Xu Xiuwen, standing tall at over 1.8 meters, was dressed in clothes that clearly screamed "expensive."
It was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that he was a city man, definitely not someone from the countryside.
This alone was enough to make women look up to him.
Not to mention, Xu Xiuwen was also undeniably handsome.
The woman sizing him up grew increasingly fond of him the more she looked. By the end, she was nodding repeatedly in approval.
Tang Weiwei, on the other hand, was completely stunned.
She had known that her grandmother and aunts likely suspected her relationship with Xu Xiuwen.
But suspecting and hearing it directly from his mouth were two entirely different things.
When Xu Xiuwen openly acknowledged it, it left her unprepared and utterly dumbfounded.
After introducing himself, Xu Xiuwen headed straight to the bedroom. He opened his suitcase and took out some gifts he had bought before returning to the main room.
"Aunties, this is my first visit, and I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just picked up a few things. I hope you don't mind," he said with a smile.
Xu Xiuwen handed over two exquisitely wrapped gift boxes.
The two women accepted them, and upon opening the boxes, they found jade bracelets inside.
The luster of the jade made it clear these were not cheap.
Aunt Li couldn't stop admiring hers and immediately put it on.
Aunt Shen, on the other hand, took one look, then closed the box with a smile. She asked, "These bracelets must be expensive?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled back. "Not too much, just about 1,000 yuan each."
The moment they heard the price, both women were stunned.
Aunt Li's breathing quickened, and even Aunt Shen's eyes lit up.
In 2005, 1,000 yuan wasn't an astronomical sum, but it was far from insignificant.
To give you perspective: in Tang Weiwei's village, a family of four typically spent less than 200 yuan a month on all expenses.
For Xu Xiuwen to give such a generous gift on his first visit was truly extravagant.
In addition to the bracelets, Xu Xiuwen also brought out cigarettes and snacks.
The cigarettes were Huazi, and the snacks were chocolates.
For those who didn't smoke, the price of Huazi might not mean much.
But the chocolates? The packaging alone made it obvious these were premium, high-end treats, far from cheap.
What had started as a casual visit had turned into an unexpected haul of gifts. Aunt Li was beaming with delight, and even Aunt Shen, who had been reserved at first, grew more impressed with Xu Xiuwen's effort.
Xu Xiuwen then disappeared into the bedroom again, this time returning with health supplements he had brought for Tang Weiwei's grandmother.
Her grandmother accepted the gifts but remained composed, her attitude calm and measured.
This made Xu Xiuwen slightly uneasy.
Could it be that her grandmother didn't like him?
But then again, that didn't make sense.
If she didn't like him, why would she ask Tang Weiwei to kill a chicken in his honor?
Just then, Tang Weiwei's grandmother turned to her and said, "Go to the back."
Tang Weiwei seemed to understand the implication. Without saying a word, she lowered her head and slipped out through the back door into the courtyard.
In the main room, only her grandmother, the two aunts, and Xu Xiuwen remained.
Aunt Shen took the lead in "interrogating" him, asking about his family background, where he was from, and what his parents did for a living.
Throughout the questioning, Tang Weiwei's grandmother barely spoke.
But Xu Xiuwen had a hunch: these were likely questions her grandmother wanted answers to.
After all, without her implicit approval, Aunt Shen probably wouldn't have been so thorough in her inquiries.
Xu Xiuwen answered every question honestly and directly.
When the conversation shifted to his parents, Xu Xiuwen hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he chose to tell the truth.
Upon hearing that Xu Xiuwen grew up without a father, neither of the two aunts showed any disappointment or disdain. Instead, they both looked at him with expressions of sympathy.
Xu Xiuwen also noticed that Tang Weiwei's grandmother's gaze had softened, becoming even kinder.
Of course, he couldn't just talk about his disadvantages without highlighting his strengths.
At the very least, he needed to reassure Tang Weiwei's grandmother and aunts about his capabilities.
So, he subtly mentioned that he now owned a company and earned a substantial income every year.
By the end of the conversation, everyone seemed to have gotten what they wanted.
As noon approached, Tang Weiwei started preparing to cook, beginning with killing the chicken.
Her grandmother invited the two aunts to stay for lunch, but both declined with smiles, saying they needed to head home to prepare meals for their children.
Before leaving, Aunt Shen pulled Xu Xiuwen aside and spoke to him earnestly.
"Weiwei has been without parents since she was little. She's not the kind of girl who easily shows her feelings. Since she's willing to bring you home, it means she's serious about you. I hope you'll take good care of her and never make her sad."
Xu Xiuwen's expression grew solemn. He nodded firmly and promised.
At noon, the three of them—Tang Weiwei, her grandmother, and Xu Xiuwen—sat together for lunch.
Tang Weiwei had prepared the meal herself: four dishes and a soup.
While it wasn't anything extravagant, it was the best meal she could manage.
After all, in past years, a four-dish-and-soup meal was something they could only afford during the New Year, and even then, not every year.
For Xu Xiuwen, the quality of the food didn't matter.
If he cared about eating well, he wouldn't have followed Tang Weiwei back to her village.
On the contrary, he felt a bit excited because, back at school, he'd never had the chance to taste her cooking. Now he could.
He dug in eagerly.
The stir-fried dishes and soup were delicious, even better than he had expected. However, the two meat dishes were quite average.
For most people, their cooking was either consistently good or consistently bad.
Having some dishes taste great and others not so much could only mean one thing: Tang Weiwei rarely cooked meat dishes and didn't have much practice with them.
Despite this, Xu Xiuwen still enjoyed the meal.
After lunch, Tang Weiwei cleaned up the dishes and washed them.
When she returned to the main room, she walked up to Xu Xiuwen and, in a small voice, asked, "Xu Xiuwen, are you full?"
"Yes."
"It wasn't very good. Don't mind it."
"It's okay. The more you cook, the better you'll get."
"Mm."
Her petite face showed a mix of hesitation and unease.
"What do you want to say?" Xu Xiuwen asked.
"When are you going back?"
"What, are you trying to kick me out?"
"No, no." Tang Weiwei shook her head quickly.
She lowered her head and said, "I'm just afraid I'll delay your important work."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled softly.
Xu Xiuwen reached out and pulled Tang Weiwei into his arms.
Startled, Tang Weiwei's first reaction was to glance toward the backyard.
Seeing that her grandmother wasn't watching, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Xu Xiuwen lowered his head, smiling as he gazed at her.
Tang Weiwei, feeling nervous, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Xu Xiuwen chuckled and said, "Didn't you say you were afraid of delaying my important work?"
"Mm."
"Silly girl, you're the most important person to me. Your matters are my most important matters. What could possibly be more important than you?"
Hearing this, Tang Weiwei's heart melted with sweetness.
Her happiness momentarily overcame her shyness and nervousness. She quietly leaned against Xu Xiuwen's chest.
After a while, she softly muttered, "But you'll have to go back sooner or later."
"Mm." Xu Xiuwen paused for a moment before saying, "I'll go back tomorrow. When summer break ends, I'll come back to take you to school."
"There's no need…"
Tang Weiwei didn't want Xu Xiuwen to go through the trouble of traveling back and forth. It was too exhausting.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and asked, "But I've already bought the ticket. Should I just let it go to waste?"
"But it'll be so… (tiring for you)." The last few words trailed off as she noticed Xu Xiuwen's expression growing serious.
She felt that if she continued, Xu Xiuwen might scold her.
Afraid of being reprimanded, she lowered her head and fell silent.
Xu Xiuwen was wonderful in every way except for his temper. Sometimes, he could be too harsh.
Tang Weiwei often found herself intimidated when he got stern.
While the two of them were talking in the front room, Tang Weiwei's grandmother was sunbathing in a rocking chair in the backyard.
The Chongqing region was naturally misty with limited sunshine, so lying in the sun, half-drowsy, was a rare and pleasant moment for the elderly woman.
Apart from the three of them, there was another living being in the house—a fully grown tabby cat.
The cat had run inside during lunch, and at first, Xu Xiuwen thought it belonged to a neighbor.
Only after asking did he learn it was Tang Weiwei's family cat.
Tang Weiwei explained that their cat didn't need to be fed, as it could find food on its own when outside.
The only downside was that it was hard to find and would often go missing for several days.
After lunch, the tabby cat was lying by the front door, basking in the sun. Its tail flicked lazily up and down like a small brush.
Just then, Tang Weiwei's grandmother called out.
The elderly woman was still lounging in her rocking chair, not turning her head.
But at the sound of her grandmother's voice, Tang Weiwei instantly jumped out of Xu Xiuwen's arms like a startled hamster.
When she realized her grandmother hadn't seen them hugging, Tang Weiwei let out a small sigh of relief.
Because her grandmother only spoke in Chongqing dialect, Xu Xiuwen couldn't understand what she said.
He caught the word "teacher" but nothing more.
Tang Weiwei understood perfectly and replied to her grandmother, "Got it, Grandma."
"What did your grandma say?" Xu Xiuwen asked.
"She told me not to forget to visit Teacher Lu."
"Oh, your high school homeroom teacher?"
"Mm-hmm." Tang Weiwei nodded.
"Then we really should go visit him. If it weren't for him, I might not have met you. And if I'd missed out on you, Weiwei, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."
Tang Weiwei blushed and replied shyly, "If you hadn't met me, you wouldn't know me. How could you regret it?"
"You don't believe me?"
Seeing that he was about to get stern, Tang Weiwei quickly changed her tune. "I believe you..."
Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen burst out laughing.
Tang Weiwei had originally planned to visit Mr. Lu later on her own after Xu Xiuwen left.
However, Xu Xiuwen figured that since they were already here and he had nothing to do in the afternoon, they might as well go together today.
His words earlier weren't entirely sweet talk; there was some sincerity behind them.
After all, if not for Mr. Lu, given Tang Weiwei's family circumstances, she might not have been able to attend college.
If that had been the case, Xu Xiuwen would definitely have missed the chance to meet Tang Weiwei.
In a way, Mr. Lu could be considered their matchmaker.
When Tang Weiwei heard Xu Xiuwen wanted to accompany her to visit Mr. Lu, she was a little surprised.
She hesitated for a few seconds before finally agreeing.
So, without delay, the two made some brief preparations and set off for the town.
---
Under the big tree outside the gate of Wumu High School.
It had been five or six days since Wei Ming returned home from university for the holidays, and his mood was still excellent.
His good mood wasn't due to being back home but because his grades from the previous semester were outstanding.
Barring any surprises, he was almost certain to receive the national scholarship.
In addition to that, he had joined the university's student office.
The office's ministers and senior members were quite kind to him, and he worked diligently.
After a year of hard work, he had gradually gained everyone's recognition.
It was highly likely that he would be the next minister of the student office.
In their university, most student council presidents usually came from either the office or the outreach department.
In other words, there was a good chance he might become the student council president in the future.
Even if not, the worst-case scenario would still see him as vice president.
For a young man from a poor town, he had already achieved a lot.
Among his peers, he was already outstanding enough, something he could certainly take pride in.
The weather in Chongyu had been pleasant lately. The bright sunlight dispelled the dampness.
Wei Ming leaned against a tree, a textbook for next semester's courses in his hands.
He flipped through the pages casually, but his eyes occasionally glanced toward the familiar high school gate.
Returning to his alma mater wasn't to see his teachers.
He was waiting for someone.
He knew Tang Weiwei would return during the holidays to visit their homeroom teacher, but he didn't know which day.
So, every afternoon, he came here to wait, hoping for a "chance encounter."
He had used this same foolish "waiting under the tree" strategy during the winter holidays a few months ago and had managed to bump into Tang Weiwei.
Wei Ming understood Tang Weiwei well.
He knew that this introverted and shy girl didn't like interacting too much with boys.
If he were to invite her directly to visit their homeroom teacher together, she would most certainly refuse.
Perhaps persistence might work, but Wei Ming didn't like being pushy. That wasn't his nature.
A "chance encounter" was already the most effort he could muster.
Whenever Wei Ming thought of Tang Weiwei, he couldn't help feeling a bit restless.
Tang Weiwei was such an outstanding girl—he knew this better than anyone from high school.
It wasn't just her academic excellence that set her apart; she also possessed a beauty that no one else seemed to notice.
That realization came to him by chance.
One day, he caught a fleeting glimpse of her face, and only then did he realize just how beautiful she was.
Unfortunately, in high school, he never had the opportunity—or the courage—to confess his feelings.
After starting university, he constantly worried that Tang Weiwei might be swept away by some other exceptional guy.
He didn't want to grow old regretting that he hadn't tried.
So, starting from the winter break, he'd been trying to find ways to get closer to Tang Weiwei.
Today was no exception.
He came to the school gate, waiting for Tang Weiwei to appear.
For her sake, he had even put on an outfit he had carefully prepared: a white shirt.
This was a trick he had learned from a senior at university.
That senior had managed to charm countless girls at school simply by wearing a white shirt.
There seemed to be no girl who could resist the allure of that senior in his white shirt.
Wei Ming had stolen the idea.
Even though his own white shirt was just an ordinary one, wearing it filled him with confidence.
To avoid making Tang Weiwei suspect that he was deliberately waiting for her at the school gate, he had even brought along a book as a prop.
Wei Ming felt that he was fully prepared.
The wait, however, was agonizingly long.
Leaning against the tree, he couldn't help but recall the scene from the afternoon of the college entrance exam when he had encountered Tang Weiwei.
At the time, all the other students were heading into the teaching building, ready to take the exam.
But she was walking out of the school, tears streaming down her face.
Tang Weiwei had been crying so heartbreakingly, like a delicate flower battered by the rain—utterly pitiful…
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