Chapter 251: It’s Hard to Meet and Hard to Part
When they said they would stop, they really meant they would stop when they were only two or three parts drunk. After dinner, Zhang Hongying called Lu Dongping to clean up Lu Chun'e's room so that he and Wen Wan could stay there temporarily. They cleaned up the new room for Wen Shihua. As for Zhang Qianfeng, he lived in the same room with Lu Donglin.
Wen Shihua didn't bother with excessive politeness. He set up a bench and sat in the yard to chat with Wen Wan and Xu Qingming.
The short time they were together was hard-earned, and Wen Wan wished she could not sleep at night and keep talking like this. However, this was ultimately unrealistic.
Wen Shihua was not a particular person. He did not sleep in the couple's new room, but went to rest in the room behind the main hall where Lu Chun'e lived.
Wen Wan went to bed and found Dandan already sleeping with his head in his arms.
After lying down and turning off the lights, Lu Dongping asked her, "I'll go to school tomorrow to ask for leave for you. Can you have a good talk with Dad at home?"
"No, he said he wanted to go to school with me to audit classes and see how I teach."
Lu Dongping gently stroked her hair: "That's fine. It's really not easy to come here from such a long distance!"
Wen Wan put her arm around his sturdy waist and muttered, "Yes, we met once, but who knows when we'll meet again. It would be fine if I had brothers and sisters, but unfortunately I don't. When he goes back, he'll be all alone again. He's getting older day by day, and there's no one around to talk to. Look, his hair has turned a lot whiter compared to when I saw him that year."
Lu Dongping wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how to start, so he could only rub her head gently.
"Dongping!"
Wen Wan called out to him.
"Um?"
Wen Wan whispered, "If, I mean if," but even if she had to say "if," it was difficult for her to speak. She knew that Lu Dongping wouldn't be able to give her a satisfactory answer to her question, but she still held on to a glimmer of hope and wanted to ask.
"If I go back to the capital, would you be willing to go back with me?"
The hand around her waist suddenly tightened, and the hand stroking her head froze for a moment.
After a while, Lu Dongping's slightly hoarse voice came: "Are you leaving?"
Wen Wan sniffed: "If you don't leave, just ask."
Lu Dongping didn't believe it. He knew that since these words were spoken, it meant that they had been thought about from the heart.
After a long pause, he said, "It's very difficult to settle down in the city from the countryside. Even if I find a way to settle down, I have no education. I can only work hard and farm a little, but I don't know anything else. Do I have to rely on you for support for the rest of my life?"
Wen Wan chuckled: "That's not what you said when we were dating. You said that if I am willing to marry you, then you should treat me well. If I want to go back, then you can follow me and become my son-in-law."
Lu Dongping pursed his lips and couldn't say a word.
He had said this, and he remembered it.
At that time, he thought that as long as this little girl followed him, he would be willing to die immediately.
"Wanwan, why don't you just stay here? When Dad retires, I'll go back with you if you want to, or we can bring him here and take care of him together."
Wen Wan said softly, "I didn't say I wanted to go back. I just assumed it. You don't have to take it to heart." After that, she turned over in his arms, facing away from him, without saying another word.
The night suddenly became so quiet that Lu Dongping felt suffocated.
The educated youth site was very lively.
It was already late, and Zhou Guoping and Huang Wancheng were lying in the room tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
There was a flashlight outside the door, followed by a noise. It was Xu Qingming who came back.
After scooping water from the shed next to him to wash up, he went into the house and heard Zhou Guoping's voice: "You're back!"
Xu Qingming raised his eyebrows: "Are you still asleep?"
"No, not sleepy yet."
They were not sleepy, but Xu Qingming was. He was used to getting up early no matter whether he had to work or not. It was impossible for him to work the whole day, so if he got up early, he naturally had to go to bed early.
Just as he lay down, Huang Wancheng's voice came over: "Qingming, is your uncle coming here to take you back?"
Xu Qingming opened his eyes again, looked at the dark roof and said, "No."
A lost sigh echoed from the darkness: "You have a wealthy family and many connections. Even if you don't leave this time, you will have to leave sooner or later."
Xu Qingming said after a while: "That's a matter for the future. At least I won't leave now."
A night is very short, but it is just a matter of closing your eyes and opening them again.
In April, the sun rises very early.
Those who go to work do not eat at home at this time. They get up early and go to the warehouse to get farm tools to go to the fields.
Wen Wan was going to school, and Dandan was originally going to be taken with her, but Wen Shihua loved his grandson so much that he wanted to take him to school with him, so Zhang Hongying could rest assured.
School starts at around seven o'clock, but Wen Wan has to leave home before half past six.
Today was quite lively. Lu Dongping had come early with her, along with Wen Shihua and Zhang Qianfeng, and with Dandan. Wen Shihua talked to Lu Dongping along the way, and Dandan, not to be outdone, twisted and turned in Zhang Qianfeng's arms, saying "Butterfly, Mommy Butterfly" to everything she saw.
"Mommy, Huahua, Dandan, Huahua!"
Wen Wan picked some wild flowers for him by the roadside, but he played with them for less than two or three minutes before he had them all torn to pieces. Then he looked around and kept asking, "Mom, what is this? What is that?"
Her two little feet stepped on Zhang Qianfeng's calloused hands, and she lay on his shoulders with her butt sticking up, never idle for a moment.
Fortunately, someone helped to carry him, otherwise Wen Wan would have to carry him to the commune by herself with all her strength.
When they arrived at the commune, Wen Wan went to school first, while Wen Shihua and Lu Dongping took a walk around the commune compound.
When he turned around and waited for class, Wen Shihua came over. Zhang Qianfeng took Dandan to stroll around the commune.
There were not many students in the junior high school of Ganling Commune, with about 40 students in each class and two classes in total.
The minimum age to attend junior high school is 15 or 16. At this age, you can get full work points in the production team. It is very rare in the mountains for a family to let their children go to school at this age.
Wen Wan is the head teacher of Class 1, Grade 7, but she mainly teaches Chinese, so she is considered a Chinese teacher for two classes.
There are relatively more classes in the morning. When the morning reading class starts, there are several thick stacks of exercise books on the desk, and the homework of the two classes from Sunday is piled up on them.
Those who can pass the entrance exam to junior high school from elementary school are all students with good academic performance. They are very studious and cherish their studies. They almost never delay their homework unless there are special circumstances. This aspect is much easier than in elementary school.
Before Wen Shihua came over, Wen Wan sat on the podium and started correcting homework, and also supervised the students' morning reading.
After the morning reading class, it is time for morning exercises, which is no different from elementary school. No one here knows how to do morning exercises. Wen Wan knows how to do it, but the morning exercises she does cannot be implemented here. Morning exercises are just gathering the team and running circles on the playground.
After finishing morning exercises, Wen Wan went to the office and waited for the bell to ring before entering the classroom with her textbook. Wen Shihua had arrived at some point and was already sitting at the back of the classroom.
A smile flashed in her eyes, and she called out the start of class. All the students in the classroom stood up and bowed to her: "Hello, teacher!"
Wen Shihua actually stood up and did the same actions as the other students in the class. Wen Wan was embarrassed, but then she forced herself to get rid of the embarrassment.
Dad came to watch her lecture. She didn't know when the next lecture would be after this one, or if there would be a next lecture at all. She couldn't let him down.
Thinking of this, she cheered herself up and opened the textbook.
Wen Shihua sat at the back of the classroom, looking at his daughter standing on the podium, holding a piece of chalk and a book, talking eloquently, his eyes slightly warm.
His little girl has grown up!
The child has grown up and he has grown old.
No matter how reluctant he was, he would have to go first and could not accompany her for the rest of her life.
So, it's good like this now.
She's doing well, that's good.
Before school was over, Wen Wan went to the Academic Affairs Office and asked for a day off.
Wen Shihua is leaving tomorrow, so how could she not go to see him off?
Wen Shihua didn't bring anything this time, except a pair of bracelets for Dandan and a big red envelope, which was for both Dandan and Wen Wan.
Wen Wan looked at the thick red eyes and could hardly hold back her tears.
"I was ignorant when I left. I was just trying to be mad at you, so I took almost all the money you had. Mom also left me a lot. What are you doing now? You gave it all to me. What are you going to do with it?"
Wen Shihua smiled and said, "I get an allowance every month, how can I go hungry? You are my only child, and all I earn is for you. I was in a hurry when I came here, so I didn't buy anything for you or your eggs. And as for the Dongping family, when you have time, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and see what their family likes. Buy some as a token of my appreciation."
The tears in Wen Wan's eyes twirled for several times before finally falling. She nodded with a thick nasal voice, "I know, you're alone, don't be frugal all the time. I have money, and I won't treat myself badly. You should also not treat yourself badly. Take care of yourself."
Wen Shihua still had that cheerful look on her face: "I've taken good care of myself on the farm for these past few years. It doesn't make sense for me to be in such a bad state after returning to the military compound. Okay, don't cry. We're leaving tomorrow. You're a mother now, an adult. Everything's fine with Dongping."
Then he added, "Since you've chosen the path of teaching and educating people, you must do it well. I see you have quite a few books and notes in your office, which shows that you've never given up learning. Dad is very pleased. Although I'm not well educated, I know that learning is endless. There is no end to knowledge at any time. Read more books when you have time and study hard. When I get back, I'll find some books that are suitable for you and send them to you. There are no shortcuts to progress, and only learning can prevent you from regressing."
In the past, Wen Wan might have listened to such sermons and ignored them, but now it is different. She will remember every word and sentence of Wen Shihua. After all, the opportunity for the father and daughter to sit down and talk like this, the opportunity to say these words, is really rare.
It was late at night and everyone in the Lu family had gone to bed. Only a faint light was still on in the room next door.
Wen Wan reached out and wiped her eyes and said, "It's getting late. I'll get you some water. Wash up and then rest!"
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