Chapter 25

It was time to go off work, and there were many people gathered on the road. Wang Dahai's two little brothers were chasing and beating up Zhang Mingwei while warning him, but their warning had a different flavor. One of them pointed at Zhang Mingwei and scolded, "Zhang, this is just a light punishment today. If you dare to harass my second sister-in-law again, I'll beat you up every time I see you!"

The other one, after catching up to Zhang Mingwei and kicking him, cursed, "Damn, I'll teach you a lesson for being a pervert. See if you dare again. Tomorrow, I'll come to your house and beat you up right at your doorstep!"

Xiao Yuanhang had originally asked them to warn Zhang Mingwei not to harass Jiang Shan again, but in their mouths, it became "second sister-in-law." This left him helpless, as they probably considered Jiang Shan to be the object of their respected second brother's affection. He couldn't help but look at the crowd gathered at the hospital entrance and noticed that Jiang Shan was standing there with her bag, along with two nurses from her department. Her expression was uncertain.

Xiao Yuanhang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. These two little brothers had inadvertently done the right thing. If they had called out Jiang Shan's name, it would have been bad if her colleagues at the hospital had heard it. They might have thought these little hooligans were fighting over her. By calling her "second sister-in-law," Zhang Mingwei understood, and so did Jiang Shan, but the onlookers were confused.

By this time, Zhang Mingwei had already run away, and the two little brothers quickly disappeared into the crowd, fearing that if they stayed too long, someone might report them to the police, which would be troublesome.

With no more spectacle to watch, the crowd slowly dispersed. Jiang Shan saw Xiao Yuanhang but didn't intend to greet him. She walked home with the two nurses from her department, clearly not giving him a chance. Fortunately, Xiao Yuanhang's home was in the same direction as hers, so he didn't enter the hospital and followed them north.

The two nurses' homes were closer, and they arrived at their respective homes before reaching the big market. Seeing that only Jiang Shan was left, Xiao Yuanhang quickly caught up and walked beside her. Jiang Shan knew Xiao Yuanhang had been following her. When he caught up, she quickened her pace and turned into a quieter side street near the railway club. Xiao Yuanhang understood that she wanted to talk to him in a more private place because of the crowd, so he followed her with a smile.

Sure enough, not far into the side street, Jiang Shan stopped and turned to face Xiao Yuanhang, her face cold as she demanded, "Xiao Yuanhang, didn't you promise me yesterday? Why did you do this today?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Zhang Mingwei is the kind of person who doesn't learn unless you beat him. You saw yesterday how he followed us to the movie and to your doorstep. He's a real scumbag! But you also saw today that the two guys who beat him up didn't use any weapons. Do you think that's their style? I was afraid they would hurt him, so I specifically told them to just scare him and teach him a lesson. Otherwise, he would have ended up in the hospital!"

Xiao Yuanhang's words were reasonable, and Jiang Shan thought about it and realized he was right. She felt reassured and nodded, saying, "Okay, I understand. Just don't go too far."

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Don't worry, I know my limits. I won't get myself into trouble." Seeing that Jiang Shan was about to leave, he stepped forward and held her hand, saying, "Jiang Shan, it's rare to see you. You're going home early, and there's nothing to do. Let's take a walk together."

"Let go, don't let anyone see!" Jiang Shan instinctively tried to pull her hand away, looking around to see if anyone was watching. Girls of that era were very shy and generally didn't hold hands in public, even if they were in a relationship.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "I'll let go if you agree."

"I'll agree if you let go!" Jiang Shan said, her face turning red.

Xiao Yuanhang immediately let go of Jiang Shan's hand and said, "Okay, I let go. You agreed?"

Jiang Shan glared at him as soon as she was free and said, "When did I agree? Which ear did you hear me agree?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "You said you would agree if I let go. Now that I've let go, you agreed. You have to keep your word, no backing out!"

"Hmph!" Jiang Shan said, her cute little nose wrinkling. "You're the one who's backing out! You skip work every day and hang out with those little hooligans. I don't think you'll amount to anything good!"

Xiao Yuanhang spread his hands helplessly and said, "Why would I skip work? I just got back from the office today. Next month, I'm going to participate in a technical performance competition at the railway bureau. For the past few days, the education department has been keeping us in closed training."

"Blow, just blow. I know this isn't easy to participate in the railway bureau's technical performance competition!" Jiang Shan didn't believe Xiao Yuanhang and shot back.

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Jiang Shan, I'm not lying. A few days ago, I participated in the technical performance competition of the branch and won the only technical champion. Therefore, I will represent the branch in the railway bureau's competition. Your parents and neighbors in the train segment can verify this. Do I have any reason to lie about this?"

Hearing this, Jiang Shan started to believe him. Winning the top spot in the branch was no easy feat, and her impression of Xiao Yuanhang improved. How could such an excellent person be hanging out with those little hooligans? She thought to herself but said, "I will definitely check. If you're lying, I'll never talk to you again!"

Xiao Yuanhang laughed and said, "That's right. Practice is the only criterion for testing the truth. Without investigation, there is no right to speak. I hope you investigate, as it will make me look better in your eyes!"

"Hmph, 'I hope you investigate,' you're so full of yourself!"

Seeing Jiang Shan's shy and charming expression, Xiao Yuanhang quickly stepped forward and held her hand, saying, "Come on, let's take a walk around the railway primary school. It's a waste of time to stand here!"

Jiang Shan tried to pull her hand away but couldn't, so she let him hold it. The two of them walked toward the railway primary school. In modern times, young couples holding hands on the street was nothing, and even kissing in public was not uncommon, but in that era, holding hands was already the limit!

The railway primary school was on the edge of the city. To the west of the playground was a vegetable field. After school, the entire campus was very quiet, with only a few nearby children playing on the playground. Therefore, this place was a common spot for couples to date. They could find a quiet spot under a big tree and sit without being disturbed.

The evening breeze was gentle, and the green leaves rustled. Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan sat in the shade of a tree, chatting about their work and experiences, their ideals, and their future plans. The gap between that era and modern times was too great, so Xiao Yuanhang couldn't talk about things from the future. Jiang Shan wouldn't believe him. He just said he would try his best to do well in the technical performance competition, work hard, and aim to become a train conductor or a team leader, but he didn't dare to mention becoming a section chief.

Jiang Shan's ideal was to get a promotion after working for two years and become a surgeon. She didn't want to be a nurse for life.

They chatted until it was dark, and their stomachs were growling. Xiao Yuanhang reluctantly stood up. At this time, the restaurants were closed, and even if there were still customers, the kitchen wouldn't cook for new ones. He said, "Jiang Shan, let's go eat grilled fish at the station!"

*******************************************************************

PS: Thank you to my fellow "Qu Chenxin" for the tip! Please follow and recommend!