Chapter 25
Xia Qingtang hadn't seen the old lady for many years. The last time she saw her was when she was working as a nanny in her cousin's house after she was fired from the cotton mill.
The old lady had strongly agreed with Zhao Meizhen's family to kick Xia Qingtang out. On the one hand, it could make room for Xia Qinghai's family, and on the other hand, it could allow Xia Qingtang to work as a nanny in her aunt's daughter's home.
At that time, my cousin's husband became rich by opening a shop. His family bought a house and he also hired a nanny like other newly wealthy people. This way, the couple could open the shop and do business with peace of mind, and the house and children could be left to the nanny.
However, my cousin and aunt are both very nagging and picky people. They especially like to complain about the nanny's shortcomings, so no matter how many nannies they changed, they couldn't stay long.
Xia Qingtang's aunt has complained to her mother several times, and the old lady has kept it in mind. After all, her aunt's son-in-law has become rich, and he always gives the old lady generous red envelopes during festivals. Naturally, she will side with her aunt.
After learning that Xia Qingtang was fired from the cotton mill, the old lady applauded and supported Zhao Meizhen's family in kicking Xia Qingtang out. As soon as she was fired, the old lady sent her to her cousin's house to work as a nanny.
Xia Qingtang is a relative and more reliable than outsiders. Everyone knows that she is weak and homeless, so she cannot lose the nanny job. Her cousin and aunt feel free to use her, and Xia Qingtang has indeed worked there for many years.
At the beginning, the old lady liked to say that she had shown Xia Qingtang a clear way to survive, and she kept asking Xia Qingtang to repay her. After that, Xia Qingtang began to avoid her. Every time she came to her cousin's house, Xia Qingtang would make an excuse to go out to buy vegetables. Not long after, the old lady passed away and they could no longer see each other.
Seeing her again now, Xia Qingtang was slightly startled.
She found that the old lady had not changed at all over the years. Her hair turned white early and her face was covered with wrinkles. She still looked the same even ten years later.
"Hey, who are you?" Wen Xiaoli quickly pulled Xia Qingtang away from the old lady.
Everyone knew that Xia Qingtang had offended Kong Liangchao, and her fellow workers were afraid that the Kong family would retaliate against her, especially Wen Xiaoli, who was extremely vigilant and would tell Xia Qingtang any news outside as soon as possible, for fear that she would suffer any loss.
The old lady was so angry that she cursed: "I am Xia Qingtang's grandmother! Who are you?"
Wen Xiaoli then let go of her hand and said, "You can't touch me even though you're my grandmother. You scared us all."
"Go away! You are an outsider, get out of here!" The old lady waved her hands arrogantly, trying to drive Wen Xiaoli away, and then shouted: "Xia Qingtang, you disobedient one, hurry up and follow me!"
Xia Qingtang was puzzled: "Where are you going? What's the matter?"
Grandma never liked her, and this was the first time in two lifetimes that she had come to see her on her own initiative.
"Your mother is sick because of you. Come with me to the hospital to take care of her! Your father has to go to work and can't take care of her. Do you want an old woman like me to take care of her?"
"Really? What's wrong with her? Is it an old lung problem? Don't worry about it. The doctor said it's a chronic disease and she can only rest at home and recover slowly." Xia Qingtang said softly with a very calm expression.
"It's not an old illness. She has diarrhea so bad that she is exhausted. She is in the hospital with an IV drip, but the hospital won't discharge her. They say she has to stay for two days. She can't move, and needs someone to help her get up at night! If you, her daughter, don't take care of her, who will?" the old lady said very confidently.
"Diarrhea? How can a healthy person have diarrhea? My dad said she's staying at your house, grandma. Did you give her something she shouldn't have eaten? That's why she has diarrhea. Anyway, it's none of my business. Whoever gave her diarrhea should take care of her."
The old lady's face changed and she immediately became guilty. Xia Qingtang immediately understood that Zhao Meizhen's diarrhea this time must have been caused by the old lady and others.
This old lady was very frugal. She would not throw away anything, no matter how moldy or hairy it was. Sometimes she didn't dare to eat it herself, so she would let Zhao Meizhen take it back to the Xia family to eat.
When she was a child, she was very silly and her grandmother fed her sour food, which made her fall ill after eating it.
She still remembered that she had never been liked by her grandmother. Every time she followed Zhao Meizhen to her mother's house, the old lady always ignored her. She would only give a piece of candy to Xia Qinghai in front of her, and then would talk to Xia Qinghai without even looking at her.
At first, Xia Qingtang thought she was biased towards boys, but when her aunt gave birth to her cousin, she would give her candy. But she was always so mean to herself and only gave her broken things.
Therefore, Xia Qingtang had no feelings for the old lady, and her current principles in life were very simple. She would be nice to whoever treated her well, and she would naturally ignore whoever treated her badly.
The old lady calmed down, rolled her eyes, and said, "It was your mother who was greedy and had to steal your uncle's oil cakes, which caused her to have a stomachache in the middle of the night. Anyway, I don't care, she is your mother, and you are her daughter, you must take care of her."
"I won't go." Xia Qingtang said coldly: "My mother kicked me out of the house and severed the mother-daughter relationship. Why? Didn't she tell you?"
The old lady was startled. She looked at Xia Qingtang from head to toe as if he were a monster. Then she narrowed her cloudy eyes and said loudly, "Oh, this is really outrageous. You got married and you even disowned your mother? Your mother said something angry and you took advantage of it to climb up the ladder? Is this how you educate your workers in this factory? All the ideological education you gave them has gone to waste?"
Wen Xiaoli couldn't help but said, "Old lady, please be careful with your words. This is your own granddaughter. How can you talk to her like that?"
The old lady caught Wen Xiaoli and scolded her until her face turned red.
Xia Qingtang's grandmother's surname was Chen. She was a person without a name. When she was a child, she was called San Yatou. After she got married, she was called Zhao Chen. In the past few years, it was out of fashion and the idea of taking the husband's surname was a feudal dregs, so the street cadres helped her to name her, Chen Hongxing. The old lady liked this name very much and even went to a literacy class just to be able to write her own name.
Although old lady Chen Hongxing only has the education level of a literacy class, she used to be a senior manager in the canteen of a flour mill. She could often secretly take public food home, so she spoke with a lot of manners, and everyone in the Zhao family was afraid of her.
In addition, Xia Qingtang's grandfather passed away early, and Old Mrs. Chen, a widow, arranged marriages for her two sons and two daughters, and they all had glorious jobs in the city. This made her extremely confident, and she didn't believe that there were younger generations in the world who didn't listen to her.
Xia Qingtang looked at her grandmother's wrinkled but not kind face and said calmly, "Didn't grandma always tell my mom that daughters will be married in the future and will be like spilled water. So don't buy too good things for your daughters and don't let them eat too well. Sooner or later, they will belong to someone else's family and there is no need to waste your own food. According to grandma, I am married now, so I belong to the man's family. Since I belong to someone else's family, of course I have to put other people's family first. Sorry, my husband's family has strict rules. I have to go back to serve them."
After saying that, Xia Qingtang took Wen Xiaoli's arm, walked around Old Lady Chen and strode away.
After all, Chen Hongxing was a little older and her reaction had slowed down. After Xia Qingtang had walked a long way away, she realized that her eldest granddaughter was now disobedient and making a fuss.
But when she was out of breath and wanted to catch up, Xia Qingtang had already walked a long way away.
The old lady had no choice but to turn around and see Wen Xiaoli walking towards the family area. She then quickly caught up with Wen Xiaoli in a harsh tone.
"Where is Xia Qingtang's in-laws?" She pinched Wen Xiaoli's arm tightly, causing the girl to cry out in pain.
"Speak! Where is Xia Qingtang's in-laws' home? Where does she live now?"
"I don't know. I haven't been there and Qingtang never said anything." Wen Xiaoli finally pulled her arm back, rolled up her sleeves and saw that her forearm was pinched red.
"Are you still trying to lie to me? You seem to have such a good relationship with her, how could you not know where her in-laws are?"
Wen Xiaoli was so angry: "I just don't know. Xia Qingtang didn't tell us. We have nothing to do and we won't ask where her in-laws are! You are her grandmother, how can I know something that you don't know? If you have the guts, go ask Aunt Zhao. Isn't she Qingtang's mother? How can I know something that even my own mother doesn't know?"
After saying that, Wen Xiaoli threw away her sleeves and ran away.
The old lady was very angry, but she had no choice but to return to the cotton mill to find Xia Daming.
Xia Qingtang had already gone to the nearest post office at this time. She took out a thick stack of letters from her bag and asked the post office staff to buy stamps to put on them.
Because the quantity was large, Xia Qingtang spent a lot of money on stamps at one time. He felt a little distressed, but he also knew that this was a necessary expense.
After sending the letter, she calmly went to pick up Xie Jinxuan from get off work, and then the two of them returned to Xie's house together.
Xie's mother was indeed right. She and Xie Chengye were both very busy, and the old man had not returned home yet. Only grandma and Sixth Aunt were at home, sitting at the kitchen door, chatting and picking vegetables.
Xia Qingtang put away her backpack, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to help them.
The Xie family is well-off. The kitchen uses a coal briquette stove. The back door of the kitchen leads to the backyard. There is also an earthen stove under the eaves, so they can cook rice and stir-fry vegetables at the same time. It is much more convenient than ordinary families.
Grandma smiled and said, "Your help is not necessary. There are only five of us for dinner tonight. Xiaoliu and I are enough. It's still early and the sun is still shining. Let Jinxuan take you out to look around the compound and get familiar with the environment."
"Where is Xiaoyun?" Xie Jinxuan asked.
"I went to Luo Changjiang's house to read. You and Qingtang should go out as well. Come back in half an hour for dinner and call Xiaoyun back by the way."
"You really don't need my help?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"Really, there's no need. Today we only have two dishes: stewed old cowpeas, fried eggplants, and cooked sweet potato rice. It's so simple, why do I need your help?" Aunt Six smiled and said, "Qingtang is really capable and hardworking. Last night I told her that I would wash her clothes during the day, but when I went upstairs in the morning, I saw that her clothes had already been hung on the balcony. You see, it's good to raise a girl. You can enjoy so much happiness."
Grandma smiled and said, "When we were young, girls had to be raised carefully and not work, for fear of rough hands. If I hadn't married Grandpa Jinxuan later, I wouldn't even know how to cook."
"That's because your family is wealthy and has several servants. Grandma Huang next door said that she started working at the age of five, and cooked for the whole family at the age of eight." Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "But Qingtang is indeed too hardworking. From now on, just put your clothes there and wait for me to take a shower, and I will wash them."
Xia Qingtang shook his head: "How can that be good?"
"Why is it bad? I wash your clothes, isn't that my duty?" Xie Jinxuan held her hand and shook it, then said, "Grandma, isn't that right?"
"That's right, it's her duty to wash your clothes. A man should love his wife, and only then can he live a good life." Grandma threw the last handful of old cowpeas into the small bamboo basket and said, "Okay, Xiaoliu is going to cook, you two can go out and play."
Xie Jinxuan then took Xia Qingtang's hand and went out: "Let's go, listen to grandma."
The two of them walked out of the small courtyard hand in hand. Xie Jinxuan said, "How about starting from this side, walking around the courtyard, and then going out to buy a bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts? I remember you like eating this very much."
"Okay, I'll buy it and I'll treat you." Xia Qingtang had a smile on his face and looked in a good mood.
The Xie family really gave her a very different feeling. Although she was a princess, the whole family was so easy to get along with. She was a little uncomfortable with it.
However, she has just moved in. I can pretend to be nice to her for a short period of time, but I won’t be able to keep up the pretense for a long time, so I need to observe her for a long time.
They slowly walked past the gates of this row of beautiful little courtyards. When they met some neighbors who had just returned from get off work, Xie Jinxuan would introduce them to others: "This is my wife, Xia Qingtang."
Regardless of their age, neighbors looked surprised, and almost all of them would blurt out, "Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?"
Xie Jinxuan said, "Hasn't it been said now?"
"Then you have to give out wedding candies. Congratulations."
"My wife and I are going to move out and live on our own, so we will definitely have to hand out wedding candy together."
"Where are you moving to?"
"The house my father got is over there."
…
Just like that, they walked all the way to the public building area on the other side. Xie Jinxuan had already promised to give out a lot of wedding candies.
Xia Qingtang said, "You know so many people, do you have to give out wedding candies to all of them? Where can you get all the candies?"
"It's okay. I just give each family a few candies as a token of my appreciation. It's not a big deal. Besides, I have prepared this money. They are all neighbors who have watched me grow up, so I should give them some good news." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile, "Are you worried that we won't have enough salary to spend in the future?"
"That's not the case. I make 33 yuan a month. You definitely make more than me. As long as we don't waste money, we should be able to save a few yuan every month." Xia Qingtang said, "No matter what, we still have to save some money."
"Don't worry, I have savings, all in the passbook. When I go back in the evening, I will give you the passbook and tell you the password. You can withdraw the money yourself when you need it. Also, I plan to give you my monthly salary in the future, starting from this month. When I get the money at the end of the month, I will give it to you." Xie Jinxuan said.
Giving the salary to the wife is a very common practice in this era. Xia Daming has paid his entire life salary to her, and he may not even have a few dollars of private money.
"If you trust me, I will manage the family's money and make sure it is not wasted. Every expense will be recorded. By the way, how much savings do you have?"
"Not much, maybe 500 yuan. If I need it urgently, it should be enough." Xie Jinxuan said, "I spent 200 yuan on the bicycle this time, so I only have about 500 yuan left."
Xia Qingtang felt relieved and said, "I also have some money. I brought it from home, about 200 yuan. It's my reward for my hard work in contributing to the Xia family over the years."
"Do you want to save it? Of course, the money is safe in our home, but it's not a bad idea to put it in a bank deposit," said Xie Jinxuan.
"That's fine. I have a mid-shift tomorrow, so I'll go to the bank to deposit the money in the morning."
The two of them walked slowly across the basketball court and found Xie Jinyun playing basketball with a few boys on the court. She was sweating profusely and looked very happy.
"Brother! Sister-in-law!" Xie Jinyun waved at this side from a distance.
Several young boys stopped and stared at Xia Qingtang: "Is this your sister-in-law?"
"Yes, this is my sister-in-law. She's pretty, isn't she? Prettier than all of your sisters-in-law." Xie Jinyun was very proud.
Xia Qingtang smiled and waved to the children, and the children shouted a few times and started playing basketball happily again.
After they had passed by, Xie Jinxuan said, "Xiao Yun and the others are really happy now. They are studying and they look like they are studying, and they can even go to college."
"Do you want to go to college?" Xia Qingtang understood the meaning of his words.
"I've thought about it and I've also reviewed and read books, but I haven't decided whether to take the exam or not. I've taken the exam twice since it was reinstated, and I heard that the questions are becoming more and more standardized, so it will only get harder in the future. Besides, I'm not young anymore."
"It doesn't matter if you give it a try. It doesn't matter if you fail. You have a good job anyway. If you pass, it's your luck. If you don't, then you don't pass." Xia Qingtang said, "You don't have to worry so much. If you are afraid of what others will say, you can take the exam secretly. That way, no one will know even if you fail. As for your age, I heard that many people in their thirties and forties have taken the exam in the past two years. How can you be considered old if you are in your early twenties?"
Xie Jinxuan couldn't help laughing: "You're right, I just worry too much, I'm not as carefree as you think. Then...then I'll take the exam. If I pass, I'll be lucky. Then I can stop working and go to school. After graduation, I can go back to my original unit or go somewhere else. It's all my choice. Besides, I will definitely go to a school in this city, and we won't be separated."
"Well, go ahead and take the exam. I support you. You can also tell me if you need me to do anything. As long as I can help, I will do my best to help you."
"Just one thing... If I go to college, we won't be able to have children for a few years." Xie Jinxuan's tone became low, "What do you think about this?"
Xia Qingtang likes children, and because she was unable to have children in her previous life, this has always been her obsession.
But she thought about it carefully and said, "We are still young. Wouldn't it be better to wait a few years before having children?"
She and Xie Jinxuan are still in the contact period. Although she knows that the other party loves her very much, sometimes, love alone cannot make life good. It also depends on whether they can get along well and whether their goals are the same.
If you are in a hurry to have a baby, there will be no regret medicine. It is better to live like this as a couple first, and when both parties are sure that they can stay together forever, save more money, and then have a baby without any worries.
Xie Jinxuan whispered, "Then I'll listen to you and have children in a few years. But at home, we shouldn't say that. There are many people who don't have children after two or three years of marriage. If the elders ask, you can say that we are normal and there is no need to rush. Children will come sooner or later."
"Is your family already urging you to have a child?" Xia Qingtang was a little surprised.
"No one urged me, I was just afraid that the female relatives would ask about you in a while. You don't have to take them seriously, just be perfunctory. Our affairs should be known only to the two of us, there is no need to tell them our true thoughts. Most of my relatives are pretty good, but some of them are a bit talkative. It's just that you have to be perfunctory."
"I know what to do. Don't worry, I know how to deal with others perfunctorily. This is not considered a grievance. We are all adults. Can I quarrel with relatives over such a small matter? I still know the ways of the world." Xia Qingtang felt very satisfied after hearing what Xie Jinxuan said.
With her husband's support, she was able to easily deal with the man's relatives in this matter.
Otherwise, it will only add invisible pressure to the woman.
Thinking about how in her previous life she was under pressure from all the elders in the Kong family to give birth, and how Kong Liangchao not only never helped her, but also pushed all the responsibility onto her...this comparison makes Xie Jinxuan even more valuable.
God is so kind that he sent him to his side.
After walking around the compound, Xia Qingtang became familiar with the environment, and the two of them walked out of the gate, turned right, and went to find a stall selling sugar-roasted chestnuts.
At that time, there were no private vendors on the streets, and even sugar-roasted chestnuts were sold by state-owned grocery stores.
Sugar is not cheap, so sugar-roasted chestnuts are not cheap either. Xia Qingtang bought more than a pound of them and held a large paper bag full of them in his arms. It was warm and a little hot.
Xie Jinxuan took out two, peeled them and fed them into Xia Qingtang's mouth as she walked: "See if they are sweet."
"Sweet." Xia Qingtang said, "You eat it too."
Xie Jinxuan peeled a few more and ate only one herself, feeding the rest to Xia Qingtang.
"Okay, I can't eat any more. There are so many people at home, and if I eat more, it won't be enough to take home."
"It's okay, let them buy more and you can eat more." Xie Jinxuan said, "We can take it to the third floor later and eat it upstairs."
"How embarrassing! It's like I'm such a greedy person."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? Xiao Yun often secretly hides food in her room."
"How old am I? He's still a child." Xia Qingtang looked towards the basketball court and saw that the children were still playing basketball, so he said, "Let's go, tell Xiaoyun to go home for dinner."
Xie Jinxuan shouted over there: "Xie Jinyun, go home and eat!"
“Here it comes!”
The young boy left his friend behind and ran over like the wind. When he got to the front, he said, "I forgot to take my clothes!"
"Then we won't wait for you. Take your clothes and go home quickly." After saying that, Xie Jinxuan pulled Xia Qingtang away without caring about the brotherhood at all.
When she got home, dinner was already ready. The house was filled with the aroma of food, the living room was lit with warm lights, and there was grandma's kind smile. Xia Qingtang vaguely felt that this was what it felt like to be home.
"Grandma, Qingtang bought some sugar-roasted chestnuts. I put them on the coffee table." Xie Jinxuan casually placed the bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts on the tray on the coffee table.
Grandma came over and said, "Qingtang likes snacks, right? Then I'll go out with Xiaoliu tomorrow and buy some more melon seeds and peanuts to keep at home so Qingtang can eat them anytime. We don't have any nearby, but we can still afford snacks."
Aunt Six came out with two plates of food: "What snacks do you want? It's time to eat, don't eat snacks first, otherwise you won't be able to eat properly."
Grandma laughed and said, "I'm not eating it now. I'm buying it and putting it at home to eat slowly later."
"Oh, that's more like it." Aunt Liu went back to the kitchen to fetch the rice cooker. "Why hasn't Xiaoyun come back yet?"
"I'm back, I'm back." Xie Jinyun rushed into the house sweating profusely, and went into the kitchen first to get some water to drink.
Aunt Liu patted him and said, "Wash your hands. Look at your hands, they are so black. Don't touch my cup without washing your hands."
Xie Jinyun quickly washed his hands, then picked up a glass of cold water and drank it in one gulp.
After everyone washed their hands, they sat down at the dining table together.
There were not many people, but we cooked a lot of rice. Although there were more sweet potatoes, one person could eat a big bowl, which was definitely enough.
When Sixth Aunt was serving rice to Xia Qingtang, she deliberately avoided the sweet potato pieces. Her bowl was almost full of white rice. On the contrary, the bowls of Xie Jinxuan and his brother contained more sweet potatoes.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything, but kept this trivial matter in mind.
"Brother, you have to explain the question to me tonight, right?" Xie Jinyun said loudly while eating.
"Okay, I'll tell you the topic after dinner. I still have some material to write."
Grandma said, "It's a waste of candles to light the lamps. Why don't you finish your work at work during the day before coming back?"
"There's too much work to do, so I came back to do it because I couldn't finish it. Otherwise, I'll work overtime until eight o'clock like Grandpa and the others?"
"No, you have to come back to accompany Qingtang. You are newlyweds, so you have to act like newlyweds. But don't work too late at night. Let Qingtang stay up late with you."
Xia Qingtang rarely ate solid food for dinner at her mother's house, as liquid food would make one hungry quickly, so everyone would go to bed early. As long as they fell asleep, they would not feel hungry.
So not everyone can stay up late. Xie Jinxuan can go to bed late at night because they eat better and are not hungry.
Fortunately, such an era will soon pass, reform and opening up will soon take place, the economy will take off, crops will be grown using more scientific methods, and the yield per mu will increase, until one day, everyone will be able to have enough food to eat.
Xia Qingtang was thinking about a lot of random things while eating his meal in silence.
Xie Jinxuan added, "Grandma, I've already bought the train tickets. I'll take Qingtang to see grandpa and grandma on the 11th. The 30th is Saturday, so we'll leave in the morning and come back on the 3rd. We'll take a break, go to the park, etc. It'll be a good time to use up our wedding leave."
The current wedding leave is three days, and together with the National Day holiday, you can have consecutive days off.
"You should go. Your mother just received a letter from there saying that your grandmother's health is getting worse. You should take Qingtang to see her. Maybe she will feel better if she is happy." Grandma said, "Also, what kind of ticket did you buy? Is it a sleeper or a hard seat?"
"There were a lot of people taking the train during the National Day holiday. It was quite late when I bought my ticket, so I didn't get a hard sleeper. Fortunately, it was a daytime train, so sitting for seven or eight hours wasn't too hard."
Grandma looked disapproving, "You are too honest, why don't you tell your dad and buy the ticket in his name? The sleeper berths are always full, and it's not like they don't pay. Since you can afford it, you should buy a sleeper berth. How about this, I'll get you a return ticket. I remember that the two return buses are both night buses, and you can't sit in a hard seat for seven or eight hours. You're a boy, it's okay for you to suffer a little, but I don't want Qingtang to suffer with you."
Xia Qingtang was almost flattered when she heard this. She quickly said, "Grandma, I can just sit in a hard seat. How can this be considered suffering?"
Taking the train was not cheap these days. Every year during the slack season in farming, Xia Qinghai would ask for leave from the commune to go back to the city, but he could only afford a halfway train ticket. The rest of the way he had to rely on hitching a ride on the train or hiding from the crew. Everyone did it anyway, and no one would say anything.
After all, the conditions are really difficult and if you want to go home, then this is the only thing you can do.
Xia Qingtang didn't think about taking a sleeper at this time, that would be too expensive.
Grandma smiled and said, "Listen to me. I'll buy you a sleeper on the return trip, and I'll pay for it. You guys should have a good sleep on the train, and you'll arrive at daybreak in the morning. I'll ask Xiao Wan to pick you up then."
"Who is Xiao Wan?"
"He's my grandfather's driver." Xie Jinxuan said, "Does your family have any gas coupons?"
"Yes, don't worry, I know your grandfather's rules. You must pay for your own gas tickets when you use a private car." Grandma said, "Your grandfather is so stubborn. He has been stubborn for so many years and he doesn't know how to change his mind at all."
"Grandma, you say that, but in your heart you don't really like grandpa's stubbornness. When I was a child, you often told me that I should be an honest person like grandpa, and I remember it all." Xie Jinxuan smiled.
"You are the only one with a good memory and you like to talk so much. Eat quickly and talk less." After saying that, grandma picked up a piece of fried eggplant with chopsticks and gave it to Xie Jinxuan, asking him to eat quickly.
Xia Qingtang was amazed as she listened. You know, Kong Liangchao and Kong Liangjing used to unscrupulously use their grandfather and father's names to seek benefits outside, and using government buses was very common. She had never heard of them using government buses and paying for gas tickets privately.
The Xie family really refreshed Xia Qingtang's cognition. If they were not acting, then the Xie family was indeed a very decent and good family.
After dinner, it was the Xie Jinxuan brothers who cleaned up and washed the dishes as usual. Xia Qingtang sat on the sofa with his grandmother, listening to the radio and chatting about work.
"It's like this in our family. After dinner, as long as we have time, we will talk about the children's work. Qingtang, how are you? I heard that the workshops in the cotton mill are very hard, and even wearing a mask can't keep out the dust. Is that true?" Grandma asked softly, her face full of concern.
She is worthy of being someone who attended a girls' school. Her background is different, so her temperament is also different. No matter how simply she dresses, grandma always looks gentle and elegant.
"It's true. There is inevitably a lot of lint and dust in the workshop. We wear masks and headscarves, but they are not very useful. When we wash our faces after get off work every day, a lot of stuff will be washed out on our eyelashes. So many employees in our factory retired due to illness. There is nothing we can do about it."
After hearing this, grandma's expression became serious: "Then...if you continue to do this for a long time, will you also get those diseases?"
"It's hard to say. Some people have been doing it for 20 years and it's OK. It all depends on one's health."
"Grandma knows." She poured Xia Qingtang a cup of tea and whispered, "Leave this to grandma. I'll help you think of a solution. Don't tell anyone else, especially not your grandpa."
Xia Qingtang glanced towards the kitchen and whispered, "Grandma, is this not a good idea?"
"It's definitely not good, but you're one of our own, and I definitely don't want to see you harming your body all the time." Grandma whispered, "So this matter must be kept secret and must not be told to anyone."
"I understand. Thank you grandma." Although Xia Qingtang thanked her, she was still a little skeptical.
After all, grandma is retired. If I really change her job, how can I not alarm her family?
I heard that Xie Chengye is as serious and rule-abiding as Grandpa Xie. If they knew about this, they would definitely not agree to this.
After Xie Jinxuan and the others washed the dishes and came over to drink tea, the topic ended there and grandma started talking about other things.
That night, Grandpa Xie and the others worked overtime until after eight o'clock before returning home. Xie Jinxuan also said that he would work like this ten days a month, but he could bring the work back to complete, so Xia Qingtang didn't have to worry.
That day, the two of them slept peacefully and did nothing, but when Xia Qingtang woke up, he found that one of his feet had entered Xie Jinxuan's quilt, touching his warm calf, and he immediately felt shy.
Xie Jinxuan didn't know what had happened. He was on the early shift, so he went out early in the morning.
Xia Qingtang took out his own two hundred yuan and went to the bank in the city center. After depositing the money, he slowly went to the factory to work.
She will then work three consecutive night shifts, swapping shifts with her coworkers. Others help her and she will also help others, and it is always mutual.
As soon as I reached the factory gate, I saw old lady Chen Hongxing standing there with her hands on her hips, staring at Xia Qingtang menacingly. Next to her stood a middle-aged man in his forties, who was Xia Qingtang's uncle, Zhao Zhiqiang.
Zhao Zhiqiang is the eldest son and he took over his father's job, so the old lady has been living with his family and he is responsible for her retirement.
Xia Qingtang walked over very calmly and greeted them coldly: "Grandma, uncle."
Chen Hongxing cursed: "Zhiqiang, you saw this, has this little bitch become too arrogant? Look at her dead look. Do you think she is decent?"
Zhao Zhiqiang said: "Xia Qingtang, I heard that you scolded your grandmother yesterday?"
"I didn't. I've always been a very civilized person and never cursed."
"You still say you didn't? I asked you to go to the hospital to take care of your mother, what did you say?" The old lady stomped her feet in anger.
"I said Zhao Meizhen severed her relationship with me, and that I was a married woman and a member of the man's family, so I had to serve my husband's family." Xia Qingtang said, "Haven't my grandmother said these things for decades? Did I say anything wrong?"
Zhao Zhiqiang frowned and looked his niece up and down. He felt something was wrong and he thought Xia Qingtang had changed a lot.
Xia Qingtang would never talk to them like this in the past. Whenever Chen Hongxing asked her to do something, she would just lower her head and say yes. How could she raise her chin and loudly refute like this?
No wonder the old lady was so angry when she went home yesterday. This dog that had been silent all this time suddenly became biting. Who wouldn’t be angry?
Zhao Zhiqiang sneered and said, "A married girl is like spilled water. That's what they say, but can you really just spill it like that and not rely on your natal family at all? I heard that the husband you married is just an official, and his family is large. You are living in their house now? With so many people, how can there not be conflicts? If you are bullied by your husband's family, your natal family will be your support and will help you back up."
"That's not necessary. I won't rely on my parents' family. I chose my husband myself, and I will bear all the consequences, whether he is good or bad. Even if I lose my temper and swallow my blood in the man's family, that is my own business and will have nothing to do with other people. Zhao Meizhen and I have severed the mother-daughter relationship, so naturally I have to obey her. You don't have to come to me all the time, I won't go to the hospital to take care of her. I still say that whoever made her sick should take care of her." Xia Qingtang's eyes were cold and his tone was very serious.
"Aren't you afraid of others stabbing you in the back? If your mother says something angry, will you really disown her?"
"If anyone wants to poke fun at me, they should poke fun at her. The whole factory knows what she did to me."
The old lady cursed: "You shameless little bitch..."
Zhao Zhiqiang stretched out his hand to stop her: "Mom, stop scolding, don't you see that others are looking at us?"
Zhao Zhiqiang was not a fool. He found that the workers passing by were indeed looking at them warily, and their eyes were not friendly.
"Is there anything else? No, I'm going to go to work." Xia Qingtang said.
"Yes, your mother said you stole two hundred yuan from her. Give us the money. We are going to pay for her medical expenses." Old Mrs. Chen stretched out her hand, "Money!"
Xia Qingtang sneered: "I have nothing to say to you. If Zhao Meizhen's money was really stolen, let her go to the police. You two want to blackmail me for money, forget it!"
After saying that, she strode in.
The old lady raised her foot and wanted to rush over to fight, but was stopped by her son.
"Why are you stopping me? Let me beat this damn girl to death!"
Zhao Zhiqiang whispered, "Mom, can't you see? Xia Qingtang is different now. She has really grown stronger."
"What about the money? Meizhen is lying in the hospital now, and I paid for it! That useless Xia Daming only found one dollar after searching the whole house. What's the use of that? Serving people is already irritating enough for me, so am I supposed to pay for the medical expenses too?"
"Their family's money has always been in Meizhen's hands. If you go to ask Xia Daming for money, what can you get? Besides, do you really believe that Meizhen will give so much money to a daughter? If you want money, you might as well wait for Xia Qinghai to come back and ask him for it. Isn't their family's money all saved up by Meizhen for him?"
"But……"
"Don't say but, look at Qingtang's tough look, don't you think it's a bit strange?"
"What's strange about that?"
"I suspect that the husband she married is not an ordinary person, otherwise why would she be so tough? There must be someone backing her up! She doesn't even want her parents' family anymore. Maybe she married into a good family and is afraid that her poor parents' family will get involved with her."
The old lady's eyes widened: "That damn girl, would she be capable of such a thing?"
"Why doesn't she have one? Don't forget, she is the most beautiful girl in the cotton mill, and there are many good families who want to marry her."
The old lady gasped: "So...what should we do now?"
"Don't worry, I'll go find Xia Daming and ask him to find out who the little Xie who married Xia Qingtang is. If she really married a good family, we can't offend them."
"Well, hurry up and go to the family area to find Xia Daming." After saying that, the old lady pulled her eldest son out.
Xia Qingtang worked diligently in the workshop. After a hard day's work, he finally had some free time and went to the canteen with his fellow workers, taking their rice bowls to get food.
Now that she knew Xie Jinxuan was financially well off, she would not save money on food and would at least have some soy products with every meal.
When the meal was almost finished, Xia Daming came over with an empty lunch box: "Qingtang, can I talk to you for a few words?"
The two workers were both perceptive people. They immediately stood up with their rice bowls in hand and said, "We're done eating. Let's go wash the dishes first."
Xia Daming sat down opposite Xia Qingtang and showed an embarrassed expression.
Xia Qingtang spoke first: "When did Dad know about those letters?"
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