Chapter 127 Extra Morning Pair 1

September 1986, autumn.

The Cheng family has another high school student.

Shuangshuang successfully entered the first year of high school this year and became a candidate for the high school entrance examination three years later.

Compared to the first day of the nursery class, elementary school, and junior high school, both of them were much calmer when facing high school.

On the eve of school starting, she just asked her parents to wrap her books. In fact, she could do it herself, but it would be more meaningful if her parents did it.

Cheng Zheng is a deputy brigade commander in the army, leading and training soldiers. At home, he can only tear off a calendar and do work for the girls - wrapping book covers.

There is a landscape painting on the calendar. After being folded repeatedly, it has a unique flavor when it is finally displayed on the paper. It looks very good.

"How is it?" Cheng Zheng showed it to his daughter like a treasure, "Better than your mother's, right?"

"Tsk~" Jian Lu was working hard on the side. Hearing this, she looked up and said, "Comrade Cheng Zheng, it's not the organization criticizing you. Look at you, how come the river here is broken in half to where the page turns? This is not planned at all."

"This is called being casual. We should just follow our heart and not be too particular about details."

Watching my parents arguing with their chins resting on their hands, I felt that they were so childish and not as stable as me, a high school student.

"They all look good! Mom and Dad both wrapped them well." Seeing that Mom and Dad were satisfied after hearing this, both were very proud, I still have to take charge of the situation.

On the first day of school, students took out brand new textbooks. Each textbook was wrapped in a book cover, mostly made of newspapers or last year's calendars. Everyone loved to compare their textbooks with each other.

"Lu Tian, ​​look, this is what my dad and mom made for me. Doesn't it look nice?"

Lu Tian nodded, "It's pretty good. Mine was made by my grandma."

They both admired the new books happily. They moved closer to the textbooks and smelled the fresh scent of ink. Well, school has really started, this familiar smell.

The difficulty of studying in high school is naturally a step higher than that in elementary and junior high school. However, fortunately, Shuangshuang has a mother who is a college student. She can ask her directly if she doesn’t understand something. Therefore, Shuangshuang’s grades have always been among the best.

Not only Shuangshuang, but other good friends also fell in love with doing homework with Shuangshuang at home. They would ask Aunt Lulu questions from time to time. The grades of a group of children gradually improved. The adults in the family compound thanked Jian Lu several times for this, saying that the more their children played with Shuangshuang, the better their grades became.

For this reason, whenever Shuangshuang went back to visit other good friends, the other uncles and aunts would give her a bunch of delicious food, which was so delicious.

=

The three years of high school passed in a flash. Jian Lu felt that her child had grown up overnight. It was as if he was a tiny kid who only reached her knees yesterday, but now he was only a little shorter than her.

"Mom, let me cut some bougainvillea and put them in the living room." Shuangshuang is already a big girl and will be eighteen in a few months.

"Go ahead." Jian Lu looked at her daughter lovingly. She saw her bending down with a pair of scissors to cut off a few bougainvilleas planted at home. The delicate colors of the plum blossoms made them look even more beautiful.

Having shed the baby fat from childhood, Shuangshuang has grown a lot and is now about 1.65 meters tall, with slender limbs, long arms and legs, exactly like Jian Lu.

Dense clumps of bougainvillea climbed up the branches and half of the wall, adding a touch of bright color to the monotonous white courtyard wall.

Both of them were wearing white short-sleeved shirts and light-colored denim shorts. They stretched out their wrists and clasped their hands. When they turned around, their eyes and eyebrows looked 50% like their mother's.

Feng Xiuhui, who was talking at Jian Lu's house, looked at Shuang Shuang and couldn't help but say to Jian Lu, "Shuang Shuang has been beautiful since she was a child, and she will be a beauty when she grows up. She just takes after you."

Cui Yuhe was looking at the eggplants from Jian Lu's house. They were quite fat and hanging in the air. She turned around and said, "She looks like Lulu. Her nose is like her father's, standing straight up."

Shuangshuang put the glass bottle of bougainvillea into the living room. When she came out, she heard two aunts praising her. She was not shy at all. She held her face with her hands and smiled, "Aunt Xiuhui, Aunt Yuhe, if you continue to praise me, my tail will fly up to the sky~"

"You kid...hahahaha."

Jian Lu was also amused by the lady's conceited look, and could only say to the two of them, "This girl just doesn't know how to be humble."

"That shows that we are both honest. She is pretty, so what! Why be modest?"

Cui Yuhe also said, "By the way, the college entrance examination is coming soon. Shuangshuang, why don't you hurry up and study?"

Counting the days, it’s only been half a month.

"I've seen other kids in the hospital who are going to take the college entrance exam. They've been studying so hard these days. Normally, I'd barely see them flipping through their books. They don't even bring their schoolbags to school, but lately they can't put down their books."

"Aunt Yuhe, my main task right now is to relax. I've learned enough, so I can't be too nervous." Shuangshuang was confident and didn't show any fear at all.

"That's right, we just can't be scared." Feng Xiuhui thought it made sense, "Besides, your mother is a college student, you can definitely keep up with her."

Shuangshuang was actually quite calm about the upcoming college entrance examination. During this period, her older brothers and sisters kept calling her to show their concern.

Lu Qing was admitted to a university in the capital, and after graduation he worked as a doctor at the local People's Hospital, and could only come back once during the holidays. Last year, Lu Qing's father Lu Jianwen retired from the army, and the family's connection with the island was completely cut off. The two were sad for a while, and they didn't know if they would be able to see each other again in the future.

"Shuangshuang, you are so smart, and you follow Aunt Lulu, so you will do well in the college entrance examination." Lu Qing just worked the night shift yesterday. After get off work, he went home and slept until the afternoon. Thinking that Shuangshuang was about to take the college entrance examination, he called.

"Sister Qingqing, I think so too. As the saying goes, like dragons give birth to dragons, like phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. I will definitely be good at studying. I just follow my mother."

The two chatted on the phone for a few minutes at the beginning of the school year. Not long after they both hung up, the phone rang again.

This time, it was Dunzi who called to express his concern.

"Brother Dunzi, when are you coming back? You haven't been back for more than a year."

Dunzi's business is now growing bigger and bigger. He already owns several clothing stores in G City and has become a famous big boss.

"I will definitely come back this year! I was just too busy with business. I was thinking about you taking the college entrance exam soon. Do your best, Shuangshuang. When you finish the exam, I will give you any reward you want."

"Really?" Shuangshuang narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Of course it's true. When has Brother Dunzi ever lied to you?"

"Thank you, Brother Dunzi~" Shuangshuang muttered, "Sister Qingqing just said that she would give me a gift after the exam. How much will I have to receive after the exam?"

When Lu Qing was mentioned, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "Okay, you should study hard and try to get into a good university."

Both of them took the college entrance examination and received many rewards and promises. All relatives and friends prepared gifts for them. Cheng Zheng even bought a pager for his daughter, intending to give it to her after the college entrance examination. However, on the surface, he still said that it was a reward for getting into college.

When the day of the college entrance examination arrived, the whole family was nervous because only one person was taking the exam.

Aunt Wang got up early in the morning to knead dough, fried dough sticks for her granddaughter, boiled eggs, and cooked porridge.

"Peanut porridge, here's a fried dough stick and two eggs. We both got 100 points in all subjects."

Shuangshuang didn't tell grandma that the total score was 120. She just said, "Grandma, after eating the breakfast you prepared, I will definitely get full marks."

"Okay!" Aunt Wang smiled so hard that her teeth were showing. "We both have great ambitions."

Jian Lu was eating breakfast nearby, reminding her daughter of some things to note, "You have no problem learning, Mom is just worried that you will be careless and make mistakes. When the time comes, write your name, read each question carefully, check it twice, and keep a calm mind and perform normally."

"Okay, Mom, I will be very careful this time." Shuangshuang took a bite of the crispy dough stick, it was so delicious.

Cheng Zheng was not in a hurry to go to the army today, but told his daughter, "Eat slowly, our family will take you to the examination room today."

There were huge crowds of people outside the college entrance examination hall. Cheng Zheng was rarely so excited, and even a little nervous. This kind of mood was rare.

In the crowded crowd, Jian Lu squeezed the lady's hand and said calmly, "Just do your best. We'll go out to eat after you finish your exam."

Shuangshuang tied her hair into a loose ponytail today, revealing her smooth forehead. Her round almond eyes were full of light. "Okay, Mom, I want to order a lot of delicious food!"

“Go ahead, go ahead and do your best in the exam.” Aunt Wang watched her granddaughter and her classmates enter the venue, reluctant to take her eyes off them.

On the way back, Cheng Zheng talked about this matter and said, "Why are we both taking the college entrance examination? I feel more nervous than when I took the first military examination."

Jian Lu put her arm around Cheng Zheng's. "That's what they call caring too much and causing confusion."

The three days of college entrance examination were spent in an orderly manner.

After finishing the college entrance examination, students are like birds out of a cage, instantly becoming free.

Shuangshuang and her family went to the county town for a meal and received a bunch of gifts. Her mother bought her a pen, a watch, a bunch of vanishing creams, pearl creams, and, yes, a light-colored lipstick.

Shuangshuang liked the lipstick so much that she tried it immediately. Her lips became pink and tender like peaches, and it was so beautiful that she was reluctant to wipe it off.

Her father gave her a pager, which was the most popular at the time. I heard it cost several hundred yuan. It could be used to send messages to others, so it was very convenient.

The two of them studied it for a while and made a special trip to contact their mother's pager. When they saw the message of their calling appeared on their mother's pager, they felt it was magical.

She performed well in both college entrance examinations, with a total score of 710 in science, and she estimated her score to be around 630. After discussing with her family, she applied for the Journalism Department of Capital University and received the acceptance letter one month after filling out the application form.

The reason is simple. Shuangshuang has been interested in the news since her family bought the first black-and-white TV when she was a child. Now her family has replaced the TV with a 12-inch color TV, and she is about to leave home.

"My daughter is going to the capital to study." Cheng Zheng felt a little sad. "Ah, it's too far away from home."

"When the child grows up, he has to go out and explore. There are many good opportunities in the capital, and it is a good thing for young people to go there." Jian Lu comforted him, "You haven't seen how much Shuang Shuang has decided. He has already thought about what university and major to choose."

Cheng Zheng thought about it and realized that the girl had always had positive ideas since she was a child.

Since they had to take a train from southern China to the capital, the journey was long, so Shuangshuang had to bring a lot of luggage.

Grandma was the one who was most worried. She was afraid that her granddaughter would not be warm enough or well fed while going to school, so she asked her to bring three or four cotton-padded jackets, and also collected several pairs of cotton-padded coats and trousers.

"Girl, grandma has been in the north for decades, including her entire life. It's very cold in the fall, not to mention the winter. Don't think you have too much to bring. These clothes can keep you alive in the winter."

Shuangshuang naturally felt relieved, "Grandma, I will listen to you. Bring some warm clothes. Don't let yourself get cold."

"That's right, you still have to listen."

The quilts and thick clothes were packed and sent first. The delivery was slow, so by the time they got on the green train to the capital, they would probably have received the packages.

On the day of departure, all the neighbors came to watch the excitement and urged Shuangshuang to study hard and come back to visit everyone during the winter and summer vacations.

She grew up in the family compound and was watched over by these uncles and aunts. They all looked at her with some affection. “I know, I will definitely come back as soon as the holidays come.”

Feng Xiuhui watched the whole family set off, both walking beside Jian Lu. The mother and daughter were almost the same height, and she couldn't help but sigh, "How come in the blink of an eye, both of them are going to college."

"All of these kids are going out one by one." Liang Haisheng turned around and felt that this area of ​​the family yard seemed a lot quieter. In the past, a group of children in the yard were playing marbles, skipping rope, and hopscotch, and it was very lively.

Now, everyone has grown up and gone out.

=

The green train from H City to the capital was speeded up last year and now takes two and a half days plus one night.

The family bought four sleeper tickets and squeezed into the bus. Cheng Zheng walked in front and "killed" a path through the crowd as if he was breaking new ground.

After putting away the two snakeskin bags and a wicker suitcase, the family finally took a break.

"Mom, where is the camera?" Shuangshuang wanted to take a picture as soon as she got in the car. Her mother gave her an extra camera to take to college before school started, which was exactly what she wanted.

"Put it in your suitcase."

"good."

He dug out his camera, loaded the film, and snapped a picture of mom and dad talking in the sleeper compartment.

"Come, I'll take a picture of you as a souvenir." Cheng Zheng became interested when he heard the noise. He asked his daughter to sit in the lower bunk and prepared to take a commemorative picture of his child going to college.

I saw Shuangshuang sitting obediently in the berth, with golden ears of wheat flashing quickly outside the car window behind them. The little girl smiled sweetly, and click, the photo was taken.

"When we get to the capital, I have to take it to a photo studio to get it developed."

The other two comrades in the upper berth of the sleeper car saw this family and the cameras they carried with them and leaned over to see what was happening.

"Comrade, your cameras are amazing. You can even take pictures on the train."

"The child is going to school soon, so he was just playing with it."

"Oh, you're going to college, right? When I got on the train, I saw many people carrying large and small bags and preparing to go to college."

"Yes." Cheng Zheng felt a sense of pride and arrogance. His daughter really made him proud. "My daughter was admitted to Capital University."

"Oh my, this is incredible, this little girl is amazing."

Shuangshuang blushed as she listened to her father chatting with the uncle on the opposite shop floor. She took her military water bottle and was about to go out for some fresh air. "Mom, I'm going to get some water."

"Okay, go slowly and be careful when walking."

"knew."

The hot water was at the connection between the four carriages behind their sleeper car. Shuangshuang walked through the hard seat car and saw many young faces carrying large and small bags. Shuangshuang immediately realized that many of them were prospective freshmen who were preparing to report to university like herself.

The autumn air was getting thicker. Shuangshuang took a sip of hot water from the military kettle and felt a warm current flowing through her limbs. She stood quietly at the water fetching area when someone suddenly called her.

"Classmate, are you going to the university to report?"

They both turned around and saw two young girls, about 18 or 19 years old, looking youthful and charming. "Yes, you too?"

"yes!"

It's great to be young. Three girls met by chance and started chatting while getting some water.

The two girls also reported to Capital University and were freshmen in the same year as Shuangshuang. Because of this relationship, the three of them immediately became familiar with each other, which was even a little exciting.

"My name is Lu Shanfang and her name is Fan Siting."

"My name is Cheng Keying, you can call me Shuangshuang."

During the next three days of the green train journey, Shuangshuang would go to the hard seat carriage from time to time to chat with two classmates from the same school.

Jian Lu was happy to see this happen. She believed that her child was cheerful and lively, and it was a good thing for him to make more friends.

"So you can have someone to take care of you when you come over in the future."

"Mom, I'm going to bring them some food. Where are the almond cookies and malted milk we brought?"

Shuangshuang often can't find where she put her things, and whenever she has a problem she asks her mother. Jianlu has told her several times about this matter, wondering what she would do if she went to college.

In response to this, Shuangshuang said that if something is missing, it will be found one day. She is a good student, but her memory is not very good in real life. She doesn't know who she is following.

"Here it is. Take it and share it."

The three girls were eating almond cookies in the aisle of the carriage, and Shuangshuang opened the lid of the malted milk and invited them to eat the malted milk.

Seeing this, Lu Shanfang and Fan Siting also took out two of the dry grain biscuits they had brought from home and ate one while talking.

The train stopped at the station. They both looked out and calculated the time. It would take another day to reach the capital.

"Have we arrived in L City?"

"Yes." Lu Shanfang glanced out the window and saw a large group of people in green military uniforms standing on the platform in front. "Hey, look! There are so many soldiers."

Shuangshuang was eating a crispy malt milk and looked over. She was familiar with this situation. "It must be a new soldier who has just joined the army and needs to report to the unit."

"Shuangshuang, how do you know?"

"My father is a soldier, and I have seen this kind of scene since I was a child."

Lu Shanfang asked the crew and found out that it was exactly what Shuangshuang had said. "I heard that the new recruits were going to report to the military district in the capital. This place was gathering new recruits from the five nearby provinces. The four carriages at the back were all provided to them."

"Wow, so many?"

In this day and age, people still have a natural reverence for soldiers. Fan Siting couldn't help but tiptoe to look forward, through the crowd, and seemed to really see a carriage in front of her full of shadows of green military uniforms.

"Then our train is so safe. With so many soldiers on board, we don't have to worry about thieves or kidnappers."

“That makes sense.”

“Hahahahahahaha.”

Shuangshuang heard that a large group of new recruits were also on this train, so she mentioned this to her father when she returned to her own sleeper compartment. Cheng Zheng also took a look at them from a distance, looking at them with the same scrutiny as if they were young men.

"I will also go to the Capital Military Region to see my old comrades." Cheng Zheng was sitting in the lower bunk, peeling apples. Last month, the troops distributed a box of Guoguang apples, and they took seven or eight of them with them on this trip to eat on the road.

Cheng Zheng cut an apple into two halves and gave them to his mother and daughter-in-law first.

Jian Lu bit the sweet apple and said vaguely, "I want to see my old classmates too."

They had managed to make the trip, especially Cheng Zheng, who was on home leave, so he planned to spend a few days in the capital, visit old comrades and classmates, and then take the train north to visit his hometown.

Shuangshuang got the second apple that Dad peeled. The sweet fruit seemed to be filled with sugar and it was so sweet that it went straight to the heart.

The train was still half a day away from arriving at the Capital Station, and many people were already getting agitated. Shuangshuang was thinking about going to the hard seat carriage again as they had agreed to meet their two new friends to get off the train and wait outside the platform, and then go to school together.

This time, Lu Shanfang was not at her seat. Fan Siting said that Lu Shanfang met a new soldier this morning and started chatting with him.

"I don't know if he's attracted to her."

Both of them widened their eyes in surprise, "What do you like?"

She had never thought about such a thing in her life. "Isn't Fangfang only nineteen?"

"Yes, the first child in our village was born at the age of 19. Fangfang told me before that she likes soldiers the most and wants to marry a soldier."

Shuangshuang was trying hard to digest these words, and soon she saw Lu Shanfang and a soldier in green military uniform walking towards them.

"Comrades, this soldier is Yang Hongsheng, and he is from the same hometown as me!" Lu Shanfang smiled, obviously very happy. When you are out and about, meeting classmates and fellow villagers from the same school makes you feel very friendly. "These are our classmates from school, Fan Siting and Cheng Keying."

"Hello." Yang Hongsheng looked young, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old, and very young. When he saw several female comrades, his face was a little flushed, and he became shy when he spoke.

Several of them were of similar age and became friends after meeting each other outside. They started chatting soon.

"You are going to the capital to attend university, and I am going to the capital to serve in the army, which is just right." After getting familiar with each other, Yang Hongsheng gradually lost his shyness. "Where is your university? I wonder if it is far from our military region."

"It should be not far away. I heard before that there is a military area not far from our school. It should be where you are."

"Then we can have a meal together during the holidays."

"OK!"

Shuangshuang and Fan Siting looked at Lu Shanfang's excited expression, and seemed to see what she was thinking. They were really a little amorous.

As for Yang Hongsheng, he also spoke enthusiastically to Lu Shanfang.

Shuangshuang and Fan Siting exchanged glances for a while. Could it be that these two really fell in love with each other while riding the train?

Shuangshuang was just about to ask about Yang Hongsheng's situation for Lu Shanfang when she saw him suddenly stand up, as if he had something urgent to do.

"Oh no, what time is it now?" Yang Hongsheng was obviously a little anxious.

There was a watch on Shuangshuang's wrist, a small and exquisite Plum brand, "3:40."

"Oh, it's over, I'm going to be late!" Yang Hongsheng stood up suddenly and prepared to leave. "We have to rejoin the team. I won't say any more. See you in the capital!"

Lu Shanfang's eyes gleamed, "Hey, are you still so strict on the train? Are you also racing against time to get back to the team?"

"You don't know, our company commander looks kind, but he is actually very strict! I'm leaving now, see you later!"

"Okay!" Lu Shanfang looked at the direction Yang Hongsheng left reluctantly, "See you in the capital!"

——

The green train would arrive in the capital in half an hour, and the passengers were packing their luggage and stretching their muscles to get off the train.

The recruits from the Capital Military Region, who occupied four carriages, were also ready to go. They carried their military bags, lined up in two teams, and prepared to get off the train in an orderly manner.

"Everyone check your belongings and don't leave anything behind. Gather at the platform after getting off the train. Keep quiet and don't disturb other passengers. Do you understand?" The soldier standing in carriage nine and giving the instructions was dressed in an olive green military uniform. He had an upright posture and a military cap, under which was a handsome face.

The new recruits answered loudly, "Understood!"

Seeing the company commander, who enjoyed great prestige among the recruits, go to the next carriage, the recruits in carriage nine could not contain their excitement and began to whisper to each other.

"Captain Wu has left. He has gone to carriage ten."

"Phew~ I almost thought I was discovered because I was late. I was delayed for one minute." Yang Hongsheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Wuwuwuwu~~~

As the whistle sounded, the green train slowly drove into the Capital North Railway Station.

There are twelve carriages in total. Carriages 1-8 are for ordinary passengers, and carriages 9-12 are for the new recruits of the Capital Military Region.

On the train, the passengers got off with excitement and finally set foot on the land of the capital.

Shuangshuang followed her family and got off from carriage eight. Dad carried the heaviest luggage, while she and her mother carried some lighter items and helped grandma get off the bus.

"I haven't been to the capital in many years. It has changed so much." Cheng Zheng looked around and felt that the capital was indeed extraordinary.

Shuangshuang had only been to the capital once. She looked around, her eyes passing over the green military uniforms who were swarming out of the car not far away, looking at their straight figures. After a while, she retracted her gaze and left the station with her family.

"Everyone, report your numbers." Captain Wu, who was leading the company of new recruits, was standing upright on the platform, counting the number of people. When he saw that everyone was gathered, he ordered them to report back to the military district.

The author has something to say:

Shuangshuang: Who is Captain Wu? I don’t know him well.