Chapter 20: The Female Supporting Character in a Historical Fiction
Xu Qingzhou turned his head away somewhat hastily, his Adam's apple bobbing, and responded softly.
"Um."
Yu Wanwan didn't notice his strange behavior and simply pushed open the car door and got out.
The courtyard has been filled with many items, making the empty space completely full.
There were some cabbages planted in the vegetable garden, but unfortunately, it snowed a couple of days ago, and the cabbages were covered in white snow, looking wilted and like they wouldn't survive.
The vegetable garden was surrounded by a fence with vines wrapped around it, though it was unclear what kind of vines they were.
On the other side of the courtyard, there was a grape trellis, under which was a reclining chair, and on the reclining chair was a palm-leaf fan.
It's similar to the one from the Yang family.
However, it is more exquisite and beautiful than what the Yang family has displayed.
Yu Wanwan raised an eyebrow, unable to describe the feeling in her heart.
Xu Qingzhou was carrying in the things she had brought out when he saw her standing under the grape trellis and spoke casually.
"It's a pity, it snowed a few days ago, so we can't use this place."
I thought she would be able to come out six months ago, so I specially set up this grape trellis.
pity……
Now that winter has arrived and it snows every now and then, the grapevines have all withered.
When the grapevines turn green again next year, who knows if they'll still be living here?
Yu Wanwan gave a soft "hmm".
"That's thoughtful of you."
Xu Qingzhou chuckled softly.
"It's cold, let's go inside."
Yu Wanwan nodded and went into the house.
The room they stayed in remained unchanged; it was exactly as it was when she left, so it didn't feel unfamiliar to her.
But judging from the appearance, this place doesn't seem to be uninhabited.
If people live there, how can it be kept in such good condition?
Xu Qingzhou didn't notice her confusion and took out her things one by one, categorizing and putting them away neatly.
"The weather's getting colder lately, how about we have hot pot tonight?"
"Anything is fine."
Xu Qingzhou didn't care about the perfunctory answers.
He had been married to her for over two years and had long since grown accustomed to her as she was.
Although she cooked better herself, which Xu Qingzhou couldn't forget, he never thought of letting her cook for him.
When she felt like it, she would occasionally cook a meal, and he was very happy.
He has no objection if she doesn't do it, and will do his best to take good care of her.
Fortunately, she's not picky about food and will eat anything you give her, so she's easy to take care of.
After packing her things, Xu Qingzhou grabbed her wallet and prepared to leave.
"I'm going out to buy some groceries. You rest for a while."
Yu Wanwan nodded and watched him leave.
As she listened to the sound of a car starting up outside and then gradually fading away, Yu Wanwan lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
[Did you suddenly realize that this male lead is actually quite good?]
Yu Wanwan lowered her eyes, and after a few seconds, she slowly smiled.
"What, are you tempted?"
Daoguo choked.
[Are you the one who's fallen for me?]
"Falling for an NPC? Are you alright?"
No matter how good Xu Qingzhou is, he is nothing more than a program set up by the author.
The author requires him to do everything he can to be good to his mission target, and now she is his mission target.
So even if he doesn't like her, he will still try his best to think of her needs.
This has nothing to do with who she is.
It has nothing to do with who he is.
Yu Wanwan made the distinction very clear from the beginning.
She just suddenly felt rather bored.
Daoguo remained silent.
Not long after Xu Qingzhou left, it started snowing again outside.
Yu Wanwan glanced at it, then shrank back into the covers and ignored it.
Xu Qingzhou didn't know what brought him back. By the time Yu Wanwan woke up again, he had already prepared hot pot and was about to come in to call her.
"You're awake? Get ready and come out for dinner."
Yu Wanwan was still a little dazed, clutching the blanket.
"Um."
Xu Qingzhou simply came in, called her, and then went out again.
Yu Wanwan sat on the bed for a while before her consciousness slowly returned.
After getting dressed and coming out, I saw the hot pot on the table bubbling and steaming.
Xu Qingzhou sat at the table, carefully adding the dishes.
The rising steam from the hot pot blurred his face.
Yu Wanwan looked around but didn't see anyone else.
Where is Yang Qiang?
Xu Qingzhou only glanced at her once before lowering her head again to focus on the dishes.
“Our company has just gotten on track and many places need someone to keep an eye on things. He was worried about that, so he simply moved to live near the company.”
He also wrote a letter about starting a company and asked a guard to pass it on to her.
Not only that, but he would also write to her to let her know about anything that happened at school or in his life, or any changes that occurred.
But she never replied to his letters.
Occasionally, when a guard came by, he would pass on a few words to him, indicating that she already knew.
Yu Wanwan nodded, but didn't say anything more.
Yang Qiang is his man, it has nothing to do with her.
Asking now is just a casual remark because I didn't see anyone.
Cooking hot pot doesn't require much effort, except for the broth; the food cooks very quickly.
Xu Qingzhou tried the taste herself first and thought it was pretty good, so she focused on serving it to her.
Yu Wanwan was used to being served by him and didn't feel anything was wrong, accepting his care without any qualms.
How long are you going to stay this time?
"have no idea."
"If you have enough time, go back to Maolin Brigade to see your parents. They are quite worried about you."
Yu Wanwan paused for a moment, then responded softly.
Xu Qingzhou stopped there and didn't say anything more.
At the dinner table, Xu Qingzhou deliberately avoided bringing up those sensitive topics, and only talked to her about everyday things, to which Yu Wanwan responded in a disjointed manner.
It was uneventful, but not awkward at all.
After dinner, Xu Qingzhou went to clean up the table and kitchen, while Yu Wanwan went to call the brigade leader and his wife.
Over the phone, the couple's caring greetings came through, and Yu Wanwan responded gently, just like a daughter missing her parents.
Xu Qingzhou occasionally looked up and could see the nonchalant look on her face through the kitchen window.
Yu Wanwan suddenly looked up and gazed towards the kitchen.
The two looked at each other through the window, and could see the emotions in each other's eyes.
One looked puzzled, the other's eyes were full of tenderness.
Xu Qingzhou's hand trembled, and the bowl in his hand fell into the sink, splashing water and wetting his sleeves.
He smiled at her without changing his expression, then casually lowered his eyes, concealing the thoughts in them.
Yu Wanwan didn't pay any attention and looked away, dealing with the questions from the captain's parents on the other end of the phone.
Plans can't keep up with changes.
A phone call from the research institute stopped Yu Wanwan from returning to Maolin Brigade.
Xu Qingzhou felt helpless, but he could only turn around and send her to the research institute before returning home alone once again.
Fortunately, Yu Wanwan had already called them before and explained the situation at the research institute.
The government didn't make things difficult for her; they proactively approached the brigade leader and his wife and discussed the matter with them.
Although the captain and his wife still didn't know exactly what Yu Wanwan was doing, they knew that Xu Qingzhou hadn't lied to them; she was indeed working for the country.
Although I still feel regretful that I can't see her, I'm not panicking anymore.
Not only was I not flustered, but I also felt a sense of pride.
Unfortunately, due to the special nature of Yu Wanwan's work, the two of them could only keep this pride to themselves and could not reveal it to outsiders.
Xu Qingzhou and Yu Wanwan both suggested that the couple come to Kyoto and live with them, but unfortunately, they both refused.
They were unwilling to leave the land where they had lived their entire lives.
Xu Qingzhou and the others had no choice but to send them money every month so that they could live a better life.
The following year, when spring arrived and the snow receded, the country finally ushered in new policies.
The collective labor system was formally abolished and replaced by the household contract responsibility system for land.
At the same time, individual businesses were legalized, and private enterprises were officially promoted nationwide.
In a short time, many workers and government employees resigned and went into business, hoping to reap the benefits of this first wave of reforms.
One by one, individual businesses started up and people who used to secretly engage in reselling have transformed into street vendors.
Individual business owners and small vendors who relied on low profit margins and high sales volume quickly seized market share.
State-owned enterprises, which were originally unshakable and had secure jobs, have suffered a significant blow.
Among them, Xu Qingzhou's father and the Xu family were not spared either.
The Xu family was in the real estate business. Before the opening up of individual business operations, although they were not considered a formal state-owned enterprise, they rented out their properties and land to various factories by leveraging their connections with their former employers.
The factory then rents or sells these items to its employees at a low price.
Although it may not seem like they make much money, it is precisely because of this that the Xu family has been able to stand strong by relying on this model.
He was already a "ten-thousand-yuan household" before the reform and opening up.
With the opening up of individual business operations, more and more people are entering the real estate industry and dividing up the market.
In addition, many workers and employees have chosen to resign and start their own businesses, leaving the houses that were originally rented or sold vacant.
The Xu family suffered a significant blow.
It was at this moment that Xu's father made a decision.
Instead of taking advantage of this time to continue developing real estate, he quickly consolidated his assets, liquidated them, and went into business.
Mr. Xu was confident that he had more experience in business than others, and more capital than others.
If factory workers who have spent most of their lives on assembly lines can succeed in business, why would he fail?
Upon hearing this news, Xu Qingzhou had a very strange expression, feeling that his father had either gone mad or become stupid.
With the opening up of individual businesses, more and more people who used to be confined to their small plots of land are choosing to seek opportunities elsewhere.
At this critical juncture, which presents an opportunity for real estate appreciation, instead of taking the opportunity to expand their base, they made a quick buck and went to do something else.
Has Xu's father been kicked in the head by a donkey?
But if you think about it carefully, the Xu family's real estate was not actually acquired by Xu's father.
Instead, it was passed down from generation to generation. By the time of Mr. Xu's father, this model had become established and was developing well.
All Xu's father needed to do was defend the city and maintain his network of relationships.
It's not surprising that he picked up on the wrong signals at this point and made such a terrible decision.
That's what he thought, but Xu Qingzhou didn't hesitate at all when he took action.
He originally wanted to get into the real estate business, challenge Xu's father, and teach that kid Xu Yang a lesson.
However, because of Yu Wanwan's research direction, Xu Qingzhou sensed a change in the future, changed his mind, and turned to do business in the field of electronic technology.
At first, Yang Qiang almost thought Xu Qingzhou had gone mad.
At that time, the demand for electronic devices was not high, mainly because the purchasing power of the general public was too weak and the country's technological level was insufficient.
Doing business in this area is practically tantamount to courting death.
But Xu Qingzhou insisted, and Yang Qiang had no choice.
Fortunately, their company doesn't just do this; they also run other businesses, so even if they lose money in this area, they can make up for it in other areas.
Although Xu Qingzhou didn't get involved in the real estate sector at the time, now that a big, foolish guy is selling off his assets, he would be a fool not to take action and acquire the resources.
Xu's father also thought Xu Qingzhou was a fool. Why didn't he take advantage of the land's value and sell it quickly? Why did he have to spend a lot of money to buy it back? What else could he be but a fool?
However, the fatherly affection that Xu's father had for Xu Qingzhou had almost disappeared when Xu Qingzhou was forced to go to the countryside.
In addition, with Xu Yang and her son constantly whispering sweet nothings in his ear, he disliked Xu Qingzhou even more.
At this point, they didn't remind him, but instead readily sold the land to Xu Qingzhou.
Xu Yang vaguely sensed something was wrong, but his experience wasn't enough for him to understand it. He didn't dare to refute his father and could only watch helplessly as the father and son completed the transaction.
Having secured the land and seen off the excited family of three who were heading to the port city, Xu Qingzhou was in an exceptionally good mood.
In the evening, the guards came to the courtyard.
This time, he didn't bring anything, nor did he deliver any message, but rather...
"Mr. Xu, Director Cheng would like to see you."
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