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Calculating the time, Huo Yingjie will be leaving in another week.
He Tiantian couldn't bear to part with Huo Yingjie.
He Tiantian didn't want to waste any more time, so she threw herself into Huo Yingjie's arms, kissed him passionately, teased him, and enjoyed the love and intimacy between them.
Huo Yingjie was more than happy to receive his wife's enthusiasm.
Lantern Festival.
Early in the morning, He Tiantian hung two large red lanterns on the door. These were made by Grandma Wang herself using bamboo strips, wrapped in a thin red cloth, and with two thick candles inside.
However, the candles are only lit at night.
During the day, He Tiantian made preparations, and when her mother-in-law and father-in-law returned in the evening, the whole family celebrated the Lantern Festival together.
He Tiantian personally ground sesame paste and peanut butter to make the filling for the glutinous rice balls.
Huo Yingjie's hands are usually very dexterous, but for some reason today, the glutinous rice balls he made were very ugly.
"Huo Ruimin, go inside and play, don't do it here," He Tiantian scolded. "Look, you've already wasted two glutinous rice balls."
"Mom, I only want to make glutinous rice balls." Huo Ruimin put on a pitiful look, her eyes fixed on the glutinous rice balls on the table, wanting to take another one.
"No," He Tiantian said. "You can stay here and play, but you can't touch these glutinous rice balls anymore, or I'll beat you up."
Huo Ruimin looked at her father, hoping that her easy-going father would agree to her request.
"Ruimin, wasting food isn't good for a child," Huo Yingjie said with a smile. "Don't you want to be a good child?"
Huo Ruimin thought for a moment and said, "Then be a good boy, I'll listen."
"Great job," Huo Yingjie praised, kissing her chubby little face.
Huo Ruimin's eyes darted around, and he asked, "Dad, are there rewards for being a good child?"
"Yes!" Huo Yingjie nodded. "What do you want?"
"I want to eat crème brûlée," Huo Ruimin said, "but Mom said I can only have it once every ten days."
Huo Yingjie looked at He Tiantian, wanting to plead for his daughter.
While wrapping glutinous rice balls, He Tiantian listened to her daughter and husband's conversation. When her husband looked over, He Tiantian glared at him and said, "Eating too many will hurt your teeth. You can't eat too many."
Huo Yingjie shrugged and said, "Hehe, if we can't have caramel pudding, Ruimin, can we get something else?"
"Sigh, let's just forget about it," Huo Ruimin said. "If Mom glares at me, Dad won't dare to say a word. It's no use trying anything else."
That expression practically screamed "sow discord" on his face.
"You little rascal, don't think about those nonsense things." Huo Yingjie pinched her little nose. "We're going to eat glutinous rice balls in a little while, they taste really good."
"Alright," Huo Ruimin said, sounding somewhat reluctant.
The little guy got bored inside and went out to play with his younger brother, leaving Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian alone in the kitchen.
“The older the kids get, the harder they are to raise,” He Tiantian complained. “My in-laws and Grandma Wang spoil them, and when you, their father, come home, you spoil them even more. As their mother, I can only play the bad cop and be the villain.”
Huo Yingjie smiled and said, "Children don't hold grudges. They won't forget your love for them just because you're serious. You may hit them often, but there's no denying that the children are actually closest to you."
"Okay." He Tiantian smiled wryly. "I accept this consolation. Someone always has to play the bad cop. Every time I scold the child, it hurts me too, but I can't spoil him all the time, otherwise he won't be able to distinguish right from wrong, and it will be even more worrying when he grows up."
"Thank you for your hard work, my wife," Huo Yingjie said, kissing He Tiantian on the cheek.
"You'll be leaving after the Lantern Festival." He Tiantian said, reluctant to part with you. "I don't know when we'll see each other again!"
Huo Yingjie chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'll try to get a vacation."
“I agree with you taking a vacation, but you also need to take care of your health,” He Tiantian said. “If you leave early because of exhaustion, I’m going to remarry; I’m not going to stay with you!”
“什么？”霍英杰怒了，“改嫁？你居然敢有这样的想法？是不是想挨揍了？”
He Tiantian tilted her little face up and said, "Come on, come on, hit my face! Hit me hard! I'm just concerned about you, but you can't tell right from wrong."
Huo Yingjie kissed He Tiantian's cheek, his kiss lingering on her rosy lips. He said, "I'm too busy feeling pain to hit you! Just kidding, don't take it to heart. I'll take good care of myself on this trip, my wife, don't worry about me!"
"That's more like it." He Tiantian smiled smugly. "Don't be so ungrateful after getting the benefits! I'll take care of things at home, so you don't need to worry about that. Just focus on your work, take care of yourself, and don't think about anything else."
"Okay!" Huo Yingjie smiled, feeling touched yet bittersweet.
How could I not worry?
How could I not want to?
On the Lantern Festival, Huo Ruimin and Huo Ruihua sang an off-key children's song, "Counting Ducks," just to entertain their parents.
A sumptuous dinner, delicious glutinous rice balls, and a family reunion—all these made for a joyful Lantern Festival.
As the date of parting drew closer, Huo Yingjie wished he could stay by He Tiantian's side every moment, and at night he poured out his boundless enthusiasm and sweat.
Zhang Aijun and Li Yunzhong packed their luggage.
He Tiantian also gave Huo Yingjie a lot of spring and summer clothes, and prepared 30 jin of braised meat for them so they could take it out and eat it directly when they got to work in the evening, without it spoiling.
With so much stuff, I can give some to Chief Engineer Sun and Aunt Li, and also treat my colleagues to a meal.
He Tiantian watched Huo Yingjie leave, and only went home alone after the train had departed.
He Tiantian was a little down after her husband left, but fortunately, she had two lovely children by her side, which eased her sadness.
Life goes on, and He Tiantian doesn't have that much time to be sad.
She's going to do an internship, manage the shop, and take care of her family.
He Tiantian's job is relatively simple: she helps the freshman class teacher manage the class. She frequently visits the dormitories or classrooms to check on the students and understand their thoughts.
Huang Jingli is on leave and hasn't come to school yet. She'll return for her internship after giving birth. Cui Ying and Hua Shan have been assigned to the Nanshi Museum for their internship. If she performs well during her internship, she'll likely be assigned there.
Wu Youliang was assigned to the Civil Materials Research Institute in Nanshi for his internship, which was the place Huo Yingjie had wanted to go before.
He Tiantian's current job is as a temporary counselor for Class 2 of the Chinese Department, Class of '79.
In university, evening self-study sessions are not mandatory; some people are willing to attend, while others are not.
In order to do her job better, He Tiantian went to the class's evening self-study session a few times and gradually became familiar with some students.
While students are in class, He Tiantian sits at the back of the classroom to observe and listen to the teacher's lectures, and also to prepare lessons. In a while, she will begin teaching an elective course on the appreciation of Tang and Song poetry at the school.
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