Chapter 24
Xia Qingtang no longer had any memory or impression of matters between men and women. She had not had any contact with the opposite sex since her divorce. Before the divorce, Kong Liangchao seldom lived at home and almost every day he would stay overnight at his mistress's house. So when she thought about it carefully, she didn't know whether she felt more embarrassed or nervous.
Moreover, although she and Xie Jinxuan had obtained their marriage certificate, they had only held hands until now. If they really slept together so soon, Xia Qingtang felt her ears burning.
Mother Xie noticed Xia Qingtang's sudden change of mood. As someone who has experienced this, she smiled and said, "You must be a little uncomfortable when you first move in, but now there are only you and Jinxuan on the third floor. His grandparents live on the first floor, and we, Sixth Sister, and Xiaoyun live on the second floor. Sixth Sister comes up every other day to clean, and his father and I rarely go upstairs. If you don't want to be disturbed, just let us know and no one will come up. You can stay on the third floor peacefully."
Xia Qingtang was a little surprised. She stood at the door and looked at the house opposite. She said, "Are all these houses empty?"
"It's not empty, because the house on the third floor is relatively small, so Jinxuan's study and bedroom can only be arranged separately. Opposite is his study. With his current job, he occasionally has to work overtime at night, so he must have a big table for his work. The first room over there is a guest room, and the other is a storage room, both of which are used to store things. Although our house is large, there are many people living in it, so there is actually not much empty space. When relatives come to visit during the slack season, Xiaoyun lives in the same room with his brother, and sometimes they have to sleep on the floor." Xie's mother said, "But the guest room upstairs is not used many days a year. If you also need a study, we will clean up the guest room and make it into a study for you."
Xia Qingtang said quickly: "I don't need a study room. I see there is a desk in the bedroom. It's enough for me to write letters and read books."
She is a front-line worker who usually just reads newspapers and books, so she really doesn't need a study room.
Grandma said, "Qingtang, you can also use Jinxuan's study. We also go into his study, but no one comes to the third floor very often, so he is the only one who uses it. All the things he needs to keep confidential for work are locked in the cabinet, and he is the only one who keeps the key, so you don't have to worry about seeing anything you shouldn't see, just go in with confidence."
"Okay, I understand." Xia Qingtang nodded, feeling touched by the gentleness and thoughtfulness of Xie's mother and grandmother.
She didn't feel too uneasy when Xie Jinxuan was not around. This also showed that the Xie family attached great importance to Xia Qingtang and did not look down on him.
"The bathroom is over there. I'll take you there. You can take a shower before Jinxuan comes back." Xie's mother said with a smile.
Xia Qingtang put the bundle and bag in his hand on the table in the bedroom, and went to check the bathroom with Xie's mother.
The two-story building where the Kong family lived had a public bathroom only on the first floor. There were many people in the family, so Xia Qingtang, the humble daughter-in-law, had to wait until everyone in the family had taken a bath before she could use the bathroom.
After taking a shower, she has to wash the clothes of everyone in the family before she can go back to the room to sleep.
The only good thing is that Kong Liangchao is almost never at home, so she can sleep peacefully in the spacious bedroom alone. This is also the only time she can relax and breathe in the Kong family.
"Is there a bathroom on every floor?" Xia Qingtang asked.
Grandma said: "There are toilets on every floor. This block of buildings was originally built by foreigners, and they like to have one toilet per person. It just so happens that we have a large family, so it is quite convenient. We don't have to fight for toilets."
The bathroom on the third floor is not very big. The walls are covered with mosaic tiles that form geometric shapes. It is clean everywhere. The toilet is not the squat toilet that the Kong family used before, but a toilet. It is worthy of being a house built by foreigners.
There is a simple washbasin, a half-length mirror, a towel rack, and a washbasin rack against the wall at this end. There is also a large wooden basin in the corner, which should be used for bathing.
There were two glass windows on the west wall, one of which was open, and a cool breeze slowly came in through the patched screen.
Grandma said, "There is a shower and a bathtub on the first floor of this house. If you like to take a shower or a bubble bath, go to the first floor to take a bath. Anyway, your grandfather and I go to bed early, so you can take a bath slowly after we go to bed."
"No, thank you grandma. I'm fine taking a bath here. When I was at home, I took a bath in a basin in the shed. In winter, I went to the bathroom in the family area. The conditions in your home are already very good." Xia Qingtang told the truth.
If marrying into the Kong family is marrying into a high-class family, then marrying into the Xie family might be marrying into a golden family.
Just the environment of the bathroom alone would take Xia Qingtang's parents many years to catch up.
Grandma immediately said, "It's our home, and now it's your home, too. It's not your home."
"Yes, it's our home." Xie's mother laughed and patted Xia Qingtang's shoulder gently. "Qingtang, you just came here, so you may not be used to it yet, but we are already a family. You don't have to be so restrained. Just say whatever you want to say. If you need anything, tell me or your grandma. I'm usually busy with work, and I haven't worked overtime recently, which is rare. That's why I can often have dinner at home. If I'm too busy to take care of you in the future, just tell grandma if you have anything to say. Your grandma is retired and has nothing to do at home. She will be happy if you cause her some trouble."
Grandma said, "That's right. I don't know how happy I would be if you came to trouble me. So if you need anything, you must tell me. If you want to do anything, you should also come with me. But you moved in so suddenly, I didn't prepare new vanishing cream or toilet water for you. But I do have towels and slippers ready, which are already placed in your room, on the table."
Xia Qingtang looked at the vanishing cream, soap box, toothbrush cup and other items on the shelf of the wash basin and said, "I already have them here. I can use this one. It doesn't have to be new."
This vanishing cream is from Friendship brand. Xia Qingtang had used it before, so she was quite used to it.
Xie's mother laughed and said, "Of course it's good for you young couple to use the same things, but don't young girls nowadays like to use Pechoin? When you are free, ask your grandmother to take you to the department store to buy one. There are also things like osmanthus hair oil and floral water. Young girls should all use them."
"This is fine for me. It doesn't have to be Pechoin." Xia Qingtang said, "If I really need something new, I will tell grandma."
Pechoin is the most expensive skin care product available for purchase. Someone once gave Xia Qingtang a box, but she didn't dare to accept it, so she asked Hu Yanni to accompany her to return it to the buyer.
"Okay then, you can look around upstairs by yourself first and get familiar with it. The third floor is your place, feel free to look around and don't feel restrained. I'll go downstairs and ask Sixth Sister to boil some more water. Once the water is boiled, you can take a bath." Mother Xie said, and went downstairs with grandmother.
Xia Qingtang was the only one left on the third floor. She thought about it and decided to be casual as they said. She took out the things she brought from the steel factory and put her towel, toothbrush, comb and other things in the bathroom. Then she opened the bedroom closet and slowly put the clean clothes in.
The other half of the closet is filled with Xie Jinxuan's autumn clothes. He doesn't have many clothes, mostly half-worn shirts, and three coats, one is a green top without a military rank, one is a light grey jacket, and one is a black cadre uniform. Except for the cadre uniform, the other clothes are the kind that are very common on the street.
The trousers were neatly folded and piled under the shirts, and next to them was an open wooden box with underwear and socks neatly placed inside, in an orderly manner.
Xia Qingtang also smelled a faint scent of floral water in the closet, which showed that although Xie Jinxuan dressed simply, she was a person who loved cleanliness and was particular about it.
She hung up and put away her clothes just like her other half did, then looked under the bed and realized that it would be difficult for her to sort out those large bags by herself, so she decided to wait until Xie Jinxuan was free so that they could pack together.
After tidying up the wardrobe, she placed some of her scattered belongings on the desk under the bedroom window, then sat at the desk and slowly looked at the photos pressed under the glass.
Nowadays, every household will cut a piece of glass and put it on the desk. One reason is to protect the desk, and the other is to put many photos or commemorative bills under the glass.
Under this glass plate were some photos of Xie Jinxuan from childhood to adulthood, but there were only a few photos of her childhood, and they were not very clear. Xia Qingtang leaned over to take a look and found that Xie Jinxuan was already very beautiful when she was a child, with big eyes, black eyebrows, and a sunny smile, which was quite similar to now.
Then there are photos of him in school. He started to grow taller and taller, and stood in the campus like a little poplar and laughed.
In the middle was a photo of his graduation. Xia Qingtang carefully found Xie Jinxuan's smiling face in the group photo and immediately started smiling too.
"Xiao Xia, the water is ready. Do you want to take a bath now?" Aunt Six's voice came from the stairs.
Xia Qingtang ran out quickly: "Okay, I'll wash now, thank you Aunt Six."
She hurried downstairs, and halfway down she saw Aunt Six carrying two thermoses in one hand and a large kettle in the other, walking upstairs very easily.
"I'll carry it." Xia Qingtang wanted to help, but was rejected by Aunt Six.
"Why do you need to carry such a small amount of things? Go up quickly and get your clothes. I'll go get you some hot water." Aunt Liu was a very straightforward and efficient person, and she would not tolerate being refused.
Xia Qingtang had no choice but to go back to the bedroom, take out a set of clean clothes and go to the bathroom.
Aunt Six placed the large bathtub on the ground and was pouring hot water into it. Since it was freshly boiled water, the bathtub was soon filled with steam and smoke.
"I clean this bathtub every morning, so it's always clean and can be used directly. Don't worry about the basin after you take a bath, I'll come and clean it tomorrow morning. Put the clothes you take off in the basket. I'll wash the clothes slowly when they go to work or school in the morning." Aunt Liu poured a pot of boiling water with a thermos bottle and said, "You can use the basin to add cold water yourself. It's not cold yet, so you don't need to add hot water. Leave the bottle of hot water for Jinxuan to take a bath when she comes back. I'll go downstairs and boil some water, and then I'll bring the thermos bottle to your bedroom. It will be convenient for you to drink water at night."
"Thank you, Sixth Aunt." Xia Qingtang had never been taken care of like this at home, and she felt a little uncomfortable at once.
Aunt Six laughed out loud: "We are a family, don't keep saying thank you. If I get you something in the future, you just say thank you. Wouldn't that make you tired? Besides, I do this as a job. I get paid every month. Don't be polite to me. Just tell me what you want me to do."
"Yes, I understand."
"Then you take a shower. I'll go downstairs." After saying that, Aunt Liu went downstairs carrying a kettle and an empty water bottle.
Xia Qingtang closed the door, filled a basin with cold water and adjusted the water temperature, then took a simple bath.
After washing, she put on a clean long-sleeved sweatshirt and a pair of gray cloth pants that were washed to a pale color. She applied some lotion in front of the mirror and suddenly realized that she hadn't looked at herself in the mirror properly for a while.
She wiped the mist off the mirror, untied her braids and combed them smooth, looked at her young face, and let out a breath.
It’s so good to be young. Her eyes were so bright, her lips were so rosy, and her skin was smooth and elastic. She was completely different from who she became later.
"I will cherish everything I have now and will never let it down..." Xia Qingtang talked to himself in front of the mirror, his eyes becoming more determined.
When she returned to the bedroom, Xie Jinxuan seemed not to have come back yet. Xia Qingtang looked at the small alarm clock on the table and saw that it was not too late, so she simply washed the clothes she had taken off and hung them on the balcony on the third floor.
Although Sixth Aunt asked her to do the laundry, Xia Qingtang had just moved in and was still used to doing her own things.
Carrying the basin back to the bathroom, she heard Xie Jinyun's voice coming from downstairs: "Brother, why did you come back just now? What time is it? I'm about to go to bed!"
Xia Qingtang put the basin away and ran downstairs in his slippers. Only Xie Jinyun and Xie's mother were in the living room. Xie Jinxuan ran to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of cold water in one gulp.
"Qingtang is down too? You took a bath and didn't catch a cold, did you?" Xie's mother was also wearing a half-worn sweatshirt and flowered pants. She must have taken a bath and changed into pajamas.
Xie Jinyun was a young man with great energy. He was only wearing a vest and long shorts, and holding a book in his hand, probably studying.
Xia Qingtang said: "The bath is very warm, not cold at all."
"Have you taken a shower? Then I'll go take a shower too." Xie Jinxuan drank some water and came over. Then, when she saw Xia Qingtang's long black hair, she couldn't help but reach out and smooth it.
When Xia Qingtang was young, she had long, shiny black hair. Even when she washed her hair with soap, it never became dry or split.
When Xie's mother saw her eldest son's little action, she couldn't help but laugh.
Xie Jinyun jumped up three feet high: "I have a question that I don't know how to do, I'm waiting for you to come back and explain it to me! You dare to go take a shower? Explain the question to me quickly!"
"Can't we talk about it tomorrow? It's getting late today." Xie Jinxuan said, "It's already half past eight, don't you need to go to bed?"
"Why tomorrow? You don't usually go to bed so early. You read until nine o'clock when there was a power outage." Xie Jinyun said unhappily, "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?"
Xie's mother asked, "Is this the homework for tomorrow's class?"
"no."
"Then ask your brother tomorrow. Let him go upstairs and rest now. Look, grandpa and grandma are all asleep, so we should go to bed too." Mother Xie took Xie Jinxuan to the second floor, "Jinxuan, you should accompany Qingtang as soon as possible, otherwise she will feel uncomfortable being alone."
"I will. Mom, you guys should go to bed early." Xie Jinxuan watched her mother and brother disappear at the stairs, then she pulled Xia Qingtang's little hand and laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" Xia Qingtang was a little confused.
"I'm happy, so I smile. This is you... You are standing in my house, you live in my house... I am not dreaming..." Xie Jinxuan's voice became softer and softer, but her tone became more and more serious.
Xia Qingtang felt a slight soreness in her nose, and she said, "Do you want me to pinch you? To prove that you are not dreaming."
"Okay, pinch me." Xie Jinxuan said seriously.
Xia Qingtang really pinched his arm: "Does it hurt?"
"A little bit, it doesn't hurt, but does it mean that I'm not dreaming?" The smile on Xie Jinxuan's face grew deeper and deeper, his dark eyes were full of Xia Qingtang, the emotions in them were so strong that they could hardly be dissolved.
Xia Qingtang had an indescribable feeling in her heart. It turned out that this was the look in one's eyes when one truly liked another person.
"You are not dreaming. We have been married for a long time. Do you remember?"
"I remember." Xie Jinxuan said, "But recently, every time I wake up from a nap, I always check the marriage certificate in the drawer, for fear that I am dreaming and will wake up at dawn."
"So stupid." Xia Qingtang's eyes felt a little hot and she quickly lowered her head, not wanting to cry.
She couldn't explain her emotions. She had clearly agreed not to think about the possibility that they had been together in their previous life, but she couldn't help but think so.
Seeing her like this, Xie Jinxuan quickly said, "You always say that you are not a smart person. Now I am also a fool. Then the two of us are just right. We are worthy of being a family."
Xia Qingtang chuckled: "Okay, we two fools are a family."
Xie Jinxuan stared at Xia Qingtang's big eyes. His throat, which had just drunk water, suddenly became dry. He suddenly whispered, "Qingtang, can I hug you?"
Xia Qingtang felt both amused and a little like crying. She didn't ask if it was possible, but simply stretched out her arms and threw herself into his arms.
Xie Jinxuan was startled, her body stiffened, and then her temperature began to rise rapidly: "Qingtang... I..."
"Don't talk, I just want to hold you like this for a while." Xia Qingtang rested her head on his strong shoulders and could hear the pounding heartbeat coming from his chest.
Thump, thump, thump, each sound was like a small hammer, gently hitting her heart.
His body temperature was warm and his arms were strong. Xia Qingtang hugged his waist tightly and suddenly found that her heartbeat was secretly speeding up.
Is it true that hugging is such a wonderful thing? She only knew it now.
"Jinxuan is back?" The bedroom door at the other end of the first floor was suddenly opened, and the old man's voice came from the other end.
Xia Qingtang jumped out of Xie Jinxuan's arms like a rabbit, then stood aside obediently, pretending nothing had happened.
Xie Jinxuan tried hard to hold back his laughter. He pinched his burning ears and said, "Yes, Grandpa, I'm back. I'm ready to take a shower and go to bed."
"Okay, you go to bed first. Give me an explanation about what happened today tomorrow. Qingtang should also go to bed early so that he can sleep a little longer tomorrow morning." After the old man finished speaking, he walked into the bathroom on the first floor.
"Let's go upstairs quickly. I also want to see the room decorated by grandma and mom." Xie Jinxuan turned off the lights in the living room and pulled Xia Qingtang upstairs.
"The bedroom is well decorated, and the sheets and quilts are all new." Xia Qingtang walked into the bedroom, "Grandma said she had prepared it for you a long time ago."
"This big red wedding character must have been cut by Aunt Six. She is good at paper cutting. I tried to learn from her when I was a child, but I couldn't do it." Xie Jinxuan rubbed her nose, "Qingtang, do you like this room?"
"I like it very much. It's much better than my home... and the house is very clean. Grandma and the others are very attentive. I can feel it." Xia Qingtang said, "I am very happy."
In fact, the Xie family didn't need to make such elaborate arrangements, because she had already registered with Xie Jinxuan and she had already been their daughter-in-law, so it was impossible for her to run away. If it were someone else's family, they might even go out and brag about how great their son was, saying that they got a daughter-in-law for nothing without any preparation.
Grandma and Xie's mother attach great importance to her, which shows that this family is a good and polite family. At the same time, the whole family loves Xie Jinxuan very much. Because they love her, they attach importance to Xia Qingtang.
"That's good, as long as you're happy. Now you live at home, and we'll live together every day in the future. When you have a break this time, I'll take you to the department store to buy clothes and cloth. When we get married, I'll make you three new sets of clothes. Just one set of autumn clothes, two sets of winter clothes, and one pair of leather shoes and one pair of cotton shoes..."
"Do you have that much money and tickets?" Xia Qingtang interrupted him, "You just bought a bicycle, do you have any money on hand?"
"Yes, I didn't spend most of my military allowances. I saved them all. My grandma and mom also helped me save a lot. After all, I'm old enough and they're looking forward to my marriage." Xie Jinxuan said, "But if I hadn't met you again, I might not have gotten married so soon. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to marry anyone else. I only want to be with you, no one else."
Xia Qingtang really couldn't help it this time. Her eyes became hot and a string of tears fell.
She said, "If that's the case, why don't you come and see me again? You are in the city too, so you can come and see me in person."
"I've always wanted to find you, but I'm a little afraid. I've been preparing myself mentally. I think I can just hold on until the end of the year, and then I'll definitely find you. I really can't fall in love with anyone else." Xie Jinxuan said, "Even if you might reject me in person, I'll definitely find you."
Xia Qingtang sighed heavily in her heart. It is very likely that Xie Jinxuan had looked for her in her previous life, but at that time, what he saw must have been the news that Xia Qingtang was married.
"You have hesitated for so long, have you never thought that I might have a partner?" Xia Qingtang couldn't help but said, "Jinxuan, you should go find me."
"I've thought about it, but... I really like you, so I'm more timid. I want to find you, but I'm worried that you'll reject me. I'm not a brave person, I'm sorry." Xie Jinxuan showed an apologetic expression, "Qingtang, I'm sorry, I should have found you earlier. If I had found you earlier, you wouldn't have been entangled with Kong Liangchao. You and your family wouldn't have ended up like this."
"That's not what I'm talking about..." Xia Qingtang couldn't bring up the past life, so he could only sigh and say, "Forget it, we're still together after all. I won't talk about the rest."
There is really nothing more to say. Even if she says ten thousand ifs, things in the past life cannot be changed.
Moreover, if she had not experienced such a past life, she might not have come to her senses, so everything was destined.
"Then... I won't say any more." Xie Jinxuan said, "Let me tell you what happened just now."
"Oh, yes, did you send them to the police station?" Xia Qingtang calmed down and finally thought of the important matter.
"They were sent there and locked up. I knew where each of them lived, so I went to each of them one by one with the policemen I knew. They were pretty tough and all admitted that they were looking for trouble but I beat them up. Oh, one of them, the one in blue, happened to be with Kong Liangchao. When we got there, they were playing mahjong, and the house was filled with smoke. Kong Liangchao wanted to show off his power and tried to fight with us with a cigarette in his hand, but Xiao Zhao threw him to the ground, and it wasn't even my turn to fight."
"What about Kong Liangchao? Is he also locked up?"
"No, the four people did not admit that they were instructed by someone, so Kong Liangchao could not be locked up. However, the Grain Bureau is investigating his case, and I also anonymously reported him for occupying a yard, having a chaotic private life, and not having gone to the countryside in the first place."
Xia Qingtang blinked: "How do you know so much? You also know where his brothers live. Have you checked them out?"
"Yes, I checked them. We got married suddenly and slapped him in the face. This person will definitely retaliate against you, so I have to prepare in advance. I know Kong Liangchao has a yard where he does not do serious work. The female comrade who jumped into the river that day often went to that place. He has more than one female comrade. He has improper relationships with at least three or four female comrades, one of whom is married. I took people there today, and Kong Liangchao ran away after being beaten. The police took this opportunity to search the house and found a lot of things. A lot of cigarettes, alcohol and money were hidden. Kong Liangchao also took very close photos with those female comrades, which were also taken away by the police. These are all evidence. If you ask me, this Kong Liangchao is really a piece of shit. He has so many women outside, and he actually wants to marry an innocent and beautiful comrade. Fortunately, you rejected him at the beginning."
Xia Qingtang couldn't bear to hear this. When she heard this, she would think of her disgusting past life. She quickly changed the subject: "Kong Liangchao also has photos with married lesbians? Isn't that adultery?"
"If the married lesbian also admits it, it will be considered adultery. However, even if she doesn't admit it, the fact that she had a chaotic relationship with a man and a woman and didn't jump the queue is enough to make the Kong family suffer. Do you remember the gay man who helped out in the crowd that day? The one by the river."
"Remember, you said he was in the same group as the female comrade who jumped into the river." Xia Qingtang said softly.
In fact, she not only remembered, she also knew the gay man's name and where he lived.
Xie Jinxuan said: "The male comrade is called Xu Jianming. He has had conflicts with Kong Liangchao for a long time. At the beginning, they were both competing for the quota of the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University, but it was taken away by the Kong family, and they have been enemies ever since. At that time, Kong Liangchao's grandfather was still in office, and Xu Jianming didn't dare to do anything. Now that old Kong has retired for two years, he is no longer popular, so Xu Jianming took action. I also helped him push from behind. Kong Liangchao will definitely lose his job this time. According to regulations, his parents will also be subject to internal investigation, but they should not lose their jobs. At most, they will not be promoted."
Xia Qingtang nodded seriously: "Then Kong Liangchao should not have the energy to trouble me again."
"He can't take care of himself, and his father may not be able to move up, so how can he care about other things? If he is smart, he should marry the comrade who jumped into the river as soon as possible. If it's too late, he may not be able to find a wife in the future." Xie Jinxuan said confidently: "I received some news that Xu Jianming seems to have sued Kong Liangchao for something else. Although I don't know what it is, it is certain that the Kong family and Kong Liangchao will not have a good result."
Xia Qingtang breathed a sigh of relief. The big rock concerning Kong Liangchao had finally fallen to the ground. All that was left was to wait for the Kong family to decline step by step.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Why thank me? I was just following the flow. If you really want to thank someone, you should thank Comrade Xu Jianming."
Xia Qingtang laughed: "Yes, I have to thank him."
She also has to thank herself. She mustered up the courage to go to that yard and find the evidence, and then sent it to Xu Jianming. She has to thank herself.
"Okay, I have to go take a shower, otherwise it will be too late." Xie Jinxuan looked at the alarm clock and said, "You have an early shift tomorrow, so you don't have to wait for me. Go to bed quickly."
Xia Qingtang usually works three shifts: morning, noon and night. Sometimes he would swap shifts with his co-workers, but generally speaking, the night shift would be followed by the morning shift the next day.
She was slightly surprised: "I'll go to bed first, so I don't have to wait for you?"
"Yes, otherwise you will be lack of energy for work tomorrow. Go to bed quickly. I will move very quietly and will definitely not wake you up when I come back." Xie Jinxuan smiled at her, looking a little silly, but because his face was too handsome, he was still very charming and bright.
"But... today is the first time we live together... I mean... doesn't this count as our wedding night?" Xia Qingtang twisted the corner of her clothes and felt her cheeks slightly burning.
"Don't be in a hurry, let's take it slow. We agreed before that we're going to be together. Besides, there are so many people at home, you'll definitely feel embarrassed if we do something. I don't want to scare you, we have a long way to go. When the house over there is decorated, it won't be too late for us to move into our own house. During this time, please get to know me fully, and when you really like me, we can talk about other things." Xie Jinxuan pinched her little hand, "Okay, go to bed, I'm going to take a shower."
After saying that, he pulled out a set of clothes from the closet and turned around to leave.
Xia Qingtang stood there, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. Then she smiled softly - Xie Jinxuan, you are really nice.
She went to bed as she was told, covered herself with the quilt, and smelled the scent of sunshine. She smiled happily and fell asleep quickly.
While she was sleeping, she had a dream. She dreamed that she was sent to the hospital on the street, and someone kept asking her name. When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip, and the kind-hearted person who had helped her was sitting next to her.
He looked at me with a complicated expression and asked, "Are you Xia Qingtang? The Xia Qingtang from the cotton mill?"
She said, "Yeah, I am, do you know me?"
"I... I know you." The man looked at her with a wry smile, his eyes very complicated.
Soon, a nurse hurried in: "Are you the patient's family member? Why haven't you filled in the patient's name? And don't forget to pay the fee."
"Ah, okay..." The man quickly said, "Her name is Xia Qingtang, I'll fill it in."
The nurse adjusted Xia Qingtang's IV tube while saying, "Are you her husband? Your wife is severely malnourished. What era is this? How can someone be malnourished? This is outrageous."
The man was startled and quickly said, "I'm not her husband. I've never been married."
Xia Qingtang was shocked. She suddenly realized that this kind person was the one who called her "Auntie" on the roadside, that is, Xie Jinxuan twenty years later. She suddenly turned over and sat up: "Xie Jinxuan!"
"I'm here. Qingtang, you woke up so early? It's still early, you should sleep a little longer." The young Xie Jinxuan walked to the head of Xia Qingtang's bed while buttoning his shirt, then grinned at her.
Xia Qingtang gasped rapidly and then realized that he was dreaming.
But this dream was so real. Twenty years later, Xie Jinxuan said that he had never been married, never been married...
She reached out and put her arms around Xie Jinxuan's waist beside the bed, buried herself in his arms and cried bitterly.
In his previous life, it was really like what he said. He couldn't be with other people. For so many years, he lived alone. He lived alone...
Xia Qingtang was so sad that she could hardly breathe. She could only cry as hard as she could, as if she wanted to help Xie Jinxuan cry out all the sadness and grief.
Xie Jinxuan was so frightened that her whole body tensed up: "Qingtang, what's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare? Or are you feeling unwell? Qingtang... Qingtang..."
Xia Qingtang cried for more than ten minutes until she had no more tears left.
Xie Jinxuan kept stroking her head, hoping that she would feel better.
Hearing that she finally stopped crying, Xie Jinxuan said softly: "What's wrong? Are you still feeling uncomfortable? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I had a nightmare." Xia Qingtang said with a heavy nasal voice: "I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here, don't be afraid."
"Then you have to stay here for the rest of your life and never leave me." Xia Qingtang said in a muffled voice.
"Of course, I will definitely stay by your side for the rest of my life. Even if I die, I will die after you. I will never let you be alone." Xie Jinxuan said seriously.
Xia Qingtang loosened his arms, raised his head and looked into Xie Jinxuan's eyes.
It was just dawn and the light was not very bright, but Xie Jinxuan's eyes were gentle and bright, illuminating Xia Qingtang's sad heart like a warm lamp.
She suddenly stopped feeling sad, because being sad was meaningless. No matter how much she cried, the past life was just that.
Moreover, this was their life now, and God had given her such a great opportunity to start over.
They are together, together!
She must cherish every minute of this time and live a happy life with Xie Jinxuan.
Thinking of this, she quickly wiped her tears and said, "Then let's make a deal. Whoever lies is a puppy."
"Make pinky promise." Xie Jinxuan made pinky promise with her seriously, and then touched her head, "Do your eyes hurt after crying so hard?"
"It's okay. I'll go wash my face." Xia Qingtang ran out of bed, went to the bathroom to wash his face with cold water, and brushed his teeth before coming back.
Xie Jinxuan changed into another long-sleeved shirt. The one she had just worn was placed on the back of the chair, and a large wet spot could be seen on it.
"Are you still feeling uncomfortable?" Xie Jinxuan walked over and touched her forehead. "Do you want to take a day off and rest at home today?"
"No need, it's just a nightmare. Why should I rest? I am a member of the great working class. Building the motherland depends on us." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
Seeing that she was really fine, Xie Jinxuan was relieved: "Okay, you change your clothes, I'll go brush my teeth and wash my face, and then we'll go downstairs to have breakfast together. But it's still early, Aunt Liu may still be cooking."
"Then I'll just help her. You go brush your teeth. I'll go downstairs first." After saying that, Xia Qingtang skipped downstairs.
Xie Jinxuan watched her back disappear at the stairs, then turned around and went to the bathroom.
Xia Qingtang thought she was fine, but her slightly red and swollen eyes attracted the attention of the whole family.
From Sixth Aunt, Grandma to Xie's mother, everyone looked at her with concern. They wanted to ask something but felt it was inappropriate.
Xia Qingtang herself didn't notice anything wrong. After breakfast was ready, the whole family sat together to eat breakfast. She even enthusiastically served porridge to everyone.
After dinner, Xie Jinxuan was about to send her to work. Xia Qingtang went out first with her bag on her back. Grandma grabbed Xie Jinxuan who was about to follow her out and whispered, "You little bastard, why are Qingtang's eyes swollen? Are you too...too much?"
Xie Jinxuan had a hard time speaking out, and he knew that his family would misunderstand him. But he couldn't explain anything, so he could only say, "No, she had a nightmare."
"You're still trying to lie to me. How can you cry like that just because you have a nightmare?" Grandma glared at him. "I'm telling you, you have to learn to be gentle. Do you understand gentleness?"
"I understand. I will understand everything from now on." Xie Jinxuan said, "If you keep talking, Qingtang will be late for work."
Only then did his grandmother let go of his hand and he was able to run out.
Xia Qingtang knew nothing about this. Xie Jinxuan rode her bike to the factory gate and she went in happily to work. She even made an exception and had a steamed egg for herself as a snack at noon.
After work, Wen Xiaoli walked out hand in hand with her. The two were chattering about interesting things in the workshop when suddenly a gray-haired old lady rushed out of the guard room and grabbed Xia Qingtang's sleeve, "Follow me!"
Xia Qingtang was startled and frowned as she looked for a few seconds before she recognized that the person was Zhao Meizhen's mother and grandmother.
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