Maybe Zhao Qingqing's voice was too soft, or maybe Ye Haochen was pretending not to hear him, and casually asked: "Hey, Teacher Zhao, what did you say just now?"
How could Zhao Qingqing who was extremely embarrassed be shameless to repeat herself, she anxiously said: "Nothing, nothing! I mean, even though Teacher Zhang and I agree that you can stop coming to class, but when you have time, it's best if you come to school. "
The two of them laughed as they walked forward. Suddenly, an elderly voice drifted over from behind them. "Qing`er, Qing`er, it's really you!"
Hearing this familiar voice, Zhao Qingqing's body trembled, she anxiously turned around, and could not help but be surprised, and involuntarily called out: "Grandfather!" She quickly ran over and took the old man's arm, lovingly snuggling close to his grandfather's side, "Grandpa, why are you here? If you don't tell me, I'll pick you up! "
Ye Haochen also looked towards the source of the voice, only to see a white haired old man holding a coarse cloth sack in his hand, it seemed to contain many things, the old man's face was full of wrinkles, his appearance withered, his clothes extremely simple, it looked like he had not washed in a long time.
Ye Haochen also slowly walked over, only then did the old man realize that her granddaughter Zhao Qingqing still had friends, and he became slightly embarrassed. Afraid that his slovenly image would cause her granddaughter to become unhappy, he immediately went to the side and whispered: "Qing'er, did grandpa lose face for you?"
Zhao Qingqing rolled her eyes at her grandfather, and coquettishly said: "Grandfather, what are you saying!"
Ye Haochen also heard this and took the initiative to laugh: "Old man, you think too much."
Ye Haochen naturally did not dislike the old man. He was also a Grandma Wu who had lived in the countryside since he was young, and the way he grew up was even more unkempt than this old man's. In order to dispel the old man's doubts, he also stepped forward and supported the old man.
Ye Haochen carried the sack in his hand. Only then did he realize that the sack was indeed filled with many things, and was extremely heavy. The old man had been carrying these things all the way into the city.
Both the elder and Zhao Qingqing were very happy that Ye Haochen was such a sensible gentleman, especially Zhao Qingqing.
In fact, she was also worried that her poor birth would be disliked by the boys, or even despised by them. And the old scavenger in front of her, Zhao Fulu, was the one and only family member who had raised her hand, relying on her for life.
The old man chuckled as he held onto the hands of his granddaughter and Ye Haochen. He looked left and right, sizing them up, and the smile on his face was a little strange.
Zhao Qingqing was a little embarrassed from being stared at by the old man, she pouted: "Grandfather, what are you looking at! "Her eyes are strange …"
Elder Zhao Fulu laughed: "Grandfather can tell, is this guy your boyfriend? Don't think that your grandpa doesn't know anything. Your grandpa has heard from the young people in the village that all the young people in the city are in love! "
Hearing his grandfather's words, Zhao Qingqing's face flushed red, and she playfully shook his arm, "Grandfather!"
Ye Haochen also felt that it was a bit awkward. He had thought that Teacher Zhao would deny it and explain it clearly to his grandfather, but after seeing Teacher Zhao's noncommittal answer, he was afraid of hurting the old man's feelings.
As if he suddenly remembered his purpose for coming here, he took the bag from Ye Haochen's hand and sat on the side of the road. He quickly untied the gunny sack and said with a smile: "Qing'er, the harvest this year is not bad for our old home. Grandfather has brought you a lot of delicious food. Look, this is chestnuts, this is apples, and peanuts!"
Seeing the old man sitting on the curb, Ye Haochen also squatted down without hesitation. Seeing this scene, Zhao Qingqing could not help but smile in relief, not only did Ye Haochen not avoid her grandfather's presence, he was closer to him than her grandfather. She felt that he would not be able to sit on the curb in front of everyone else like her grandfather.
When she saw her grandfather carrying a sack of local specialties from his hometown over 60 li away to the city, her heart warmed, her nose turned sour, and her eyes immediately became moist.
Other than a gunny sack, Zhao Qingqing also found a plastic bag tied behind her grandfather's back. She quietly took the bag and looked inside, it was full of crushed cans and bottles.
There was no need to ask any further. Grandfather must have walked all the way from the countryside to the city, and picked up many bottles and jars on the way.
Ever since Zhao Qingqing came to the Jiangzhou to work, his grandfather wanted to visit her, but he couldn't bear to spend the money on a car. Last year, his grandfather walked from the village to the city on foot.
Although Zhao Qingqing warned her grandfather again and again not to do this, she knew that the elder was always thrifty and frugal. She was afraid that her grandfather would discover that she was crying, hence she quickly turned her head to wipe it.
Ye Haochen saw this scene, he also noticed the can and plastic bottle behind the old man and guessed what the situation was.
It was noon now, and he and Zhao Qingqing wanted to bring the old man to the nearby area to eat. Although the old man repeatedly refused them due to fear of spending money, they still insisted on bringing the old man to a nearby restaurant. However, the old man was only willing to eat a portion of eight Yuan egg fried cake, and would not be happy if he spent more money.
During the meal, Ye Haochen found out from Zhao Qingqing's narration that Zhao Qingqing's life and death experiences were practically the same.
Ye Haochen had been picked up from the snow by the Grandma Wu and brought up, while Zhao Qingqing was found when she was picking up trash from the wasteland.
The only difference was that when old man Zhao Fulu picked up Zhao Qingqing, he had an old wife. He was in charge of picking up trash from the outside world to make money, while his old wife was in charge of raising Zhao Qingqing into an adult.
At that time, Zhao Qingqing, who was studying outside, had already left the countryside. The time she spent with Elder Zhao Fulu became less and less, and she could only go home during the New Year and summer holidays to visit the elderly.
According to Zhao Qingqing, even when his grandmother was still alive, she would frequently not see Grandfather, because when Grandfather picked up the trash, he would cover the distance of tens of kilometers. If he couldn't hurry back home in the dark, he would spend the night in the wilderness.
Not only did she have to attend high school, she had also attended university. Now that she had become a university Instructor Teacher, one could imagine how much effort Grandpa Zhao had spent to help her in this life.
Looking at her grandfather's stooped back and aged face, Zhao Qingqing was suddenly surrounded by guilt and remorse. Compared to the sacrifices that her grandfather and grandmother had made for her, she had done very little.
In these 23 years, the amount of time they had spent together hadn't even been more than a year. Before the age of 18, it was because her grandfather had gone out every day to pick up trash, and after the age of 18, it was because she had gone out to study. After work, she had even less time to visit the elderly.
Ye Haochen quickly took the tissue and secretly gave it to Zhao Qingqing.
His similar life experiences had unknowingly closed the distance between the two of them. A kind of empathy caused Ye Haochen to re-evaluate the girl in front of him. No one understood more than him how much regret and self-blame was hidden within those tears.
In order to console Zhao Qingqing, Ye Haochen slowly narrated the background of his birth.
The teary Zhao Qingqing could not help but exclaim in shock, "Ah, really? I never would have thought that we were fated to meet each other! "
The moment the words left his mouth, Zhao Qingqing's face flushed red.
The expression "fate" was like a gust of wind that blew into his heart. And in that moment when their four eyes met, the feelings between the two of them, from their initial blurry state, had instantly risen to another level.
Seeing his granddaughter and boyfriend's loving looks, Elder Zhao Fulu laughed out loud happily. Only then did Ye Haochen and Zhao Qingqing come back to their senses, both of them seemed to be in distress, they anxiously turned their heads, and laughed awkwardly.
The elder chuckled as he ate and asked, "Oh right, grandson-in-law, I still don't know what you're called!"
was even more embarrassed, and did not dare to raise his head to see what Ye Haochen's reaction was. However, Ye Haochen was stunned for a moment, and quickly recovered his senses, smiling as he replied: "Grandfather, my surname is Ye, and my name is Hao Chen. From now on, just call me Hao Chen."
"Alright, alright, alright. From now on, I'll call you Chen-er!" Qing`er, Chen`er, it really is a pair! "Ahahahaha …" The old man grinned as if he had found a treasure.
Seeing that Ye Haochen actually did not deny it, Zhao Qingqing was both embarrassed and happy. From this moment onwards, she was even more certain that Ye Haochen was her future husband.
In the afternoon, Zhao Qingqing had specially asked for a fake to accompany his Grandfather, so Ye Haochen naturally had to follow as well. The three of them walked around outside for an entire afternoon, and at night, Zhao Qingqing brought his Grandfather to her residence, which was in the second room and one hall.
Although he did not have the key nor the consent of the landlord, Ye Haochen still opened the door to his room. It could be considered as giving his grandfather a place to stay first.
Although Zhao Qingqing felt that it was a bit inappropriate, this was the only way. According to her original plan, she planned to let her grandfather stay in a hotel.
From the old man's point of view, he did not seem to understand the concept of sharing rent. He thought that Granddaughter and her grandson-in-law had already cohabiting a long time ago.
After eating the sumptuous dinner his granddaughter had personally prepared for him, he tactfully hid in his room, claiming that he was tired and needed a good night's sleep. He didn't forget to push his granddaughter and grandson-in-law into the same room and said with a smile, "I'm tired. You two don't need to worry about me. You two should rest early too!"
Just like that, Ye Haochen and Zhao Qingqing slept on the same bed once again.
Last time, he was drunk, but this time he was sober. Last time, many things happened that shouldn't have happened, but this time it was no exception.
After Zhao Qingqing finished washing up, he changed into her pajamas. She blushed, afraid that if Ye Haochen slept on the empty bed, he would think of Chu Junyao and all the unhappy things he had done in the past. Thus, she mustered her courage and said with a blush, "How about we sleep on the same bed!"
The other bed was an empty board, so no one could sleep on it. Ye Haochen did not want to touch the scenery and so he slept on the same bed as Zhao Qingqing.
The entire room instantly quieted down. Their nervous heartbeats and breathing could be heard loud and clear. Nervousness was like yawning; it was a contagious emotion. Even a casual touch could cause the other party to tremble as if he had been electrocuted.