The children of the Qiao family

Chapter 48

5
[-], the turn of the century.

During this year, several important events happened in the Qiao family.

First, Qiao Erqiang divorced Sun Xiaomo and married Ma Suqin, who was 14 years older than him and had a son.

Almost everyone's jaw dropped.

What shocked the brothers and sisters of the Qiao family even more was that their elder brother Qiao Yicheng actually turned a blind eye to this matter, which is puzzling.Qiao Simei sighed and commented on this: I am living a happy life now, with power and power, a head and a face, and I don’t need to care about our little people who can’t carry chopsticks.

According to Ma Suqin's intention, don't get a marriage certificate at all, just get together like this, and it doesn't matter if the top two regret it in the future.But Qiao Erqiang resolutely disagreed, formally obtained the marriage certificate with Ma Suqin, and even served two tables of wine, invited the brothers and sisters and Ma Suqin's two good masters in the factory back then, the drinks were too thin After all, it was a marriage.

Qiao Yicheng arrived 5 minutes after the banquet started, and he drank as soon as he sat down, talking less and drinking a lot. San Lisimei and the others brought their husbands and children to eat wine.

Ma Suqin wore a new color dress. She had a bad life in the past few years, but she wasn't too old. There was still a little bit of old beauty in her eyebrows, still neat and tidy.Qiao Erqiang put on a new jacket, had his hair cut, and shaved his face clean. He looked stable and satisfied, and he looked decent.

Second, Wang Yiding resigned from the company again, opened a small machine repair shop by himself, and hired a young man from his hometown in the country to help him. He was extremely busy and rarely had time to help Sanli with housework. However, it is their own business after all, and both Sanli and Yiding feel that they are quite motivated.

Thirdly, Qi Chenggang stopped renting out the bookstore, and started a bookstore business in partnership with others, known as "Wuyuan Bookstore", and the business turned out to be good.

Fourth, the boss of the Qiao family and old man Qiao had another big quarrel.

Although Simei thinks that her eldest brother Qiao Yicheng should be the most proud person in the family, but in fact, Qiao Yicheng feels a little depressed in his heart.

He and Xiang Nanfang get together less and stay away more. Nanfang devotes himself to work and wins investment for the development of the impoverished county where he is located. The TV station keeps reporting her deeds. In comparison, although he is an executive producer, he is just a Those who look at people and do things, if you want to say that they are in charge, it is still the producer, and the director of the channel and the director of the news center are on top. It is a lie to say that you can’t lose it, but if you think about it, the south is your wife after all, and her glory may not be guaranteed. It's not your own glory.However, when Er Qiang and old man Qiao were having a heated argument over Ma Suqin's matter, he inadvertently slipped his mouth and revealed something, which made Qiao Yicheng very angry.

It turned out that old man Qiao was carrying him behind his back, and often made various requests to the Xiang family, and the Xiang family also arranged for them one by one.The current old man Qiao actually works in a well-benefited unit and starts to receive his retirement salary every month.Qiao Yicheng jumped up when he found out about this, and quarreled with the old man, telling him not to receive that salary again, but the old man refused, and the father and son almost turned against each other and cut off contact even more.

As soon as this happened, I was angry and ashamed, thinking to myself, no wonder Xiang Beibei always made insinuations in and out of his words for so many days, which made people extremely uncomfortable.Yicheng always thought that he was respectful and sensible, and Xiang Beibei was just a villain, so he didn't need to pay attention to it, but it turned out that there were so many things that he didn't understand at all.My father was shameless and relied on the Xiang family with a thick-skinned old face. Of course, it was inconvenient for Mr. Xiang to find someone to open up joints for these things. Most likely he asked Xiang Beibei to do it quietly. No wonder Xiang Beifang has such a face.

Qiao Yicheng felt ashamed to stay in the small courtyard of Xiang's family any longer, and he also had no face to face his wife Xiang Nanfang, but he couldn't deliberately clarify himself in front of Mr. Xiang, let alone explain to Xiang Beibei, so he had to communicate with Nanfang. Call to explain the situation and give Nanfang a chance to explain it to his family.

On the phone, Nanfang told Qiao Yicheng not to mind, saying that since we are already a family, this kind of thing doesn't matter. I explained it to my dad.

This phone call was divided into three times before finishing. Yicheng heard people over there constantly asking Nanfang for instructions, and Nanfang also hurriedly said a few words to Yicheng, and finally Yicheng said listlessly: "Then you are busy, in the future." Besides.

Nanfang felt [-]% uncomfortable, and told him not to hang up, as if he had found a secluded place, his voice immediately became clear and gentle: Are you angry?Never mind, really, do you think the old man really doesn't understand what's going on?
Others are not confused when they are old, and they know it clearly in their hearts. We all know that you are not that kind of person, so don't be wronged.

Yicheng laughed out: I am not wronged, by the way, I think...

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard someone calling "Secretary Xiang" on the other end, so he swallowed back the words he hadn't spoken yet.

In fact, he wanted to say that he wanted to move back to the original old house from the small courtyard of the Xiang family. The small courtyard of the Xiang family was too far away from their station. Every time he went back late, his aunt would get up and take care of him. It's really embarrassing to have supper, and sometimes it makes Mr. Xiang can't sleep well.

Qiao Yicheng told Xiang's family what he meant, and emphasized that it was mainly for the convenience of work, and he really moved out of Xiang's small courtyard.

Qiao Yicheng returned to the small house back then. He had already bought the property rights of this house. The original owner did not pay much, so he simply bought it and refurbished it. nest.

In a blink of an eye, it is the early summer full of green trees.

Qiao Yicheng originally planned to use up this year's vacation to visit her in the south. The husband and wife have been separated for quite a while.

But people are not as good as heaven, and it rained heavily for a week, and the water in the Yangtze River immediately rose to the warning level.

Said that there will be floods this year, Qiao Yicheng and his TV station distributed a pair of tall rain boots. Everyone is on standby at any time, and if there is any danger, they will immediately go to the embankment to report.People like Qiao Yicheng don't need to show up, but the task of editing and broadcasting at home is not light.

Song Qingyuan came to work wearing these knee-high boots every day, and scolded with a smile: These old boots are issued every year, like the SS, and it is a joy to wear them while wearing them.His partner Chang Xingyu also dressed in the same way as him, Tiantian T-shirt, jeans and long rain boots, such nondescript clothes gave her a heroic appearance.She and Song Qingyuan dragged their big boots and walked around the stage every day, one mighty and the other beautiful, it was a beautiful scenery.

Qiao Yicheng looked at it with a smile and hot eyes, and decided to go to the countryside to see the south as soon as the weather cooled down.

By the time I really got the time to go to the countryside, it was almost winter.

Qiao Yicheng didn't tell Nanfang beforehand. First, because Nanfang was too busy, the two of them couldn't speak a few words on the phone, and sometimes fell asleep while talking about Nanfang; the other was that Qiao Yicheng wanted to give Nanfang a surprise.South's birthday is also coming soon.

Before Qiao Yicheng came to the county where the south is located, he imagined that this place must be quite backward, with ruined roofs, barren and dry land, and everyone looked disheveled.It was later discovered that this was not the case.Although it is a poor county, it is not dilapidated to that extent after all, and the scenery along the way is not bad. I heard people say that there are some products here, but the local people are very lazy, and they are used to coming to Dazhou in groups during the winter slack season. It is not ashamed to beg for food in the city, but as a means of making a living.Qiao Yicheng figured it out after thinking about it carefully, how could Mr. Xiang let his daughter go to a place that was really poor and suffer so much.

Qiao Yicheng smiled, laughing at the fact that he still couldn't get rid of that little bit of innocence, and he didn't realize it until now.

Qiao Yicheng took a long-distance bus, bumped for more than ten hours, reversed the car again, the road gradually narrowed, dust was flying in the dry air of early winter, there was a smell of a foreign land, and the sky was a kind of grayish blue , because there are no taller buildings around at all, after watching for a long time, the sky is coming down to people, Qiao Yicheng has a strange feeling in his heart, and he is a little nervous for some reason.

Finally arrived at the county party committee. It turned out to be a semi-old three-story building. The South worked here and also lived here. There was a house on the far side of the third floor.

Because he didn't make an agreement with Nanfang in advance, the concierge didn't let him in. Yicheng wanted to explain the situation to him, but the uncle spoke the local dialect, and Qiao Yicheng talked with him, and neither could understand what the other said.

Qiao Yicheng didn't mind thinking about it, so he just walked around the county town to see the local customs and customs.

Walking all the way, I wanted to find a small flower shop to order a bouquet of flowers for the south, but I couldn’t find it after looking around for a long time. I laughed at myself and was confused. This is a poor county. Naturally, eating is the most important thing. Where can someone flower shop .

I was really tired, so I slowly walked back to the county committee, sat in a hidden place, and waited for the south to come back.

Not long after, Qiao Yicheng was surprised when he saw a BMW driving over. There was such a good car in this place. An unremarkable man.

Qiao Yicheng thought, yo, what a character!
The man went around to the other side and opened the door, covering the roof with his hands, to welcome the next lady.

It is the south.

The south hasn't changed much, she's a little darker, not thin, and in good spirits, it's been a long time, and in Yicheng's opinion, she's even more sharp and capable.

The man whispered something to Nanfang, with an inadvertent intimacy in his attitude, Nanfang smiled and listened to him.

When the two seemed to be saying goodbye, the man opened the trunk of the car, took out a surprisingly large bunch of light pink roses, and handed it to Nanfang.

The South seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and finally took the flowers.

The man also smiled, said something to Nanfang, and drove away.

Qiao Yicheng stood in the corner for a long time, waited for Nanfang to enter the small courtyard, waited for a while, and then called Nanfang to tell Nanfang that he was here.

Qiao Yicheng felt dizzy, as if there was a layer of window paper in front of him, but he was the one who was more afraid of piercing this layer of paper than anyone else.

But Nanfang, Yicheng thought, how could Nanfang be such a person.Judging from the attitudes of the two just now, it is actually normal, but, if you think about it, it's just that things in the world cannot be controlled at all.

Yicheng was still thinking wildly, when he saw Nanfang rushing over, looking around.

Yicheng went up to meet her and called her: South.

When Yicheng followed Nanfang into her dormitory, he immediately saw the large bouquet of flowers placed on Nanfang's desk, almost covering the entire table.

Nanfang said: It was just given by a friend, who is the main investor in our county. I don’t know where he found out that today is my birthday.

Yicheng let out an oh, and said with a smile: I also came here in time for my birthday.

Nanfang laughed: Then let's go to the street to eat, the food in the cafeteria here is really not to my liking.

Yicheng suddenly said: Mr. investor, would you like to invite me to dinner together?

Nanfang was taken aback for a moment, and replied: No need, he has already rushed back to Nanjing.

Yicheng slightly elongated his voice and said: Oh, I came here specially from Nanjing to send you flowers to celebrate your birthday?
Nanfang glanced at him and changed the subject: What do you want to eat?There are no good special dishes here, even the dog meat is not bad, and I can't get used to it, but it's rare for you to come here, so you must try it.

Nanfang pulled Qiao Yicheng out, walked to the door and lowered his head to change his shoes.

Yicheng looked at her black hair, so close, Yicheng wondered if he wanted to hug her.However, Nanfang quickly raised his head and looked at Yicheng with a smile: You have gained a little weight.

The eye sockets suddenly became hot.

Yicheng has been here with Nanfang for more than a week. Nanfang is really busy. Yicheng prepares meals every day and waits for her to come back.

There is a vegetable field behind the small courtyard of the county party committee, which was opened up by the concierge, and various kinds of vegetables were planted. Once it was completed, some money was given to the uncle, and the vegetables were picked in the field and returned to cook.

The vegetables grown entirely with organic fertilizers are especially plump and tender, and they are the best dishes I have eaten over the years.

On the day Yicheng left, Nanfang sent him straight to the bus station.

Still gray blue sky, flying dust, not many people at the station, farmers carrying loads looked tired, there was a woman who seemed to be going out to visit relatives with a very young child, the child was running at the station with his hands raised To and fro, squealing, and having a good time.

Yicheng suddenly asked: Nannan, when can you go back?
Nanfang said: It will take another year or so.

Yicheng let out an "oh" and said nothing.

When the car was driving, Yicheng stuck his head out of the window and said to Nanfang: Pay more attention to your body.

The semi-old car with half of its body covered in mud made a huge roar, raised a puff of black smoke, and started to move.

Nanfang's figure gradually shrunk, but Qiao Yicheng's little uneasiness in his heart expanded more and more.

6
In Qiao Yicheng's memory, the period from [-] to [-] passed hastily and chaotically, and the time seemed to go faster and faster. In a daze, more than half of [-] had passed.

Yicheng and the South still get together less often, Yicheng has been living in his own small house, and occasionally goes back to Xiang's small courtyard. Sometimes, he seems to have forgotten that he is a married man , It seems that he is still a bachelor, and the whole family is not hungry when one person is full.But, it's not. There are a lot of his brothers and sisters on his back, and he has to carry them, worry about them, and suffer for them. None of these children can make him worry of.

After Er Qiang married Ma Suqin, he really became more energetic. He always smiled when he came and went, as if he had picked up money.Sanli joked that the second brother seems to have really met the second spring, and this brace is really beautiful.

The top two also had a little bit of dissatisfaction, and the source of the dissatisfaction was Ma Suqin's 16-year-old son.

After Ma Suqin divorced her ex-husband, she was afraid that the man would come back to find her again, so she left the place where she lived and rented a bungalow on the other side of the city, at the junction of urban and rural areas, and lived with her son.

Before marrying Er Qiang, Er Qiang said that the place was too far away from the place where Ma Suqin opened his shop, and the surrounding environment was too bad. The two discussed and found another place to live.

In the past two years, the city has developed very fast. Many people have bought commercial housing, and many people have rented housing. The rent has also increased accordingly. The closer to the city center, the higher the price.It took Er Qiang and Ma Suqin a lot of effort to find a house in a newly opened community.

This neighborhood is quite secluded. It used to be a cemetery, and there was a large vegetable field around it. In the past two years, the cemetery has been moved, and the vegetable field has been bought by real estate developers. A large area of ​​commercial housing has been built, and some demolition and resettlement projects have been built. The houses are for the vegetable farmers whose land has been confiscated.No one would have imagined that after another two years, this place has turned into a high-end residential area, as if it has become a gathering place for white-collar workers, and every inch of land is expensive.

Of course, Er Qiang and Ma Suqin did not have the financial ability to rent a commercial house. What they rented was a very small one-room demolition resettlement house with no decoration, only one bedroom and a small living room. Fortunately, the balcony was sealed into a small house. The small room happened to be for Ma Suqin's son.

The young man is called Zhiyong, he has grown tall and big, he is almost as tall as the top two, his eyebrows and eyes are very similar to his father, a pimple is tightly condensed between the thick eyebrows, making that young face full of anger.Ever since Ma Suqin married Er Qiang, this child has always had such an expression, basically he ignored Er Qiang, and only pretended he didn't hear Er Qiang's question, or smacked his nostrils and snorted.After Ma Suqin persuaded him secretly, the kid even hated his mother, and he didn't come home all night. Er Qiang and Ma Suqin searched for him all night, and then found him in a game hall.

After that, Zhiyong was quiet for a while, and Er Qiang felt a little more comforted, thinking, treat him well with his heart, after a year or two, when he grows up, he can understand his sincerity, maybe the two of them relationship will be better.

One day Er Qiang cooks, making his best rib soup.The strange thing is that the casserole stewed on the fire is always lukewarm, and it doesn't always open. Er Qiang was a little puzzled, so he turned up the fire and left the kitchen.After a while, when he went back to look at the pot of soup, he found that Zhiyong was mixing cold water into the pot with a cup.

Er Qiang was stunned for a while, smiled awkwardly, and said: I said why the soup always fails to boil.

The child threw the cup in his hand generously, snorted, and turned to leave.

Er Qiang couldn't help but say: Let's... let's talk, you...you have such a problem with me?
Zhiyong sat on the corner of the dining table with a big grin, staring at Er Qiang: I have an opinion, what's the matter?
Erqiang said: If you have an opinion, just say it!

The boy spit out the chewing gum he was chewing on the ground with a bah: I don't talk to shameless and immoral men who seduce other people's wives!
Er Qiang felt his brain go crazy: Who has no morals?
Zhiyong didn't answer, he gave a loud snort, raised his leg, bumped Er Qiang hard with his shoulder, and was about to walk out of the kitchen.

Er Qiang said: I am sincere to your mother.Not to seduce, nor did I destroy your family.

Zhiyong ignored him, slammed the door and left.

The relationship between the two strong Zhiyong has not eased, the two basically do not speak, and Ma Suqin is also quite awkward in the middle.

Besides, there is nothing bad about Er Qiang's life. Sometimes Ma Suqin felt sorry for Er Qiang because of his son's affairs, but Er Qiang said that he was content.

Not long after, Ma Suqin's son entered the third year of junior high school, and the child proposed to live in school. Ma Suqin thought about it, and now he and Er Qiang were so stiff that it was not a solution. Perhaps, living in school might be a solution.

After the new semester started, Zhiyong really tied up the quilt and went to live in school with an old box.

Zhiyong didn't go home the first weekend, nor did he call Ma Suqin, but what he didn't expect was that Qiao Erqiang actually came to the school dormitory to look for him. His classmates told him that his "uncle" came to see him. I was stunned for a moment, and my mind didn't turn around for a while.

When I went downstairs, I saw Qiao Erqiang carrying a big thermos bucket and standing under the tree. In Zhiyong's eyes, he always felt that this person was a bit stupid.

When Qiao Erqiang saw Zhiyong coming out, he rushed up to meet him and said, "I'll bring you some food. The school meals are bad, right?"
Zhiyong didn't answer.Erqiang had no choice but to talk to himself: I know it must be bad.My elder brother also lived in the school dormitory for a while before he went to college. My sisters and I went to visit him to play, and he took us to the cafeteria for dinner.

Zhiyong originally wanted to say: Have you finished speaking?Go away as soon as you finish speaking.But seeing Qiao Erqiang's stammering, foolish smile, and the way he glanced at him quickly from time to time, he couldn't get his words out of his mouth.

Qiao Erqiang stuffed the moisturizing bucket into Zhiyong's hand, and said in a low voice, "Actually, your mother is here too, outside the school. I'm afraid you won't like it and we will come in together and wait outside."Or, you go out to see her?

After that, Qiao Erqiang sent some vegetables to Zhiyong every now and then, and also took the clothes that the child changed back to wash.When a classmate asked who this person was, Zhiyong replied: It was my uncle.

Qiao Erqiang hasn't lived a particularly good life since he was a child, but he has developed a temperament of being happy with the situation.He thought, after all, he is not his own father, it is normal for a child to be a little awkward, and it will get better after a long time.Then again, Er Qiang thought, nothing can last forever. In this world, these days are the most frustrating, and the final winner is it.

The old man Qiao never acknowledged this second daughter-in-law and the grandson with this foreign surname from beginning to end, but this did not prevent Qiao Erqiang from feeling happy.

However, there is always a little bit of regret in these happy days. The efficiency of the post office where Er Qiang worked as a temporary worker has not been as good as before. Nowadays, people use computers to send emails. If there is something urgent, just make a phone call.Not to mention, even my family members, eldest brother Yicheng, eldest brother-in-law Wang Yiding, and second brother-in-law Qi Chenggang all used mobile phones, and even Qiao Erqiang himself used an old Nokia that was eliminated by his elder brother. Shi Erqiang was reluctant to use it, but at least he had a mobile phone family.Fewer and fewer people sent letters, and the business of the post office was much weaker. Several temporary workers had already been laid off. Qiao Erqiang was still able to stay. It must be said that it was due to Qiao Yicheng's relationship and face.

Er Qiang understood this, and became more careful and diligent in the unit.

(End of this chapter)