After everyone had left, Xia Rong's friends helped return the tables and chairs, and Xia Liang's aunt and the others helped clean up. After they finished, they were all tired, so Xia Liang boiled water for them to bathe. A few months ago, at Xia Liang's request, a bathroom had been built specifically for them. Xia Dahe, being a carpenter, had made several large wooden tubs. Xia Liang carried the water in and let them take turns bathing, then went to the kitchen to boil more water. By the time the whole family finished bathing, it was completely dark. The television was still very appealing, so the whole family sat around it watching until midnight. Xia Youshun said, "Everyone should get some rest. We have to catch the train tomorrow, so don't waste time and be unable to get up early." Reluctantly, everyone went to sleep. They hadn't packed their luggage from last night, so they just slept there anyway.
The next day, Xia Liang was woken up early by Zhao Danxiang to help heat up the leftovers from the previous day. After all, they had helped her family the day before, so she had to treat them well. After everyone had eaten, Xia Rong saw them off at the station and bought tickets for everyone, just like the day before. Xia Youshun had initially refused, but Xia Rong said happily, "Second Grandpa, we are so happy that you and Second Grandma could come to my and Xiaohui's wedding. Don't argue with me over such a small matter." Xia Youshun couldn't argue with him, so he didn't argue with him anymore. Xia Rong gave them the meat dishes that her mother had packed, and only went home after watching the family leave.
After arriving home, Xia Liang grabbed Zhou Xiaohui and headed out. Seeing her brother rushing out, Xia Liang asked Zhao Danxiang, "Mom, what's my brother doing?" Zhao Danxiang smiled broadly and said, "He's going to get his marriage certificate, isn't he?" Xia Liang asked in surprise, "They haven't gotten their certificate yet?" Zhao Danxiang nodded, "He was too busy before, and had to go to work, so he didn't have time to get it. But today, since they were at work, he had some free time, so he went to get it." Xia Liang said "Oh" and didn't say anything more before going back to her room. She had originally planned to go to the workshop to work on some orders, but then she remembered that all the fabrics and other materials had been moved out, so she could only go to her room to read. Luckily, she had brought back some basic books when she came back earlier, afraid of falling behind in her studies.
When Xia Rong and Zhou Xiaohui returned, Xia Liang told her brother about the fabric. Xia Rong nodded, "Okay, I moved it to a friend's house before, I'll go get it back now." Zhou Xiaohui, standing to the side, looked blank, not understanding what the siblings were talking about. Seeing her like this, Xia Liang couldn't help but laugh, "Sister-in-law, just wait for my brother to come back and explain to you. I won't say much more, after all, we need to give you more space to communicate and spend time together." Saying this, she laughed heartily. After all, the two had been friends before, and Zhou Xiaohui directly punched Xia Liang without any hesitation. Xia Liang pretended to be injured and grinned, "Oh my god! My vicious sister-in-law hit her sister-in-law!" Zhou Xiaohui was so angry that she chased after her and kept hitting her. When Xia Rong returned home, he saw his wife and sister playing around in the yard. Xia Rong smiled and said, "A Liang, open the warehouse door." Xia Liang stopped laughing and went inside to get the key from her mother. Zhou Xiaohui, seeing so much fabric on her husband's bicycle, asked in confusion, "Where did all this fabric come from?" After Xia Rong explained the whole story, she was stunned. Her friend was so capable! Xia Liang was only seventeen when she started working, meaning she had been involved in buying and selling fabric much earlier. Her husband was the same. No wonder they could go from the countryside to the city to become workers, no wonder they could afford such a large dowry and buy her a "three turns and a sound" (a traditional Chinese accessory). Thinking about this, Zhou Xiaohui broke out in a cold sweat. Everyone makes mistakes; if they were caught, they'd be executed. Zhou Xiaohui quickly grabbed Xia Rong's hand. He said, "Promise me you won't do it again. Let's work steadily, and our combined salaries can support the whole family." Seeing his wife was frightened, Xia Rong quickly pulled her into his arms and patted her back to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, I'll be careful. I rarely do it now. Occasionally, I'll take some with me when I'm on a truck to other cities. Everyone does it, it's not just me, don't worry." After comforting his wife, he saw his sister standing in the main room watching him, probably having seen what he had just done. Xia Rong coughed awkwardly and said, "Give me the key." He opened the warehouse door, and the group carried the fabric inside and piled it up. Xia Rong said, "I'll go get the rest tonight. It's too conspicuous during the day. You can use these for now, and we can get more later tonight." Xia Liang saw that most of what she needed had been brought over, so she said, "It's okay, no rush. Better safe than sorry."
Xia Liang spent the afternoon working on the sewing machine in the workshop. Because she had a template and had helped Zhao Danxiang complete one at home before, Xia Liang was able to finish quickly. She finished several pieces in one afternoon and planned to finish them in another morning tomorrow. After stretching, Xia Liang went out to rest her glasses. After all, eyes are very important. If she didn't take good care of them and became nearsighted, she would feel uncomfortable if she couldn't live without glasses.
Happy times always pass quickly, and Xia Liang's holiday was over in the blink of an eye. She was waiting at the station for the train that would take her to her post. Her whole family had gotten up early to see her off, just like last time. The difference was that before, Zhou Xiaohui had only seen her off as a friend and her brother's fiancée, but this time it was her sister-in-law. Xia Liang smiled and said goodbye to her family, picked up her luggage, boarded the train, found her seat, put her luggage away, and sat down to check if her family had left. There was no one next to or opposite her. Xia Liang hoped she wouldn't run into that awful grandmother and granddaughter duo like last time. Perhaps heaven heard her prayer, because this time, instead of a grandmother and granddaughter, two female cadres around forty years old with spiky hair, wearing Lenin suits and leather shoes, and carrying briefcases, sat opposite her. They were probably going to a meeting, Xia Liang thought.
A little over an hour after the train departed, Xia Liang overheard two middle-aged women across from her chatting. They were probably bored and started making small talk. One of the women asked, "Old Han, how's Xiao Xiao doing with his girlfriend lately? Are they still together?" The woman called Old Han had a striking appearance—thick eyebrows, phoenix eyes, a high nose, and thin, pursed lips. She looked very capable. Xia Liang felt she'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't quite place her. She replied, "He wrote that he's still together. I didn't ask much. He rarely comes home, maybe once a year, so we never have a chance to meet up for a meal." The other woman added, "His profession leaves him no choice. He should find someone who can take care of the family. Otherwise, after they have a child, they'll both be busy working. What will happen to the child? Even with a nanny, it's not the same as having their own parents."
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