Chapter 27
Zhao Meizhen doesn't have any other special talents, but she did give birth to two beautiful children.
Although Xia Qinghai was not as outstanding as Xia Qingtang and could not be regarded as the most handsome man in the factory, he was still considered a handsome man in the eyes of some women, especially young girls, who liked his fair and handsome face and liked his sweet mouth and good talk even more. Not long after he returned to the city, two or three girls took the initiative to find matchmakers to propose marriage to him.
But Xia Qinghai was quite shrewd. He looked down upon the daughters of ordinary families, and was afraid that he could not marry those who were too good. So he selected carefully and put in a lot of effort to finally get together with the youngest daughter of the director of the third workshop.
The director of the third workshop originally minded that the Xia family was too poor and not a good match for his own family, but it happened that Xia Qingtang was promised to the Kong family and took home a lot of betrothal gifts, which allowed Xia Qinghai to successfully marry his youngest daughter.
In the first two years after his marriage, Xia Qinghai had someone to take care of him at the factory, his sister often sent him money and tickets, and his wife was young and sensible. He lived a smooth life and was very proud of himself.
But his father-in-law was unlucky and retired early due to injury. Without his father-in-law who was the director, Xia Qinghai suddenly lost his advantage in the factory. But he was always unwilling to give up and wanted to continue to climb up, so he asked Zhao Meizhen to force Xia Qingtang to ask the Kong family to help him solve the problem.
Xia Qingtang had been very kind to this brother in her previous life. His later promotion was all due to Xia Qingtang's humble efforts and requests.
Xia Qingtang will never forget Kong Liangchao's contemptuous look at that time: "You and your brother are both useless. You two only have good looks but can't do anything! How dare you ask me to help your brother get promoted? Is he that kind of material? He got the position of team leader by relying on connections, and he wants to be the deputy director. Your family has a big appetite!"
Xia Qinghai was indeed not cut out for the job and did not have the ability, but Xia Qingtang still helped him get the position of deputy director a few years later. As a result, the Xia family was allocated a larger house, and Xia Qinghai also avoided being laid off during the wave of layoffs in the 1990s. But later on, he stopped moving forward and has been just a deputy director with little real power.
Even though they kicked the divorced Xia Qingtang out of the house, Xia Qinghai did not have a good life in the following years. The position of director that he dreamed of was never realized. After the factory was restructured, their batch of deputy directors were forced to work on the front line of the workshop and were often bullied. He was in his forties and lived a depressed life. His wife and children looked down on him.
Now think about it, those were all his retribution, but for Xia Qingtang, this retribution was far from enough. In this life, she also wanted to see Xia Qinghai live a miserable life.
"Huh? Qingtang? You're here too." Xia Qinghai spotted his sister and immediately greeted her with a smile, "I'm back in the city! This time I finally don't have to go back again!"
He looked very energetic. Although his face was a little tanned, he was dressed very elegantly, wearing a new coat, straight trousers, and a pair of shiny leather shoes. If you didn't know him, you would think he was a young cadre.
This was probably Xia Qinghai's best outfit. He wore it on purpose to come and see Xie Jinxuan. He had two meanings in mind. If his brother-in-law's family was really as difficult as Xia Daming said, then if he dressed nicely, his brother-in-law would definitely look up to him. If his brother-in-law's family was actually well off, then he would not embarrass himself in front of his brother-in-law.
"It's not unusual for you to return to the city." Xia Qingtang said coldly: "What do you want to do with Xie Jinxuan?"
Xia Qinghai squinted his eyes and looked at his sister's expression, and found that his father was right. Xia Qingtang was really different from before. The always silly girl seemed to have suddenly become smart.
"Why are you talking so angrily? Did your brother make you angry? We haven't seen each other for so long, and you haven't written to me for a long time. Don't you want to have a good chat with your brother?" Xia Qinghai was still smiling, but the smile looked fake and his eyes were cold.
Xia Qingtang said: "You didn't write to me either, which shows that you don't think about me that much. In this case, don't pretend to have any feelings for me. Don't you know how we feel about each other?"
Xia Qinghai is five years older than Xia Qingtang. When Xia Qinghai went to the countryside, Xia Qingtang was still young. The two siblings could not play together to begin with, and when he went to the countryside, they had even less contact. Xia Qingtang would write letters to her brother at first, but her brother would only reply to Zhao Meizhen and ignore her every time. As time went by, no matter how stupid she was, she was too lazy to write to him.
So the relationship between the brother and sister is very cold, and I don’t know if Xia Qinghai is tired of pretending like this.
Xia Qinghai nodded and smiled: "Brother is very busy in the countryside, you know, it was the busy farming season some time ago, we were so busy that we didn't even have enough time to sleep, so I didn't write to you much. If you are angry with me because of this, then I apologize to you, please don't be angry, okay?"
Xia Qingtang frowned: "Don't try to trick me. Answer my question. What are you doing here to see Xie Jinxuan?"
"He's my brother-in-law, so I'm supposed to go find him, isn't it? I got home this morning and found out that you found a husband and got married, and he's a gay man that your parents don't even know. Although people are encouraged to date on their own now, and young people don't like their elders introducing them to dates, I'm really worried about you. You've been a little confused since you were a kid, what if you get cheated? You're so pretty, and if that man is a bad guy, what will you do in the future?"
"No big deal. We're already married, what else can we do? Just do it this way. You don't have to worry about it."
"That won't do. I am your brother after all. Besides, Dad is also very worried about you. I want to find time to have a good chat with Xiao Xie. I took a shower today and went to bed. Seeing that it was almost time, I came here to see. Isn't Xiao Xie about to get off work? I just happened to talk to him first, at least to make sure whether he is a good person, who his parents are, and whether he has brothers and sisters. The family doesn't know these things. Isn't it too ridiculous for you to get married like this? Also, where do you live now? I went to the steel plant to ask, and they said that you no longer live in the Hu family." Xia Qinghai said: "You also lied to Dad and said that you still live in the Hu family. Why is that?"
Xia Qingtang rolled his eyes in his heart. As expected, the smartest person in the entire Xia family was Xia Qinghai. With him around, lying had to be more careful than usual.
"How did I lie? Are you sure I wasn't living in the steel plant's residential quarters when dad asked me?"
"That's not certain. When I asked, they just said that you had moved out. In any case, you have moved out, which means you live in the man's house. Where is his house? Who are his parents? Can you tell me?" Xia Qinghai stared at his sister's eyes, trying to see something else from her cold and disgusted expression.
"No." Xia Qingtang met his gaze and said in a deep voice: "I don't want to talk to you, let alone tell you anything. I have no relationship with the Xia family anymore. Your mother kicked me out."
"That was said in anger. I went to the hospital to ask Mom, and she regretted it very much. She had a serious case of food poisoning this time, and it will take two days for her to be discharged from the hospital. She was lying on the hospital bed, and she kept talking about you, worried that you were not doing well and were deceived by the Xie family. Qingtang, I know that you have been very upset during this period, and Mom was a little confused and forced you to marry the Kong family. But the Kong family is indeed a good family, you can't deny that, right? Since it's a marriage, parents all hope to find a good family for their children. Mom also has good intentions, whether you can understand her intentions or not, you have to forgive her."
"What if I don't forgive you?"
"It's okay, but we will all be very sad." Xia Qinghai said with a smile: "Brother really misses you, can you talk to brother and talk about what happened to you? Qingtang, you have changed a lot. The last time you came back, you were not like this to brother. I know that mom didn't handle the Kong family's affairs well, but mom is not a bad person. I also hope that you can marry a good family and live a good life in the future. Besides, there is no overnight hatred between mother and daughter. If you don't like the Kong family, we can find a way to reject the Kong family. How can you just find a partner and get married without telling your family? Do you know? I heard that the man named Kong Liangchao was investigated by the unit and was temporarily suspended from work. If you don't get angry with mom and wait a few days, Kong Liangchao will be in trouble, and you can cancel the engagement. Why bother to marry your whole life for such a thing?"
"Don't play innocent in front of me. Didn't your mother tell you what the Kong family did to me and my family in order to force me to get married? You should even thank me. If I hadn't cheated the Kong family once, your return to the city would have been ruined. Now you have taken advantage of me, and you come here to teach me a lesson? Also, don't think I don't know that it was you who gave Zhao Meizhen the idea to find a rich and powerful family for me to marry into? I knew it a long time ago. You and Zhao Meizhen have been planning this since I was a teenager."
Xia Qinghai's expression changed slightly and his eyes flickered.
Seeing this, Xia Qingtang knew that she had blown it up, so she immediately said, "Look, you've already acquiesced. You and Zhao Meizhen have always wanted to sell me for a good price. Since you think so, how dare you pretend in front of me now? Xia Qinghai, I'm not smart, but I'm not that stupid. You are so selfish that you want to sell your sister to make money for yourself. I neither sold you nor took advantage of you. I find someone I like to marry. What does it have to do with you?"
"If you really like Xiao Xie, then of course I support you. My parents and I are just worried about you, afraid that you got married rashly out of anger." Xia Qinghai quickly adjusted his mood and put on a smile again, "Also, I really don't have the idea of selling you out to benefit myself. I don't know who told you what nonsense, but I am sincere to you, my sister. Qingtang, you have really changed a lot now, tell me, are you getting close to someone?"
Xia Qinghai didn't believe that his confused sister could become smart on her own. He carefully looked at Xia Qingtang's expression and thought that there must be a military advisor behind her who gave her advice, and it was this military advisor who didn't want their Xia family to have a good life.
"I'm close to many people. Is it your business?" Xia Qingtang sneered and stopped talking.
It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and people began to come out of the office building one after another. Xia Qinghai stood aside, intending to wait for Xie Jinxuan to come out.
Of course Xia Qingtang knew that he was waiting for Xie Jinxuan, but this was a public place and she couldn't chase him away, so she could only stand there quietly.
After five or six minutes, Xie Jinxuan came out with the people who were getting off work, pushing their bicycles.
"Qingtang, are you here to pick me up from get off work?" He smiled brightly from a distance, his eyes shining like stars and his expression clear and upright. Seeing him really made people feel relaxed.
Before Xia Qingtang could say anything, Xia Qinghai quickly stepped forward and waved over there: "Hello, Xiao Xie, I'm Xia Qinghai, Qingtang's elder brother, I just returned to the city today."
Xie Jinxuan was stunned for a moment, then she walked over with a bright smile and shook hands with Xia Qinghai: "Hello, brother, I am Xie Jinxuan."
"Finally I get to see you. I heard from dad that it's very difficult for him to see you. My sister was married to you, but I have never met your family. Dad doesn't know what the situation is in your family, and he has been worried, so he asked me to come over and talk to you first. I will discuss with you and find a time to invite your family to come to our house. Now we are relatives, it is impossible for you not to interact with our family, right?" Xia Qinghai said: "Also, I think it's still early now, why don't we go to the river to chat?"
Xie Jinxuan looked at Xia Qingtang: "Qingtang, what do you say? I will listen to you."
Xia Qinghai's expression changed slightly: "You listen to Qingtang?"
"Yes, Qingtang is my love, the person I cherish the most, so of course I have to listen to her. Besides, I actually know everything about your family, and I also know how my father-in-law and mother-in-law treat Qingtang. So, if she doesn't want me to associate with your family, then of course I won't."
"Then your parents don't care? You married a daughter-in-law but don't have any contact with her in-laws?"
"We have a big family and we don't even have a place to live. Who would care about this kind of thing? Besides, I have been disobedient since I was young. I didn't worry my parents about getting married, and they don't care about my business." Xie Jinxuan smiled.
Xia Qinghai frowned slightly and found that Xie Jinxuan was not the same as he had imagined. He did not expect that the other party was like a soft nail and so difficult to deal with.
Xia Qingtang followed Xie Jinxuan and laughed: "Jinxuan is right, he doesn't have time to talk to you, and his family doesn't have time to meet and chat with you. I emphasize again that your mother has kicked me out and cut off all ties with you. From now on, my affairs are just my affairs and have nothing to do with you. Whether I go begging on the street or become homeless in the future, I will never come to your door to beg. Comrade Xia Qinghai, do you understand what I am saying?"
"Xia Qingtang, don't go too far. It's just a quarrel with my family. Do you have to make such a fuss?" Xia Qinghai's face darkened.
"Look, you're the only one who would describe the failure to sell my daughter as a minor quarrel. Since it didn't hurt you, you can be indifferent. I'm the one who got hurt. Who are you to decide whether I should forgive your parents?" Xia Qingtang sneered, "Since you don't understand, I don't want to say anything to you. We have things to do, so we'll leave first."
After saying that, she pulled Xie Jinxuan and asked him to ride his bike and take her away.
Xie Jinxuan was also very smart. He rode in the opposite direction of the family quarters. When Xia Qinghai fell far behind, he said, "What should we do now? Should we take a detour and go back through the back door?"
"Okay, since we're riding bikes, he can't keep up with us. But you have to be careful, he'll be waiting for you to get off work today, and he might even follow you home later."
"It's okay. If he can track me, then I think he's very capable."
Xia Qingtang laughed: "Okay, okay, I know you are awesome. Hurry up and ride your bike. Let's go back and help Aunt Liu cook."
After their bicycles disappeared at the intersection, Xia Qinghai frowned and thought for a while. Then, he walked to the guard and asked, "Hello, Comrade. Comrade Xie Jinxuan is my brother-in-law. Are you familiar with him? Do you know where he lives?"
"I don't know. I'm just the gatekeeper. There are so many people working here. How can I know everyone?" Lao Kan is also a smart man. He deliberately said that he didn't know.
Xia Qinghai did not have any doubts. After all, some people in their cotton mill lived outside the factory. If he asked the guard of the cotton mill, it would be impossible for him to know where every employee lived.
There was really no other way, so he could only go back home and plan to think of a solution later.
Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan returned home. Grandma and the others had also returned and were preparing dinner in the kitchen.
Xie Jinyun was doing homework in his bedroom after school. When he heard his brother coming back, he ran downstairs: "Brother, I don't know how to do a question!"
"You don't know? Then what do you usually do in class? Also, can't you go ask the teacher after class?" Xie Jinxuan said: "With your current condition, can you really get into university?"
"Why are you looking down on me? I will definitely be admitted to university. Come on, brother, go and explain the questions to me quickly!" Xie Jinyun did not allow any explanation and pulled her brother upstairs.
Xia Qingtang smiled as she walked to the kitchen to greet Grandma and Aunt Six. Grandma asked, "Are you going to pick up Jinxuan from get off work?"
"Yes, I woke up and found no one at home, so I just went out to wait for him to get off work."
"This Xiao Yun is the same. As soon as his brother came home, he dragged him to discuss the topic." Aunt Liu said, "Xiao Yun would pester his brother all day long."
"The two brothers have such a good relationship." Xia Qingtang said with a little envy.
"Yes, Jinxuan has always loved her younger brother, so Xiaoyun also likes to stick to her brother. But I have already told him that he cannot disturb his brother and sister-in-law at night, so he would look for his brother at this time. You can stay with us now and let Jinxuan give to Xiaoyun for a while?" Grandma smiled and patted Xia Qingtang's arm.
"What do you mean by giving in or not? Jinxuan is Xiaoyun's brother, so it's only natural for him to explain the questions to him." Xia Qingtang said, "It just so happens that I'm here to help Aunt Six cook."
"I don't need you. I really don't need you. I'm afraid that others will cause trouble for me when I'm doing things." Aunt Liu said.
"How can that be possible? I see Aunt Six has put out quite a few dishes. Is everyone coming back for dinner tonight? I will definitely help."
"How about this? You can help pick the leeks and bean sprouts, and sit on that small stool to talk to your grandma." Aunt Six handed a vegetable basket to Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang was very happy. He moved a small stool and sat with his grandmother at the kitchen door, talking while picking vegetables.
Grandma said, "The sleeper tickets for the return trip have been bought. There aren't many people taking the sleeper berths, so you and Jinxuan should stay in the same compartment. It won't be awkward. Both of you will be in the lower berth, so you can have a good sleep and be home when you wake up."
"Thank you, grandma. The sleeper ticket is expensive, right?"
"It's a bit expensive, but I don't usually spend much money. I'm happy to spend money on you now." Grandma smiled and said, "Since marrying you, Jinxuan has smiled more often. I'm happy for him, too, so I'm even more grateful to you. I just found out that you're the girl he's liked for many years."
"How did grandma know that?" Xia Qingtang was a little curious.
"Xiao Yun said that Jin Xuan liked to write a diary when he was in school. Xiao Yun peeked into his diary and found that he wrote that he liked a girl, that girl is you. But don't tell Jin Xuan about this. If he knew that Xiao Yun peeked into his diary, we would fight."
"Okay, I won't say anything." Xia Qingtang smiled softly. She felt that the way Xie Jinxuan and his brother got along with each other was particularly good, and she was quite envious.
Although she had not lived in the Xie family for a long time, Xia Qingtang sincerely believed that this family was one in a million happy families.
At 6:30 in the evening, the Xie family officially started dinner. The whole family washed their hands and sat in the dining room, which was very lively.
The table was laid with stir-fried bean sprouts, scrambled eggs with leeks, stir-fried vegetables, fried stuffed tofu, and a big pot of shrimp and winter melon soup. The staple food was still sweet potato rice, also a big pot full of it, enough for you to eat.
"This is the last big winter melon of the year. Everyone, eat it hard. Eat this winter melon for the next few days." Aunt Liu said, "It was not easy for me to get this winter melon."
The whole family would eat one winter melon for several days. Although there was no refrigerator, everyone had their own traditional methods of preserving it, so the winter melon would not go bad until the end.
Sixth Aunt stood up and scooped soup for the whole family. Xia Qingtang also got a big bowl. After the old man picked up the chopsticks and tasted a piece of winter melon, everyone started eating.
This is the rule for eating in the Xie family. One has to wait for grandpa and grandma to pick up their chopsticks before others can start eating. Xia Qingtang is now familiar with this rule and has no difficulty adapting to it.
She took a sip of the shrimp and winter melon soup and found it delicious, so she asked Aunt Liu how the soup was made.
Her cooking skills were pretty good, but some of her dishes seemed to be a little worse than those of Aunt Six, so she wanted to learn from her.
Just as Aunt Liu was about to speak, the light bulb above her head suddenly flickered and the room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
The sun has set, but there is still some light outside, but it is dark inside the house and we have to turn on the lights.
"The light is broken?" asked the old man.
"The lights in the living room are not on either. There must be a power outage." Xie Jinxuan stood up. "All of you sit still. I'll go light the kerosene lamp."
His eyesight is the best in the family and he can see the outlines of things even at night, so whenever there is a power outage, everyone waits for him to light the lamp.
Power outages are common in this era. Xia Qingtang has encountered it several times since he came back, so he has gotten used to it.
No one spoke. When Xie Jinxuan reached the cabinet in the living room and lit a kerosene lamp with a match, Xie Jinyun let out a long sigh and said, "Oh, you scared me."
Everyone laughed. Xie Jinxuan first brought the kerosene lamp over, then lit another one and placed it on the table. Then everyone continued to eat.
Because of the kerosene lamp, everyone's eyes were more focused on the table and their voices became a little quieter.
Xie Jinyun said: "I haven't finished my homework yet, but I don't have classes tomorrow, so I'll wait until daytime to finish it, so that grandma won't say that I'm wasting candles."
Grandma smiled and said, "It's right to write during the day. Reading and writing with a kerosene lamp at night will hurt your eyes. Your grandfather used to read too much with a lamp, which caused his eyes to become damaged."
The old man said, "We had no choice before. How old was I when I saw an electric light? It's not like your family, who lived in the city and had electric lights and phonographs very early."
Xie's mother said, "Speaking of phonographs, do we have another one in our storeroom?"
"I did put one there. At that time, someone came to search my house, and I hid it secretly. I haven't cared about it in the past two years. I put it back in the storage room. I don't know if it is still in good condition or can be used. That phonograph is my treasure." said grandma.
Xie Jinxuan said, "When I get back from there, I'll help grandma check it. If it's broken, I'll take it out and find someone to fix it."
"Can't you fix it yourself? I saw that the radio broke last time and it was you who fixed it."
"I'm familiar with the radio, but I've never used the phonograph."
"I hope it's still in good condition. When it's usable, I'll take it out and listen to music. I have several records hidden here. If these records are well preserved, they can last a lifetime." Grandma said proudly.
The old man said: "You just can't change your old habits. You will always be a young lady."
"What's wrong? I grew up listening to that." Grandma was not convinced. "You haven't heard of a phonograph because you grew up in the countryside, but you were also taken care of by servants until you went to school in the city. Now you say I'm a young lady, but aren't you a young master yourself? You even have a nanny, do you think I forgot?"
"Okay, okay, I haven't forgotten. I didn't say anything to you, so you got angry again. Anyway, maybe soon you can listen to the phonograph openly." The old man said in a low voice.
Xie's mother responded quickly: "Dad, is there any news from above?"
"It's almost done. I guess there will be a big movement. The situation later will definitely be different from before." The old man said, "But you still have to be careful in the unit during this period and keep a low profile in everything."
"I know." Several people nodded and said they knew.
Xia Qingtang listened to them quietly and found it very interesting.
The atmosphere at the Xie family's dining table was very good. Everyone chatted in a friendly manner and then ate happily. Unlike Zhao Meizhen, she often scolded Xia Qingtang during meals or complained about co-workers who had a bad relationship with her, which made everyone in a bad mood and caused them to feel indigestion after eating.
After dinner, the two brothers cleared the table, and Aunt Six brought a kerosene lamp to the coffee table. She also found a few candles and asked the old man, "Do you want to light a candle and put it in the study on the first floor?"
"No need, just put it in the living room. I finally have a vacation, so I'll take a rest tonight. We can listen to the radio and relax." said the old man.
Xie Jinyun poked her head out of the kitchen and said, "Grandpa, why don't we go out and watch a movie? There will definitely be a movie showing at Third Aunt's house tonight."
Speaking of activities, the number of movie screenings in the steel plant’s family quarters far exceeds that here, so it’s no wonder that Xie Jinxuan often goes there.
"We will also be showing movies in our compound tomorrow night and the day after tomorrow. Can you handle watching movies every night?"
"I want to see it."
"Okay, let's go and see it. Shall we go together?" asked the old man.
Xie Jinxuan said loudly: "Grandpa, Qingtang and I are not going. We have a 5:30 train tomorrow morning and we will go to bed soon."
Xia Qingtang finally reacted: "Oh, I haven't packed my bag yet."
Grandma quickly picked up the kerosene lamp and said, "Come on, I'll go up with you to clean up, and then we'll take a shower and go to bed as soon as possible."
With the help of her grandmother, Xia Qingtang quickly packed a bag. The bag she used was Xie Jinxuan's, which was just enough to hold the clothes for both of them.
Grandma watched Xia Qingtang skillfully take out clothes from the closet, fold them into small pieces and put them into her bag, then she smiled kindly: "I see you are also very good at kitchen work, do you often do housework at home?"
"I basically have to work every day." Xia Qingtang said: "If you ask what I am best at, it is probably doing housework. My cooking tastes good and I cook quickly."
This was all developed when she was working as a nanny, but Xia Qingtang didn't actually like doing housework. The only thing she didn't hate was cooking. Since she was a child, she often didn't have enough to eat, so staying in the kitchen and smelling the aroma of food made her feel happy.
"When you come back, I must try your cooking. I'm not very good at cooking, and Jinxuan's mother's cooking is also average. If it weren't for Xiaoliu, it would have been difficult for the two brothers to grow so tall thanks to his mother's and my cooking skills. Now that Jinxuan has married you, I feel relieved. In the future, your children will be able to eat the delicious food cooked by their mother. Our Jinxuan is really a blessed person." Grandma smiled, looking particularly gentle and kind.
Maybe it was because the orange light of the kerosene lamp seemed too warm, or maybe it was because grandma's voice was too gentle, Xia Qingtang just felt a warmth in his chest, an indescribable feeling.
She said softly: "No, I am the lucky one. Meeting Xie Jinxuan may have taken more than a lifetime of blessings from me."
"You really think so?"
"real."
"Our Jinxuan thinks so too. He told me that he must have done a lot of good things in his past life, so he could marry you. It's great that you both think so. You are in love with each other. Grandma hopes that you can live a good life. When you are old, if you can still think like this, then you have married the right person."
Xia Qingtang nodded and said, "I will try my best."
"What a good child." Grandma touched the back of Xia Qingtang's hand, then took out a folded envelope from her pocket and handed it to her, "Here is some pocket money and national tickets. Take it and buy whatever you want when you get there."
"This..." Xia Qingtang was embarrassed to accept it, "Grandma has already paid for the sleeper tickets for our return trip."
"Take it. This is a gift from grandma. To be honest, I have money and my family is not bad. This is some pocket money that grandma is giving you. Just take it. I don't just give pocket money to you, I also give it to all of you younger generations."
Xia Qingtang could only thank him and accept the envelope.
Grandma looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was getting late, so she quickly said, "The luggage is packed, go take a shower and go to bed, otherwise you will be tired tomorrow."
Xia Qingtang followed instructions, lit the kerosene lamp, took a shower, dried her hair, and waited for Xie Jinxuan to come back before they went to bed together.
Before going to bed, she told her grandmother about the pocket money she gave her, and Xie Jinxuan said, "Grandma gave you money, so just keep it. Although our family looks hard-working and simple, we are indeed not short of money. When you go to see your grandmother this time, she will definitely give you money, so you don't need to ask me, just keep it."
"Then... I understand." Xia Qingtang said in a low voice: "I just feel a little embarrassed."
"What's there to be embarrassed about? You are a family member, isn't it normal for the elders to give you some pocket money?" Xie Jinxuan said, "Anyway, from now on, although I can't let you live a luxurious life, I will definitely make sure you have enough food and clothing."
"I believe this." Xia Qingtang smiled, "Let's go to bed, otherwise we won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."
At four o'clock the next morning, Xia Qingtang got up with Xie Jinxuan. Although they did not sleep for a long time, they were still energetic because of the good sleep quality.
After they finished washing up, they carried their luggage and backpacks downstairs and smelled the aroma of food. They looked and saw that Aunt Liu was already in the kitchen making breakfast.
Electricity had not yet arrived, so there was a kerosene lamp in the kitchen and dining room.
Aunt Liu used the leftovers from last night to cook vegetable soup and rice. Fearing that they would not be full, she also made several pancakes. She also washed a few small apples and boiled a few shelled eggs and packed them for them to eat on the way.
While Xia Qingtang was eating breakfast, he listened to Aunt Six's chattering: "At noon, buy the lunch box on the train. I've eaten it before. You don't need food coupons or meat coupons. You can buy the most expensive one. There are braised pork or big meatballs. They are very delicious. But you eat breakfast too early. You will definitely be hungry before noon. I will pack some peanut candy for you to fill your stomach. Many people will eat on the train. When you see them eating, you will be greedy even if you are not hungry."
"Aunt Six is very experienced. Have you ever taken a train?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"I've taken it several times. I go back to my hometown to visit my relatives every two years, and I always take the train back and forth. Qingtang, have you never taken a train? Let me tell you, taking a train is very tiring, especially the hard seats, there are so many people, the air is not good, and many people smoke." Aunt Liu said, "But you only have seven or eight hours, including delays, you will definitely arrive within nine hours, so it won't be too uncomfortable. It will be fine when you come back, there will be a sleeper berth, there are fewer people over there, it's much quieter, and you can sleep well."
Xie Jinxuan said: "So we have to thank grandma, because it was grandma who bought the sleeper for us."
After they finished their meal and were about to go out, grandparents came out of the bedroom.
"I asked Xiao Wan to pick you up, but it's too early and there are no cars." The old man whispered, "I'll pay for the gas ticket, don't worry."
"Thank you, Grandpa, but I also saved up some gas coupons myself." Xie Jinxuan smiled gently.
"Keep your gas coupons. If Qingtang wants to go somewhere later, you can drive her there yourself. Also, do you have enough money?"
"It's enough. My dad gave me dozens of dollars last night."
The old man said, "When you get there, remember to say hello for me. See if they need anything. If they need our help, don't hesitate to tell us when you get back."
"Yes, I've got it." Xie Jinxuan looked at the time and said, "Then Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Six, Qingtang and I will set off now."
Grandma and Aunt Six accompanied them all the way to the gate of the yard, and only went back to rest after they saw them get in the car and drove away.
Grandpa Xie's car was for his exclusive use, a fairly new jeep. The driver, Xiao Wan, was very young, about 27 or 28 years old. He had been driving for Grandpa Xie since he came back from the army, so he was very familiar with the whole family of Xie and they chatted casually all the way.
It was still early and there were no cars or pedestrians on the road. The car quickly took them to the train station. Xiao Wan got off the car to see them off to the station.
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Brother Wan, you don't have to send me off. My grandfather doesn't need the car today, and you should take a good rest. I also travel occasionally on business, so I am familiar with taking the train."
"Okay, I'll go back. I'll pick you up when you come back. I hope you have fun." After saying that, Xiao Wan left.
Xie Jinxuan carried their luggage bags in one hand and held Xia Qingtang's hand with the other, and slowly walked into the waiting room.
It was just past five o'clock, but the waiting hall was packed with people. Most of the people were slumped in their chairs and sleeping, while some were sleeping directly on the floor.
They waited until half past five, but the train didn't come, so it must be late.
Xia Qingtang had never taken a train in that era, but in her memory, in the 1990s, trains were more likely to be delayed, so she sat there and chatted patiently with Xie Jinxuan until almost six o'clock, when the train arrived.
It became even more chaotic when getting on the bus. Many people swarmed into the bus, and many men even climbed directly through the windows. Xia Qingtang became a little nervous.
Xie Jinxuan whispered, "We have tickets. Don't worry, we will be able to get on the bus in a while. We have seats, so it's okay."
What he said was indeed right. Although the crowded situation looked scary, Xie Jinxuan still helped Xia Qingtang get on the bus. He was very strong and could push away the people in front of him who were not giving way. After some effort, he squeezed next to their seats and saw two young men sitting there.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Comrade, these two seats are ours, and we have tickets."
After saying that, he showed his ticket.
The two young men still looked drowsy. The one sitting by the window looked at Xie Jinxuan, then at the ticket in his hand, and muttered, "It's too early. Let us sleep a little longer."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "That won't work. We bought the tickets for this seat, so we should be able to sit here. How about I let one of you sit here for a while, but my wife has to sit here."
The man then noticed Xia Qingtang standing next to Xie Jinxuan. In the not-too-bright light of the morning, Xia Qingtang's delicate little face looked like a white lily, and the young man instantly woke up.
"If there are female comrades, you should have told me earlier. These seats are yours and should have been given to you. Come, sit down." The young man stood up quickly.
The person next to him was about to take a nap, but was woken up by a slap from him.
After the two of them moved aside, Xie Jinxuan put the luggage bag on the shelf above and pulled Xia Qingtang to sit in the double seat.
There was also a young couple opposite, sleeping soundly with their heads close together. The loud noise of getting on the bus did not wake them up.
After a long while, when all the people who were supposed to get on the train had gotten on, the train started slowly.
Xia Qingtang then breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was still early, she felt as tired as if she had worked an early shift.
But she was still in a very happy mood. After all, this was a honeymoon trip and she seldom traveled far. Now she could visit an unfamiliar place, which made her very happy.
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