Chapter 144 Returning Home and Meeting Again After a Long Separation...

Chapter 144

After saying goodbye, Meng Yingying returned to her dormitory and began writing letters.

The first letter was addressed to Yang Jie, who was returning to China and would be participating in an international ballet competition.

I wonder if Yang Jie knew that the international ballet competition was held in the capital.

The second letter was to Qi Donghan; she was returning to China and asked him to pick her up at the station.

That's right, that's how confident I am, even after being away for five years.

She still has so many demands.

The third letter was for Zhao Yueru. It first inquired about Zhao Yueru's situation, then asked how Fanfan was doing, and whether she still remembered her as her godmother, adding that she would bring Fanfan a gift when she returned.

The three letters were sent to two different places; the former went to the Central Ballet of China in the capital.

The latter two letters were sent to the team stationed in Harbin.

In November 1977, when the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination spread throughout the country.

The international registered letter sent by Meng Yingying slowly arrived at the Central Ballet Company in the capital from Moscow.

When it was confirmed that the 1977-1978 International Ballet Competition would be held in the capital, specifically with the Central Ballet of China.

Yang Jie became extremely busy. The ballet company's original rehearsal hall was not big enough, and it needed to be expanded.

The cafeteria space is also insufficient, so expansion is also needed.

And then there are the foreigners, whose eating habits are different from those of people in China, so we have to arrange different chefs to cook for them.

Seven or eight years ago, this would have been unthinkable. Now it's just a matter of taking advantage of a good opportunity—the reform and opening up.

As a result, relations between countries are not as strained as before.

That's why this international ballet competition came about and took place in the capital.

While Yang Jie was busy at work, Gu Xiaotang floated over like a ghost, "Teacher, will my senior sister come back for the international competition this time?"

This was the seventh time Gu Xiaotang had asked.

Yang Jie was somewhat helpless. "Didn't I say? It depends on the situation. As long as she can graduate normally, she will definitely come back."

"But if I don't graduate normally, I'll just have to wait for the next time."

Therefore, Yang Jie cannot be 100% certain whether Meng Yingying will return this time.

Gu Xiaotang was somewhat disappointed. "If my senior sister doesn't come back, I won't be able to see her again."

She counted on her fingers, "My senior sister has been gone for almost five years." Then she looked up at Yang Jie, "Teacher, do you think she'll remember me when she comes back?"

Looking at Gu Xiaotang, who seemed anxious and uncertain, Yang Jie couldn't help but say, "Don't worry, I'll definitely remember you."

No sooner had she said that than the postman came riding his bicycle and stopped outside Yang Jie's office, ringing his bell. "Comrade Yang, your international registered letter."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jie immediately came out. "International registered mail?"

He got straight to the point right from the start.

"yes."

"Sent from Moscow."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jie immediately became happy. She took the form from the postman and quickly signed it.

After receiving the letter, Yang Jie was genuinely happy when she saw the return address. She immediately opened the registered letter and exclaimed, "It's from Yingying!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Gu Xiaotang also peeked over and asked, "What did Senior Sister say?"

Yang Jie skimmed through the text and read, “Yingying is coming back.”

"She's coming back to participate in an international ballet competition." As she said this, her heart started pounding. "She's returning to represent her country after completing her studies."

Who understands these eight characters?

My blood was pumping with excitement.

Gu Xiaotang was also excited, "My senior sister is coming back?"

Gu Xiaotang, who had been like a lost soul, suddenly perked up. She patted her face and said, "Then I need to practice hard during this time. If my senior sister comes back and checks my homework, and I'm too far behind her, she'll definitely think I'm embarrassing her."

Yang Jie nodded, "Study hard."

"Go and tell your junior brothers and sisters to study hard."

"When the senior sister returns, she will check their homework."

Gu Xiaotang nodded and ran off quickly, disappearing from sight. The person seemed more energetic than usual.

This made Yang Jie chuckle, "Yingying, only when you come back will the ballet troupe have a true soul."

Harbin-based team.

The postman delivered the two letters to Qi Donghan and Zhao Yueru respectively.

When Qi Donghan received the letter, he was still somewhat dazed. Over the years, he had only communicated with Meng Yingying through letters.

During those four and a half years, he and Meng Yingying would send each other a letter almost every month.

Because the envelopes would take at least a month to arrive from Moscow to the stationed area in Harbin, and if any problems were encountered along the way...

A letter seeking to travel from Moscow to the stationed team in Harbin would take at least three months to arrive.

Therefore, Qi Donghan always cherished every hard-won letter. Upon receiving the letter, he unusually did not delay the training session and directly said, "Dismissed."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Only after Qi Donghan turned and left did his men dare to speak, "Did Commander Qi receive another letter from his wife?"

"I guess so. He only becomes this gentle and suddenly lets us off the hook when he receives a letter from his sister-in-law each month."

In the years since his sister-in-law Meng Yingying left, Qi Donghan has devoted almost all his time to the stationed team.

It was also used to train people.

In just a few short years, he earned two third-class merits and one second-class merit. He was successfully promoted from deputy regimental commander to regimental commander.

"It's good that my sister-in-law wrote to me. Otherwise, with the way the regimental commander is training us, he would have ruined us before the end of the month."

“I also think it would be great if my sister-in-law wrote to me every day.”

"You're dreaming! Don't you even consider how far Moscow is from Harbin? You're already abroad, yet you still write every day. It's already a good thing if you can get a letter every month."

"Is it enough for the commander to be overjoyed just by seeing one letter?"

"However, speaking of which, my sister-in-law is really heartless. She's been gone for so many years."

"Shh, you can't say that. The commander will be unhappy if you do."

"The regimental commander said that his wife is not abandoning him, but going to pursue her career. The regimental commander can understand."

Gao Chunyang stood silently in the crowd, his head bowed.

Chen Shuisheng couldn't stand there any longer. He checked the time and said, "I'm leaving."

Gao Chunyang hummed in agreement. "Going on another date with Lin Qiu?"

It's unclear when Chen Shuisheng and Lin Qiu started dating. Perhaps it was four years ago, in the winter, when Chen Shuisheng accidentally gave away frozen pears while collecting them on the mountain.

From that point on, things started to change between the two of them.

At first, we were just nodding acquaintances, but later, when we were doing missions in winter...

Lin Qiu fell into a trap, and Chen Shuisheng risked everything to save her. After that, things seemed to change between the two of them.

Chen Shuisheng nodded, "I'm leaving now, lest Lin Qiu get impatient and angry while waiting for me."

Watching my friend leave like that.

Gao Chunyang felt a pang of sadness. "When are you getting married?"

Chen Shuisheng turned around and said, "I don't know yet."

"I'll work harder this year and try to get promoted to battalion commander so that I can apply for a family housing unit after I get married."

Otherwise, she couldn't marry Lin Qiu and then still live in their own dormitories.

What kind of marriage is this?

Gao Chunyang listened in silence for a moment. He didn't say anything, but he looked at Chen Shuisheng's back with a hint of envy.

He wondered if he hadn't fallen for the wrong person back then, would he be in the same situation as Chen Shuisheng now?

Gao Chunyang didn't know.

For the first time, he felt somewhat lost.

Seeing that Qi Donghan had left, Xu Wenjun ran over and put her arm around his shoulder, "Sister-in-law, did you send another letter?"

Qi Donghan hummed in agreement. He didn't want to open the letter, so he hid it in his chest.

He had a habit: ever since Meng Yingying left, every time he received a letter, he would wash his hands and sit alone at his desk at home to read it.

This is a unique sense of ritual in Qidong.

"Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Xu Wenjun asked tentatively.

Qi Donghan shook his head, "No, I'll check it when I get back."

"You really have a way with patience. If it were me, I would open the letter as soon as I receive it."

Qi Donghan didn't have time to chat with him; he just wanted to go back now.

Xu Wenjun watched his retreating figure, sighed softly, and remained silent. He didn't wait for her downstairs at the cultural troupe's dormitory building; instead, he went to the canteen alone.

After returning home, Qi Donghan immediately washed his hands before sitting down at his desk and opening the envelope.

Upon seeing the words written on the envelope, Qi Donghan almost thought he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, and read it three times in a row.

He gripped the thin sheet of paper so tightly that his knuckles turned white, as if the letter would vanish if he let go.

Qi Donghan murmured, "Yingying is coming back."

He murmured it again, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, and his heart started racing.

Four years and ten months, fifty-eight letters. He would count them every time, but he was always afraid of making a mistake.

The return dates he had circled repeatedly on the calendar in red pen suddenly jumped off the paper and landed alive in his palm.

Qi Donghan first smiled, a very slight smile, the corners of his mouth just turning up halfway before he abruptly stopped—

Is it true?

He himself found it hard to believe.

Qi Donghan was a man who liked to verify things, so he simply held the letter up to the lamp and examined it closely. The handwriting on the paper was Meng Yingying's, and every stroke had her unique upturned tail.

Especially the last stroke of the character "悍" (han), it always looks like it's about to take flight.

He knew it all too well.

Because over the past four years, he had read every single letter Meng Yingying sent back countless times.

After confirming that everything was correct, Qi Donghan suddenly took a deep breath and slammed his fist on the table, causing the ink bottle to shake.

"Yingying is finally coming back!"

The shout finally came out, hoarse yet exceptionally loud.

Qi Donghan turned around and walked around the room twice, getting faster and faster until he was almost jogging. He rushed to the wardrobe and yanked open the door.

Inside, three sets of military uniforms were neatly stacked: one set of service uniform and two sets of training uniforms, all of which were newly made after he was promoted to regimental commander.

His fingers paused on a set of winter clothes, then withdrew, muttering to himself, "Wearing this to pick her up... no, it's too formal, like I'm going to scold someone, Yingying probably won't like it."

Then, his gaze swept across the bottom and landed on the unopened Type 65 woolen overcoat—the epaulettes were adorned with gold thread, and the collar had a red star, all neatly arranged.

He took it out, held it up in front of him, then looked at himself in the mirror from left to right. Suddenly, he frowned and hesitated, "Isn't this too formal? What if it frightens her?"

Qi Donghan looked in the mirror. The man in the mirror had fine lines at the corners of his eyes, his chin was harder than before, and his brow bone was covered with the wheat color from years of training. He had lost his handsome appearance of the past, but gained a more rugged and resolute look.

Seeing this, Qi Donghan raised his hand to touch his short stubble, his heart skipped a beat, "It's been more than four years, does she think... I've gotten old?"

The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately turned around, rummaged through the drawer, pulled out a thin blade, poured half a basin of hot water, and began to sharpen it.

The razor blade shaves cleanly inch by inch along the smooth lines of the chin, even trimming the sideburns that are usually neglected to be tidied.

After shaving, Qi Donghan began to feel truly happy—a happiness that rose from the soles of his feet.

"When Yingying sees him, she should recognize him, right?"

He became uncertain.

After cleaning up, Qi Donghan folded today's letter to the same size, put it in the iron box, and locked it.

He took out the calendar, turned to November 7th, drew a heavy circle in the square with a red pen, and then drew an arrow pointing directly to "December 8th"—the train arrival date stated in the letter.

"There's still one month left."

He stared at the number and suddenly felt it was too slow, wishing he could drive to the capital tomorrow.

But reason told him that he had to wait.

The last month is the most agonizing.

Qi Donghan felt that this was going to be even harder than the previous four years.

He wished time would fly by to the day Yingying returned.

Next door, Zhao Yueru felt much the same way as Qi Donghan. She had also received Meng Yingying's letter, and after reading it, she dropped the entire envelope on the ground. "God, Yingying is finally coming back."

Fanfan was squatting on the ground digging in the dirt with a small shovel. Hearing the noise, he subconsciously turned around and looked up. "Who's there?"

The little guy is four and a half years old. He is fair-skinned and has features like Zhao Yueru, but his face shape is like Zhou Jingsong.

They picked out the best qualities from both of them, and everything else is good except for one of them being a troublemaker.

Looking at her clean-cut son with his face covered in filth, Zhao Yueru felt annoyed and said, "Your godmother is coming back."

Upon hearing this, Fanfan threw down the shovel, dusted himself off, and ran over, asking, "When is Godmother coming back?"

Clearly, he had heard Zhao Yueru mention his godmother quite often.

Zhao Yueru wiped his face, saying, "I'll be back next month."

She looked her child up and down. "Fanfan, let me tell you, you'd better clean yourself up a bit. Otherwise, when your godmother comes back next month, she won't give you the gift you brought."

Fanfan didn't say a word and turned to wash her face.

Seeing her child like this, Zhao Yueru sighed softly, "Yingying, my child is already running around all over the place, and you're only just coming back."

*

The cultural troupe's dormitory.

After getting ready, Lin Qiu looked in the mirror and prepared to go downstairs for her date. She noticed that Ye Yingtao was standing still, neither moving nor going out.

She was a little surprised. "Let's go? Let's go together."

"Instructor Xu is still waiting for you in the canteen."

Ye Yingtao hugged the blanket and didn't say anything.

Lin Qiu had already reached the door when she turned back. "What's wrong?"

Ye Yingtao clutched the corner of the blanket so tightly it was almost twisted into a knot, muttering, "He won't come looking for me."

"ah?"

Lin Qiu immediately stopped and sat down beside Ye Yingtao's bed, asking, "What happened? Why hasn't he come to see you?"

In recent years, she noticed that Ye Yingtao has become much more lenient than before.

It seems like these two are about to get married, so why isn't he coming to see her anymore?

Ye Yingtao then stammered, "He didn't come yesterday."

Lin Qiu also realized the seriousness of the problem. She frowned and asked, "You rejected Instructor Xu?"

It's obvious to everyone that Instructor Xu likes Ye Yingtao, but Ye Yingtao hasn't agreed to date him because he's not a city resident and doesn't receive government-subsidized food rations.

Ye Yingtao lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Lin Qiu stood up abruptly. "Ye Yingtao, what are you thinking? At a time like this, you're still wondering if the other person has a city residency permit? Do the math yourself—how old are you this year? How many more years can you stay in the performing arts troupe?"

"The performing arts troupe doesn't want you, and you haven't found a way out. What are you planning to do? Are you really going to go back to your hometown, listen to your mother, and sell you off for a high dowry?"

Ye Yingtao knew this too, but while she was clear-headed back then, now that she was involved, she couldn't quite understand it anymore.

Lin Qiu was somewhat exasperated. "Instructor Xu likes you, and he holds a high position in the garrison. If you marry him, you two can apply for an apartment in the family compound and live your own little life behind closed doors."

"Cherry, you have no idea how envious I am of you."

"Chen Shuisheng and I still don't dare to get married because neither of us has the right position, so we can't apply for a house in the family compound."

Ye Yingtao bit her lip. "But what if Xu Wenjun retires from the military like us in the future? Won't we have to return the house in the family compound? Then I'll have to ask him to let me go back to the countryside."

Going back to the countryside is Ye Yingtao's curse.

“Xu Wenjun is an instructor now. He’s still young. Even if he has to leave the military in a few years, his position will be higher, and he’ll have jobs available. Why don’t you just tell him you don’t want to go back to the countryside and can choose a job in the city?”

"cherry."

Lin Qiu's voice was very calm. The seemingly quiet and taciturn foodie had clearly grown a lot in the past few years.

"You can't look a hundred steps ahead; you have to look at the present moment, look ten steps ahead."

"You should solve the immediate problem first." She lowered her voice, "Haven't you noticed that the performing arts troupe hasn't recruited any new members in the past two years?"

Ye Yingtao's expression hardened, and she suddenly looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

"What would you do if the performing arts troupe didn't want us anymore one day?"

Ye Yingtao's face turned pale instantly. She stood up abruptly and paced around the dormitory for a while, "How could this be?"

She denied it herself, saying, "We came to the cultural troupe when we were seven or eight years old. This is our home. How could the cultural troupe not want us?"

Even after leaving the military, she never imagined that the performing arts troupe would not want her.

Lin Qiu didn't spell it out too clearly. She murmured, "Anyway, I've noticed this trend, Ye Yingtao."

This was the first time Lin Qiu had called him by his full name, "You need to think this through."

"Are you going to agree to Xu Wenjun's proposal or not? If you don't agree, and Xu Wenjun marries someone else, Cherry, don't regret it."

Lin Qiu left after saying this, leaving Ye Yingtao alone on the spot. She remained silent for a long time, realizing that she had been clinging to outdated ideas.

But at this point, Ye Yingtao was truly at her wit's end. She subconsciously murmured, "Yingying, if only you were here."

That way, Meng Yingying will help her choose.

Ye Yingtao, the shrewd and calculating woman, has also reached a crossroads in her life.

Unfortunately, Meng Yingying was still far away in Moscow.

At the end of 1977, Meng Yingying finally boarded the train back to the city. This time, she was accompanied by a large group of people, including her teacher Inov, Jane, and Arkhipova.

It wasn't just these people; there were also her classmates from school. There were six participants in total, and five teachers came.

In addition, there were staff members, who were obviously there for this international ballet competition.

"Meng, we're going home, are you excited?"

These people all came from foreign countries to participate in the competition, except for Meng Yingying, who had finally returned to her own country.

Meng Yingying nodded, "Of course."

"Who wouldn't be excited to go home?"

She's been abroad for over four years, almost five. It would be a fool not to be excited about embarking on her journey home again.

Jane also said, "I never thought I would have the chance to come to China in my lifetime."

He thought that the last time he brought Meng Yingying back to Moscow was the last time.

Meng Yingying joked, "Jian, when I go back to China, you can come and see me often when you have time."

Jane nodded. "Of course, but how much longer?"

Meng Yingying checked the time. "There's still a day's journey ahead."

They have been on the road for almost eight days.

She'll be able to go home in just one more day.

Then she would finally see the person she had been longing for day and night.

*

Qi Donghan departed from the Harbin team on December 5th and arrived in the capital on the 7th. He first went to the Central Ballet of China to confirm the schedule for receiving the Moscow contestants with Yang Jie.

This allows us to deduce when Meng Yingying will return.

At 5 a.m. on the 8th, Qi Donghan got up, tidied himself up, looked at himself in the mirror for a while, and then took a deep breath before going to the train station.

He was even three hours earlier than Yang Jie and the others.

Six o'clock.

Seven o'clock.

Eight o'clock.

At 8:30, the train that departed from Moscow finally arrived in the capital.

When he heard the familiar bell ring, Qi Donghan subconsciously looked up. He stared at the sea of ​​heads at the exit, trying to catch a glimpse of the person he had been longing for day and night.

Meng Yingying was never a hasty person, but she had already packed her luggage before even arriving at the Capital Railway Station.

Standing at the door, I wanted to be the first to rush out.

After the train came to a complete stop, Meng Yingying turned around and said to Jian and the others, "I'll wait for you at the train station entrance."

With Jane around, there's clearly no worry that these people won't find a way out.

"Meng, what are you doing running so fast?"

"She's married, she must be eager to see her husband."

"Oh, that's such a pity."

"No wonder Meng refused all the potential partners we introduced her to before."

“Let’s go and see what Meng’s girlfriend looks like. How could she have been so infatuated with him for so many years?”

After getting off the train, Meng Yingying carried her luggage in one hand and walked quickly outside.

Go down the stairs, go down the stairs, go down the stairs.

She kept urging herself to hurry up, even faster.

Because she knew her lover would be the first to greet her at the station entrance.

When Meng Yingying arrived at the station entrance, she suddenly felt a strong urge to return home and slowed her pace.

As soon as I looked up...

Then I saw the man standing at the door, eagerly waiting. It had been more than four years since I last saw him. He had become much more robust and resolute, but his posture remained as upright as ever.

He stood next to the most conspicuous pillar at the exit, his back ramrod straight.

He was wearing a navy blue wool coat, with the top two buttons undone, revealing a perfectly wrinkle-free shirt. His chin was shaved black, but his clothes were crisp and clean.

However, Shuang Zong's eyes, which were usually half-closed, were wide open at this moment, his gaze piercing through the crowd of people and fixed on the exit.

The moment that door opens, he will pull that person into his arms.

Their eyes met.

She saw him.

Meng Yingying paused for half a second, as if she had been burned by something, and then ran off without a care in the world.

The air fell silent instantly.

For a moment, only the clattering sound of the rushing vehicles could be heard.

He ran up to them.

Meng Yingying suddenly stopped, her eyes reddening. Before she even arrived, her voice carried, "Qi Donghan."

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Author's note: I'm finally back! Hahaha