Zhi'an has been away from that place for so long, and he has already explained everything that needed to be explained. There is no need for such frequent correspondence.
Hua Zhiping: "I asked Tianhe, and the correspondent is a girl named Xie Lanqiao. You could say she writes to me every week."
Given the long distance between the two places, the frequent correspondence suggests there might be something fishy going on.
The Hua family members were all staring at Hua Zhian, wanting him to give an explanation.
Hua Zhian: "I am corresponding with Xie's sister, but we are just exchanging letters. I only treat her as a younger sister. She asks me some everyday questions, but there is really nothing else."
"Is Xie Lanqiao also an educated youth?" Tian Guihua asked, frowning.
But he was thinking much more, though he didn't show it on his face.
"No, she's the brigade leader's youngest daughter. She just graduated from high school last year and is a few months older than Xiangyun. I really only see her as a younger sister. Don't get the wrong idea," Hua Zhian said irritably. "The brigade leader doesn't want his daughter to marry far away, so there's absolutely no way it's possible for the two of us."
"If she's willing to marry someone from afar, you'll accept her?" Tian Guihua retorted. "If you have no interest, why send a letter every week?"
Hua Zhian said, "You really can't blame me. My little sister bought so many stamps last time, I had to use a few more."
Hua Xiangyun bought quite a lot of stamps, and even gave two sheets to each of her two older brothers, intending for them to keep them for themselves. Unexpectedly, this silly girl complained that the stamps were biting her hands and decided to use them all.
“Don’t squander the things your sister gave you,” Tian Guihua said, her hands itching again. “Just leave them there, you might need them later. Why do you have to be so wasteful?”
“Grandma, you can’t be so biased,” Hua Zhian exclaimed. “My sister bought so many stamps and you didn’t say a word about it, so why can’t I send a couple more letters?”
To elevate something as wasteful just because it's a stamp worth a few cents is a ridiculous overstatement.
"How can you compare to your sister?" Tian Guihua couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed his ear, nagging, "That's a gift from your sister to you, a token of her affection."
So you just wasted it like that. Do you find the things your sister gave you a bit of a hindrance? You only feel at ease if you use them.
After Tian Guihua finished speaking, she asked Hua Zhiping, "What are you doing with the stamps your sister gave you?"
Hua Zhiping glanced at Hua Zhian before saying, "This is the first gift my little sister gave me, so naturally I cherish it. I had my wife buy a stamp album, carefully arrange it, and lock it in a box."
Hua Zhian looked at him in disbelief, “…” Brother, I’ve seen people who betray their brothers, but I’ve never seen anyone betray someone like you.
He also suspected that his older brother was lying. "Brother, what you're saying is going too far. It's just a few stamps. You're buying a notebook, which is probably more expensive than those stamps, right?"
"You don't trust me?" Hua Zhiping looked at him with a half-smile, adding another mark to his mental note.
"It's not a matter of whether I believe it or not, I just feel like you're really messing with me like this..."
Hua Zhiping gave him a deep look, turned around and went back to his room. When he came out again, he was holding a brand new stamp album.
"I had your sister-in-law ask someone to bring these back specially," he said, maliciously flipping open the notebook, where the stamps Hua Xiangyun had given him were neatly arranged.
Tian Guihua pinched his ear tightly, and Hua Zhian, forgetting his shock, covered Tian Guihua's hand with his own and begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I should learn from my older brother."
“You have no idea where you went wrong,” Hua Guangzong added, “You don’t cherish your little sister’s feelings, that’s a problem with your character.”
But since you're no longer going to the countryside as an educated youth, why are you frequently corresponding with that young girl?
You are misleading others; that's a matter of character.
“No,” Hua Zhian could not possibly accept such an accusation. “We just get along well, which is why we communicate more frequently.”
Besides, I didn't mean to disrespect my little sister's gift; it's just that it's a bit of a waste to have so many stamps at home. If necessary, I'll go to the post office later and get the rest.
"How can that be the same?" Hua Guangzong said with some disappointment. He really had to solve the problem today.
The stamps aren't a big deal; the siblings' relationship will have to be maintained by themselves. The most important issue right now is Hua Zhian's attitude.
If two gay men and women were to communicate frequently, who would believe there wasn't something fishy going on?
"Now tell me what's going on between you and this woman?" Hua Guangzong couldn't remember her name, so he could only refer to her as "woman." "You can't make a mistake. Tell us honestly, were you dating someone in the countryside?"
If that's the case, Hua Guangzong is preparing to take matters into his own hands. He hasn't mentioned it once in the six months since he came back. What is he planning to do?
Hua Zhian felt very wronged. "Our friendship was purely platonic. She wrote to me asking about my life and studies, and I wrote back to explain things to her and talk about everyday things. It wasn't as twisted as you think."
"What do you mean we're thinking the wrong thing?" Hua Guangzong kicked him directly. "We're not related, is it necessary to contact each other so frequently? You've been back for so long, how many of your former educated youth comrades have you contacted? Or have you not contacted any of them?"
Hua Zhiping then added insult to injury, "I specifically asked, and apart from this Comrade Xie, Zhian hasn't written to anyone else."
Hua Zhian, “…”
Tian Guihua immediately gave him a good beating. The idea of grandparents' affection for their grandchildren simply didn't exist in her mind.
In her own words, "Spare the rod and spoil the child," except for her granddaughter, of course.
Hua Zhian was beaten so badly that he cried out and tried to run away, but his grandfather and older brother blocked him on the left and right, so he could only obediently endure it.
"Grandma, I was wrong, I was wrong, I will never write to her again." But as soon as she said this, she was met with another blow, and this time the blow was much stronger.
He couldn't understand it at all. He had promised not to communicate, so why did he get beaten up again?
"Zhi'an, are you sure you don't have any feelings for that woman?" After Tian Guihua got tired of beating her, it was Hua Guangzong's turn to take the stage.
Instead of physically disciplining him, he simply moved a stool over and sat down in front of him.
“…I only consider her a younger sister,” Hua Zhian replied.
"Nonsense, your only sister is Xiao Guai."
"Just tell us the truth now, do you want to date this person? Otherwise, why would you be writing to us so frequently?"
Hua Zhian paused for a moment before saying, "If I hadn't stayed at home this time after returning to the city, maybe..."
Many former educated youth married and had children in the area; Xie Lanqiao's older sister also married an educated youth.
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