In order to let Xie Ying experience his most fervent excitement, Hua Tianlong concealed this great news for nearly two months. Xie Ying fully felt his feelings.
"Tianlong, your hard work will eventually pay off. All these years, your efforts have not been in vain." Xie Ying applauded her good friend: "Hua Tianlong, you must perform well and seize this opportunity! You will definitely become a great picture book master.
!”
"I will!" Hua Tianlong was afraid that Xie Ying would run away in a hurry, so he hurriedly launched a series of invitations: "Xiaoying, without your encouragement, I will definitely not be able to do this. When you are free, I will definitely treat you to dinner.
!No, no, just today! If you push it later, you will start school!"
Xie Ying scratched her head in confusion: "Why are you so polite between good friends?"
"Although I have many good friends, you are the only one who gives me courage!"
After hearing this, Xie Chong's eyes almost rolled to the sky.
Hua Tianlong said eagerly: "Then make a reservation for tonight! There is a restaurant in the city. I have eaten there several times. Their braised Wuchang fish is particularly delicious! They are the only one who has it when we come to the city! By the way, they
Our sweet and sour shrimps are sour and sweet, and the peanut soup is also delicious. They are all sweet, you will definitely like them!”
Xie Chong yawned and whispered, "I like it too."
Xie Ying didn't hear her brother's words, but when she saw Wang Haochuan, she turned to Hua and said: "Tianlong, should you treat Wang Haochuan to a meal first? I don't care, you can treat me anytime... But, you
Don’t you have something to say to Wang Haochuan? Haven’t you been waiting for a long time?”
Hua Tianlong was stunned for a moment, then turned a deaf ear: "I know. But, can you go to dinner with me first? If you don't eat with me, then I will have no inspiration... Without inspiration, I will not be able to submit the manuscript in May.
If I can't submit the manuscript, then I'll break the contract..."
Hua Tianlong had the thickest skin and was the best at stalking. Xie Ying scratched her scalp in embarrassment and looked at her brother for help, who shrugged helplessly.
"Xiaoying, it's settled." Hua Tianlong said cheerfully: "Tonight, I will take you on a battery car. You don't have to worry, go home to catch up on your sleep first, and go back when you wake up!"
Xie Ying felt dizzy and rubbed her eyes. She was really about to fall asleep.
But when she returned to her grandma's house, she couldn't sleep again. Xie Chong was lying on her grandfather's wicker chair reading a book. Xie Ying opened the window and threw a sandbag on her brother: "Hey, Xie Chong, I have something to ask you."
"If something happens, you should call me brother!"
"...Dear brother, let me ask you, should I go to dinner with Hua Tianlong?"
Xie Chong closed the book: "Why do you think you shouldn't go?"
Xie Ying found it difficult to express her feelings. She was fond of Wang Haochuan, but they had never broken through the window. On the one hand, Xie Ying believed that the relationship between them would be smooth and smooth, and everything would be unspoken; but on the other hand, Xie Ying also
She was worried that Wang Haochuan was deep-minded and thought too much and would not agree to her wishes. In that case, she would be very sad.
Xie Chong leaned against the window and said: "If, I mean if, you want to fall in love with Wang Haochuan, then you will never ignore Hua Tianlong again?"
"If that's the case, it would be too cruel to the two of them." Xie Ying said melancholy: "Could it be that... as long as we fall in love, the three of us will only turn against each other?"
"What a bad fate, what a bad fate!"
Xie Chong sighed twice and was hit several times by his sister. "Brother, I am really troubled. If I date Wang Haochuan, I will lose Hua Tianlong as a friend. Then have I made a bad choice? I talked to Wang Haochuan
Is love not worthy of blessing?"
"Every time I reject Hu Baozhu, I feel very sad. The little girl mustered up the courage to show her kindness to me, but I just don't feel for her. But if I agree to her, both of us will be very sad in the future, even sad. For the rest of my life. So I rejected her. As the saying goes, short-term pain is worse than long-term pain. Xiaoying, whether you are willing to admit it or not, love is actually the most selfish thing."
Xie Ying was confused, and then pulled her hair: "It's so annoying! Then it's better not to fall in love!"
"Love makes people suffer, but it also makes people grow." Xie Chong said with a smile: "The most important thing is that love... also makes people happy physically and mentally."
After lunch, Xie Chong wanted to go play football with Wang Haochuan, but he came back dejected. He said that Wang Haochuan's aunt was really pitiful.
That winter, bird flu was raging around the world. Wang Haochuan's aunt's family had many properties, and the chicken farm was one of them. However, the catastrophe caused all the chickens in the family to disappear, and they lost at least 30,000 yuan.
For a farmer, 30,000 yuan is a lot of money.
Wang Haochuan's cousin Binbin also went to college. He didn't do well in the exam. He went to a third-level school and the annual tuition fee was 10,000. When the bird flu hit, Binbin didn't even have living expenses.
Wang Haochuan's eldest uncle was furious and had heart and mouth pain, but he couldn't bear to go to the hospital. He had a myocardial infarction a few days ago and almost didn't survive. He is still lying in the hospital.
Wang Haochuan didn't know anything about these things. After he returned home, he vaguely felt that something was wrong. When he opened the empty refrigerator, he just remembered that his aunt did not send new year's goods to his family this year.
Wang Haochuan didn't covet his aunt's things, but he felt that his aunt's behavior was a bit abnormal. Could it be that his father made his aunt angry and made her not want to come to the house?
Wang Haochuan called his aunt and told him that he was back and wanted to visit her at home. The aunt couldn't hide it, so she told the truth.
After hearing these words from her brother, Xie Ying was extremely anxious: "Wang Haochuan has never enjoyed maternal love, and his aunt takes care of him like a mother. He must be very anxious when his family is in trouble."
"Yes, no, he went to the hospital to see his uncle in a hurry."
Because of the bird flu, Hua's business was also affected. Throughout the winter, his braised chicken feet didn't sell much, and he lost a lot of money.
Xie Hongxuan said that 2003 was really a year of great epidemics, with SARS at the beginning of the year and bird flu at the end of the year. It was not easy for the people. The chicken drumsticks that Xie Jing loved to eat at that year’s New Year’s Eve dinner would probably not be served.
As soon as the sun went down, Hua Tianlong came to Xie Ying's house to look for Xie Ying. He wore a thick cotton coat and asked Xie Ying to wear more clothes. Not only that, he also prepared scarves and gloves for Xie Ying. He thoughtfully said, "If it's too cold,
, then they would take a taxi. However, Rulin Street was getting deserted, and even after waiting for a long time, they might not be able to get a taxi.
Xie Ying didn't want to go, but it would be too cold and heartless to refuse Hua Tianlong in front of everyone. The family members were still making noises and expressed their envy of Xie Ying. As soon as she came back, someone invited her to eat delicious food. Xie Chong was so mean.
He came over and said, "Can you let me have a meal?"
"Go aside! Only Xiaoying can go today." Hua Tianlong pushed Xie Chong away mercilessly: "It's not your turn today."
Xie Hongxuan warned: "You must come back early. It's dark and it's not safe outside. Also, don't eat chicken. It's always better to be cautious."
Riding on the electric bike, Xie Ying took the initiative to move back, not wanting to get too close to Hua Tianlong. But the road was uneven and full of potholes, and the electric bike kept bumping. Hua Dao: "Xiaoying, hold on to my clothes, don't fall off.
.”
"Oh..." Xie Ying agreed, but still put her hands in her pockets. The cold wind hurt her cheeks. Fortunately, Hua Tianlong had prepared a scarf and a hat in advance, otherwise Xie Ying would have been completely frozen. In the eyes of outsiders,
Hua Tianlong rode an electric donkey and took Xie Ying with him, just like a silly son of a landlord taking his little wife.
Sitting face to face with Xie Ying, Hua Tianlong kept scratching his head, with a silly smile on his lips, a hint of cuteness in his honesty.
Xie Ying was infected by his emotions and said with a smile: "Everyone is having a hard time this year, but you are still so happy."
"Life is difficult, but our family is safe and sound, and my dream has initially come true. Of course I am happy."
Ever since he was a child, Hua Tianlong has always been optimistic and cheerful, otherwise he would not have been able to write such interesting stories.
The dishes were served one after another, and Xie Ying kept saying "that's enough." Hua Dao said, "You don't like meat very much, so all I ordered were fish and vegetarian dishes. Xiaoying, please eat more. I'll use it."
I’ll treat you to delicious food with the money I earned.”
Xie Ying's eyes were often blank. It was obvious that she had something heavy on her mind and was unwilling to share it with Hua Tianlong.
Hua Tianlong asked shamelessly: "Xiaoying, what are you thinking about? If you have any troubles, I can share them with you!"
"I'm thinking about Wang Haochuan." Xie Ying felt cruel and decided to express her thoughts: "You know Wang Haochuan's aunt, right? Her family opened a chicken farm. Because of bird flu, the chicken farm closed down... His uncle
He is still hospitalized. My aunt treats Haochuan like her own son. When her family encounters misfortune, Wang Haochuan must be worried. His fate is really bumpy. The situation in his own family is just fine, but something happened to his aunt's family again."
Hua Tianlong listened quietly and said: "Xiaoying, Haochuan's aunt's family is really pitiful. I understand her despair. Because our family's business is not easy to do. I threw away all the chicken feet in the freezer.
Dad also paid a deposit of 500 yuan to a chicken farm.
I want to make five-spice smoked chicken, but the chicken farm of the other party has closed down, and I guess I won’t get the money back. In the first half of the year, because of SARS, the store was always open for two days and closed for two days, and many of the ingredients were spoiled. Two days ago, my dad
Let’s settle the accounts and say that we won’t lose money this year, which is already good.”
It turns out that Hua Tianlong's family is not having a good time either. Xie Ying said melancholy: "You are always cheerful. I thought you were really carefree."
"Because a frown can't solve the problem!" Hua Tianlong naturally gave Xie Ying food: "Smile at life. One day, all the ups and downs will pass."
To be honest, at that moment, Xie Ying was really moved by his attitude.
"Xiaoying, you went to college for half a year, is everything okay? Just last month, there was a huge blowout accident in your place, and more than 240 people were killed. The news said that many of the victims were
It was caused by inhaling poisonous gas, which caused organ failure. I was frightened, for fear that the poisonous gas would spread to your school."
"...How did you know about the accident?" Xie Ying was confused: "Although the accident was tragic, it was far away from our school, in a county below the mountain city...I watched the news broadcast every day and didn't pay special attention to it.
If my grandfather hadn’t called me, I wouldn’t have realized how serious the disaster was.”
"Because I'm very concerned about it."
Under the soft light, Hua Tianlong's eyes are also particularly gentle.
Xie Ying immediately avoided his gaze and said: "You... don't pay attention to those useless things, you should think about how to draw!"
"Of course I want to paint well, but this does not prevent me from paying attention to you." Hua Tianlong served Xie Ying a bowl of sweet soup very naturally and said: "Wherever you are, that's where my eyes will look."