Chapter 6 (Part 2)

From then on, Cheng Zhao would hang around the entrance to No. 6 Middle School whenever he had free time. With enough patience, he could always wait for Gan Ling. Then he would take the bus home with her. If Teacher Gan wasn't waiting for Gan Ling at the platform, Cheng Zhao would have a chance to walk her home. However, Teacher Gan was busy teaching the graduating class and was often unable to attend. Of course, he would prepare dinner and supper for his daughter in the refrigerator, so Gan Ling could just microwave it. Gan Ling would invite Cheng Zhao to stay for dinner, but he always declined, fearing Gan Wenkang would see them. Sometimes, when Gan Ling finished school early, they would get off the bus and stroll through Sanqing Food Street, enjoying a bowl of wontons or osmanthus and taro soup. These fleeting moments felt like stolen moments, less than half an hour, but they could fill them with joy for days. The sweetness was unspoken, but it could be felt in each other's eyes. Cheng Zhao didn't think about the future; he was still a teenager, and the future seemed too far away. He only knew that by Gan Ling's side, his often restless heart could find peace, a kind of indescribable solace. At the same time, he became noticeably distant from the group and stopped participating in any fights, as he had promised Gan Ling. Almost six months later, the second and fifth members of the group were caught up in a massive brawl. That evening, they were all taken to the police station. The incident was reportedly serious, resulting in several serious injuries, and the ringleaders were sentenced. This news made Cheng Zhao privately lament that if he hadn't reunited with Gan Ling, he would have been among the defendants standing trial. His relationship with Gan Ling went on unnoticed for a year, and Cheng Zhao inevitably began to become careless. Sometimes, on weekends, when he heard that Teacher Gan was working overtime, he would dare to visit Gan Ling. When Gan Ling had endless homework, Cheng Zhao would play mobile games with her. He would pour her water when she was thirsty, find her snacks when she was hungry, and run errands for her if she didn't have any. He was happy to do anything for her. When Gan Ling encountered a difficult homework problem that she couldn't solve, she would put down her pen and stare at Cheng Zhao with envy, "You're so comfortable. You don't have to study so hard, you can do whatever you want." "Don't be silly. You have a much brighter future than me! I don't even know what I'll do in the future!" "Anything is fine, no one forces you anyway." "Did Teacher Gan force you?" "He wanted me to be a teacher." "Teaching is great too!" "I hate being a teacher. I get nervous standing on the podium, I stutter, and people laugh at me." "Practice more and you won't be nervous anymore." "That's just my personality. I can't practice." "Then tell Teacher Gan to find a different job." "My dad is such a stubborn person..."

After that, Cheng Zhao would hang around the gate of No. 6 Middle School whenever he had time. As long as he was patient, he would always wait for Gan Ling. Then he would take the bus with her home.

If Teacher Gan wasn't waiting for Gan Ling at the platform, Cheng Zhao would have the opportunity to walk Gan Ling home. However, Teacher Gan was busy teaching the graduating class and was often unable to do so. Of course, he would prepare dinner and supper for his daughter in the refrigerator in advance, so Gan Ling could just heat it up in the microwave.

Gan Ling invited Cheng Zhao to stay for dinner, but he always refused for fear of being seen by Gan Wenkang.

Sometimes, when Gan Ling got out of school early, they'd get off the bus midway and stroll through Sanqing Food Street, enjoying a bowl of wontons or osmanthus and taro soup. These fleeting moments felt like stolen moments, taking less than half an hour, yet filling them with joy for days. The sweetness of their time couldn't be expressed, but it could be felt in each other's eyes.

Cheng Zhao had never thought about the future. He was not yet an adult and the future was too far away for him. He only knew that when he was with Gan Ling, his often restless heart could regain peace and get some kind of indescribable comfort.

At the same time, he became noticeably distant from the Five-Man Group and stopped participating in any fights, as he had promised Gan Ling. Almost six months later, the second and fifth members of the group were caught up in a massive brawl. That same night, they were all taken to the police station. The incident was reportedly serious, resulting in several serious injuries, and the ringleaders were sentenced. This news made Cheng Zhao privately lament that if he hadn't reunited with Gan Ling, he would have been among the defendants standing trial.

After a year of secretly dating Gan Ling, Cheng Zhao inevitably started to get careless. Sometimes, when he heard that Teacher Gan was working overtime on weekends, he would dare to visit Gan Ling.

Gan Ling had endless homework to do, so Cheng Zhao played games on his mobile phone to keep her company. When Gan Ling was thirsty, he poured her water, and when she was hungry, he found snacks for her. If there was no snack at home, he would go out and buy them for her. In short, he was happy to do anything for her.

When Gan Ling encountered a difficult problem while doing homework and couldn't solve it, she would put down her pen and stare at Cheng Zhao with envy, "You are so comfortable. You don't have to study so hard, you can do whatever you want."

"Don't be silly. You have a much brighter future than me! I don't even know what I'll do in the future!"

"You can do whatever you want. No one is forcing you."

"Did Teacher Gan force you?"

“He wanted me to be a teacher.”

“The teacher is nice too!”

"I hate being a teacher. I get nervous standing at the podium, stuttering, and being laughed at."

"If you practice more, you won't be nervous."

"That's just my personality. I can't practice it."

"Then tell Teacher Gan to find someone else to do it with."

"My dad is so stubborn, he won't make sense."

"You learn first, and when you become an adult, he won't be able to control you anymore."

"Cheng Zhao...have you never thought about the future?"

"Very little. Let's just deal with the situation at hand."

"Have you ever thought about our future..."

Cheng Zhao didn't take it seriously at first, but after thinking about it carefully for a while, he was shocked. He put down his phone and looked at Gan Ling. Gan Ling's face was a little red, her eyes were watery, and her lips were so moist that they seemed to be about to burst. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, wondering why he was suddenly so thirsty.

Gan Ling also looked very reserved. Perhaps realizing that he had said something wrong, he began to stutter, "I mean, what will happen to us in the future? Will we still be, still friends?"

Cheng Zhao turned his gaze away from her face and said to the void in a decisive tone, "Yes!"

That was the only time the two of them seemed to cross a line. Afterward, neither of them mentioned it again, and they continued to get along peacefully. In Cheng Zhao's mind, the future was both vague and certain. He was vague about what he could do in the future, but Gan Ling undoubtedly occupied an important place in his future.

The future will come to them one day naturally, and worrying about it now is just unnecessary trouble.

One Saturday, Cheng Zhao went to see Gan Ling as agreed. Gan Ling told him that Teacher Gan was on a business trip early Saturday morning and would not be back until Sunday night.

He bought Gan Ling's favorite milk rolls and ran excitedly to Yuecheng Garden. During the trip, his phone rang. It was Gan Ling, but she quickly hung up. Cheng Zhao thought, since he was almost at her house, he could talk about anything when they met.

He rushed to the fifth floor and knocked on the door. The door opened quickly and Gan Wenkang was standing inside.

Cheng Zhao was speechless, "Gan, Teacher Gan..."

"Are you here to see Gan Ling?"

“…”

"She's doing her homework—come on, let's find a place to talk."

Cheng Zhao felt a chill in his heart, speechless. Suddenly, he realized he was still holding the bag of milk rolls, and hurriedly handed it to Gan Wenkang, "This is for Gan Ling."

Gan Wenkang didn't respond at all, locked the door, patted Cheng Zhao on the shoulder, and motioned him to follow him. Cheng Zhao didn't dare to insist, and dejectedly followed him downstairs, carrying the bag.

The community is next to a small artificial lake with several benches by the lake. There are many people here on weekends, and many mothers bring their children out to play. The two of them walked a long way before they found an empty bench.

Gan Wenkang pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down and talk."

Cheng Zhao sat down obediently. Gan Wenkang took out a cigarette box and handed it to him. "Want to smoke?"

"No, I don't smoke."

In fact, Cheng Zhao had smoked secretly, but he would not have dared to admit it in front of Gan Wenkang.

"How long have you been in contact with Gan Ling?" Gan Wenkang went straight to the point.

Cheng Zhao was immediately at a loss. "I, um, what did Gan Ling say?"

Gan Wenkang smiled faintly, "You still want to collude with me in front of me?"

"...about a year."

"Well, what did you do together?"

Cheng Zhao's face flushed red. "No, nothing. I accompanied her home, helped her with homework, and bought her some of her favorite food."

He hurriedly held up the evidence in his hand.

Gan Wenkang glanced at him with that sharp, teacher-like look, and Cheng Zhao felt like he was suffocating. But Gan Wenkang suddenly changed the subject.

"Then I should thank you. I've always been worried about Gan Ling going home alone after school, and I can't pick her up every day."

Cheng Zhao didn't dare to respond.

"How is your mother?"

"Huh? Oh, it's okay."

"Where's your dad? Is he still drinking?"

"Drink." Cheng Zhaoxin thought, the kind of drinking that will kill you sooner or later.

"Which school do you go to?"

"Gaoqiao Vocational and Technical College."

After he finished speaking, he saw Gan Wenkang raise his chin and nod thoughtfully. Cheng Zhao saw a kind of judgment in Teacher Gan's eyes, and he suddenly felt very scared. His future seemed to become clear all of a sudden, clearly humble, and there was no possibility of Gan Ling.

This was his intuition, but he didn't dare to give up, and struggled desperately for a glimmer of hope.

"Teacher Gan, I will learn well, you don't have to worry. I, I really like Gan Ling." He took the initiative to confess in such a helpless manner.

Gan Wenkang was neither angry nor mocking him. He slowly lit a cigarette, took a puff with a heavy heart, turned his head to look at Cheng Zhao with a gentle look.

"Why do you like her?"

"She, she's fine."

"What else?"

“…”

"Do you know what love is?"

Cheng Zhao began to feel dizzy, as if his head was spinning, because of nervousness, and also because this question made him experience for the first time what it was like to have a blank mind.

Fortunately, Gan Wenkang did not force him to give an answer like he did in class. He waited for Cheng Zhao for a while and slowly came to a conclusion.

"Gan Ling is about to take the college entrance exam. Once she gets there, her horizons will broaden, and she might not like you anymore. Then you two will quarrel and eventually break up. In that case, it's better to break up now."

"Teacher Gan, I won't quarrel with Gan Ling. I will treat her well and give in to her in everything..."

"Cheng Zhao, you and Gan Ling are not suitable."

“…”

In front of 18-year-old Cheng Zhao, Gan Wenkang was as powerful as a mountain, unshakable. He was in despair, a despair fueled by inferiority complex. Indeed, what could he possibly offer to match Gan Ling? What qualifications did he have to stay by her side?

"Teacher Gan, I'm leaving..."

"Cheng Zhao, don't come to see Gan Ling again."

Before leaving, Cheng Zhao left the milk roll to Gan Wenkang, hoping that he could pass it on to Gan Ling, but he didn't hold out much hope, as Gan Wenkang was more likely to throw it directly into the trash can on his way back.

After that day, Cheng Zhao never contacted Gan Ling again, and Gan Ling never called him. Maybe he was persuaded by his father, or maybe he was forced. No matter what the reason was, the result was the same for Cheng Zhao.

For more than a year, his whole world revolved around Gan Ling. Now that he was suddenly called off, he found that he was alone without any friends. He suddenly felt as lonely as snow. It happened that his mother knew an uncle who worked in decoration. The uncle was short of people, and Cheng Zhao had nothing to do, so he became an apprentice and earned some money at the same time.

At first, he just wanted to make some pocket money to kill time, without thinking too far ahead. However, after entering the industry, he had been working there for more than ten years without realizing it. He had worked for several contracting teams and even had a lucky break and opened his own decoration company.

Perhaps because he was so focused on his work, ten years passed in a flash. During this period, various news about Gan Ling were passed on through the neighbors and finally reached his ears: she was admitted to a good university and worked in a large enterprise after graduation. Teacher Gan was very proud, but she had never found a suitable boyfriend.

Cheng Zhao considered trying to contact Gan Ling again. He still had feelings for her (this was also the fundamental reason why he couldn't settle down in a relationship over the years). Maybe she felt the same way about him?

Whenever he was lost in thought, too excited to calm down, Gan Wenkang's face would appear from the shadows, standing coldly between him and Gan Ling, making Gan Ling seem out of reach once again. Even now, although he had made some money, he was still uneducated and unskilled, far from the "son-in-law" in Gan Wenkang's mind. Why bother with disappointment?

When the news of Gan Ling's marriage finally came, not only did he feel relieved, but his mother also felt relieved. It was difficult to hide his thoughts from his mother.

Wedding invitations were distributed to the residents of Building 24, and the Cheng family of course got one, but Cheng Zhao didn't have the courage to go. That night, he found a place and got drunk alone.

The next day, Cheng Zhao listened to his mother talking about the grand wedding and how well-matched the newlyweds were, in between headaches.

"You should give up now, right?"

Cheng Zhao was silent.

"Are you still going to get married?"

“We have to find the right one!”

"Then hurry up and find it!"

Cheng Zhao had indeed looked for one seriously. He had gone on blind dates with at least fifteen girls, some fat and some thin, some lively and some elegant. He had seen all kinds of girls, but none of them could enter his heart.

After three years of being picky, he finally got together with Yu Lichun, but Gan Ling got divorced. Suddenly, his heart, which had been dormant for a long time, became restless again.