Chapter 91
Because the admission letters have not been sent out yet, the files of these employed college entrance examination candidates are still in their original units, and they usually have to work until the start of school to transfer their relationships, and then they will officially leave their jobs.
Therefore, Xie Jinxuan also has to work until September. If he reports to the provincial university on the last day of September this year, the unit may try to keep him working until the last day.
However, recently the entire office has only assigned less important tasks to Xie Jinxuan, so that the office will not be too busy when he goes to school. So according to this situation, Xie Jinxuan can officially leave his job about a week before school starts.
Of course, if you are lucky and work in a less busy department or position, your boss may allow you to leave your post half a month in advance based on your wishes and actual situation.
Of course, as long as you are off duty, you will lose the salary and food coupons for that period of time. After all, if you are not at work, you will have no income, and every unit has relevant regulations.
This was the first time that everyone had seen someone like this coming to the company every day to work and collect wages, so both the union and the factory office staff were quite shocked.
The beaten Xiao Qu's face was covered in blood, which looked scary, but if you look closely, you can see that it was all blood from his nose, and his injuries were probably not as serious as they looked.
He wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his hand, then said nonchalantly: "Did I say anything wrong? You have no ability to begin with, you are just trash! You and I both took the exam, I got good grades, you didn't, so you were jealous of me, that's why you beat me! As for the other people, they are all fools, instigated by Ding Quan! I don't have to work in the workshop, it's arranged by the director, if you have the ability, go and settle with the director! Now five people beat me up, you are really capable! Not only can you not pass the exam, you don't even dare to beat people one-on-one! Trash!"
Xiaoqu's words were extremely harsh. When Ding Quan, the leader, heard them, he jumped up in anger again. However, he was quickly pinned down by the others and looked like a defeated rooster.
Chairman Qin looked around and said, "Where is your workshop director?"
"Director Ji has something to do at home today, so he has asked for leave..." someone whispered.
"Is it true that Director Ji didn't allow Xiao Qu to work?" Chairman Qin asked again.
The man said, "Yes, our director said that Xiao Qu will go to college in September. From now on, he doesn't have to do any work. He just needs to come to the workshop every day. He also said that it is an honor for our workshop to have a college student, so we can't let college students suffer any more."
As Chairman Qin listened, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and Director Huang next to him also showed a dissatisfied expression.
Li Yue stood on Xia Qingtang's right and muttered quietly, "This Director Ji is really confused. The admission letter hasn't come out yet, but he's already given Xiao Qu such preferential treatment. Even if he's really admitted, what will happen? As long as school is not open, he is an employee of the factory. Since he's getting paid, he has to work hard."
Li Yue is usually eccentric, but what he said made a lot of sense. Even Wu Feng and Zhang Ning nodded slightly in agreement.
Chairman Qin said: "Since such a thing happened in your workshop, why didn't you report it to the higher-ups earlier?"
There was silence for a long time before Ding Quan, who led the beating, said, "What's the point of complaining? We asked Director Ji why it was unfair, but he said that he would be a college student in the future. If he was assigned to a unit that manages our factory, he would be our leader, and he couldn't offend the leader! Since he couldn't offend the leader, would you dare to offend him?"
Chairman Qin said solemnly, "I don't care if others dare to do it, but I will take care of this matter! Since you work here for a day, you are not allowed to receive a day's salary! You want to get a salary and food coupons for free without working, and also cooling benefits? Our cotton mill does not have such rules. I don't care how big a leader you will be in the future, but you are not one yet! You are not a college student now, you are a worker in the third workshop of the cotton mill. You come here for a day and you have to do a day's work! If you can't do it, go home and stay, but don't even think about getting a salary or food coupons!"
Xiao Qu was stunned. He obviously didn't expect Chairman Qin to be so disrespectful to him, a college student.
Ever since the scores came out, Director Ji has been very attentive to Xiao Qu. It was also because of Director Ji's indulgence that Xiao Qu became more and more aggressive in mocking Ding Quan in the workshop, which led to this point.
Li Yue stood there and nodded repeatedly. She grabbed Xia Qingtang's arm and looked at the time. She whispered, "The last time I worked overtime was before the Chinese New Year. I didn't expect to have to work overtime today because of something like this."
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything. She looked at the time and estimated that Xie Jinxuan would be waiting anxiously at home in a while.
Chairman Qin continued, "Director Ji's actions seriously violated factory regulations. We will investigate and punish him! As for Xiao Qu, we will also investigate how many days he has not worked since he was on duty this month. All of you who can testify, please come and testify. We will deduct his salary and food coupons for this month accordingly. We will not allow any parasites to exist!"
Xiao Qu was shocked: "Chairman Qin, you are not serious, are you?"
With his score, he will definitely be able to get into university. At worst, he will be able to get into a junior college. As long as he goes to university, he will receive food coupons and subsidies, but that will only happen after he starts school.
Besides, he was planning to buy new clothes, new shoes and a new cross-body bag before school started. If his August salary and food coupons were deducted, not only would he not be able to buy new clothes, he would also have to go hungry in September!
"I'm serious. You guys can't just break the factory rules like this! Now, all of you go find the clerks and tell them all the attendance records you know as evidence. Once they have compiled the statistics, they will give everyone an explanation." Chairman Qin said sternly, "If you tell a lie, you will be punished like your director!"
The young men who beat the man suddenly became happy. The leader, Ding Quan, said, "That's great! I knew the factory would give us an explanation! Thank you, Chairman Qin!"
"You guys have to give Xiao Qu an explanation too!" Chairman Qin looked at Ding Quan sternly and said, "Xiao Qu and Director Ji broke the factory rules and will be punished, but beating them is against the law. If Xiao Qu asks us to call the police, we will help her. You will bear all the consequences if anything happens afterwards."
The young men who beat the man were all frightened. They looked at each other and were speechless.
Xiao Qu crossed her arms and rolled her eyes and said, "Of course I asked the police. They beat me up like this. If I didn't call the police, what would I be?"
The factory is going to deduct his August salary anyway, so at least they will drag Ding Quan and others into this. He will starve, but Ding Quan will go to jail, so he will be happy even if he starves!
"Okay, Director Huang, please ask your factory office to find a male comrade to notify the nearby police station to come and deal with the beating. Others, please assist the trade union in collecting evidence." Chairman Qin added.
Director Huang nodded and immediately ordered a male clerk to run out to find the police.
Li Yue sighed and said, "I'm afraid it will take an hour to get off work today. These people don't fight earlier or later, why do they have to fight at this time?"
Zhang Ning said, "Stop complaining, finish your work and go home early."
Li Yue then reluctantly followed Zhang Ning to collect evidence. Xia Qingtang and Feng Xinhui were in a group, and the others were divided into several groups to collect evidence of Xiaoqu not working in the workshop. After asking, everyone knew that Xiaoqu had been tacitly allowed not to work since he filled in the application form.
He would even come to work late and leave early, and seemed even more leisurely than Director Ji every day.
The workshop in the summer was very hard, as it was hot and stuffy. Everyone was working diligently, but not only did he not work, he often made sarcastic remarks to his fellow workers, and everyone had had enough of him.
Feng Xinhui said: "You have had enough. You should have reported the problem earlier. Isn't our union right there? Why don't you go over there?"
"Because Xiao Qu said he was a college student, everyone in the factory had to give him some respect..." A female employee whispered, "We don't understand either. Besides, if we report the situation to the higher-ups, wouldn't we offend Director Ji? Director Ji has the final say on the shift schedule for our workshop. If it were you, would you dare to offend him?"
Feng Xinhui sighed, took Xia Qingtang back to Chairman Qin, and told him the results of her team's investigation.
Finally, they collected all the testimonies, and the police took away the people who beat Xiao Qu. Director Huang and his staff accompanied them to deal with the matter.
Chairman Qin sighed slightly, and waited until everything was settled before she led the union members out. She said, "That's enough. You've all worked hard today. Let's go home and have a rest."
Xia Qingtang looked at his watch. It was already past six o'clock. He had been delayed for more than an hour.
She rushed back to the office, picked up her backpack, and rode out on her bicycle. When she arrived at the factory gate, she saw Xie Jinxuan waiting there.
"I knew you were going to come look for me. You must have been waiting anxiously at home, right?" Xia Qingtang said, "When we were almost off work, there was a dispute in the workshop, so we and the people from the factory office went to resolve it. It wasn't a big deal, but it took a lot of time to handle."
"I know. The security guard just told me that there was a fight and someone violated the factory rules."
"So how long have you been waiting here?"
"I waited at home until 5:40, and when I saw you weren't home yet, I rode my bike over here." Xie Jinxuan said, "You've worked hard today, let's go home and eat."
"Okay, I'm really hungry. I'm very busy today." Xia Qingtang muttered to himself as he rode home with Xie Jinxuan.
Xie Jinxuan brought back dinner from the cafeteria. It included braised tofu and fried cowpea, both of which were good dishes to go with rice. After the meal, Xia Qingtang felt extremely tired, so he took a shower and went to bed immediately.
The next morning, as soon as they got up, they changed into clothes for going out and went to the small western-style building hand in hand, intending to have breakfast with their grandparents.
Ever since their aunt brought the two children here for the summer vacation, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan seldom came over for dinner. One reason was that there were too many people at home and their little cousin liked to make noise. In addition, their aunt didn't like Xia Qingtang very much, so she often let Xie Jinxuan come over alone to play with her cousins, while she would stay at home and be lazy.
My aunt complained to my grandmother several times, saying that Xia Qingtang didn't know how to behave and that she knew the elders were here but didn't spend more time with them. My grandmother always laughed it off and advised her to just forget it.
Xia Qingtang had never thought of having a head-on conflict with her aunt. She only came here for one summer vacation every year. It was enough to just go through the motions. There was no need to offend her.
After all, she is grandma's daughter, and Xia Qingtang likes grandma very much, so she will never have a direct conflict with her aunt.
This morning, she had originally planned to make some simple porridge for herself, but Aunt Six said that she had to prepare breakfast for everyone and required both of them to be present, so Xia Qingtang came over.
Although they were going to climb a mountain, Songshu Mountain was not a steep mountain. Many young people who loved beauty would even wear leather shoes to climb it, so Xia Qingtang wore a light blue short-sleeved striped shirt and a pair of loose shorts that her grandmother had someone make for her last month.
The shorts were made of off-white suit material. Because of their beautiful cut and loose legs, they looked like the culottes that were popular later. She tied a long silk scarf given to her by Xie's mother around her waist, which made her waist look slender, and she looked very western and beautiful.
To match this fashionable outfit, she changed her usual two pigtails into a single pigtail that stretched from the right side to her chest, and then put on her little straw hat. This was a fashionable outfit that Xia Qingtang had seen in magazines later.
As soon as she entered the door, grandma said, "Oh, Qingtang, you look so beautiful today!"
The length of the shorts was about ten centimeters above the knees, just revealing Xia Qingtang's slender and straight legs. Paired with the white tennis shoes that Xie Jinxuan bought for her, she looked young and energetic, just like a schoolgirl from a certain era in the past.
Xie's mother also said: "Yes, Qingtang looks really good in these pants. Look, her waist is so thin, and the skin on her legs is so white. It's good to be young."
Xia Qingtang was a beauty favored by God. Not only did she have a pretty face, but her figure was also first-rate. She was nearly 1.7 meters tall, with straight and long legs, a slender waist, and fuller breasts than many people. However, people of that era were relatively conservative and would wear small cotton vests, which could not highlight the beauty of curves like the women's underwear of later generations.
But even though her chest was covered, her figure was still enviable, and she was only twenty-one years old now, very young. Youth was the best decoration, and she was full of energy.
The little cousin stared at Xia Qingtang with curiosity, and then said, "Cousin, why are you wearing a silk scarf around your waist? Can't you afford a belt? My mother has several belts, and I can give you one."
My aunt immediately grabbed my little cousin and said, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Thank you, but it's not that I don't have a belt. I found this ribbon specifically to match this outfit."
The silk scarf that Xie's mother gave her has a white background with large yellow flowers. When tied around the waist, the bright yellow color will appear more eye-catching and the combination looks great.
"This combination is really nice, much better than wearing a belt! Our Qingtang is so smart, he knows everything and understands everything." Grandma said happily.
My aunt pouted and said, "It's not a good thing to like dressing up so much. It's too bourgeois. Mom, you too, who is dad? What kind of family is this? There are so many eyes on this family. Now your granddaughter-in-law is dressed so fancy. Aren't you afraid that others will point fingers at you and affect dad's reputation in the future?"
After hearing this, Xia Qingtang immediately stood beside Xie Jinxuan. She lowered her head, as calm as if she had not heard anything.
Xie Jinxuan's expression was not very good, but considering that his aunt and the others were going home tomorrow, he suppressed his unhappiness, lowered his head and said nothing.
The same voice echoed in the hearts of both of them: "They will leave tomorrow."
But grandma smiled and said, "Times have changed. Now is different from before. There are girls in Guoqin's office who paint their nails and wear earrings. This summer, there are many girls wearing flowery skirts and high-heeled leather shoes on the street. I see that everyone is dressing up. Where is the bourgeoisie? We, the middle class, can't wear nice clothes? That doesn't make sense. As for your father, you don't have to worry about it. His achievements have nothing to do with these things. Besides, our Qingtang is not a child who doesn't understand occasions and rules. She usually doesn't wear such clothes to work. Today, our whole family is going out to play. What's wrong with her dressing up as a young girl? When I was young, I wore gold and silver and used foreign perfume. You should also think more open-mindedly. Now the times are different. You don't have to be so simple. You are my daughter, you are very beautiful, you can wear more beautiful clothes while you are still young, so as not to regret it when you are old."
Everyone in the Xie family is good-looking. My aunt inherited my grandmother's petite figure and a small head and face. She would look good even if she dressed up casually, but she, like her husband, is very cautious in character. No matter what other people wear outside, she has been wearing simple white shirts and black pants for ten years.
My aunt said unhappily, "I'm fine with it like this. Mom, I think you're too indulgent to Qingtang. You say times have changed, but I don't know what's different. What if they start investigating those things again? With Qingtang's behavior, something bad will happen sooner or later."
Grandma was a little unhappy this time. She said, "What do you mean by that? It's as if you're hoping something bad will happen to Qingtang?"
Xie's mother was not too happy either, but since she was her sister-in-law, it was not convenient for her to speak, so she could only secretly push Xie Chengye and let him speak.
Xie Chengye reacted quickly and said immediately: "Yes, Qingtang is our child now. If something happened to her, would you be happy? Why don't you hope that she will be okay?"
"Why wasn't I looking forward to it? I was actually looking forward to finding an excellent, motivated, stable and down-to-earth girl for this family. Who knew that you let Jinxuan make the decision on her own and find such a daughter-in-law. As the old saying goes, marrying an unvirtuous wife will ruin three generations. Brother, you are really confused. I will be going back tomorrow. If you don't say some things now, it will be too late. I said all this for the good of this family." Aunt looked heartbroken.
Hearing this, Xie Jinxuan finally couldn't help it. He didn't care that Xia Qingtang was pulling his hand hard. He just looked up and said, "Don't worry, aunt. I know how virtuous Qingtang is. My parents know it, and my grandparents know it even better. Marrying an unvirtuous wife will ruin three generations. This kind of thing will definitely not happen in our family. Aunt, you should worry about your own family. My little cousin is about the same age as Xiaoyun, but he has always been so ignorant. I think he will be in danger in the future."
The aunt blushed and immediately became relentless: "What are you talking about? I'm your aunt, am I not good to you? I care about you and say those things for your sake, how dare you curse your cousin like this?"
"I am also concerned about my aunt, how can this be a curse? If you want to talk about a curse, then the words that my aunt said before are the curse, right?" Xie Jinxuan said with a smile: "If my aunt is really doing good for me, then please be a little respectful to Qingtang. My mother, as a mother-in-law, has never said anything unpleasant in front of Qingtang. Aunt, you can learn from my mother and be a gentle and kind elder."
This statement clearly meant that her aunt was not a gentle and kind elder. In addition, she did not have a good impression of her sister-in-law, Mother Xie. Now she was angered by this statement and immediately became unhappy.
"Brother, is this the good son you raised? He even said this to me, his aunt! Brother, I tell you, if you don't handle this matter well today, I won't go out!" The aunt sat on a small stool and began to wipe her tears.
Xie Chengye was a little helpless. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Grandpa Xie coming out of the study. He said in a deep voice, "Then don't go out. You said the wrong thing yourself, and you are pointing fingers at a junior. Do you still have reason? Since you don't want to go out, then don't go out. Anyway, you will go home tomorrow. Just stay in the house today and reflect on yourself! Since you came, whenever you see Qingtang, you will say something bad about her. Qingtang is so well-mannered. She has never refuted you for so long. You are getting excited! Who gave you the courage to point fingers at my granddaughter-in-law in my house? Our whole family is very satisfied with Qingtang. She is a very good girl. If you are not satisfied, don't come here in the future! Otherwise, Qingtang will not dare to come to our place to accompany her grandmother when you come!"
My aunt could still act like a spoiled brat in front of my grandmother, but she was always in awe and fear of her own father. Now that Grandpa Xie yelled at her, she immediately lost her temper and didn’t dare to pretend to cry. She immediately said, “Dad, I didn’t mean that…”
"Why should I care about you? Remember, this is your mother's home, and it is also your home. But Jinxuan and Qingtang are both married adults, so you should stop interfering in their affairs in the future! Take care of yourself and your own children, and don't worry about other people!" Grandpa Xie tidied his clothes and said, "Okay, why don't you have breakfast? I have a meeting later!"
Aunt Six came out of the kitchen just in time, holding a huge tin pot in her hand. She said with a smile, "Breakfast is ready. Old man, please sit down and I'll serve you some rice."
Old Master Xie walked over and sat down. Xie Chengye and Mother Xie followed. Grandma walked over to Auntie and whispered, "You'd better remember what your father said. Also, just take care of your own children, and don't always interfere with other people's children. Your brother and sister-in-law have good personalities. They haven't said anything about you for twenty years, but that doesn't mean you're right. Remember?"
The aunt said aggrievedly: "I'll remember it."
"So do you still want to go out?"
"want."
"Okay, take the child over to have breakfast and apologize to your father. After dinner, we'll go out to play happily." Grandma said, touching her daughter's head and went to sit at the dining table.
Xia Qingtang went to the kitchen to help. There were many people in the family now, so they would eat separately. She, Xie Jinxuan and Xie Jinyun would sit on the sofa to eat, leaving the dining table to the elders and guests. Aunt Liu would also pack the food separately.
Sixth Aunt gave Xia Qingtang a small white iron pot, which was filled with the same vegetable porridge as the big pot, as well as a full plate of vegetable cakes and three cooked corns.
Now is the season for eating boiled corn. Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan often cook it for dinner. She also cuts the corn kernels and mixes them with flour to make corn tortillas, which tastes better.
During breakfast, my aunt quietly apologized to Grandpa Xie, and Grandpa Xie said, "Okay, don't mention those things anymore, eat well, and then go out and have fun. I will treat everyone to dinner at the provincial capital restaurant tonight, and you can go home tomorrow and come back to play next summer vacation."
My aunt was immediately happy, for she knew how frugal Grandpa Xie was. Although he held a high position, he almost never ate out except in the cafeteria. The only time he spent money and food coupons to eat out every year was this meal he provided for them.
And every year they would go to the most expensive and best state-owned hotel in the province, the Provincial Capital Hotel, which allowed my aunt to feel her special position in her father's heart.
After being scolded just now, she thought she would not go to the provincial capital restaurant for dinner this year. Unexpectedly, Grandpa Xie was still thinking about this matter, which showed that her father loved her after all, so her aunt became happy again.
My little cousin, little cousin and Xie Jinyun were also very happy. As children, no matter how good the food at home was, they were very interested in state-owned restaurants. Going out to eat was more fun for them than celebrating the Chinese New Year.
Upon hearing this, Xie Jinyun whispered, "Sister-in-law, have you ever been to the provincial capital restaurant for dinner?"
"I haven't been there." Xia Qingtang said, "Is it delicious?"
In fact, she had been there in her previous life, but it was in the early 1980s. At that time, she didn’t think the food in the provincial capital restaurant was particularly delicious. She only remembered that the price was very expensive and the dishes were exquisite.
Xie Jinyun said: "Of course it's delicious, especially delicious, and very beautiful! Each dish has carvings made of radishes and carrots, and we can even take some away!"
"Really? Then I'll have to see it tonight." Xia Qingtang said with a smile: "It's all thanks to my aunt."
Xie Jinxuan whispered, "That's just the way my aunt is. Don't take what she just said to heart."
"I won't take it to heart. You and grandpa and grandma are all speaking for me, so why should I bother with my aunt? They will go home tomorrow anyway, and we won't see each other again for another year." Xia Qingtang really seemed to have no grudges.
She knew very well in her mind that this was Xie Jinxuan's aunt, just a relative, not a family member, so there was no need to get angry for her.
Xie Jinxuan felt relieved and picked up another vegetable pancake and handed it to Xia Qingtang.
After breakfast, Grandpa Xie’s secretary came to pick him up for the meeting.
The others packed their things, including water cups, biscuits, peaches, cooked corn and cantaloupe, and set off together.
There are a lot of people today, and the small car can't accommodate so many people, so everyone takes the bus.
The bus was not as crowded as usual. After Xie Jinxuan got on the bus, she found seats for her grandmother and aunt. The others stood casually in the car and talked. Then they changed buses and finally arrived at their destination.
From here, we still have to walk more than a mile to reach the foot of Pine Mountain. Fortunately, the weather today is not too hot, and large white clouds float across the sky from time to time. The group is in a very good mood and soon reached the foot of the mountain.
"There are quite a lot of people climbing the mountain," said Xie's mother. "I didn't expect that people would be willing to come out to bask in the sun on such a hot day."
"It's a good thing to get out and move around. If I hadn't retired yet, I would like to go hiking on Sundays. The air is good and it's good for the body." Grandma said with a smile.
Aunt Liu pointed over there and said, "Look under that tree. Is that a fellow villager selling something?"
"Selling things?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, and looked in the direction of Aunt Liu's finger. Sure enough, they saw a dark-skinned young man wearing a straw hat squatting under a relatively inconspicuous tree. In front of him were two large bamboo baskets covered with blue floral cloth. It really looked like he was selling something.
Aunt Six was very interested: "I'll go over and take a look. If they're selling any fruit or something, I can buy some to try."
The aunt grabbed her and said, "That's not good. This is really a righteous act!"
"Ah..." Aunt Liu blinked her eyes and didn't say anything, but she didn't move either.
Xie Jinxuan said, "I'll go over and take a look. If there's anything edible, I'll buy some."
After saying that, he walked forward hand in hand with Xia Qingtang.
My aunt yelled, "Jinxuan, don't go! Let your wife go alone!"
But Xie Jinxuan didn't listen to her at all and still walked over with Xia Qingtang.
Auntie stamped her feet anxiously. Mother Xie said, "What's the point? Why are you so scared? It's just to see what's on sale. If it's something that can't be bought, Jinxuan will naturally not buy it. Besides, who cares about these things now? There are people in our compound selling mountain products sent by relatives in the countryside."
"Oh, I'm afraid it's a trap. What if there's someone hiding there, waiting for them to come over? As soon as he asks, Jinxuan will be arrested. What will happen to the university then?" My aunt really looked anxious.
"It's okay, we really don't care about it now." Xie Chengye said: "Besides, why are you only worried about Jinxuan and not Qingtang? If Qingtang is arrested, it will be a big problem."
My aunt snorted coldly and stopped talking.
Xie Chengye deliberately smiled and said, "Don't forget what dad said, or I'll get mad at you again."
As they were talking, they saw Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang coming back empty-handed.
"What? Aren't you selling things?" asked Aunt Liu.
"He was selling things, but they were peanuts. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to buy them now, so I told him that we were going to buy ten kilograms to take home when we go down the mountain in the afternoon." Xie Jinxuan said, "I also paid him the money, and he will wait for me at the foot of the mountain in the afternoon."
"What? You paid? Then he must have run away in the afternoon! How could you be so stupid?" My aunt looked as if she was disappointed in me.
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. If he ran away, he ran away. I saw that his clothes were very tattered and patched, and he was very thin. I guess his family must be in great financial difficulty. If he really took the money and ran away, even if I helped someone, it wouldn't be a big deal."
The aunt was a little dumbfounded. She stared at Xie Jinxuan's upright eyes and after enduring for a long time, she finally uttered: "You are such a fool."
Mother Xie smiled and said, "A fool is a fool. Our Jinxuan has been like this since she was a child. You just don't know it because you are far away. Well, aren't we going to climb the mountain? Let's get started! And, you three little guys, do you want to compete to see who can climb to the top of the mountain first?"
My little cousin immediately became interested: "Is there any reward for being the first one?"
"I will reward the first place winner with a new pencil case." said Xie's mother.
"Then I want to be the first!" The little cousin started running forward.
Xie Jinyun and her little cousin looked at each other and hurried to follow.
However, the little cousin is younger than Xie Jinyun, so he has been controlling his speed and walking with the little cousin to protect her.
When it comes to educating children, Xie Chengye's two children are indeed much better than his sister's two children. Although Xie Jinyun is not as smart as his younger cousin, he is down-to-earth and steady, knows how to take care of others and how to be humble, which are very rare qualities.
Others also started climbing up from the foot of the mountain. Although grandma was not young, her legs and feet were very strong and were no worse than those of young people.
However, as they walked, the group gradually dispersed due to different speeds.
Xia Qingtang rides a bicycle to exercise every day, so she is in very good shape and her legs and feet are very strong. She and Xie Jinxuan always follow behind the three children, while the others gradually fall behind.
There were indeed quite a few people climbing the mountain. Xie Jinxuan also met two acquaintances she met at work and greeted them.
When they reached halfway up the mountain, the three children were a little tired. Even the little cousin who was the first to rush in stopped under a big tree, panting and fanning himself with his hat.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Let's rest here for a while, drink some water, and then continue to climb. Of course, if you don't want to rest, you can just continue."
Xie Jinyun immediately walked to her brother's side and sat down with her little cousin: "I want to rest for ten minutes."
The little cousin rolled his eyes and said, "I'll take a five-minute break."
He was carrying a military green water bottle on his back. He opened it and drank two sips of water. He looked very tired but refused to admit defeat.
Xia Qingtang walked over, handed him two fruit candies, and said, "Eat some of this to replenish your energy."
"Thank you, cousin." The little cousin was very happy and immediately peeled it and put it in his mouth.
Xia Qingtang also drank some water, then put a candy in his mouth and sucked it slowly.
In the past, her neighbor’s teacher told her that it was best to replenish her energy with chocolate when exercising, but now that there is no chocolate, eating a piece of candy is also good.
They rested for ten minutes and then continued to climb up with the others.
The little cousin probably recovered and was now energetic again, so he took the lead and walked in front.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Xiao Yun, don't you want to compete for first place?"
"I don't need it. I have a new pencil case." Xie Jinyun whispered, "Give him the first one."
Several people climbed to the top of the mountain in one go. The first place was indeed my little cousin. He was so proud that he kept cheering happily: "I am the first, I am the first!"
"Yes, congratulations, you are first." Xie Jinyun walked over with a smile and patted his shoulder gently.
After Xia Qingtang climbed to the top of the mountain, he began to feel a little tired. However, after standing on the edge of the mountain looking at the scenery below and feeling the mountain breeze for a while, all his tiredness suddenly disappeared and he felt refreshed.
There is a stone pavilion built in ancient times on the top of the mountain, with strange rocks beside it, which gives it a unique flavor.
There used to be a very beautiful large plaque on the pavilion. Xia Qingtang remembered seeing it when he was climbing the mountain as a child, but during that period, the plaque was also removed and damaged. Now the pavilion is bare, which looks a bit desolate in a different way.
Seeing her staring at the pavilion, Xie Jinxuan walked over and whispered, "Do you like this pavilion so much? There are other pavilions over there. I'll take you to see them."
"No, no, I was just trying to recall what was written on the plaque on the pavilion, but I couldn't remember anything at all." Xia Qingtang laughed.
Before Xie Jinxuan could say anything, a tourist who was also admiring the pavilion said, "Originally, it was inscribed with the words 'Moon Viewing Pavilion'. It was written in the Ming Dynasty. There are four pavilions on this mountain, all of which are octagonal pavilions. Counting from this side, they are Ran Feng Pavilion, Ting Yu Pavilion and Jing Xin Pavilion. They are the four best places on this mountain to enjoy the moon, enjoy the wind, listen to the rain and meditate. The mountain wind is gentle today. You can go to Ran Feng Pavilion and sit there. You should be able to feel it."
The tourist looked to be about thirty years old, wearing a pair of glasses, thin, gentle-looking, with slightly tanned skin, but he looked quite elegant, a complete cultured person.
Xia Qingtang hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, comrade. We will go to Ran Fengting in a while."
The man smiled and said, "You can come here at night to enjoy the moon if you have the chance. I have been here several times and each time I was reluctant to leave. It seems that you can reach out and touch the moon. It is really fascinating."
"We can enjoy the moon here, but how do we get back?" Xia Qingtang was a little curious.
The nearest village is quite far away, and considering the time it takes to go up and down the mountain, it would probably take around two or three o'clock to get back after watching the moon.
"Just stay overnight on the mountain, get up early and watch the sunrise, then go back down the mountain."
"How elegant! I'd like to try it if I have the chance. But not now because there are too many mosquitoes at night. Let's wait until there are no mosquitoes." Xia Qingtang admired this man very much. She didn't expect that there would be such an elegant person at this time.
Seeing that he was so thin that he could be blown down by the wind, Xia Qingtang asked himself if he would have the leisure time to do so when he was not getting enough to eat.
The man still smiled and said, "Will you really come to enjoy the moon?"
"If I have the chance, I will definitely come here to enjoy the moon." Xia Qingtang hesitated for a moment and said, "Is this comrade a teacher?"
The way he spoke and asked questions really sounded like a teacher. Sure enough, the man nodded and said, "I teach at the provincial capital university."
"Oh, you teach at the provincial university?" Xia Qingtang was quite happy, because maybe this person would also teach Xie Jinxuan in the future.
"Why? Are you a student at the provincial university?"
"No, no, I didn't take the college entrance examination, but my wife's scores are pretty good this year, and she should be able to be admitted to the provincial capital university." Xia Qingtang said: "If you were a Chinese teacher, you would probably teach my wife."
The man looked at Xie Jinxuan and said, "You have a good appearance and look smart. If you really pass the exam, feel free to come to me if you have any questions. My name is Xu Zhenhua."
Xie Jinxuan was stunned and said, "Teacher Xu is from the Archaeology Department, right?"
Xia Qingtang was a little surprised. Seeing Xu Zhenhua so elegant, she thought he was a teacher in the Chinese department, but she didn't expect that he was from the archeology department.
"Yes, you know me?" Xu Zhenhua smiled even more brightly. "How about it? Are you interested in archaeology? If you want to come to our archaeology department, I can write down your name and ask you to come over."
Xie Jinxuan said: "Thank you for Mr. Xu's kindness, but my main job is to write articles for leaders. I will probably have to go back to work after graduation. Archaeology is not suitable for me."
Xia Qingtang heard something very unusual. She said, "So, you can choose your major in advance?"
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