https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-64-Doctor-Gao-Can-You-Please-Stop-Talking-/12831761/
Chapter 65: Not Worth It for Him
Chapter 65: Not Worth It for Him
The publishing house director curiously asked a colleague, "What business did those two who just left have with the newspaper?"
Their backs were truly a sight to behold—one tall and elegant, the other graceful and poised. Together, they looked like they walked straight out of a movie.
The staff member replied, "Which couple? The lady came for a job interview..."
Wen Wan casually interjected, "The lady came to interview for a translator position, right?"
The director turned to Wen Wan, "You know her?"
Wen Wan smiled, "Yes, I do. She's from the neighboring village. She took the college entrance exam three times but didn't pass, so she got married. She's very ambitious."
The director's interest waned immediately. She told Wen Wan, "Try your best to translate this foreign book as soon as possible. We're in a hurry."
"Sure, Director Zhang, I'll make sure to finish it on time. I'll come back in three days."
Director Zhang didn't pay her any more attention and headed straight for the printing department.
On the Street
Zhou Chenglei rode his bicycle and asked the person behind him, "Is there anywhere else you want to go?"
Jiang Xia replied, "To the department store."
Zhou Zhou's clothes were hand-me-downs from his brothers, and while the styles were unisex, they were quite worn out. Jiang Xia wanted to buy a few new outfits for her to wear to school.
Zhou Chenglei pedaled the bicycle toward the mall and hesitated before asking, "Do you want to work at the newspaper?"
Zhou Chenglei had already decided that if she really wanted to, he would try to arrange something for her, as long as there was an opening at the publishing house.
Jiang Xia clarified, "No, I just want to do some part-time work, translating foreign books. We don't go out to sea every day, and when we're not out, it gets boring at home."
A single boat was shared by two families, and sometimes typhoons delayed their trips by a few days. In reality, the days they could go out to sea were limited.
Moreover, during the long waits while dragging the nets on the boat, she could still work on translations.
"Part-time?" Zhou Chenglei was a bit confused but also a bit understanding.
Jiang Xia explained further.
Zhou Chenglei understood now. It was like how the village women wove fishing nets or made plastic flowers to earn extra money. Only, his wife's part-time job was a bit more upscale.
Zhou Chenglei thought about the large bookshelf in Jiang Xia's father's study, filled with many foreign books. It didn't surprise him that Jiang Xia knew foreign languages.
They returned to the department store, and Jiang Xia stopped at a children's clothing store to pick out clothes for Zhou Zhou.
Seeing Zhou Zhou reminded Jiang Xia of her own childhood, so she wanted to be especially kind to her.
Jiang Xia bent down and carefully selected clothes, comparing each piece, checking the outside, the inside, and even the pockets.
Her focused and gentle demeanor was beautiful to watch.
Zhou Chenglei thought that if they had children in the future, she would certainly be a very gentle mother.
He also noticed that Jiang Xia hadn't brought many clothes, so he looked around and spotted a set of clothes not far away—a blue floral blouse and a white skirt. The outfit was clean, simple, and youthful, and Zhou Chenglei thought it would suit Jiang Xia perfectly. He walked over to it.
Jiang Xia was still carefully picking out clothes for Zhou Zhou, and after selecting the clothes, she moved on to choose shoes and a backpack.
Zhou Zhou's backpack was also a hand-me-down from her brothers, dirty, old, and patched up.
In the end, Jiang Xia bought three outfits for Zhou Zhou, including a dress, a cross-body backpack, a pair of canvas shoes, and a pair of small leather shoes.
Zhou Chenglei had already returned to their spot with a red, white, and blue plastic bag, and Jiang Xia hadn't noticed anything.
Zhou Chenglei took the things she bought and put them in the bag, "Is there anything else you want to buy?"
"Buy a set of clothes for your parents?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded, "Sure, we can also buy a set for your parents. We'll bring them the next time we visit."
"Let's buy clothes first, and we can come back for the rest later. The bicycle can't carry too much."
"Alright."
So, the two of them went to buy clothes for both sets of parents. Jiang Xia had Zhou Chenglei check the sizes for her parents, as she wasn't sure about them.
Zhou Chenglei also bought two cans of milk powder. Jiang Xia didn't like the malted milk, and after trying it once, she refused to drink it, so Zhou Chenglei gave it to Zhou Zhou, who loved it. Jiang Xia assumed he had bought it for Zhou Zhou and didn't say anything.
After buying everything, Jiang Xia glanced at her watch. It was already past two, and it would take over three hours to bike back. They also needed to visit the shipyard. "Let's go, we should check out the shipyard."
"Alright."
Zhou Chenglei stuffed all the items into a red-and-white bag and placed it in the basket on the front of the bicycle. He then carried Jiang Xia as they headed towards the shipyard.
The city’s shipyard was located on a secluded, sheltered coastline. Although it was remote, the road to the shipyard was well-maintained because the shipyard frequently needed to transport large components and equipment. The city had specially constructed a road to the shipyard for this purpose.
This was also why Zhou Chenglei had been willing to take a longer route in the morning, to make the ride more comfortable for Jiang Xia.
The city had only one shipyard, and it was the largest in the entire province.
When they arrived at the shipyard, they saw a few black sedans parked outside.
After Zhou Chenglei explained their purpose, the chatty guard warned them, "The factory has foreign visitors today. See those two cars? They belong to the visitors. Those foreigners are very picky, wanting the best but unwilling to pay more. The factory manager is having a headache, and it might take a while. I suggest you come back another day."
Jiang Xia glanced at the cars. They hadn't seen them on their way in the morning, so they decided to head back and try again another day.
The two of them got on the bicycle and left.
The afternoon sun was scorching, and the concrete road was hot and blistering. Jiang Xia, sitting on the back of the bicycle, felt drowsy.
Zhou Chenglei was about to ask Jiang Xia if she wanted some water when her head suddenly rested on his back, and her arms, which had been around his waist, relaxed.
Zhou Chenglei immediately realized she had fallen asleep!
He quickly held her hands that were looped around his waist to prevent her from falling off, not wanting to wake her.
She had been through a lot lately, getting up early and working late with him every day to fish at sea. Before, she had always ridden in a car, but now, since marrying him, she rode a bicycle. On moving day, her delicate hands had even developed blisters from using a hoe, and now they had calluses.
Zhou Chenglei held her hands tightly with one hand and the handlebars with the other, pedaling steadily forward.
The concrete road was steaming from the heat, and waves of hot air rose up.
Zhou Chenglei was drenched in sweat, but he didn't dare let go of Jiang Xia's hands to wipe it away, for fear she might fall off. He also didn't want to stop and wake her up.
Large drops of sweat trickled into Zhou Chenglei's eyes, but he just blinked hard to keep the salty tears at bay.
A car passed by, and Wen Wan, sitting by the window, clearly saw Jiang Xia sleeping soundly with her head on Zhou Chenglei's back, while Zhou Chenglei was drenched in sweat, with sweat droplets streaming into his eyes, but he didn't want to wake her up.
Wen Wan suddenly felt it was unfair for Zhou Chenglei!
She had just visited Wu Qizhi and learned that Jiang Xia had corresponded with him. She had all the letters in her possession.
Jiang Xia had genuinely wanted a divorce before, and the letters were filled with complaints about Zhou Chenglei and his family, and about life in the countryside.
Now that Jiang Xia knew Zhou Chenglei would be a future billionaire, she didn't want a divorce anymore!
How could such a person deserve to be treated so well by a good man like Zhou Chenglei?
She rolled down the car window and leaned out, shouting, "Big Brother Zhou, Sister Jiang Xia, it really is you two!"
(End of Chapter)
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