Chapter 7
Xia Qingtang choked on a mouthful of blood. She stared at Kong Liangchao's smug face and wanted to strangle him again.
She didn't feel that way before, but now it happened again. Xia Qingtang felt sick when she saw Kong Liangchao. Every pore in her body was screaming that she wanted to kick this man away from her. She felt suffocated breathing the same air with him.
She thought of many past events that she didn't want to recall. Every time she found out that Kong Liangchao was cheating on her, he looked at her with contempt and a determined look.
He was contemptuous because he felt that he had a good family background and a good job, he was superior and Xia Qingtang was lowly.
He was determined to win because he knew Xia Qingtang didn't dare to divorce. She was a useless dodder and could only live a good life if she was tied to the big tree of the Kong family.
But what is life at the top? It means that outsiders see you as glamorous and beautiful, but when you return home and close the door, you have to serve the man's family. If you do not do well, you will be beaten, scolded and insulted.
Everyone said that she had climbed up the ladder and became a phoenix, but who knew that in her previous life she had lived a life worse than that of a chicken?
Although being a nanny is hard work, at least she will not be insulted and she will be paid for her labor. But in the Kong family, she works so hard for them. When Kong's mother is in a good mood, she will just ignore her. But when she is in a bad mood, she will pick her out and scold her for half an hour at home. Every word she says is humiliating.
Her sister-in-law Kong Liangjing often teased her, either breaking her shoes or tearing her clothes, making her look bad and allowing her to continue to be humiliated by Kong's mother.
At that time, Xia Qingtang cried all night long. She couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to go back to her parents' home for comfort. However, her parents and brother didn't help her at all. They always said that she was wrong and not good enough.
"Their family are all cadres. If they think you are not good and say a few words to you, then it must be you who is not good. What can be wrong with that? Besides, what's wrong with being criticized by the elders? You eat well, live well and dress well now, so you can't stand a few words of teaching? When did you become so pampered? I tell you, you should go home quickly to coax your mother-in-law and admit your mistake obediently. Don't let the big cadres think that our Xia family doesn't know how to teach children." Zhao Meizhen always said these words with a cold face and sent her back to the Kong family, telling her not to be pampered and willful.
Even when Kong Liangchao was caught cheating for the first time, her family didn't offer any help. Zhao Meizhen even said, "Xiao Kong is such a good man, but he is looking for women outside. It must be your fault as a wife. Who are you showing your sad face to? If I were Xiao Kong, I wouldn't be happy to see you either!"
After that, Kong Liangchao continued to act recklessly, and Xia Qingtang couldn't find anyone to help, so he gradually became numb.
In her previous life, she had been numb and in pain for so many years. Now Zhao Meizhen wanted her to continue the tragedy of her previous life? She was dreaming!
"Oh, kid, why are you like a mute? When guests come, you don't even know to say hello? Also, you will be working in an office in the future. Working in the factory office means you are an intellectual. You must thank Xiao Kong very much!" Zhao Meizhen interrupted Xia Qingtang's thoughts, pulled her and pushed her towards the sofa, wanting her to sit next to Kong Liangchao.
Xia Qingtang's mind was in a state of confusion, so she didn't realize until she was forced to sit on the sofa that Kong Liangchao was less than ten centimeters away from her. She could smell his sweat and toilet water, and could see the clear dandruff on his scalp...
Xia Qingtang jumped up from the sofa like lightning. Without caring about Zhao Meizhen's surprise, she rushed out of the house and started vomiting.
Disgusting, really disgusting.
As long as he got a little closer to this person, Xia Qingtang would feel nauseous from the bottom of his heart.
"What's wrong with you, kid? Did you eat something bad?" Zhao Meizhen scolded as she ran out of the house.
Kong Liangchao was actually disgusted by this, but this man was used to pretending, so he ran out as well, pretending to comfort Xia Qingtang and gently patted her on the back: "Did you get a heat stroke? It's very easy to get a heat stroke in your workshop in the summer. Fortunately, you can go to the factory office right away..."
Xia Qingtang then realized that the person who patted her on the back was Kong Liangchao. She jumped a few meters away as if she had seen a ghost, and then screamed subconsciously: "Don't touch me! Disgusting!"
After saying that, he continued to vomit loudly. Kong Liangchao stood there awkwardly, anger beginning to rise in his eyes.
Zhao Meizhen slapped her daughter and trembled with anger: "What are you talking about? Do you know how to be polite? How do you talk? Is this how I taught you?"
Xia Qingtang didn't have the energy to take care of her. She vomited out the acid in her stomach and even the bile before she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She stood at the door of her hut, holding the door with all her strength, and then gritted her teeth and said, "I can't control it. I just feel sick. I don't want to date or get married. If you force me, I will go to the party secretary and the trade union. If they don't care, I will go to the higher-ups. In this new era and new society, can you still force a working-class person like me to get married? This is not the evil old society! If you really push me too far, I will go to the government!"
Zhao Meizhen was so scared that she couldn't speak. Xia Daming stood in the corridor, looking at his excited daughter. He wanted to say something but felt a little hesitant. He could only stare at the guest Kong Liangchao.
Kong Liangchao's gaze was completely different from before. When he looked at Xia Qingtang now, besides his determination to win, he also felt anger, hatred and humiliation.
Xia Qingtang knew him very well and knew that this uncontrollable vomiting had created a deep enmity with Kong Liangchao. This man would definitely find a way to kill him.
But it doesn’t matter, as long as I don’t marry him, anything else is fine.
"Comrade Xia Qingtang, do you think so little of me?" Kong Liangchao suddenly said in a low voice.
Xia Qingtang said in a deep voice: "Why do you have to fall in love with me?"
There is more than one beautiful girl out there, why does Kong Liangchao have to pick on her?
Kong Liangchao sneered: "Okay, let's wait and see, I can always wait until you come to me crying and beg me."
After saying that, he rolled his eyes disdainfully and turned away.
There was silence in front of the Xia family's house for a long time, until Zhao Meizhen screamed and grabbed Xia Qingtang's neck, the silence was broken.
"I raised you to this age, and this is how you repay me? How has Xiao Kong ever done anything wrong to you, that you have to do something like this to insult her? Do you know what kind of family they are? You don't want such a good opportunity, you just want to vomit, I tell you to vomit, I tell you to vomit!" Zhao Meizhen grabbed Xia Qingtang's neck like a madman, as if she really wanted to kill her daughter.
Xia Daming reacted quickly. He immediately pulled Zhao Meizhen away and shook her shoulders fiercely: "Calm down!"
The neighbors all came out to watch the fun, and Zhao Meizhen finally calmed down, but she still looked very scary, with a face like that of a ghost, as if she was ready to take Xia Qingtang's life at any time.
Someone came over to persuade him, "If you have anything to say, just talk it out. It's not good to use violence. Besides, the girl is not wrong. This is a new society. You can't force her to get married. Dating is not something you can just do one-sidedly. If the girl is not happy, just find someone else."
Zhao Meizhen yelled at the man, "Get lost! You have no business interfering in our family's affairs!"
Xia Daming shouted, "Shut up!"
Zhao Meizhen began to cough heavily. After coughing for a while, she could not hold on any longer and simply collapsed on the steps in the corridor, still looking at Xia Qingtang with murderous eyes.
Xia Daming apologized to his neighbor, then looked at Xia Qingtang and whispered, "Qingtang, do you really hate that Comrade Kong?"
"yes."
"Forget it, let's not talk about marriage. You are only twenty years old. It will be still in time to get married in two years." Xia Daming's eyes looked a little complicated, but still revealed a trace of kindness and reluctance.
Zhao Meizhen coughed and yelled, "No! She...must...get married! Xia Daming, I'm telling you, this...opportunity will never come again!"
Xia Daming said: "The child is already in that state, do you want to force her to death? Besides, she is an adult with a job, you should also listen to her own wishes."
"Sir? If she has the guts, don't let her live in my house! This house was allocated to me by the factory! If she doesn't listen to me, get out of my house!" Zhao Meizhen pointed at Xia Qingtang's nose and cursed.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything, turned around and walked into his shed and started packing his things.
There were two sheds built on the left and right in front of the Xia family's door. Xia Qingtang's shed was the smallest, with only a single wooden bed, an old desk, and a broken cabinet that a relative didn't want. The rest were two wooden boxes made by Xia Dahai himself, which contained Xia Qingtang's winter clothes, quilts and other items.
Although they also lived in a shack, his brother Xia Qinghai's room had a double bed, a half-new desk, a normal wardrobe, a bookcase, and a low cabinet for him to put his things. Although the conditions were also ordinary, they were much better than Xia Qingtang's.
Xia Qingtang wanted to leave this patriarchal family as soon as possible, so she got married without thinking twice.
Now that Zhao Meizhen asked her to get out, she was more than happy to do so.
The cotton mill is not as big as the steel mill, but it also has staff dormitories, with eight people in a room and a public toilet. However, it is more spacious than school dormitories. There are also large bathrooms for men and women on the first floor that can be used in all seasons. It is not inconvenient to move into the dormitory.
However, applying for a dormitory takes time. Xia Qingtang was suddenly in trouble and could only stay at someone else's house for a while.
She can’t go to her relatives’ house, because they will all help Zhao Meizhen. The only place she can go is Hu Yanni’s house.
The accommodation conditions at the steel mill were better than those at the cotton mill. Hu's father was considered a small leader, so the family was allocated a two-bedroom, one-living room house with a bathroom. Because the bedroom was very large, a separate room was specially separated to make two small bedrooms, one for Hu Yanni and one for her brother.
Now that his brother is in the countryside, there is an empty small bedroom in their house. If Xia Qingtang gives some money and food coupons, he should be able to stay there for a while.
She packed up her summer clothes, shoes, and daily necessities, hid the twenty-three yuan hidden in the biscuit box in the corner and the few remaining food coupons in her backpack, and walked out without looking back.
Seeing that she was really going to run away from home, Zhao Meizhen sneered and said, "If you have the guts, don't come back once you leave!"
Xia Qingtang ignored her, but Xia Daming was shocked. He grabbed Xia Qingtang's backpack and said, "How can you run away just because of a quarrel? You are already so old. If something happens, what will your mother and I do?"
"Mom won't worry about me. If I die outside, she will just feel sorry that she can't sell me for a good price and can't exchange me for something for my brother." Xia Qingtang said calmly.
"You can't run away, even if... even if it's for me, don't let me worry, okay?" Xia Daming almost never said such words, so it sounded a bit strange no matter how he listened to them, but the meaning of his words was quite clear. He was indeed worried that something might happen to his daughter.
Xia Qingtang sighed and whispered, "Dad, I don't want to leave, but Mom is forcing me to leave. I'm going to live outside for a few days, and you can persuade her and wait until she has figured it out."
"Then you have to tell me, where are you going to live? At your aunt's house? Or your eldest aunt's or second aunt's house?"
"I'm going to my classmate's house. Once I'm settled, I'll go to the warehouse tomorrow and tell you." After saying that, Xia Qingtang left.
She waited for Hu Yanni, who had just gotten off work, at the gate of the steel factory. After she told her what had happened at home, she was taken back to Hu's home.
Mr. and Mrs. Hu are both righteous people. When they heard that Xia Qingtang had a quarrel with her family, they welcomed her to stay with them for a while.
At night, lying on Hu Yanni's double bed, Xia Qingtang tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
"What are you planning to do in the future? Are you really going to live in the dormitory until you get married?" Hu Yanni suddenly asked.
Xia Qingtang said: "This is the only way. Many people do the same. If I can live in the dormitory peacefully forever, I will be thankful."
Nowadays, you have to get married to get a house in any company. If you are not married, it is already very good to have a dormitory to live in.
"What do you mean by that? Will your mother still quarrel with you?"
"She won't give up until she achieves her goal." Xia Qingtang said in a deep voice: "The same goes for that guy surnamed Kong. He won't let me go just like that."
"What should we do then?" Hu Yanni suddenly became nervous.
"We can always find a way." Xia Qingtang turned over, "Let's all go to sleep. Don't worry about me. Everything will be fine."
Xia Qingtang stayed at the Hu family for a few days. Zhao Meizhen did not go to the workshop to find her, but Xia Daming went there and secretly gave her some food coupons, telling her to take care of her health.
It was almost the end of the month and the salary would be paid soon. Xia Qingtang's mood had just improved a little when she received a notice from the factory office saying that she was transferred to the warehouse as a porter, effective immediately.
Wen Xiaoli and others were extremely surprised. Work in a warehouse is all heavy physical labor, and they had never heard of a female comrade being asked to work as a porter in a warehouse.
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