Chapter 3
For a moment, Xia Qingtang almost felt despair. She seemed to see her past life flashing before her eyes, but she only felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Could it be that even if she could start over again, she still couldn't get rid of this beast Kong Liangchao?
Fortunately, Xia Qingtang quickly calmed down. She was no longer the same person she was back then. Even if Kong Liangchao could come find her, she would not repeat the tragedy of her previous life.
God gave her a chance to start over, and no matter what, she would take a different path in life.
"Comrade Xia, why don't you say anything? Are you too surprised to see me?" Kong Liangchao was wearing a white Dacron shirt and new gray pants, and a pair of shiny black work leather shoes. One could tell at a glance that he was in good condition.
At this moment, not everyone can afford this kind of outfit, especially the safety leather shoes. Except for the people in the shoe factory, ordinary people have to find connections if they want to buy them.
In addition, although Kong Liangchao is not a handsome guy, he is not ugly either. Although he is not tall at a height of over 1.7 meters, he is dressed elegantly and looks young and energetic, so he looks very eye-catching.
Wen Xiaoli, a co-worker who was off the night shift, came over immediately with interest, her eyes wide open: "Qingtang, who is this? I've never seen her before."
Xia Qingtang said calmly: "I don't know him, and I don't know why he came to me."
Kong Liangchao was slightly stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted. He smiled and said, "Comrade Xia, don't you remember me now? You were not feeling well on August 1st, but I took you to the hospital."
Xia Qingtang lied calmly: "I don't remember such a thing."
Kong Liangchao came to his senses. He smiled crookedly, rolled his eyes and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't remember. Now we know each other, right? My name is Kong Liangchao. I work in the Grain Bureau. I'm 24 years old this year."
Wen Xiaoli showed an expression of watching a good show. She even pushed Xia Qingtang's arm excitedly and whispered: "Qingtang, I can see that this comrade Kong also came here specially to meet you. I think he looks really good, and he is quite different from the people who came to see you before. You should hurry up and meet him."
Xia Qingtang has been good-looking since she was young. Although she suffered from malnutrition as a child, she still grew up to be pretty. She also inherited Xia Dahai's height, being tall and slender.
By her teens, she was the prettiest girl in school, and even then, there were plenty of brave boys who would give her candies, biscuits, and hair ties just to get a few words from her.
After graduation, she came to work in the cotton mill and immediately became the most popular girl in the mill. Not only were there many people in the factory who admired her, but many men from other units also came to see her when various opportunities arose. In the past two years, the Xia family had been frequented by matchmakers, with someone coming to propose marriage almost every month.
Xia Qingtang herself has a somewhat confused personality. Although she is extremely beautiful, she is slow to catch on. Other female classmates have long started talking about which class of boys is better, but she looks at everyone the same and has no reaction to the so-called cuteness.
Zhao Meizhen also saw through her confused and late-maturing nature, and wanted to sell this beautiful daughter for a good price. Even if she couldn't get a good price, she would at least find a good marriage for her son.
Up to now, Zhao Meizhen has not found the most suitable buyer. Her son has not returned to the city to discuss marriage yet, so she is not in a hurry to marry Xia Qingtang off. When Kong Liangchao appears, Zhao Meizhen is extremely excited because she has finally found a family with the best conditions.
The entire Kong family are cadres and live in the well-known municipal party committee compound on Dashu Road. Both Kong Liangchao and his sister studied at the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University. After graduation, one went to the Food Bureau and the other to the Transportation Bureau. Both have bright futures.
In the past, Xia Qingtang didn't know what her mother was thinking, so she foolishly followed her instructions. However, after following her instructions for decades and giving so much for her family and brother, all she got in the end was being kicked out of the house.
Seeing Xia Qingtang remained silent with a sullen face, Kong Liangchao's expression changed, but he continued confidently: "Comrade Xia, I heard that you work hard in the factory and have a high level of ideological awareness. I happen to have a classmate who works in a newspaper, and they want to find a few young, energetic, and hardworking workers as models to write new reports. I have decided to recommend Comrade Xia to him. An outstanding young comrade like you should be well publicized so that the people of the whole city will know about the labor deeds of the ordinary working class."
It is an honor for every worker to be reported in the newspaper, and if they are really reported, they can be selected as advanced workers in the factory. In the future, when there are opportunities for promotion, advanced workers will be given priority. Therefore, no one would not want to be in the newspaper.
After Kong Liangchao said this, he was complacent and waited for Xia Qingtang to change his face and welcome him.
"I don't know you, and I don't know what you are talking about. If you want to find advanced comrades, you can go to the factory office. Our factory selects several advanced comrades every year." Xia Qingtang walked past Kong Liangchao very indifferently, then walked to the door of the security room and said seriously: "Comrade Li, I am a female comrade. Please don't let any male comrades who are not related to me enter the factory in the future. If there is a next time, I will directly report this matter to the chairman of the labor union."
The union is responsible for protecting workers' rights. The union chairman of the cotton mill is a warm-hearted middle-aged female comrade. If Xia Qingtang really goes to find her, she will definitely criticize Xiao Li severely and may even change Xiao Li's position.
The security department is a lucrative job, much easier than front-line workers. Moreover, the security department personnel at this time can join the joint defense team. After working for a long time, they can be transferred to become police officers with some connections. Xiao Li certainly didn't want to leave here, so he quickly said: "I'll make a note of it, I won't do it next time, and don't spread it around."
"I won't say anything nonsense. Comrade Li, you are a good comrade. I remember everything." Xia Qingtang gave Xiao Li a smile and walked straight out.
Kong Liangchao was shocked. He didn't expect that even after he proposed to put the advertisement in the newspaper, he still couldn't get Xia Qingtang's attention. His face darkened and he immediately chased after her to ask for an explanation, but was stopped by Xiao Li at the gate: "Wait, what are you doing? You still want to chase after a female comrade? The female comrade said she didn't know you anymore, what are you doing? Are you being a hooligan? I have seen your work ID, I will tell your boss later!"
At this moment, the crime of adultery is a serious crime. Even if Kong Liangchao's family has a background, this happened in public and so many workers who were off work saw it. If Kong Liangchao really chased after him at this time, he would probably get into big trouble. After calming down for three seconds, he could only swallow his anger and watch Xia Qingtang's figure disappear around the corner.
Wen Xiaoli caught up with Xia Qingtang and walked with her towards the family quarters next door. As they walked, she asked curiously, "Qingtang, that comrade just now was dressed so elegantly and worked in an office. He had such good conditions, but you weren't happy to meet him?"
"Well, not happy." Xia Qingtang said lightly.
"So what kind of person are you excited to meet?"
"I'm still young and I just want to work hard and don't want to meet people."
At this moment, many simple workers really think this way and just want to contribute to the construction of the motherland. So when Xia Qingtang said this, Wen Xiaoli didn't think it was inappropriate. She just whispered: "But sooner or later we have to find a partner to get married. It's better to find a good one than a bad one."
"What you said makes sense." Xia Qingtang said sincerely: "Xiao Li, if you think that comrade is strong, you can take the initiative to meet him. He should still be at the door."
Wen Xiaoli blushed immediately: "What are you talking about? I don't want to meet any gay men. I'm just like you. I just want to work hard."
She is the same age as Xia Qingtang and has no experience in love, so when it comes to meeting a gay man, she would never dare to do so.
"That's right. We should all do as the factory director said, work hard, contribute to the country and the people, and not always think about our own personal affairs." Xia Qingtang raised the level of the conversation, and Wen Xiaoli did not dare to mention Kong Liangchao's matter again.
Xia Qingtang would never mention this matter, but she knew that based on Kong Liangchao's character, this matter was definitely not over yet.
He has been used to a good life since he was a child, and has had a smooth journey. He has never suffered any setbacks in either study or work. This has led to his extremely high self-esteem. This time he was rejected in person by Xia Qingtang and lost face. He will definitely make it up to her.
But Xia Qingtang was not afraid. She had been through everything. As long as she didn't agree, could Kong Liangchao still take advantage of her?
After working peacefully for a few more days, Xia Qingtang gradually became familiar with the current pace of life.
Although the work was hard, her coworkers were all very friendly and no one made her feel irritated. It was much better than being a nanny for her cousin's family.
The family is peaceful now. Zhao Meizhen still doesn't talk to her, but she doesn't dare to leave out her share when cooking.
Xia Qingtang ate when he was hungry and slept when he was tired. During his break, he would take his library card to the nearby public library and spend half a day reading books and newspapers, catching up on old news that he had long forgotten. His life was not bad.
That day, Xia Qingtang came back from her early shift and saw that her parents were not at home, so she made dinner by herself.
She is a good cook, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to work as a nanny for so many years. But there are not many ingredients available at home now, so she can only make the simplest meals.
When her parents came back from outside, she brought the cooked mung bean and millet porridge, steamed pumpkin and pickles to the table.
Zhao Meizhen held up an envelope and said with great joy, "We can come back from Qinghai in October! My internal retirement can be completed in September. Qinghai said in the letter that he has reported to the brigade and it will be approved next month. When I retire, Qinghai will take the acceptance documents here and go home. After so many years, we can finally come back from Qinghai!"
Xia Daming was also very happy. Although his wife's lung disease was a serious problem, it allowed his son to return to the city early, which was really a great joy.
Only the front-line workers in their cotton mill have the opportunity to retire due to illness. Those working in other factories where it does not affect their health are still enduring the pain of separation from their children.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything. She filled herself a large bowl of millet porridge and started eating with homemade pickles.
"There are only two children in our family. If Qingtang hadn't been unlucky and was five years older than Qingtang, it would have been Qingtang who went to the countryside to work. Our Qinghai is so smart, if she was in the factory, she would have made a name for herself in the past two years. But Qingtang is so useless that she can't even become a team leader after working so hard." Zhao Meizhen also served herself some millet porridge and complained about her daughter while eating.
Xia Qingtang sneered in his heart, but continued to eat calmly.
Anyway, she had long been accustomed to this. To Zhao Meizhen, only Xia Qinghai was her sweetheart, and she was just a rotten straw that could be disposed of at will.
Xia Daming said, "That's not the case. It's so hard to be sent to the countryside. I feel more at ease if I let her go to Qinghai. As a girl, her family will always be worried if she goes to the mountains. Besides, isn't Qinghai going to be back soon? Why are you talking about this now?"
"You just feel sorry for this money-loser." Zhao Meizhen glared at Xia Qingtang and said, "I have to clean up Qinghai's house next month. I also have to go back to my mother's house and ask my second brother to find someone to help buy a new pair of leather shoes. I have already made a new shirt and new pants for Qinghai with the fabric you brought back. When Qinghai comes back dressed decently, we can talk about marriage for him. He is already 25 years old. When you were his age, you already had two children."
Xia Daming nodded in agreement: "We have to find a date for Qinghai. When the time comes, ask Sister Wei from the factory for help. She is always the best at matchmaking. After Qinghai gets married, we can find one for Qingtang as well. Then we will have completed our mission."
Zhao Meizhen frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's hard to say about Qingtang."
"Why is it difficult to say? In the past two years, someone has come to our house every month to say that you have always looked down on him." Xia Daming said, "Wait until Qinghai comes back. He is smart, let him help my sister to check. Qingtang is not that smart, so it would be best to find someone who is honest. It would be even better if he works in our factory, so that he can be allocated two bungalows."
Zhao Meizhen was immediately unhappy. She said, "Find someone from the factory? Who should we find? The factory director, secretary, and deputy director don't have single sons in their families."
"Ah? How can our family marry into a family like the factory director?" Xia Daming was very surprised. He wanted to say a few more words, but he heard the voice of a cheerful middle-aged woman outside: "Lao Xia, Lao Zhao, are you at home?"
Hearing this voice, Xia Qingtang hadn't reacted yet, when Zhao Meizhen stood up and greeted him with a smile on her face: "I'm at home, I'm at home, Director Wu, why are you here?"
Director Wu is the women's director of the street. She is warm and generous, and is especially good at mediating family conflicts and matchmaking for young people. Moreover, her status is different, so those who seek her out for matchmaking are usually families with some reputation. That is why Zhao Meizhen is particularly enthusiastic.
Sure enough, Director Wu said the next second: "I am here to tell you a great event. There is a very good and progressive young man who wants to be a revolutionary partner with your Qingtang."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
