Chapter 5
I have someone I like.
Having been caught in the rain and exposed to the cold wind outside, Cheng Jiamo quickly took a hot shower, changed into clean pajamas, and dried her hair after returning to her dormitory to prevent catching a cold.
Suddenly, a strong feeling of hunger struck her. She glanced at the time and realized it was already past six o'clock.
She ate lunch before noon, went out for a while in the afternoon, and hasn't had dinner yet. No wonder she's so hungry.
Right now, only she and Zhang Wenqian are in the dorm; the other two girls are not there.
So she looked at Zhang Wenqian and asked, "Qianqian, have you had dinner?"
There are four people in the dormitory: Zhang Wenqian, Ding Qiaoqiao, and Cheng Jiamo. The three of them are in the same major, Chinese Language and Literature.
Another girl, Xia Mei, is from the history department. Because she registered late, several dorm rooms in her class were full, leaving her as an extra student. Meanwhile, Cheng Jiamo's class had an empty room, so she was assigned to Cheng Jiamo's dorm room.
Fortunately, the history department and the Chinese language major are both on the same campus, so even though the majors are different, living in the same dormitory room does not affect attending classes.
Of the four of them, Ding Qiaoqiao and Xia Mei were the best friends. Both of them loved shopping and often went out to eat and shop.
Aside from attending classes, Cheng Jiamo spends all her free time working part-time and rarely hangs out with the three of them in private. Over time, this has led to her not opening up to anyone.
However, she has a gentle and kind personality, and even though she is not close to them, there have been no conflicts.
Zhang Wenqian is a homebody; she spends most of her time in her dorm watching dramas and reading novels.
She was curled up in bed watching a dating show, and without looking up, she said, "I asked Qiaoqiao to bring me some spicy hot pot."
Cheng Jiamo said, "Then I'm going to the cafeteria for lunch."
Zhang Wenqian: "Okay, go ahead." She suddenly looked up and asked, "By the way, have you written your book report on 'Leaving Africa'?"
Cheng Jiamo was putting on her coat when she smiled and said, "It's 'Out of Africa.' I'm reading it now, but I haven't written it yet."
Zhang Wenqian urged her, "Hurry up and look at it, then write it down quickly, and let me copy it after you're done."
Cheng Jiamo smiled helplessly: "Okay."
She was used to lending her homework to classmates to copy and was no longer surprised by it.
She didn't try to persuade Zhang Wenqian with grand principles or things like "learning is for yourself, and true skills are what you learn and apply to yourself," because she thought it was meaningless.
In fact, everyone understands all these principles; it's not that they don't understand them, but everyone's pursuits are different, or rather, everyone's living environment is different, so the decisions they make are also different.
Some people are born into privilege, while others are born to be treated like cattle.
Like Zhang Wenqian, she is a native of northern Beijing, comes from a well-off family, is loved by her parents, and is an only child.
In her own words, she didn't want to live a tiring or difficult life; she just wanted to be a happy, carefree person.
In fact, she didn't have to work too hard, since her family had already paved the way for her.
Cheng Jiamo is no good. She doesn't even have a stable place to live, and she has no parents to rely on.
Her father passed away when she was seven, and her mother took her to Qucheng—her maternal grandmother's home.
After arriving in Qucheng, her mother got married a few days later. She lived with that man for more than three years, but they eventually separated due to various conflicts.
Less than half a month after they separated, her mother remarried, this time to Yu Shijie. Two years later, she gave birth to a son for Yu Shijie, and finally, she gained recognition from Yu Shijie and his parents because of her son.
As for her, she would stay at the Yu family's house one moment, her maternal grandmother's house the next, and her aunt's house the next, like a stray dog, wandering from place to place without a fixed place to live.
From the age of seven to nineteen, for twelve years, she lived as a dependent, even wandering in a foreign country for three years, living a life of constant anxiety.
Therefore, she has no right to lie down and must put in ten or even a hundred times more effort than others in order to have the stable life that others are born with.
It was past lunchtime, and there weren't many people in the cafeteria.
Cheng Jiamo ordered a bowl of noodles with minced meat sauce, took it to a corner, and ate it quietly and elegantly.
After finishing her meal, she returned to her dormitory, washed her lunchbox and clothes, tidied her bed, and then sat down at her desk to read and write her reflections.
After writing for a while, she looked up at the window.
The pattering rain blended into the deep darkness of the night.
Desolate, cold, and barren.
For some reason, this atmosphere inexplicably reminded her of He Qingzhao.
The mysterious man had a refined and scholarly appearance, with a gentle smile always on his lips, as if he were very kind.
But she always felt that his underlying nature was cold and dark, just like this rainy autumn night.
-
When He Qingzhao arrived at Xiyuan, it was almost seven o'clock.
He got out of the car, strolled through the winding courtyard, and strode towards the main house.
When he arrived at the door, before he even went inside, he heard the old lady's kind voice coming from inside.
"Does Qingzhao have a girlfriend?"
He Qingzhao was about to go up the steps, and had even lifted his leg, but then he pulled it back and stood sideways behind the pillar in the corridor.
Just then, He Zongxun walked over with a cigarette in his mouth. He was about to call out "Brother" when He Qingzhao raised his index finger and gestured for him to be quiet.
He Zongxun curled his lips slightly, smiled silently, and then walked to He Qingzhao's side to stand with him.
He Qingzhao's mother, Zhong Jin, said with a smile, "Not yet. He only returned to China three years ago and has been busy with his career all these years. He hasn't had time to date."
The old lady said slowly, "Zhao Qingman has returned to China. She came to visit me with her grandmother a while ago. I think the Zhao family wants to arrange a marriage between us."
Zhao Qingman is the third grandchild of the Zhao family, and is known in the circle as Miss Zhao the Third. She is two years younger than He Qingzhao, and is twenty-five years old this year. She just returned from completing her doctoral studies.
Zhong Jin already had a good idea of what was going on, but she pretended not to know and asked, "Which of our young masters has Miss Zhao taken a fancy to?"
The old lady laughed and said, "Who else could it be but your family, of course..."
Before the old lady could finish speaking, He Qingzhao shoved He Zongxun out and shouted, "Second brother, why aren't you inside? What are you doing hiding at the door?"
He Zongxun: "..."
Damn, he's trying to punch someone!
He Qingzhao walked into the house with one hand in his pocket, exuding an air of refined elegance. His narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, and a gentle smile played on his lips.
He Zongxun followed him into the house, cursing and glaring at He Qingzhao through gritted teeth: "Big brother, you'd better sleep with your eyes open tonight!"
He stepped forward and took the old lady's arm. The burly man, who was 1.9 meters tall, hunched over and lowered his head, complaining aggrievedly: "Grandma, my older brother was eavesdropping behind a pillar just now. I was about to speak, but he wouldn't let me. He even pushed me out and slandered me." Then he looked at Zhong Jin and said, "Second Aunt, please do something about my older brother."
Zhong Jin slapped He Qingzhao on the back: "You, how old are you, still bullying Zong Xun." She added, "It's time to find someone to keep an eye on you."
He Qingzhao didn't say anything, but just glanced at Zhong Jin with a faint smile.
Zhong Jin was stung by his laughter, but couldn't utter a single word of reprimand.
She turned around, picked up her handbag, and said to the old lady, "Mom, I have to go now. I'll come see you another day."
Although she had been divorced from He Qingzhao's father, He Rong'an, for many years, she still frequently visited the He family's old house to see the two elders, still calling the old lady "Mom" and the old man "Dad".
The old lady nodded: "Yes, it's raining outside and the ground is slippery. Be careful on the road and tell the driver to drive slowly."
He Qingzhao walked up to the old lady and helped her sit on the sofa.
"Have you eaten?" the old lady asked.
He Qingzhao smiled and said, "No, I was in a hurry to come back to see you and Grandpa."
He Zongxun sat on the armrest of the sofa: "Grandma, I haven't eaten either."
The old lady ordered the dishes to be served, and then took He Qingzhao and He Zongxun's hands on either side, patting their hands and saying, "You two are not young anymore, you should settle your personal matters as soon as possible."
He Zongxun said, "Grandma, there is an order of seniority. My eldest brother isn't even married yet, how can I get married first?"
"Why not?" The old lady glanced at him. "Your second uncle got married before your father. Besides, how much younger are you than Qingzhao? You're not even a year younger."
They were born in the same year. He Qingzhao's birthday is in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, which is July in the Gregorian calendar, while He Zongxun's birthday is in December in the Gregorian calendar, which is five months apart.
Because they were close in age, the two fought a lot when they were young.
Grandpa He has already eaten and is upstairs watching the news.
There were only the three of them at the dinner table. The old lady didn't eat much, but she would occasionally put a piece of food on her two grandsons' plates.
"Qingzhao, what are your thoughts?"
The old lady knew he had heard what she said, so she asked him directly.
He Qingzhao put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and looked up at the old lady: "Grandma, Zhao Qingman and I are not suitable. Please don't play matchmaker."
The old lady then asked, "Do you have a girl you like?"
He Zongxun swallowed the rice in his mouth and grinned, "How could my brother possibly have that..."
"have."
"What?" He Zongxun was so shocked he almost dropped his chopsticks. "Big brother, you have a girlfriend?"
Damn it, what happened to us being single together?
As a result, one by one they all secretly found girlfriends, even Tang Jingyao, the cold-faced devil, found a girlfriend, while he alone remained unchanged and honestly stayed single.
He Qingzhao emphasized again, "Grandma, I have someone I like." He raised his hand and patted He Zongxun's shoulder heavily. "You worry too much about your second son. As the saying goes, after three years in the army, even a sow can be more beautiful than Diao Chan. Your second son is in the army all day long, and he may not be able to find a woman even when he is eighty years old."
He Zongxun kicked He Qingzhao, who suddenly stood up, grabbed the back of He Zongxun's neck, and slammed his face onto the table.
"Grandma, look!" He Zongxun shouted like a child.
The old lady shook her head helplessly, pretending not to see it, and stood up to go upstairs.
The old man stood upstairs, holding onto the railing, and said to the two brothers downstairs, "If you want to fight, go outside and fight, fight in the rain, fight to the death. What kind of men are you, pushing and shoving each other at the dinner table?"
Grandpa He came from a military background. He went to the battlefield with his brother when he was twelve years old. He carried a Hanyang rifle and a bomb. He experienced dozens of battles, big and small. His iron-blooded temperament was all forged in the hail of bullets.
The children he raised were almost all tough guys; not one of them was weak.
He Qingzhao appears refined and elegant on the surface, but deep down he is still a tough guy.
After being yelled at by the old man, the two stopped and went upstairs together to talk to him.
Two young people and two elderly people sat in the living room on the second floor, with military news playing on the television.
The old man asked a few questions about He Zongxun's situation in the army, then turned his gaze to He Qingzhao: "You just said you have someone you like, which family's girl is it?"
[Author's Note]
He Zongxun: We agreed to stay single together as brothers, you guys are immoral!
He Qingzhao: Who told you that I can't live without my wife?
Tang Jingyao: Me too.
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