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Chapter 67

There were many leftover dishes from the banquet table that could be packed up. Maternal Uncle told Youngest Uncle to pack up several chickens and take them home for Grandma.

One of the dishes at the banquet was a whole stewed chicken. The whole chicken was stewed in soup, placed towards the end. Many people got tired of eating it and just picked the chicken legs and wings to eat, leaving just the chicken belly floating in the soup.

There were a lot of leftovers, but basically none were whole—falling apart. As Maternal Uncle handed them to Youngest Uncle, he said, "Your mom has bad teeth, this is best for her to eat."

In fact, there were also some whole trotters, hairy crabs, lobsters and prawns that would have looked nice and been more convenient to take back.

But Maternal Uncle picked out all the nice-looking ones, preparing them to give to other people.

Xiao Qi could imagine the scene of Youngest Uncle taking back a pile of fragmented food, but Grandma would still proudly show it off to the neighbors, bragging "this is what my eldest son brought back for me to eat from his wedding banquet at the big hotel, he specifically called Youngest Uncle to get it for me to eat..."

After Youngest Uncle packed up the food, he helped clean up. Xiao Qi waited at the entrance of the hotel. Cars came and went. The sunshine was bright, almost glaring.

A gust of wind blew past and the small tree on the roadside shook gently. Xiao Qi\'s stray strands of hair were also blown up by the wind.

She took a deep breath. She felt she shouldn\'t be like this. She only attended a relative\'s wedding but somehow her perspective had narrowed substantially, only paying attention to little things—being bossed around to work, the subpar leftovers she got. She was just feeling wronged over minor issues.

If she kept focusing on these trivial matters and let them make her angry, nothing would change and she would just be wasting her time.

She was angry about the unfair treatment, but if her family\'s situation persisted, the treatment wouldn\'t change either. Getting angry was futile.

She looked up at the trees. Dappled sunlight shone down from the leaves onto her fair face.

She felt a bit annoyed but also came to some realization.

She didn\'t know how good she looked in this moment.

In her white dress and flat shoes, her slender and shapely legs.

Her long eyelashes, somewhat messy hair.

Liu Shaowei did not expect his next encounter with Su Xiaoqi to be in such circumstances.

He lived nearby.

In the afternoon he had made plans to play tennis with some friends.

The tennis court was close to his home so he walked over.

He did not anticipate running into Su Xiaoqi at the roadside.

At first glance, he thought she was just some beauty, quite good-looking, so he took an extra look.

But on second glance, he realized it was Su Xiaoqi.

He had never seen her in a dress before. She always wore pants and T-shirts. His current girlfriend Xie Ruan loved wearing dresses. Nearly every time they met she had on a dress, her long hair fluttering about, very sweet and feminine.

Although Su Xiaoqi\'s singing at the bar last time stunned him and sparked some other thoughts deep down, Liu Shaowei felt Xie Ruan was still more suitable for him. Their family backgrounds were similar, and Xie Ruan\'s family was even better off. They shared interests and had things to talk about. Xie Ruan was also the sort of girl with fluttering long hair that he liked. He couldn\'t even recall why he had a crush on Su Xiaoqi before his college entrance exams. Thinking about Su Xiaoqi\'s eternal white sneakers and school uniform, he felt his aesthetic back then was questionable.

But today, at the roadside, he froze.

The person before him was Su Xiaoqi. They sat together in evening self-study for so long, there was no way he wouldn\'t recognize her.

Yet she seemed unlike Su Xiaoqi at the same time. She had changed tremendously.

Gone were the heavy glasses frames. Gone was the school uniform. She stood before him tall and graceful. In this instant he felt she was actually prettier than Xie Ruan.

He liked Xie Ruan\'s dainty, sweetly delicate style. After dating her for some time, he also discovered that Xie Ruan wore makeup and reapplied lipstick after meals.

Straight men tended to slowly get educated by the girls around them on another side of the world.

Yet the Su Xiaoqi before him now seemed to have changed and yet unchanged.

Her hair was still simply tied back with a hair band as always. Her face still fair, her eyebrows still masculine and unplucked. Her lips still natural colored without lipstick. She wore no makeup.

These were distinctions that straight-man Liu Shaowei could discern now that he had a girlfriend.

She stood there, still pure and simple. No accessories, earrings, necklaces or bracelets on her.

But in this moment, she was truly beautiful.

Liu Shaowei stared for a long time, wanting to go up and say hi.

Just then, some people emerged from the hotel.

Several men.

One looked distinctly like a country bumpkin, wearing a dirty shirt tucked messily into his pants with a belt.

Liu Shaowei saw Su Xiaoqi\'s previously perplexed expression transform into a bright smile.

"Youngest Uncle! I\'m over here!"

She smiled and walked over, taking a large bag of things from him.

Liu Shaowei backed up several steps, somewhat guiltily moving off to the side.

Only when the two had left did he come back out.

Ultimately he didn\'t go greet her. He felt a tinge of regret, yet not so much regret either. He thought to himself that the two of them were ultimately not of the same world. He was about to attend Beijing Normal University while Su Xiaoqi was off to Enhua University. Their disparity would only grow.

So there was no need.

Although he thought this way, Liu Shaowei was still somewhat distracted when he went to play tennis, even with Xie Ruan cheering on the sidelines in her cheerleading skirt.

The 18-year old was more mature than most, already able to weigh pros and cons, gains and losses. But deep down, there was still a shred of regret and dissatisfaction—probably because he felt Su Xiaoqi was truly quite beautiful.

Xiao Qi and Youngest Uncle left the hotel and did not go to Maternal Uncle\'s home either, nor were they asked to.

When Xiao Qi stood by the hotel entrance earlier, she thought things over and felt it wasn\'t worth her time or effort to dwell on such matters, as that would only narrow her perspective and make her petty.

It was still most important to focus on improving herself and not waste energy on unworthy people.

An uncle like Maternal Uncle was simply a bad relative. There was no use getting angry at them. Best to keep them at a distance.

With the wedding banquet over, they had missed the bus ride home. Youngest Uncle also planned to walk back.

He had drank some alcohol but Youngest Uncle could hold his liquor better than Dad, half a catty of baijiu was no issue, so his perpetually sunburnt farmer\'s face only appeared somewhat flushed. He was walking steadily and soberly.

"Youngest Uncle, let me accompany you to the bus station to take a bus back to Huanghe Town," Xiao Qi offered.

To walk back home they would have to take a bus from Lvshan City to Huanghe Town in the countryside.

Youngest Uncle nodded. The alcohol had made him somewhat livelier than usual without his typical dullness.

He seemed quite delighted and remarked after a few steps, "Xiao Qi, Cousin told me his dry cleaning shop needs a driver to deliver clothes. He said if I get a driver\'s license I can work there."

Xiao Qi\'s first thought was disbelief. That cousin got completely smashed at the wedding.

Moreover, that side of the family hadn\'t been much help at all over the years. They only bossed people around, treating them as free labor. People in business make empty promises as they please.

However, seeing how thrilled Youngest Uncle looked, he seemed eager at the prospect.

"That\'s fine. Youngest Uncle can start by going to get a license first. Whether Cousin has an opening or not, you\'ll still have a license that you can use elsewhere," Xiao Qi said.

"You think I should do it too? I\'ve wanted to learn to drive for a long time but your Grandma didn\'t approve, said it\'s too dangerous. But this time one of Maternal Uncle\'s cousins suggested it so she\'ll definitely agree. Just wait Xiao Qi...once I learn how, I\'ll drive you to the bus stop when you start university." Youngest Uncle was brimming with excitement.

Xiao Qi gave a nod. "It\'s a deal then. I imagine it will take quite a while to get licensed. I\'ll be back from university by the time that happens so you can pick me up from the bus stop then."

They arrived together at the bus station and Xiao Qi bought Youngest Uncle\'s ticket. He appeared somewhat embarrassed.

"It\'s fine, I earn money tutoring now," Xiao Qi said.

"Big Sister-in-Law said that you\'re very accomplished, better than anyone else in our family."

It was rare that Youngest Uncle praised her like that too. Xiao Qi felt a little embarrassed as well. She sent him onto the minibus that rumbled as it departed. Youngest Uncle stuck his head out and shouted:

"When I\'m back I\'ll tell Grandma about learning to drive right away. Once I learn how to drive I\'ll come get you!"

Xiao Qi nodded again and waved in case he didn\'t see clearly.