Chapter 83
I heard a familiar male voice yelling, "You dare to hit me? Do you know who I am? If you dare to touch me now, I will make your whole family pay for it tomorrow!"
"Who the hell do I care who you are? If I don't beat you into a pig's head today, I'm not a human being!"
When it comes to fists, that guy is obviously more powerful. His punches hit the opponent's flesh, and after a few hits, the opponent couldn't resist and fell to the ground.
The area suddenly became chaotic, with people screaming and trying to get out of the way. Someone in the crowd tripped and fell, causing new chaos.
Xie Jinxuan and the others were originally standing at the outermost edge. Seeing this, they quickly protected Xia Qingtang and pulled her brother to hide further away: "You three little classmates, be careful and don't get swept in by the crowd."
The three young boys were relatively honest. Although they were full of curiosity, they still stood obediently beside Xie Jinxuan and didn't go where there were many people.
"Brother, there's a fight over there, can we still watch the movie?" Xie Jinyun asked anxiously.
He went to the library to read and do homework seriously during the day just so that he could watch a good movie at night. Now the tickets have been bought. If he can't watch the movie, Xie Jinyun will be very sad.
Xie Jinxuan said: "It's okay. The difference in strength between the two people fighting over there is too big. The fight will be over soon."
He was indeed right. When the noisy crowd moved aside, they could see at a glance that the battle over there had already ended.
A young man in a dark blue shirt and grey pants kicked another young man who was curled up on the ground and cursed: "Pighead, pighead, look in the mirror now and you will know what a pighead is! How dare you touch my girlfriend? If I see you again next time, not only will I beat your face into a pighead, but your whole body will become a pighead!"
His target is a thin, short-haired young woman with a gentle and pretty appearance, fair skin, and looks very honest, but she is indeed a beautiful girl, no wonder she was targeted by bad guys.
Seeing that he finally stopped moving his hands and feet, the young woman carefully moved over and grabbed his arm, whispering, "Is the man on the ground... okay? Did you hurt him?"
"Just beat him up. This bad guy is a hooligan and should be sent to the police station!" The young man rubbed his fist and said, "You are not still worried about this bastard, are you?"
He didn't look very strong, but compared to the bastard on the ground, he was much stronger.
The young woman said: "Why should I worry about him? I am worried that you will hurt him and your company will give you trouble."
"Don't worry, who knows me?" The young man looked around and saw that he didn't see anyone familiar. He suddenly whispered something to the young woman, then grabbed the young woman's hand and ran away.
Everyone was stunned, and by the time they came to their senses, the young man and woman had disappeared without a trace.
Yes, they just beat the person and ran away. Anyway, the person who was beaten didn’t recognize them. If they ran away now, who would be able to find them later?
The man on the ground was still struggling in pain. Although Xia Qingtang couldn't see his face from his angle, he could guess that he was probably seriously injured. He protected his face with his arms and kept crying out in pain.
The people around had all run away, and now seeing that man curled up on the ground breathing out more than breathing in, no one dared to approach him.
But this is the entrance of a cinema after all. There are staff working in the cinema. There is a ticket seller at the ticket window, and there are also sales clerks at the windows selling soda, melon seeds, and candy.
The two salesmen looked at each other in confusion. After a while, the ticket seller said, "How is this man? Do you want to call someone? Should he be sent to the hospital?"
The salesperson said, "I remember this guy. He bought two bottles of soda, two bags of melon seeds, and ten fruit candies from me not long before he was beaten. He must have come here with a lesbian."
"What? You came to watch a movie with a lesbian, but you still touch someone else's partner..." The ticket seller frowned in disdain, "This guy really deserves a beating."
"Stop saying that. Go call someone and I'll go out to look for his companions. We have to get him out of here quickly, otherwise no one will be able to watch the movie." The salesperson said as he opened the small door and walked out.
The ticket seller also ran in and called for help. The man on the ground saw someone coming out to see him, so he lowered his arms and said, "Help me... It hurts..."
His mouth was probably broken, so his speech was unclear and sounded like he was holding a mouthful of water.
The salesperson walked over and stretched his head to look around: "Where is the female comrade who came over with this male comrade just now? Come over and help. We have to move her to the side and can't block other people's way."
She called out twice, but no one answered. Finally, the salesperson found the man behind the crowd. She walked over, pointed at a young woman who was shrinking behind the crowd and said, "The woman in the red plaid jacket, yes, it's you, the one with two pigtails, it's you, don't hide, I recognize you, you're holding a soda and melon seeds in your hands. Why are you hiding? The one who beat you up has already run away, don't be afraid, come out quickly, your companion is like this, how can you just ignore him?"
The people in front of the young woman automatically made way for her, and one female comrade reached out and pushed her: "Don't hide, get out now."
There was really no other way now, the female comrade could only hold the soda and melon seeds and slowly walk out.
Coincidentally, the ticket seller also called out two male staff members from inside, and as soon as they came out, they came over to check the injuries of the person on the ground.
One of the more experienced people reached out and felt around a few times and said, "It's OK, no bones are broken, but the face is like a pig's head, I don't know if any teeth are missing, we still have to send him to the hospital for a check-up, with such an external injury, he needs to recover for seven or eight days."
When they heard the word "pig head", the onlookers burst into laughter.
The staff member didn't understand what was going on, so they said, "What are you laughing at? This person is seriously injured, the corner of his mouth is broken, and his nose is crooked. This is not something to laugh at."
One young man said: "He was beaten like this because he bumped into someone else's girlfriend in the crowd and called her a pig."
The staff member couldn't help laughing, "He really deserves a beating... Hey, you can't say that. How could he be beaten like this? Where is his companion? Do you know his name and where he lives? Come with us later. We are going to take him to the hospital."
As he spoke, another staff member reached out to help the person on the ground: "Can you stand up?"
“Wuwuwuwu… No…” The man on the ground struggled for a moment, but was unable to move.
"Find the stretcher. We'll just have to carry it over." The salesperson said, "Lady, please go with them to the hospital. We have to process the paperwork for your partner."
"She's not my type..." The lesbian, holding a bottle of soda and some melon seeds, slowly approached me. Her face turned red with shame and she hardly dared to lift it up.
This is a very young girl, about twenty years old, with a baby face, big eyes, and a medium-long mushroom haircut. She looks very well-behaved.
"If they are not a couple, then they must be someone you are dating. What's his name? Where does he work?" asked the male staff member.
"His name is... Kong Liangchao. He said he works at... the Grain Bureau..." The female comrade said, "Now that you know his name and work unit, can I leave now?"
"You're leaving? Even if you're not the one for me, your companion is injured like this, are you just going to ignore him?"
The female comrade lowered her head and said, "He followed me out, but he made advances towards others. Do I still need to send him to the hospital?"
"Yeah, it's not easy for you either. You didn't expect to go out to watch a movie with this kind of person, right? Then go back, we will deal with it later." said the salesperson.
As a lesbian, she was more sympathetic to the young woman.
The female comrade breathed a sigh of relief, dropped the soda and melon seeds, put them on the ground beside her, turned around and ran away.
The staff found a stretcher and lifted the injured Kong Liangchao onto it. The whole process was very quick, but Kong Liangchao still screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
"Okay, the two of us will carry him to the hospital, and you guys can continue working." The leading male staff member said, "Don't worry, everyone, the movie will be shown on time at 7 o'clock, so get ready to go watch the movie."
As he said this, he and his colleagues carried the stretcher and walked out.
The stretcher just happened to pass by Xia Qingtang and the others, and she could clearly see Kong Liangchao's deformed face.
Before, because there were too many people, we couldn't see how the young man attacked. But now, just looking at Kong Liangchao's injuries, we can tell that the man was extremely ruthless and used all his strength.
Kong Liangchao's nose was crooked and blood was oozing from his nostrils. His eyes were red and swollen like two big peaches, and he could hardly open his eyes.
Not to mention his mouth, which was covered in blood. Every time the stretcher moved slightly, new blood would flow out from the corners of his mouth. It looked really tragic.
Kong Liangchao is a lazy, greedy, lustful and heavy drinker. He lived like this in his previous life, but because he had a proper job in his previous life and was even promoted, it was normal for him to have fun.
But Xia Qingtang really didn't expect that Kong Liangchao would still be able to mess around with young girls like this after losing his job in this life, and he was even more despicable than before. At least before, he would pretend to be tasteful and would never act like a hooligan in front of a crowd.
It seems that after losing his job, he can expose his true nature without restraint.
Xie Jinyun stood there, pointing at the stretcher passing by and whispered, "Brother, this person looks so scary."
Xie Jinxuan said: "If you do bad things, you will be beaten into a pig's head if you are caught in the act. If you are not caught in the act, you will be sent to the police station. So you have to be a good child who obeys the law and never do bad things."
Hearing Xie Jinxuan's voice, the squinting pig-head on the stretcher suddenly stopped humming, his fingers stiffened, and he even held his breath.
Xie Jinxuan obviously noticed Kong Liangchao's stiff reaction. He smiled and said loudly: "Hey, staff, I know the man on the stretcher. He is not an employee of the Grain Bureau. He was fired by the Grain Bureau a long time ago because of his chaotic relationship with men and women. You can send him to the hospital, but if you go to the Grain Bureau, you won't find anyone to pay for his medical expenses."
Hearing this, the two staff members carrying the stretcher stopped in their tracks. One of them immediately said, "What? He was fired from his job? What should we do now?"
"It's okay. You can put him in the hospital and go to this place to ask his family for medical expenses. This is where his wife works. His wife's name is Fang Manman." Xie Jinxuan enthusiastically told the staff the address of the printing factory.
He knew the situation of the Kong family. Both the brother and sister Kong Liangchao and Kong Liangjing had lost their jobs, and now the family relied on their grandfather's pension and their parents' wages to make ends meet.
But even so, Kong's mother still spoiled Kong Liangchao. Whenever Kong Liangchao asked for money or tickets, she would secretly give them to him. So although Kong Liangchao had been unemployed for many months, he still lived a very rich life.
Grandpa Kong was so angry that he was hospitalized three times, but there was nothing he could do. Now he could only give up Kong Liangchao completely and use his pension to support his granddaughter-in-law. After all, his granddaughter-in-law was pregnant. If she could give birth to a boy, the Kong family would not be extinct.
Although Kong Liangchao is protected by his mother, the house they live in now was allocated by the unit to Grandpa Kong. If Grandpa Kong gets angry, he might kick Kong Liangchao out of the house.
So Xie Jinxuan deliberately asked the staff to go to the printing factory to find Fang Manman. Fang Manman would definitely tell Grandpa Kong about Kong Liangchao's hooliganism. Then Kong Liangchao might be beaten again when he got home, which would be even more exciting.
Kong Liangchao on the stretcher finally responded. He shouted incoherently: "Don't go look for her, don't go look for her..."
He is not a fool and knows that this matter must not be known to Fang Manman.
The salesperson who hadn't entered yet was quick to react. She asked, "What's his wife's workplace? Then what about the female comrade just now?"
"What else could it be? He's a married man but still goes out to watch a movie with an unmarried woman!" someone in the crowd said with a laugh.
"No wonder that woman wanted to run away just now. What would happen if she went to the hospital? How shameless! She went out to watch a movie with a married gay man. Tsk tsk!"
"But this guy is pretty amazing. He was fired from the Grain Bureau because of his chaotic relationship with men and women. Now he has a lover and he brought other female comrades to watch the movie. Not satisfied with that, he even secretly touched other people's partners in the crowd! Wow, this guy is amazing!"
"Look at his clothes, they're cadre uniforms. He doesn't even have a job, but he still wears them so well. I guess everyone in his family is a cadre!"
Everyone started discussing the matter with great interest, and a beating case that was originally not that interesting suddenly became colorful.
Xie Jinyun and his two little classmates were completely stunned. They held their hands and stood there stupidly.
Xia Qingtang said: "Jinxuan, you too, there are children here, why are you saying these things?"
"They are all grown up now and should be sensible. They can listen to these things and then know that these things should not be done. This way they can distinguish right from wrong." Xie Jinxuan said.
The moment Kong Liangchao heard Xia Qingtang's voice, his body stiffened again. He struggled to find Xia Qingtang's figure through his squinting eyes.
Xie Jinxuan discovered his intention and said, "Comrade Kong, you don't need to thank me. Once the staff notifies your lover, she will definitely go to the hospital to take good care of you."
After hearing this, everyone started laughing again.
"Hahahaha, yes, if his wife knew all this, she would definitely take good care of him!"
Kong Liangchao felt pain and shame when he heard all this. He could only yell, "Go...to the hospital! Go to the hospital!"
The two staff members frowned and didn't want to go over.
Seeing that they were in a dilemma, the salesperson said, "Why not just send him to the nearby police station? Let the police decide whether to go to the hospital or not."
"This works! Let's go to the police station." The staff member then became excited and ran out carrying the stretcher.
After they walked away, the salesperson and the ticket seller returned to the window and asked everyone to continue buying tickets and shopping.
Xie Jinyun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was not very interested in watching the fun, he just wanted to watch the movie properly.
"Brother, I want to drink soda and eat melon seeds. Can you buy them for me?" Xie Jinyun asked in a low voice.
Before Xie Jinxuan could answer, Xia Qingtang took out fifty cents from his pocket and handed it to him: "Go buy it, I'll treat you guys to soda."
Xie Jinyun's two classmates also cheered, and the three young boys squeezed over to buy soda.
Except for the winter months, the cinema sells soda in all seasons. It also sells large roasted sunflower seeds. You can buy a full cup for one cent. The salesperson will fold old newspapers into triangular paper bags, scoop up a cup of sunflower seeds and pour them in, so that the audience can bring them into the cinema and eat them while watching a movie.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Don't you want to drink soda?"
"I have a full meal at night, so I don't need to drink soda. Besides, there are still a lot of sodas at home. If I want to drink, I can go home and drink."
Xie Jinxuan said: "What? Are you not angry with Leng Feng anymore? You are even willing to drink the soda he bought."
"Although I still dislike him, I've thought about it and I think Soda is innocent. There's no need to be hard on Soda."
"You." Xie Jinxuan reached out and touched her head, then smiled and said, "Actually, Leng Feng is a good person, and he's nice to me too. I'm going on a business trip in a few days, and he asked me to tell you that if you have anything, you can go to him."
"What could I need to find him for? If I really needed to find someone, wouldn't I go to Luo Xiangqian?" Xia Qingtang pouted, obviously still displeased with Leng Feng.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Xiang Qian is enthusiastic and willing to help, but he is not calm enough. If some things need to be kept secret, it is safer to find Leng Feng."
Xia Qingtang still waved his hand: "I don't have anything to keep secret, so you don't have to worry about me. Let's watch a good movie tonight, and I'll take you to the train station for a business trip next week."
Xie Jinxuan's business trip schedule has already been set and the train ticket has been purchased. It happens to be a morning train, so Xia Qingtang can send him to the train station first and then go to work without any delay.
Soon, all the audience from the previous movie came out, and the staff did a simple cleaning and let them in.
There are no seat numbers when you buy tickets now, so you can sit anywhere you want after you get in.
The three young boys found a place near the front and sat down with their soda and melon seeds, while Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang sat in the middle.
As for the seats in the back, they were all occupied by young couples who came here to date.
They would hold hands, hug, and even kiss in the cinema, so Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan never sat in the back because they didn't like to see some unpleasant scenes.
Although she was here to take care of the children tonight, for Xie Jinxuan, it was still a good way to relax to hug Xia Qingtang and watch a movie before going on a business trip.
At five o'clock on Wednesday morning, Xia Qingtang got up as the alarm sounded, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then rushed into the kitchen and made a very rich bowl of noodles for Xie Jinxuan.
The noodles are dried noodles, the soup is clear soup, with soy sauce and small shrimp skin added to enhance the flavor, and the noodles are piled with fried toppings. She stir-fried greens, dried tofu, carrots, fungus and eggs together over high heat, and then poured them on the noodles. The whole pot looks colorful and fragrant, which greatly increases one's appetite.
This is the dish Xia Qingtang prepared before going to bed last night, so that she can save time in the morning. After it is fried, it is delicious whether served with rice or poured over noodles.
Xie Jinxuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "How can I eat so much?"
"It just looks big, but it actually has a lot of soup. You don't have to drink all the soup, just finish eating." As he said that, Xia Qingtang brought out another bowl of noodles and sat down to eat with Xie Jinxuan.
Although it was still early, Xie Jinxuan still tried her best to finish the bowl of noodles. She couldn't drink the remaining soup, so she had to leave it there.
Xia Qingtang checked the time, sent two large bowls to the kitchen, and urged, "It's time to leave."
This morning, Xie Jinxuan made an appointment with his leader to meet at the train station, so he would take the bus to the train station. Xia Qingtang would go with him. After dropping him off at the train station, they would take a bus to the cotton mill, and they would arrive just in time.
The two of them walked hand in hand and got on the early bus. Because it was still early, the bus was empty and there were not many people on it.
Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan sat in the back seat and talked slowly. He said, "The doors and windows of the house are locked, but the bicycle is still in the yard. When you get home from get off work, remember to ride the bicycle to the small building first, so as not to be in a rush tomorrow morning."
"Don't worry, I'm not a child anymore, you don't have to tell me everything."
"Also, if you really need help with something, go find Leng Feng. Don't be polite to him. Although he has a weird personality, he is definitely a reliable person."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said indifferently: "I've made a note of it, but I don't need his help for anything. You are worrying too much."
Xie Jinxuan has been on a business trip for just over a week. How could it be such a coincidence that she would need Leng Feng's help?
That person disliked her, and they both knew it, so why bother getting under his nose and being unpopular?
Seeing that Xia Qingtang didn't care, Xie Jinxuan could only smile and change the subject.
After seeing Xie Jinxuan off, Xia Qingtang moved back to the small western-style building that night and still lived on the third floor.
Although they had moved out for a long time, Aunt Liu still cleaned the third floor regularly. Knowing that she would be back to stay for a while, she did a thorough cleaning in advance and laid out clean bedding for her so that she could have a good sleep when she came back.
In the evening, Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye were working overtime, so Aunt Six prepared a simple dinner. After dinner, Xia Qingtang accompanied grandma to continue doing needlework.
My grandmother learned embroidery when she was a child. She could embroider vivid flowers, birds, fish and insects. But in the past few years, everyone dressed simply, so my grandmother's embroidery skills were no longer useful. Now some people can wear beautiful clothes again, but my grandmother's eyes are blurry, and she can't see the details clearly, so she can't embroider anymore.
However, she still had the habit of taking out needle and thread to embroider some simple little things in her spare time. Seeing that she could draw a bunch of fairy grass on a handkerchief with just a few stitches, Xia Qingtang pestered her grandmother to teach her.
Grandma was very happy that someone appreciated her craftsmanship and wanted to learn. She immediately taught him everything she knew and wished she could teach Xia Qingtang to become a master in just one day.
Aunt Six was sitting next to them, also sewing simple underwear.
Xie's mother was not interested in this. She had hardly ever made clothes or shoes by herself. Over the years, even the torn parts of her clothes had been fixed by her Sixth Aunt.
She turned on the radio, listening to the news and reading the newspaper, and occasionally glanced at Xia Qingtang and her grandmother to see how far they had taught.
Xia Qingtang studied very hard, and her grandmother also said that she was dexterous. As long as she learned the basic techniques, she would just need to practice more.
It was past eight o'clock and grandma had gone to bed. Grandpa Xie and Xie Chengye arrived home one after another. Both of them looked very tired, and Xie Chengye kept shouting that he was hungry and wanted to eat something.
Aunt Six happened to be taking a shower, so Xie's mother said, "I'll make you a cup of malted milk and give you some biscuits."
"I don't want to eat biscuits. I want to eat something hot, with soup or water, and some chili oil." Xie Chengye sighed, "Why don't I cook it myself?"
Xia Qingtang just came out of the bathroom on the third floor after taking a shower. Hearing the conversation downstairs, he lay down at the stairs and shouted, "Dad, I'll cook for you."
Xie Chengye was stunned for a moment, then he immediately laughed: "It's okay, if you're tired, go to sleep first, I can cook it myself."
"I'm not sleepy yet." Xia Qingtang put on a coat and went downstairs. "Dad, do you want some noodles or dumpling soup?"
"All is fine. Whichever one is more convenient for you." Xie Chengye rubbed his hands. "I'm really hungry today. I want to eat something salty and spicy."
As he was talking, Xie Jinyun also ran down from upstairs: "Sister-in-law, I want to eat too, cook more, I'm hungry too."
Xie's mother asked, "You ate so much tonight, and now you're hungry again?"
"I study hard, so I get hungry quickly." Xie Jinyun said: "We have an exam this semester to screen people, so I have to study hard."
Now not every child can go to high school. There will be a streamlining examination in the third year of junior high school. Only students who do well in the examination are eligible to continue to high school. Those who do not do so well in the examination also have two options. Some can apply for a technical secondary school and be assigned a job after graduation. Others whose grades are so poor can only graduate and go home to see if they can wait for an opportunity to work in a factory.
Xie Jinyun’s grades are very good, but he is very strict with himself, so he hopes to get among the top few in the exam, which is why he works so hard.
Xia Qingtang moved quickly. She cooked a pot of dumpling soup, washed and chopped a handful of green vegetables and threw them in the soup. She also added a spoonful of lard. Then she poured the soup into two large bowls, one with soy sauce and chili oil and the other with just some dried shrimps. Then she served it to them.
When Sixth Aunt came out of the shower, she saw Xie Chengye and Xie Jinyun lying on the dining table, eating and drinking. Xia Qingtang and Xie's mother had already returned to the bedroom and were not in the living room at the moment.
"Why do you need to eat at this time?" Aunt Six asked, "Who cooked it?"
Xie Chengye said: "Qingtang cooked it. I was very hungry and Xiaoyun wanted to eat too, so Qingtang cooked some dumpling soup for us."
"Then go to bed after you finish eating. I will clean up the kitchen tomorrow." Aunt Liu said, "I will not take care of you anymore. I will go to bed first."
"Xiao Yun and I will clean up the kitchen, you go to sleep." Xie Chengye waved his hand and continued to drink the soup.
The next morning, Xie Chengye was still talking about how delicious the dumpling soup was: "It's spicy and fragrant, and tastes really good."
Xie Jinyun also said: "Yes, sister-in-law's cooking is very delicious. It would be great if I could eat it often. Alas, the last time I ate the meal cooked by sister-in-law was last time!"
Everyone laughed at this. On the one hand, Xia Qingtang found it funny, but on the other hand, he also realized that he had not been back to the small western-style building very often during this period of time.
"It would be great if Qingtang and Jinxuan could move back home." Grandma said with a smile.
Xia Qingtang just held the bowl and smiled, but didn't say anything.
Grandpa Xie said: "It's a good thing for the child to move out. Jinxuan has been independent since he was young. If he lives with adults all his life, he won't be used to it."
"I know, I'm just saying that." Grandma said, "It's just that Qingtang and the others don't come home often. It would be nice if they could come over and talk when they have time in the future. I also know that the children are busy, they have to work and study, but no matter how busy they are, they should always have time to come back once or twice a week to talk to us or have dinner together, right? They live on their own and need to have dinner too. You see, not only do I miss Qingtang and Jinxuan, Xiaoyun hasn't eaten Qingtang's cooking for a long time, Xiaoyun misses it too."
Xie Jinxuan stuck out her tongue and said, "Don't let my brother hear this. If he hears it, he will scold me again."
Xie Chengye said, "How about this, let's make a family rule and ask Jinxuan and her husband to go home a few times a week. Once we decide, we must do it."
Xia Qingtang could only say: "Then wait until Jinxuan comes back from this business trip and discuss it with him."
A while ago, she was busy and Xie Jinxuan was also busy with a lot of things to do. She had to learn English and Xie Jinxuan had to review for exams. Sometimes they didn't come to the small western-style building to visit for a week, which was really not good.
After all, we live in the same compound and should come back once a week at least. Even if we don't do anything, just having dinner with the elders is also what the younger generation should do.
Xie's mother said, "The young people have all moved out, and now you still limit them to how many times a week they can go home. How can they be happy?"
She was the type of mother who didn't care much about her children. She didn't take special care of Xie Jinxuan when she was at home, so now that she has moved out, she doesn't have any feelings about it. As long as she knows that her son is safe and healthy, that's enough.
Xia Qingtang said: "I think Dad is right. It's good to have a family rule. Jinxuan and I will forget to come when we are busy. If there is a rule, we can be urged to come back and sit down."
"Then wait until Jinxuan comes back from her business trip, and then you can discuss it with him. Don't worry about what we say, what's important is your own ideas. Once you two have discussed it, tell your grandmother, and then you have to do it. If she doesn't want to, that's okay, just tell your grandmother, she will understand." Grandpa Xie made the final decision.
"Okay, I understand." Xia Qingtang nodded, and after finishing her meal, she carried her bag and went out to work.
Life in the small Western-style building is indeed more convenient. For example, there is a more delicious breakfast when you get up early, a ready-made dinner when you get home from work, and you don’t have to do the house cleaning. But even though she reduced the time spent on cooking and housework, Xia Qingtang did not have extra time to learn English.
Because living with the elders means that I have to talk and chat with them before and after meals. Now it is almost summer and it gets dark late at night. After dinner, I have to go for a walk outside with grandma and Aunt Six, and then come back to sit in the living room and chat for a while. When she goes up to the third floor, I will not be able to read for an hour.
If you look at it this way, Xia Qingtang still feels that it is more comfortable to live in his own small courtyard because he can fully control his own time.
In a blink of an eye, it was Saturday. After work, Xia Qingtang rode his bike home. When he arrived at the gate of the compound, he saw Xie Xiaoshuang standing outside the guard room, looking pitiful.
"Xiao Shuang? Are you waiting for me?" Xia Qingtang quickly stopped his bicycle.
Xie Xiaoshuang heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her. She quickly walked up to her and whispered, "Yes, I'm waiting for you. I'm in some trouble..."
"Let's talk inside."
There were people coming and going near the gate, so it was not a place to talk, so Xia Qingtang rode his bike and took her back to his own small courtyard.
He hadn't been back for a few days, so there was a thin layer of dust on the furniture, but it wasn't a big problem. She simply wiped it with a rag and asked Xie Xiaoshuang to sit down and talk.
Since there was no water, Xia Qingtang opened a bottle of soda and placed it in front of her: "What happened? Hasn't Jia Guangrong been locked up? According to the procedure, he will have to go to court for sentencing."
"The Jia family's problem has been solved. With such a big case causing so much uproar, the Jia family was too embarrassed to talk about marriage and directly agreed to cancel the engagement. My parents went to ask for money and they readily gave them compensation, just wanting to keep things quiet." Xie Xiaoshuang said, "Now everyone in the factory sympathizes with me, saying that it's not easy for me. They always schedule me for daytime shifts, fearing that I won't be able to concentrate at night and something bad will happen."
"Now that the engagement has been cancelled and the compensation has been received, what else do your parents want to do?" Xia Qingtang frowned slightly.
Xie Xiaoshuang whispered, "Maybe it's too easy for the Jia family to cancel the engagement, and the compensation was given quickly. Now they have tasted the sweetness and are quickly looking for my next boyfriend. They want me to go on a blind date tomorrow. I listened to you before, pretended to be well-behaved at home, and didn't tell my mother that I was moving out. Now my mother thinks I am very well-behaved and listens to her, so she didn't hide it from me when she found the matchmaker. The man is also a widower. His ex-wife left behind a daughter who is already six years old. He now wants to find a young wife to have a son, so the matchmaker introduced him to my family."
After listening to this, Xia Qingtang was speechless for a long time. She didn't expect Xie Xiaoshuang's parents to be so anxious. They just broke off the engagement and now they wanted to sell their daughter for money.
"Then what do you think?" Xia Qingtang said, "What do you want to do? Are you still afraid that they will use that incident to threaten you?"
"If I don't go on the blind date, my mother will definitely use that incident to threaten me..." Xie Xiaoshuang closed her eyes, her whole body trembling slightly, "But if this is how my life is going to be... then I might as well die with them."
"Don't think about it until then." Xia Qingtang held her hand and whispered, "You can quietly mess up this blind date and move out immediately."
"How did I screw up my blind date? I don't know..."
"It's very simple. You just need to act a little vulgar and mercenary, and act like a nasty person. For example, you can make yourself smelly, smack your lips when eating, pick your teeth and ears with your fingers, and be as sloppy as you can to make the other person hate you." Xia Qingtang said, "It's hard to be liked, but isn't it easy to be disliked? It's just a blind date. If the other person doesn't like you, can your mother still force him to marry you?"
Xie Xiaoshuang suddenly understood. She blinked her eyes, covered her face and wanted to cry: "Why am I so stupid? How could I not even think of these? I really am..."
"People who are involved are often confused. You have lived at home for a long time, and your thinking has long been solidified by your mother. It is difficult for you to think of other things after listening to her. You will only follow her ideas. So don't worry too much. Go to the blind date with the matchmaker tomorrow. In addition, your mother now has so much compensation in her hands. Is she playing mahjong every day?"
"Yes, she put the whole money in the bank, and used the small money to play mahjong. Whenever she is not at work, she plays mahjong at the house of the aunt we visited last time. She will play mahjong all day tomorrow." Xie Xiaoshuang said, "What do you want to do?"
"I'm not doing anything. I just want to give the police some performance." Xia Qingtang said something that Xie Xiaoshuang didn't understand.
But she finally calmed down and went home to prepare for the blind date, such as eating more garlic and onions before going to bed at night.
Xia Qingtang sent her out of the compound and slowly walked towards the small Western-style building. When she arrived at the door of Luo Xiangqian's house, she stopped and hesitated whether to ask Luo Xiangqian for help.
There is no need to keep the report on Du Bo secret. Even if Luo Xiangqian tells others about it later, it won't have much of an impact.
Just as she was hesitating, Leng Feng came back from the cafeteria carrying a tin pot. Seeing Xia Qingtang standing in front of the Luo family's door sighing, he walked over and whispered, "Are you here to look for Xiang Qian?"
Xia Qingtang was startled by him. She jumped back and said, "Why are you walking without making any sound? You scared me to death!"
"I've always been like this." Leng Feng said, "Xiang Qian went to a colleague's house to drink today and may not come back."
Luo Xiangqian is very popular and can get along with anyone. Within just a few months of starting work, he has already visited many of his colleagues' homes for drinks.
But he can't drink much, and if he has a few drinks, he will have to spend the night at his colleague's house.
Xia Qingtang sighed slightly: "I understand, thank you."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and was about to leave. Leng Feng asked, "Did you run into any trouble?"
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