If you're not in a hurry, who is? Consider this a small act of revenge.
"Aren't you going to ask me what I said?"
"say what?"
I asked your mother if she ate any "cold soup essence" when she gave birth to you.
A burst of laughter came from the phone.
"Alright, alright, stop laughing."
"You really said that?"
"Um"
"Anqi!"
"What?"
"When you come back, go see my grandfather."
"Um"
After hanging up the phone, I found the text message Anqi had sent to my phone when I returned from Guiyang that day.
Let's not imitate those dramatic, life-or-death acts on TV; they're all lies.
Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian
The weather is great, and I'm in a great mood.
Grandpa still wouldn't talk to me, and he resolutely refused to touch the food I served him during meals.
He often unplugs the phone line when I'm not looking. But I still have a cell phone.
When I'm at work, I put my phone on vibrate and put it in my pocket.
During lunch break, I'm always the first to rush out of the garment office and the last to finish eating before coming back.
When faced with rumors, just laugh them off.
Anqi appeared just like before, when I wasn't mentally prepared, when I didn't expect it, and when I didn't anticipate it.
Angel!
He was dragging a suitcase in his hand, a smile playing on his lips.
Same as before, nothing has changed.
"Zhang Qian'er, who is that person? They're staring at you." My colleague nudged me.
I rubbed my eyes, counted down from three, and ran over.
Holding his hand, I said, "Let's go home!"
In the taxi, I clung tightly to his arm and rested my head on his shoulder.
"Aren't you coming back tomorrow?"
"I changed my plane ticket."
"Missing me?"
"Um"
After getting off the bus, I insisted on helping Anqi with her luggage, but I was unsuccessful.
I'm almost home, I'm so nervous. Take one more deep breath, exhale, take another breath, exhale.
I told myself that he was my grandfather, not a class enemy.
"Don't worry, let me do it."
He figured it out?
"My grandfather has a bad temper."
"I have a very good temper."
"Vanity."
"If I didn't dress up a bit, I wouldn't be able to catch up with you."
We laughed and joked all the way, and before we knew it, we were downstairs at my building. Dongdong saw us from the balcony, waving and shouting.
"You were quite brave last time, why are you backing down now?" He made a face at me.
"Who shrank back? Who shrank back?"
"Let's go up." He took my hand and started walking upstairs.
"Wait." I stopped where I was.
"Could it be a stomachache?"
That's what I wanted to say, so what?
"How about another day... what do you say?" I stammered out the whole sentence, not daring to look at his face.
"Don't worry, I won't ask your grandfather if he drank 'cold soup essence' when he was pregnant with you."
"You're so annoying!" I pinched the back of his hand.
He took out his purse, pulled out the key, and the door opened before he could even insert it into the keyhole.
It was Dongdong who opened the door.
Grandpa was sitting in front of the TV watching a drama when I let Anqi in.
She twisted her fingers behind her back and walked toward her grandfather.
I called out to Grandpa in a flattering tone.
Grandpa pointed at Anqi, and Anqi sat down in the chair opposite Grandpa.
"Go pour me a glass of water!" Grandpa's voice was very loud.
I pulled Dongdong into the kitchen. "Did Grandpa say anything earlier?"
Dongdong shook his head.
Did Grandpa ever tell you that he disliked Uncle Anqi?
"No."
Dongdong's answer reassured me a little.
I took out my grandfather's treasured Biluochun tea and a purple clay teapot, brewed a pot of tea, and placed it on the tea machine. I poured a cup for each of us.
"You sit down too."
I moved a chair over and prepared to sit next to Anqi.
"Over here!" Grandpa pointed to the side next to him.
"Oh," I said, and sat down next to my grandfather.
Dongdong ran over; he probably thought it was fun. I picked him up and sat him on my lap.
"You know about Zhang Qian'er's matter?" Grandpa asked Anqi.
"Yes, Grandpa."
"I'm not your grandfather, don't call me that." The grandfather's eyes widened.
I tugged at Grandpa's hand to tell him to be quiet so as not to scare people, but he slapped it away.
"You brat!" Grandpa turned around and cursed at me.
"She's not a virgin, and she has a child from a previous marriage. Do you think you two are a good match?"
I hugged Dongdong tightly, rested my chin on his head, and stole a glance at Anqi across the table. Anqi was looking at me too.
"External factors are not the key to deciding things. Zhang Qian and I are both unmarried, so there is nothing wrong with us."
"You think it's okay just because you like it? What about your family? What about your parents?"
“My family isn’t the problem. They just don’t like Zhang Qian. The person who will spend her life with Zhang Qian is me, not my parents.”
Anqi spoke very bluntly and did not shy away from telling his grandfather about his parents' attitude.
“Your family doesn’t like Zhang Qian’er, how do you expect her to live with you in the future? Zhang Qian’er has no family to rely on! If I die, she won’t even have a place to run away from home.”
I'm sorry, Grandpa, I'm always so willful and make you angry.
"Mom, you pinched me too hard!" Dongdong screamed and pushed me away.
"Grandpa, you don't like me either. Does that mean I won't have a good life in the future?"
I laughed out loud; Anqi can be quite sarcastic at times.
Grandpa was speechless, so he tapped his cane on the floor.
"Take care of things at home first," Grandpa emphasized again, asserting his position.
“There’s no problem at home, Grandpa,” Anqi reiterated his point of view.
"And another thing!!" Grandpa's voice suddenly rose considerably, "Our Zhang Qian'er will not marry outside the family!!!"
Not marrying out of the family? I never knew my grandfather could say something so absurd.
"I don't mind marrying into the family."
"You're spineless!"
I nudged my grandfather to tell him not to make things too difficult for the other person.
"You're a good-for-nothing too!" Grandpa brandished his cane in front of me.
"When he comes, you brew the green snails I hid under the cupboard; when your father comes, you only pour him a glass of plain water! A woman who's all looks will suffer sooner or later!"
We both laughed. Does this mean we passed the test?