Chapter 360 - 360 249 Awkward

Words : 1967 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

360: Chapter 249: Awkward 360: Chapter 249: Awkward Sitting on the return tram, Luo Xiaoqiong couldn’t help but ask Zhao Qiliang, “Do you know that Squad Leader Liu?” “Yes, he led us last year. He’s from our city, has a decent personality, but he’s not very tall, a bit dark-skinned, and his standards are quite high, so he hasn’t found a wife yet. He’s thirty-two this year.” Knowing what Luo Xiaoqiong was interested in, Zhao Qiliang briefly introduced Squad Leader Liu’s situation. Luo Xiaoqiong just curled her lip, “High standards and he’s set his sights on Zhong Hongying? How long has Zhong Hongying been in the service? By the way, did you know about Zhong Hongying and Squad Leader Liu’s affair before?” Seeing her little face suddenly fall, Zhao Qiliang quickly said, “I knew about Squad Leader Liu having a girlfriend, and that his girlfriend was a new recruit this year, but as for who she is and where she comes from, I knew absolutely nothing. If he hadn’t once led us, I probably wouldn’t know a thing about it. Men generally don’t care about this stuff. What we’re more interested in is who’s making the fastest progress, who’s achieving good results in competitions, and who’s getting promoted first.” Luo Xiaoqiong glared at him, “Are you suggesting we wives are just gossiping and prying into things with nothing better to do?” “No, no, what I mean is, men might be a bit careless and are more into things like fighting. Unlike women, who are more delicate and understand how to be concerned about people.” Luo Xiaoqiong’s mouth twitched, “Is this me being concerned about people?” “...” Zhao Qiliang didn’t know what to say. Without getting a response, Luo Xiaoqiong started to feel uneasy, coughed lightly and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to target you, I’m just upset by the idea of people like Zhong Hongying climbing the social ladder, and I can’t help but want to lash out.” “I know,” Zhao Qiliang said, patting her sympathetically, “don’t be angry, it’s not worth it to upset yourself over other people’s business.” “Yeah...” Luo Xiaoqiong nodded, sighing lightly, “Originally, when she stopped clinging to my brother and he started to move on, I was really happy, but when I think about Aunt Zhong and Zhong Hongying’s temperament, I lose my temper. Chuxia just happened to encounter this situation, and Zhao Qiyan and her daughter are bound to spread the news back to the village. By then, Aunt Zhong will be showing off in front of Uncle Baohe and Aunt Yulan...” “Alright, alright...,” Zhao Qiliang said, interrupting her with a laugh, “You’re really worrying too much. The Zhou family will definitely be fine. Gossip is just a matter of time. My cousin and her husband are not the kind to be easily bothered by such things.” “I understand, but I can’t help getting angry,” Luo Xiaoqiong said as she sighed, “Waiting around like this really feels terrible.” “Indeed,” Zhao Qiliang sighed along with her. Although he was constantly comforting Luo Xiaoqiong, he was also anxious inside. But as a boy, he felt he had to show some more responsibility. “Huh?” Luo Xiaoqiong suddenly stretched her head out of the window and blinked hard. Zhao Qiliang pulled her back in, “What are you doing? That’s dangerous!” “That...” Luo Xiaoqiong pointed towards a hotel they were about to pass by, “Look, isn’t that Zhao Qiyan?” Zhao Qiliang followed her pointed finger and saw a short girl vigorously scrubbing a very black mop at the doorway. It was indeed Zhao Qiyan! Luo Xiaoqiong pulled her head back in and curled her lip, “So the high branch they climbed to land them jobs was to do this.” Zhao Qiliang also sat back down, his brows furrowed deeply. “You’re not feeling sorry for her, are you?” Taking a glance at him, Luo Xiaoqiong asked. “She is my cousin after all...” Luo Xiaoqiong’s face hardened, “Then get off the tram.” “Don’t be upset, if I saw her doing this and was overjoyed, that wouldn’t be very conscientious, would it?” “Are you out of your mind?” Luo Xiaoqiong frowned at him, “This is the life she chose, she betrayed Zhao’s house, she betrayed the Zhou family! Have you ever thought that if she was as pretty as Chuxia, she might have already taken Chuxia’s engagement away by now! Her mother and she are the kind who, to have their meat and drink their soup, would kill someone else to make broth for themselves. They wouldn’t care about family ties like you do! Whether you like to hear it or not, that’s the reality. If you meddle in their affairs, I’ll really need to reconsider our engagement. I don’t want to deal with a bunch of messy relatives and messy situations in the future. My principle in life is, if you’re good to me, I’ll be good to you, if you’re not, I don’t know you. If you can’t accept this about me, then...” Biting her lip, Luo Xiaoqiong resolutely said, “Let’s just call it quits, better to let go early than to be unhappy later.” Zhao Qiliang, already feeling somewhat uneasy, grew even more upset upon hearing Luo Xiaoqiong’s words, “Luo Xiaoqiong, after all we’ve been through, do you think it’s that easy to just say goodbye and break up?” As soon as she spoke, Luo Xiaoqiong felt some regret, but hearing Zhao Qiliang’s retort, her stubborn temper flared up again, “Since in your heart, a cousin who betrayed the Zhao family is more important than I am, what’s left for me to cling to?” “Were you lying to me when you used to tell Chuxia that you liked me? Or is it now that you’ve become Director Xu’s assistant, you look down on me? Luo Xiaoqiong, if you’re thinking of breaking up with me because I’m not as successful as you are, there’s no need for other excuses. Just tell me straight up. I, Zhao Qiliang, am not the kind to embarrass myself by clinging on.” Furious, Luo Xiaoqiong kicked out at him, “You bastard!” Just then, they reached the next stop, the bus doors opened, and Zhao Qiliang exited without a backward glance. Luo Xiaoqiong chased after him a few steps, then stopped and, grinding her teeth, walked back angrily. The passengers nearby, having heard the couple’s argument, were now all looking curiously at Luo Xiaoqiong. Feeling wronged, and unable to bear their stares, she turned her head toward the window, letting the silent tears roll down her cheeks. Having left the bus in a surge of anger, Zhao Qiliang felt some regret. He thought about going after her but, restrained by his pride and fearing embarrassment, he simply walked to the stop where he had seen Zhao Qiyan. Since the day Lin Xiaohua and Zhao Qiyan were abandoned, Xiao Yuwen had not shown up again. Liu Zhenqiang, who brought them here, had specifically instructed that there was no need to give them any special care, and now the mother and daughter had truly fallen into hard times. The pair were always assigned to the day shift—in this place, the day shift was much more exhausting than the night shift. From six in the morning to nine at night, Lin Xiaohua had to keep the toilets sparkling clean—although it was a small hostel, the daily clientele was around fifty to sixty people, plus the hostel’s staff. The amount of work was enormous and could be imagined. Every day, by the time she returned to the dormitory, she was so exhausted she couldn’t straighten her back. The most serious issue was that the smell was so bad she couldn’t eat, and in just a few days, her formerly plump figure had become gaunt. Zhao Qiyan was slightly stronger than her mother. Every day from six in the morning to nine at night, she had to tirelessly wash the incoming bed linens, pillowcases, and bedspreads. In addition to this, she had to keep the corridors clean. Neither mother nor daughter were the types to take abuses lying down. For the first couple of days, they resisted, even bringing up Xiao Yuwen to argue their point, but it was in vain. Not only were their complaints ignored, but with each conflict, they were punished with starvation. After two days of this, they couldn’t handle it anymore and obediently followed the orders given to them. They had thought of running away, but where could they go? Without proof of identity, who would dare to hire them? If no one would hire them, were they supposed to beg for food? That would only take them further away from their hopes of a better life. As for returning to their hometown, after the mess they’d made, going back like this wouldn’t do them any good. So, after discussing together, the mother and daughter decided to endure for the time being. They believed that Xiao Yuwen, having promised to take care of them, would certainly do so. Perhaps he was just too busy at the moment. They were convinced that sooner or later, he would come to see them! Enduring such hardships, of course, they didn’t want Chuxia to be comfortable. As expected, the very next day, they each wrote a letter to their relatives back home, claiming that the family into which Chuxia had married had been labeled counterrevolutionaries and thrown into prison. These past few days, it was the fantasy of Chuxia being disrespected that had sustained them. Besides the aforementioned difficulties, they had also endured bullying from their dormitory mates. Every night when their shifts ended, they were responsible for washing everyone’s clothes, including underwear and socks. If they resisted, they were met with a beating. The most meek of their dorm mates told them to endure and wait for new colleagues; once new people arrived, they would be freed from their current duties. Thus, in these days, besides fantasizing about Chuxia’s misfortune, the mother and daughter also dreamed of new colleagues coming to take their place. After struggling to mop the hallway and having cleaned and hung the mop, Zhao Qiyan was about to turn away when she suddenly spotted a green figure approaching in the distance—it looked very much like her elder cousin! Squinting her eyes, the figure got closer to her. “Big brother!” Zhao Qiyan cried out as she ran towards Zhao Qiliang. The two staff at the door thought she was trying to escape and quickly grabbed her to hold her back. “Let me go! My brother has come to see me,” Zhao Qiyan pointed at the now-nearby Zhao Qiliang, “Big brother, boo hoo hoo... Big brother...” “What are you doing?” Zhao Qiliang, already in a bad mood, hurried forward to pull away the men holding Zhao Qiyan and presented his ID, “I’m her elder cousin.” The man glanced at the military ID, nodded emotionlessly at Zhao Qiliang, then looked at Zhao Qiyan, “If you don’t finish your work, you’ll have to do overtime tonight, or else your pay will be docked.” “Where is my aunt?” Zhao Qiliang asked Zhao Qiyan. “My mom’s been sent off to dig out latrines. Big brother, I’m so glad you’re here. Please help us find jobs. Big brother, if we keep working here, my mom and I are going to be bullied to death.”(To be continued. If you like this story, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, recommend monthly tickets, and support us. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)

Chapter 360 - 360 249 Awkward

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