Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhang Qiu was taken aback, not expecting Liu Xinru to say such a thing. Of course, he would not agree; his heart had long been occupied by Jiang Xue. Liu Xinru cried with tears streaming down her face, and Zhang Qiu didn't know how to comfort her. The three of them sat in the room, quietly looking at each other.
"Um..." the Black Stocking Woman broke the silence. "It's getting late; I'll go buy you some roast duck."
The Black Stocking Woman found an excuse to leave. She paused at the door, glanced back at her sister, and walked away with determined steps. She intended to give space to her sister and Zhang Qiu. She understood her sister's feelings and also understood Zhang Qiu's thoughts. Since her sister had made things clear, the rest was up to the two of them to resolve; as an older sister, she could only help this much.
The departure of the Black Stocking Woman made the already awkward atmosphere even heavier. Zhang Qiu avoided Liu Xinru's eager gaze, his heart racing. If he hadn't promised the Black Stocking Woman to stay for dinner, he would have left by now.
Liu Xinru approached Zhang Qiu, gently wiping away her tears, and softly said, "You don't have to be afraid; I won't force you. I have a question for you, and you must tell me the truth."
"Okay, ask away." Zhang Qiu held his breath, waiting for Liu Xinru's question.
"Am I beautiful?"
Zhang Qiu was taken aback; he didn't expect such a simple question. From the first time he saw Liu Xinru, he thought she was beautiful. Her delicate face, long eyelashes resting quietly, her big eyes red from crying, and her soft, full pink lips slightly parted evoked a sense of affection in him. Zhang Qiu nodded and said, "Beautiful."
A faint smile appeared on Liu Xinru's lips as she raised her hand to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. The two sat quietly in the room, facing each other in silence.
The Black Stocking Woman returned after quite some time with the roast duck; it actually only took about ten minutes to buy it. Upon returning, she asked nothing and said nothing, as if everything that had happened before was forgotten. The Black Stocking Woman cooked in the outer room while Liu Xinru went to help. Zhang Qiu initially wanted to assist but thought better of it.
Dinner went relatively normally; no one mentioned the earlier incident, and their conversation mainly focused on the tea business. The Black Stocking Woman sighed repeatedly as she spoke of their hometown. "Because of the family's bias against girls, Xinru and I hardly ever go home during summer vacation; we only return for a week or two during the New Year. With this business deal, we'll inevitably have to go back often; it's really hard to get used to."
"Sister, that place belongs to us anyway. This time we go back without relying on anyone or worrying about anyone's opinions. What we bring is opportunity and wealth; no one can look down on us anymore." Liu Xinru's eyes revealed a bold stubbornness.
"Yes, yes indeed; everything is different now." The Black Stocking Woman sighed repeatedly with a smile of happiness on her lips.
Before leaving, Zhang Qiu asked the Black Stocking Woman for some tea leaves. His father worked in another city and had sent all the tea leaves stored in their cabinet to Prince Banan; Zhang Qiu hadn't expected his father to come home so soon. The Black Stocking Woman handed him two large bags of tea leaves and said, "Here are all your sister's tea leaves; take them all. It's just that the special kind is gone; next time we meet, I'll bring you some."
"Thank you, Sister; I'll just take one bag."
"No, take all of this with you. I plan to bring Liu Xinru back home tomorrow, and there's no one here to drink the tea anyway."
"Okay, then I'll take it all."
Zhang Qiu packed away two bags of tea leaves and said goodbye to Black Stocking Woman and Liu Xinru. He then contacted Rui Rui at Fire Cicada, transferring three hundred thousand to Black Stocking Woman's bank card, and selected a team of twenty people to accompany Black Stocking Woman back home. Later, Zhang Qiu received a photo from Liu Xinru showing her and her sister taking a selfie at the airport.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, and Lucia were singing in a private room when Zhang Qiu's phone rang again. Seeing it was Liu Xinru, he stepped into a quiet corridor to answer the call.
"Zhang Qiu, I can't thank you enough. I..."
Liu Xinru was too excited to speak, and Zhang Qiu quickly reassured her, "Don't rush, take your time."
After listening to Liu Xinru's hurried breathing through the phone for a while, she finally calmed down. "Zhang Qiu, do you know? This is the first time in so many years that I feel so confident returning home. In the past, when I walked through the village, people would point and whisper behind my back. If I said it didn't bother me, that would be a lie."
"Things are different now!" Liu Xinru took a deep breath and continued, "My sister's call back home caused quite a stir in the village; everyone is talking about how the eldest daughter of the Liu Family has struck it rich. This afternoon, my sister and I got off the plane and took several transfers back home. At the village entrance, the villagers even put up banners to welcome us. The Village Chief stood in line with the officials, and more villagers stood behind them applauding. Honestly, that scene shocked me; only county leaders get such treatment. But it felt good!"
"How's your sister doing?"
"My sister is very happy; she laughed all the way like a child. Tonight she was invited by the Village Chief for dinner and is having a great time."
"Weren't you invited?"
"I was, but I couldn't stand that atmosphere. Everyone was flattering each other; it's ridiculous how those who used to look down on you suddenly greet you with smiles. I found it hard to accept that contrast. I pretended to be carsick and slipped out to call you."
Zhang Qiu chuckled helplessly, "Some people are just like that; let them be. We just need to focus on our business and be happy."
"You’re right! As long as we’re happy, that's what matters!"
Liu Xinru informed Zhang Qiu that Prince Banan had arranged for someone who understands Chinese to communicate with the Black Stocking Woman, and the first batch of orders from both parties would be completed this month. Zhang Qiu knew that Tanzania had always had trade cooperation with the domestic market, and now that things had progressed to this point, the connection he had made was a success. He felt happy for the Black Stocking Woman and Liu Xinru, unable to suppress his smile; everything was different now, just like the Black Stocking Woman.
One night, after a passionate encounter in the bathroom with Jiang Xue, Zhang Qiu held her tightly. He carried Jiang Xue back to the room, where Lucia gave them a mischievous smile. Jiang Xue's fair face flushed red, and the three maintained a tacit understanding without addressing it. Lying on the bed, Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue began discussing their plans.
"Xue'er, let's go on a trip."
"A trip sounds great!" Jiang Xue nestled in Zhang Qiu's arms, her left index finger drawing circles on his chest. "Where shall we go?"
"To places we've never been before. A long time ago, I thought that after graduation, I would travel with you and the Brothers on a whim. Youth only comes once, and we have sacrificed so much for our studies. During this time, our club has stabilized, and everything is developing positively; it's time for our graduation trip to begin. I want to hold your hand and explore every corner of the Earth."
"I will remember this year of being eighteen for a lifetime. Thank you, my dearest." Jiang Xue shifted her head comfortably, feeling Zhang Qiu's heartbeat.
A week later, at Capital International Airport, Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, Lucia, Yang Yu, Rui Rui, Gao Zhi, Zhao Pingchuan, Wang Zhengxiang, Yao Yu, Taolengman, and Tao Ya boarded their flight to the United States. With Lucia as the host, they chose America as the first stop for their graduation trip. Half an hour later, a blue-and-white painted United Airlines Boeing 777 soared at three thousand feet.
Inside the cabin, Jiang Xue slept soundly against her seat while the surrounding Brothers quietly watched movies. Zhang Qiu gazed out at the white clouds in a daze. He had promised Uncle Agari that he would write a commemorative book; looking at his beloved and his brothers beside him brought back memories that echoed in his mind. Zhang Qiu understood that this book was no longer just for Uncle Agari. With blank paper and a pen spread out on the tray table, Zhang Qiu pondered for a long time before writing down the title—"The Extraordinary of Ordinary People."
(THE END)
Comment 0 Comment Count