Chapter 11: 11

At 2:00 pm, Xu Xingxing exited the Huaicheng High-speed Railway Station, and found her younger brother Xu Xingyuan already waiting outside. He smiled as he called out to her, “Sister!” 

Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Xingxing smiled and looked to see Xu Xingyuan standing in front of a white Volkswagen Polo, waving at her.

Xu Xingxing was 28-years-old this year, and her brother, Xu Xingyuan, was younger than her by five years. Both siblings were attractive, especially Xu Xingyuan, who was fair and of medium height, and looked like a handsome Japanese man as he stood under the sun. Whenever he laughed, his eyes curled into crescents, with the left eye bright and clear, but the right eye dull. Unfortunately, Xu Xingyuan was a disabled person, he was half-blind.

Xu Xingxing walked towards her younger brother. 

Huaicheng was located farther south than Xiacheng, and the climate was also hotter. Xu Xingyuan was only wearing a sweatshirt, and there were some black oil stains on his body. Because of his disability, Xu Xingyuan hadn’t given much attention to his education, and after graduating from junior high school, had enrolled in a technical school. He was now working in an auto repair shop.

Seeing his sister coming, Xu Xingyuan stepped forward and took the suitcase from her hand. Xu Xingxing opened the car door, watched him put her luggage in the trunk, and said with a smile, “You’re looking handsome.”

Like Xu Xingxing, Xu Xingyuan also blushed easily out of shyness, so he got into the driver’s seat with red ears, then just smiled and started the car.

“Fasten your seat belt,” Xu Xingxing reminded him, “How is Mom?”

“She is fine,” Xu Xingyuan told her while driving the car. “Mother’s wrist began to hurt a few days ago, so I took her to the hospital for a check-up. She’s okay now.”

Xu Xingxing’s mother, Lin Meihui, ran a small shop that sold soup dumplings and wontons for breakfast. She was reluctant to hire others to work for her, so she did most of the work herself. Thus, she had to get up early to prepare the ingredients for her shop everyday.

“How is the Xu family doing?” Xu Xingxing asked.

Ever since Xu Xingxing’s father, Xu Shihua, had died, the relatives of her father’s family, the Xu family, had little contact with their family. It was only later, when her ex-husband Wang Shunsheng’s business expanded, that the Xu family gradually re-established contact with Xu Xingxing’s family, just to take advantage. Therefore, when Xu Xingxing got divorced, the Xu family openly expressed their dissatisfaction and blamed her, and even tried to arrange blind dates for her afterwards. 

“They didn’t come to our house.” Xu Xingyuan sneered coldly and said, “But they have arranged a blind date for you…”

Xu Xingxing looked sideways at her brother, and asked with a smile, “Hmm… What about you?”

Xu Xingyuan, turned slightly red again, and looked at Xu Xingxing with a shy expression as he confessed, “Sister…I’m in love.”

Surprised, Xu Xingxing’s mouth subconsciously opened slightly.

The railway station was quite far from the old town. When they reached home, they saw Lin Meihui already waiting for them at the gate of the community. Their community was very old, and it was so narrow and crowded that cars couldn’t get in at all. Xu Xingyuan parked the car on the side of the road outside, took out the suitcase, and walked towards the community with Xu Xingxing.

Lin Meihui, who was waiting for her children, saw them approach from a distance. She noticed that her daughter, Xu Xingxing, was talking and laughing a lot more now, and seemed to be a lot more cheerful than before, which allowed her heart to rest at ease.

“Mom,” Xu Xingxing approached and called out with a smile.

Lin Meihui took Xu Xingxing’s hand, smiled, and said, “Let’s go home.” 

On such a crisp autumn afternoon, most of the residents gathered downstairs to play cards and talk. As Xu Xingxing’s family headed to their home, they met a few acquaintances. After Xu Xingxing and the others walked past them, several people, surprised to see them, started gossiping—

“The eldest daughter of the Xu family is divorced, don’t they plan to marry her off again? It’s just like this?”

“What a pity. She is good-looking but couldn’t hold a man’s heart. You know what, I heard that she couldn’t have children, so the Wang family didn’t want her.”

“Tsk tsk, it’s a pity…that woman is so pitiful. Her husband is dead, her son’s eyes are not good, and her daughter has now become a leftover woman…”

Those aunts in the community were chattering loudly, and their words were heard by the Xu family. These words poked Xu Xingyuan in the spine. Lin Meihui glanced at him, afraid that he would start a conflict with those old ladies, but Xu Xingyuan didn’t have an outburst.

Xu Xingxing’s home was a simple three-bedroom house, and although it was quite small, it was comfortable to live in. As soon as she entered the house, all her unhappiness seemed to disappear. Xu Xingxing placed the luggage in her bedroom and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before going to the kitchen.

“Xingyuan called his girlfriend to dinner. Hey, you haven’t met his girlfriend yet.” Lin Meihui put on her apron and started to cook dinner.

Xu Xingxing also wore an apron and came to help out, saying, “Your wrist has just healed, so don’t do a lot of work. I‘ll ask my colleague to bring a splint wrist brace back from Thailand, and you can put it on whenever it hurts.”

Xu Xingxing then glanced at Xu Xingyuan and added with a smile, “Xingyuan just told me about that girl.”

“Hey, she’s just an ordinary girl, there’s nothing special.” Xu Xingyuan blushed, but his eyes were shining. The young man’s love was written on his face, and it was clear as day that he really liked his girlfriend.

Xu Xingxing was very happy, most girls would not like Xu Xingyuan, after all, he was disabled in one eye. A little girl finally took a fancy to him, indicating that the little girl was kind-hearted.

At five o’clock, Xu Xingyuan went to pick up his girlfriend.

His girlfriend’s name was Zhou Tongtong, and she used to be Xu Xingyuan’s classmate in the technical school. She was chubby and not tall, but two small dimples would show up when she smiled, which was very cute.

Seeing Xu Xingxing present for dinner, Zhou Tongtong was initially quite shy. However, after she sat with Xu Xingyuan during dinner, they talked and laughed together, and she gradually got over her shyness. Her character was quite lively and cheerful, which complemented Xu Xingyuan perfectly.

The little girl had a good personality and was also diligent. After eating, Xu Xingxing cleaned the table, while Zhou Tongtong went to the kitchen with the dishes and chopsticks, to wash them.

“You go and sit. I’ll do the dishes.” Xu Xingxing offered to take over.

Zhou Tongtong replied quickly, “Sister, I’ll help you.”

Xu Xingxing smiled and glanced at her. Zhou Tongtong met her gaze and smiled. She had a good impression of her boyfriend’s sister.

“What major did you study in technical school?” Xu Xingxing asked while chatting with Zhou Tongtong.

“Accounting, and I’m now employed as an accountant at the Lehui Clothing Plaza in the city,” Zhou Tongtong said.

“That’s good,” Xu Xingxing replied.

Before she could continue speaking, Zhou Tongtong’s cell phone suddenly rang, and she rushed to the corner of the kitchen to answer it.

“Hey dad, ah, my colleagues and I are eating out, no, I’m not at Xu Xingyuan’s house…” The little girl kept her voice as low as possible and peeked at Xu Xingxing, who was washing the dishes seriously and didn’t seem to hear her. After she finished the task, Xu Xingxing wiped her hands and left the kitchen.

Zhou Tongtong left their home in a hurry after that phone call. Xu Xingyuan wanted to drive her home, but she didn’t let him. So all he could do was tell her to pay attention to safety on the road, to which the little girl smiled. After closing the door, Xu Xingyuan returned to his small room.

Lin Meihui sat on the couch, kneading her wrists. The setting sun shone into the small room, illuminating the white hair on her head.

After watching the news broadcast and the weather forecast with her mother at night, Xu Xingxing ate some fruit and went back to her room. There was a knock on the door not long after she entered. Xu Xingxing stopped unpacking the suitcase and told the person to come in.

When Lin Meihui opened the door, Xu Xingxing smiled and called out, “Mom.”

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Although Xu Xingxing’s relationship with her mother, Lin Meihui, was not a particularly close one, they both cared deeply for each other, and even though these two did not display much physical intimacy as a mother-daughter pair, they both knew each other’s value in their hearts.

Lin Meihui entered the room, closed the door, sat down on her daughter’s bed, and looked at her for a while. There was a slight smile on her face because she felt that the current Xu Xingxing was different from the one who had left this city after her divorce. 

This Xu Xingxing looked fashionable, younger, and even more beautiful than before, with the most important thing being the happy smile on her lips. 

She didn’t intend to ask for the reason behind her daughter’s positive changes. As long as Xu Xingxing was happy, there was no need to care about who or what was the cause behind it.

“Finished.” Xu Xingxing was putting her clothes into the small wooden cabinet. Her bedroom was very small, with only a bed and a desk against the wall. Next to the desk stood a small wooden cabinet, which her father Xu Shihua had made for her when he was alive. At that time, he had smiled and said that it was a part of her dowry. Now, she had been divorced once, and the small wooden cabinet was still in her room.

“Xingyuan didn’t tell me about his relationship earlier, so I couldn’t buy a gift for Tongtong. Mother, if you have time tomorrow, let’s go to the mall and buy her a set of skin care products,” Xu Xingxing suggested.

Speaking of Zhou Tongtong, Lin Meihui’s smile faded a bit, and she asked Xu Xingxing, “What do you think of Tongtong?”

Xu Xingxing turned serious on this topic, and she nodded while saying, “Yes, I can see that she really likes Xingyuan, and the little girl has a good personality and seems to be an honest person.”

“Hmm.” Lin Meihui nodded and stared at the frayed edge of her jacket. After a while, she raised her head to look at Xu Xingxing.

Lin Meihui was pretty when she was young, but now she looks older than her peers. Xu Xingxing’s father died early, so her mother had to work hard to bring Xu Xingxing up, and she even sent her to university. It’s hard to stay young after working hard all your life.

Lin Meihui moved her lips but didn’t say anything, then smiled at Xu Xingxing, patted her thigh and got up.

“Does Tongtong’s family look down on Xingyuan?” Xu Xingxing asked in a low voice.

After hearing this sentence, Lin Meihui’s movements stopped. She raised her head to look at Xu Xingxing, her eyes filled with very complicated emotions, all of them intertwined, and in the end, she sighed.

“Yes, they do not agree.” Lin Meihui said, “After all, his eye, that is…”

On hearing this, Xu Xingxing felt pity for her brother.

“Mom, I plan to give him one of the houses under my name.”

When Xu Xingxing said that, Lin Meihui let out a cry as her eyes trembled .

“Xingxing…”

Xu Xingxing knew what her mother wanted to say, so she just looked at her and smiled. After hearing about this, Xu Xingyuan immediately disagreed with it. He knew that Wang Shunsheng had given his sister two houses, but he also knew what they meant to Xu Xingxing. Now that Xu Xingxing wanted to give him one of the houses, it meant that he was drinking her hard work’s blood.     

“Sister, it is your house. I don’t want it.”

“Xingyuan, you…” Xu Xingxing became angry after hearing that.

“Sister, let’s talk about the house later, okay?”

“No, I‘m going to transfer the house under your name. Talk with the little girl and let’s set a date to meet her family while I’m here.”

After that, Xu Xingyuan talked about Zhou Tongtong’s issue. Her family disapproved of him not because of his disability but because he was poor and didn’t even have a house. Moreover, his current house only has two bedrooms and one living room, and there was an older sister who cannot get married again. Where would the young couple live?

…………………………….

Now that the matter of the house was settled, the two families also met and had a meal. The Zhou family had two children, and Zhou Tongtong had an elder brother who had already married and was running a business. Zhou Tongtong was the younger daughter. When the two families were eating, Xu Xingxing told them that the formalities of transferring the house would be carried out after the National Day holiday. The Zhou family didn’t urge them to hurry it up either. They had recognized Xu Xingxing and knew that she was Wang Shunsheng’s ex-wife, so the housing issue definitely didn’t trouble them anymore.  

After this meeting dinner, Xu Xingyuan, who didn’t drink, drove the family of three back home. Xu Xingxing sat in the co-pilot’s seat and chatted with Lin Meihui, who was sitting in the back, discussing the Zhou family. “It’s quite simple, just by looking at Tongtong, you can tell that her family is good…” 

Just as Xu Xingxing was talking, the phone in her bag suddenly rang. She took out her phone while talking, and upon seeing the name displayed on the phone screen, her eyes suddenly tightened, and with her heart beating rapidly, she switched off the phone and put it back in her bag.  

“Who is it?” Xu Xingyuan, asked, glancing in Xu Xingxing’s direction.

“Just a colleague,” Xu Xingxing replied lightly, and turned her head to look out of the window. 

After returning home, Xu Xingxing went to her room, closed the door, and switched her mobile phone on to call Huai Jing. 

Today was October 7th, and she was supposed to return today. But because of the meeting with the Zhou family, her return had been delayed. 

Xu Xingxing bit her lip, walked to the bed, and sat down. It was getting dark outside, and in a room that was neither bright nor dark, she dialled the number she had refused to answer a while ago.

The call quickly connected, and a man’s deep voice came from the other end, “Hello.”

Neither of them had spoken on the phone over the past few days. Listening to the man’s voice again made Xu Xingxing feel a sense of alienation, as if her ears were hearing this voice for the first time, and she even blushed slightly.

 “Hello.” Xu Xingxing was shy.

Some rustling noise came from the other end of the phone. It seemed that he had gotten up from the chair. After the man heard Xu Xingxing’s voice, he smiled deeply and then asked, “What time will you be back? I’ll pick you up at the station.”

Coming to pick her up directly at the station indicated that the man couldn’t wait. Xu Xingxing’s memories flowed one after another, and she remembered his urgent and frequent needs whenever the two were together.

He simply couldn’t wait any longer.

“I… I have something to do, so I want to ask for leave, and I won’t be back tomorrow.” Xu Xingxing’s voice trembled as she said this.

“Oh?” 

Xu Xingxing’s heart tightened.

“I really don’t want to give you more holidays,” replied the man calmly.

Xu Xingxing was a little confused by what he had said, and after hesitating for a while, she asked lightly, “Why?”

It seemed as if the man on the other end of the phone was smiling.

“Why… don’t you know why?” Huai Jing asked back.

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