Chapter 51

Meng Qinyang's birthday happened to be on a Friday, so he took advantage of the weekend to stay a few more days.

During those days, we basically went in groups of three.

Chen Miao and Lin Jiu had already made an appointment, and they played the role of hosts and went out to play with Meng Qinyang.

After Meng Qinyang left, Lin Jiu and Chen Miao didn't have much time to meet.

After finishing a week of classes, Lin Jiu and his roommates prepared for the final exam with all their heart and soul.

The day before the exam, the four of them stayed in the dormitory to memorize their lessons.

After a period of hard work, Zhou Jingmeng gained confidence. She put down her books, folded her arms over her chest, looked at the white wall in front of her, and began to look forward to summer vacation: "After the exam, I will go get my driver's license right away."

Tang Yazhi looked up from her book and glanced at her: "Driver's license? What did you do after the college entrance examination? Why are you preparing for the exam now?"

"After the college entrance exam, I immediately went on a trip with my friends. Besides, learning to drive is so tiring." Zhou Jingmeng turned his head to look at Tang Yazhi and asked, "Have you got your license yet?"

Tang Yazhi nodded, her tone quite proud: "Of course, it's easy to get the certificate."

After being shown off like this, Zhou Jingmeng immediately looked at Liu Qing and Lin Jiu: "What about you two? Have you taken your driver's license test yet?"

Liu Qing turned around and said, "No, I went out to play for a few days and then stayed at home."

Lin Jiu looked down at the page and said without turning his head, "I don't have it either."

Zhou Jingmeng breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, "Fortunately, I'm not alone."

The dormitory fell into silence for a few seconds.

The other three were ready to continue reading, but Zhou Jingmeng had already lost interest in reading and asked, "What are your plans for this summer vacation?"

Tang Yazhi was the first to answer: "Go abroad and find a place to escape the summer heat."

Zhou Jingmeng affirmed the plan: "Wow, that's a good idea."

Liu Qing followed closely behind: "I have an appointment with Tan Tian and will go to Jinghe City to play for a few days. After that, I have no plans."

Zhou Jingmeng nodded, dragging his chin: "That's fine, falling in love is also a kind of entertainment."

After a long time, Zhou Jingmeng didn't hear Lin Jiu's answer, so she looked at her and asked, "Lin Jiu, what about you?"

Lin Jiu stroked the corner of the book with his fingers and said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

Zhou Jingmeng wanted to recruit an accomplice and directly suggested: "Why don't you just take the driving test like me? That way, we can share driving experience."

Lin Jiu stared at the words on the page, but she couldn't concentrate at all. She said, "We'll decide after the exam."

Compared with the other three people in the dormitory, Lin Jiu does not have as much freedom to do things.

Transportation was a major problem for her family. There weren't many buses going to the city, so every trip to the city had to be timed carefully, and Yang Bing would have to drive her to the bus stop.

Whether it is going to the city to work during the summer vacation or taking a driver's license test, it actually doesn't work.

There was no way she would rent a house just for a few months of summer work or to get a driver's license.

If I rent a place, after deducting rent and expenses, I'll lose a lot of money from my summer job and won't make much. Choosing to get a driver's license is a waste of money, with no income, and the cost is high... Overall, it's not worth it.

It all comes down to money.

The only thing to be thankful for is that she is not short of money now.

But this money was cumbersome for Yang Bing to use. After all, she only had a thousand yuan for living expenses every month, and it was impossible for her to save so much money out of thin air.

-

Officially enter summer vacation life.

After much consideration, Lin Jiu chose to stay at home.

The next day after returning home, she took advantage of Yang Bing playing Candy Crush in the bedroom and moved a stool to sit next to her.

She sat with her head down for a long time, preparing herself mentally, and finally said, "Mom, I made some money while I was in school, and I want to buy three air conditioners to install in my room."

Things like buying an air conditioner must be communicated with Yang Bing in advance, after all, she is the one who makes the decisions at home.

Hearing this, Yang Bing frowned. "Air conditioner? Why buy that? We already have a fan at home. Why spend that money? You earn money, why not use it for tuition? Why spend this money?"

Lin Jiu faced her disapproving gaze, remained silent for a few seconds, and said, "It's really too hot in the summer. The fan blows out hot air."

Putting down the phone, Yang Bing was a little impatient, and his tone was not very good. "How you lived before, you live the same way now. You have been through it for more than ten years, and now you can't do it? What, after a year of studying in school, you have become spoiled?"

Lin Jiu felt that her attitude was okay. She had already discussed the matter with Yang Bing calmly, but she was inexplicably blamed by her.

She was also a little angry, and her voice was a little higher: "I saved some money, since I can buy it, why can't I buy it to improve it?!"

Seeing that Lin Jiu still dared to talk back to her, Yang Bing's voice began to get louder: "Do what your family has according to how much money it has. We are not a wealthy family, so don't think about wasting money on these expensive things."

Lin Jiu tilted his head back and asked, "Buying an air conditioner makes you rich? Didn't everyone else in the village install one? Do we really have to live without air conditioning?"

As if her dignity as a parent had been challenged, Yang Bing was furious and yelled at Lin Jiu, "Don't you know what's going on in our family?"

"I know." Lin Jiu yelled at Yang Bing, then paused for a few seconds before she said expressionlessly, "So I've been very well-behaved since I was little, right? I rarely ask you for anything, and I rarely ask you for expensive things. Now I just want to buy an air conditioner with my own money, and you have to accuse me of being ignorant?"

After being repeatedly humiliated, Yang Bing got out of bed, put on her flip-flops, and yelled at Lin Jiu with a red face, "What kind of education have you got? Ever since you went to college, your temper has gotten worse and worse!"

Lin Jiu slowly stood up from the bench, took a step back, looked Yang Bing in the eye, and said calmly, "I'm just discussing the matter at hand."

"You..." Yang Bing suddenly raised his hand, with his palm suspended in the air, about to fall.

Looking at Yang Bing's raised hand, Lin Jiu suddenly smiled, showing disdain for such violent means.

She is no longer a child. She is not afraid of such a slap, nor will she accept it obediently.

When she was little, she was still a fledgling. Yang Bing was the head of the family, holding the financial power. Therefore, she had to go along with Yang Bing, never talking back to her, and always being well-behaved and sensible.

Now she is in college and will be able to make money in the future. She has already started to grow strong.

She looked at Yang Bing with cold eyes, having a silent confrontation with her mother.

Yang Bing had never seen Lin Jiu like this before, and she seemed intimidated by her. After a half-minute stalemate, she lowered her hand and walked out of the room: "Whatever you want."

After the big fight, Lin Jiu and Yang Bing didn't speak to each other for a while and had no communication.

Lin Jiu didn't take it seriously. After all, she and Yang Bing didn't talk much, so she was used to this kind of atmosphere and just felt a little more indifferent.

However, Lin Jiu was her daughter after all, so she was quite understanding. She broke the ice first and asked Yang Bing to take her to the town to select three relatively cheap air conditioners and install them in the bedroom.

Afterwards, Lin Jiu seemed to have forgotten about the quarrel and continued to get along as usual.

There will always be minor frictions when living together for a long time.

When Lin Jiu and Yang Bing disagreed on minor matters, Lin Jiu would generally go along with Yang Bing and let her make the decision. She wasn't a strong-willed person and didn't want to further strain the mother-daughter relationship over minor conflicts.

-

For the first month, Lin Jiuan stayed at home.

She didn't go out to travel, get a driver's license, or work a summer job.

She is good at finding things to do to pass the time.

Sometimes, she would watch popular TV series or variety shows in Yang Bing's room; sometimes, she would sit at the table and read e-books on her tablet and write reading notes; sometimes, she would wear a sun hat and walk along the one-meter-deep ditch in the village to look at the mountains, rivers, flowers and plants.

All in all, she lived a fulfilling and comfortable life.

She originally planned to spend the entire summer like this, but something happened and she went to Jinhai City early.

In the afternoon of August 8th.

Yang Bing and Meng Juan went to the village to play cards as usual.

Lin Jiu lay in the bedroom and took a very comfortable nap with the air conditioner on.

It was already 3 p.m. when I woke up.

The sun was blazing outside, but she suddenly had the urge to go see the lotus flowers. She changed out of her pajamas, put on long clothes and trousers, and put on a sun hat, wrapping herself up tightly and went out.

There's a two-acre pond in the village planted with lotus flowers. It was originally planted there on purpose, but the owner later moved to the city, leaving it abandoned. The lotus flowers are incredibly hardy, growing beautifully every summer even without care.

Lin Jiu walked on the road for ten minutes holding a parasol. In the distance, he saw a field of lush green lotus leaves, with pink and white lotus flowers scattered around. The red and green colors intertwined were particularly pleasing to the eye in the sun.

She walked along the ridge of the field and approached the lotus pond.

After watching quietly for a minute, I folded the umbrella and placed it at my feet, and picked a blooming lotus flower and lotus leaf nearby.

Then she took out her cell phone from her trouser pocket, took a picture of the lotus pond, and took a few pictures of the lotus flowers and lotus leaves she had just picked.

Looking around, she found a ridge with shade from trees, sat down cross-legged, hid among the lotus leaves, and sent the two pictures to Chen Miao who was far away in Jinhai.

Jiubudujiu: Let me show you the lotus pond. The lotus flowers are in full bloom and are super beautiful.

Seeing that Chen Miao didn't reply to the message, Lin Jiu put the phone on his lap and peeled the fragrant lotus petals one by one. He put all the peeled petals on the lotus leaves, which looked quite unique.

When the lotus was peeled until only the yellow center was left, Chen Miao finally replied.

CM: It’s really good.

CM: Don’t you want to take a photo?

Lin Jiu glanced up and down at his own attire. A white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers did not look suitable for a photo.

So, she held the phone in one hand and replied seriously: I won’t take a photo with you because you are dressed too simply.

Less than two seconds after the message was sent, Chen Miao called in with a video call. Lin Jiu's hands shook and the phone almost fell into the rice field next to him.

Holding the phone tightly, she stared at the screen for a few seconds, slightly adjusted the hat on her head, and answered the call.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds without saying anything.

Chen Miao was lying on the sofa. The background looked like an office with a strong modern decoration style.

Lin Jiu's background is relatively complex. On the left is a green lotus leaf stalk, on the right is a field of immature green rice, and behind is a narrow field ridge and blue sky and white clouds.

It was Chen Miao who broke the silence first. He smiled and said, "Did you just come out of the water? Why do you look like a lotus in clear water?"

All he could see was the little face hidden in the shadow of the hat. She was pale, with sweat dripping from her forehead and her cheeks flushed, a perfect whiteness with a hint of rosy red, no less rosy than the lotus in the picture.

"..." Lin Jiu said, "I was under the scorching sun, and the sweat on my face couldn't be wiped off. It can be considered as coming out of the water."

"In this hot weather, are you here just to see the lotus flowers?" Chen Miao asked.

Lin Jiu nodded. "I came here on a whim after taking a nap." She then turned the camera to focus on the petals on the lotus leaf. "Look, this is my masterpiece."

"Why are you so cute?" Chen Miao couldn't help laughing.

Lin Jiu shook the lotus leaf in his hand, and the petals scattered. "Picking lotus petals is very relaxing. You can also try and count the petals."

"Okay, when you get back to school, I'll pick them with you."

"Back to school?" Lin Jiu frowned slightly and flipped the camera. "...By that time, most of the lotus flowers will have withered."

After a few seconds of silence, Chen Miao said, "Do you plan to return to Jinhai early?"

Lin Jiu looked at the lotus leaf stem and said, "I have no plans for now."

"Then can you come back early for me?" Chen Miao looked at the little face on the screen seriously and said, "I have prepared a gift for you, and I need you to inspect it on the spot."

"What is it that needs to be collected on the spot? Can't you just send it to me?" Lin Jiu asked.

"It's very big, not easy to send. And..." Chen Miao's eyes darkened slightly, "I miss you, I want to see you."

Hearing this, Lin Jiu lowered his eyes, his face became even redder, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

Chen Miao offered a second solution. "If you don't want to return early, I'll go to Guicheng to find you tomorrow. The gift is really big... you might need to go back to Jinhai to open it." If the gift wasn't too large to carry, he would have gone to Guicheng without hesitation instead of letting Lin Jiu come to find him.

When he heard that Chen Miao was coming to Guicheng, Lin Jiu immediately stopped him: "No, don't come to Guicheng to find me."

There was only one small town near her home, and it was a retirement town. The entire town was mostly inhabited by the elderly, with very few young people, and there were no hotels at all. If Chen Miao wanted to stay, she would have to stay in the city, and going there would be very troublesome.

It’s better for her to do it alone than for two people to do it together.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'll go back to Jinhai early."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pouted and complained, "Why does my birthday fall on this time... It's too early, I can't even stay in the school dormitory." The school's faculty and staff are on vacation during the winter and summer vacations. If you don't apply to stay in school in advance with a legitimate reason, you won't be able to stay in the dormitory.

Chen Miao raised his eyebrows, "Stay with me, the room has already been prepared for you."

"......" These are obviously serious words, but when Chen Miao says them, it really makes people think of something wrong.

Lin Jiu knew that rashly going to a boy's house was not a good idea. If it weren't for her trust in Chen Miao, she wouldn't dare to stay at his place directly.

She and Chen Miao are close, but not intimate.

During their relationship, she and he only hugged and kissed each other and did nothing else.

Chen Miao's behavior was very restrained. He kissed fiercely, but his hands did not go beyond the limit.

Looking at Chen Miao in front of the screen, Lin Jiu nodded and responded: "Okay, I'll tell you after I buy the ticket. It's too hot, I need to go back."

Sitting up, she held up her phone towards the pond and said, "Let me show you one last beautiful view."

Chen Miao chuckled, "Just look at you."

After dinner, Lin Jiu said to Yang Bing, "I want to go back to school."

Yang Bing looked at her and asked, "Do you live in school?"

Lin Jiu hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.

Yang Bing: "When are you going?"

Lin Jiu looked down at the high-speed rail information on his phone and said, "Tomorrow."

Yang Bing turned around to turn on the TV, "Okay, I understand."