Farewell
Inside the private room of Zheng's Private Kitchen
Xu Changjia and his three friends ate their meal quietly. When the waiter came in to bring them drinks, he couldn't help but glance at them. It was surprising that children this age weren't making a fuss while eating. He had rarely seen such well-mannered and polite children.
Zheng Ruoqian got up and served soup to everyone before bringing the conversation back up, "When I leave, you all have to come and see me off."
Zhang Yuning finished her soup cleanly and agreed, "Okay." She leaned back in her chair and waited for them to eat slowly.
Ou Liyao was always good at livening up the atmosphere, but as soon as she sat down in the private room, before she had even finished her cup of tea, Zheng Ruoqian had already told her all about his departure.
The plane tickets have been bought. He and his mother will be going to H country in a month. Once they leave, they don't know when they will see each other again.
Even though she was very eloquent, she didn't know what to say this time. The heavy atmosphere of parting weighed on everyone, making them speechless.
The table was laden with delicious food, and everyone ate without tasting it. Xu Changjia put down his soup bowl and spoon, and after a long pause, he replied, "Okay, we should keep in touch."
Zheng Ruoqian picked up his drink again, raised his glass, and thanked them one by one. He thanked them for meeting Zhang Yuning at Junzhou No. 1 Middle School, for being a top student whom he could only look up to. With him there, he was able to motivate himself to attend classes and do practice problems every day, which enabled him to achieve a good result of 18th place in the entire grade in the class placement exam.
After passing Zhang Yuning's position, he walked to Ou Liyao's side. He thanked her for meeting such an interesting little sun in Class 365. Even when he was tired and stressed, seeing her so full of energy every day would make him feel good. He would be full of motivation when he picked up his books to do practice questions and memorize. It was really his good fortune to have such a high-energy friend by his side.
Finally, he poured a full glass of orange juice and toasted it to his most loyal listener, "Xu Changjia, thank you for being willing to listen to me play the piano. Meeting you is the greatest luck of my life." Zheng Ruoqian's tongue was tied, and he could only manage to say a few words out of the many words he wanted to say.
Xu Changjia picked up the orange juice and looked directly into his eyes with great seriousness. "Zheng Ruoqian, I am also very fortunate to have met you in this life. It is my greatest honor."
He stared at the sincerity in her eyes for a long time; she truly felt lucky to have met him.
Ou Liyao poured herself a glass of orange juice and pushed it in front of Zhang Yuning, gesturing to him with her eyes, "Okay, you two don't need to thank me like that. Our separation is only temporary, and we'll have more time to meet in the future."
"Come on, let's drink this glass of orange juice together to celebrate meeting and becoming friends in 2115."
The clinking of four glasses of orange juice symbolizes their vibrant youth and a bright future.
The New Year of 2115 came quickly. They only had a short holiday of a little over ten days. The streets and alleys of Junzhou were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and everywhere was filled with festive red, announcing the end of this year and the upcoming spring of 2116.
Xu Changjia had finished most of her homework, but she didn't want to write anything today. She lazily slumped on the single sofa in her small room, flipping through a book of essays that she had read countless times. A sentence she had read in a book in her previous life came to mind: "In my youth, I was riding high on the spring breeze, and I did not believe in the existence of separation in the world."
She never understood the taste of parting until her death, but in this life, at only fifteen or sixteen years old, she has to part with her friends. It seems that this feeling is completely different from that of her previous life.
There was a lot of noise outside the room. Aunt Chen was already preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, saying that her parents would be back that night and that she should stay home and wait for the reunion.
However, the laughter and joy still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. Even though she had been reborn for more than half a year, she still felt a little awkward and embarrassed when faced with her parents' concern, always feeling out of place in such a lively atmosphere.
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, her mother was going to take her out to buy firecrackers. Only then did she realize that she was still just a child, someone who could lie in her mother's arms and act spoiled like other children.
She couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she went with her mother.
The supermarket wasn't far, but her mother still took her there on foot. On the way, they met Ou Liyao, who was out buying snacks. Ou Liyao's smile widened after Ou Liyao took her hand.
Xu's mother wasn't one to spoil the fun, so she let her go out and play with her friends. She just told her to be home before midnight, and to call her father to pick her up if it got too late. She gave Ou Liyao a few more instructions before leaving.
Ou Liyao originally wanted to buy snacks, but after meeting her friends, she changed her mind. She also called her mother to tell her before she let her go.
She suddenly had a brilliant idea, whispered it to Xu Changjia, and after receiving an approving look from him, the two of them walked in another direction.
It was on a weekend when they arranged to meet at Ruqi Bookstore. Ou Liyao arrived a little late and met Zhang Yuning near the bookstore, where she learned his home address. The newsstand in front of his house was the most conspicuous place.
Zhang Yuning also said that he likes to stand at the entrance of the newsstand and read comics in his spare time. He can read for a whole day. When his parents can't find him, they can just open the window and see him reading comics at the entrance of the newsstand. They don't have to worry about him like other parents do.
The two of them walked along the other side of the Ruqi Bookstore for about ten minutes and sure enough, they saw the newsstand and a boy standing there.
Holding Xu Changjia's hand, Ou Liyao quickened her pace and headed straight for the newsstand.
It wasn't until the two figures fell into the comic book in his hand, casting a shadow, that Zhang Yuning looked up at them.
"Long time no see, Zhang, the academic genius!"
The rising tone of his voice was very pleasant to listen to, and Zhang Yuning was no exception. He closed the comic book in his hand, said something to the newsstand owner, and took two steps to the tree next to him.
He couldn't stop smiling. "Why are you all here during the New Year?"
Ou Liyao told him about her chance encounter with Xu Changjia on her way to the supermarket, and how she came up with the brilliant idea of finding him and Zheng Ruoqian, which made him think for a moment.
He added fuel to the fire of Ou Liyao's brilliant idea, asking them, "What do you think about us taking gifts to Zheng Ruoqian?"
Needless to say, a New Year's gift plus a farewell gift for him is hard not to be tempted.
The three of them shared their thoughts, and even the usually taciturn Xu Changjia said a few more words.
This action was seen by Professor Zhang, who had just opened the window, and he immediately called his wife over.
The couple rarely saw their son chatting animatedly with two young girls around him. Professor Zhang was a little worried. "Do you think our son might be dating too early?"
Unexpectedly, his wife rolled her eyes at him, saying, "With your son's arrogant, mute appearance, have you ever seen him since he was little? Apart from that boy from the Wen family who didn't mind playing with him, has anyone else been willing to pay attention to him?"
“My sister told me that every weekend he takes three friends to the bookstore to tutor them. Occasionally, other friends come to sit in on the classes, including two girls, one outgoing and lively, and the other quiet and reserved. They are both from good families. Let me tell you, my son has finally made friends at school. If you are suspicious and try to cause trouble, I won’t let you off the hook.”
As she spoke, Mrs. Zhang pulled the window down, preventing him from looking any further.
Professor Zhang was still a little annoyed by the scolding, so he called his son under the pretext of asking when he would be back. Hearing that his son seemed to be in a good mood, he asked a few more questions.
Her words immediately gave her away. Zhang Yuning turned and stared intently at her own closed window, her tone unusually soft as she patiently explained that she was going to prepare gifts for a friend who was about to go abroad and would be back later.
Upon receiving this answer, Professor Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't puppy love. He told his son to go out and have fun without worry and even thoughtfully asked if he had enough money and if he needed a few hundred more. His son flatly refused and hung up the phone.
The three of them had already decided what gifts they wanted to give Zheng Ruoqian. These gifts could be bought at nearby shopping malls. Since it was still early, Zhang Yuning took the two of them by taxi straight to the mall.
By the time they finished selecting their items and arrived near Zheng Ruoqian's house, it was already dark, and the Spring Festival Gala was already being broadcast on television in every household.
Zhang Yuning put down the phone and took out two more chocolates from her bag to give to them. "Ruoqian said he'll be here in five minutes, so please wait."
As the three of them waited for his arrival in the small square, they spotted a fireworks and firecrackers stall not far away. Without saying a word, they tacitly headed in that direction, grabbing lots and lots of sparklers until their hands were full before giving up their idea of emptying the stall.
As the first firework shot into the sky over the small square, Zheng Ruoqian appeared in that corner, walking towards them from where the fireworks had fallen, looking travel-worn yet carrying a touch of winter warmth.
When he received the call, he originally intended to invite the three of them to come home with him to watch the Spring Festival Gala and eat sunflower seeds. However, when he saw the sparklers in their hands, he knew what they were planning, and he swallowed his words back.
Half an hour later, Zheng Ruoqian, who had received a whole stack of gifts, and his friends, each holding a few sparklers, were having a great time playing with a group of children in the square.
It wasn't appropriate to say goodbye during the Lunar New Year, so Zheng Ruoqian let go of his burdens and happily ran with them in the evening breeze, looking up at the fireworks and making wishes.
This was probably the most different New Year he had ever had. The joy of 2015 remained in everyone's hearts. He sincerely hoped that everyone would get better and better in 2016, and that they would never be separated.
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