Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Qingmei looked at Qinglan and Xu Wen, timidly reaching out to take the bag from Xiang Yuanqiu's hand. As soon as the bag was in her hands, her face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Thank you, Auntie," Qinglan asked affectionately.
"Thank you, Aunt Xiang," Qingmei said brightly.
Later, Lin Xi slowly remembered Xiang Yuanqiu and couldn't help but chat with her for a while.
Xiang Yuanqiu seemed to know a bit about Qinglan's situation, probably from Liu Jiawei. Whenever she mentioned something, Liu Jiawei didn't shy away and directly looked at Qinglan, saying, "I told her."
However, there were still some key things she was unaware of, so during their conversation, she kept trying to inquire but was skillfully sidestepped by Qinglan and Xu Wen.
Especially regarding who Beautiful's child was, she seemed to have asked a few times, either intentionally or unintentionally. Lin Xi jokingly deflected, saying, "Beautiful is my daughter; how could she be Qinglan's? Didn't you see how much closer Beautiful is to me? Qinglan is just helping me raise my daughter." After saying this, she laughed heartily.
Indeed, since Xiang Yuanqiu saw Qingmei, it had always been Lin Xi sitting beside her, taking care of her, pouring her drinks, helping her with this and that, accompanying her to the restroom, peeling fruits for her to eat, chatting with her and playing games. Xu Wen cooperated with Lin Xi while Qinglan sat aside without much involvement.
After chatting for a while, Liu Jiawei announced he was going back to Liu Family Village. Qinglan didn't try to keep him; after all, it was a long trip back home to see Father and Mother.
As soon as Liu Jiawei stood up to leave, Xiang Yuanqiu also got up to say goodbye. Qinglan felt puzzled but didn’t ask or try to keep them; after all, it wasn't appropriate to hold someone back when visiting a patient in the hospital; they could only come and go as they pleased.
Once Liu Jiawei and Xiang Yuanqiu left, Qinglan brought up again in front of Xu Wen the matter of Lin Xi working at her company. She had promised a response within a month, but now several months had passed.
"The reason you haven't given an answer in months is because of Beautiful's illness!" Lin Xi defended herself.
"At this point in time, bringing this up isn't about whether you want to or not; it's about you having to go," Qinglan pointed at Lin Xi and said.
Lin Xi stopped what she was doing and stared at Qinglan with wide eyes, asking, "What do you mean?"
"How can I say anything? Look at me, I don't have time to manage the factory right now. But it's also a time when we need money, and the factory can't just close down; it needs someone to manage it. My father hasn't been involved in the factory for the past two years, and he's getting older. Xu Wen definitely can't handle it all by himself, especially since he mainly focuses on the technical side. You tell me, if you don't help out now, who will manage the factory for me?"
"I can manage it, but I'm afraid I won't do well. I'm not familiar with it and might find it hard to take over," Lin Xi sighed. "If this had happened earlier, it would have been better; now I'm somewhat familiar with things."
"That's not a problem. After all, there's Xu Wen. With him around, nothing will go wrong. If you don't understand something, just ask him. I'm still here too; I just can't be at the factory all the time like before, but you can call me if needed."
Lin Xi nodded and said, "Alright then, I'll give it a try. But if I ruin the factory, don't blame me." She joked with Xu Wen.
"Ruin it?" Qinglan looked at Lin Xi with a mix of annoyance and anger. "You must manage it well with me. If you ruin it alongside me, just know that I rely on this factory along with Beautiful. Beautiful's health depends on this factory too; you better think carefully about how you want to manage it and whether you're brave enough to ruin it."
Lin Xi shook her head helplessly and said, "This is really a robber's logic, isn't it? Xu Wen, asking me for help while being so harsh."
Xu Wen chuckled.
Time flew by quickly; in the blink of an eye, Qingmei had been transferred to the Provincial Capital for a week. The test reports and results from various aspects of her health had come out, and the hospital recommended that Qingmei stay at the Provincial Hospital for preliminary conservative treatment.
Since the factory needed management, after a week, Qinglan asked Xu Wen to return home. Lin Xi also returned to Liu Family Village along with Xu Wen.
After more than twenty years away, returning home made Lin Xi feel an indescribable excitement and emotion as her feet stepped onto the land belonging to Liu Family Village.
The familiar dialect and faces from her childhood memories were still there, but she found herself unable to speak the familiar dialect that once rolled off her tongue so easily. The familiar faces also seemed much more blurred and aged.
A few nights before returning home, lying in bed, Lin Xi had deliberately recalled people and events from her childhood. One vivid face after another appeared in her mind like a film reel. She proudly told Jia Zhilan, "I still remember everyone in the village; once I'm home, I’ll definitely recognize them all. I might even remember their names."
And indeed, as she recalled them, their faces appeared in her mind alongside their names almost ready to spill from Lin Xi's lips.
"Then tell me a few names to see if I recognize them," Jia Zhilan said playfully while sitting on the sofa in the living room and tidying up Lin Xi's things. The TV drama was lively in front of them, but Jia Zhilan wasn't in the mood to watch it.
Although it was Lin Xi returning to Liu Family Village, it felt as if she were returning to Liu Family Village herself, and she appeared somewhat excited.
"I can't say for sure right now, but if I see them, I think I will be able to call their names," Lin Xi said confidently.
Jia Zhilan laughed in disbelief and said, "That’s not necessarily true."
Lin Xi huffed in dissatisfaction, "Just because you can remember clearly, does that mean I can’t?"
Jia Zhilan replied with a smile, "I'm different from you. How many years did I live there? How long did you live there? Besides, how can people from your generation compare to those from my generation?"
Lin Xi still wanted to argue a bit more when Lin Wenhui, who had been sitting quietly beside them, interjected, "Youth delights in new knowledge, while old age reminisces about old friends. You left Liu Family Village when you were young; of course, the people and things you remember won't be as clear as your Mama's."
Indeed, as they said, once she entered the village and when Qing Shusheng and Liu Xiuzhen came out to greet her along with Xu Wen, the courtyard was surrounded by many people. The older folks smiled and called her name warmly as they greeted her. The younger ones standing nearby also looked at her with enthusiasm.
However, she could only respond with a stiff smile.
She did not recognize any of the young faces.
Yet she knew that those young faces had once been her childhood playmates or had quarreled with her. They had played hide-and-seek together, gone mushroom picking in the mountains, chopped firewood together, and waded through rivers to catch fish and shrimp.
But they were all not the same as she remembered; she couldn't even find their shadows.
Comment 0 Comment Count