The sky was already completely dark. It was a cloudy day, and the thick clouds covered the moonlight and starlight. Zheng Qinglan rode her bicycle, turning left and right. There were a few times when she almost fell down. The branches and vines on the roadside had hurt her in several places. It was burning and painful. Two of them even bled. When they finally got onto the main road, Zheng Qinglan went into a small shop by the roadside to buy a flashlight. When she encountered a difficult place, she would turn on the light. Sometimes, when a car came, he would use the light to stomp on it. When they reached Jin Ling's shop, Zheng Qinglan got out of the car. She pushed the cart and stood in front of the shop. She listened carefully, but there was nothing inside. A sense of loss rose in her heart. She stood there for a while before she reluctantly left.
The closer they were to the city, the more people there were and the more cars there were. With the help of the lights, Zheng Qinglan walked faster. It was already past nine o'clock when she returned to her house. He was covered in sweat. When he stopped, he felt cold on his back. He took his clothes to the nearby bathhouse and took a hot bath. He felt much better, but there was still something pressing on his heart. After all, he had been running all day. He had left the city in the morning and returned to the city at night. He had run so much, talked so much, and listened to so many heartwarming words. It was tiring enough. Zheng Qinglan fell asleep the moment she lay on the bed. She didn't wake up for the whole night. Only then did he feel relieved.
The next day, Zheng Qinglan woke up early and tidied up the office. Then, she sat at her desk and read a book. When she heard Luo Tianyin's arrival, she walked out.
"Teacher, good morning. I'm back.”
"Oh, did you get everything back?”
"Yes, I got it back."
"Does he know that you left?"
"I didn't have the time to tell Secretary Pei. Isn't this rude? After all, I've troubled them these days.”
"I've already called him and told him that you should leave. I've also expressed my gratitude to him. In the future, when he has time, I'll invite him to visit the city. At that time, you can express your gratitude to him in person. This person should return a favor. You can't use it when you're in a hurry and abandon it when you're idle. Otherwise, you'll become an unjust villain. Zhang Changfeng and the others are still outside for a while. If you come back early, what will you say if they ask you?”
"I told you that there was something going on in the museum, so you transferred me back at the last minute.”
"How can you say that? Everyone knows about our relationship. If I transfer you back to the city and let them run around in the countryside, people will say that I favor one over the other.”
"Then what should I say?"
"Just say that your work has been completed ahead of time and that you're back to tidy up. Don't say anything else to prevent others from guessing. "You have to produce results and let others see it. Otherwise, the idea of completing the work ahead of time will be self-destructed. I won't be able to explain it to everyone.”
Zheng Qinglan admired Luo Tianyin's meticulous handling of matters and thanked him for his consideration. He didn't know that Luo Tianyin was saying this to distract him from other things. Luo Tianyin would never have thought that Zheng Qinglan would have sex with Shang Liuxin even though she knew that she would get pregnant. She had burned her bridges and blocked her escape route.
Zheng Qinglan went to work in the morning and afternoon and rested at noon. After dinner, it took a long time for him to go to the shopping mall and the wholesale department. He bought some cigarettes, alcohol, and non-staple food. These things were scattered and brought back. After he brought them back, he put them in a cardboard box under his bed. After a few days, he had prepared everything he needed to bring to Shang Liu Xin's house to propose marriage. In addition, he bought two bottles of wine for his uncle, a scarf for his fourth aunt, and some non-staple food. When he did this, he was neither happy nor unhappy. He would also often think of Shang Liu Xin, hoping to see her, hear her talk and see her smile. As long as Shang Liu Xin was in front of him, he wouldn't think about what others said, and his heart would temporarily relax. He also thought of Jin Ling, her beauty and agility. When he thought of these two people, he felt completely different. When he thought of Shang Liu Xin, he felt depressed, but when he thought of Jin Ling, he felt light.
A week passed quickly. After work on Saturday, Zheng Qinglan went to the hairdresser for a haircut and took a shower in the bathhouse. When she came back, she quickly washed her clothes and hung them up to dry. Someone joked with him,"Xiao Zheng, you're dressed up so energetically. You're going to see your mother-in-law.”"Not yet," Zheng Qinglan said."You can introduce one to me."”"Really?" the man said. I'm willing to be your matchmaker." Zheng Qinglan smiled and didn't comment. After dinner, Zheng Qinglan dragged the cardboard box out from under the bed and counted it again. After making sure that she had bought everything she needed, she tied the cardboard box with a packing tape and put it by the door.
On Sunday morning, Zheng Qinglan got up and ate breakfast. Then, she tied the cardboard box to the bicycle rack. He was going to see Shang Liu Xin soon. He was full of desire. As for other things, he didn't feel nervous or shy at all. It didn't seem to match his personality. Our protagonist has always been a person who doesn't like to deal with others. Others also think that he is introverted and honest. He was going to experience his first time today and meet many new people, but he was not nervous at all. It was a little unbelievable.
When they arrived at Fourth Aunt's house, Fourth Aunt had just finished her work. When she saw Zheng Qinglan, she said,"Sit down for a while. I'll change my clothes and leave. It's not far anyway. I'll be there in a while.”
Zheng Qinglan took out the things for Fourth Aunt and Uncle from the cardboard box and said,""Uncle, Fourth Aunt, I've made you worry about my matters. This is a small gift, please accept it.”
Fourth Aunt said,"You're acting like an outsider. Take these things back. We don't want them."”
"I didn't buy anything else, just some food.”
"Then don't do this again in the future. If you do this again, you'll really have to take it back.”
"Alright, I won't buy it."
Uncle said," You're about to get married, and you need to spend money. Your salary isn't high, and your family only has a few acres of land. You can't get any cash even if you sell the grain. You have to save some money. We're not outsiders, so we'll avoid it if we can.”
Fourth Aunt said,"Look at what you said. There are still unavoidable things."”
Uncle laughed and said,"I mean all of them."”
"That's more like it."
Zheng Qinglan laughed at their words. She felt a different kind of happiness in her heart. Uncle was actually not a talkative person, but he often told jokes to Fourth Aunt. Fourth Aunt was talkative to begin with, so she often teased Uncle. The two of them often laughed. He had heard about Fourth Aunt and Uncle from his mother. When Uncle was young, his family was rich and his family background was not good. However, Fourth Aunt saw that he was honest and willing to work hard, so she got along with him. Originally, Fourth Aunt's sister-in-law wanted to introduce Fourth Aunt to a relative of her maiden family, but Fourth Aunt did not agree. Because of this, Fourth Aunt's sister-in-law argued with her. After Fourth Aunt got married, her sister-in-law did not allow her to enter her maiden family. Because of this, Fourth Aunt shed countless tears. However, Fourth Aunt and Uncle were very loving. No matter how hard their days were, the two of them never had any conflicts.
"Qinglan, are you afraid?" Fourth Aunt asked as they walked.”
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Fourth Aunt said," That's right. Everyone has to pass this test. There's nothing to be afraid of. Do what you should do and say what you should say. Don't let others look down on you."”
As Fourth Aunt had said, when they arrived at Shang Liu Xin's house, not a single guest had arrived. Shang Liu Xin's father was wiping the table and setting the chairs in the main room. Fourth Aunt smiled and greeted him,"Big Brother, you're busy. We've troubled you today."”Shang Quangui smiled so widely that his eyes narrowed into a line, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to stretch out. Zheng Qinglan called out," Dad." She untied the cardboard box from the bicycle rack and moved it into the central room. Shang Liu Xin heard their conversation and walked out from behind, calling out,""Fourth Aunt, you're a rare guest." "Liu Xin, where's your mother?" Fourth Aunt laughed and asked.”"In the kitchen." "Qinglan, go to the kitchen and see your mother," Fourth Aunt said to Zheng Qinglan.”Zheng Qinglan went to the kitchen. Wu Xiuchi was cooking. Zheng Qinglan called out to her mother, and Wu Xiuchi agreed in a drawl. Then, he said repeatedly,"Sit in the front and have some tea. Don't stay in the kitchen.”Fourth Aunt also walked into the kitchen and said,"Elder Sister, you're busy. You're very busy today."”"I'm happy," Wu Xiuchi said with a smile."You're worried about your nephew. You should be happy too." Sister, you can sit in the front." Fourth Aunt said,"I'll just talk to you here. You're in charge of the stove and I'll take care of the fire."”As he spoke, he sat down on the stove and went inside to add firewood. Wu Xiuchi said," How can I do that? This is the first time you've entered my house. How can I let you do this?" Liu Xin, pour tea for Fourth Aunt and invite her to sit outside. The kitchen was filled with smoke.”Shang Liu Xin brought a cup of sugar tea to Fourth Aunt and said to her,"Fourth Aunt, you can go to the front room to drink tea and eat melon seeds. I'll do the things here.”She poured Zheng Qinglan a cup of tea and asked,""You came from the city this morning?”"Yes.""Quite enthusiastic." "I was afraid that you would be anxious if I came late.”Shang Liu Xin glanced at him, then pursed her lips into a smile and went to the back to help. Shang Quangui and Fourth Aunt talked about the harvest of the farmland and the various chores in the village. Zheng Qinglan listened for a while and felt that there was nothing to listen to, so she went to help Shang Liu Xin. After a while, they finished choosing the vegetables and washing them. Shang Liu Xin said,"Why isn't he here yet?" " It's cold now," Zheng Qinglan said." I woke up late. It's almost 11 o'clock. It should be around this time."”"Why aren't you afraid of the cold?" "For you." Shang Liu Xin glanced at Zheng Qinglan and smiled,""Did you put honey on your mouth today?" "That's how it is. If I didn't come here for you, why would I come here? They're just here to eat.”"No, they're here to see you. You have to perform well. Don't let them look down on you.”"How do I perform well?" "Be generous, don't be so timid.”"That's easy." "Be polite, respect the old and love the young." "You even said 'five lessons, four beauties, and three passions'.”"Hahaha, it's just five lessons, four beauties, and three love. I have to give my relatives a good impression.”As the two of them were talking, the guests came in groups of two or three. Shang Liu Xin led Zheng Qinglan to introduce them one by one. Zheng Qinglan stood beside Shang Liu Xin and called out to her uncle and aunt. As she called out, she served cigarettes to the male guests and tea to the female guests.
There weren't many relatives in the shop. There were only two tables for lunch, one for male guests and one for female guests. Both tables were placed in the central room, which made the central room seem small. When serving the dishes, one had to walk sideways in the empty space.
At the male guests 'table, there were two elders sitting at the head of the table. One was Shang Liu Xin's uncle, Shang Quanyou, and the other was Shang Liu Xin's uncle, Wu Ming Qing. Wu Ming Qing was slightly younger than Shang Quan, so he insisted that Shang Quan sit in the front seat. However, Shang Quan said that he was in his own house and refused to sit. The two of them kept pushing each other for a long time, but they still refused to sit down. After that, under the persuasion of everyone, Wu Mingqing sat down at the head of the table. Shang Quanyou naturally sat at the second seat. After the head of the table was taken, the others were easy to talk about. Everyone sat down casually. Wu Ming Qing said," We've all sat down, but the real main character hasn't. Come, come, Qing Lan. You're the guest of honor today. It's only natural that you should sit at the head of the table."”
Zheng Qinglan quickly pulled Wu Mingqing back and said,""Uncle, you're an elder, so the seat of honor naturally belongs to you and uncle. Don't refuse. Even if you refuse, I won't sit.”Shang Liu Xin also helped Zheng Qinglan," Uncle, please take a seat. Qinglan is a junior after all. It's not appropriate for her to sit on top. Please take a seat. We can serve the dishes."”Wu Ming Qing saw that he couldn't get away and said,"Then I'll sit. Qinglan, you sit too."”"Please sit down," Zheng Qinglan said."I'll pour you some wine."”With that, she picked up the wine she had brought and poured it for the male guests. Zheng Qinglan went to the female guests 'table and poured wine for them. The female guests laughed and said,""Qinglan, how many women have you seen drinking?”Zheng Qinglan laughed and called the two elders. They said that they didn't want wine, so Zheng Qinglan said,""Then I'll pour you a drink." He poured a drink for each female guest.
The female guests had already started eating, but the male guests were still sitting there without moving. Shang Liu Xin's cousin Wu Hua Song said,"Brother, we came here today mainly to accompany you. If you don't come to the table, wouldn't we have come in vain? Come quickly. Look, the women are already in a heated discussion, but our table is still cold.”
"You guys eat first. I'll do the service.”
"How can that be? If you don't come, we'll just sit here and do nothing.”
Shang Quangui said," Qinglan, go sit down. If you don't go, they won't eat."”Zheng Qinglan sat down on an empty chair. Wu Huasong raised his glass and said,"From today onwards, you are my cousin-in-law. Brother, we are not outsiders. There is no need to say any more polite words.”Zheng Qinglan didn't take the glass. Instead, she stood up and asked Wu Huasong to put the glass down. Wu Huasong refused to put it down and insisted on clinking the glass with Zheng Qinglan. " Cousin," Zheng Qinglan said," it's not that I don't want to take your cup of wine, but I think we should toast the elders first." How about this, I'll definitely accept your glass of wine later. Now, let me toast uncle first.”Wu Huasong said,"Alright then, we'll drink later."”
Zheng Qinglan stood up and raised her glass. She said to Wu Mingqing,""Uncle, let me toast you. Please take care of me in the future.”Wu Ming Qing also stood up and raised his wine glass, saying,""Qinglan, you're too polite. From now on, we're real relatives. You don't have to be so polite.”"You're an elder, so I should do this.”After saying that, he reached out his wine glass and clinked it with Wu Mingqing's. Then, he downed it in one gulp. Shang Liu Xin said,"Drink slowly, why are you in such a hurry?"”Shang Liu Xin's third cousin Wu Hua Jin said,"Biao Younger Sister, your heart aches for Biao Younger Brother-in-law. We also drink a whole cup. Why don't you feel sorry for us?”Shang Liu Xin said," You call that drinking? You didn't even wet your lips. Moreover, some of you are distressed, not me."”Everyone laughed. Everyone at the table toasted each other, but their main target was Zheng Qinglan. After a while, the two bottles of wine were emptied. It wasn't much, just about two taels. However, when everyone toasted each other, it was just a gesture. When they toasted Zheng Qinglan, they were full of satisfaction. As a result, the others didn't drink much, but Zheng Qinglan was almost drunk. Shang Liu Xin saw that Zheng Qinglan was about to suffer a loss, so she quickly took the bottle and said to everyone,""Elders, brothers, Qing Lan has already drunk quite a bit. Now, I'll pour a cup for everyone.”Those cousins were not willing to comply and said,""No, we haven't had any wine yet.”"Then what should we do?" Shang Liu Xin asked. Fourth Cousin Wu Huayun said,"The toasting process has already been completed. Now, let's drink on equal footing."”Zheng Qinglan didn't want to be outdone. She straightened her neck and said,"I'll drink it." Shang Liu Xin said," We can drink on equal footing, but you guys should make up for the wine you drank earlier. This is what we call being on equal footing."”Wu Huasong said," Cousin, are you so biased? We're your cousins after all. We've known each other for decades. You've only known the person you're biased towards for a few days. If you're going to be like this, I'll have a problem with it."”Shang Liu Xin said: " It's up to you. If you want to drink, then fill up the first cup or pour a cup of wine."”Shang Quangui said,"Liu Xin, the guest hasn't said that he doesn't want the wine, so how can the master say that he will keep the pot?"”Shang Liu Xin said,"Dad, cousin and the others are bullying people."”"Nonsense. Your cousin and the others just want to accompany Qinglan well.”"How can you accompany me like this? It would be strange if I didn't get drunk.”
The female guests had already finished eating. A few of them went out to drink tea, while a few of them stood in the room and watched the male guests compete. Fourth Aunt said," Dear relatives and friends, it's enough for us to drink wine and have a status. We still have to go back later. We've offended everyone today. Since we're relatives, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. At that time, we'll let Qinglan accompany our relatives and friends to drink to their hearts 'content. At that time, we'll be responsible for not stopping them.”Shang Quanyou also said,"Sister is right. I think we've drunk enough today. Forget it."”After the elder spoke, everyone didn't say anything else. Shang Liu Xin poured a cup of wine for the last time and kept the bottle.
After drinking and eating, Shang Liu Xin helped her mother clear the dishes while Zheng Qinglan helped Shang Quangui pour tea for the guests. "Are you alright?"”"I'm fine." "I don't need to look to know that you're drunk.”"How did you know?" "I can tell from your tone. You don't have to be busy. Sit down and rest for a while.”Zheng Qinglan knew that she had drunk too much, but she didn't want to admit it in front of so many people. She said,""It's okay. We'll go back later.”"You're still stubborn. You can't even speak clearly.”He pulled a chair over and forced Zheng Qinglan to sit down. Zheng Qinglan didn't say anything else and sat down. Shang Liu Xin quickly made a cup of tea with sugar and brought it over. Zheng Qinglan drank it and felt better in her stomach. After resting for a while, Fourth Aunt said,"It's getting late. We're still waiting for us at home. Qinglan, how are you?”"It's fine, let's go," Zheng Qinglan said.”Fourth Aunt discussed with Shang Liu Xin's parents,"Big brother, big sister, look, it's getting late. There are many guests in Qinglan's house waiting for us to go back.”Shang Quangui said,"Then I won't keep you. I'll invite you girls to my house as guests in the future."”Wu Xiuchi called Shang Liu Xin into the room and told her some things. Shang Liu Xin then changed into a new set of clothes and came out. Fourth Aunt raised her voice and said to her relatives and friends,"Dear relatives and friends, we've offended you. We have something to do and will leave first.”The guests exchanged some pleasantries and Zheng Qinglan handed them cigarettes one by one. Then, Zheng Qinglan rode her bike with her fourth aunt while Shang Liu Xin rode her bike. The three of them set off.
It was past two in the afternoon, which was the hottest time of the day. The weather was exceptionally good today. There was not a single cloud in the sky since morning. It was naturally too cold in the morning, but it was a little hot at noon. Zheng Qinglan had drunk too much at noon. After riding for a while, it became hotter and hotter. The alcohol suddenly surged up, and her thoughts surged like a river that had been opened. The ghost-like shadows drilled into his brain again, and they were clearer and stronger than before. Shang Liuxin was carried onto the bed, and her clothes were taken off. Under the dark night sky, there was a field of grass that had been ravaged…There were also ear-piercing sounds, Lan Guiying, Lord Pangu, Tong Qing's expressions when they spoke, Shang Liuxin's suppressed cries…These things burned Zheng Qinglan's chest and tore at his heart and lungs. Am I going to bring a woman like her back? What would others think of me? Am I worthy of my parents? Lan Guiying, Master Pangu, Tong Qing…Why are so many people against me? Maybe they are right. What about me? Do I really love her? Obviously not. I don't love her, not even for a second. But now, I have to bring her home personally and admit that she is my lover in front of all my relatives. However, we can only have marriage, but never love. Marriage could be forced, but love needed to be voluntary. Because I won't love a woman who gives herself away so easily. Such a woman is not dignified enough. I can only give her marriage but not love. Is this fair to her? To me, although she is no longer a complete person, does this mean that she does not have the right to enjoy love? Yes, at least that's what I think for now. If she didn't have that unbearable scene, I would have accepted her wholeheartedly. Even if she had shortcomings that others couldn't tolerate, I would still love her without distractions. As for her shortcomings, I will tolerate her. If I can't tolerate them, I will slowly change them in a gentle way that she can accept. However, she had a disgraceful past, and these disgraceful things were clearly placed in front of me and deeply engraved in my mind. They were like sharp knives stabbing into my heart. How could I love her? I used to yearn for a perfect love, but now I'm bringing back a person who's emotionally filthy. Can I still bring her home? Could he still? Zheng Qinglan asked herself again and again in her heart. She had already come this far. Could she still go back? If I go back, how am I going to explain to Fourth Aunt? How am I going to face myself back then? He didn't consider Shang Liu Xin's feelings because he was filled with resentment towards her. Why are there so many messy things? The more Zheng Qinglan thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. Her heart was in turmoil. She quickly stopped the car. Fourth Aunt got out of the car. He didn't even have time to prop up the car. He vomited. Shang Liu Xin also stopped the car and came over to rub his back. Zheng Qinglan shook her hand away in disgust and squeezed out a few words from her throat,""It's…all…you." Shang Liu Xin was not willing to be outdone, saying,"Who told you to drink so much, if you can't drink then don't show off."”
Zheng Qinglan sat on the ground and ignored her. Fourth Aunt said,"Qinglan, sit down and rest. We'll leave after you've eased up. The family is still waiting for us."”Zheng Qinglan buried her head in silence. Shang Liu Xin also sat down in anger. After more than ten minutes, Fourth Aunt saw that Zheng Qinglan had calmed down a lot and said,"Let's go." Zheng Qinglan didn't even raise her head." You guys go back first," she said." I'll be back later."”Shang Liu Xin seemed to understand Zheng Qinglan's thoughts,""You make it sound so nice. Who do you take me for? Oh, you're not going back and letting me go alone. Since that's the case, what's the point of me going to your house? I might as well go back.”With that, he stood up, turned the bicycle around, and prepared to go back. Fourth Aunt pulled her back and said,"This can't be done. If word gets out, people will laugh to death." Qing Lan, say something." Zheng Qinglan acted as if she hadn't heard him. She didn't move at all. His heart was like a boiling pot. He couldn't care less. Shang Liu Xin said," Fourth Aunt, you saw that right? With his attitude, what am I going to do? Please let me go back."”Fourth Aunt burst into tears and said,"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have introduced myself to you. I've worked hard, but I didn't get anything out of it. Living ancestors, can you listen to some advice?”Zheng Qinglan knew that she couldn't argue anymore. He stood up and picked up the bicycle. He said vaguely,""Let's go." Shang Liu Xin stood there without moving. Fourth Aunt said,"Serves you right. Who told you to talk nonsense? Go and persuade him."”Even if Zheng Qinglan was extremely unwilling, she had to lower her stance now that things had come to this. He walked to Shang Liu Xin's side and said,"Let's go, it's getting late."”Although her voice was low, her tone was not gentle at all. Shang Liu Xin still didn't move. She turned her head and stood there. Fourth Aunt said,"Is there anyone who would advise you like this? If you speak softly, you will lose money."”Zheng Qinglan said," I drank too much just now. It's my fault. Let's go. It's getting late."”Fourth Aunt also said,"Liu Xin, don't lower yourself to the level of a drunk man. He's usually very good, but he's not human when he drinks too much." I'll criticize him again in the future so that he'll remember.”Shang Liu Xin turned the bicycle head around and said to Zheng Qinglan,""Let me tell you, if it wasn't for Fourth Aunt, I wouldn't have gone back with you today.”The three of them walked back. After the ruckus, the rest of the journey was no longer easy and pleasant. It was very dull. Only Fourth Aunt would occasionally say a few words, Shang Liu Xin would politely respond with a few words, and Zheng Qinglan would not say a word. His heart was heavily pressed by a big stone, and he could not move it away.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。