Chapter 454: Chapter 454: 263: The Naive Li Yang, The Matter of Buying a Car on the Spot

Zhang Hongmei left the house, her mind still pondering the matter.

She had always quite liked Li Yang. On one hand, the two families had been old friends, so she felt they knew each other inside out. Additionally, Li Yang was a pleasing girl, gentle and sensible.

But then again, Lin Wanzhou had also grown up before her eyes. Even though the Lin family had experienced some troubles, these things are often fated, and no one can say for certain.

After thinking for a while, she felt she was overthinking it.

Her own boy seemed to have little interest in girls, though his orientation was normal. It was just that he never seemed to become savvy about such things, nor did he know how to sweet-talk girls.

Or did he simply not like them?

Compared to her own son, her two girls seemed more and more bright and lovely the more she looked at them. Regardless of whether he was interested, Zhang Hongmei was quite fond of them.

Even so, Zhang Hongmei had no intention of meddling in her son’s private affairs. To be precise, she had let go since Xu Qingyan was in high school.

She couldn’t control it even if she wanted to, as her son’s actions had gone beyond her understanding. Knowing he had his own thoughts and could distinguish right from wrong, she didn’t intervene.

What Zhang Hongmei could do was just repair the house and make some preparations. So that one day, if her son said he wanted to get married, she could do her best to give him a decent setting without causing any trouble.

“Hongmei, happy New Year…..” someone greeted her along the way.

“Happy New Year to you too.”

The warm winter sun shone in waves, and Zhang Hongmei, with a smile on her face, greeted people in the village.

Even though a year ago people were saying she was near death or other, even more malicious gossip, now she had pulled through and was mostly recovered from her illness.

The atmosphere in the small county village was such. Even people with the same surname had conflicts. Simplicity was just a filter; the law of the jungle applied, along with mutual comparisons and playing in small cliques.

Wherever there are people, there’s a society, and it won’t disappear because of backwardness.

The people of Qinghe had no major faults, and the general climate was not too ignorant. Every family knew that education mattered, but they couldn’t avoid feeling schadenfreude or laughing at others’ misfortune.

What happened in whose family, who died, who got sick—all were topics of conversation after dinner. Idle gossip and stirring up trouble were the norm, and bullying based on one’s power also occurred occasionally.

Even now, occurrences of sons who talk tough could be seen. Of course, they could only bully those poorer than themselves and would clam up in front of officials or the wealthy.

Across the bridge, the early morning of the second day of the New Year was bustling with people visiting relatives.

At the head of the bridge, a few middle-aged women wearing colorful cotton-padded jackets were chatting by the roadside, all regular companions.

“Hongmei, where are you going?”

“I have some free time, going to Gui Ying’s to buy a chicken for soup.” Zhang Hongmei stopped right on the road, a full smile on her face, in no hurry to leave.

“Yo, Qingyan’s back, isn’t he?” exclaimed one of the women in a loud voice, “I saw him this morning, bringing a girlfriend home without a word, when are they getting married?”

“He came back yesterday, but she’s not his girlfriend.” Zhang Hongmei smiled and waved her hand, “Old Lin’s granddaughter, used to get along well with our Qingzi, came to visit me.”

“Old Lin?” One of the women paused for a moment, “Old Lin died years ago. I heard his son died, and his wife remarried.”

Zhang Hongmei’s expression soured, but she didn’t get too angry—people who gossip are like that. Whatever they spread around just has to seem reasonable to them.

“I can’t control what the kids do; I heard she’s a star. Anyway, it’s good she’s back.”

“A star won’t do, those places are not clean,” the woman blurted out, casting a meaning-filled glance at Zhang Hongmei, “tell Qingyan to be careful.”

“I don’t understand, the kind that sings at the Spring Festival Gala,” Zhang Hongmei continued smiling, “My Qingzi also participated in that Spring Festival Gala; the national one should be quite reliable.”

With each mention of the Spring Festival Gala and the nation, the women’s faces stiffened.

This world doesn’t have so many villains nor so many good people. These gossiping women don’t have bad hearts; they just can’t stand seeing others too down and out, nor too prosperous.

“Really on the Spring Festival Gala?” asked one woman.

In truth, the shouts that Second Aunt yelled out the day before yesterday spread from one person to ten and from ten to a hundred. Some were half-doubtful until the Spring Festival Gala aired and confirmed it was true.

“Didn’t get on stage, just responsible for organizing programs, I’m not quite clear on it.” Zhang Hongmei shuffled her feet, ready to leave after saying everything that needed to be said.

Similar conversations happened three or four times along the way.

Some envied, some were bitter, but no one gossiped about Zhang Hongmei. No matter the emotion, they were all left with one impression—Spring Festival Gala.

This was a staple in the lives of the common people, for better or worse. And having someone they know involved in the Spring Festival Gala was a big deal in the eyes of others.

At the bridgehead, after Zhang Hongmei left, the women suddenly didn’t know what to say.

“Hongmei’s family has come into money lately. They just know how to have kids, having a capable son is different,” commented one woman.

“More than that…” another woman lowered her voice even though there was no one around for a hundred meters, muttering, “Two years ago, Hongmei’s complexion was like she was nearly dead.”

“That’s fake, right? I didn’t see a car when she left home this morning.”

“It’s true! Chen’s daughter-in-law saw her at the hospital in X province. They said she was incurable, but look at her now, all better. Must have cost a lot of money.”

“Their house is all decked out, Qingzi has made a fortune.”@@novelbin@@

“Involving the Spring Festival Gala really shows talent, the money earned must be substantial. Hongmei’s family is turning their luck around; they will live the good life from now on.”

…..

Urban area.

Xu Qingyan, unaware of the petty matters back in the village, was seeking a lawyer recommended by someone he knew, ready to have them work overtime and write up a report.

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