Chapter 86
Xia Qingtang sighed: "As expected of you, you can detect everything about me."
She thought her behavior was very normal after coming home from get off work in the evening, but Xie Jinxuan could still see that she was in a bad mood.
"What happened?" Xie Jinxuan asked softly.
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "It's not a big deal, I just don't know how to say it."
The matter involved Xie Jinxuan's good brother, and she was worried that it would affect their relationship. And if it was really a big deal, it wouldn't be that serious.
Looking at Leng Feng's expression, it was obvious that he didn't take the matter to heart at all. Instead, it seemed that she was being persistent and petty.
"I heard grandma talk about the Zhao Xiaoqiang incident. You don't like Leng Feng, so it's impossible for you to talk to him at the gate so late for no reason. Did something happen so you asked Leng Feng for help? Grandma also said that since then, you haven't spoken a word to Leng Feng again, and even looked at him as if he were air. Grandma guessed that you might be afraid that I would misunderstand, so you deliberately kept a distance from Leng Feng. But I know your personality and character, and I believe in the tacit understanding between us. You can't worry about this, because it's impossible for me to misunderstand. So, I guess, you didn't talk to Leng Feng because you were angry, or even... furious, right?" Xie Jinxuan's tone was light and gentle.
"You're right. You're just too smart." Xia Qingtang sighed, "I wish I were half as smart as you."
"So why are you angry? Did Leng Feng refuse to help you? Or did something go wrong while you were trying to help?"
"Neither. When I asked him for help, he agreed to help, and he really helped. That matter had a good result." Xia Qingtang told Leng Feng about asking for help, and also told him that Xie Xiaoshuang had already bought an old bed and an old cabinet, and she would move in once the basic daily necessities were ready.
Having said that, she had nothing to hide, so she just spoke it all in one breath, telling him everything about how she asked Leng Feng in the yard after helping him, and how she was misunderstood by the neighbors.
Xie Jinxuan listened carefully, and seeing Xia Qingtang's serious expression, she asked, "What happened next? What happened to make you so angry?"
"I feel like he discriminates against me." Xia Qingtang said, "Of course, it's possible that I misunderstood him, but even if he didn't discriminate against me, he discriminated against people like us. It's like this, that afternoon, I rode my bike to look for Xie Xiaoshuang, and I met Leng Feng on the road. I went over to say hello to him, but he said..."
After recounting the entire conversation between the two people in detail, the anger on Xia Qingtang's face slowly faded away and she became very calm.
"I still have to apologize to you first. After all, your good friend helped me and later solved the nonsense that Zhao Xiaoqiang said, but I still had a quarrel with him, and I scolded him, and it was very ugly. You have been friends with him for more than 20 years. In terms of true feelings, your relationship is much longer than mine. I thought about this and thought about enduring it, but I really couldn't bear it that day."
Xie Jinxuan held her hand tightly and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to apologize to me, because you didn't do anything wrong. Everything you said about him was right, and he deserves to be scolded. Because just like you said, from beginning to end, you are an innocent and upright person. You have never done anything to mislead others. If others misunderstood, it is obviously their own ill intentions. What does it have to do with you? In this matter, I was actually wrong. I didn't expect Leng Feng to be so prejudiced against you."
Xia Qingtang sat up and said, "I noticed from the beginning that he looked down on me. I don't understand. Did I offend him before? But we had no intersection at all when we were in school, so it's impossible for me to offend him. Or...he was bullied by some beautiful woman, so he especially hates us good-looking people?"
"Speaking of this, you guessed it right. Leng Feng does have a shadow on beautiful women, and he is also prejudiced. It is a huge prejudice."
"What's going on? Tell me in detail." Xia Qingtang perked up. She had always heard Luo Xiangqian say that Leng Feng was unpopular and didn't understand love, so she had always assumed that Leng Feng was single. She didn't expect that he actually had a relationship experience.
Xie Jinxuan said: "During the summer after graduating from high school, before Leng Feng was waiting to join the army, he met a girl of the same age as us. She graduated from No. 2 Middle School, was very pretty and popular, and many people wrote to her, gave her gifts, and expressed their affection for her. Leng Feng also knew all this. At the beginning, I accompanied him to find the girl, and I saw with my own eyes that a boy went to her house to deliver a letter to her."
"What happened next? The girl rejected him, so his love turned into hate?"
"If that were all, he probably wouldn't discriminate against pretty people. Strictly speaking, he should have been betrayed by the other party. The girl looked innocent, but she was actually dating two men at the same time."
"Really? That's Leng Feng. He's so arrogant, but he could be fooled by a woman?" Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing, even with a hint of gloating.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Indeed, we didn't expect that Leng Feng would be deceived by that girl. After all, Leng Feng's conditions are very good. Although he has a cold personality, he is tall and handsome, his family is well-off, and he is going to join the army. No matter how you look at it, he is a very good person. After Leng Feng met her, he quickly expressed his love for her, and also told her about the various situations in his family and wanted to date her seriously. If they could be together, he planned to marry her at the age of 20. The other party also accepted him and officially dated him. At that time, Leng Feng didn't know that the girl had two boyfriends at the same time, and Leng Feng was just one of them. In fact, he Neither of them was the one who had the closest contact with her. Because you know Leng Feng's personality, he is relatively silent, and he was like this when he was dating, not very enthusiastic, or he couldn't be as enthusiastic as us. Not long after they confirmed their relationship, he and I did the same, we both went to the army. When Leng Feng was in the army, he would call her every month and write her two letters every week. As people living in different places, I think he did a good job. He would also save his allowance and round it up to an integer every few months to send it to the girl. Regardless of whether Leng Feng has a good personality or not, at that time, he was taking that person seriously. "
Xia Qingtang curled her lips: "With his bad personality and character, he must be deeply in love with her to do this."
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Leng Feng's personality is not very good, but as long as he has chosen someone, he will treat them well. He thinks this is the person he will marry in the future, so he gives her all the good things. The girl also replied to his letters on time, and her letters were very sweet, which made Leng Feng believe that they had a good relationship. It was not until Leng Feng came back from his first home visit leave that he discovered the problem..."
"How did you find out? Since that girl can date two people at the same time, she must be a smart person. She knew Leng Feng was coming back, so she must have hidden the other one. How could Leng Feng find out?"
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "Because Leng Feng doesn't like to say a lot of things directly. For example, after he was injured, he didn't want to tell us. I asked my grandfather for help and found out about it. I guess he wanted to give his girlfriend a surprise, so he didn't tell anyone about his vacation time and came back by train alone with a bag on his back. He hadn't seen his girlfriend for so long, and the first thing he did after getting off the train was not to go home, but to run to the girl's unit to wait for her to get off work. That day, he heard the guard discussing the girl and another girl, saying that they were a perfect match, but unfortunately the man's family was average and there were many people in his family. If they got married, they would probably have to live a hard life. Leng Feng didn't even want to believe the gossip of others until he saw the girl and the other girl walking out arm in arm, and then he realized that he had been deceived."
"Wow, wasn't that exciting?"
“岂止精彩？差点就要出大事了。谁遇到这种事不想揍人？冷锋当时拳头都举起来了，幸好最后一丝理智拉住了他，还是忍住了。那女孩子见事情败露了，就亲口承认了自己跟另外一个男人处了半年多的真相。也就是说，她跟另一个男人，是高中没毕业的时候就在一起了。她其实更喜欢那个家境不好的男人，之所以接受冷锋的示爱，是被他的家境打动的，想着万一家里实在反对，那还有冷锋可以结婚，她也不会被耽误青春。”
"Wow, so Leng Feng is the one who interfered? That's really interesting! But that girl is amazing. She's not that old, but she can think of so many things."
"Yeah, so think about how big a blow Leng Feng suffered. He was such a proud man, and for the first time he wanted to take a relationship seriously, but he was teased like this. He was sincere to the girl, and it may not be said that he loved her that much, but he sincerely considered the future of the two of them and was preparing for it. In the end, he saw such a truth, so he couldn't accept it. From then on, he had a natural aversion to all good-looking people. Later, after a long time, I accompanied him for a drink. He had a good alcohol tolerance and could not get drunk, so he always told me soberly that I should never be with beautiful women, because they are all bad people, they will tease people, and they all have bad intentions. I really didn't think so much at the time. After all, he was severely hit at that time. I just didn't expect that after so long, he still had such an idea, and thought that you were the same as that girl."
"Yes, people are different, and this kind of thing has nothing to do with appearance. Won't an ugly person have two relationships at the same time? I don't think so. Many uncles and aunts in our cotton mill are ordinary people, but haven't they caused a lot of terrible things? If good-looking people will cause trouble and have bad intentions, then isn't Leng Feng a good-looking person himself? He is so handsome, did he date three people at once?" Xia Qingtang said angrily.
Xie Jinxuan nodded: "You are right, but Leng Feng is a very stubborn person. Unless he is stimulated by something serious, he may go to his grave with such thoughts. To be honest, the fault lies with me. I really didn't expect that he still has such a big shadow on that incident. I made a wrong assessment of him, and I shouldn't have asked you to go to him for help, causing you to suffer."
"Hey, I'm not wronged, I'm just a little angry, but now after hearing all this, I know that Leng Feng himself has problems, so I'm not angry anymore. I actually sympathize with him, he'll probably be like this for the rest of his life. Although the emotional damage is very serious, as an adult, he'll never get over it, that's his own problem, just wait to live in an abnormal state for the rest of his life." Xia Qingtang said: "Now that you're back from your business trip, I think he will definitely take the initiative to talk to you, because I can feel that he doesn't think what I said was right, and he won't admit that he looks at me with tinted glasses."
"If he doesn't come to see me, I will go to see him. I will go to talk to him tomorrow. Before he can get rid of his prejudice, I will not let him enter our home again. This will be good for all of us." Xie Jinxuan said: "But he will soon return to the army, and we won't see him anymore."
Xia Qingtang laughed: "Oh, yes, he is going back to the army. I almost forgot about this! That's great, this bad guy is going back!"
Xie Jinxuan looked at her excited expression and smiled helplessly: "Now that you are in a good mood, do you want to take a shower?"
"If you want to go, go and prepare some water." Xia Qingtang pointed with her little hand, and Xie Jinxuan put on her clothes and went out.
The next morning while having breakfast, Xie Jinxuan said, "Grandpa and grandma, Qingtang and I will go back to our own room tonight."
"Okay, go back. I know you young people just like to live on your own." Grandma smiled and said, "But we have an agreement that no matter how busy you are, you have to come to our house twice a week, and each time must not be less than an hour. This is what you and Qingtang promised, so don't forget it."
"Don't worry, grandma. We won't forget." Xia Qingtang assured immediately.
After having a delicious breakfast, she walked out of the house with her bag on her back, and saw Leng Feng standing outside the yard gate, still with that cold and dead look on his face.
This time, Xia Qingtang did not glare at him. Instead, she looked him up and down with a sympathetic and lamenting look. That look made Leng Feng feel cold in his heart, and he didn't know how to respond.
"Leng Feng, are you looking for me?" Xie Jinxuan, who came out later, hurried over.
Leng Feng nodded and said, "Yes, I came to see you. I have something to tell you."
"Okay, wait for me for a moment. I'll send Qingtang out and then we'll talk outside." Xie Jinxuan said, then went back to Xia Qingtang and kissed her on her little face.
Xia Qingtang smiled sweetly, and she looked as sweet as a flower and very dazzling.
But when Leng Feng saw this scene, he subconsciously tightened his face.
Xia Qingtang ignored him, said goodbye to Xie Jinxuan, and rode his bike to work.
Xie Jinxuan's business trip this time was quite long and very tiring, so the company gave him a day off so he can rest at home today.
He watched Xia Qingtang turn the corner on his bike and get on the main road, then smiled and said, "Ah Feng, I'm taking a break today. I have some free time, and I just happen to need to ask someone about the bicycle ticket. How about you go out with me? We can talk while we walk?"
Leng Feng nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you."
Xia Qingtang didn't know how Xie Jinxuan was going to deal with this matter, but he promised himself that until Leng Feng changed his mind and attitude, their little home would not welcome Leng Feng to visit.
Xie Jinxuan and Leng Feng have been good brothers for so many years and grew up together. Their friendship must be very deep, so Xia Qingtang was very satisfied that he could do this.
She was in a good mood and worked very hard. Li Yue looked her up and down and said, "You looked like a gloomy black cat a few days ago. Why are you so sunny today?"
Xia Qingtang burst out laughing: "Secretary Li, your description is very appropriate. I was not feeling well in the past few days, so I didn't have much energy. I am really a gloomy black cat."
"Are you feeling well today?"
"Yes, I feel comfortable. I'm fine today and don't need these now." Xia Qingtang opened the drawer and pointed to a pack of toilet paper inside, meaning that her period was over.
Li Yue understood and said, "Hey, you young people are like this. I was like this before, but after I had a child, I didn't have those problems anymore, and my stomach didn't hurt anymore. So if you want to feel more comfortable, you can have a baby as soon as possible."
"I'm not in a hurry." Xia Qingtang said, "For this reason, I'm even less anxious to have a baby."
Li Yue said: "How can I not be anxious? The younger you are when you want to have a baby, the better. When you get older, it's really hard to have a baby. Look at Secretary Feng. When she was young, she was busy with her career and worked every day. When she got older and wanted to have a baby, she couldn't get pregnant."
The office suddenly fell silent. Wu Feng, who was chatting with Zhang Ning about something trivial, immediately shut up and quickly lowered his head to look at the documents on the table that had not been opened at all.
Feng Xinhui has no children, and people in the office generally pay attention to this and try not to mention it. Sometimes when Zhang Ning and others occasionally mention their own children, they are afraid that Feng Xinhui will be upset, so they quickly end the topic.
Li Yue's behavior was obviously intentional. She was taking advantage of Feng Xinhui's pain points and deliberately poking at her feelings.
Seeing that the office was quiet, Xia Qingtang lowered his head and continued to write furiously. Li Yue sneered and said, "What are you doing? Why are you pretending to be dumb? I'm not wrong. The child should have been born as early as possible."
Zhang Ning said: "This matter has nothing to do with work, so let's not talk about it here. Although today is Saturday, we should still cheer up and work hard and focus on our work."
Li Yue sneered again and said, "What kind of work? Vice Chairman, do you like working very much? Are you pretending to be like this now? Aren't you just worried that Secretary Feng will be unhappy?"
Zhang Ning stood up: "Hey, you are a person..."
"I won't be unhappy about this kind of thing." Feng Xinhui suddenly interrupted Zhang Ning, she looked up, smiled and said, "It's really not easy to have a baby when you're old. I made mistakes when I was young, so now I'm like this. This is the path I chose, and there's nothing to say. I know Li Yue, you're doing this for Xiao Xia's sake, and you're afraid that she'll end up like me. But Xiao Xia is only 21 years old, really young. I think it's not too late to consider having a baby at 25. So, Xiao Xia, you should listen to Li Yue's advice, or you can choose a time that's most suitable for you to have a baby based on your actual situation."
Her attitude was calm and there was no anger or sadness on her face. She seemed very honest and gentle.
Xia Qingtang said immediately, "Yes, thank you for your advice, Secretary Feng. I will remember your words. I also think that 21 is a bit young. I will consider having children after my work and life are more stable in a few years. I will not delay it until too late, please rest assured."
Feng Xinhui smiled and said, "Yes, you are a smart young man and you will definitely make the best choice."
Seeing Feng Xinhui's calm and generous attitude, Li Yue felt embarrassed. She snorted coldly and ran out with an excuse.
After she left, Zhang Ning said, "Xiao Feng, don't take this kind of words to heart."
"I know. I won't get angry because of these things. If there is no child, there is no child. I have already accepted it. She only scolds me occasionally, but I don't take it to heart." Feng Xinhui said with a smile: "I also want to thank you for protecting me and thank the vice chairman for your concern."
After that, Li Yue was well behaved the whole day and rarely spoke in the office.
Xia Qingtang had nothing to do in the afternoon, so she drank tea and read the newspaper comfortably. When she saw an interesting article, she would mark it with a pencil. When this batch of newspapers became old newspapers, she could cut them up and keep them in a clipping book.
This was agreed to by Chairman Qin, because Xia Qingtang was still learning how to write various articles, so Chairman Qin also supported her. Knowing that she wanted to learn, he agreed to let her cut up old newspapers from two months ago and keep any articles she needed.
No one else in the office had any objection to this because they didn't need old newspapers from two months ago. If they needed to take them home to paste on the wall or wrap something, they could just choose the old newspapers that Xia Qingtang hadn't cut.
After reading the newspaper and making a note, Xia Qingtang went to the toilet, came back, put on his bag and happily left work.
When she went downstairs, she met Wu Jinfeng and the people from the factory office. Xia Qingtang greeted them all and went to unlock the bicycle.
Wu Jinfeng walked up to her and whispered, "Xia Qinghai asked me to tell you something. You haven't been to the hospital recently, and your father is asking about you."
Xia Qingtang said: "I understand. I will go to see him next week."
Maybe it was the illness that made people weak. Xia Daming would never have said such words before, but after this hospitalization, Xia Qingtang clearly felt that he wanted to see his children more.
After Xie Jinxuan went on a business trip, she didn't go to the hospital because she was not in the mood. She should go there next week.
Seeing that she agreed calmly, Wu Jinfeng nodded, turned and left.
She is still in the early stages of pregnancy and she is petite, so she doesn't look like she is pregnant at all. However, her personality is much gentler than before. Xia Qingtang heard that Secretary Wang had reconciled with her and publicly stated that they would no longer be enemies.
Therefore, every time he saw Wu Jinfeng, Xia Qingtang would marvel at the magic of Xia Qinghai.
She wore the straw hat she had bought earlier and rode her bike to the main road. When she thought of Xie Jinxuan waiting for her in the small yard, she became very happy and pedaled her bike very fast.
He rode all the way to the gate of the small courtyard and saw that the doors and windows were open. Xie Jinxuan moved a small stool and sat on the corridor, picking vegetables.
"I'm back!" Xia Qingtang shouted happily.
Xie Jinxuan raised her head and smiled. Her deep eyes were full of tenderness and love, and it was easy to be intoxicated by them.
He walked over, opened the yard gate, pushed Xia Qingtang's bicycle over and parked it, then reached out to catch his little wife who rushed over.
Xia Qingtang still had her legs wrapped around his waist in a very passionate posture.
"I have good news to tell you. I got the bicycle tickets today. Teacher Guan and the others can buy their own bicycles tomorrow." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile.
"Really? I hadn't heard about it when I went to class at noon."
"I just got it this afternoon, and it was delivered at almost four o'clock. Mr. Guan will go buy a bike tomorrow, and I have helped him find a lock and basket installer. He can push it over tomorrow after he buys it and have it done."
"That's great. You have so many ideas."
Xie Jinxuan said: "I know a lot of people, they are nice people and willing to help. Of course, the most important thing is to thank grandpa."
Xia Qingtang burst out laughing: "Indeed, if it weren't for grandpa, you probably wouldn't know so many useful people."
The so-called personal connections are actually for mutual benefit. Only when you are useful will others respect you. Xie Jinxuan never shy away from this fact. He certainly knows that the reason why he is most respected is that he is the grandson of Xie Qiming, and he can admit it frankly.
He doesn't think it is something to be ashamed of, nor does he think it is something to be proud of. No matter how powerful and glorious his grandfather is, it is only temporary. His grandfather will eventually retire, and his future will depend on himself.
He has enough self-confidence in himself, so he is so frank.
That night, Xia Qingtang prepared a sumptuous dinner and drank soda. She and Xie Jinxuan stayed up until midnight. She even felt her consciousness was fuzzy before going to bed.
When they woke up the next day, it was almost noon. After lunch, the two of them went to the bedroom again in the afternoon. After dark, Xia Qingtang felt that this life was a bit ridiculous.
"We usually work very hard and seriously, so it's only right for us to take a break and relax." Xie Jinxuan comforted her, "Besides, the fact that we can do this shows that we are young and have enough to eat. This is a very happy thing, right?"
Xia Qingtang took a sip of the noodle soup and nodded: "You are right."
Fortunately, starting from Monday, they resumed their previous rhythm of life, which was orderly and warm.
The Dragon Boat Festival was approaching soon. After having breakfast, Xia Qingtang went to her grandmother's house with Xie Jinxuan, and then made rice dumplings with Aunt Liu.
Due to limited conditions, Aunt Liu only made white rice dumplings. After making them, she placed them on the earthen stove in the backyard and cooked them over a low fire. She then dipped them in white sugar powder and ate them. They were especially delicious.
There are many people in the family, so Aunt Liu made a total of fifty dumplings. They were not big, but the five strings looked particularly cute. She also said that she would bring a few for Leng Feng to eat on the train.
Leng Feng’s vacation is finally coming to an end. He will return to the army after the Dragon Boat Festival, and it will take until next year before he comes back.
Xia Qingtang never asked about Leng Feng since that day. She really didn't care much because Leng Feng was leaving anyway.
Before, she hoped that Leng Feng would come back to keep Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian company. But now after experiencing all these things, she no longer hopes so. Instead, she thinks it would be better for Leng Feng to stay in the army for a long time.
Aunt Six finished wrapping the last zongzi. Seeing that Xia Qingtang remained silent, she smiled and said, "Qingtang, are you still bothered by that?"
"What's the matter? It's nothing I'm bothered about." Xia Qingtang asked knowingly.
Aunt Six said, "Logically I shouldn't be involved, but Leng Feng is Jin Xuan's good friend. You two have a rift. It will be hard to get along with him when he comes back."
"It's okay, let's wait until Leng Feng comes back. He hasn't come back yet, right? No rush." Xia Qingtang said, "Besides, he is Jin Xuan's friend, not mine. It's fine for me to be like this. If I really have a good relationship with Leng Feng, that would be wrong. We need to keep our distance. There is a difference between men and women."
Aunt Six laughed secretly: "Are you keeping your distance? You are pretending that person doesn't exist."
"Then I'd be happy to do that."
"Okay, okay, if you like it." Aunt Six said, "Let's go and cook the rice dumplings."
The earthen stove outside is cooking rice dumplings, and people are starting to cook in the house.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival and the whole family is on holiday at home, so we will have a festive dinner together.
Aunt Liu went out to buy pork and fresh fish early in the morning. With so many vegetables, lunch must be a very sumptuous meal.
Xia Qingtang did not cook, but just helped Aunt Liu.
By noon, everyone had a hot lunch together. The rice dumplings were cooked. Aunt Liu brought in a bunch of rice dumplings from outside and soaked the remaining four bunches in boiled water, saying that they could eat cold rice dumplings in the afternoon, which would taste better than hot ones.
Xia Qingtang's family didn't attach much importance to the Dragon Boat Festival, and Zhao Meizhen didn't know how to make rice dumplings, so the family of four just bought four red bean rice dumplings from the canteen and considered the festival as their celebration.
It was only when she worked as a nanny that she learned how to make rice dumplings.
A string of beautiful triangular little rice dumplings were peeled and placed on a large plate, then sprinkled with a thick layer of white sugar and brought to the table by Aunt Liu.
"Come, it's time to eat zongzi." Aunt Liu said with a smile, "You can eat more. If you don't have enough, there are more over there."
"I just had a full meal, so a zongzi will be enough." Xie's mother said, "Mom and Dad, don't eat too much. Glutinous rice is hard to digest. You will feel uncomfortable at night."
"Yes, your father and I only need one each, and we don't dare to eat rice dumplings at night. You young people have good stomachs, so you can eat more." Grandma said.
So each family member took a triangular rice dumpling, and there were two left for Xie Jinyun and Xia Qingtang to share.
Eating two small dumplings after a full meal really makes people feel full. Xia Qingtang collapsed on the sofa for a long time and felt like not wanting to move at all.
Grandma smiled and rubbed her stomach, saying, "Just wait a little longer, then go out for a walk, and you'll digest it after a while."
Xia Qingtang was about to speak when she saw Xie Jinxuan and Leng Feng coming in. She immediately looked away and deliberately picked up a newspaper to pretend.
Leng Feng walked in with a bulging cloth bag in his hand and said, "Grandpa, grandma, I'm going to take the train back to the army tomorrow night. These are the nutritional supplements I bought. You can eat them as you like. It doesn't matter if you don't like them. You can give them to others."
As he spoke, he took out the things in the cloth bag one by one and placed them on the coffee table. There was milk powder, canned oranges, a large bag of red dates, and a jar of honey. These were all good things to replenish the body at this moment.
Grandma said, "Time flies by so fast. Your vacation is over in a blink of an eye. After going there this time, are you planning to go home?"
Leng Feng said: "It depends on my physical condition. If my body doesn't allow it, I won't agree to stay there even if you ask me to."
"Indeed, you should do everything within your ability. If your body doesn't allow it, just come back. You are capable, and it's good to do anything when you come back. It's also serving the people." Grandpa said earnestly.
Leng Feng nodded: "Grandpa is right, I think so too."
As they chatted, Xia Qingtang kept staring at the newspaper. She never looked at Leng Feng or said a word to him.
Leng Feng only sat there for more than ten minutes before saying, "I have to go somewhere else. I'll be leaving now."
"Okay, we'll say goodbye to you here." Grandpa said, "Have a nice trip."
Aunt Liu quickly took out a bunch of rice dumplings and said, "These are soaked in cold boiled water. They are delicious even when eaten cold. The weather is not hot yet. You can take them home and soak them in water. You can eat them on the train tomorrow. Your family does not eat rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival. The rice dumplings made in the cafeteria are not as delicious as mine. Take them home. If you think it is inconvenient to eat them on the way, you can eat them today."
Leng Feng said: "Thank you, Aunt Liu, but one string of rice dumplings is too much, just give me a few."
"Take it and eat it. You are so big, eat more." Aunt Liu smiled and pushed him out. "Don't argue with me. Take it back and eat it."
"Okay then, thank you Aunt Six." Leng Feng then went out with the rice dumplings, and Xie Jinxuan also went out to see him off.
After Leng Feng left, Xia Qingtang took the newspaper, folded it and put it back as if nothing had happened.
Grandma stared at her without saying anything, just smiling, and Xia Qingtang also smiled at her.
Grandpa said, "What are you two doing? Are you playing charades?"
"Is it okay if I just tell you a riddle and don't tell you?" said grandma.
"Okay, okay, everyone says that the old are always childish. I see that you are the one. As you get older, your temper becomes more and more childish. Really." Grandpa sighed, and this time it was his turn to read the newspaper.
Xia Qingtang waited until her stomach was no longer so bloated before she went out for a walk with Xie Jinxuan. When they reached the river, Xie Jinxuan said, "If Leng Feng wanted to apologize to you in person before he left, would you accept it?"
Xia Qingtang immediately said, "I can't accept it. Tell him to stop doing this. He apologizes with his mouth, but he still discriminates against me in his heart. I can't afford such an apology, and there is no need for it."
Xie Jinxuan nodded: "Okay, then I'll tell him that it's not necessary."
"Just tell him exactly what I said. You don't have to hide anything for me."
Xie Jinxuan couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, I'll convey your original words for you."
Xia Qingtang looked at the people coming and going by the river and couldn't help saying, "Time flies. The first time we came to this river for a walk, we encountered the incident of someone jumping into the river. Do you remember?"
"How could you not remember? Who would forget such a big thing?"
"I don't know what happened to Fang Manman. Kong Liangchao was taken to the police station last time. Do you know what happened afterwards?" Xia Qingtang asked this question even though he knew the answer. Given Xie Jinxuan's personality, he must have asked someone about it.
Xie Jinxuan nodded and said, "I know. Kong Liangchao was sent to the hospital by the police for treatment. Later, his wife was found. His wife took the old man to the hospital to settle accounts with Kong Liangchao. I heard that they had a quarrel in the ward and the old man fainted from anger. He was hospitalized with Kong Liangchao. But now they should all be at home. I heard that his grandfather's health is getting worse. In addition, Kong Liangchao's parents gave their daughter-in-law a lot of money and begged her not to make trouble. They hope that she will give birth to the baby in her belly quietly."
"Has Kong Liangchao become more honest?"
"It can't be said that he has become more honest, but his family doesn't give him money anymore. He can only stay at home and can't even afford to take the bus. He is forced to do so."
Xia Qingtang was very happy. She said, "This is not the worst time for him. His grandfather is still alive. If his grandfather were gone, the whole family would have to move out of the building, which would be fatal."
Xie Jinxuan said: "When that time comes, I will tell you the first time."
"Okay, thank you." Xia Qingtang smiled and turned around, and when a passerby was not paying attention, he secretly kissed Xie Jinxuan on the cheek.
The next day after work, Xia Qingtang had just returned home when Xie Jinxuan and Luo Xiangqian went to the train station to see Leng Feng off.
Grandpa Leng Feng lent them his car, and Xie Jinxuan was driving. The two of them waited until Leng Feng got on the train before returning to the compound.
Luo Xiangqian looked very lost. He didn't want to go home after returning. He stayed in the small courtyard and wanted Xie Jinxuan to drink with him.
Xie Jinxuan had no choice but to find some fried peanuts and pour two glasses of wine to accompany Luo Xiangqian.
Xia Qingtang ignored the two of them. She took a shower early and then went back to her room to read and sleep.
When they walked out the next morning, they found that Luo Xiangqian had not returned home at all, but had slept on the sofa in their house all night.
"Is Old Luo so sentimental? He didn't seem sad when Leng Feng left." Xia Qingtang looked at Luo Xiangqian, who was curled up on the sofa, and whispered, "Why didn't you let him sleep in the guest room?"
"When I carry him, he starts to scream and shout. I was afraid of disturbing you and the neighbors, so I had to let him curl up on the sofa." Xie Jinxuan said: "Xiang Qian is like this. He looks rough, but he actually likes to laugh and cry. He is very delicate at heart."
"How wonderful! Much better than that stone man."
Xie Jinxuan chuckled and said, "Anyway, the stone man has gone to another place, so he won't be an eyesore to you anymore."
"Indeed, I'm glad he left." Xia Qingtang said, "By the way, why didn't Lao Luo know that Leng Feng was cheated by a woman?"
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