Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 143 Old Chen

After talking for a while, Xiaowei's emotions subsided.

Before long, Li Bing, Xie Na, Li Wen, and the others gathered around. They sat and chatted, and Chen Hui was good at it, filling the room with laughter.

Time flies when you're talking, and before we knew it, the sky outside had darkened. Sister Zhang had finished preparing dinner, Chef Zhai had stewed a pot of pork ribs with pickled cabbage and stir-fried a few home-style dishes, and Sister Shang had cooked some dumplings. Everyone squeezed together at one table to eat.

After taking a few bites, Xiaowei finally realized what was happening and asked Sister Zhang, "Where's Liu Hongliang?"

Sister Zhang laughed, bending over with laughter, and said, "This little Hongliang, only now has someone remembered him, hahaha."

Xiao Wei was speechless.

After laughing for a while, Sister Zhang said, "Xiao Hongliang has something to do today, he'll come tomorrow." After saying that, she glanced at Li Bing, whose face turned red, and she lowered her head to eat without saying a word.

Xiao Wei looked at the group of people, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Sister Shang said, "Hongliang went to find Xiaobing's old couple for a duel, to see who's the better one." Sister Zhang, Xie Na, and Sister Shang all burst into laughter. Li Bing's face turned as red as a cloth, and she called out, "Sister Shang~~!"

Sister Shang said, "What's there to hide? It's bound to happen sooner or later. I think Xiao Hongliang is pretty good, much better than your old one. He was so listless and didn't know how to take care of people. He was a complete idiot. Even if you get married, he won't last long. You'll regret it to death."

Sister Zhang put a piece of meat on Li Bing's plate and said, "Your sister Shang and I have kids who are almost as big as you. You have to listen to us. Your current boyfriend is really no good. You're already boring enough. If you find someone like that, how will you live in the future? In a few years, the neighbors will think your house is empty. Besides, his job is no good, and he's such a... well, you know. He tries to act like a man, all that macho stuff. Does he think everyone else is better than him? So what? He's just a frontline worker. Are we ugly or what? Why do we have to cling to him?"

Sister Shang said, "He's not looking for a wife, he's just looking for a nanny or housekeeper. And he's acting all high and mighty as if it's his right. We've got this connection, so I can't just watch you jump into a fire pit."

Li Bing glanced at Sister Shang, then at Sister Zhang, puffed out her cheeks, and asked, "Did you guys instigate Liu Hongliang to go find him?"

Li Fen glanced at Li Bing like a kitten and said weakly, "It's not Sister Zhang or Sister Shang, it's... it's me."

Suddenly, everyone at the table turned to look at Li Wen. The little girl's face turned even redder than Li Bing's. She lowered her head and said, "Brother Liu is a good person. You two are such a perfect match, and he's so good to you. I was just saying that if you were to say something that wasn't going to happen, you'd have to go find someone else, and Brother Liu went."

Li Bing glared at Li Wen, slammed her hand on the table, and called out, "Little Li Wen."

Li Wen trembled and looked at Li Bing with pleading eyes. Li Bing said with a tearful face, "You've really put me in a terrible situation. How am I supposed to face anyone now?"

Sister Shang said, "If you're dating, you're dating. If you don't get along, it's not a good match, so why shouldn't it end?"

Li Bing said, "But it hasn't even ended yet, so what's going on? Now people can't say what they'll say about me."

Sister Shang said, "Let them say what they want. You're the one wearing the shoes; just because others say it's okay doesn't mean it's fine."

Li Bing said, "I was thinking of letting things fade away slowly, but you've noticed he hasn't come looking for me anymore. He's tried to contact me several times, but I haven't gone. My classmates have told me off about this several times."

Sister Zhang asked, "What does this have to do with your classmate?"

Li Bing said, "This was introduced by my classmate. He couldn't find it, so he asked my classmate."

Sister Zhang waved her hand and said, "My God, forget it, it's off, it's off. Only you could put up with this, is that what a man does?"

Xiao Wei asked curiously, "Are you a male or female classmate?"

Li Bing looked at him and said, "Oh, female classmate? What's wrong?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Your classmate got married?"

Li Bing said, "No, I don't even have a boyfriend yet. We've only graduated a few years ago."

Xiao Wei shook his head and remained silent. Xie Na said, "She doesn't even have a boyfriend herself, and she's introducing you to someone? Damn, this is pretty strange."

Sister Zhang slapped Xie Na on the head. Xie Na shrank her neck, stuck out her tongue, and lowered her head to eat.

Sister Shang said, "Eat quickly, it'll get cold. We'll talk after you finish eating. That's it for Xiao Bing, you don't need to think about it anymore. Hong Liang is fine, as for your classmate, just forget about her, don't bother with her."

Chen Hui looked at this and that, and said, "Isn't this just a way of passing the buck? They don't want it anymore but can't get rid of it, so they might as well help find another one."

Sister Zhang reached out and tapped Chen Hui on the head with her chopsticks, saying, "Eat your food, why are you spouting such obvious truths?"

Xie Na puffed out her cheeks and nodded, saying, "Yes, I knew it was true. Your classmate is so mean, don't talk to her anymore."

Li Wen had already finished eating and was sitting there quietly observing everyone. At this moment, she nodded and said, "That's right, I support Brother Liu."

Chen Hui turned his head and scrutinized Li Wen for a few seconds before asking, "Are you, too, um?" He raised an eyebrow, and everyone laughed, easing the tense atmosphere. Li Wen blushed deeply, pouting and glaring at Chen Hui.

After finishing their meal with laughter and chatter, the woman cleaned up while the man sat to the side talking. Xiao Wei asked Xia Maosheng, "They won't start fighting, will they?"

Xia Maosheng said, "If it were me, he wouldn't be able to come back. If it's as they say, he's a coward too. We won't fight, but he'll definitely keep bothering Li Bing, and he might even come looking for us here."

Chen Hui stretched out his legs, yawned on the stool, and leaned back, saying, "It's complicated. The adult world is too complicated. I really want to go back to kindergarten."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "No, saying kindergarten is beneath you. You should at least finish fourth grade, then you'll be considered a college student."

After Shang Jie and the others tidied up the table, they started washing their work clothes. There was a boiler on hand, so they would be dry by tomorrow morning, which was perfect. A few of the younger ones washed dishes and plates. Li Bing kept checking his watch, looking a little distracted. Xie Na tried to persuade him, and everyone knew that Liu Hongliang wouldn't suffer any losses. Li Bing was just confused because it concerned him.

Northeasterners don't actually have a habit of drinking tea. In the early 90s, there weren't any shops that sold tea. Everyone drank the jasmine tea that was distributed by the factory, all of it top-grade. The way they drank it was also quite wild: they would fill a thermos with boiling water, stuff a handful of tea leaves into the spout, cover it, and let it steep for a while.

I had just finished preparing the tea when the phone rang inside.

Xiao Wei glanced at his watch; it wasn't even 5:30 yet. It seemed Chen Xiao was getting anxious too, so he ran off to find Lao Chen.

When he answered the phone, it was indeed Old Chen. This was the first time Xiao Wei had spoken directly to Old Chen. In the past, they would at most greet each other and nod when they met.

"Is this Zhang Wei?"