Chapter 164, first update of 164.

After dinner, Luo Hong said he was going to a friend's house to play cards, leaving the task of taking his sister home to his childhood friend.

Zhou Weifang was naturally delighted and "took the opportunity" to take the person for a stroll in the park.

As Luo Yan was led by him, she whispered, "There are really a lot of people going on dates these days."

Unlike before, when everyone in the park would keep their distance from each other, this only applies at night.

However, the streets are lively during the day as well, with young men and women dressed in very fashionable and trendy clothes, especially after the first Spring Festival Gala this year. Liu Xiaoqing is so popular that even Luo Yan bought a red collared shirt to wear.

Zhou Weifang thought to himself, "What's the big deal about being in a park?" and said, "I need your help."

"Ask me?" Luo Yan poked him with her free hand: "It's like I've never refused you before."

This person is adept at manipulating others.

Zhou Weifang scratched the back of his head: "Yanyan~"

Why draw a long tone? Luo Yan: "Speak."

Zhou Weifang had something on his mind for a long time: "After you get your graduation certificate, can we take a stroll around your school?"

He hid for more than two years. Once, he even saw someone trying to get close to Luo Yan, but he didn't dare to openly stop them. He was so angry at night that he pounded his bed.

That's it? Luo Yan nodded: "But you can't just go there right after you've taken it, it'll look like a provocation."

Zhou Weifang had already thought of everything for her: "I'll borrow a camera from Lao Li and take some photos of you at school as souvenirs. We can invite your aunt and uncle along, what do you say?"

"That's good," Luo Yan said. "I have a new dress that I haven't worn yet."

Zhou Weifang: "Didn't you say last time that you would wear it to your defense?"

Starting with the 1983 cohort, Jiaotong University adopted a graduation assessment method that combines a thesis and a thesis defense.

Luo Yan has submitted her final draft of her thesis and is now waiting for her defense in two weeks. She said, "My teacher suggested that I dress more formally, because my knees are showing."

"Why is it not proper to expose your knees?" Zhou Weifang said. "These people are so feudal."

Luo Yan pouted and said, "Never mind, my graduation certificate is the most important."

It's not worth getting angry over this.

Zhou Weifang patted her head to comfort her and said, "We'll wear it again when we take the photos, put on makeup, and get our hair permed."

Luo Yan laughed: "Does graduating mean I'll have to break several school rules and regulations?"

However, although this is the official rule, it is far from enough to result in a demerit for violating it. At most, the teachers in the academic affairs office will give you a warning. After all, the law does not punish the masses, and there are quite a few students dressed like this now.

"Does graduating mean we're breaking the rules?" Zhou Weifang shook her hand: "Then what are we doing?"

Luo Yan withdrew her hand: "Fine, I'll become a law-abiding citizen tomorrow."

No, Zhou Weifang chased after her all the way, trying to appease her until they were almost at the alley entrance.

As the two were talking, Aunt Liu came out of the alley.

It wouldn't be hard for them to keep their relationship a secret at school, but there are no secrets in the alleyways. After all, they are all native locals, and their area of ​​activity is only so big.

There were bound to be some rumors circulating, and over time, people learned about everything they should and shouldn't know.

Perhaps because graduation was approaching, even Luo Yan herself didn't care much and greeted Aunt Liu naturally.

Aunt Liu, always eager to find out what's going on, tentatively asked, "Oh, where did you all go on your trip?"

Whether to answer or not was not up to Zhou Weifang, who glanced at Luo Yan out of the corner of his eye.

She said, "I just wandered around."

Judging from the tone of his voice, it's a done deal.

Aunt Liu thought to herself that she would have something to talk about in the alley tomorrow, and walked away happily.

Why is she so happy? Luo Yan scratched her face: "What does she mean by this?"

Zhou Weifang: "In less than half an hour, everyone she meets on this road will know that I escorted her to the alley entrance."

As if this were something new, Luo Yan said, "Didn't you run into Sister Wang last time you took me?"

Last time, a scoundrel committed crimes on the run, ruining several young girls within a few days. The whole city was in an uproar, and everyone with daughters was worried sick, picking them up and dropping them off early in the morning and late at night. Of course, Zhou Weifang had to take her to the door. He explained to Sister Wang, "Luo Bu was busy and told me to make sure to bring her back."

Although Sister Wang thought it was reasonable at the time, there were quite a few rumors circulating.

Last time it was chasing the wind, this time it's grasping at shadows. A real man should give an explanation.

Zhou Weifang lowered his head slightly: "Yanyan, when can I come to visit you?"

A visit? Those are such formal words. Luo Yan instinctively thought, "If you're going to come, then..."

She was already twenty-four years old, and realizing what this meant, she said, "I have to ask them."

Zhou Weifang: "Then we definitely have to listen to our elders."

Luo Hong was included in this group of elders, and Luo Yan thought her brother would be quite willing, so she said, "Okay, you can go now, I'm going back."

Only after she could no longer see his back did Zhou Wei turn around and leave—he didn't go home, but went to find his sisters.

The Zhou sisters no longer run a street stall; instead, they rent a small storefront next to the police station to run a clothing store. Business is neither great nor bad.

When Zhou Weifang arrived, both of his older sisters were there, huddled together talking about something. He pushed open the door and walked in, asking, "Who are you whispering about behind their backs?"

This kid, he's here and hasn't made a sound at all. Zhou Yuyao glared at her younger brother: "You can scare people to death!"

He then asked, "Have you eaten?"

It's already this late. Zhou Weifang pulled up a chair and sat down, looking around as he said, "We've eaten, we've eaten. Where's Tiger Head?"

Tiger Head is the nickname of Zhou Yuyao's son, who is almost two years old and should be old enough to attend a daycare program. However, she runs the shop with her unmarried sister, so the two sisters usually take care of him.

She said, "Your brother-in-law wanted to go back to his workplace to get something, but he insisted on going with him."

This shop is located next to the police station where my brother-in-law Wang Delin works, and it's also close to their workplace's staff housing, so it's convenient for them to look after each other.

Zhou Weifang nodded knowingly and got straight to the point: "How's the house inquiry going for me?"

"I knew he was here for this," Zhou Yuyao said. "I was just about to tell you, it's hopeless. Old Chen's son said a while ago that his business failed in the south and he's in debt, so the father had to sell the house to pay it off. But now I hear that he's made a fortune."

No, this money came in way too fast. Zhou Weifang: "What is he doing?"

Zhou Yuyao: "Would people tell everyone about the ways they make money?"

"That's true," Zhou Weifang said sullenly. "Then you can ask around for me about other things."

"How many sets have you bought?" Zhou Yuyao retorted irritably, "Even when Qin Shi Huang built the Forbidden City, you weren't as picky as me."

What about the Forbidden City of Qin Shi Huang? Zhou Weifang: "Sister, that's the Epang Palace."

Aren't all these palaces the same? Zhou Yuyao: "You're so cultured."

He added, "But you just need to put in more effort. You've been with Yanzi for several years, and she's a college student. If you're going to propose, you can't be without a decent house."

When the topic of marriage proposal came up, Zhou Yuying reminded her younger brother: "It should be done sooner rather than later. Girls need a proper status. When I went home the other day, even Mom asked you if your relationship with Yanzi was real."

Although things are not like they were before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there's a saying that goes something like this: "A relationship that is not aimed at marriage is just playing around. If things drag on for too long, it's not good for the girl."

Zhou Weifang also understood this principle: "I placed a house-buying ad in the newspaper, and the referral fee has increased to two hundred, but nothing has happened."

People say that a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men, but too much reward can also cause trouble, so he didn't dare to increase the amount any further.

Then the matter can only be left at this point. Zhou Yuyao managed to find a way to comfort her younger brother: "If you ask me, there's no rush. We have to wait for Yanzi to be assigned a job."

He added earnestly, "You also need to put in some effort in her work. Don't spend all your time being on friendly terms with this person and that person; you won't be able to help her when it really matters."

Zhou Weifang replied, "I know, I know," and glanced at the shop entrance: "Brother-in-law, you've been holding this for quite a while."

Zhou Yuyao noticed: "You need to see him for something?"

Zhou Weifang: "I heard that this year, in cases like Jianjun's, his daughter was able to register her household registration."

Li Hongyu is about to start primary school, but without a household registration, she has no choice but to return to her hometown.

There is a recent policy allowing the children of educated youth to return to the city, but its implementation is still very difficult.

Zhou Yuyao offered a suggestion: "You should have Jianjun ask his brother-in-law who Tianhong is now. He can easily handle this."

Zhou Weifang shook his head: "He and Jianhong haven't exchanged more than a few words since they returned to the city. Jianjun himself feels bad about it, so how could he possibly cause trouble for others?"

To be honest, Zhou Yuyao would never have made this suggestion when she first returned to the city, but people change.

She said, "Jianhong is about to become a mother now. But look at Jianjun, he's different. Back then, all he fought for was for Hongyu. No matter how troublesome it has been over the years, he has always kept the child by his side. He has always been a parent."

Zhou Weifang thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll mention it to him later."

But considering that the siblings haven't been in contact for many years, it seems unlikely.

After the Zhou sisters and Li Jianhong returned to the city, they set up a stall together; they were three close friends who were just like peacocks.

Seeing her younger brother's furrowed brow, Zhou Yuying interjected, "Don't worry, just because Hongyu is a girl, Jianhong will help."

Oh, you like girls.

Zhou Weifang: "I also think it's better to have a girl."

Zhou Yuying said honestly, "You should get married first."

No, how could this person be like this?

Zhou Weifang: "How many customers do you plan to offend with that mouth of yours every day? You're trying to run a business, aren't you?"

Zhou Yuying replied, "You're not a guest."

Well, I really can't stay here anymore.

Zhou Weifang: "I think I'll go back to sleep."

He no longer lives in the attic; he rents a small house around a few fruit shops. It's a courtyard with many people, but there aren't many people there either.

He ran into his neighbor as he entered the yard. After greeting him, he took out his key to unlock the door and went into the living room. He saw his motorcycle parked inside, touched it affectionately, and then went to take a shower.

After washing up, he lay down and was just about to fall asleep when he heard some strange noises. He turned over and covered his ears, saying, "Damn it, if you guys can get married, I'll get married too."

He started thinking about making a formal visit to the Luo family and made a list in his mind.

At the same time, Luo Yan was also mentioning it to her parents.

The couple turned the TV volume down and thought to themselves, "It's Dragon Boat Festival, a holiday, and your work should be assigned by then."

Luo Yan didn't know which day was the Dragon Boat Festival. She looked at the calendar and said, "What a coincidence! We were notified that the announcement would be posted around the 15th of next month. So that's the Dragon Boat Festival."

Liu Yinfeng: "Don't go left or right, it's best to put it up a day early so everyone can have a good holiday."

Luo Yan said it was hard to say: "The final result depends on our defense score."

The daughter explained this to the couple several times, but they still didn't quite understand.

Liu Yinfeng didn't ask many questions about that, only saying, "Boys also need to be given a proper status. If you weren't in school, you and your partner had been dating for a year or two, and all three of you would have gotten married long ago."

Talking for a year or two is considered a long time.

Luo Yan had met many couples two or three times through introductions, and even knew of several families who arranged marriages on their first meeting.

She wasn't very familiar with these formalities and asked, "Doesn't a home visit mean engagement?"

This child, what have you been thinking about?

Liu Yinfeng: "It's not that easy. It's just a meeting."

Luo Yan was even more confused: "You've seen it before, haven't you?"

"That's not the same at all," Liu Yinfeng said. "If you want to be a son-in-law, you have to take it one step at a time."

Luo Yan made a round "oh" sound, thinking to herself that she was better off going back to her room to prepare for her defense.

She doesn't need to go to class now. For the next two weeks, apart from having two meals with Zhou Weifang, she did nothing but tinker with this matter every day. She can recite her thesis by heart and knows almost all the relevant literature.

With only this one exam left in his four years of university, the whole family was naturally on edge. Luo Hong vaguely thought it was the year his younger sister took the college entrance exam; he barely dared to breathe loudly at home until finally, the day of her thesis defense arrived.

Luo Yan got up early and started braiding her hair, trying out several different styles, looking at herself in the mirror from left to right.

Seeing her daughter getting all fuss, Liu Yinfeng suggested, "Ponytail, forehead showing, it'll make you look bright and energetic."

The professors who made the decisions today are all older, and their aesthetic sense is probably similar to that of my mother.

Luo Yan obeyed, tied her hair up, changed her clothes, and twirled around in front of her mother.

Liu Yinfeng looked at it and said, "Beautiful, at least our impression score is full."

Luo Yan herself was very satisfied, straightening the collar of her white shirt: "It's mainly because the clothes you made are so good."

Liu Yinfeng patted non-existent dust off her daughter's body: "You're so sweet-talking."

It's just a white shirt, what kind of tricks can you make with it? Luo Yan chuckled, and when Huang Laishun ran towards her, she took a step back: "Don't rub against me today, or you'll get all my fur on you."

Especially since she was wearing black pants.

Huang Laishun thought she wanted to play a game of chase with him, so he ran even faster, only to be grabbed by Luo Hong, who had just gotten up: "I told you not to listen, but you still won't listen."

Huang Laishun was flailing his four legs, howling and barking. Finally, he got angry and scurried into his den.

Wow, you've got quite a temper.

Luo Hong gave it two pieces of meat from his breakfast, and it started wagging its tail again, though it held its head high, clearly "reluctantly."

Luo Hong muttered, "This dog really takes after you."

There were only a few people present. Luo Yan pinched her brother's arm and said, "I told you not to talk about me like that."

"She has something important to do today," Luo Hong said helplessly. "I'll let you off this time."

Luo Yan glanced at him sideways, finished her meal, smoothed her hair, and went out.

She rode her bike to school, found the classroom for today's defense, and chatted with Ji Ning, who had arrived earlier, in the corridor.

Ji Ning said, "Your student number is after mine, how come you're here so early?"

Student ID numbers are arranged alphabetically by surname, and the order of the defense is also based on this.

Luo Yan: "The sooner we arrive, the more at ease we will feel."

Everyone thought the same thing, but those who came weren't there to cram at the last minute. Instead, they chatted in twos and threes, and there was an unspoken sense of sadness at parting.

After all, once the defense is over, the graduation ceremony and job assignment announcement will follow quickly. According to the current policy, most people will return to their hometowns, and after that, they will be scattered all over the country, and there will probably be no chance to meet again.

Thinking of this, Ji Ning took out a notebook: "Luo Yan, write down your address and phone number so we can keep in touch later."

When Luo Yan opened the book, she saw what others had written and filled in her own blessing: "May your future be bright and your affairs go smoothly."

She said, "That's a good idea, I'll prepare a copy too."

Even though everyone knows that these addresses and numbers will probably end up in a box, they are doing this with genuine sincerity.

Many trends on campus are started by boarding students. Ji Ning: "Recently, everyone has been writing that you come to school less often, and I haven't seen you in the library."

As she said, Luo Yan filled out the notebooks of half the class one after another in the morning, and even boys from other classes came to her. She did not leave her contact information for these people, but she wrote down a very auspicious blessing for them, which was to save face for everyone.

It was almost noon when the teachers were about to stop for a break and lunch. Luo Yan knew she would definitely not be able to go until after 2 p.m., so she rode her bike to find her brother.

Luo Hongkai's shop at the entrance of Jiaotong University was moved from next to the security office to across the street, and now has a storefront of three square meters.

Although he now owns three stores, he spends most of his time here because of his sister, so he has a small office.

The place isn't big, but it's enough for eating and resting.

Luo Yan knew someone was inside, so she pushed open the door and shouted, "Where's my food? Where's my food?"

Luo Hong was chatting with Zhou Weifang when he saw her come in. He got up and said, "I'll go buy it."

Luo Yan confessed, "I want to eat braised pork with dried bamboo shoots."

They'd even ordered the food. Luo Hong said irritably, "Wait."

After he left, there were only two people left in the shop.

Zhou Weifang asked, "Isn't it your turn yet?"

Luo Yan guessed: "I think I'll be the last one this afternoon. The teacher originally said that everyone would have 20 to 30 minutes, but everyone ended up having more than 30 minutes this morning."

So long? Zhou Weifang: "Then eat more at noon."

Whether or not to eat is secondary. Luo Yan has a lot of spare stationery in the office. First, she finds a new notebook and puts it in her bag.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Weifang asked, "What do you mean?"

Luo Yan: "I collected everyone's graduation wishes and contact information. I wrote for so many people this morning."

So many? Zhou Weifang, a very clever man, said jealously, "Most of them are boys, right?"

Luo Yan kissed him: "Yes."

Write it down, it's just the infatuation of a young person, using this opportunity to leave behind some memories.

Zhou Weifang was just using this as an excuse to act coquettishly, rubbing his chin against her shoulder.

Luo Yan patted the back of his head: "If your brother sees this again, I'll beat you up."

Zhou Weifang immediately stood at attention, then took a step back, seemingly trying to hide something: "Would you like to prepare a little longer?"

Luo Yan hadn't done anything productive all morning, saying, "We've been preparing for four years, and it's all set in stone."

She has always been confident in her grades, but instead she chats about trivial family matters.

Zhou Weifang chatted with her while waiting for his meal.

When Luo Hong came in carrying a lunchbox, he said, "What's with those looks you two have? Are you starving?"

Luo Yan grinned at her brother, "I'll eat you first later."

Luo Hong placed the braised pork with dried bamboo shoots in front of her: "Say it again."

Luo Yan smiled and pretended that she hadn't said anything, then eagerly started eating.

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Author's note: Goodnight