novellhall Chapter 192 Arrogance Won't Last Long
Chapter 192 Arrogance Won't Last Long
After waiting in Xiliu Hutong for a while and confirming that no one was following me to knock on the door, I realized that this trip had been a waste of time.
Zhuang Qingxiang said goodbye in annoyance, intending to go back while it was still early.
I had just come out of Xiliu Hutong and was planning to wait for the oxcart at the city gate when I unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance on the way.
They weren't really acquaintances.
The other party was just very enthusiastic.
"Comrade Zhuang Qingxiang, hello. What a coincidence, you're also in the city to buy things? Oh, you remember me, right? I'm Peng Yu, a sent-down youth this year, from the Dongya Village sent-down youth settlement. We met last time."
Zhuang Qingxiang remembered, and she especially remembered that her young lover had been ridiculed back then.
"Hello." Zhuang Qingxiang nodded indifferently.
Peng Yu looked Zhuang Qingxiang up and down, his eyes filled with amazement.
The last time we met, Zhuang Qingxiang was beautiful, but she was dressed like an ordinary woman.
But now it's different. She dresses more stylishly than any other girl in this county town. Even in big cities, you can't find a girl as dazzling as her.
"Comrade Zhuang, those clothes of yours must be expensive. Where have you been making your fortune lately?"
"It's alright." Zhuang Qingxiang was very dedicated to her acting. "It wasn't that expensive. I wouldn't say I got rich, just a little bit of money."
Peng Yu stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Comrade Zhuang, we're from the same village and we know each other well. If you have any ways to make money, could you share them with me?"
Zhuang Qingxiang sized him up, scoffed, and left with her chin raised. Her arrogant demeanor was perfectly convincing, making her seem like a completely different person from when she was in Dongya Village.
On the way back, the two inevitably shared an oxcart. Peng Yu still tried to chat with Zhuang Qingxiang enthusiastically, but Zhuang Qingxiang ignored him until Peng Yu took out a bottle of face cream.
"I brought this with me when I left home. It's not sold in the department stores around here. If you like it, Comrade Zhuang, I'll give it to you."
Zhuang Qingxiang was about to refuse, but then she suddenly remembered something, grabbed the face cream, looked at it from left to right, and her face was full of joy.
"Are you really giving this to me?"
"Of course, as long as you like it." Peng Yu said, shifting his position closer to Zhuang Qingxiang.
Zhuang Qingxiang played with it for a moment, then stuffed it into her pocket: "Since you're so sincere in giving it to me, I'll accept it. You really can't buy something this good around here."
"You can't buy them here, but you can buy them in the provincial capital or Beijing. I heard that Director Lu often travels on business. Didn't he bring some back for you?" Peng Yu asked with a smile.
Zhuang Qingxiang's heart skipped a beat, and she frowned: "You seem to know quite a lot, but Director Lu won't be bringing me anything."
"If he won't bring it for you, why don't you go out with him and broaden your horizons by buying it yourself?" Peng Yu added, "I heard that Director Lu is quite good to you. And you... I heard that your younger brother is already calling you brother-in-law. You won't refuse such a small request, will you?"
"What's it to you? Mind your own business!" Zhuang Qingxiang didn't know how to answer, so she simply glared at him.
Fortunately, Peng Yu didn't continue talking about it and changed the subject. However, he got closer and closer to Zhuang Qingxiang and even tried to touch her inappropriately.
Zhuang Qingxiang, unable to bear it any longer, slapped him hard across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap startled the drivers, who turned around to see Zhuang Qingxiang's face flushed with anger. They asked in surprise, "Qingxiang, what's wrong?"
Zhuang Qingxiang pulled out the bottle of face cream and threw it at Peng Yu: "Get out of here with your worthless face cream! Do you really think I'm after this little bit of stuff? Let me tell you, I can buy what I want with my own money! Get out of here right now, or I'll report you for indecent assault to the educated youth office!"
"What? You're being a pervert? Peng, what have you done? You can't do that! Qingxiang is much older than you, and you have a girlfriend too, don't you?" The old man driving the cart quickly stopped the car and, together with Zhuang Qingxiang, chased Peng Yu off the bus.
He was just trying to drive the bus honestly, and he couldn't possibly let something like this happen on the bus. Not only would the bus get dirty, but if something went wrong later, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
With someone chiming in, Zhuang Qingxiang easily got Peng Yu off the bus.
But throughout the entire journey, she kept her brows furrowed.
At the fork in the road, Zhuang Qingxiang jumped out of the car, thanked him, paid the fare, and walked into the factory.
When she arrived at the factory, she naturally received some curious and disdainful glances. She tossed her curly hair, raised her head, and walked home with her chest out.
"Look at that slutty look..." someone spat.
"Auntie, how can you talk like that?" Jiang Weihai happened to be passing by and overheard this, so he couldn't help but say something.
"Master Jiang, you used to be close to her, so don't let her seduce you. Your new wife is a good one, you should be content."
Jiang Weihai frowned and protested, "Zhuang Qingxiang isn't that kind of person. Don't talk nonsense."
Unfortunately, no one listened to him, and the people passing by also started talking about Zhuang Qingxiang's drastic change.
At this moment, someone said, "Her arrogance won't last long. I heard that Director Lu is really going to be promoted this time."
Immediately, no one mentioned Zhuang Qingxiang anymore; everyone gathered around to ask about Factory Director Lu's promotion.
"Is Factory Director Lu really leaving?"
"Last time they said Director Lu was going to Beijing, but then they said they'd refute that rumor. Why is he leaving now?"
"What will happen to our factory if Director Lu really leaves?"
Everyone panicked and discussed whether they should go to the office director to ask for clarification, or simply go directly to ask Director Lu.
Zhuang Qingxiang was unaware of these things. She hurried home, and only after entering the house and closing the door did she feel relieved of the pressure on her shoulders. Her legs went weak, and she plopped down on a stool, panting heavily.
If she keeps pretending like this, she won't be able to take it anymore.
Today's trip wasn't entirely fruitless. That educated youth named Peng Yu's words were cryptic, and I sensed something was amiss...
Zhuang Qingxiang pondered for a moment, then suddenly felt something was wrong.
It's too quiet at home!
She suddenly got up and walked into the inner room, but there was no one there.
Zhuang Qingxiang panicked for a moment, then quickly walked outside.
Lu Congyue and the children are not at home, probably because they are busy. They left the children with Sun Yongxian, and she has to go pick them up first.
Sure enough, she heard the sound of a child crying before she even reached Sun Yongxian's door.
"Yongxian, I'm back." She walked quickly over and knocked on the door.
"Sister Zhuang, you're finally back!" Sun Yongxian was in a real bind. "Come in quickly, the two kids are making a fuss, I can't handle them all by myself."
Zhuang Qingxiang first picked up the crying Donghua to soothe him, and Sun Yongxian breathed a sigh of relief: "Sister Zhuang, you soothe him first, I'll go make formula for these two little devils, it's driving me crazy."
"Are you alone? Where are Director Lu and Doctor Shi?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked.
"Peiran is tied up at work, and Factory Director Lu suddenly has an urgent matter..."
Sun Yongxian paused for a moment, then hurriedly walked over with the baby bottle and put it into Xiao Chenglin's mouth.
Zhuang Qingxiang: "Give it to Donghua first..."
"Same here." Sun Yongxian said dismissively, "Sister Zhuang, do you know how serious this is?"
"Huh?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked, puzzled, while gently rocking Xiao Donghua. "I just went out for a short while, what serious thing could have happened?"