Chapter 79: Send Her to the Guesthouse
Chapter 79: Send Her to the Guesthouse
She should just go to the shower room to wash up! Jiang Xia fled out like she was escaping.
Zhou Chenglei went out first, carrying a bucket of hot water into the shower room for her. Then, he returned to the room and obediently washed the item in two basins of water, dried it with a clean towel, and stored it in a box of talcum powder.
He had bought a large box of talcum powder, enough to preserve several of these items.
After washing the item, he carried the basins of water out, then came back to tidy up the bed, soaking the dirty sheets in a basin to wash later.
He then brought another basin of water back to the room to clean the stains on the bamboo mat.
Jiang Xia hurriedly took a shower. When she came back with her changed pajamas, she saw him gently wiping the stains on the bamboo mat. Her face turned red, and she quickly turned and went out again.
Zhou’s mother was preparing lunch. She smiled at Jiang Xia, who was busy with chores, and reminded her about a phone call. Then, pretending she knew nothing, she focused on cooking.
Thirty minutes later, Zhou Chenglei took a shower, washed the sheets and their changed pajamas, and then both of them went to the production team to wait for the phone call.
It wasn’t yet half past eleven, so the call must be from Jiang Xia’s father. They decided to call back.
It was Saturday, so Zhou Chenglei dialed the number for the Jiang family.
As Zhou Chenglei dialed, Jiang Xia secretly memorized the number.
After dialing, Zhou Chenglei handed the phone to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia took the phone nervously, afraid she wouldn’t be able to call her father and mother.
The phone rang once and was picked up. A deep, gentle male voice came from the other end: "Hello, is that Xia Xia?"
From his tone, it was clear that the man on the other end was smiling warmly.
Jiang Xia tried to sound natural as she called out, "Dad."
Jiang Xia’s father asked how she was doing and if she needed anything. Hearing that she was doing well, he relaxed and gave her a few words of advice, telling her to live a good life with Zhou Chenglei. He then inquired about the letter written in her handwriting, as someone had called him last night to ask about it.
It was too late to call his daughter back then, so he waited until the next morning.
Jiang Xia could feel the deep love in her father’s words.
She explained the situation, and they talked for a while. Jiang Xia said they would visit in the afternoon and stay overnight.
Jiang Xia’s father originally wanted to let his son-in-law speak on the phone, but upon hearing they were coming back, he decided it was better to talk in person.
Jiang Xia’s mother, who had been waiting by the phone, couldn’t help but slap her husband’s arm when he hung up: "Why did you hang up? I didn’t even get to say a word to Xia Xia!"
Jiang Xia had been spoiled by her father, who had encouraged her to study in Beijing. She had come back last time demanding a divorce, and now he didn’t know how she was getting along with Zhou Chenglei.
Jiang Xia’s father, momentarily happy, forgot: "Xia Xia and Ah Lei are coming back this afternoon and staying overnight. Clean up Xia Xia’s room for them."
Jiang Xia’s mother frowned: "Did you forget? Dong Dong went to the train station to pick someone up. He said he’s bringing his girlfriend back to stay for a few days before they go back to Beijing University."
Their son had started dating in college, and she wanted to meet his girlfriend.
She had originally planned to give Jiang Xia’s room to her son’s girlfriend.
The house had four rooms, but one was her husband’s study, which contained many important documents and couldn’t be easily accessed by outsiders.
It wouldn’t be appropriate to let their son’s new girlfriend stay in the study, especially since they hadn’t met her yet and didn’t know her character.
Jiang Xia’s father said, "Arrange for her to stay at the guesthouse."
Naturally, he was more partial to his daughter and son-in-law than to his son’s girlfriend, whom he hadn’t met.
"That wouldn't be good, right? It's the girl's first time visiting, and we promised her she could stay in Xiaxia's room. How about we have Xiaxia and Lei stay in the study? I can clean it up."
"Xiaxia and Lei are two people, and the bed in the study is so small. How could they fit? Besides, I didn't agree to having that girl stay here, let alone in Xiaxia's room! You should think about how it looks to the neighbors. The girl and Dongdong are just dating, not even engaged or married, and she's staying here for a few days. What will people think? It's not good for her reputation."
Mother Jiang: "Dongdong said she's not from around here. I thought it wouldn't be safe for a girl to stay at a hotel, so I invited her to stay here. How about we have Xiaxia and Lei stay at a hotel?"
Father Jiang looked at Mother Jiang with disbelief, his eyes dark.
Mother Jiang: "Forget it. We'll have Dongdong take her to a hotel when she gets back. I'll go buy some groceries."
Father Jiang: "Get some of Xiaxia's favorite dishes, like crabs, shrimp, and beef. She loves the braised beef you make."
Mother Jiang, not in a good mood, replied, "Fine, but it's so late. I don't know if they'll still have any vegetables."
Mother Jiang left.
Father Jiang, worried that Mother Jiang might be overwhelmed, filled a basin with water and went to his daughter's room to clean the desk and bed again.
Mother Jiang had already cleaned the room and laid out a new set of sheets.
Seeing nothing else to prepare, Father Jiang left and returned to the study to handle his work.
~
After finishing his call, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia returned home for lunch.
Today's lunch was quite elaborate, with boiled shrimp, steamed clams, pan-fried dragon fish, garlic steamed oysters, and stir-fried pumpkin and green beans. The seafood was bought early in the morning by Zhou's mother after the rain stopped.
Zhou's mother smiled and placed a bowl of peeled shrimp in front of Jiang Xia. "Xiaxia and Zhouzhou, eat more. You're both too thin."
She had gone out to buy fish in the morning and learned that the man from yesterday had indeed returned to the village. He was spotted by the villagers, reported to the production team, and taken in for questioning.
It turned out that Wen Wan had indeed called him. Zhou's mother couldn't believe that someone who seemed so gentle and hardworking could be like that. She was incredibly relieved that her younger son hadn't come back for a visit, or he might have married her and regretted it for the rest of his life!
Jiang Xia used to be noisy and spoiled, but she was genuinely innocent back then. Now, Mother Jiang found everything about Jiang Xia to be wonderful. She couldn't help but think that she had been blinded yesterday, almost driving away such a good daughter-in-law.
The fish was dragon fish, and Zhou's mother usually steamed or boiled seafood because it was convenient. However, she was quite skilled at frying fish, and the dragon fish was perfectly golden on both sides. Zhou Chenglei picked the biggest piece, removed the bones, and placed the meat in Jiang Xia's bowl.
After lunch, Zhou's mother washed the dishes and urged Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia to leave early. The bus to the city left at 1:30 PM, and they needed to catch it in town. The roads were muddy after the rain, making it difficult to walk.
Zhou Chenglei packed a set of clothes for himself and Jiang Xia. He hesitated for a moment at the talcum powder box, then hid it deep in the closet and locked it before leaving with Jiang Xia.
The roads were still muddy from the rain, so Zhou Chenglei rode his bicycle, carrying Jiang Xia to town. They could park the bicycle at the clinic for a small fee.
Riding a bicycle to the city was too far and would take too long. Besides, Jiang Xia wanted to try the bus.
Wen Wan was released the next day. She stepped carefully through the mud, her feet caked in muck, and saw Zhou Chenglei riding his bicycle with Jiang Xia.
Zhou Chenglei was smiling, though Jiang Xia didn't know what they were talking about.
(End of Chapter)
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