Chapter 1 A Perfect Match
When Lin Qingqing first started dating Xie Wei, she was indeed insecure about the gap between them. At that time, in order to protect her self-esteem, she refused to accept anything Xie Wei gave her. It wasn't until Zhao Lan reported her that she realized that in this era, her self-esteem was useless.
Since then, she has tried to accept Xie Wei's help more readily.
Later, as she gained a foothold in the Women's Federation and took charge of opening a garment factory, the gap between her and Xie Wei gradually narrowed. Looking back, Lin Qingqing realized that she had been thinking too much back then.
This was an era of scarcity, where one had to be careful with one's words and actions, but it was also an era that valued ability and was full of opportunities.
She once had nothing, but that doesn't mean her life will be limited to that. The knowledge she gained in her past life has brought her to where she is today, and she will go even further in the future.
Therefore, Lin Qingqing no longer felt uneasy about the gap between herself and Xie Wei, nor did she feel ashamed or angry upon hearing Miao Hui's words. She simply smiled and retorted, "He doesn't like me? Then who should he like? You?"
Miao Hui blushed: "I didn't say that!"
“But that’s what you really think.” Lin Qingqing sneered.
Miao Hui truly believed this. She was an urban resident and a high school graduate; she felt that if Xie Wei hadn't been married and had no children, he would be a decent match for her. But now she felt Lin Qingqing was lying, so she denied it with confidence: "You're framing me! I never thought that!"
"No, that's not ideal. I don't want my husband to come see me and have someone rushing to fawn over him." Lin Qingqing hadn't originally intended to say such harsh things, but she was so angry that she didn't bother to save face for him.
Miao Hui immediately exploded: "Who are you talking about?"
"Whoever seems guilty, I'll say it," Lin Qingqing said without hesitation.
Isn't it just veiled sarcasm and sarcastic remarks? Anyone can do that!
As soon as Sister He heard the conversation, she sensed something was wrong. Seeing the two arguing and getting restless, she quickly came over and said, "Oh, it's all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! You two should each keep quiet and not start arguing. It wouldn't be good if it alarmed Director Gao."
Miao Hui stood behind the counter near the outside, panting heavily with anger. Her face turned pale and then red. If she weren't so nervous, she wouldn't care whether it was Director Gao or Director Wang; she would definitely have made a scene. But thinking about what happened that morning, she hesitated to cause a scene. Besides, she was a young woman, single and unmarried. If things escalated, she would definitely be the one who suffered.
Thinking of this, Miao Hui had no choice but to swallow her anger and said, "I won't hold it against you."
Lin Qingqing scoffed: "It's not necessarily true that anyone will hold a grudge against anyone else."
Seeing the two arguing so fiercely, Sister He felt a headache coming on, but she still had to persuade them, "You two should each take a step back, it's not a big deal! Besides, we'll still have to work together in the future. If you really start arguing, will you even see each other again?"
Sister He spoke kindly and gently, so Lin Qingqing didn't want to lose her temper with her. Just then, a customer arrived, so she stopped paying attention to Miao Hui and greeted the customer with a smile.
Miao Hui, however, couldn't bring herself to reconcile with Lin Qingqing, and stood there with a sullen face.
Sister He had known Miao Hui for more than a day or two and knew that she was not easy to get along with, so she pulled her to the warehouse and whispered to persuade her.
Lin Qingqing didn't know what Sister He said or how she persuaded her. She only knew that when Miao Hui came back, her complexion was much better, but she no longer paid attention to her.
Lin Qingqing didn't care about this and just focused on doing her job well.
...
Xie Wei said he would pick Lin Qingqing up from get off work, but she didn't see him come up to the second floor until she finished taking inventory of the products. She was unsure whether he was delayed on the way or hadn't come at all.
But the supply and marketing cooperative had to close at night, and she couldn't stay in the store waiting for people, so she had to pack her things and go downstairs.
As Lin Qingqing went downstairs, she was still wondering whether she should take a bus home directly or wait for her outside the supply and marketing cooperative. She couldn't make up her mind, but then she felt Zhou Xiaofang, walking beside her, nudge her arm: "Is your man here to pick you up from work?"
Lin Qingqing came to her senses and looked towards the back gate of the supply and marketing cooperative.
Xie Wei stood sideways outside the door, only turning around when he heard the sound, a slight smile playing on his lips as he asked, "Off work?"
Seeing him, Lin Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across her face. She ran up to him and asked, "Why are you waiting here? I thought you weren't coming."
"I was afraid of delaying your work, and since you were going to leave from here, I waited here," Xie Wei said, turning his bicycle, which was parked outside, around.
"When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?" Lin Qingqing asked.
Xie Wei raised his hand and glanced at his watch: "About ten minutes, not long."
Zhou Xiaofang stood in the yard with a lunchbox in her hand, watching them, and said with envy, "The young couple has such a good relationship."
Lin Qingqing blushed upon hearing this and was about to say goodbye to Zhou Xiaofang when she saw Miao Hui emerge from the back door of the supply and marketing cooperative. Miao Hui must have overheard Zhou Xiaofang's words; she glanced at Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei, gave a cold snort, and walked past them.
Seeing Miao Hui's reaction, Zhou Xiaofang felt embarrassed. Lin Qingqing, however, didn't take her attitude to heart and waved to Zhou Xiaofang, saying, "Sister Zhou, I'll head back now. See you tomorrow."
"Hey! See you tomorrow."
"Are you all set?" Xie Wei asked Lin Qingqing. After receiving her reply, he rode away on his bicycle.
As they rode their bikes onto the main road, they encountered Miao Hui, who was standing by the roadside waiting for a ride. When she heard their voices, she turned around and looked at them with a cold expression, showing no intention of greeting them.
Lin Qingqing pretended not to see her and just smiled and talked to Xie Wei.
But Xie Wei remembered that Miao Hui's attitude at noon wasn't so cold. He rode his bike a distance away and asked, "Did you have a conflict with your colleague?"
"Who?" Lin Qingqing asked.
"The guy waiting for the bus by the roadside just now, he's about your age."
Lin Qingqing raised the corners of her lips and asked, "You even know that I'm about the same age as you?"
That's a rather unreasonable question. Apart from Lin Qingqing and Miao Hui, who are in their early twenties, everyone else at the supply and marketing cooperative's store is basically in their late thirties or early forties, so there's quite a big age gap.
Lin Qingqing knew she was wrong, but she was still a little angry and said, "It's all because of you."
Upon hearing this, Xie Wei stopped his bicycle, put one leg on the pedal and the other on the ground, and turned to ask Lin Qingqing, "Because of me? What happened to me?"
"She's taken a liking to you, huh?" Lin Qingqing scoffed. "She thinks I'm not good enough for you, but she thinks you're a perfect match for her."
Xie Wei frowned: "She said that?"
"Half of what she said, half of what I guessed."
Although he didn't know which half of what Miao Hui said and which half was Lin Qingqing's guess, Xie Wei's anger flared up, and he immediately wanted to turn around and argue with Miao Hui. But considering that she was Lin Qingqing's colleague, and that it would be difficult for her to make a scene, he had no choice but to suppress his anger and say, "Don't listen to her."
"Hmm?" Lin Qingqing asked knowingly.
Xie Wei, holding the bicycle handlebars with one hand, turned to Lin Qingqing, took her hand, and said, "If you have to be so calculating when you like someone, what kind of liking is that? I've never felt that you're unworthy of me in any way."
Lin Qingqing's eyes crinkled into a smile: "I know."
Xie Wei's lips curled up, and he let go of her hand, turning around to ride his bike.
...
When he got home, he ran into Yu Xiuhong, who was also returning. Seeing them come back together, she asked, "Commander Xie, did you go to pick up your wife?"
Xie Wei hummed in agreement and parked the car at the entrance.
Lin Qingqing saw Yu Xiuhong carrying groceries and asked, "Are you cooking at home tonight?"
"Isn't this Jianbang's dad back?" Yu Xiuhong said with a smile. "But we'll still get our meals from the cafeteria, it's more convenient. Are you cooking your own meals or getting them from the cafeteria?"
After Lin Qingqing opened the door, Xie Wei pushed the car inside and said, "I steamed rice before I left."
Yu Xiuhong said with a smile, "Commander Xie, you still do chores at home?"
“Sure,” Lin Qingqing nodded. “Besides, he has a job and I have to go to work too. I’m not going to do all the housework if he dumps it all on me.”
"I see," Yu Xiuhong murmured, feeling a little uneasy.
Before the Xie family moved in, Yu Xiuhong was quite satisfied with her life. Her husband was not only successful in his career, but also had a good temper, and would even coax her when she occasionally threw a tantrum. Although her son was naughty and didn't do well in school, she could still manage him, and with him around, she didn't have to worry too much about his father in the future.
But ever since the Xie family moved in, Yu Xiuhong has felt that her life has lost its flavor.
Her husband is successful in his career, but Xie Wei is even more impressive, having become a regimental commander at a young age.
She felt her husband had a good temper, and Xie Wei's temper wasn't bad either. She always saw him coaxing Lin Qingqing; no one could match his protectiveness towards his wife. Moreover, Xie Wei was diligent. When he was home on rest, he would help sweep the floor and wipe the windows, and now he was busy with kitchen chores too. And her husband? It wasn't that he was lazy, but he was a chauvinist who thought housework was all for women; he wouldn't even lift a finger to pick up a fallen oil bottle.
The only thing he was better off than Lin Qingqing was having a son.
Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei have been married for less than two months, and she might already be pregnant, so that's hardly an advantage.
When people don't compare themselves to others, everything seems good. But once they start comparing, they become greedy and insatiable.
After dinner, Yu Xiuhong didn't clean up the dishes as usual, but waited for Chen Aiguo to do it himself. But after waiting and waiting, Chen Aiguo finished eating, put down his chopsticks, picked up his son, and went to play in the yard.
Yu Xiuhong originally just wanted to test Chen Aiguo, but in the end, she got angry and slammed her hand on the table.
Chen Aiguo was holding his son's arm when he heard the noise. He quickly put his son down, turned around, and asked, "Who upset my wife?"
"Who else is there besides you?" Yu Xiuhong asked coldly.
Chen Aiguo was completely bewildered: "What did I do to offend you?"
"You always finish your meal and then put down your chopsticks. Can't you even be a little more observant?"
Chen Aiguo was even more confused by the scolding, and muttered, "Wasn't it always like this?"
"You were just being irresponsible before, but can't you be more considerate now?" Yu Xiuhong was even angrier. "Yes, you're the battalion commander, busy with work and rarely able to come home! But am I not busy? I also have to go to work every day and take care of the children. Can't you be a little more understanding and come home to help me with some of the housework?"
"This... what kind of man does this kind of work?" Chen Aiguo muttered. "If people find out, where will I put my face?"
"How can you be so ashamed if people find out? Xie Wei is still a regimental commander, and he still sweeps the floor, wipes the windows, does the laundry and dishes when he comes back. He even bought groceries and cooked today. He doesn't feel ashamed at all, but you, a mere battalion commander, feel like you've lost face?" Yu Xiuhong was initially angry, but by the end, she gradually became aggrieved, covered her face, and burst into tears. "I just don't understand, we're both men. Are your hands more precious than his?"
Hearing this, Chen Aiguo finally understood where Yu Xiuhong's fire came from.
Author's Note: Second update
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com