Song Qu heard a cheerful voice calling from behind.
"Comrade Song!"
Only a night had passed, yet this voice easily brought to mind a pair of round eyes brimming with laughter.
He braked and turned around, his expression momentarily confused. Wasn’t he supposed to be this girl’s savior? Why did the current scene feel more like she was coming to settle a score?
Gathering his composure, he looked at Xia Baozhu: "Hello, Comrade Xia. How are you feeling after recovering?"
They walked side by side, pushing their bicycles as they chatted.
"Thank you for your concern. After resting for a night, I’m perfectly fine."
Song Qu frowned slightly. "You didn’t go to the factory hospital for a check-up? Your condition was quite serious yesterday. You shouldn’t take it lightly."
Xia Baozhu hesitated. The situation had indeed been dangerous—the original host had even died—but wasn’t she perfectly fine now? She knew her own condition well enough.
So she brushed it off with a laugh. "I’ll go to the hospital when I have time today. Are you busy with work even on a Sunday?"
He was holding a file folder.
Song Qu nodded. "269 Chang and the Military Representative Office of 937 Chang are jointly hosting a seminar and exchange meeting for stationed military representatives. I’m heading over to the small auditorium early to make arrangements."
"Only comrades from the Military Representative Office can attend such meetings, right?"
What a pointless question! She was really grasping at straws for conversation.
Song Qu paused. "Do you want to attend? The content of the meeting is confidential, I’m afraid. If you’re interested, you can keep an eye on the factory newspaper. There will be a related report in a couple of days, so you can get a general idea."
This was a big misunderstanding. She had no interest in the Military Representative Office’s confidential meetings. On the surface, Song Qu was her savior, and running into him was just a chance to exchange greetings.
Xia Baozhu waved her hand with a smile. "No, no, I was just curious about the eligibility requirements for attending."
Song Qu glanced behind her. "What are you all doing?"
Xia Baozhu paused, and for some inexplicable reason, she didn’t brush it off. "My parents are taking me to break off an engagement."
Song Qu’s voice was clear but carried a hint of uncertainty. "You were engaged? And now you’re going to break it off? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, it was an engagement arranged by my family in the past. I can handle it myself. You should go ahead with your work. Thank you again for your help yesterday."
Song Qu looked at her lively, bright expression and tightened his grip on the handlebars. "Mm."
Waving goodbye to Song Qu, Xia Baozhu turned back cheerfully to wait for the rest of her family. In these times, having one more friend meant one more path forward.
The four members of the Xia family looked at her with expressions that were hard to describe.
Xia Chang’an, who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, lowered his voice teasingly. "Little sister, be careful not to let others see. Pay attention next time, and I’ll cover for you."
"Old Xia, your son’s mouth is beyond saving. Let’s poison him mute when we get home."
Lin Chunlan shot a warning glare. "Know what should and shouldn’t be said. Keep your mouth under control."
Xia Chang’an shrank like a quail and fell silent.
Xia Baozhu rolled her eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about? Song Qu is practically my savior. Running into him was just a chance to say hello, so no one can accuse me of being ungrateful."
Xia Yongwu chimed in cheerfully. "That’s right, daughter. It wouldn’t be right for us to act like nothing happened. Don’t worry about it—I’ll go thank him myself."
Xia Baozhu nodded. That would save her another trip. In these times, being seen privately seeking out a male peer could easily lead to gossip.
Little did she know that what she saw as simply greeting an acquaintance with a smile was interpreted by the four members of the Xia family as her eyes brimming with affection, her gaze lingering, eagerly offering herself up like a dish on a platter…
In their eyes, their daughter/little sister had never been so enthusiastic toward a male comrade before—not even Teng Fei had received such treatment.
Arriving at the small two-story red-brick house, Xia Baozhu thought to herself, no wonder this was the male lead's home. Just look at the living conditions—they even had a private toilet.
Moreover, this small two-story house was home only to Grandpa Teng, Teng Fei's parents, Teng Fei, and his younger sister. Teng Fei's older sister was already married.
Since it was a Sunday, aside from Teng Fei's younger sister staying at her sister's house, the Teng family was all present.
Xia Baozhu sat on the sofa, chatting idly with Grandpa Teng and answering his questions, such as why she hadn't visited for a while, or how she and Teng Fei could get married as soon as he graduated.
Just as she was inwardly cursing Teng Fei for his sluggishness, he finally came downstairs.
Lin Chunlan didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Uncle Teng, as you mentioned earlier, making Baozhu wait another four years would be unfair to her. By the time Teng Fei graduates from university, my Baozhu will be twenty-three.
Back when the two families arranged the engagement, it was just a simple engagement meal. Since the two children can't get married now, could we formally hold an engagement banquet?"
Teng Gaowang's eyes lit up: "That's a great suggestion! Settle the children's matters before Teng Fei starts school, so he can focus on his studies! What do you all think?"
As he spoke, he looked toward his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
Teng Rongxian and Li Zhi both wore expressions of discomfort. They had discussed this matter not long ago, trying to find a respectable reason to call off their son's engagement.
Their son could also meet other female classmates at university—for instance, Deputy Factory Director Zhang's daughter was a great match, coming from a good family and being a university student herself. However, they still hadn't come up with a suitable way to bring it up.
If it weren't for the life-saving favor, if it weren't for the fact that this engagement was strongly pushed by the old man, they wouldn't even need to formally break it off. Just like the past two years, letting the relationship between the two families cool off naturally would suffice, especially since there was no formal marriage contract anyway.
Over the past two years, aside from Xia Baozhu, who seemed oblivious and still visited their home, Xia Yongwu and Lin Chunlan had already stopped interacting with their family. They thought the Xia family had finally taken the hint, but they never expected them to come knocking and pressuring them.
However, despite racking their brains for two years, they still couldn't come up with a polite way to break off the engagement. They decided to stall for now, waiting until their son won over Zhang Minjun.
Deputy Factory Director Zhang had been assigned to the factory by higher-ups two years ago and had no idea his son was engaged.
When Deputy Factory Director Zhang eventually asked about it, they could say it was just a joke between the two families, and they never expected the Xia family to take it seriously.
By keeping Xia Baozhu at a distance, this girl would eventually come to her senses and break off the engagement herself. By the time Teng Fei and Zhang Minjun got together, even if there were rumors outside, no one could accuse their son of climbing high and stepping low—it would be Xia Baozhu who couldn't wait.
Couldn't their son be allowed to choose a better match?
Seeing their silence, Teng Gaowang frowned and reminded them: "Eldest son and daughter-in-law, say something! Eldest grandson, you're an adult now and can make your own decisions. Speak up—what do you think?
Once you and Baozhu are engaged, one of you can focus on studying, the other on work, and you can register your marriage after graduation."
Teng Fei glanced at Xia Baozhu. He did have some feelings for her. Although they weren't exactly childhood sweethearts, a few years ago when his family arranged the engagement, he had even bragged about it to his friends.
Xia Baozhu was good-looking, and though she had a proud temperament, she didn't put on airs in front of him, which he found quite pleasing.
He stopped looking directly at Xia Baozhu and instead said to his grandfather, "I'll listen to my parents. It's the parents' command and the matchmaker's words—this marriage was arranged by you all in the first place."
Once he went to university, he and Xia Baozhu really had nothing in common anymore. Sigh.
Besides, his father still wanted to use Deputy Director Zhang's connections to return to 269 Chang. No matter how much he struggled, the director of a small subordinate factory could never rise in rank.
Xia Chang'an sneered, "You're already nineteen and still acting like a suckling baby?
Still listening to your parents—if your parents told you to beat your wife in the future, would you do it? Do your parents still need to tie you to their belts when they go out? A nineteen-year-old still clinging to the nest, tsk tsk tsk."