Chapter 34
◎ The fallen leaves on the ground kept jumping and spinning, and the wind blew, bringing hazy pieces of
The fallen leaves on the ground kept jumping and spinning. The wind blew, bringing with it patches of hazy rain mist.
Bei Bitang grabbed the corner of her clothes and stood at the gate of East China Normal University, pacing back and forth, wanting to leave and go back several times.
She felt her face was wet again, and when she reached out her hand, she felt water.
Bei Bitang looked up at the sky. It had darkened and was about to rain without her noticing.
She bit her lip, glanced at the school gate several times, then looked away. After a moment, she finally walked into the school gate with a fearless attitude.
Bei Bitang was walking on the university campus, feeling a little guilty and not daring to look around.
She walked a short distance and found that everyone was in a hurry and no one looked at her strangely. She couldn't help but put down the corner of her clothes and breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at the students passing by. The female college students were dressed no differently from her. If Feng Guangmei were standing here, it would not feel out of place at all. No one would believe that she was not a college student.
Thinking of this, Bei Bitang put her heart at ease. She followed the signs and walked to the entrance of the History Department.
Students were coming in and out. Bei Bitang stood by for a long time before she mustered up the courage to step in front of a female college student.
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "Hello, classmate. Do you know how to get to the girls' dormitory in the history department?"
The female college student looked up and said friendly, "Of course I know. I'm from the history department. I'm just going back to the dormitory to collect my clothes. Come with me."
Bei Bitang said softly, "Thank you."
The two walked together in silence for a while, and the female college student suddenly asked, "Classmate, are you here to look for someone?"
Bei Bitang replied with a guilty conscience, "Yes, I'm here to look for someone."
She was not a classmate, she was just a temporary worker selling fish in a small vegetable market.
The female college student said again: "Who are you looking for? Maybe I know him."
This was exactly what Bei Bitang wanted, and she immediately replied, "I'm here to see Zeng Linlin."
The female college student opened her mouth slightly in surprise and said, "Are you here to see Sister Linlin? That's really unfortunate. Sister Linlin just left the college not long ago and went to Huanghe Road to buy clothes."
Bei Bitang asked hurriedly, "How long has she been gone?"
The female college student looked at her watch and said, "About half an hour."
The campus of East China Normal University is quite large, and it takes more than 20 minutes to walk out of the school gate. Bei Bitang was anxious to catch up with her. She said quickly, "Thank you, classmate. I have something urgent to find her."
Seeing Bei Bitang sweating profusely, the female college student waved her hand and said, "It's okay. Go chase Sister Linlin. She's not riding a bicycle. You should be able to catch up."
Bei Bitang said "thank you" and ran towards the school gate.
At the bus stop in front of the school gate, a large group of college students were waiting for the bus.
Bei Bitang ran to the bus stop and stopped. Panting, she searched the crowd for Zeng Linlin.
A bus arrived and the waiting students lined up to get on the bus in an orderly manner.
Bei Bitang had just seen Zeng Linlin's face when she got on the bus the next second.
Bei Bitang squeezed over with an anxious look on her face and stood at the end of the queue. She stood on tiptoe and looked anxiously towards the door, hoping that there wouldn't be so many people on the bus so that everyone could get on.
Otherwise, she would have lost Zeng Linlin. She wanted to turn back and go home several times, but she finally walked up to Zeng Linlin. If she failed this time, there would be no next time. She could only wait for Xu Zeli to happily be her groom.
The carriage, where my back was pressed against my chest, was filled with a mixture of various smells and was extremely hot.
Zeng Linlin frowned tightly, put her hand to her nose, and tried her best to suppress the irritation in her heart.
Her eyes were fixed on the neck of the person in front of her. His dark, rough skin was covered in sweat, and his collar was yellow and frayed.
Zeng Linlin quickly looked away and looked at the top of the car. She couldn't help but wonder, is this how I'm going to ride the bus in the future?
Before setting the wedding date, her mother asked her one last time, "Are you really determined to marry Xu Zeli?"
She answered without hesitation, of course, she liked Xu Zeli. Since she couldn't go to England, who else could she marry if not him?
Mum was silent for a long time before she said, "You drive a car every day now. Have you ever thought about how you'll get around after you marry Xu Zeli? Even if I could buy you a car as your dowry and take it to the Xu family, is there parking space at the Xu family's house? Will the car be cared for and looked after if parked near the Xu family's house? And can the Xu family afford a driver?"
She didn't think about her mother's words at the time, she just felt that her mother was questioning her love. She replied a little angrily that of course she had thought about it, and she could endure the days without a car.
Mom sighed and said, "It's up to you. I'll call Xu Zeli and tell him the wedding date."
Her mother's words were subconsciously engraved in her mind, so today she suddenly had the urge to squeeze into the bus and try it out.
Zeng Linlin was in a very low mood. She didn't know if marrying Xu Zeli was a good choice. Perhaps after marriage, she could bring Xu Zeli back to live with her family permanently. After all, her parents wouldn't mind her living at home after marriage; they would be very happy.
Thinking of this, Zeng Linlin's mood improved a little.
Suddenly, she felt someone was looking at her. Zeng Linlin followed the gaze, looking across the crowded aisle of the carriage.
Seeing Zeng Linlin was about to turn around and look at her, Bei Bitang quickly turned sideways and looked out the car window.
Zeng Linlin got off the bus and walked into a state-owned clothing store. Bei Bitang also got off the bus and followed her.
The finished clothes are displayed on the wooden shelves, one by one, a dazzling array of them.
Rustle, the heavy rain finally fell.
The clothing store was lit with white lights and six large electric fans, making it clean, bright and comfortable, keeping the wind and rain out.
Bei Bitang followed Zeng Linlin, five or six steps away, looking at the clothes she had seen.
Zeng Linlin turned her head and their eyes met. Bei Bitang smiled at Zeng Linlin as if automatically.
Zeng Linlin withdrew her gaze expressionlessly and picked up each piece of clothing to examine them carefully.
After a moment, their eyes met again, and Bei Bitang smiled at Zeng Linlin again. This time Zeng Linlin was no longer indifferent, and she smiled back.
Seeing this, Bei Bitang felt that it was a suitable time, so she walked forward and came to Zeng Linlin's side.
Zeng Linlin was the first to speak. She said to Bei Bitang, "You're also a student at East China Normal University, right? I recognize your clothes. You and I took the same bus."
Bei Bitang was surprised, but after a few seconds, she put away the surprise on her face and said nonchalantly, "Yes, what a coincidence."
Zeng Linlin said gently, "My name is Zeng Linlin, and I'm from the History Department."
Bei Bitang didn't know how to answer and could only smile.
Zeng Linlin didn't mind either. She thought Bei Bitang just didn't like introducing herself to others casually.
She shook the clothes in her hand, motioned Bei Bitang to take a look, and asked, "What do you think of this dress? Does it suit me?"
Zeng Linlin was holding a light blue plaid dress with a waist and stand-up collar.
Bei Bitang said sincerely, "You are thin and tall, and you look good in anything you wear."
It's really a good deal for Xu Zeli, this stinky puddle. Both she and Zeng Linlin have terrible vision.
Zeng Linlin smiled and said, "Then I'll take this one first and see if there's anything more suitable. If not, I'll choose this one. Pretty people can never go wrong."
Then she said generously: "To thank you for your advice, I will treat you to ice cream later."
Bei Bitang was a little flattered. She waved her hands and said, "No, that's not a suggestion. All the clothes in this store look good on you."
Zeng Linlin's smile grew even wider. Bei Bitang glanced at her and asked, "You're choosing a dress so carefully. Are you going to wear one for some important occasion?"
Zeng Linlin said without any defense, "Yes, I'm getting married soon, and our two families are planning to have a meal together before the wedding. I came here to buy clothes for that occasion."
Bei Bitang pretended to be surprised and said, "You're still in college and you're getting married. So your relationship must be very good, right?"
Zeng Linlin was stunned for a second or two, then suddenly smiled and said, "We have a good relationship. That's why we're in a hurry to get married. We're getting married next month."
Bei Bitang pretended to be curious and asked, "Then your partner shouldn't be a college student, but someone who's already working, right?"
Zeng Linlin replied: "No, we are both students and classmates in college."
Bei Bitang continued to ask, "Then how did he win you over? He must be very outstanding to be worthy of you."
By the end of the story, Bei Bitang was about to vomit.
Zeng Linlin smiled and said sweetly, "Well, he's a very talented guy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen him. Soon after he entered university, many female classmates became interested in him. They saved seats for him, fetched water for him, lined up in the cafeteria to buy food, took notes, and some even knitted sweaters for him."
"I didn't know any of these, but he just fell in love with me. In return, he fetched me water and food, took notes for me, brought me an umbrella when it rained, and brought me breakfast to my dorm on mornings when I didn't have classes."
Bei Bitang praised him half-heartedly, "You all got into university in the first college entrance examination after its reinstatement. You are all excellent."
In reality, Bei Bitang was secretly slamming Xu Zeli. Haha, so that's how it was. I was wondering, how could a girl from a wealthy family be so humble to Xu Zeli, putting herself so low and giving so blindly? Even a girl from a Shikumen house wouldn't do that, so how could Zeng Linlin possibly do that?
Zeng Linlin suddenly said, "You're not from our school?"
Bei Bitang smiled calmly and said, "No, I came to East China Normal University to look for someone. I'm an educated youth who returned to the city. I only studied up to junior high school and didn't dare to take the college entrance examination."
After hearing this, Zeng Linlin didn't distance herself from her. Instead, she said in a friendly tone, "My fiancé was also an educated youth. He didn't even finish junior high school, but he had the courage to take the college entrance examination and was admitted to university on the first try."
When talking about Xu Zeli, Zeng Linlin's words were full of boasting and pride.
Bei Bitang smiled and said, "I was an educated youth for four years. How many years has your partner been one?"
Zeng Linlin glanced outside the shop. The downpour was still coming down, showing no sign of abating. She didn't have an umbrella, and she didn't want to call a driver, so she decided to chat with the girl while she waited for the rain to stop.
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