, "Will you reply to these people?"
"Yes, I will slowly write them back to explain and inform them of my current situation. Regardless of whether they are sincere or not, I should write them back." Xia Qingtang said affirmatively.
Most people at this time are still relatively simple and honest, and not many of them are brave enough. Even if someone is just attracted by her appearance, they are brave enough to write to her, which shows their sincerity. Out of courtesy, she should write back to inform the other party.
The two of them packed up all the letters and put them into a cloth bag. Xia Qingtang went back to sleep, but he could not sleep deeply and kept having intermittent and unclear dreams.
Although she didn't sleep well the previous night, Xia Qingtang still got up very early. Her days at the Hu family were like this. As long as she was not working the night shift, she would be the first to get up and make breakfast.
The Hu family's breakfast was just as simple as that of the surrounding families. Xia Qingtang had asked Hu's mother about it last night, so she skillfully made noodle dumpling soup with coarse noodles as soon as they got up. After everyone had washed up, she threw a handful of washed green leafy vegetables in the soup and had it with the kimchi made by Hu's mother. It was a delicious breakfast.
After breakfast, Hu's father went to work first. Hu's mother patted Xia Qingtang on the shoulder and whispered, "You seemed to have gone to bed very late last night, and your eyes are red. Did something happen? Did Xiao Xie bully you? If there is anything, be sure to tell me. We adults always have more life experience, and maybe we can help."
"It's not about marriage, it's about my family..." Xia Qingtang did not hide anything and told her that Zhao Meizhen had withheld her letters.
Mother Hu was shocked after hearing this. After thinking for a while, she said, "I often hear people say that there are no bad parents in the world. I don't know if this is true or not. But I think that none of us can live our whole lives for our parents. We have to judge for ourselves whether some truths are right or wrong. It must be difficult for you to have a family like that. But fortunately, you have your own family now. You are married. Xiao Xie is a good young man and he really likes you. If your family is not good, forget it. In the future, you should just live a good life for your own little family, isn't that enough?"
After listening to what Hu's mother said, Xia Qingtang felt very touched. She had heard these truths in her previous life, but she never understood them. She always thought that her parents' home was important and her parents were important, but in fact, after getting married, she should focus on her small family, herself and her husband.
"Thank you, Auntie. I will keep these words in mind." Xia Qingtang thanked her sincerely.
Mother Hu smiled and continued, "I am like this myself. My mother was not nice to me. She hated me the only one among so many brothers and sisters. Later, I carefully selected Yanni's father. He is a good man, and his parents are also very good to me, much better than my own parents. It's a pity that they passed away early, and I didn't have the chance to show my filial piety to them. Don't be too sad, maybe your husband's family will also be a support for you?"
"Anyway, if they are nice to me, I will be nice to them too." Xia Qingtang could only say this because she was still wary of the Xie family.
"Yes, it's right to put yourself in other people's shoes." Mother Hu patted her shoulder and went to work.
Xia Qingtang was on the night shift today, so she stayed at home the whole day. After Hu Yanni went to work, she sorted out the letters at her desk, putting all the letters from the same person together, and then replied to others according to the number of letters.
A male classmate named Zhang Mingsheng wrote her six letters, the most recent one being last month, which was full of sincerity.
That day, she wrote more than a dozen replies. When she saw that the time was almost up, she packed up and waited for Xie Jinxuan to get off work.
It was still early before the night shift, so they could have dinner before going to the cotton mill.
Xia Qingtang waited outside the gate for a while, and Xie Jinxuan came out pushing a bicycle: "Qingtang!"
"Jinxuan." Xia Qingtang smiled at him.
Xie Jinxuan noticed that her eyes were slightly swollen, and asked quickly, "What's wrong with you? Did something happen to you, or did you not sleep well?"
"Both." Xia Qingtang said, "Let's move forward and talk as we go."
Xia Qingtang slowly told her about the letter and took out the letter Xie Jinxuan wrote to her from her bag: "I have read your letter. It is well written and very sincere. If I had received your letter two years ago, I would definitely write back to you."
Xie Jinxuan was happy at first: "I am so happy to hear you say that. But how could your mother do such a thing? After graduation, you have been working and you are an adult. I hide your letters and open and read them all. I feel scared just thinking about it."
Xia Qingtang said: "I cried a lot last night, but later I figured it out. Zhao Meizhen never treated me as her child. To her, I was just a tool. I had to bring benefits to Xia Qinghai. Xia Qinghai must have thought so in his heart. Maybe he and Zhao Meizhen discussed and decided on many things together. As for my dad... I don't know how much he was involved in this matter, but when I think about it carefully, he has been quite derelict in his duty as a father for so many years. He could have persuaded Zhao Meizhen, but he played dumb in many things, as if he could avoid responsibility. You say, how ridiculous is this? He is obviously the head of the family, and he should take responsibility."
Her expression was indifferent and her eyes were calm. Although she was talking about these topics, it was clear that she no longer cared and had no emotional fluctuations.
Xie Jinxuan quickly said, "If you run into him at the factory, you can ask him if he knew about it before. I think your father looks cowardly, but he doesn't have such a bad heart."
He still couldn't bear to see Xia Qingtang without even a true relative, so he wanted to help her regain some family affection.
"If you come across it, ask me again. I don't care about it anymore. When I get back to the factory, I will tell the people in the mail room that from now on, my own letters must be delivered to me personally."
There are many employees in the cotton mill. Except for the office letters which are delivered to the office separately, the letters of other employees are piled up in the message room. With so many letters every day, it is not surprising that the people in the message room gave her letter to Zhao Meizhen. After all, everyone would help take away the letters for their family members.
In the final analysis, it was not the fault of the message room, but Zhao Meizhen was just too mean.
It is impossible to prevent a person from doing evil intentionally.
"Otherwise, send all your future letters to me and I will forward them for you. Don't worry, I will never open your letters." Xie Jinxuan said, "The communication room in our unit is very familiar with me and will never lose your letters."
"No need. I will go to the message room every day in the future. I will write a reply to each of them recently, so I will keep an eye on the message room myself. Besides, Zhao Meizhen has retired, she won't go to the factory every day. What's more, I'm married, and I'm no longer of any use to her." Xia Qingtang said.
"That's hard to say. What if she asks you to divorce? You are still so young and pretty. She might force you to remarry some widowed leader or something like that." Xie Jinxuan muttered.
Xia Qingtang smiled: "I have to do whatever she tells me to do. After so many things happened, how could I still listen to her? I am very sober now and I am no longer the same person I used to be. But my household registration is still at home. When we have our own house, we will move out."
Xie Jinxuan nodded: "I will accompany you back to transfer your household registration. If they don't agree, I will beat your brother."
Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing: "It's right to beat her son. She feels most sorry for her son. If you pinch her son, she won't dare to do anything to you. But how do you make sure that you can beat my brother? My brother is only a little shorter than you and has been farming in the countryside for several years, so he must be very strong."
Xia Qingtang and Xia Qinghai, brother and sister, both inherited Xia Daming's height and are tall among their peers.
"Although fighting is about strength, it doesn't just depend on strength, it also depends on skills. I'm considered a half-martial artist, so it's no problem for me to beat someone like your brother who can only farm. But don't worry, I'm just trying to scare them, I won't really do anything to your brother."
"I have nothing to worry about. My brother is not nice to me. If you beat him up, I will only help you." Xia Qingtang said this sincerely.
She has no feelings for Xia Qinghai.
Xie Jinxuan smiled helplessly, then took out her watch and looked at it, saying, "Let's go eat now? It takes time for a state-owned restaurant to serve food, so don't delay your work."
"I won't go to state-owned restaurants anymore. Who has the luxury of eating in a restaurant every day?"
"So what should we do? We have to eat."
At this time, apart from going to state-owned restaurants, there was really no place to eat out.
Xie Jinxuan then said, "Let's go to the cafeteria in our family compound to eat?"
"Your house is right next door, can we go over to eat?" Xia Qingtang said with a smile, "I want to... get in touch with your family again."
Hu's mother's words also touched her. Although she never expected to become relatives with her in-laws, for Xie Jinxuan, she didn't want to become strangers with them.
This is her marriage, and she has to manage it well.
Xie Jinxuan was overjoyed: "That's great! Grandma asks me every day when you will go home again! Come on, let's go back now!"
"If we go there suddenly, will there not be enough food?" Xia Qingtang asked a key question.
At this time, every household cooks according to their hunger. If you go to someone else's house suddenly, you may really have nothing to eat.
"It's okay. Sixth Aunt likes to cook more rice at night. The next morning, we can just add water and make it into vegetable soup and rice. Even if there is not enough rice at night, we can still cook noodles or dumpling soup. We will never be hungry. Let's go, let's go back quickly. Grandma will definitely be very happy!" Xie Jinxuan hurriedly rode her bicycle and took Xia Qingtang back.
The family quarters were very close to here, so it didn’t take long to get to Xie’s house.
The second time she came to this beautiful little courtyard, Xia Qingtang felt very calm. She walked into the house hand in hand with Xie Jinxuan, and then greeted everyone with a smile.
The Xie family expressed their surprise and enthusiasm for her arrival. Grandma kept shouting, "Xiao Liu, go and fry a plate of eggs for Qingtang. She works so hard."
Mother Xie quickly made tea for her and held out a beautiful white porcelain cup and said, "Qingtang, this is a new cup. It will be your cup from now on. There is an orchid on it. It is so beautiful."
Sixth Aunt rushed to the kitchen. Xia Qingtang thanked her and took out a wrapped snack paper package from her bag and handed it to her: "This is peach cake. I also saw fresh egg cake, but I didn't have enough money, so I didn't buy it."
This was bought by Xia Qingtang at the grocery store on the way here. He didn't bring any gifts the last time he came, so it wouldn't be considered rude to bring some snacks this time.
Xie Jinxuan immediately became very happy. Xia Qingtang had bought snacks on the way here, which meant that she had decided early in the morning to come to his house for dinner.
This was a good omen, so Xie Jinxuan quickly said, "Grandma, you like peach cakes the most, right?"
Grandma smiled and said, "Yes, Grandma likes peach cakes the most. Your mother likes them too. Qingtang is a good kid who knows how to buy them."
After chatting for a while, Aunt Liu fried a plate of eggs and everyone went to the restaurant for dinner.
Xie Chengye is working overtime at the company tonight, so there is one less person for dinner.
The eight-immortals table was filled with simple stir-fried amaranth, mixed cucumbers, braised tofu, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and scrambled eggs with green peppers, as well as two plates of pickles. The rice was mixed rice cooked with a lot of peanuts and beans, which made it more filling.
Xia Qingtang felt even more deeply the simplicity of Xie's family when she came here temporarily. If they hadn't asked her to add a dish, their dinner would have been the same as that of other families without any meat.
Xia Qingtang remembered that in her previous life in the Kong family, each person was only entitled to one meat ticket per month, but Kong's mother could always find someone to exchange the meat ticket for, and could often get fish, loaches and other aquatic products. Kong Liangjing and Kong Liangchao could even eat an egg every day, and their life was much better than that of the Xie family.
"Qingtang, eat more eggs." Grandma used clean chopsticks to pick up a lot of scrambled eggs for Xia Qingtang and piled them high in the bowl.
"Thank you grandma. I'll eat too." Xia Qingtang thanked her and smiled shyly.
Xie's mother said, "Jinxuan, Qingtang is coming to our house for dinner today. Why didn't you tell us in advance? If you tell us in advance, we can prepare earlier. There is also a piece of bacon at home."
"We also made a last-minute decision to come back for dinner. Besides, the food at home is not bad. Isn't that how everyone eats?" Xie Jinxuan said.
Being able to eat solid food instead of liquid food for dinner is already a very good meal.
Xia Qingtang said: "Yes, I think this kind of food is already very good. You don't have to fry eggs for me next time. When I move in, it's better for the house to remain the same as before."
Everyone at the table was stunned for a moment, and Xie Jinxuan was the first to react: "Move in? Qingtang, are you willing to move in?"
Xie Jinyun also shouted: "Sister-in-law, are you going to move in? That's great! From now on, you can play with me every day!"
Xie's mother patted his head and said, "Eat well and don't talk. Your sister-in-law is an adult now. Who has time to play with you every day? And you, don't you have to study hard and try to get into college? How can you get into college if you play every day? Are you lying to us?"
"I'm not lying. I play every day to combine work and rest. My grades are very good!" Xie Jinyun said unconvinced.
Everyone laughed. The old man put down his chopsticks, looked at Xia Qingtang and said, "Have you thought it through?"
"Think it through. I'm already married to Jinxuan, and we're a family. I agree that small families should live their own lives, but before that, I'm willing to get in touch with everyone more for Jinxuan. I want to get to know Jinxuan's family." Xia Qingtang told the truth.
The biggest reason she moved in was for Xie Jinxuan.
Just because they have their own small family doesn't mean they have to be strangers to Xie Jinxuan's big family. Xia Qingtang also wants to muster up the courage to step in and see if the new her can get along harmoniously in this higher-class family.
If she tried her best and there was still no harmony, then so be it, they would be able to move into separate houses in two months anyway.
At least, she has tried her best for her lover, and she will not regret it in the future.
As for the second reason for moving out, it was that she didn't want to cause any more trouble for the Hu family. They had helped her so much, and Xia Qingtang felt it was time for her to leave.
After hearing what she said, the old man nodded happily and said, "You are right to think so. You and Jinxuan are married, and you two are the closest people. You are willing to get closer to us for him. As his grandfather, I would like to thank you and I am also very happy. Our Jinxuan has found a good daughter-in-law!"
The whole family laughed, and grandma was especially happy: "Then hurry up and move it back after dinner!"
"I'm working the night shift today, and I'm going to the factory after dinner. I plan to go back home to rest after work tomorrow, and then prepare dinner. When Uncle Hu and the others come back, I'll tell them about moving out. That way, Jinxuan can pick me up after dinner. I don't have much stuff to take there, so I can move it in one trip."
Grandma nodded quickly: "Okay, Xiaoliu and I will clean Jinxuan's room tomorrow and put on clean sheets and quilts."
"Thank you grandma, thank you Sixth Aunt." Xia Qingtang said obediently.
Everyone enjoyed the meal very much. After the meal, Xie Jinxuan quickly helped to clean up the dishes and said to her brother, "Xiao Yun, I have to send your sister-in-law to work. Can you wash the dishes by yourself tonight?"
"Okay, brother, you go ahead! Leave this to me!" Xie Jinyun patted his chest, acting like a man.
After coming out of Xie's house, Xie Jinxuan immediately grabbed Xia Qingtang's hand and whispered, "Don't force yourself."
"I didn't force myself. I made this decision after thinking it through." Xia Qingtang looked at him seriously. "I have a prejudice against your cadre families. This is not good. Others are others, and you are you. I have to personally verify whether your family is good or bad. Otherwise, what kind of person would I be?"
Xie Jinxuan stood in awe: "Qingtang, you are amazing."
"What's so great about this?" Xia Qingtang poked his arm with a smile, "Stop praising me and take me to the factory quickly. I'm going to be late for work!"
Xie Jinxuan quickly got on the bike and took her to the cotton mill.
That night, she worked diligently. After work in the morning, she went to grab some vegetables that were almost sold out before hurriedly returning to the steel plant's staff quarters.
She spoke briefly to Hu Yanni and went to bed.
Xia Qingtang prepared dinner. She sincerely thanked everyone in the Hu family and talked about her decision to move to the Xie family in a while.
Hu's mother said, "I support you moving there. Don't be afraid. Things will work out when the time comes. I've heard that those high-ranking officials are very kind to their juniors. Maybe after you move in, you won't want to move away."
"I support you moving there, but I will miss you." Hu Yanni hugged Xia Qingtang, "I was very happy when you lived here. I don't have any sisters, you are my sister, it would be great if we could live together forever."
"Once our own house is ready, I will invite you to live over for a while. Xie Jinxuan told me that because it is the house allocated by his father, it has three bedrooms, a living room and a small yard. It is very spacious. I will then arrange a room specifically for you." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
So living on high branches also has its advantages. For example, the housing area is much better than that of ordinary people.
"Then I'll be waiting." said Hu Yanni.
After dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, Xie Jinxuan came over with a bag of gifts.
"Thank you uncle and aunt for taking care of Qingtang during this period. You have all worked hard." Xie Jinxuan put the gift on the table.
He brought two bottles of liquor and a pack of cigarettes, which were high-end gifts for people during the Chinese New Year. Hu's father began to refuse: "You can't accept this. Qingtang lives in an empty house and pays a salary with food coupons. She also helps with cooking and washing clothes every day. We don't take care of her much."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Then consider it as a thank you gift for matchmaking. Qingtang and I were introduced by my aunt."
Mother Hu laughed: "Well, since it's a thank you gift for matchmaking, I'll accept it. This time Qingtang moves to your house, you must treat her well, and if your family bullies her, you must stand on her side. I tell you, Yanni and I are her family, if you treat her badly, we will be the first to go to you!"
"Don't worry, Auntie. I will take good care of Qingtang." Xie Jinxuan looked serious.
After talking for a few more words, seeing that it was getting late, Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang said goodbye.
The sun had already set, the light gradually dimmed, the street lights came on, children were playing in the open space, and many young people were playing a basketball game on the court. Xie Jinxuan rode a bicycle with Xia Qingtang out of the bustling family area. As soon as they turned onto the main road, they were stopped by four young men with unfriendly faces.
"Brother, are you looking for me?" Xie Jinxuan stopped the car with a nonchalant look on her face.
"Yeah, I'm looking for you, buddy, get out of the car and practice."
"That's right. There's no one else in this area. It's too late for you to call for help."
Xia Qingtang looked forward and immediately recognized these people. They were Kong Liangchao's drinking buddies, the gangsters who followed him around.
The voice of the leader sounded very familiar. Xia Qingtang was hiding in the room that day and still remembered that the man was called Lao Wu.
She immediately became nervous, holding the big bag in one hand and tightly grasping the corner of Xie Jinxuan's clothes with the other.
Xie Jinxuan's voice still sounded relaxed and cheerful. He said, "I won't call anyone, but I'll trouble you to go back and tell Kong Liangchao. If you want to fight, don't look for your brothers. If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one."
One of them immediately panicked: "What Kong Liangchao? We were not called here by Brother Chao!"
"Shut up! You're confessing!" A tall young man in a blue work uniform patted the man and said in a deep voice, "You're talking so much nonsense, are you afraid to fight?"
Xie Jinxuan turned around and whispered, "Qingtang, just stand next to the car and give me a few minutes to deal with this. If you are scared, just close your eyes."
"Ah?" Before Xia Qingtang could say anything, he saw Xie Jinxuan park her bicycle and walk towards the four people.
She stood by the car nervously, holding a large bag, her heart in her throat.
But the next second, she felt relaxed and even found it a little funny.
Xie Jinxuan really knew how to fight. He could easily defeat four people at once. He didn't even give the opponents a chance to make a sound. All four of them were knocked to the ground.
Xia Qingtang stared at him as he stepped on the tall young man's chest, then lowered his head and said fiercely, "I heard that Kong Liangchao is under internal investigation by the unit. Even in this situation, he still has the time to find trouble with me!"
The man uttered painfully, "How do you know about Brother Chao? Did you do this?"
"He has so many enemies, does he still need me to make trouble? Go back and tell that loser Kong Liangchao that he has offended me this time, and I will definitely help his enemies to add fuel to the fire!" After saying that, Xie Jinxuan loosened his feet, patted his shirt, and strode to Xia Qingtang with a bright smile.
"You...should be fine." Xia Qingtang whispered, "Does your hand hurt? After all, you hit someone..."
"A little bit, but it's nothing serious. It will be fine in a couple of days."
"You are really amazing...How can you be half a martial artist? You are a martial artist."
"These guys are so weak and unsteady that they look like good-for-nothings. My beating them up won't be a big deal." Xie Jinxuan changed the subject, "But I am indeed out of touch with the world. I didn't even know I was being followed."
Xia Qingtang was stunned: "Following?"
"Maybe they weren't following me. Maybe they just happened to see me riding my bike into the steel plant, so they waited here. Normally, if someone was following me, I would notice it." Xie Jinxuan looked at the sky. "We have to go home quickly, otherwise grandma and the others will be worried."
"What about these people? Don't we need to hand them over to the police station?"
"It's okay, I know their names and units. Let me send you home first and then go find the police. They can't get away, don't worry." After saying that, Xie Jinxuan got on her bike and took Xia Qingtang home.
After arriving home, the two didn't say anything, but Grandpa Xie stared at the back of Xie Jinxuan's hand for a few more seconds. Xia Qingtang felt that the old man must have seen something but just didn't say it.
Xie Jinxuan put down her things and asked Xia Qingtang to talk to grandma and the others. She said hello to Grandpa Xie and rode out again.
"Jinxuan, why did she go out again just after coming back? Qingtang must be nervous on her first day back home. This kid is not considerate at all. He should be with Qingtang." Grandma took Xia Qingtang's hand and took her to the third floor to see the bedroom. "This is Jinxuan's bedroom. Take a look. How is it arranged?"
As soon as the door was opened, what caught my eye were the large aqua red floral bedspreads, the bright red quilt and two large "囍" characters on the wall above the bed.
"You lived in someone else's house before, but you moved in today. This is your new house. You got married in such a hurry that we didn't prepare anything. Fortunately, I prepared the red sheets and quilt covers for Jinxuan in advance, just waiting for him to get married. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate to be in such a hurry without even a red quilt." Grandma smiled and said, "I emptied half of Jinxuan's closet. You can figure out how to put things in it later."
Xie's mother followed behind and said with a smile: "See if you need anything. If you need anything, just tell me and I will go get it tomorrow."
Xia Qingtang looked at the big red wedding characters on the bedside and wardrobe, and suddenly realized that this should be her wedding night with Xie Jinxuan. Thinking of this, she immediately became nervous.
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