Chapter 19

Xia Qingning pretended not to see anything and nonchalantly turned back to her room. She took the money Lu Jingzhe had given her last night and headed out.

It was getting late. She didn’t have a bicycle, and it took about half an hour to walk from her home to the state-owned factory. As she passed the sink, she saw Lu Jingzhe washing up. She hesitated for a moment, but still said to him:

“I’m going to work.”

Xia Qingning was walking towards the alleyway when a bicycle suddenly sped past her from behind, brushing against her clothes.

Startled, Xia Qingning almost fell. She looked up and saw He Shanshan riding the bike proudly, her legs pedaling, leaving her a proud back.

Actually, He Shanshan’s supply and marketing cooperative was closer to work than Xia Qingning’s factory, but she naturally took possession of the bicycle.

This bike was a second-hand bike that Wang Mingfang bought on the black market, using the money that the original body had given her. Now, He Shanshan was even showing off in front of her. She had a lot of nerve.

It was already late. Xia Qingning couldn’t help but quicken her pace. She thought that she should learn how to ride a bicycle. After all, bicycles were the main mode of transportation in this era. If she learned, it would be much more convenient for her to get around. At this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind:

“Qingning Jie.”

She turned her head and saw a young man riding a bicycle towards her. In the blink of an eye, he had stopped the bike in front of her.

The boy’s hair was slightly curly, looking fluffy. He had a smile on his face, looking sunny and cheerful.

From the original body’s memories, she knew this was Wu Xiaodong, the youngest son of Aunt Wu. He was only 15 years old, but he had added a year to his age to take over the family business. Now he worked at the same factory as her.

Because the original body had taught him some textile techniques when he first entered the factory, he had always been very kind and respectful to her.

“Qingning Jie, get on. I’ll give you a ride.” Wu Xiaodong invited enthusiastically.

Xia Qingning hesitated. She knew that in this era, it was not appropriate to ride in a man’s car, but this was just a kid. Even if she was conservative, she wouldn’t think about it in other ways.

“Then I’ll trouble you.” Xia Qingning said, then sat in the back seat.

It would take about half an hour to walk. Why not take a ride if there was a car?

Seeing that Xia Qingning actually agreed, Wu Xiaodong was a little surprised. If it were her before, she would have definitely declined, even refused.

“Hold on tight.” Wu Xiaodong reminded Xia Qingning, then pedaled off.

Lu Jingzhe, who was washing up by the sink, saw Xia Qingning get on Wu Xiaodong’s bike. The bike turned right, and he saw that Xia Qingning instinctively grabbed Wu Xiaodong’s clothes.

At that moment, Lu Jingzhe probably didn’t even realize that his face had darkened.

Of course, he didn’t just see Xia Qingning riding in Wu Xiaodong’s car. He also saw He Shanshan deliberately trying to block her with her car. He thought for a moment, picked up the basin, and walked home.

The back seat of the bicycle was hard. Xia Qingning hadn’t ridden one before and was a little uncomfortable. She tried to stabilize herself to avoid falling. Suddenly, she heard Wu Xiaodong say:

“Qingning Jie, hold on tight.”

Before she could react, she saw Wu Xiaodong pedaling hard. The bike immediately sped up, and soon caught up with He Shanshan in front. He brushed past her bike and rode ahead.

“Ehehe…” Wu Xiaodong roared on the bike.

He Shanshan’s bike handle was unsteady when she was brushed past and overtaken, and she fell directly to the ground.

He Shanshan rubbed her sore bottom and shouted angrily at the front, “Wu Xiaodong, are you blind? Can’t you see?”

“Yeah, I’m blind. I can’t see. I learned it from you.” Wu Xiaodong turned his back to her and waved provocatively.

At this time, He Shanshan saw that Wu Xiaodong had Xia Qingning in the back of his bike. She quickly understood that Wu Xiaodong was deliberately helping her out.

He Shanshan was even angrier. She shouted at Xia Qingning’s back, “Xia Qingning, did you tell him to do this? You’ve even learned to instigate children to do bad things. You’re getting pretty bold. Let’s see how I deal with you when I get home tonight!”

Wu Xiaodong had already ridden his bike far away and couldn’t hear her yelling.

He was very happy to have taught He Shanshan a lesson. He had a smile on his face:

“She bullies people. She’s so smug.”

Looking at the boy’s carefree and vibrant spirit, Xia Qingning couldn’t help but laugh and say:

“Haha, she must be mad now.”

Hearing Xia Qingning’s words, Wu Xiaodong was stunned for a second. He asked incredulously, “Qingning Jie, you’re not mad at me?”

“You’re helping me. Why would I be mad at you?” Xia Qingning said with a puzzled look. Why would she be so unreasonable?

“You… you used to be so afraid of her.” Wu Xiaodong couldn’t help but say.

In his eyes, Xia Qingning was beautiful and kind, but she was too timid and would endure everything, so she was often bullied.

He was afraid that she would be unhappy with what he had just done.

“I’m not afraid anymore.” Xia Qingning raised her face, “I’m never afraid anymore.”

“Right! If she dares to bully you again, I’ll help you teach her a lesson!” Wu Xiaodong said confidently.

They both felt good riding along the way. When they were close to the factory, Wu Xiaodong hesitated for a moment, but still couldn’t help but remind Xia Qingning:

“Qingning Jie… don’t get too close to that guy surnamed Liao. He’s not a good person.”

Xia Qingning was touched by his words. This younger brother was genuinely concerned about the original body and that’s why he said this.

Seeing that she didn’t say anything, Wu Xiaodong was afraid that she would be angry at him for meddling. He stopped the bike and explained, “Qingning Jie, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying anything about you. I’m saying that guy surnamed Liao is not right. I’m afraid you’ll be taken advantage of.”

“I know.” Xia Qingning jumped off the bike, nodded, and said, “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.” Then she waved to him and said, “I’m going in now. Thank you for the ride today.”

“Don’t be so polite. It’s on the way.” Wu Xiaodong said with a smile, revealing a row of neat teeth.

After saying goodbye to Wu Xiaodong, Xia Qingning walked into the factory building. She had never worked in a factory before, but luckily, she knew how to use a sewing machine and she had the original body’s memories, so she was able to do it easily.

However, she had only been working for a short time when a woman in her fifties walked over, patted her shoulder, and asked:

“Qingning, are you feeling better?”

The woman’s surname was Qin. She was the team leader of their group. She looked kind and gentle, and she seemed like someone who was easy to get along with. She knew that Xia Qingning had been on sick leave for the past two days, so she came to check on her.

“I’m fine now. Thank you, Team Leader.” Xia Qingning said softly.

“You should take better care of yourself and eat more. You’ll get better.” Team Leader Qin said. Then, as if she had thought of something, she said, “Oh, right. Director Liao came to look for you the other day. I said you were on sick leave. He said that when you come to the factory, you should go to his office.”

Xia Qingning knew this Liao Qiang. He must have been feeling guilty about the incident in the reed field and that’s why he was so eager to find her.

“Okay, I’ll go now.” Xia Qingning’s expression didn’t change. She stood up and walked towards Liao Qiang’s office.