Chapter 76 Home-cooked Meal
Facing the questioning of the little witch Xu Xin, sweat was about to break out on my forehead. I secretly sighed that my father was too outspoken and said things that he shouldn't have said. Now the little witch became suspicious and I couldn't deceive her anymore.
I changed my mind and thought: Anyway, the little witch's brother will come to pick her up soon, and she will know sooner or later that her brother has been here and knows that she is at my house. Now that my father has let it slip, I might as well not hide it and tell her everything. With so many of us watching her, are we still afraid that she will run away after knowing it?
I pretended to cough, tried to put on a friendly smile, and said to Xu Xin: "This is what happened..." Just as I started to say this, the doorbell rang outside, interrupting what I was about to say. My sister smiled and stood up and said: "I'm already here, there's no point in you explaining, I'll go open the door." Then she ran to open the door quickly.
The little witch had sensed that something was wrong, and stared at the door with her beautiful eyes. As expected, the door opened, and in walked a tall man in military uniform, Xu Jian.
Xu Xin was so angry that her nose was crooked. She let out a horrible and chilling roar from the bottom of her throat: "Tang Qian! You liar!" That murderous and hateful voice made every hair on my body stand up. When she turned around and glared at me with extreme anger and a look as cold as a knife, I couldn't help but shiver all over.
That momentum is scary enough!
Xu Jian, who walked in, immediately shouted, "Xiao Xin! Don't be so presumptuous !"
Xu Xin stared at me and ignored her brother. I saw her eyes change quickly, from the initial anger and hatred to grievance and disappointment. There was even a trace of tears floating on the edge of her eyes.
Xu Jian took off his military cap, smiled and greeted my family, then said to my sister in a gentle voice: "Dad and your mom are very worried about you. After breakfast, thank Brother Tang and his family for taking care of you, and then come home with me."
Xu Xin snorted, gnashing her teeth and said to me: "Thank you so much! You're great, we'll see!" I opened my mouth and was about to say that I didn't break my promise, Xu Jian found you on his own. But I saw Xu Xin throw down his chopsticks, stand up and leave.
Xu Jian stopped her and said, "Xiao Xin, you are so rude. How can you treat Brother Tang who took you in like this?" Xu Xin's witch nature broke out. She waved her hand to push her brother away and said, "You don't need to meddle in my business. Don't lecture me. Get out of the way!" Then she brushed past Xu Jian and strode towards the door.
I quickly stood up and said to Xu Jian, "Brother Xu, hurry up! Don't let your sister run away!"
Hearing his sister slam the door and go out, Xu Jian was not in a hurry at all. He said, "It's okay. There are several soldiers guarding downstairs. They all know her. She can't run away!" Then he apologized to my parents, "I'm so sorry. My sister has been spoiled by my family since she was a child. She is not sensible at all. Look at her attitude just now! I am ashamed as her brother. You two elders must be more tolerant and don't take it to heart."
My parents were polite and said it was okay for children to be naughty. But my sister interrupted and said, "Your sister has a strong personality! I admire her!"
Suddenly, Xu Jian and I heard a faint scream coming from downstairs at the same time. Xu Jian's face changed and he said, "Oh no, I forgot that those soldiers will be beaten by the little witch and they dare not fight back. Then...then I'll go down first." With that, he turned around and hurried out.
I hurried after him and shouted, "Brother Xu, I'll go down with you."
I hurried downstairs and saw two soldiers, one holding his stomach, one holding his calf, squatting on the ground and crying out in pain, and two or three others hiding from the furious little witch. Xu Jian shouted, "That's enough! Xiaoxin, are you crazy enough? Stop it now!"
The little witch stopped panting. Xu Jian walked to the jeep, opened the door, and said to Xu Xin, "Okay, get in the car and follow me home." Then he helped the soldier who was squatting in pain and said, "You guys, please squeeze in at the back."
Xu Xin knew that she couldn't stay away from home any longer, so she walked over to me, glaring at me. I saw her sitting in the front seat of the jeep, and I felt uncomfortable if I didn't explain it clearly. After all, I didn't break the oath I made, and her brother came here on his own. And I didn't tell her because it was for her own good, so that she could go home.
I walked to the front of the jeep and said the two words "Xu Xin". The little witch stretched out her hand and slammed the door shut. It seemed that she hated me so much that she didn't even want to give me a chance to explain.
Xu Jian was the last one to get on the bus. He stood at the door and said to me, "Brother Tang, thank you for taking care of my sister this time. I'll take her home first. When we are free, we can get together and have a good drink. Bye!"
I had no choice but to say, "Goodbye! Have a safe journey!"
Xu Jian got in the car and started the engine. The jeep took the little witch away from the community. I watched them leave, but I felt extremely depressed.
After I went upstairs and returned home, my parents asked me, "Are you leaving? "
I nodded, not wanting to eat breakfast anymore, and went back to my room to have a good sleep. Lying on the bed, I kept thinking of Xu Xin's angry and resolute eyes when she left. I laughed at myself, thinking when did I care so much about what the little witch thought of me? It was a misunderstanding, anyway, she had been successfully brought home, and my goal had been achieved. This little witch is not my friend, so who cares how she will look at me in the future? Brother Xu knows everything, he is my good friend, why am I still depressed?
Although I kept trying to comfort myself, I still couldn't calm down and couldn't sleep peacefully. I had no choice but to light a cigarette. Just after taking the first puff, the door of my room was pushed open, and my sister Tang Ying poked her head in and said, "Brother, I'm going to school."
I nodded and ignored him. Tang Ying did not leave, but stood at the door smiling and thoughtful. She continued, "Brother, are you very depressed now? You did a good thing, but others hate you. You must feel unhappy, right?"
I glared at her and said, "You know this now? Go to school now, don't be late!"
Tang Ying made a face, giggled, and closed the door. I finished my cigarette in a few puffs, took a deep breath, and said to myself, "Just do what you want to do with a clear conscience. Don't worry about whether others appreciate it or not. Besides, the other party is just a child. How can he know what is good and what is bad? Why should I worry about it? Don't think about it anymore. Go to sleep!"
I lay down with my head and closed my eyes, not wanting to think about anything else. I was already severely sleep deprived, and soon I finally fell asleep from exhaustion...
When I woke up again, it was lunch time. I washed my face and ate a quick meal. At the dinner table, my parents were still talking about the little witch who left in the morning. My mother shook her head and sighed, "Alas! Such a lovely child, how could she be so disobedient? She was spoiled by the adults."
I finished eating in a hurry and said to my parents, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to look for a job this afternoon. A friend is inviting me to dinner tonight, so I'm afraid I'll be back late."
After that, I rested for a while before going out. But I didn't go to the job exchange market. I bought a few local newspapers at the newsstand first, and then I went straight to the city library. I was going to read some knowledge about job hunting and entrepreneurship.
Arriving at the library, I picked up a few relevant books and immersed myself in reading. During this time, Qiu Jieqin called me. I was afraid of affecting other people's study and reading, so I went outside the reading room to answer the phone. She asked about the little witch on the phone. I told her that Xu Xin had been picked up by her brother. Qiu Jieqin said she wanted to see me in the evening. I asked her if she had anything to do. She said no, she just wanted to be with me. I said I had something to do in the evening and might not be able to see her. Qiu Jieqin complained a few words at first, but didn't ask in detail, and then hung up the phone.
I always felt like Qiu Jieqin wanted to tell me something, but every time she would hesitate and not say it. I was very confused. Was I wrong? I decided that no matter what, after tonight was over, I would definitely ask her tomorrow to clarify the matter.
After flipping through a few books, I went to find a book that introduced the development of several well-known international beverage production companies. It was almost dark when I set out for Gu Ruoyan's house.
Before she arrived at her home, Gu Ruoyan called: "Tang Qian, I've been busy all afternoon, why haven't you arrived yet?"
I smiled and said, "We're here. Aren't we just having a meal together? Why do you have to work all afternoon? Don't you have to go to work?"
"I took a day off today and bought some delicious food. I'm really embarrassed to ask you to accompany me. I have to cook a good meal to thank you!"
I sighed and shook my head, put my phone back, and thought to myself that Manager Gu had been lonely for too long. She was so excited to have a home-cooked meal at home with someone to accompany her, she made it such a grand occasion.
Not long after, I arrived at Gu Ruoyan's house and rang the doorbell. Gu Ruoyan opened the door and smiled to welcome me in. I noticed that she had dressed up specially today, wearing a new set of clothes, and her hair seemed to have been permed again, clean and neat, soft and elegant. She had light makeup on her face, and her spirits were high, which made her already pretty face even more charming.
After I went in, Gu Ruoyan came over to help me take off my coat and hang it up, and said, "Tang Qian, today you should treat this place as your own home. Come and sit down. I'll pour you some water."
I smiled and said, "You are so polite, how can I treat this place as my home? No one in my family treats me like this."
Gu Ruoyan sneered and said, "Well, I won't be polite. I'll make it the same way you make it at home. By the way, the wine and food are all here. Are you hungry? Let's go to the table!"
I agreed and walked into the restaurant. Seeing the glass table filled with seven or eight colorful hot dishes, I couldn't help but exclaimed, "Oh my! Why are there so many dishes? Can the two of us finish them all?"
Gu Ruoyan said proudly: "These are all my best dishes. I don't care. You have to eat them all."
Seeing that Gu Ruoyan was so happy, I couldn't bear to reject her kindness. I sat down and said with a smile, "It seems that I will definitely die of bloating tonight. Aren't you harming me? When I can't walk with a bloated belly, I will only blame you."
Gu Ruoyan said, "You have to finish it, don't waste it. If you are really full and can't leave, then you can stay here tonight." As soon as she said this, she immediately felt that it was a bit ambiguous, and blushed and hurriedly added, "Anyway, I have plenty of rooms here."
I chuckled, not wanting to talk about such a sensitive topic. Then I looked at the table full of dishes, all of which were expensive delicacies from the land and the sea. I asked again, "Wow! So many delicious dishes? How much did they cost? Do you usually eat such high-quality food at home?"
Gu Ruoyan said, "Today is a little special. I haven't cooked a decent meal for a long time. I have to make it better. Are you worried that the food is too expensive?"
I said, "That's not the case. I just think it's a bit too grand just for me."
"How could that be? I don't think it's grand enough! You have to know that you are the only person who has eaten with me here in the past year, and... you are the only person who cares about me now. Without you, I think I would not even have the courage to live. How can I have the mood to cook such a table of food and wine?"
I saw that Gu Ruoyan's expression became more and more gloomy as she spoke, and I was afraid that the good atmosphere would be ruined in a while. I hurriedly said, "Yes, yes! Today is a happy day, let's not talk about those unhappy things, come, let's eat!"
Seeing that I was about to pick up my chopsticks, Gu Ruoyan shouted, "Wait a minute, I haven't poured the wine yet." Then she picked up a bottle of red wine on the table and was about to pour it into the glass in front of me.
I said, "Do you want to drink more? You can't drink! Otherwise you will lose control and get drunk again."
Gu Ruoyan smiled and said, "No, it's different tonight. I'll drink less, but I have to drink!"
