"Don't talk about me going to school. It's not a great thing. It's just a correspondence course, which anyone can take," Fang Yu said, pulling on Yu Jihong's arm.

“Reading is a good thing, why can’t we tell anyone? We have to read in secret?” Yu Jihong leaned closer to Fang Yu and grinned. “Who cares about correspondence courses or not? My daughter is so good, I’m proud of her.”

"I understand you, my dear mother." Fang Yu shook her head, feeling both helpless and amused.

"Will you be very busy from now on? Mom will wash your clothes. After school, come over, have dinner, and then go home to study."

"I'm not that busy, Mom."

Fang Huahua carried the freshly cooked dishes and walked briskly through the lobby.

Compared to her days working as a waitress and dishwasher in a small restaurant, she was already very satisfied with this job, which only involved front-of-house service and earned her an extra 50 yuan a month.

However, the guests' temperaments are hard to predict.

The men at the previous table, who had been drinking, slammed their fists on the table and yelled at her because the food was a few minutes slow to arrive, "What's going on? Are you trying to starve us?" Hua Hua lowered her head and apologized repeatedly, arranging the dishes properly. When she turned away, her eyes were a little red. But she quickly wiped her face. She was just a waitress; it was normal for customers to say a few words to her, and she didn't need to take it to heart.

When I returned to the dormitory that evening, I heard everyone complaining as soon as I opened the door.

"That female customer today was really difficult to please. She said the fish was too salty, and when I changed the plate, she said it was too bland. It's not like I cooked it, so why is she taking it out on me?"

"That's alright. One of the guys at my table today got drunk and kept trying to get me to toast him. Luckily, the boss came over and saved the day."

The young waiters here share a room, and when they're not complaining, they gossip and talk about relationships.

"Xiaoli isn't back yet? Did she go on a date with her boyfriend again?"

"Of course you should go on dates if you have a boyfriend! Hey, is that guy who was pursuing you last time still looking for you?"

“I don’t like him. I don’t even want to reply when he pagees me.”

Hua Hua had never lived in a dormitory before and longed to live in a shared dormitory. Now that she has, she really wants a place to live by herself.

But Fang Huahua couldn't bear to spend the money to rent a place outside, so she decided to stay here for now, since she was here to make money.

No one pursued Fang Huahua; she simply listened to them talk about their own and other people's love stories.

At first, Huahua listened with great interest, but now she doesn't want to listen anymore.

Fang Dongqiang spends a lot of time online studying computers. He Xiaolei would ask him about any computer-related issues she encountered. Sometimes, for simple things, Fang Dongqiang would teach her a little while chatting, and she would learn it quickly.

The two chatted for a long time this time, but He Xiaolei still couldn't figure it out. He Xiaolei sent a painful emoji, "This isn't urgent now. I'll come to your school on Sunday, and you can teach me then."

He Xiaolei knew that Fang Dongqiang had been working part-time on Saturdays this semester.

“I’ll come to your school instead,” Fang Dongqiang replied quickly.

He Xiaolei stared at the screen. Why didn't Fang Dongqiang invite her to their school? Was there something inconvenient for him? He Xiaolei had already developed feelings for Fang Dongqiang through their repeated interactions.

"Fang Dongqiang, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Then why won't you let me come to your school?"

"It's inconvenient for you, a girl, to come all the way here. It's the same if I come."

He Xiaolei felt a warmth in her heart and typed with a smile, "Okay, see you this weekend!"

On Sunday, Fang Dongqiang ate lunch at school before going to He Xiaolei's place.

"First, drag your mouse from the first cell to the last to select all the content... Yes, just like that. Then click 'Data', find 'Filter'... See, a small arrow appears in the header row? Click this arrow to select the 'Contract Disputes' category you want."

Fang Dongqiang taught He Xiaolei how to operate it once, and the problem was solved in less than half an hour.

“You came over to teach me, and it doesn’t seem that difficult. Does that make me look stupid?” He Xiaolei said, blushing.

"No, that's not your major. You'll get the hang of it after doing it a lot. Okay, I'm going back now."

He Xiaolei turned off her computer and came out with him. "Do you have anything else to do this afternoon?"

"No!"

"Then why are you in such a hurry to go back?"

"You're all better now, nothing's wrong."

He Xiaolei looked at his blank expression, as if he hadn't understood her at all. She felt a little disappointed, but also a little amused.

She remembered her roommates saying yesterday, "STEM guys are so narrow-minded, they only know code and don't understand people." Now it seems that Fang Dongqiang was actually quite honest.

"You helped me, I want to treat you to a meal."

"No, I already said last time, one invitation is enough, don't invite me again."

He Xiaolei found his "honest" nature quite endearing.

The two walked towards the bus stop. "No need to see me off, I'll go by myself."

"I'll see you off. I'm free this afternoon too."

Standing at the bus stop, He Xiaolei watched the cars coming from the front. She actually hoped that Fang Dongqiang's bus would arrive a little later so they could stay a little longer.

"Dongqiang, if I need your help again in the future, I'll come to you. I have time this weekend, so let's go out for a stroll and take a look at your school."

"Uh..." Fang Dongqiang hesitated.

Is there anything inconvenient about it?

"No, no, that's not true."

"Okay, then tell me where your dorm is. I can't find you if you're not online."

"good."

Fang Dongqiang told He Xiaolei about his dormitory room.

The bus to Fang Dongqiang's school arrived. "The bus is here, I'm off."

"Hmm!" He Xiaolei watched Fang Dongqiang step onto the steps. The moment the car door closed, He Xiaolei suddenly regretted not staying with Fang Dongqiang a little longer. He had also said that he was free in the afternoon and wanted to go for a walk around the neighborhood with him.

The bus slowly started moving, kicking up a gust of wind carrying exhaust fumes.

He Xiaolei touched her slightly flushed face. She realized that she seemed to have fallen for Fang Dongqiang, this straightforward boy who didn't talk much but was always eager to help her.

It's Qingming Festival again. "Mom, I'll go with you tomorrow."

"No need, you have to go to work, Mom can go."

"I've already asked for leave tomorrow morning. I've arranged with the kindergarten to go early in the morning and come back by noon."

"Fang Yu, it's rare that you remember this." Yu Jihong was stunned for a moment, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I remember, Mom, let's go together."

"Okay, let's go together this year."

The next day, they took the first bus to the countryside, and the fields outside the window were shrouded in a thin mist.

Another year has passed since I last came back. The weeds by the door have grown taller than my knees, and it took me several turns of the key to open it.

With a creak, the door opened, and a smell of dust and mildew wafted out.

The table was covered with a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs formed in the corners of the walls. The house felt lifeless. Yu Jihong picked up the hoe that was leaning against the wall.

Yu Jihong carried a hoe, and Fang Yu carried offerings as they walked towards the cemetery behind the village. They encountered villagers along the way, and Yu Jihong knew they had all sorts of things to say. In the past, Yu Jihong would greet them politely, but some people would ignore her.

At Fang Sandi's grave, the grass had spread to the edge of the tombstone. Yu Jihong used a hoe to clear the weeds around the grave, while Fang Yu wiped the words on the tombstone: "Tomb of Fang Sandi," and then pulled out the remaining weeds.