Chapter 252 Returning to Familiar Places
City B, Q University, playground.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with a message—
Seize the day while you're young and hone your skills, lest the years waste your precious youth.
I wish you all a wonderful time at university. Thank you.
Zhang Mo's voice was clear and firm, carrying the composure that comes with weathering storms, echoing across the vast playground.
Amidst thunderous applause and cheers, Zhang Mo calmly stepped down from the stage and sat down in her seat in the first row.
On the stool, the little fox had been waiting for her, half asleep, for quite a while.
The school leaders around couldn't help but cast curious glances at the little guy.
Upon seeing Zhang Mo return, the little fox's previously droopy ears suddenly perked up, its big, watery eyes instantly lit up, and it pounced into Zhang Mo's arms, found a comfortable position, and fell into a deep sleep again.
Beside Zhang Mo, Yuan Shui sat upright. Today, contrary to his usual self, he wore a crisp white shirt, dark blue trousers, and even a patterned tie, making himself look more like a successful entrepreneur returning home in triumph.
We really benefited from Zhang Mo's help today; otherwise, the homeroom teacher probably wouldn't have thought of him.
He was so excited that he immediately donated 500,000 yuan to the Q University Education Foundation!
After the opening ceremony ended and they greeted the school leaders, Zhang Mo and Yuan Shui slipped away to eat in the shopping district near the East Gate.
When Zhang Mo was in college, she mainly relied on scholarships and grants to survive, and she mostly ate in the cafeteria.
Yuan Shui would treat Zhang Mo to a nice meal at the shopping street every time a group assignment ended, as a way of thanking her.
There was no romantic love between them, only respect and gratitude for the academic genius who saved them from dire straits.
After all, without Zhang Mo, Yuan Shui would have been expelled from school long ago for failing his courses.
If one word had to describe Zhang Mo's place in Yuan Shui's heart, it would be—
Stepmother!!!
Now, four years after graduation, many shops on the commercial street have changed owners.
Familiar streets, unfamiliar faces—time has quietly changed everything.
Some of the owners of the old shops recognized them and immediately offered them free food, without giving them a chance to refuse.
Some students came up to her for photos or autographs, and Zhang Mo didn't refuse any of them.
When the two arrived at Yuan Shui's favorite skewers shop, Zhang Mo was holding a bowl of tofu pudding in her left hand and a bowl of fruit salad in her right hand. Two cups of milk tea were hanging from her left pinky finger, and a bag of duck necks was hanging from her right ring finger.
The little fox curled up into a tiny ball, perched on her right shoulder, curiously observing everything around it.
Yuan Shui, holding a family-themed jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe), stared in disbelief: "Won't your fingers break?"
Zhang Mo shook the food in her hand: "Don't make a fuss, it's just the initial skill of people in W City."
It wasn't lunchtime yet, and there were no customers in the restaurant.
The owner of the skewers shop greeted us with a smile: "Oh my, I knew you two would come when I heard you were going back to school today. Oh my, this little guy is so cute! What does it eat? Does it want carrots? It's all fresh from this morning!"
The two found a booth at the back and sat down facing each other. Zhang Mo smiled and said, "It's okay, she can just have this fruit salad."
The little fox was perched on the table, gracefully scooping up watermelon with its paws to eat, leaving the boss completely bewildered.
Yuan Shui took a basket and went to the freezer to pick out vegetables: "Wow, new vegetables! Boss, what are these green, long, thin things?"
The rule for the two of them when they ate together was that Zhang Mo was only responsible for eating, while Yuan Shui was responsible for ordering food and paying.
The owner walked over with a smile: "Gongcai! Try it, just blanch it for ten seconds or so and it'll be ready to eat, it's very crisp!"
Soon after, the bottom of the pot was served, the red oil was bubbling and the aroma was irresistible.
The two ate and chatted, sometimes about work, sometimes about gossip.
Gradually, groups of students came to the restaurant to eat and recognized Zhang Mo.
However, the students at Q University are generally of high quality. Most of them just wanted to take a group photo, and some even asked if they could take a beautiful picture of the little fox to use as wallpaper. One female student from the Computer Science Department excitedly handed over her resume, saying that she hoped to intern at Shanhai Live next year when she is a senior.
Zhang Mo glanced at the long list of scholarship records on the resume and smiled as she accepted it.
"I'll go back and have the HR department (a department that doesn't exist yet) look into it."
The younger student happily went to another table to eat, without disturbing her further.
So Zhang Mo and Yuan Shui continued eating and chatting, enjoying a pleasant atmosphere, when a girl's scream at the door broke the good mood.
"Are you kidding me?! I just want some spicy food! Is that illegal?!"
All eyes turned to the doorway, where they saw a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old struggling with a middle-aged woman wearing glasses and dressed simply.
He was accompanied by a little boy of about eight or nine years old, who had a serious face and looked like a little adult.
The woman seemed to sense that the girl was really angry, so she timidly let go of her hand and said in an almost ingratiating tone, "Mom is just worried about your health... You've just recovered, and the doctor said you should still eat a light diet."
At this moment, the little boy spoke up, not taking his mother's side, but instead siding with his sister. He sternly reprimanded his mother, saying, "Sister can eat whatever she wants. Can you stop acting like a nagging old woman and interfering so much?" His tone was prematurely mature, completely out of character for his age.
Zhang Mo frowned slightly. She recognized the mother; it was Teacher Tu, the librarian.
Finally, the two siblings swaggered into the store and began picking out skewers on their own.
The shop owner and the mother at the cashier's counter exchanged a glance, and a subtle silence filled the air; both of them were a little embarrassed.
The boss rubbed his hands together and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Haha, kids will be kids, it's normal for them to want to eat something spicy sometimes. I'll make you a little spicy one later."
(Spiciness level: Extra spicy > Very spicy > Medium spicy > Mild spicy > Tiny spicy)
"Oh, thank you for cooking it all and packing it for me. I need to rush back to cook for their dad." Teacher Tu had no choice but to say goodbye to the owner and then go over to help the two children choose ingredients.
Boss: "Okay, sure."
After the two siblings selected their ingredients and handed them over to the kitchen staff for payment, the older sister suddenly noticed Zhang Mo and Yuan Shui in the corner.
The girl's eyes lit up immediately: "Mr. Zhang!"
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