Luo Guangming moved the tables and chairs over and started setting them up in the yard. There were two large round tables, enough for almost everyone to sit down.

Lin Qiao helped move things and saw Luo Guangming diligently wiping the table, which made her feel complicated.

"Brother Guangming, are you really the captain now?"

She mustered her courage and asked.

She was admitted to the Physics Department of Beijing Normal University. In the next four years, she would only be able to come back a handful of times, and she would soon not be able to see him again.

Luo Guangming felt a tightness in his chest. His feigned composure was finally betrayed by the deeper meaning in her words, and he could no longer hide his emotions.

He pulled Lin Qiao behind an orange tree in the vegetable garden and said in a low voice:

"Zhang Lei was transferred to the county town as a cadre by his father, so he had to hand over the construction team to me. Xiao Qiao, I'm not going to take the college entrance exam; I just want to make money. Will you look down on me?"

Lin Qiao pursed her lips and shook her head, her doe-like eyes smiling:

"Brother Guangming is really something. He managed to turn a construction team into a decent business in just over six months. You have a real talent for construction."

I know you're not just doing this to make money, but also to provide everyone with a way to earn money. Everyone trusts you now and is willing to work with you. I believe that in a few years, you'll definitely achieve great things in the construction industry.

Her sister-in-law once told her that the college entrance examination is not the only way out. No matter what industry you are in, as long as you work hard, you can achieve extraordinary success.

Luo Guangming immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile spread across his face.

"Thank you, Xiaoqiao. I was really worried you would look down on me."

Lin Qiao retorted angrily, "No way!"

Her voice, unusually, had a lingering tone at the end, carrying a hint of coquetry.

Luo Guangming then boldly placed his hands on the orange tree, encircling her completely, and then leaned close to her and whispered in her ear:

“Before, you were still in school, and there were some things I couldn’t say. Now that you’ve graduated and are going to university, I can finally tell you that I’ve liked you for a long time.”

"Ah~" Lin Qiao was stunned. She didn't expect Luo Guangming to suddenly confess his feelings to her. Her face burned red.

"Guang...Brother Guangming, actually I..."

The more anxious she became, the more flustered she felt. She desperately wanted to tell him that she had always liked him too, but she stammered and couldn't get the words out.

Luo Guangming gently patted her head and smiled:

"Why are you stuttering? You don't need to answer me. Just treat me like an older brother who likes you. If you meet any outstanding boys at school who pursue you, try to spend more time with them..."

Although he felt bitter, he hoped that such a wonderful girl as Lin Qiao should find someone better.

Lin Qiao was frantic. Her face flushed red, and she tried to say something incoherently but couldn't get the words out. Finally, she steeled herself, stood on tiptoe, and pressed her lips to his.

Just then, Wang Xiufen announced that dinner was ready. After kissing her, she blushed and quickly ran away.

Luo Guangming felt as if he had been struck by an electric current, his whole body felt numb and tingly, and he stood frozen in place for a long time without moving.

He touched the corner of his lips and was delighted to realize that Lin Qiao also liked him.

Oh my god, happiness came so suddenly.

How is he supposed to start a relationship with Lin Qiao? What should he give her as a token of their love?

They will be in different places in the future, and it will be difficult to keep in touch. He must work hard and strive to go to the capital in the future.

They can get married and have two children then...

In just a few minutes, he had already thought of a name for the child.

Lin Qiao called him several times by the dining table before he came to his senses, walked over, and sat down next to her.

Aunt Luo and her family have all come. Since they won't be home anymore, we'll have to trouble Aunt Luo to look after the house here.

"Sure, you should come back and visit often in the future. It's really hard to see you all leaving so suddenly."

As she spoke, Aunt Luo's eyes were already moist.

Liu Fang picked up a piece of food for her and comforted her with a smile:

“Godmother, even if we can’t meet, we can still write letters. If you miss them in the future, I’ll write letters for you.”

Jiang Ning also said, "We can install telephones later, and our two families' relationship will never be severed."

She saw it clearly: when Lin Qiao came out of the vegetable garden, her face was flushed, and Luo Guangming was sitting next to her, glancing at her from time to time.

These two have clearly made their feelings clear.

At the dinner table, she also noticed that Luo Tiegang treated Liu Fang very differently. They were now like god-siblings, but Liu Fang had short arms, so whenever there was a dish that was difficult to pick up, he would always be the first to put it in her bowl.

There's a pink bubble between them too!

The situation is even more obvious with Song Jia and He Xiao. They are a legally married couple, so feeding each other vegetables is no big deal.

Only Zhao Ergou, sitting to the side, watched them flaunt their affection, and his mindset changed slightly.

Before, he only cared about filling his stomach and didn't think about anything else. Now that he has money in his pocket, he's started having thoughts about finding women.

"Ergou, shouldn't you find a wife too?" Lin Chen patted his shoulder and asked with concern.

Zhao Ergou was stubborn:

“Brother Chen, it’s fine to live alone. Getting married is too expensive. There’s the bride price, and the three turns and one ring (referring to a set of three-piece suitcases and a radio), I don’t have that much money.”

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Er Gou, you've now mastered the skill of cultivating wood ear mushrooms. With this skill, you can be guaranteed a life of comfort for the rest of your life."

Also, I don't need the sewing machine and bicycle I already have at home, so you can take them if you like. But you have to promise me one thing: no one can demolish our mud-brick house.”

This half-collapsed mud-brick house is his deepest memory of his hometown.

Er Gou smiled and agreed, then burst into tears:

"Brother Chen, you're so good to me. Will we never see each other again?"

Hearing him say that, everyone burst into laughter.

"What are you saying? We're just going to study in the capital. This place is still our home. We can come back during winter and summer vacations." Lin Chen reassured him.

In fact, he knew very well that many people who went to study in other places would settle down there and it wouldn't be so easy for them to come back.

However, he really couldn't bear to part with his group of good friends.

Just as the atmosphere was getting a little somber, Zhao Ergou suddenly said:

"Why didn't Baoliang come? He was absent from Brother Chen's farewell party!"

"After becoming the captain of the criminal investigation team, his attitude towards old friends has definitely changed!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Baoliang, dressed in a summer police uniform, slowly walked over and slapped Zhao Ergou on the back of the head.

"Ergou, you've grown some guts, haven't you? Daring to talk behind my back!"

I'm late because I have official business to attend to. The parents of the child Jiang Ning rescued last time have been found.

Jiang Ning immediately looked at him with delight:

"Then tell me quickly, where are his parents from?"