Before her memory faded, Zhong Tingyue drew many portraits of her maternal grandfather, which Chu's mother treasured one by one.
The relationship between the two mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law has improved.
Chu's mother was no longer so hostile, and Zhong Tingyue did not deliberately argue with her.
Chu Fang also took Zhong Tingyue to every corner of the town, telling her stories from her childhood. The latter listened quietly, calmly looking at the junior and senior high school.
With economic development and population outflow, the town's primary and secondary schools have withered away.
"Sigh!" Chu Fang sighed, "Looking back, the school is already dilapidated."
As she walked onto the campus, Zhong Tingyue saw old posters on the wall displaying the students' past achievements. In an instant, she spotted Chu Fang's photo. He was wearing the school uniform, sporting a short, neat buzz cut, with sharp features, radiating a spirited and ambitious aura.
Next to it was Chu Fang's academic record, showing that he had successfully entered a 211 university.
"Isn't he handsome?" Chu Fang walked up to the photo and lifted his chin.
Zhong Tingyue: "He was even more handsome before."
"Not handsome now?"
"Almost."
"Why?"
"Too old."
"I'll fight you to the death!"
Chu Fang was a celebrity at school. Not only was he academically excellent, but he was also handsome. When he walked down the street, teachers would often recognize him at a glance.
"Oh, you're Chu Fang," an old woman with a full head of white hair said as she walked by.
"Teacher Liu, you recognize me!" Chu Fang replied with a smile, then introduced, "This is my English teacher, Teacher Liu, and this is my girlfriend, Zhong Tingyue."
"Hmph!" the English teacher snorted softly. "I don't know you well."
Turning to Zhong Tingyue, he said, "This kid was sleeping during the English exam, which is fine, but the problem is that his head got stuck in the table. We had to call 119 to get him out. In the end, he wasted time on the college entrance exam. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten a score in the nineties on the English exam. I'm so angry."
Zhong Tingyue's eyes were filled with a smile.
I never imagined there would be such a thing as the college entrance exam.
Chu Fang: "Teacher Liu, please give me some face."
“You’ve lost face in my eyes.” Teacher Liu glanced at him sideways, then turned to Zhong Tingyue and said, “This is weird, isn’t it? But it’s not weird at all. This kid has done a lot of weird things.”
As she spoke, Teacher Liu took Zhong Tingyue for a walk around the school, recounting the things Chu Fang had done at high school.
As the sun set, Chu Fang's 'great, glorious, and righteous' image was completely ruined by his English teacher.
"I didn't expect your high school years to be so interesting."
"Hehe... ..., just young and ignorant."
... ...
After spending half a month in their hometown, Chu Fang and his companion decided to return to Shanghai.
First, Chu's mother has emerged from her low period and is no longer as dejected as before; second, they both have their own careers, especially Zhong Tingyue, whose studio has many matters to resolve.
The sky remained overcast that day.
"My dear, I can't bear to part with you." Chu's mother said reluctantly.
Chu Fang asked, "Why don't you come to Shanghai with me?"
"I'm not going."
Back home, I have a husband, a mother, sisters, and mahjong partners. What do I have in Shanghai? Nothing!
Chu Fang looked at his father and said, "Dad, you keep an eye on that road and make sure it's finished as soon as possible."
Chu's father nodded.
Chu Fang funded the construction of a main road from their home to his maternal grandfather's grave, so that Chu's mother could visit him frequently and avoid spraining her ankle again.
Looking at Zhong Tingyue, Chu's mother didn't know how to start the conversation.
Although the relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has improved, it has not yet returned to the level of mutual respect and laughter they once shared.
However... Chu Fang thought it was quite good.
There is an inherent conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, especially since Chu's mother treats her son like a treasure, so conflict between the two is inevitable.
Conflicts that arise before entering the door can lead to a better understanding of each other.
Zhong Tingyue spoke softly, "Auntie, I'm leaving now. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. I hope you won't take what I said to you to heart. I sincerely wish you health and happiness."
Her words made Chu's mother feel embarrassed: "Hehe... I was wrong too, just don't hate me."
After saying goodbye to their maternal and paternal grandparents, the two left home.
"Ugh... I'm so reluctant to leave." Chu's mother sobbed as she leaned into her grandmother's arms, and the latter gently comforted her.
Chu's father withdrew his gaze, sighed, and slowly headed towards the road construction site. At that moment, a group of construction teams were working on the road leading from the foot of the mountain to his grandfather's grave.
Upon seeing Chu's father, the construction team members greeted him one by one, and he responded to each of them.
These workers are all residents of the small town, and they all know each other.
"Xiao Fang is gone?" The foreman offered him a cigarette.
"Hmm," Chu's father refused.
"Your son is truly remarkable." The contractor didn't smoke either, but put the cigarette in his pack and immediately gave a thumbs up. "If my son had half of Xiao Fang's abilities, I'd die happy."
Beside him was the contractor's son, who, upon hearing this, exclaimed loudly, "Hey Dad, why are you belittling your own son like that? If you say that, I'll have to work harder and definitely reach half of Brother Fang's abilities."
"For no other reason than to fulfill your wish!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter.
You are such a filial son.
"You don't appreciate my good qualities, all you want is for me to die, right?" The contractor kicked his son and said with exasperation, "Fine, if Xiao Fang spends over 30 million on this road, and you make me 15 million, I'll jump into the river right now."
"Fine then, what can I do? You're my dad." The son shrank back.
Chu's father smiled and took out a few packs of cigarettes from the car to distribute to the workers: "Work hard and finish as soon as possible, and you'll get paid more."
"clear."
"As long as the money is right, even glass will shatter."
"I'll work overtime to fix this road for you."
“... ..."
When Chu Fang and Zhong Tingyue arrived in Chengdu, they didn't rush to Shanghai. Instead, they booked a hotel and stayed there.
There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, Zhong Tingyue was still furious and held a grudge about the fortune teller, determined to find him and get to the bottom of things.
What did she do to offend that fortune teller? Why did he have to call her a "cursed lone star"?
Secondly, at Chu Fang's request, for the past two weeks, the two have been sleeping in separate rooms, with Chu Fang alone in the empty room, feeling unbearably hungry and thirsty.
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