Zhang Hao knew that this was the ti He Qianhui would be here, so he took advantage of a lull at work to make a call.
"Has she arrived?"
"Not yet, a few more minutes to go. I don’t even know where she lives; she might be coming from far and is still on her way."
"I’ll send her a ssage in a bit to ask where she is. Don’t worry about ; I’ve got the money all prepared."
"If we really can’t et up, the money will just go back the way it ca. It won’t be a big loss."
Zhang Hao also trusted He Qianhui’s ability to handle things. They were still talking when he saw Liang Xin getting out of a taxi.
Her appearance was still very simple, hardly any different from when she was a student.
"She’s here. I’m going to hang up now. We can talk more about this later."
He Qianhui hurriedly hung up Zhang Hao’s call and waved to signal Liang Xin to co over.
When Liang Xin saw He Qianhui, she slowed her pace and took a deep breath.
If yesterday she felt that He Qianhui was just a typical housewife,
then today, He Qianhui’s attire gave her the impression of a lady of high status.
That refined little dress, neatly combed hair, matching jewelry.
On the table was a handbag worth tens of thousands, from head to toe she exuded wealth and sophistication.
Liang Xin then looked at herself; her entire outfit, accessories included, wouldn’t total more than two hundred yuan, with clothes bought from off-season sales.
They were branded, but the styles were from a few years back, so outdated that people wouldn’t even take them for free.
"Xiaohui, we et again," said Liang Xin, approaching her with a bit of awkwardness.
"Have a seat, there’s no need to be so nervous around . What’s the sudden money borrowing about?"
Liang Xin straightened her ssy hair and looked at the coffee that was already ordered, clasping the cup with both hands as she spoke.
"You know I have a younger brother at ho, and I’ve been working in my hotown for the past couple of years."
"With the little salary I get every month, I send half of it ho, and my parents said they would save it for my dowry."
"Now that I’m about to get married, I wanted to take out that money, but right after I ntioned it..."
"The next day, my parents took my brother into the city, and they were gone the whole day."
"Nobody answered the phone, and I knew sothing was off. It wasn’t until the evening that they ca ho with takeout from a restaurant."
"After pressing for the truth, I found out that the money I earned all these years, plus my elderly parents’ savings..."
"had been used to buy my brother a house in the city. There was no money left at ho, and naturally, my dowry was gone, too."
"The few tens of thousands I scrimped and saved were also taken by them. I had hoped to secure a dowry of one hundred thousand yuan, and now I can’t even co up with ten thousand."
"I didn’t want to be looked down upon by my in-laws, so I intended to borrow so to boost my confidence. Once married, I’d no longer have direct ties with my family."
"Even if they wanted to get money from in the future, I’d have a reason to refuse."
"After all, by then, every penny I earn would be shared property with my husband, and I wouldn’t have the right to decide how it’s used."
It was at this mont that He Qianhui realized how tough Liang Xin’s life had been all these years.
Moved by compassion, she took out the fifty thousand yuan right away.
"Then why didn’t you tell the truth yesterday? Here’s the money, not a cent less, take a look."
Liang Xin looked at the brown paper bag, believing that He Qianhui, as a person, wouldn’t ss around with the money.
Liang Xin took a piece of paper and a pen out of her bag, and even an ink pad.
She wrote an IOU, stamped her fingerprint, signed it, and handed it to He Qianhui.
"Don’t worry, I will definitely pay you back the fifty thousand yuan within two years," he said. "As for the interest, we can just go by the bank’s rate."
He Qianhui waved her hand, "Interest or no interest, do we really need to talk about that between us?"
"Anyway, I am not short of money right now, so you can take this fifty thousand yuan for your use first. Pay back whenever you have the ans."
Liang Xin put the fifty thousand yuan into her bag, and by the ti she looked up again, tears had already spilled from her eyes.
"Xiaohui, thank you. Rest assured, I will absolutely pay back this money."
"But what about you being my bridesmaid? Have you thought it over? Do you want to co?"
He Qianhui shook her head, "My husband doesn’t want to; he’s afraid I won’t be able to get married."
Liang Xin wiped away her tears and smiled, "You’re not even married yet and you’re already calling him ’husband.’ You really like him."
"Even if you were my bridesmaid, it wouldn’t stop him from marrying you, right? He’s just making excuses."
"However, our wedding isn’t going to be held here; we have to go back to our hotown. Luckily, transportation is convenient nowadays. I’ll cover both of your round-trip travel expenses."
No sooner had she borrowed fifty thousand yuan than she started playing the generous host again.
How could He Qianhui not realize that she was just putting on an act? She promptly said, "There’s no need for you to pay for that. Keep the money for ergencies."
"When the ti cos, just give the address. We can ask for leave in advance and head over. How much longer will you be staying here?"
Liang Xin said, "I’ll leave the day after tomorrow. I want to visit our school again. I don’t even know if the company I worked for is still there?"
"I left a letter and then departed. I have no idea who finished my work for at that ti."
He Qianhui thought for a mont and said, "It seems that the company has moved away, not here anymore. I don’t know exactly where they relocated to."
"You actually paid attention to that for ?" Liang Xin asked in surprise.
He Qianhui shook her head, "I didn’t an to. I happened to pass by there once and noticed the sign was gone."
"It was only after I casually inquired that I learned they had moved away a long ti ago. You’re still hung up about that after so long."
Liang Xin looked down without a word, she wasn’t the type of person without conscience. When she left it was because she was unwell.
It wasn’t a case of her not being able to handle her job that made her leave, she left too hastily without the chance for a proper handover.
This wasn’t like her style of doing things, so even though her illness was cured, she still felt so guilt about the incident.
But now He Qianhui ntioned that the company she worked for had moved away.
It’s as if the chance to apologize had not been given to her at all.
"It’s better that they have moved, that way, I don’t have to feel so guilty anymore," she said.
"You probably don’t know how I’ve been living these years. Sotis I feel my life is quite miserable,"
"Yet other tis I feel lucky, always managing to et people who can help at my lowest points, just like this ti."
The two of them chatted for a long ti in the coffee shop, starting with two cups of coffee.
They ordered so desserts midway through and ended up changing to a pot of tea.
"Do you need to see you off when you leave, given you’ve co such a long way by yourself?" He Qianhui asked.
"No need, I don’t have much luggage. I ca here only to get a dical check-up and to see you, my good friend," Liang Xin said.
At this, He Qianhui couldn’t resist asking, "Actually, after you go back, there’s no need to change contact information."
"Why didn’t you reply when I called or ssaged you afterward?"
As He Qianhui finished, she kept her gaze fixed on Liang Xin’s expression, catching even the briefest, fleeting change that could not escape her eyes.
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