Chapter 54
Xie Jinxuan said: "Marrying Qingtang is the happiest thing in my life. If I don't listen to her, who else can I listen to?"
The aunt looked at Xia Qingtang and said, "Does your family really listen to you?"
"It depends on what it is. We can discuss the big things, but you just have to listen to me when it comes to things that concern me." Xia Qingtang told the truth.
This made my aunt nod her head repeatedly: "Xiao Xie is really a good person. I have seen henpecked men, but I have never seen someone like you. It is the right way for a couple to discuss things. Qingtang, you are also smart. Your mother said that you will regret it in the future, but I don't think so. With a husband like Xiao Xie, Qingtang's father doesn't have to worry. Moreover, I understand why Qingtang has become indifferent to her relatives. With someone like you who respects her in everything, she certainly doesn't want to see those who make her unhappy. I think the only one who will regret in the future will be Qingtang's mother. My eldest sister is always confused."
Xia Qingtang was not surprised at all when her aunt said this.
Among the four children born to old lady Chen Hongxing in her life, both the older and the younger ones are quite smart and intelligent, except for the eldest daughter Zhao Meizhen, who is extremely stupid.
My aunt Zhao Meiyan was the youngest child in their family. She was almost out of work at the beginning. Old lady Chen Hongxing didn’t know where she found a way, but she was told that she could get a job in the paper mill, but the prerequisite was that she had to marry someone in the mill.
Zhao Meiyan was only seventeen or eighteen years old at that time. No matter what Chen Hongxing said, she had to make her own decision. In the end, she met the man first and made sure that she was compatible with him before she agreed to get engaged. Then she asked the other party's family to get her a job in the paper mill.
A year later, Zhao Meiyan, who had a stable job, was sure that her fiancé was a good man, so she registered her marriage with him. After that, the two of them worked peacefully in the paper mill and had three children.
Some jobs in the paper mill are quite polluting and harmful to the body, so the couple earns a lot of money. But unlike Zhao Meizhen, she never gives money to her parents' home. Every time Chen Hongxing asks her for something, she will ask her parents' home for food in return, because she has three children and it is normal for her to be poor.
But Chen Hongxing liked her younger daughter more. She would feed her older daughter Zhao Meizhen rotten food, but she never dared to treat her younger daughter like that.
Later, when Ma Chuntao and his wife became rich, their elder and second uncles both rushed to curry favor with them, hoping to get a share of the profits from their business, but Zhao Meiyan rejected them one by one.
She is much more sober than Zhao Meizhen. She only cares about her own small family. She will only be polite to others like her mother's family and brothers, and then she will live her own life well. Moreover, she will not favor boys over girls when raising children. That's why Ma Chuntao voluntarily helped her younger brothers and sisters when she became rich later.
For example, if Zhao Meizhen bought meat buns today, she would definitely buy four meat buns, two for her son Xia Qinghai, one for her and Xia Daming, and Xia Qingtang would just have to drink cold water. After all, her daughter is someone else's daughter-in-law, and eating so well would only waste food.
There was a time in her previous life when Xia Qingtang wondered why her mother was Zhao Meizhen instead of Zhao Meiyan. It would be great if she could exchange mothers with her cousin.
Now that they meet again, Xia Qingtang still thinks that her cousin Ma Chuntao is a lucky person, but she no longer envies her for this.
"How could Xia Qinghai's mother regret it? She has a good son and she will have a happy life in the future." Xia Qingtang said lightly.
The aunt smiled and patted her shoulder, saying, "If that's the case, that's not bad. You can live a good life, and your mother and the others can live a good life too. Only when everyone lives a good life can we live in peace, right?"
This is also very interesting. It is obvious that the aunt knows what kind of person the eldest sister is. If her son is living a good life, she will definitely not cause trouble for Xia Qingtang. If her son is not living a good life, who knows what she will do?
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Aunt is right."
"Then you should have a good time with Xiao Xie. I'm so happy to see you today. I told your father in the first month of the year that I should find a chance to visit you. Now that I've met him, I don't have to go out of my way to visit you." My aunt said, "Also, you guys can have a rest on Sunday and come to my house. I'd be so embarrassed if I ate your meat buns but didn't come to my house for a meal."
Ma Chuntao also said: "Yes, cousin, why don't you come to our house to play? I haven't seen you for a long time."
When she was this age, Ma Chuntao still liked her elder cousin, but later Xia Qingtang did not live up to her expectations and her life became worse and worse, and there was no longer any kinship between the two sisters. Ma Chuntao would use Xia Qingtang's experience to educate the next generation, reminding them not to follow in her footsteps.
Xia Qingtang thought for a moment and said, "We have things to do this Sunday and next Sunday, so we can't go. How about the Sunday after next?"
"The Sunday after next? It's the beginning of March, so there must be nothing to do at home. We have agreed that you and Xiao Xie will go together on the Sunday after next. You know my family doesn't have much to offer, but I remember you like to eat sweet potato balls, so I'll make some for you, and also make you some noodles that I'm good at, and I guarantee you'll be full." The aunt looked at Xie Jinxuan again, "Xiao Xie, you must come."
"Okay, then it's settled. Jinxuan and I will go there next Sunday morning." Xia Qingtang said, "Don't tell Dad and the others about this."
"Hey, I can't see them, where can I go to talk to them?" My aunt smiled and said, "Then let's go back today. It's still a long way to go by bus, and it's not early when we get home."
The paper mill was built on the outskirts of the city because of pollution issues. If you take a bus from here, you have to change buses, and it will definitely be dark when you get home.
Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang sent her aunt and Ma Chuntao to the bus stop. After watching them get on the bus, the two young people continued their way back to the compound.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Your aunt seems to be a nice person, and you don't seem to hate her that much."
"She is really not a bad person. She is different from Zhao Meizhen and Zhao Zhiqiang. She is a smart person. I really don't hate her." Xia Qingtang saw her aunt and cousin again, and she didn't have any special thoughts in her mind. "Next year's New Year, I can pay New Year's greetings to my aunt and her family."
"Then I'll go with you. It's rare that you have relatives that you don't hate. I'm happy for you." Xie Jinxuan said softly.
"I don't care about my relatives, why don't you think there is something wrong with me?" Xia Qingtang suddenly asked, looking at his gentle smiling face.
"How could there be a problem with you? You are a good person. If you stop associating with someone, it must be the other person's problem. Besides, who says that a person must associate with relatives? I don't associate with Tian Guoqiang, why don't you say anything to me?" Xie Jinxuan said firmly.
Xia Qingtang chuckled: "What you said makes a lot of sense, I can't refute it. Hey, after hearing what you said, I feel more justified. But it's getting late, let's ride back. I haven't seen my grandparents for several days, and I miss them a little."
"Okay, let's go back now."
When they got home, the two parked the car and walked in. Xia Qingtang immediately shouted, "Grandma, we're back."
Grandma immediately came over and held her hand: "You are willing to come back for dinner. Your grandfather doesn't have to work overtime today. It's just right that we can have a comfortable dinner."
"Where's grandpa? Why can't I see him?" Xia Qingtang looked around and found that the door of the study was open and his grandfather was not in the study.
"He went to play chess next door. Xiaoyun is not at home and you have moved out. If he wants to play chess now, he can only go to the neighbors." Grandma shouted towards the kitchen: "Xiaoliu, is dinner ready? If it is, I will go call the old man."
Aunt Six said, "You can call now. Come back, wash your hands and you can eat."
Xie Jinxuan said: "I'll go call grandpa, whose house is he at?"
"To Xiangqian's house."
Xie Jinxuan nodded and walked out. Xia Qingtang said, "Is Dad not home?"
"Chengye has something to do today. He is drinking at someone else's house. He will probably be back later." Grandma looked Xia Qingtang up and down and said, "I haven't seen you for a few days. Why do I feel that you have lost some weight?"
"How can I be thin? I eat enough every day." Xia Qingtang said: "Grandma, you must have seen it wrong."
"I heard that Jinxuan and her colleagues in the office are all working overtime this week and are so busy. You are alone at home, so will you just eat a bite of dinner? Xiaoliu always wanted to call you over for dinner, but I thought you young people wanted to live on your own, so I didn't bother you." Grandma said, "It's just that we are not used to it. Xiaoliu is also used to having you by his side to help pick vegetables and so on every time he cooks."
"Then I will come back on Sundays to help Aunt Liu make lunch, but not tomorrow. Jinxuan and I plan to stay at home all day tomorrow."
Grandma smiled and said, "Are you tired from work? Do you want to rest at home?"
"That's about right. Jinxuan is tired anyway."
As they were talking, Xie Jinxuan came back with Grandpa Xie, followed by Luo Xiangqian. He was holding a big bowl filled with oil-splashed noodles, and the aroma was fragrant as soon as it was brought in.
"Why is Xiang Qian still carrying a bowl of rice? Are you worried that we don't have food to eat?" Grandma smiled and said, "You have learned to bring your own food."
"No, no, I just want to eat oil-splashed noodles and also want to eat what Aunt Liu made, so I brought the oil-splashed noodles here to beg for food." Luo Xiangqian smiled, still looking cheerful.
Although he had just been back for a week, there were some changes. For example, he changed into new black trousers with the seams ironed straight. Paired with a light grey sweater, he looked much more energetic. Although his skin was still as dark, he had lost all his country look.
Xia Qingtang greeted him, washed his hands and went to the kitchen to help serve the dishes.
Today, Aunt Liu knew that the two of them would come back for dinner, so she made steamed eggs with dried shrimps, and wrapped big buns with cabbage, vermicelli and pork filling. She also cooked a big pot of hot soup and served it with a plate of stir-fried spinach. It was as sumptuous as a holiday.
Luo Xiangqian said, "Oh, your family has such good food! Meat buns!"
"There's not much meat, just a meaty taste, mostly cabbage and vermicelli." Aunt Six said, "You'll know if you try one."
Luo Xiangqian really took a big bun and bit into it. Sure enough, there was not much meat filling, but because it was mostly fat, the bun tasted fragrant and greasy.
Luo Xiangqian finished one and took another. He no longer ate the meat buns, but instead ate the oil-splashed noodles with the seaweed soup cooked by Aunt Liu.
Xia Qingtang hadn't eaten meat buns for a long time. Although the amount of pork in the meat buns made by Aunt Liu was not as much as those in state-owned restaurants, the taste was particularly good, so she ate several in one go and still felt it was not enough.
Aunt Liu continued to put some buns in her mouth: "Eat more. There is also this steamed egg. Eat more. This is specially prepared for you. You have been eating dinner alone recently. What did you eat?"
While eating, Xia Qingtang talked about the simple dinners he had had in the past few nights. After listening, Aunt Six said, "It's still too simple."
Grandma said, "It's hard to cook for one person. It's not good for Jinxuan to keep working overtime like this."
Before Xie Jinxuan could say anything, she heard the old man say, "What are you talking about? If you have a job, of course you have to work hard. You know what the situation is recently. They are already very happy to work in a safe place. Why do you blame it on overtime? What's wrong with overtime? Many people like to work overtime, and they have to work even on holidays!"
This is true. Nowadays, many people particularly like to work and work overtime. They feel that they can contribute to the country and the people through their jobs, which is a very honorable thing.
There were people like this in Xia Qingtang’s cotton mill. For example, when it came to the New Year shift arrangements, at the beginning, everyone in Xia Qingtang’s office would be on duty. But because Wu Feng and Feng Xinhui offered to help their colleagues on duty, Li Yue and Xia Qingtang were not on duty in the end.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything. She was a person who completed her job diligently and conscientiously. She would do her best in the work assigned to her, but if someone liked the job more, she would not compete with others.
Grandma glared at the old man and said unhappily, "I don't agree with what you said. What does overtime mean? It means they can't finish their work, which is a problem. Since there is so much work to do and they are not lazy, it means they are short of manpower. If they are short of manpower, they should assign new people to come in. How can we let them work overtime every day?"
Luo Xiangqian laughed out loud: "Grandma, you are absolutely right! I think the same as you!"
Grandpa Xie said: "It's not as simple as you think. We don't ask them to work overtime every day. Are we going to increase the number of employees just for this? If we increase the number of employees, there will be too little work to do."
"Anyway, you are right. I don't care about your reasons. I just don't want our Jinxuan to work overtime every day." Grandma said righteously.
Xie Jinxuan quickly said, "Grandma, actually our department hasn't worked overtime much, it's just that there have been a lot of things to do recently. You see, I wasn't as busy as my parents before."
"So do you want to work overtime next week?"
"I don't know yet, but I have to accompany my leader on a business trip to the county below to do some things." Xie Jinxuan said.
Grandma immediately asked, "You're going on a business trip? How long will you be gone?"
"It will take at least four or five days, maybe a week if it's longer."
"Then Qingtang, come back and live with us. Wouldn't you be scared living alone?" Grandma looked at Xia Qingtang with a little concern.
Xia Qingtang said: "I won't be scared living alone, grandma, don't worry about me. Otherwise, I'll give it a try first. If I'm scared on the first night, I'll come back to live with you later."
"Okay, I'll listen to you then." Grandma said, "I'm sorry for you. Jinxuan is so busy that I can't spend time with you."
"It doesn't matter. He is working normally and not out playing. But I do want to find something to do for myself...but I don't know how to start." Xia Qingtang said.
Aunt Six said, "Didn't you say before that you wanted a new sewing machine to learn how to make clothes? Why don't you start learning that?"
"I definitely have to learn how to make clothes, but I want to learn another one."
"What to learn?" Grandpa Xie asked with some interest.
“I want to learn a foreign language, but I don’t know how to find a teacher.”
The room was quiet for a few seconds, and Aunt Six whispered, "Is it okay to learn a foreign language?"
Grandpa Xie said: "It doesn't matter. Nowadays, all the university students are learning foreign languages. In the future, all the students will learn them."
Grandma said, "Let's see who can speak a foreign language and ask him to teach us Qingtang."
Luo Xiangqian said: "Jinxuan can speak foreign languages. I remember he can speak English and Russian. He seems to be very good at Russian and can even flick his tongue."
Grandma's eyes widened: "Is it true? How come I don't know?"
Xie Jinxuan said quickly: "I have learned it, but I learned it for fun. How can I teach others? I know Qingtang wants to learn a foreign language. She wants to learn it formally and systematically so that she can use it in the future. If it's Russian, I can still help her get started, but if it's English, it's better to find a teacher to teach her."
"Can I find a teacher now? I want to learn English." Xia Qingtang said, "Russian pronunciation is too difficult. I may not be able to learn it."
In the past, there were quite a few people learning Russian, but Xia Qingtang knew that in later times, English would be the most widely used foreign language, so it would definitely be a good idea to learn English.
"I'll help you find it. Don't worry, I'll arrange it for you before I go on a business trip next week." Xie Jinxuan gave her a gentle smile, looking very confident.
After dinner, Xie Jinxuan cleared the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash, and Luo Xiangqian squeezed over to help him.
"We don't need your help here. If you don't wash the dishes cleanly, Aunt Six will dislike you later." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile.
"I know, I know. I won't cause any more trouble for you." Luo Xiangqian looked outside and saw Xia Qingtang and the others sitting in the living room listening to the radio. He then whispered, "I'm here to tell you something."
"What's the matter?"
"I work at the Grain Bureau. Although it's only been a few days, I've heard a lot of rumors and want to know if they're true."
"Tell me about it."
"After I went in, I heard that my position was newly added, but the person who went in with me took the place of someone who was fired. That person was called Kong Liangchao. It was said that he had some problems with women and finances, and he paid compensation and fines, and then he was fired. I also heard that Kong Liangchao's problems with women... there was a familiar name..."
"Oh? People in the Grain Bureau also know that Kong Liangchao pursued Qingtang?" Xie Jinxuan's attitude was indifferent and she didn't seem to care.
"Pursuing? That's not what I heard. It said Xiao Xia was with that guy named Kong, but later on, because Kong was having an affair with a married woman, Xiao Xia dumped him and married another honest man... Anyway, it sounds weird. It sounded like there was something unclear between the two of them, and you were the honest man...who was deceived by Xiao Xia."
"It must be a rumor spread by Kong Liangchao. Qingtang has never been in a relationship with him from the beginning to the end." Xie Jinxuan briefly recounted the story of Xia Qingtang's dealings with the Kong family.
Luo Xiangqian was so angry that he jumped up: "Who the hell is this guy? Is there anyone who bullies others like this? And he is still talking nonsense outside to ruin the reputation of other female comrades! I must find an opportunity to teach him a lesson!"
Xie Jinxuan said, "Does he need you to teach him a lesson? How do you think he was fired?"
"You did it?" Luo Xiangqian widened his eyes.
"I only did half of it. When I knew that he had an enemy who wanted to attack him, I helped push him. But his grandfather is still alive, and some people are afraid to do it for the sake of face, so the rest of Kong Liangchao's family is fine for the time being. However, I didn't know before that he also spread rumors about Qingtang in the Grain Bureau. Now that I know, I will definitely not let his family go."
"What are you going to do? Do you want my help?"
"I need to think about it first, and then I'll tell you when I'm done."
"Who of their family would you attack first?"
"His sister, I've asked someone to investigate before. He is not a clean person, and neither is his sister. The two siblings have a lot of debts. First, let his sister lose her job, and his family will not have such a good life. Then look at his parents, they are the worst parents. Kong Liangchao can bully people like that, isn't it because of his parents' indulgence?" Xie Jinxuan said lightly: "You can also get in touch with Kong Liangchao's former acquaintances at the Grain Bureau. I remember that he has two colleagues who have always had a good relationship with him, one is called Sun Dali, and the other is called Zhang Peng."
"Oh, you know so much about him? You even know who he is close to." Luo Xiangqian whispered, "Since Xiao Xia has nothing to do with him, why do you pay so much attention to the guy named Kong? I heard from other colleagues that the guy named Kong is a waste."
"Just because he is a waste, we have to keep an eye on him. As long as he is not locked up in the lockup, the thoughts about Qingtang will not end." Xie Jinxuan said.
Luo Xiangqian immediately said seriously, "I understand. Don't worry, I will have a good relationship with Sun Dali and Zhang Peng, and I will definitely help you get some information when the time comes."
After washing the dishes, they came out and chatted with grandpa and grandma for a while with Xia Qingtang, then went back.
After taking a shower, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan reviewed the beautiful things that happened on the first day of moving.
Xie Jinxuan had been holding it in for a week. The young and strong guy had unlimited energy, and this was not the first time Xia Qingtang had done this, so he indulged himself a little. The two of them didn't finish until very late.
The next morning, Xia Qingtang slept until ten o'clock for the first time. When she opened her eyes and saw the sun shining outside and the alarm clock pointing to ten o'clock, she was stunned.
She quickly got up, only to find that her waist was even more sore than last time, and she felt a little powerless.
She was slowly getting dressed when Xie Jinxuan pushed the door open.
"I heard some noise. Are you awake? Are you feeling unwell?" Xie Jinxuan looked at her worriedly. "You've slept for too long. I'm afraid something's wrong with you, but I don't dare to wake you up."
"I'm fine. I just went to bed too late and was tired, so I slept deeply." Xia Qingtang stretched, "My waist is sore and I can't move."
"Let me massage you." Xie Jinxuan asked her to lie down on the bed, then placed an old towel on her back and began to massage her back properly.
"How do you know this? Your movements are very professional." Xia Qingtang was a little surprised.
Xie Jinxuan said: "I learned it from others, so it's not very professional. I only dare to let young people try it. I definitely wouldn't dare to let grandparents try it."
Xia Qingtang couldn't help laughing: "Okay, you are using me as a test subject."
"Just tell me if you feel comfortable or not."
"It's still very comfortable." Xia Qingtang squinted his eyes in comfort.
Maybe it was because it was too comfortable. After being massaged so professionally for a while, Xia Qingtang actually fell asleep again.
Xie Jinxuan was a little amused. Seeing that Xia Qingtang had a rosy complexion and was breathing normally, he thought that she should not be sick, so he changed her position, covered her with a quilt and went out.
Xia Qingtang woke up again at half past eleven. This time, she was not surprised when she looked at the alarm clock. After all, today was Sunday, so it would not be a problem even if she slept all day.
It's just that people of this era are not used to staying in bed, and everyone always wants to find something to do on their days off, either cleaning the house or taking the family out for a trip. Anyway, I've never heard of anyone staying in bed all day.
Xia Qingtang stretched again, and this time, she didn't feel any soreness in her body. She put on her clothes and walked out, and immediately smelled a fragrance.
"Huh? You cooked?" Xia Qingtang was a little surprised and hurried to the kitchen.
Xie Jinxuan smiled and turned around: "No, how can my cooking smell so good? I brought the food from home, and it was a little cold when I brought it back, so I steamed it."
"You went home to serve food, what did grandma and Aunt Six say?"
"They didn't say much. I said you were still sleeping, so they told you to sleep a little longer and not to disturb you."
"They are so nice to me." Xia Qingtang sighed: "Okay, I'm going to brush my teeth and wash my face and get ready for dinner."
Her stomach had been rumbling for a long time, so after washing up, she quickly sat at the dining table and waited for Xie Jinxuan to serve the food.
The food brought from home was very simple. It was just rice cooked with various beans, braised old tofu, and stir-fried cabbage with vermicelli. After being steamed in a pot, the aroma was fragrant and very appetite-stimulating.
Since ancient times, hot food is more delicious.
Xia Qingtang was so hungry that he could not wait to talk to Xie Jinxuan, so he picked up the bowl and ate it all in one go: "I'm not full, do you have any more food?"
"Yes, there's still a lot. If you can't finish it, you can cook porridge at night." Xie Jinxuan gave her a big bowl of rice and said, "Eat slowly."
"I was too hungry just now and couldn't eat slowly. Now I can." Xia Qingtang drank some hot water and then began to eat slowly.
After dinner, the two of them moved rattan chairs to the small courtyard and sat in the sun for a while. Xia Qingtang whispered to him about what happened in the unit that week, as well as the movements of Xia Qinghai and Wu Jinfeng.
"It seems that your brother is really going to be the son-in-law of the Wu family."
"Wu Jinfeng is now being led by Xia Qinghai. I don't know why she is so short-sighted. Didn't she like you before? How could she suddenly change from an outstanding young man like you to a tasteless person like Xia Qinghai?" Xia Qingtang curled her lips.
Xie Jinxuan pinched her fingers and said, "From the perspective of others, your brother is not too bad. In terms of appearance, he is definitely one of the best young people in your cotton mill. It is normal for young women to like a good-looking young man who likes to laugh and is warm and polite to others."
"That's true. Many female employees in our factory are interested in him. If he succeeds, it will be a good thing for us. Wu Jinfeng will not come to our place to act crazy anymore."
The two of them chatted casually and enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon.
Many neighbors passed by here, and when they saw the two of them holding hands in the yard basking in the sun, they would smile and joke with them.
At around three o'clock, the two had talked enough, so they took their basins to the bathhouse to take a bath.
After Xia Qingtang came out, he stood on the side of the road, drying his hair while waiting for Xie Jinxuan to come out.
He went in with Luo Xiangqian again today. Compared with the time it took to scrub the bath last time, he would probably have to wait for a while.
A young man passed by here, and after he walked past, he ran back and stared at her for a while.
"What are you looking at? Is there something wrong?" Xia Qingtang asked rudely.
"I have something to ask you. Who are you? Why have I never seen you before?" The young man adjusted his hair while speaking.
"I am Xie Jinxuan's lover. I have lived here for several months. If you haven't seen me, that's your problem." Xia Qingtang said coldly.
"Ah...you're married? That's right, I was wondering why I had never seen you before." The young man said listlessly like a deflated ball: "It's really too late for us to meet..."
"What do you mean we met too late?" Xie Jinxuan suddenly came over. He frowned and looked at the young man and said, "Du Cheng? You're back too?"
"Ah, I'm back too. Don't you know I'm back? I came back before the New Year."
"I don't know. I haven't seen you since."
Luo Xiangqian also came over with a basin in his hand: "Eh? Du Cheng? Why are you here too?"
"I'm back in the city. What's wrong with you two? Don't you know I'm back?" Du Cheng said a little unhappy: "We're still classmates, but you don't care about me at all!"
Luo Xiangqian said: "You didn't tell us, when did you come back?"
"Before the Chinese New Year, my family found me a job, so I came back. I knew you were back too, and I was thinking of going out to play with you," said Du Cheng.
Xie Jinxuan never mentioned this person, which meant that they probably just had an ordinary relationship. Xia Qingtang stood aside without much interest, treating himself as a mere figurehead.
Xie Jinxuan said: "Today is almost over, and you haven't come to play with us. You used to be like this, saying nice things but never doing anything."
Luo Xiangqian laughed: "That's right, Du Cheng is always like this. In fact, you don't like playing with us at all, so don't lie to us."
Du Cheng said: "I didn't like playing with you guys before, but now it's different. Xie Jinxuan married such a beautiful wife. I will definitely come to play with you guys often in the future."
When these words came out, everyone was stunned.
Luo Xiangqian slapped Du Cheng on the shoulder: "What the hell are you talking about? Listen to yourself, is this human language?"
Du Cheng was not tall, only about 1.7 meters tall, and people who came back from the countryside were generally thin. He felt aggrieved when he was slapped in the face by the big man Luo Xiangqian.
"Luo Xiangqian, why did you hit someone?"
"Hey, are you still feeling wronged? What's wrong with me hitting you? You flirted with your classmate's lover, shouldn't you hit him?"
Du Cheng said: "How did I tease her? When I said she was pretty, wasn't that true? It's not okay to tell the truth, is it?"
"No! Because this is someone else's wife! If this is a single girl, you can praise her as much as you want! How old are you? Don't you know this little bit of truth?"
"You guys keep talking about reason all day long. I don't believe that no one else thinks Xie Jinxuan's wife is pretty. Can you beat them one by one?"
Luo Xiangqian was so angry that he raised his right hand again, but was stopped by Xia Qingtang: "Wait, don't dirty your hands."
Luo Xiangqian gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Xia, don't stop me. This guy deserves to be punished. Just give him a good beating."
"No need. Why bother with this kind of thing? You heard what he said and you know that this person's thinking is not normal. It's useless to argue with him. Besides, you are not very familiar with each other, right? Just pretend that he doesn't exist." Xia Qingtang said indifferently: "Let's go, let's go back. Didn't you say that you wanted to have a drink with Xie Jinxuan tonight? It's still early, I'll make you two appetizers."
Luo Xiangqian glared at Du Cheng fiercely, and then was dragged away by Xie Jinxuan.
Xia Qingtang looked straight ahead, pretending that Du Cheng didn't exist, and walked past him on the right.
After walking a long way, Luo Xiangqian was still angry: "Jinxuan, why don't you beat him up? This guy deserves to be punished!"
Xie Jinxuan said: "That's not the way to clean up. There were so many people watching just now."
Xia Qingtang said, "That's right. Besides, he didn't say anything. Why did you get so angry just because he said something crazy?"
"How can you be so calm?" Luo Xiangqian didn't understand.
"I look like this, and I've met so many people like this. They all make me angry, so won't I get sick?" Xia Qingtang said, "Don't worry, I have experience dealing with people like this. You should calm down and have a couple of extra drinks tonight."
Luo Xiangqian followed Xie Jinxuan and her family to their home, toured the house first, and then chatted in the living room.
Xia Qingtang made a dish of cold-mixed black fungus and hot and sour shredded potatoes, and paired them with ready-made fried peanuts for the two of them to drink. Then she made bacon and potato rice, with a lot of potatoes in it, and paired it with bacon and lard. After mixing them all together, the aroma was so fragrant that you could swallow it on your tongue. Luo Xiangqian finished three big bowls by himself, and in the end, he was so full that he almost fell asleep on the sofa.
Xie Jinxuan rubbed a cold towel and put it on his face, and he woke up with a start.
"Ouch, I fell asleep!"
"Yes, he fell asleep, so wake up and go home to sleep." Xie Jinxuan said with a smile.
Xia Qingtang handed him another cup of warm water: "There's honey in it, it's said to help with hangovers, drink it."
Luo Xiangqian took it and drank two. His eyes gradually became clearer: "Oh, I ate too much and drank too much. I feel so sleepy all of a sudden."
"Your appetite remains the same as always. You eat so much. You must not have been full for several days in the countryside." Xie Jinxuan said.
"That's not the case. We are in the countryside. We can just eat something else. Potatoes and sweet potatoes can also fill our stomachs, but we will get hungry faster." Luo Xiangqian said, "In fact, I was tired of eating potatoes before. I didn't expect that the potato stewed rice you made, Xiaoxia, was so delicious. I ate so much in one go. It was so satisfying!"
"It's not the aroma of stewed potatoes with rice, it's the aroma of bacon and lard, so it tastes good." Xia Qingtang laughed.
"No, no, it's your cooking skills. The potato shreds you made were delicious, too. They were cut so finely, and your knife skills were great. Jinxuan is so lucky to have married such a good wife like you. If I'm looking for a wife from now on, my standards will be much higher. If her cooking isn't as delicious as yours, I'll be so sad."
Xia Qingtang said: "It doesn't matter. If your wife's cooking is not delicious, you can learn to cook yourself. If you cook delicious food, you can cook for her."
Luo Xiangqian was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then burst into laughter: "Yes, yes, you are right! I can't think straight! If her cooking is not delicious, it will be the same if I cook for her! Oh, Xiaoxia, listening to your words is worth ten years of reading! Thank you so much today!"
"Can you walk now? If you can, I will take you home. You should also go to bed early so as not to be late for work tomorrow." Xie Jinxuan asked.
"I can walk now. I'll get up and try." Luo Xiangqian stood up and tried. Although he was still a little unstable, he could indeed walk. "Xiao Xia, you've worked hard today. I'll go back now and won't disturb you two to rest."
Xie Jinxuan held a flashlight and helped Luo Xiangqian to send him back.
Xia Qingtang tidied up the living room, brushed his teeth, and lay on the bed waiting for Xie Jinxuan to come back.
As a result, Xie Jinxuan didn't come back for a long time. Xia Qingtang felt a little strange, so he put on his clothes and went out to look for her.
Fortunately, just as she reached the gate of the yard, Xie Jinxuan came back.
"Sorry, did I make you worry?" Xie Jinxuan quickly ran into the yard.
"I was just about to go out to look for you. Why did you send someone off so late? Is Luo Xiangqian drunk and mad?"
"No, he went back to sleep. I said a few words and came back." Xie Jinxuan locked the gate and whispered, "I ran into Lao Wen on my way back. He said that the women's bicycle I bought before has finally arrived and I can pick it up tomorrow!"
"Really?" Xia Qingtang jumped up immediately, "I've waited for so long, and finally it's here!"
Women's bicycles are particularly popular. Xie Jinxuan had waited for one before, but a colleague pleaded with him to give it to him first. After Xie Jinxuan discussed it with Xia Qingtang, they agreed to give it to their colleague, so they had to wait until now for this one.
"Yes, you can pick up the goods after get off work tomorrow! I'm close by, so I'll go get the car first, and then I'll wait for you at the bus stop with the new car. What do you think?" Xie Jinxuan also looked very happy.
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