Chapter 64
He stood there without moving, so it was impossible to tell if there was any problem with his movements, but his standing posture was obviously different from before. It seemed as if his waist was injured and he couldn't stand up straight.
Such a change made Xia Qingtang feel a little relieved. As the saying goes, there must be something hateful about a pitiful person. Du Cheng was a bright young man who had returned to the city, had a decent job, but he insisted on seeking death. He deserved to become like this.
Seeing that Du Cheng was like a puppet with no reaction, Father Du quickly reached out and pushed him: "Comrade Xia and his whole family are here, what are you doing standing there?"
Du Cheng still didn't react until his father reached out and tugged at his ear. Then he woke up from his dream and jumped to the side: "Don't! Don't!"
"What do you mean by 'otherwise'? Are you stupid?" Father Du looked at his eldest son with a resentful and helpless look. "Comrade Xia and his friends are here. Can you please stop causing trouble for us?"
Du Cheng shuddered all over, and then he noticed Xia Qingtang and the Xie family.
Whenever he saw Xia Qingtang before, he always had a malicious look in his eyes, but now when he saw Xia Qingtang, he was full of fear, especially when his eyes moved to Xie Jinxuan, he began to tremble slightly.
Seeing his strange reaction, Du's father slapped him on the back again, causing Du Cheng to shiver all over in pain.
"Comrade Lao Du, what are you doing? If you have something to say, just talk it over nicely and don't use violence." Xie Chengye said deliberately.
Father Du nodded and bowed: "This bastard deserves to be beaten."
"Then go home and beat him. There are so many people watching. Who are you beating your son in public for? It's not a good idea."
"Yes, yes, I'll teach him a lesson when I get home, and then..."
Xie Chengye said: "We are all here, and I see that the people you notified are all here. So hurry up, everyone is very busy, and if you want to apologize, hurry up."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Father Du quickly pulled Du Cheng and said, "Hurry up, where is your apology letter?"
Like a slow puppet, Du Cheng mechanically took out a folded piece of letter from his trouser pocket, opened it with trembling hands, and began to read aloud.
Before he had read two sentences, someone in the back shouted, "What are you talking about? Chanting? I can't hear what he's saying!"
"That's right! Louder! You spoke so loudly when you spread the rumor, why are you so silent now when you apologize?" This was Luo Xiangqian's voice.
"Yes, yes! Louder! An apology needs to be sincere. Does this count as an apology?"
"If you don't want to apologize, get out of here!"
…
A group of people took advantage of the situation to make a fuss. Xia Qingtang discovered that Du Cheng's body was shaking more and more violently. His hands were like those of some elderly people. The letter was shaking violently in his hands, and it was obvious that he could not control his shaking at all.
Du's father also found that something was wrong with his son, but he was helpless. He went to the hospital and the doctor said that he was fine. But after returning home, Du Cheng had nightmares all night and shouted some words that frightened his family...
Father Du couldn't believe what they said and could only pretend he knew nothing.
No matter what the eldest son went through in there, he couldn't tell anyone about it. It had to be kept deep in his heart.
Father Du also suspected that it was the Xie family who did it, but Xie Qiming's integrity and uprightness had long been well-known, and Father Du even felt that he was insulting the old man by suspecting him.
Moreover, even if it was really someone hired by the Xie family, Du Cheng deserved it. Didn't he know what kind of family that was? He actually dared to have evil thoughts about their granddaughter-in-law and spread such shameless words... This was all Du Cheng's own fault.
At this point, even if Du Cheng is disabled, they have to accept it. Fortunately, there are still two children at home. What they have to do now is to calm this matter down as soon as possible and then raise the remaining two children well.
"Du Cheng, listen to me!" Father Du reached out and grabbed his eldest son's hand, then looked directly into his frightened eyes and said in a deep voice: "You did something wrong, you must apologize to Comrade Xia, now is the time for you to apologize. You are also an educated youth who has been to the countryside. I believe you know what it means to correct your mistakes, and I believe you have the courage to apologize. Come on, raise your letter and read it out loud!"
Du Cheng's trembling slowly calmed down as his father spoke. He took a few deep breaths and finally began to read the apology letter aloud in a voice that everyone in the front row could hear.
The apology letter was well written, but the wording was rather old-fashioned and didn't seem like it was written by Du Cheng himself.
But it doesn’t matter who wrote it. What matters is that Du Cheng apologized amid everyone’s ridicule and contempt.
Moreover, killing the chicken to scare the monkey is very effective. Anyone who dares to talk nonsense in the future will have to consider whether he has the courage to face this situation.
After that, no one interrupted Du Cheng's reading. He lowered his head and finished reading the apology letter, standing there like a wooden stake.
Father Du quickly held down his head and forced him to bow in the direction of Xia Qingtang, then he bowed as well, saying, "Du Cheng knows he was wrong and will never do such a foolish thing again. Comrade Xia, please forgive him this time and give him a chance to reform."
Xia Qingtang looked at Du Cheng's trembling and timid appearance, and said in a deep voice: "Not all apologies can be forgiven. Apologizing is what the person who did something wrong must do, but forgiveness is not what the victim must do, so I will not forgive him, but I have received this apology."
After this sentence was spoken, everyone present was stunned, especially Father Du.
Almost everyone agrees that if you apologize, you should be forgiven. Why don't you forgive him after he apologized? Moreover, he apologized in such a high-profile manner in front of everyone, how dare you not forgive him? Aren't you afraid of being accused of being narrow-minded and lacking class friendship?
But anyone with a little bit of common sense would realize that what Xia Qingtang said was correct. Who says that you have to forgive someone after you apologize? No matter how small the matter is, the person being apologized has the right to choose not to forgive.
After Xia Qingtang finished speaking, he turned to look at Xie Jinxuan and whispered, "Let's go back and prepare lunch."
"Okay." Xie Jinxuan gently took her hand and led her forward.
Everyone automatically made way for them and watched Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan walk out hand in hand.
Xie Chengye also reacted at this time, he said: "Old Du, don't forget to go door to door to clarify the matter with those who spread rumors about your son starting tomorrow. Our family will find someone to verify it, and it won't count if anyone is missing."
Father Du came back to his senses and said, "Don't worry, we won't lose anyone."
"That's fine, let's go." After saying that, Xie Chengye also helped his grandmother walk out.
After the Xie family had all left, someone said, "The daughter-in-law the Xie family married is quite interesting."
"Yeah, this female comrade is pretty amazing. In a scene like this with so many people around, if it were me, I would probably say I forgave him for the sake of face, but she dared to say she didn't forgive him. Tsk tsk, she's not simple!"
"It's really not simple, and she's right. If you don't want to forgive, you shouldn't forgive. Why should you forgive that bad person after you've been hurt?"
Others said: "Don't you think she's a bit fussy? Also, it's too much... So many people are watching, what's the harm in saying forgiveness?"
"You are not petty because nothing has happened to you. Why are you pretending to be generous?" This was Luo Xiangqian's voice. He said bluntly, "There was a scallion missing from your vegetable garden, and you scolded your neighbors for three days, didn't you? How dare you say that they are petty? Comrade Xia's reputation has been slandered, so what's wrong with not forgiving him? You are not even happy about losing a scallion, and you still have the nerve to criticize him!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.
A young man who had a good relationship with Luo Xiangqian also said, "That's right. If you don't pretend to be generous when it comes to yourself, how can you expect others not to care?"
"I think the person who said this is the same as Du Cheng! He just wants the victim to forgive him because he did something bad!"
“That’s right!”
Everyone was talking at once, and the man became red in the face and ran away.
Du Cheng was also supported by his parents and slowly moved out of the crowd.
Everyone noticed that they were moving outward, and someone said, "Du Cheng, are you lame? Why are you walking like this?"
Du Cheng kept his head down and remained silent. Du's mother was probably a little unconvinced, so she said, "He was beaten inside, and we went to the hospital but couldn't find any injuries. Don't you think this is weird? Who knows if someone deliberately hurt my son?"
"Why are you deliberately doing this? If you have the guts, just tell your son not to go in!" An aunt said, "I'm telling you, there's no evidence, don't make up rumors again!"
Father Du glared at Mother Du fiercely. Mother Du shuddered and said quickly, "I didn't, I didn't, I didn't say anything. You... have you seen enough? Move aside. I'll take the children back to rest."
"Don't just take the child home to rest. Teach him some lessons on how to behave. He's only been incarcerated for ten days. If he makes a big mistake in the future, you won't have time to regret it."
"That's it, educate your children well."
Amid the ridicule of the crowd, Du's father and mother took Du Cheng back home with red faces. The crowd then slowly dispersed, and only the people playing basketball were left on the court.
On the other side, the Xie family who returned home were also discussing Du Cheng’s matter.
Grandma said, "The pregnant girl looked so different. If her parents hadn't been standing next to her, I would have almost failed to recognize her."
Xie's mother also said, "Yes, he is so skinny. I heard that people in there don't have enough to eat. It's useless to send clothes and food in. There are boss-like people in there. If you send them in, they will be snatched away. If he knows how to talk and behave, he might be more comfortable in there. But Du Cheng doesn't look like a nice person, and his words are rude. Maybe he offended someone in there and was taught a lesson by them."
"He should be taught a lesson. It's really outrageous for a man in his twenties to do such a thing." Grandma said, "I hope he learns from his lesson and becomes a better person in the future."
Xie Chengye looked at his eldest son with a meaningful look. Xie Jinxuan smiled at him innocently. Xie Chengye was amused: "Are you pretending to be ignorant in front of me?"
Xie Jinxuan said, "Dad, what are you talking about? Why don't I understand?"
"You don't understand, right? If you don't understand, forget it. You'd better do it cleanly without any handle. Otherwise, even if I can let you go, your grandfather won't let you go either." Xie Chengye lowered his voice, fearing that his grandmother and the others would hear him.
Xie Jinxuan still smiled innocently: "I still don't understand what Dad said. How could someone as smart as me have any handle on him?"
"That's OK. You're grown up now, and I can't control you anymore. You will definitely be more successful than me in the future. I'll just say one thing: some things can't go beyond the limit. Do you understand?" After saying that, Xie Chengye went to the study upstairs.
Xia Qingtang chatted with her grandmother and Xie's mother for a few words. Seeing that it was already half past nine, she quickly said, "I have to go home to cook. It will be too late if I am any later."
Grandma immediately said, "Let's go over and help you."
"No need. Xie Jinxuan is here to help me. Grandma and mom are resting at home. We can just go there at 11:30." After saying that, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan left with a full bamboo basket.
When they arrived at the gate of the small courtyard, Sister Chen from next door saw the bamboo basket in Xie Jinxuan's hand and immediately said, "You guys made so many vegetables today? Where did you dig these bamboo shoots? I checked all the ones around here, and they haven't started to grow yet."
Xie Jinxuan said: "We dug it at a place a little further away. You can also go there by bike. It's just over the Nanhe River."
"Really? I'll go over and take a look tomorrow morning." Sister Chen added, "These bamboo shoots are really big. Just look at them. You dug so many."
Xia Qingtang said: "Yes, grandpa and grandma, dad and mom are all coming here for dinner today, so we need to prepare more dishes."
"If you're treating us to a meal, then you'll have a lively lunch." Sister Chen said and went in.
Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang entered the house, and Xia Qingtang said, "Sister Chen must want bamboo shoots, but it's a pity that I need this today, otherwise I would give her two."
"Two sticks are useless. If she wants to eat, she should dig it herself." Xie Jinxuan said, "Okay, Chef Xia, shall we start working now?"
"Let's get started! First, peel the bamboo shoots and light the stove outside. I'll tell you what to do next." Xia Qingtang took off his coat, put on an apron, rolled up his sleeves, and began to bustle around in the yard and the kitchen.
Although they had moved in a long time ago, either she had something to do, Xie Jinxuan had something to do, or Grandpa Xie was too busy to eat, so they kept putting it off until today when they could all have lunch together.
As there are plenty of vegetables in spring, Xia Qingtang plans to cook a good meal for everyone to taste.
She and Xie Jinxuan were busy for about two hours when grandma and the others came over. Before they even reached the entrance of the yard, they smelled a very strong aroma, as if someone was cooking soup.
Aunt Liu sniffed and said, "This smells so delicious! What delicious food is Qingtang cooking?"
When the neighbors saw Grandpa Xie, they all ran out to greet him.
Grandpa Xie responded with a smile and followed everyone into the small courtyard.
"The vegetable fields have been planted, and the trees have been planted. This yard looks quite lively." Grandpa Xie couldn't help but praise it as he looked at the clean little yard.
Grandma said, "Yes, I was worried that the two children would have a messy life on their own, but who knew that they would do things neatly and in an orderly manner. Xiaoliu and I are relieved."
Xia Qingtang heard the noise and ran out quickly: "Grandpa and grandma, mom and dad, Aunt Liu, Xiaoyun, do you want to sit in the yard or in the living room for a while? The sun is nice today, you can sit anywhere."
Their small yard is not very big, but the small trees have not grown up yet, so it still looks quite spacious. It is completely possible to put a small table for four people to drink tea and bask in the sun.
Grandpa Xie said, "I'll go in and sit down. I'll take a look at what your house looks like."
So everyone followed them in, except Xie Jinyun, who wanted to play outside because he was already familiar with the house.
Seeing that everyone had come in, Xie Jinxuan quickly took out the teacups and made some tea. Grandpa Xie visited several rooms and saw that they were clean and tidy. He returned to the living room and sat down with satisfaction, saying, "The living room is a little small, but the bedroom is big."
"These rows of houses are all like this, with small living rooms and small yards. It's okay to have one child, but if you have two, there will be no place for children to play," said Xie Chengye.
Grandma said, "It's too early to have a baby. Jinxuan still has to prepare for college entrance exams."
"I know, I'm just talking." Xie Chengye quickly looked at Xia Qingtang, "I definitely don't mean to urge you to have children. I also think you are still young, and I am not ready to be a grandfather myself. Xiaoyun is still a student, and I am still a student's father. It's fine like this."
Everyone laughed at this remark. Xia Qingtang brought over the tea tray he had prepared in advance, and said with a smile: "I understand what Dad means. After all, Dad is still so young and really doesn't look like Grandpa at all."
There are melon seeds, peanuts, homemade fried dough sticks and some candied dates on the tea tray, all of which are very suitable for drinking tea.
"Yeah, I also think I'm young. I don't have any white hair on my head." Xie Chengye showed off his hair.
Grandma said: "That's because your parents don't have many white hairs, so you don't either."
Xia Qingtang set the tea tray and went to the kitchen to finish the last dish. Aunt Liu quickly followed him and said, "What are you stewing in the yard? It smells so good."
"It's pickled pork with preserved vegetables. We have fresh bamboo shoots and bacon today, so we just happened to make it. Mom bought us a new clay pot before we moved in, and we used it this time. It's just that the stewing time is not long enough. It would have been better if it was a little earlier." Xia Qingtang said as he quickly fried the vegetables on the coal stove.
After a while, Aunt Six came out and said, "It's almost time to eat."
Xie Jinxuan and Xie Jinyun worked together to move the round table out from the corner, and then placed enough stools there.
"You have quite a lot of stools at home." Xie Chengye asked, "Where do you usually put them?"
"Put it in the bedroom where no one sleeps. Things that are not often used are placed there." Xie Jinxuan said, "Please take a seat. I'll go serve the dishes."
Xie Jinyun also ran over to help. After a busy period, the table was set with the dishes that Xia Qingtang would use to entertain the guests today. In the center was a large casserole. Although it was covered with a lid, the aroma was so fragrant that Xie Jinyun kept sniffing.
Xia Qingtang walked over, opened the lid of the casserole with a dry rag, and introduced: "This is pickled pork with preserved vegetables. You can try the soup first."
"Yan Du Xian? How is it written? I have never heard of this dish." Xie Jinyun stood up and looked into the casserole. She saw that the soup inside was thick and white, which made people drool just by looking at it.
Mother Xie introduced the three characters and said, "Yan Du Xian is a good dish. We only eat it a few times a year in spring. It is a sophisticated dish. Qingtang, you can actually make it."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "I just learned it from others. I only know the recipe. This is my first time making it. If it doesn't taste good, don't tell anyone."
"Young people are particular about food and cook according to recipes." Xie Chengye said, "But the dishes on your table are indeed comparable to those of the old days. Come, introduce the names of the dishes to us. Some of these are not home-cooked dishes. Look at this fish."
Xia Qingtang said, "They are all home-cooked dishes, but they are made to look nicer. Let me tell you the names of the dishes. This is boiled fish fillet. The fish was bought this morning and is very fresh. This is stir-fried shepherd's purse with three delicacies, home-cooked tofu, home-cooked steamed vegetables, scrambled eggs with lettuce, salt and pepper potatoes, and sweet potato cakes. The steamed dish uses purslane, and the others are what we usually eat. There are no complicated dishes, but the pickled pork with preserved vegetables takes a little more effort."
"Isn't this complicated?" Xie's mother said, "You cut the fish fillet like a master chef. Even with this skill, it's complicated."
Aunt Six said, "This fish fillet is cut better than mine. Qingtang is quite capable at such a young age."
Everyone praised her. Xia Qingtang smiled and served everyone a bowl of pickled pork with preserved vegetables. She said, "Thank you for praising me so much. However, you haven't tasted the food yet. Eat first. It won't be too late to continue praising me after you've eaten."
Everyone laughed. Grandpa Xie took a sip of the soup first, and everyone quickly started drinking it.
Xie Jinxuan also tasted it out of curiosity. After all, Xia Qingtang had never cooked such a dish since they moved in.
"Wow, this soup is so delicious! I have never tasted such a soup! It's delicious!" Xie Jinyun was the first to shout: "Sister-in-law, you must be a god, how can it be so delicious!"
"It's really delicious. I've never tasted anything like it." Xie Chengye said.
Grandpa Xie also said: "I think the chefs in the provincial capital's restaurants are only at this level."
Grandma was a worldly-wise person. After she had eaten some, she said in a deep voice, "You really don't know anything. Qingtang's pickled pork with preserved vegetables is amazing. How can a restaurant in the provincial capital make such a dish? This tastes like the one made by an old cook in my family when I was a child."
"Since mom said so, Qingtang, you are really amazing." Xie's mother said, "Where did you get the recipe?"
"It's the recipe my colleague taught me, and I just made it casually." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
This is indeed true. The first time she made this dish, she learned it from a recipe book. She is indeed talented in this area.
After eating the Yan Du Xian, everyone started eating other dishes. They found that every dish was delicious. The boiled fish fillets were spicy and fragrant, the fish fillets were tender and smooth, and the fish bones were removed very cleanly.
Although the other dishes were all home-cooked dishes, the taste of the ones she made was completely different from that of Aunt Liu and was delicious in its own way.
Xie Jinyun was still a child, and children were most interested in salt and pepper potatoes and sweet potato cakes. She ate a lot of potato cubes, one at a time, and then started eating sweet potato cakes.
"Sister-in-law, this sweet potato pancake smells so good. Please make it again next week." Xie Jinyun pleaded.
"I'll make it for you if I have time." Xia Qingtang said, "You really like sweet food."
Sweet potato cakes are made by kneading sweet potatoes with flour and glutinous rice flour. The middle is also filled with sweet potatoes. Steamed sweet potato puree is mixed with sweet milk and sprinkled with a little black sesame seeds. It is rolled into small balls and wrapped with the outer cake skin. After rolling, it is flattened and fried in a pan. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sweet and fragrant. No wonder Xie Jinyun likes it. Xia Qingtang himself likes it very much too.
Sweet potatoes are cheap, so she can cook a large pot of them each time. Even if she needs rapeseed oil to fry them, she will cook less.
Aunt Liu ate a sweet potato pancake and said, "This doesn't seem difficult to make."
"It's not difficult." Xia Qingtang repeated the method.
“That’s easy. Qingtang doesn’t have time, so I’ll cook for everyone.” Aunt Liu said.
"Okay, anyone can cook it. I want to eat it anyway." Xie Jinyun cheered, then buried her head and continued eating.
Everyone was obviously very enthusiastic about the delicious food on the table. In the end, they ate up all the food on the table with the rice. Even the soup from the boiled fish fillets was taken by Xie Chengye and his two sons to mix with the rice.
"It's so delicious." Mother Xie said with a smile: "Qingtang, with your cooking skills, it would be a shame if you didn't become a chef."
Grandma smiled and said, "I think Qingtang can open a class to teach others how to cook. This way, the skills can be passed on."
"My skills are definitely not enough to teach a class." Xia Qingtang said with a smile: "I can only cook a few home-cooked dishes. I can't cook any real dishes."
"When a home-cooked dish is cooked like this, it's no longer just an ordinary craft." Grandma said, "Our Jinxuan has found a treasure."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "I have said this many times before."
"Are you still pretending to us? Isn't this your first time eating the pickled pork with preserved vegetables and boiled fish fillets made by Qingtang?" Mother Xie smiled.
"We can't help it. It has both salted meat and fish. We don't usually get to eat dishes like this." Xie Jinxuan said, "But it's also the most delicious when we just eat a bowl of noodles every day."
Xie Jinyun said: "Brother, can I come to your house for dinner in the future?"
"No." Xie Jinxuan rejected him mercilessly, "From now on, only when your sister-in-law is free, she can occasionally treat you to a meal on Sunday lunch."
"So stingy..." Xie Jinyun curled her lips.
Aunt Six said, "What's wrong with Xiaoyun? Don't you want to eat the food I cook from now on? Do you dislike me?"
"No, no, the food cooked by Sixth Aunt is definitely the best in the world. I just haven't eaten the food cooked by my sister-in-law, so it's a bit new." Xie Jinyun quickly grabbed Sixth Aunt's hand, "My favorite is definitely the food cooked by Sixth Aunt."
Everyone laughed, and Grandpa Xie said, "Just stay home and enjoy the food that Xiaoliu made. Your brother and sister-in-law are busy. They have to go to work and study after work."
"Oh, yes, Qingtang, how are you doing with your English?" asked Xie's mother.
"I can just say a few simple sentences." Xia Qingtang said.
Grandma asked her in English what her name was, where she came from, and how old she was, and Xia Qingtang answered them all.
Grandma smiled and said, "Your teacher taught you pronunciation very well."
"Yes, yes, I also feel that when Teacher Chenxiang speaks English it's like a foreigner speaking." Xia Qingtang had seen foreigners in her previous life and had also seen them in movies. She felt that when Guan Chenxiang spoke English it was like a foreigner speaking.
"Did Teacher Guan's father study abroad before?" Xie Chengye asked.
"Yes, that's why..." Xie Jinxuan said.
Xie's mother asked, "Now they are the only two siblings, right? I remember Xiaoguan's wife ran away with the child. Have they been found now?"
"We are looking for it. As long as she is not out of the province, we will definitely know. But if she is out of the province, it is hard to say." Xie Jinxuan said: "But Teacher Guan has also come to terms with it. If she really can't find it, there is nothing she can do. Now he just hopes to cure Teacher Guan's leg as soon as possible so that she can move freely."
"Isn't the Chinese medicine doctor you are seeing now introduced to you by Old Han? You should introduce him to Teacher Xiao Guan as soon as possible and give him a try," said grandma.
"I plan to introduce it to Teacher Xiao Guan after seeing the effect on myself. After all, her legs will need a long time to heal. If I find the wrong doctor, I will have to start all over again, which is a hassle."
"So when will you be effective?"
"It will be done soon. I've been taking a bath for a while. Doctor Chang said that after three more acupuncture treatments, I won't feel any pain when it's windy or rainy." Xie Jinxuan said.
"It's hard for us Qingtang. We have to work, study and take care of you taking a bath." Grandma said: "When you are fully recovered, you must be good to us Qingtang for the rest of your life."
Xie Jinxuan said seriously: "How can one lifetime be enough? I will find Qingtang in my next lifetime and treat her well for several lifetimes."
"Shame on you." Xie Jinyun scratched his face with his fingers.
Xie Jinxuan said confidently: "What do children know? This is not shameful. When you grow up, if you can meet a girl like this who you want to treat well for the rest of your life, it will be your blessing in this life. You have to know that many people will never meet such a girl, and even if they meet, they may not be able to be together."
Xie Jinyun was stunned by what his brother said. He stared at his brother with wide eyes, his brain stopped working.
Mother Xie reached out and rubbed her youngest son's head, then smiled and said, "Don't think about it. You can't figure it out as a child. Anyway, remember that your brother's words are right. When you go to college, you can think about this sentence."
Xie Jinyun immediately nodded foolishly, and the whole family started laughing again.
Afterwards, Grandpa Xie and Grandma wanted to go back for lunch, so Aunt Liu accompanied them.
Only Xie Jinyun stayed behind to help Xie Jinxuan clean up and wash the dishes. When they were almost done, Xie Jinyun came to Xia Qingtang and said hesitantly, "Sister-in-law, can we keep it a secret from my brother and occasionally make some desserts for me?"
Xia Qingtang was reading a book. Hearing this, he put the book down and said with a smile, "What kind of dessert do you want to eat?"
"It's all fine. Sister-in-law, you are a good cook and have many ideas. You will definitely make a lot of desserts that I haven't eaten. As long as it's made by you, I will love everything." Xie Jinyun's eyes were shining and she looked like a little greedy cat.
He should be fifteen years old this year, but children at this age will have a slower growth and development, so the fifteen-year-old boy is still thin and weak, and still looks like a child.
Xia Qingtang looked at the kitchen and whispered, "Okay, I'll make some more desserts next week and send them to you then."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Xie Jinyun cheered softly, then ran to the kitchen door and said, "Brother, I'm going back to do my homework."
"Go ahead." Xie Jinxuan had also packed up. She opened the door to let her brother go back, then closed the door again, sat next to Xia Qingtang, and began to massage her shoulders.
"What are you doing? I'm not tired." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
"How can I not be tired? I cooked so many dishes, it was like New Year's Day. I feel tired just looking at it." said Xie Jinxuan.
"Sixth Aunt cooks every day, and she never complains of being tired."
"How are they the same? Aunt Liu's job is to cook and do housework, and she gets paid for cooking. Cooking for you is extra physical labor outside of work. It's a pity that my cooking skills are so poor, and the food I cook is not delicious, otherwise, I would definitely not be willing to let you cook." Xie Jinxuan said seriously: "Otherwise, let's eat in the cafeteria for dinner in the future. The family cafeteria in our compound is not bad."
"We eat in the cafeteria in the morning and at noon, and we eat in the cafeteria at night. Don't you feel bored? Although cooking is extra labor outside of work, I don't hate cooking. I like staying in the kitchen and watching over a pot of delicious food. I feel very happy that way."
Xie Jinxuan stared at her big eyes for a while, and suddenly said, "Is it because you were too hungry before, so this happened?"
"It should be somewhat related." Xia Qingtang laughed, "Why? Are you feeling sorry for me again?"
"Yes." Xie Jinxuan hugged her and whispered, "If only I had the courage to get close to you earlier, I could have given you meal tickets while you were studying, so you could eat better and not go hungry."
Xia Qingtang said: "No, it was useless for you to get close to me when I was in school. I didn't dare to talk to any boys at that time. Besides, I think what happened to the two of us is just right. It's at this time that we can meet."
"Then I will train you well in knife skills and other things, so that you don't have to do anything but cook."
"Okay, I'm looking forward to it." Xia Qingtang smiled and blew a breath in his ear, "Comrade Xie Jinxuan, there's an old saying that goes, when you're well fed, you'll think about sex. Look, we had such a full meal at noon, and now it's time for a nap, shouldn't we go to the bedroom and take a nap as well?"
Xie Jinxuan didn't say anything, she just picked her up and ran straight to the bedroom.
Xia Qingtang did take a nap after the intimate moment. It was almost five o'clock when she woke up. She sat up slowly: "It's so late..."
After getting dressed, she walked to the living room. The living room was empty. She went to the bathroom first, and when she came out she went straight to the study. Sure enough, she saw Xie Jinxuan studying hard.
"Jinxuan, let's go to the cafeteria to eat in the evening. I took a nap in the afternoon and I don't want to move. I just want to eat ready-made food." Xia Qingtang said.
"Okay, then I'll go get it back to eat, or should we go to the cafeteria together?"
"Let's go get some food together. I want to go out for a walk, too." Xia Qingtang said, closing the door again. "You continue reading."
Xia Qingtang stretched out his body and was about to get lunch boxes for both of them when Xie Jinyun came running over and shouted across the yard, "Brother! Sister-in-law!"
"What's wrong?" Xia Qingtang opened the door.
"Sixth Aunt said to come home for dinner tonight and she will make some leek dumplings for us." After saying that, Xie Jinyun turned around and ran away.
Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing. It seemed that Aunt Liu guessed that she was too lazy to cook in the evening, so she asked Xie Jinyun to come and inform them in advance.
After going to Xie's house and eating delicious leek dumplings, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan walked around the yard arm in arm for a few laps before going back to take a shower and sleep.
Before going to sleep, Xia Qingtang nestled in Xie Jinxuan's arms and whispered, "Xie Jinxuan, I feel very happy, especially happy."
Xie Jinxuan was stunned for a moment, and whispered: "I am also very happy."
"Then let's go to sleep." Xia Qingtang smiled gently, hugged him and fell asleep.
After a very happy Sunday, Xia Qingtang was in a good mood and always smiling while working on Monday. Even when Xia Qinghai came to give her the wedding invitation, she didn't say anything unpleasant.
It turned out that Wu Jinfeng's parents came over on Saturday, and Xia Qinghai took his parents to meet them. After the two sides reached an agreement, Xia Qinghai couldn't wait to send out wedding invitations in the factory.
The wedding invitations at this time are also very simple. Just buy some red paper, cut it into the appropriate size yourself, and find someone who is good at calligraphy to write the names of the newlyweds and the time and place of the wedding banquet on it, and you're done.
Although this kind of wedding invitation looks simple, not everyone can afford so much red paper. Generally, only those who are more particular will prepare wedding invitations.
"Be there on time." Xia Qinghai reminded.
He looked very happy, and his snow-white shirt collar showed through his work clothes, as if he had just bought the clothes.
Xia Qingtang glanced at the time on the wedding invitation and said, "Don't worry, I will be there on time."
Li Yue asked curiously, "Brother Xiao Xia, Xiao Xia and Xiao Wu are enemies, how did you end up dating Xiao Wu?"
"We met by chance and got along well."
"She is the child of a cadre, so why does she like you? Tell me, what is it about you that makes her like you?" Li Yue continued to ask.
Zhang Ning said, "Xiao Li, what you said is true. Comrade Xia is not bad either. He is a handsome man."
"So Xiao Wu is attracted by Comrade Xia's good looks?"
Xia Qingtang said: "I think that's it."
Li Yue smiled: "It suits Xiao Wu very well. She looks superficial at first glance."
Zhang Ning coughed heavily and said, "Be careful with your words. They are getting married. This is a happy event, a happy event!"
Xia Qinghai said nonchalantly, "We are going to register for marriage this week. I will give everyone wedding candies then."
"What wedding candies did you buy? Oh, by the way, how much do you give to Xiao Wu as a gift? Can three turns and one ring be completed?" Li Yue had no scruples at all and grabbed him to get to the bottom of it.
Xia Qinghai said: "Wedding candies were bought at a department store, the kind that everyone eats during the Chinese New Year. As for the betrothal gifts and the three turns and one ring, I really couldn't afford them, but Jinfeng and her parents were very considerate of me and didn't bother me about not having them."
Li Yue said: "Then you are lucky."
"Yes, I am indeed lucky." After saying that, Xia Qinghai went out.
Li Yue quickly looked at Xia Qingtang: "You have a bad relationship with your brother, and you have a grudge against Wu Jinfeng, so why did you agree to attend his wedding?"
Xia Qingtang picked up the pen and said seriously, "When did I have a grudge against Wu Jinfeng? Secretary Li, although I am young, you can't talk nonsense like this. I have explained again and again in the office that I don't know her and have no grudge against her. Ask other colleagues if I have always said this? Why do you always say that I have a grudge against Wu Jinfeng? What is your intention?"
Wu Feng immediately said, "Indeed, Xiao Xia has always said that she doesn't know Wu Jinfeng and has no grudge against her. But Xiao Li said that they have a grudge against each other. I don't know what this means."
Li Yue blushed: "Oh, what could I have any intentions, I was just talking casually, why did you take it seriously?"
"It's not okay to just say it casually. If you say it too much, others will really believe it. Why are you making enemies for me for no reason?" Xia Qingtang said seriously: "Please don't say such things in the future. It's not good for me and Comrade Wu Jinfeng. We work in the same place. You are artificially creating conflicts between me and Wu Jinfeng!"
"Don't make a big deal out of it. Can't I just stop talking about it in the future?" Li Yue covered her chest and said, "Young people nowadays are incredible. They make a big deal out of a small matter..."
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