Chapter 37
"Who's arguing with whom?" Xie Jinxuan whispered, "I didn't hear any sound."
"It's in your grandfather's study, so there's no sound." Aunt Six looked very nervous. "What do you think we should do?"
"Who is arguing with whom? Grandpa and grandma? What is it about? Where are my dad and mom?" Xie Jinxuan looked around suspiciously, and indeed did not see Xie Chengye and his mother.
Generally speaking, if grandpa and grandma quarreled, Xie Chengye and Xie's mother would definitely go to mediate, and the two old people usually would not quarrel in Grandpa Xie's study. Grandma would definitely sit in the living room and let others make the decision for her.
Aunt Six said, "No, no, of course it wasn't your grandparents who came to quarrel. It was someone from outside, a man named Zhang Yong, who ran over with murderous intent and looked extremely angry. I don't know what happened, but I only know that he came to look for your grandpa. Your mom didn't look too good at the time, so she immediately ran out to look for your dad."
"Zhang Yong? I know. It's what happened to Xiao Yun and the others this morning." Xie Jinxuan explained to Xia Qingtang, "The white-skinned kid is Zhang Yong's son."
"How dare he come here? The book was borrowed by his son, why would he come to our house?" Xia Qingtang whispered, "Where is Xiao Yunren? Where is grandma?"
"Everyone went out. After you left, Xiaoyun said that she had finished her homework and wanted to go out to play basketball. Your grandmother also wanted to go out for a walk, so she went out with Xiaoyun. As for your father, he went out after taking a nap. I don't know where he went." Aunt Six said, "Anyway, before the old man closed the door, I heard Zhang Yong say some very unpleasant words, and then I didn't dare to go over to listen. There must be a quarrel inside. Jinxuan, there is no one else at home now, how about... you knock on the door and go over to take a look?"
"It would be too deliberate for me to go over there, and it wouldn't be appropriate." Xie Jinxuan said, "How long has Zhang Yong been here?"
"Not long, maybe ten minutes."
"Did you give him some water?"
"What water do you want? There's a quarrel going on inside. I'm not a fool, how can I go over and deliver water?"
Xia Qingtang understood: "Do you want me or Aunt Six to bring in a cup of tea and then see what happens?"
"Yes, it would not be appropriate for me to go, and it would easily arouse people's suspicion. You can go in and bring a glass of water, and it will look normal."
Xia Qingtang said, "Okay, then I'll go in and see what's going on inside. And I was there this morning, so if anyone asks me, I can answer them right away."
Aunt Six quickly found a white porcelain cup for guests, made a cup of tea, and then handed it to Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang was not nervous at all. She walked to the study with the cup in her hand and knocked on the door naturally.
Grandpa's voice came from inside: "What's the matter?"
"I'm Qingtang. Aunt Six asked me to bring a cup of tea to the guests."
"Come in."
Xia Qingtang opened the door and walked in with tea in hand.
This was the first time she walked into her grandfather's study. The area inside was not very large. Opposite the door was a large desk. Behind the desk was a window. On both sides were bookshelves filled with books and various file bags, as well as many old-looking notebooks with her grandfather's name written on the cover.
There were many books and documents on the big desk, as well as a large pen holder with many pencils, two pens and an old ruler in it. Although there were many things, they were all arranged in an orderly manner and not messy at all.
The man called Zhang Yong was sitting on a wooden stool opposite the desk. He looked somewhat similar to the white-skinned classmate, and both were good-looking. However, he looked grim and was obviously very unhappy.
Grandpa had a gentle look on his face, as if nothing had happened.
"Put the tea here, thank you." Grandpa even smiled at Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang placed the teacup on the empty seat next to Zhang Yong and prepared to leave.
At this time, Grandpa spoke again, and he said, "Qingtang, wait a moment."
"Yes." Xia Qingtang stopped.
"You've been at home all day today, right?"
"Yes."
"Were you there when Xiaoyun and her classmates were reading miscellaneous books at home this morning?"
"I was there the whole time." Xia Qingtang said, "Grandpa, do you have any questions?"
Grandpa said: "Yes, this Comrade Zhang Yong is Xiaoyun's father. He came to our house because of the book and asked our Xiaoyun to apologize to his children and their family, saying that Xiaoyun had led his classmates astray. But I don't know exactly what happened. Xiaoyun is not at home now, and I was not there at the time..."
"You weren't there? Didn't I tell you what happened? It was your grandson who borrowed the book and forced my son to read it with him!" Zhang Yong said rudely, "You can't ignore the words of little people like us just because you are a big leader, right?"
Grandpa smiled and said, "That's definitely not what I meant. I just thought that since neither of us were there at the time, why not find someone who was there to ask her what she saw at the time."
"Then tell me, what did you see at that time?" Zhang Yong looked at Xia Qingtang, "I don't believe you can still lie to me!"
Xia Qingtang said: "I was listening to the radio downstairs at the time, and two children came to find Xiaoyun. I asked them if they wanted to go upstairs to do their homework, and they said yes. I wanted to bring them some tea, but was rejected, so I didn't go up. Later, my mother came back and heard that Xiaoyun was in the bedroom with her classmates, so she went to Xiaoyun's bedroom. My grandmother and I followed her upstairs and saw that my mother had confiscated a book, but I didn't see the content, so I didn't know what book it was. Afterwards, my grandmother asked them who the book belonged to. The little classmate with white skin said that she borrowed it from a classmate, but everyone in the class had read it..."
Xia Qingtang tried his best to restore the entire content of the conversation at that time and imitated the child's tone as much as possible.
When she finished, Grandpa said, "So, the book was brought into our house by those two kids, not borrowed by Xiaoyun?"
"Yes, it was not Xiaoyun who borrowed the book. It was the white-skinned child who borrowed the book. So, grandma gave it to him and asked him to return it to his classmate at school."
Zhang Yong was so angry that he was shaking all over: "You are slandering me! Well, I knew that you, your family, really united to wrongly accuse my child! Comrade, let me tell you, our Zhang Yueyuan is an honest child! He has always studied hard and has good grades in the class, almost always among the top students every year! If it weren't for your Xie Jinyun who led him astray, he would never read that kind of book! He told me that it was Xie Jinyun who wanted to read it, and it was Xie Jinyun who borrowed it, and it was Xie Jinyun who invited him to read it at home. Tell me, if it wasn't a book borrowed by your child, why would our Zhang Yueyuan come to your house to read it? If my son borrowed it, wouldn't he peek at home? He told me that it was your Xie Jinyun who was afraid of being discovered by his family, so he stuffed it into his schoolbag after reading it and asked him to carry it home. You actually wronged my child in front of me, you comrade are so bad!"
Xia Qingtang said, "I just described every word truthfully. Whether it was fabricated or not, isn't there a child? What's the name of the black child? Ask him over and we'll know who is lying. I don't know why Comrade Zhang is so angry. Since we both hold our own opinions and don't trust each other, then ask the child to come over and testify. There's nothing to be angry about. You are wrongly accusing our child, but I'm not angry with you, am I?"
Zhang Yong immediately said, "Okay, I'll go find that kid. His name is Huang Liangliang, and he lives in the building over there. I'll go find him now and prove it to you!"
"Okay, then I'll go with you to find him." Xia Qingtang said with a smile: "You've spent a lot of time talking to Huang Liangliang along the way, and I don't know what you two will say, so, in order to ensure fairness, let's go together so we can supervise each other."
Zhang Yong laughed angrily: "What you meant by that is obviously that I will let Huang Liangliang lie."
"I didn't say that. You misunderstood it. Anyway, there is no point in saying anything now. Let's go and find Huang Liangliang now." As he said that, Xia Qingtang made an inviting gesture.
Zhang Yong strode out aggressively, Xia Qingtang followed behind him. They walked to the living room one after the other. Xie Jinxuan asked, "What's wrong?"
"Comrade Zhang and I are going out to look for Huang Liangliang. It's nothing. We'll be back soon. You can go to your grandfather's place and keep him company first. Also, Aunt Six, can you go look for grandma?"
Aunt Six immediately said, "Okay, I'll go find her."
"That's it for now. I'm going out." After saying that, Xia Qingtang went out with Zhang Yong.
Huang Liangliang's family lives in the four-story building over there. Zhang Yong stood downstairs and shouted, and then he saw Huang Liangliang sticking his head out of a window on the second floor.
"Come out for a moment, I have something to talk to you about!" Zhang Yong said.
Seeing Xia Qingtang was also nearby, Huang Liangliang realized that it was related to what happened in the morning, so he quickly closed the window and ran downstairs.
He whispered, "What's wrong? Uncle, what's the matter?"
"I found a miscellaneous book whose name I cannot reveal in Zhang Yueyuan's schoolbag, and when I asked him where it came from, he said that Xie Jinyun wanted to read it, so she borrowed it and asked you two to go to Xie's house to read it. After reading it, Xie Jinyun was afraid that his family would find out, so he stuffed the book into our Zhang Yueyuan's schoolbag and forced him to help hide it. Tell me, is this true?" Zhang Yong looked at Xia Qingtang very arrogantly, and then looked at Huang Liangliang very confidently.
Huang Liangliang whispered, "No, the book was borrowed by Zhang Yueyuan. He had wanted to read it for a long time, but his classmates were scrambling to borrow books, so he couldn't borrow it before. This week it was finally his turn to borrow it. Coincidentally, we were the only three people in the class who hadn't read it yet, so Zhang Yueyuan said yesterday that the three of us could find a place to read it together. I originally wanted to find a small forest by the river behind to read it secretly, so I wouldn't be discovered, but Zhang Yueyuan said that Xie Jinyun had a separate room and his parents never entered his room, so it would be better to go to Xie's house to read it. Xie Jinyun said that the adults were not at home today, so he agreed to let us go. When we went to Xie's house, only her sister-in-law was at home, and we didn't go to the upstairs bedroom. But we read for a while, and Xie Jinyun's mother came back. Her mother broke into the room and confiscated the book. I was so scared at the time that I cried. Fortunately, his parents educated us and asked the three of us to write a letter of guarantee, promising not to make the same mistake again in the future, and then let us go home. Uncle, this is what happened, I didn't lie, don't tell my parents..."
Zhang Yong's expression looked increasingly strange. As he listened, he began to frown, and his face became increasingly darker.
Xia Qingtang said: "Don't worry, I promised you before that I would never tell your parents."
Huang Liangliang looked carefully at the place not far away, and then quickly said, "Can I go home now? My family should be back soon. If they see us standing here, they will ask us..."
"Okay, you go back." Xia Qingtang said.
"No! Wait a minute! How do you prove that you are not lying? I think you are lying! Your grades are not good at all. You always rank last in every exam. You can't be trusted!" Zhang Yong shouted in a low voice: "Tell the truth, why did you wrongly accuse our Zhang Yueyuan? Did you see that Xie Jinyun's family is a big leader, so you want to curry favor with them and deliberately wronged our Zhang Yueyuan?"
Huang Liangliang was completely stunned. He stared at Zhang Yong with his small eyes, not knowing what to say.
Xia Qingtang's face darkened, and he said, "Comrade, you are going too far! Huang Liangliang told the truth, and there is no lie. On the contrary, why did you wrongly accuse this innocent child? What's wrong with his poor grades? Does poor grades mean that his character is not good? I think your child has a serious problem. So what if he always ranks among the top in the exams? Your child lied and wronged our Xie Jinyun! You are exactly the same as your child. You are both liars and like to wrongly accuse others. If you still don't believe this child, you can go to our house. When grandma comes back, she will show you the three letters of guarantee. Your own child, the letter of guarantee written by hand, can prove that I did not lie, and Huang Liangliang did not lie either. If you still don't believe it, you can ask that classmate Liu Jun. Your child borrowed the book from Liu Jun. It's impossible that all the children got together just to wrongly accuse your Zhang Yueyuan, right? He is a great man. Why do we all want to wrong him collectively?"
"They are jealous of my Zhang Yueyuan's good grades!" Zhang Yong is still trying to make excuses.
Xia Qingtang laughed angrily: "If I remember correctly, your Zhang Yueyuan's grades were always ranked behind our Xie Jinyun's, right? Why don't these classmates envy Xiaoyun, but go to envy your child?"
Huang Liangliang's tears flowed down his cheeks as he sobbed, "I didn't lie, what I said was true. If you don't believe me, go ask Liu Jun in the class. It was the book that Zhang Yueyuan borrowed. He had wanted to read it for a long time. Xie Jinyun and I didn't dare to read it at first. Xie Jinyun wasn't interested, and I was timid and afraid of being scolded if people knew about it. It was Zhang Yueyuan who told us that everyone in the class had read it, and it would be so embarrassing if we didn't read it, and no one would find out, so we agreed. I didn't lie, why did you say I was lying? What's wrong with my poor grades? I have never lied before, sob, sob..."
Huang Liangliang looked very aggrieved. Xia Qingtang took out two pieces of folded straw paper from his pocket, handed them to Huang Liangliang to wipe his tears, and then whispered, "Good boy, don't cry. I know you are not lying. At worst, we can accompany you to find Liu Jun and ask him to prove it for you."
Zhang Yong's face turned red and white, he gritted his teeth and said nothing. Xia Qingtang turned to look at him: "Why are you silent now? Are you going back to our house to read the guarantee letter, or go find Liu Jun, the classmate who lent your son the book? I will accompany you to the end today. Wherever you go to verify, I will follow you."
Zhang Yong sneered: "You have a lot of free time, but I don't have that much time. I want to go back."
"You want to go back? You first wronged our Xie Jinyun, and now you wronged Huang Liangliang. You want to run away without even saying an apology?" Xia Qingtang said, "As an adult, don't you feel ashamed?"
Zhang Yong gnashed his teeth and said, "Why do you care so much? I tell you, don't make me angry. If you do, I will expose this matter and let everyone know that Xie Qiming's grandson reads that kind of book at home. I wonder what your family will do!"
"Oh, sure. If you have the guts, go ahead and tell them. Your son's letter of guarantee is still in our house. He wrote it himself! If our family is affected, do you think your son will be able to run away? I think he should be expelled from school and sent to the countryside to work in the production team. Anyway, for such a bad kid who lies and wrongly accuses his classmates, there is no point in studying more. It's better for him to go to the production team earlier." Xia Qingtang said with a smile, "Go and tell others now. I'm not stopping you."
Zhang Yong was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe. He himself was barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes, but he was afraid that his son would be affected.
Xia Qingtang sneered: "Why? You don't dare to go? Are you afraid that your son will be expelled? If that's the case, then go home and educate your son honestly, and don't come out and wrongly accuse other people's children. What do you think?"
"I understand. I won't tell anyone." Zhang Yong said with his neck stiff, and his teeth seemed to be almost broken by his biting.
After saying that, he turned and left.
Xia Qingtang stopped him: "Wait! You haven't apologized to classmate Huang Liangliang yet!"
Zhang Yong was so angry that he almost fainted, but Xia Qingtang looked serious. If he didn't apologize, today's matter would never end.
There was no other way, Zhang Yong could only grit his teeth and said bitterly: "Huang Liangliang, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have wronged you."
"Student Huang Liangliang, are you willing to forgive him?" Xia Qingtang asked softly.
Huang Liangliang nodded cautiously: "Yes."
"Okay, Comrade Zhang, you can leave now, but don't forget to go to our house and apologize to my grandfather." Xia Qingtang said in a deep voice: "I'm not kidding you."
Zhang Yong was so angry that veins on his neck and forehead were throbbing as if they were about to burst. It was obvious how angry he was, but he really didn't dare to refuse. He could only swallow his anger and walk towards the Xie family.
After he left, Xia Qingtang whispered, "Huang Liangliang, don't cry, it's okay, don't worry, no one will tell anyone about this."
"I...I understand...thank you...thank you." Huang Liangliang said in a low voice, hesitated for a few seconds and said: "Sister, you are so awesome."
"Thank you for your compliment. You should go home quickly and wash your face. Don't let your family find out." After Xia Qingtang said this, he turned around and walked back.
But she walked very slowly, and when she reached the door of her house, Zhang Yong had already run out angrily.
When he saw Xia Qingtang, he spat at the ground fiercely and ran away in panic.
Xia Qingtang thought this person was quite interesting, so he walked into the house with a smile.
In the living room, Grandpa was standing there talking to Xie Jinxuan. When he saw Xia Qingtang coming back, Grandpa smiled and said, "Comrade Zhang Yong just came to apologize to me, saying that his child lied and wronged Xiaoyun. He also said that he was irrational and impulsive and angry with me, which was also wrong. I said it was okay and let him go back. Before he went back, he said something to me."
Xia Qingtang realized that this sentence might be related to him, so he asked: "What did you say? Is it about me?"
"Yes, he said angrily, 'You have found a good grandson's wife, but I don't think your family will have peace in the future.'"
Xia Qingtang laughed: "Did he really say that? Thank him so much."
Being described like this means that Xia Qingtang is finally no longer the cowardly, incompetent and useless person that others see him as.
So this sentence is not an insult to her, but a compliment.
Grandpa laughed: "Qingtang, you are such an interesting child! You don't mind at all when others say this to you, and you even take it as a compliment?"
"If a good and kind person said this to me, it would definitely not be a compliment, but a criticism of me. But Comrade Zhang Yong is not a good person. He just personally accused Huang Liangliang of being wronged. Being told bad things about me by such a person is a compliment." Xia Qingtang said righteously.
Grandpa pondered over this sentence and his eyes lit up: "Your analysis is correct. Indeed, if bad guys think you are not easy to mess with, it is actually a compliment. Qingtang, you are a very insightful child!"
Xia Qingtang was praised by Xie's mother and grandfather for being "very insightful" in one day, and he felt happy: "Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa. I will continue to learn and keep working hard."
Grandpa laughed again, then he patted Xie Jinxuan on the shoulder and said, "This is a great revolutionary partner. Grandpa hopes that you two will work together and make progress together."
As she was talking, Aunt Six came running in with Grandma in a panic: "Hurry up, hurry up!"
When she came in, she saw several people standing in the living room chatting, so Aunt Six asked, "Where is the person who came to quarrel?"
"Qingtang has already solved it, and he even asked that comrade to come over and apologize to me, saying it was just a misunderstanding and that everything is fine now." Grandpa smiled and said, "It's hard for you to come back in such a hurry. Are you tired? Let me pour you some water."
"Grandpa, let me do it." Xie Jinxuan took the thermos and refilled grandma's and Sixth Aunt's cups with water.
Aunt Six let out a long sigh: "It turned out to be a misunderstanding. That's good. It's all right now."
But grandma said, "What's going on? Tell me quickly, old man."
Grandpa briefly explained it, and grandma frowned and said, "So it's this matter. I felt that classmate Zhang was not a simple child this morning, but I didn't expect him to lie and wrongly accuse others. So how did Qingtang get his father to apologize?"
"It's nothing. He just threatened me and said he would tell others. I said okay, his son has a handwritten letter of guarantee here. If anything happens to our family, his son will be expelled. He will have no choice but to go to the countryside to work in the production team. He was afraid of the consequences, so he had to apologize obediently." Xia Qingtang said calmly.
Grandpa and grandma laughed at the same time. Grandma said, "Qingtang, you are amazing. It turns out that if you are caught reading this kind of book, you will be expelled. Then we must be careful and never let Xiaoyun get expelled."
"No, I don't know all that. I was just talking nonsense to scare that person." Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing.
Grandma reacted and said, "You are really smart, kid."
"Yes, Qingtang is a very good child." Grandpa said, "But let's not mention this matter anymore. Xiaoyun has realized his mistake, and I believe he will not make the same mistake again. Let's end this matter here, and everyone should stop talking about it."
"Got it." Everyone nodded to show that they understood.
The matter was over. It was not until Xie Jinyun arrived at school later that he learned from Huang Liangliang that Zhang Yueyuan's father had gone to their home to cause trouble. Later, he secretly asked Xia Qingtang about it, and she told him not to worry, as the young boy was quite honest. From then on, he felt relieved and continued to study hard.
Xia Qingtang also lived a stable life, going to get off work and coming home from work normally every day, getting along well with the Xie family, and his relationship with Xie Jinxuan was gradually heating up.
They have secretly tried some intimate activities, but have not yet reached the final step because they are worried that their family members might hear them. However, both parties are very satisfied with the current situation and are not in a hurry. They both want to save the most anticipated things for their new home.
The family has already moved out of the house. Xie Jinxuan asked an acquaintance to help with the general cleaning. After that, they will have to paint and do some simple varnishing. After everything is dry, they will put the furniture in. It is expected that they will be able to move in as early as late November, so Xia Qingtang is also looking forward to it.
The weather was getting cooler. Xia Qingtang always had a good sleep at night, nestling in Xie Jinxuan's warm arms. But when it was her turn to sleep alone after getting off work at night, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Therefore, the job transfer must be successful. She must be transferred to a position that does not require night shifts. Then she can keep the same sleeping time as Xie Jinxuan.
"Qingtang, Xiaolan is going to the message room to look for a letter. Do you want me to help you check it?" After lunch, Wen Xiaoli asked her while washing the lunch box.
Xia Qingtang said: "Okay, then help me see if there is any letter for me. Will you go with her?"
"I'm not going. I didn't sleep well last night. I'm going to take a nap for fifteen minutes. What about you?" Wen Xiaoli said and yawned.
Xia Qingtang said: "I'll go to the office and borrow a newspaper."
Today is the day when the new issue of the Workers’ Newspaper comes out. These latest newspapers can be seen in the factory office and the union’s large office.
However, front-line workers generally seldom take the initiative to read newspapers. At most, they will take a look at the newspapers posted on the bulletin boards when they pass by them.
Wen Xiaoli smiled and said, "Qingtang, you seem to like reading newspapers very much now."
"Yes, because you can learn a lot from reading newspapers." Xia Qingtang also laughed with her.
"Everyone says that you are different after you got married."
"Different? What's different?"
"Your clothes have become more beautiful. You no longer always wear hand-me-down clothes. You have a new coat and new shoes after your marriage. It has become cold these two days, and you also wear a new sweater. You look like a bride. I also think that you are getting more and more beautiful. Everyone says that your lover treats you very well. This new sweater you are wearing must not be cheap. It must be sold in the department store, right?" Wen Xiaoli said.
"I bought it at the department store." Xia Qingtang smiled, "My wife is really good to me."
"Everyone also said that you seem to have gained some weight. You are not as thin as before, and your face is always too pale. Now you look rosy and more beautiful than before."
"This is also thanks to my lover." Xia Qingtang touched her cheek, which was indeed rounder than before.
From the time they got married until now, the two have never had a quarrel. Xie Jinxuan is a person with a very stable personality. When Xia Qingtang is occasionally unhappy, he can always think of a way to coax her at the first time, not to mention that his family’s living environment is so good.
Xia Qingtang can eat eggs every two days, fish or meat once a week, and she can also eat vegetarian meals and be full every time. Now that the food has improved, she has even gained a little weight and naturally become more beautiful.
"I'm so happy for you. Fortunately, you didn't listen to your mother. Now you can live so happily. Every day when I see you, I feel that there is always happiness in your eyes." Wen Xiaoli said: "Looking at you, I want to find a partner. However, there is no rush for the time being. I want to work hard first. The last time your brother's incident reminded me that my family is very ordinary, and I am also very ordinary. I don't have any advantages, and I am not outstanding at work. If I really want to find a partner, why would the better men fall in love with me? So, I want to give it a try first. If others can become advanced, why can't I? I will work harder than others and strive to get advanced in the factory. Then I will look for a partner!"
Xia Qingtang was a little surprised, because she didn't expect Wen Xiaoli to have thought so much, and instead of becoming depressed after the blow, she became more cheerful.
"No wonder you've been working so hard lately and often swapping night shifts with others. I was just about to remind you not to work too hard, but I didn't expect you were doing it for your own goals."
"Yes, my goal is to be the best in the whole workshop, and everyone should praise me! Of course, I am also inspired by you. I found that you often read newspapers and often say things that we can't understand. Qingtang, do you have your own goals?"
Xia Qingtang nodded: "Yes, I also have my own goals."
"Then let's work hard together!" Wen Xiaoli excitedly held Xia Qingtang's hand.
"Yeah! Let's work together!"
After the two excited young people separated, Xia Qingtang walked towards the office. Before she was halfway there, she saw the union chairman waving at her from afar: "Xiao Xia, you're on the newspaper again!"
Xia Qingtang finally breathed a sigh of relief. It had been more than half a month since she submitted her manuscript, but there was still no news. She almost thought she had failed.
Xia Qingtang walked over. This time, her expression was no longer surprised, but happy. She said, "Really? Did the Workers' Newspaper really publish my article?"
"It's true. The workers' newspaper delivered today has your article on it. I saw that it was written by Xia Qingtang from the cotton mill workshop. I was surprised. I didn't expect that you are such a good writer!" The union chairman looked Xia Qingtang up and down, then smiled and said, "Why didn't I know you had such a talent before?"
Being in the newspaper once might be a coincidence, or someone might have helped, but being in the newspaper twice would make even the union chairman think twice.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I didn't know I had this ability before. It was only after my last article was published that I thought about whether I could try to write more articles to let the public see the voices of our cotton mill workers, let everyone know more about our lives and studies, and let the society know the mental outlook of us young workers. Although our cotton mill is not a big one, we will not lose to anyone."
The union chairman agreed: "You said it very well. The front-line workers in our cotton mill are indeed not inferior to those in any big factory! The article you published in the newspaper this time is also very well written. I have read it twice. Did you write it all by yourself?"
"I wrote it myself." Xia Qingtang said, "Why are you asking this, Chairman?"
"No, no, I'm just asking. You know, our factory doesn't have anyone who can write articles like you. It's a pity that you are at the grassroots level." The union chairman's words implied something.
The point is that although Xia Qingtang may have some abilities, it is very difficult to transfer jobs now. Even if she really has abilities, she can only continue to work as a worker on the front line.
Xia Qingtang pretended not to understand. She smiled and said, "It's not a pity to be at the grassroots level. It is precisely because I am a front-line worker at the grassroots level that I can understand the voices of front-line workers and everyone's thoughts. That's why I can write this article. Chairman, can I go to the office now to take a look at the article I published?"
"Of course you can." The union chairman said with a smile, "Come on, come with me. We were all talking about this this morning. Xiao Xia, you have made great progress."
After arriving at the union office, Xia Qingtang looked around. It was exactly the same as when she worked there in her previous life. There were still the same desks, but it was cleaner than the factory office. There were also many green potted plants, which were placed there specifically to make it look better than the factory office.
Xia Qingtang read his article carefully and said happily: "I have finished reading it. Thank you, Chairman. I will go back to work now."
"Okay, you can go back." The union chairman said, "We will still post this newspaper on the bulletin board this time. If you write an article next time, you can tell me in advance so that we can make preparations."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Okay, next time if I write a submission, I'll let you know, Chairman."
After saying that, Xia Qingtang went out.
A middle-aged female comrade in the office whispered, "This Xiao Xia can be recruited as a writer, but I don't know if we can add another person."
The union chairman smiled and said, "We've only published two articles. Let's wait and see how things go. I do need a writer, but he must be someone with real talent."
"Then let's wait and see. From what she said, it seems that she will continue to write articles. I think this Xiao Xia is not simple. She seems to have some ideas."
"Her idea is very clear, she just wants to get out of the workshop. It's a pity that even if she really has the ability, she won't be able to compete with those who have connections." The union chairman said: "But I have thought about it. If the factory office adds one person, we must also add one here. In any case, we can't lose to them!"
When Xia Qingtang returned to the workshop, Tong Xiaolan handed her two letters: "Here are your letters. For you."
"Thank you." Xia Qingtang thanked him, picked up the envelope and took a look. She found that it was a reply letter from two male classmates. She put it in her bag and planned to read it after returning home.
After the morning shift, Wen Xiaoli and Xia Qingtang walked out hand in hand.
Wen Xiaoli has been working a lot of night shifts recently, so she yawned while walking and shed a lot of tears.
Xia Qingtang said, "You look so sleepy that you may fall asleep while walking. I'll take you home to prevent you from falling. I tell you, go home and have a good sleep today. Your health is the most important thing, and everything else is secondary."
"Okay, then take me back. I'm really a little lost now." Wen Xiaoli leaned her head on her shoulder and couldn't help laughing.
Xia Qingtang took her arm and sent her home, then walked out to take the bus.
Before leaving the family area, I met Xia Daming, who was carrying his cloth bag and walking slowly towards home.
The porter is in poor health. Although he is not very old, his waist is already a little hunched.
Seeing Xia Qingtang, Xia Daming immediately laughed: "Qingtang? Are you going home? There's someone at home, your mother is at home!"
Xia Qingtang said: "No, I sent Wen Xiaoli home and I have to go back now."
"Well... we've already reached the door, why don't you go home and sit for a while? I'll make you some brown sugar water." Xia Daming said with a smile, "Last time my son-in-law met me, he gave me brown sugar water and red dates, saying they were to nourish our bodies."
"Then keep it for yourself. I'll be going back now." Xia Qingtang said and continued walking forward.
Xia Daming sighed with disappointment: "Qingtang, can you really not forgive us?"
"It's not that serious. I just don't want to pretend to have a harmonious relationship with you guys anymore. You didn't care about me much before, and now we're all living our own lives, isn't that good?" Xia Qingtang said, "I already know what you asked Xie Jinxuan to bring to me last time. I can tell you now that I don't want to see Zhao Meizhen, so I won't be going back to my parents' home for the time being."
"Then...are you living well in their home?" Xia Daming thought about it again and again and could only utter this sentence.
"It's pretty good. Their whole family is very nice to me, a hundred times better than my biological parents."
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