Chapter 111

Ren Yingying looked at the surprised expressions of the other two, and she seriously sized up Ye Qingshui.

As the granddaughter of a wealthy landlord’s family, she had sensed that something wasn’t quite right for a long time. Although Ye Qingshui dressed simply, when had she ever worn clothes with patches? The dense, delicate stitches and clean lines on her clothes would likely require an experienced master tailor to produce.

“What are those expressions? Are you saying our Qingshui isn’t good enough for Xie Tingyu?” Ren Yingying countered.

Ren Yingying thought these husband and wife were really interesting. One was last year’s provincial top scorer, and the other came in second. These two stars of the science stream had been claimed by this couple. Just thinking about it was astounding.

Truly worthy of being the top scorer, he even married the second-place scholar. A couple both attending Peking University was truly a rare sight.

Pan Lijuan withdrew her shocked expression, “No, no, no, that’s not what we mean.”

Who wouldn’t be shocked to see the little pitiable girl they once knew—who was forced to have two babies by an older man and almost had to drop out—transform into the wife of an outstanding, dazzling, and wealthy man?

Compared to Xie Tingyu’s widespread fame, Ye Qingshui was truly low-key.

The couple didn’t interact much on campus… the students never suspected they had any relationship. Their only connection was having taken the college entrance exam in the same province, but Xie Tingyu was a native Beijinger, while Ye Qingshui was a genuine rural girl.

When the girls thought of Wei Jing, who often looked down on Ye Qingshui and complained about her poverty, they all felt a sudden, inexplicable amusement.

If they were this shocked by Ye Qingshui, Wei Jing would probably find it even harder to accept.

Pan Lijuan had recovered and loudly clapped Ye Qingshui on the shoulder, laughing:

“Well done, Qingshui, you’re the best.”

Who was Xie Tingyu? He was very famous these days, appearing in the news daily. Perhaps no other student at Peking University was as universally known as he was, and yet his wife was a member of their dormitory?

Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but laugh wryly.

She understood that the fact of her marriage to Xie Tingyu couldn’t be kept from her roommates, nor did she intend to hide it. However, it wasn’t something worth publicizing. She earned her place in the university through her own efforts, and she just wanted to study quietly. If her husband was good, that was his own capability.

“Hurry and eat, the food’s getting cold.”

Ye Ma also laughed, “That’s right, nothing is more important than eating. Eat until your stomach is full today, it’s all-you-can-eat! Shuiya told me how well you all have looked after her.”

“Auntie Ye, you’re too kind, it’s what we should do,” Yu Shi said.

Food was precious, and with such a rich array of dishes before them, perhaps nothing else could hold the attention of these girls.

The roasted duck was glistening with fat, with thick skin, thin fat, and tender, sweet meat. The lamb was so flavorful it could make one swallow their tongue, and the various pastries were dazzling. Soon, a small mountain of food piled up in front of the three girls.

The satisfaction brought by the food made the girls’ eyes squint with pleasure.

Ye Ma had worked hard for an entire autumn, transforming from a naive country woman to the proprietress managing a small restaurant. But honestly, she hadn’t had a chance to enjoy many good things herself.

These dishes were things she wouldn’t have dared to dream of in the past.

But now, she was the one in charge, and she could eat whatever she wanted.

Ye Ma herself ate until her mouth was oily, and her satisfied little belly was so distended she could barely stand up.

After finishing their meal, Pan Lijuan and the others went to see the two Xie family babies they had been longing for.

The two babies could already roll over, so they weren’t safe sleeping on the main bed; they had their own small wooden cribs. The wooden railings were smoothly polished. Peering over the side, Chenchen and Guangguang were playing by blowing bubbles, incredibly well-behaved.

The girls’ hearts melted, and they just wanted to pick up the babies.

Ye Qingshui picked up Chenchen and handed him to Pan Lijuan.

When the soft baby was in Pan Lijuan’s hands, the baby looked at her with pure, grape-like eyes.

Pan Lijuan’s heart irresistibly melted into a spring puddle.

How could there be such a well-behaved baby! Pan Lijuan found it somewhat unbelievable that this was the son of the famous scholar Xie from Peking University.

“He’s so good, not crying or fussing. Can I hold Qi Guang too?” Pan Lijuan asked.

She handed the eldest to Yu Shi, who was eager to hold a baby.

Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but blush.

The eldest took after her, with a gentle personality. As long as he was well-fed, well-hydrated, and had his diaper changed, he would be as good as an angel, very easy-going. But the younger brother, Qi Guang, was different. He would only let his parents hold him and would cry loudly at the drop of a hat. Even Xie Tingyu couldn’t handle him.

“Qi Guang has a bad temper. After Tingyu left, no one could coax him.”

What did they just hear?

Ren Yingying caught the key point and asked, “Is Senior Xie very good at coaxing children?”

Ye Qingshui nodded, “After giving birth, I was very tired and couldn’t get up at night for a while. Tingyu took care of both children until they were a little older and started recognizing people; they only got close to their father.”

“Once, Chenyang peed in the middle of the night, soaking him. He was too sleepy to notice and slept all night covered in his son’s pee.”

As Ye Qingshui spoke these words, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Xie Tingyu used to be someone who disliked even his own sweat. The first thing he did after work was bathe and change clothes, and his clothes were clean and neat without a single wrinkle. But now, he could change his son’s diapers without changing his expression.

Recalling the past few months, Ye Qingshui realized she genuinely missed Xie Tingyu too.

Several girls who didn’t even have boyfriends were force-fed a mouthful of ‘dog food’ ¹ public displays of affection by their married and mothering roommate.

Ren Yingying sighed, “I heard Senior Xie was very serious at school, just like how he appears on television. I didn’t expect him to be like this privately…”

It felt like an idol had been pulled off the pedestal.

Yet, it was also full of life, giving warmth to the previously cold and distant person.

Yu Shi said, “Hearing you say that, we are relieved. We originally thought he was an unreasonable, rough country man. You made us misunderstand for so long! The next time Senior Xie returns, he must do us the honor of having a meal in our dormitory.”

Ye Qingshui accepted with a smile.

Three days later, Ye Qingshui received a notice from across the ocean.

The Chinese delegation was returning. Ye Qingshui took out the box containing the grade reports. She thought for a moment, then took out a pair of silver rings from her pocket and placed them inside, pressing them to the very bottom. Finally, she closed the lid and tied a silk ribbon into a bow.

Three years ago, their marriage was rushed. There were no betrothal gifts or dowry, and the conditions were simple.

Xie Tingyu had always wanted to hold a proper wedding banquet in the capital, but Ye Qingshui became pregnant. This was followed by giving birth, confinement, and the intense focus on studying and exams. The matter was thus shelved.

Ye Qingshui didn’t care about the banquet, but she had a craftsman make two plain rings using the silver that Xie Tingyu had personally extracted.

She imagined the expression on his face the moment he opened the box and saw it—it should be a stunned delight.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingshui couldn’t help but smile.

The day Xie Tingyu was due to return home, his elder brother, Xie Tingjue, who was studying at the military academy, also happened to be on leave.

Grandma Xie called up to her granddaughter-in-law, “Bring Qi Guang too. This little fellow has been cranky for ages; he misses his dad and cries every night.”

“I have to tell Tingyu to teach his son a good lesson later.”

Grandma Xie muttered, and the whole family couldn’t help but laugh.

Even Xie Jun, the father who was usually not very attentive to his son, made the unprecedented move of taking time off to meet him.

The divorce had greatly affected him. Looking back, he suddenly realized he had grandchildren. The sight of his grandson crying loudly seemed to instantly rewind time more than twenty years.

To the year he first became a father.

So many years had passed in a flash. Both sons had grown up. Seeing his son’s fleeting, composed, and mature face on the news, Xie Jun felt a sense of incompleteness, mixed with sorrow and guilt.

Ye Qingshui touched Chenyang, who was sound asleep at home, “Chenchen, sleep well. Daddy and Mommy will be back soon.”

The sleeping baby clenched his fist, breathing evenly.

The Xie family drove quickly to the airport.

Xie Tingyu had been away from his homeland for about a month. The moment he stepped off the plane, he immediately spotted his family in the crowd.

His leader nodded and said, “Go on. Come to the department later for the handover.”

Xie Tingyu took two steps at a time, widening his strides towards his wife. He walked faster and faster, finally breaking into a run for the last few steps.

He swept his wife and son into a full embrace, asking in surprise:

“Why did you bring Qi Guang too?”

Xie Tingyu was a little annoyed with his younger son. Having such a strong presence third wheel at a time like this made it impossible to properly hold his wife.

However, in this era, a hug was already considered an extremely intimate, even crossing-the-line, gesture.

But Xie Tingyu was used to seeing passionate kisses on the streets of the USA, having been force-fed ‘dog food’ to the point of frustration. What was a hug? He even had a month’s worth of ‘public grain ² a euphemism for marital obligations ‘ to pay.

Ye Qingshui unstrapped her son, “Here. Qi Guang cried until his throat was hoarse when you left last time.”

“He’s hard to coax now. He’s all yours.”

Xie Tingyu picked up his son and held his wife’s hand, walking towards his family. The family drove away, planning to have a celebratory meal. Xie Tingyu got out of the car and carried his son toward the restaurant.

Xie Tingyu smiled and whispered something in his wife’s ear.

Ye Qingshui blushed and playfully glared at him.

Xie Tingjue said, “Don’t just stand there like an idiot, what’s the point… you can look all you want when you get home—”

Before he could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed.

Just then, a car burst out of the crowd. Amidst gasps and screams, the car sped and roared, firmly rushing towards a specific target.

Xie Tingjue roared, “Tingyu!”

Xie Tingyu’s sharp senses were activated at that moment.

In that instant, he shoved his son into his wife’s arms and forcefully pushed her with both hands, sending them towards the rest of the family in a near-rude manner.

Ye Qingshui blinked, without even time to react, she stumbled and nearly fell to the ground with the baby. But looking back, she saw a terrifying scene that chilled her heart:

Xie Tingyu had been hit. The car ran over him, then turned around, stubbornly trying to run him over again.

And this time, it was speeding towards Ye Qingshui.

“Tingyu! Ah—”

Almost simultaneously, Xie Tingjue rushed out, leaped onto the car, smashed the window glass, and nimbly climbed inside. After a struggle, he forcibly dragged the person out of the driver’s seat and sat in the driver’s seat himself, slamming on the brakes.

Qi Guang, in Ye Qingshui’s arms, began to wail, his cries more desperate than the last.

Ye Qingshui stumbled and ran, trying to look for Xie Tingyu under the car. She couldn’t find him anywhere, and her vision suddenly went black; she nearly fainted.

Just then, a hand slowly reached out from under the car.

“Yu Ge! Are you alright?” Ye Qingshui asked in a hoarse voice.

However, the moment Ye Qingshui touched him, she felt his warm liquid. His thumb twitched, then finally rested lifelessly on her hand.

Blood dripped onto her palm.

Grandma Xie nearly had a heart attack. Clutching her painfully tight chest, she knelt on the ground and asked into the space: “Tingyu, does it hurt? Save your strength, Grandma will save you.”

Xie Tingjue grabbed his brother and lifted him, “Drive, take Tingyu to the hospital!”

A crowd surged forward and captured the perpetrator.

Ye Qingshui followed them to the hospital, every last bit of color drained from her face. All the way there, she held Xie Tingyu’s hand, tears continuously flowing down her face.

“Yu Ge, don’t sleep. Hold on. Remember?”

“Qi Guang is looking at you, he’s crying, can you hear him?”

“You said that when you came back, we’d have our wedding banquet. I married you when we had nothing, and now we have everything…”

Ye Qingshui kept talking to him, trying to pull his thoughts back so he wouldn’t fall into a coma. But her mind was blank, her memories seemed to have clogged up. She mumbled, finally only repeating his name over and over.

Xie Tingyu’s eyelids felt heavy as a thousand catties, and he slowly closed his eyes. Ye Qingshui suddenly burst into tears, her memories rushing into her mind like snowflakes in a frenzy at this moment.

Time passed extremely slowly, displaying itself before her in reverse.

Just now, Xie Tingyu leaned close to her ear and said, “Go home and wait for me to pay the public grain.”

The teasing curve of his lips was like a playful rogue.

A month ago, at their farewell, he asked her with a happy, smiling look, “Shuier, wait for me to come back. Let’s have the wedding banquet during the spring break, okay?”

His eyes were filled with subtle anticipation.

Four months ago, on the night she gave birth, she labored all night. The sky was a blur, but his eyes were bright, because he cried then. He held her hand and kept saying, “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you always.”

A year ago, on the night the college entrance exams ended, he wore damp clothes, sitting straight-backed next to her, frowning as he seriously answered her question, “If you could like me a little more.”

His sincere struggle at that moment made her heart flutter.

Three years ago, he was inspecting goods, and when the concrete reinforcement rods smashed down from the truck, he selflessly pushed her away, asking with a pale face, “Are you stupid?”

And a long, long time ago… in her past life, as he was about to leave for university, he carried his luggage down the village path and promised her, “Wait for me to come back.”

In the end, she received a divorce notice, but not him.

And he had stayed in the mountain valley alone, faithfully watching over her for a lifetime, with the loquat tree yielding fruit every year.

Ye Qingshui’s tears flowed harder, like a breached dam, utterly defeated. “Tingyu… this time nothing will happen, right? You have to wait for me. You promised to wait for me many times!”

This time, he wasn’t allowed to lie to her again!

The light of the operating room turned on, and Xie Tingyu was wheeled inside.

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