Chapter 270: Taking Children to College
Xu Guoliang was a professor at Huazhong University. His wife, Wang Mengfang, had previously studied at Beijing Normal University and had been sent down to the countryside with him. They were later relocated to live together. The faculty housing at Huazhong University was newly built, a mere three years ago. It was a three-story building with a single entrance and single residence. Since they both worked at Huazhong University, the apartment they were assigned was relatively spacious, with two bedrooms and a living room, a separate kitchen, and a bathroom. It was a fairly large room, and when they cleaned up, they added a small room for a study and office.
Xu Guoliang is in his forties, full of bookish air. The elegance in his eyes and brows overshadows the romantic and dashing aura of his youth.
Wang Mengfang is from the south. She is relatively petite and has the unique gracefulness of a Jiangnan woman. She speaks softly and has a very good personality.
When Wen Wan arrived, it was still some time before dinner. Xu Guoliang showed off his skills in the kitchen, preparing a meal to entertain his niece.
Xu Qingming raised his eyebrows: "Look, if you want my dad to crawl out from under the pile of books and into the kitchen, you have to come. My mom and I have to rely on you."
Wen Wan peeked into the kitchen and saw Xu Guoliang cooking, with Wang Mengfang helping him. The man was tall and the woman was petite, and no one knew what they were talking about. Wang Mengfang had a smile on her face, and the scene was warm and harmonious.
He just glanced at her and went back to the living room before continuing his argument with Xu Qingming.
Wang Mengfang came out of the kitchen with some freshly-baked snacks in her hand. They were peanut candies made by Xu Guoliang.
Looking at Wen Wan, he said, "Look, the house is bustling with activity as soon as you arrive. Your uncle goes straight to the study as soon as he gets home, and Qingming is nowhere to be seen all day long. The house is so quiet that not a single sound can be heard."
Wen Wan said with a smile: "Anyway, as long as my aunt doesn't mind me making a fuss, I will definitely come here every day to eat."
Wang Mengfang put the plate in her hand on the table and said, "It's better to be noisy. It feels like home when it's noisy. Now that you come here to study, it will be convenient for you to come over."
Xu Qingming looked at the peanut candies on the table and reached out to pick them up. Wang Mengfang slapped him rudely: "Have you washed your hands? Why don't you greet your sister first!"
"No, Anbao doesn't need my greeting!"
Wen Wan stood aside and watched, watching Xu Qingming turn back into Xu Qisu.
After dinner, Wen Wan didn't rush back home. Instead, she sat on the sofa and told Xu Guoliang about her major. "I didn't know much about it when I applied, but I thought it was the best university. My uncle was also here, and my seventh brother also applied to this school, so I applied. I thought I would finish college and then continue teaching, but I didn't expect to be accepted into Economics and Management."
Xu Guoliang looked at her and asked, "You mean you don't like the major you've been admitted to?"
Wen Wan pursed her lips: "I can't say that I don't like it, I just don't know if I can learn it well. What can I do after learning it?" Literally, economic management, she understood this, but when she delved deeper, she didn't understand it at all.
Xu Guoliang said, "You studied dance and musical instruments before, but Huada doesn't have a related music major. Maybe there will be one in the future, but you won't be able to catch up. However, Huada is a school that many people across the country dream of getting into but can't get in. If you change schools because of your major, it would be a bit of a loss."
Wang Mengfang said, "Actually, I think it's pretty good. The country is changing rapidly, and the economy must be vigorously developed. Right now, we're just starting out, and no one can predict everything, so we can only see as we go. It doesn't mean that once you're accepted into this college, you'll only study this. The school library has a huge collection of books, and the school requires more than one elective course. If you really want to learn something, you can do it here, but you just have to put in the effort. Of course, if you really don't like these, you can wait and find a way to change your major later, but you have to be sure about this."
The most popular subjects right now are still basic subjects like literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. But Wang Mengfang felt that the major Wen Wan had been admitted to, by chance, was a good fit for her. Every profession has its own top talent. The country is progressing and reforming, and no one can predict its future.
Wen Wan felt that she really needed to think about it carefully, or study for a while first?
When she returned to the dormitory, it was already late. The lights were on and the door was half-open. Wen Wan walked in with her bag in hand. The talking inside stopped for a moment. Wen Wan took a quick look and saw that all the beds were full. Everyone had arrived.
She greeted everyone again: "Hello, my name is Wen Wan, from the School of Economics and Management."
Following her proactive greeting, everyone in the dormitory enthusiastically introduced themselves again one by one.
There are eight people, the oldest is twenty-six, and the youngest is not even eighteen years old!
It’s the female student named Li Laiyu.
Wen Wan couldn't help but look at her again. No wonder she looked so small and thin, it turned out she was really small!
In addition to Li Laiyu and Hu Shuangshuang, there are also Lin Qiumei, Guo Xue, Li Jing, Wang Chunlin, and Qi Layue.
The oldest one was Qi Layue, who was twenty-six. She was accompanied by a little girl of four or five years old. Both mother and daughter looked not in good condition. They were extremely skinny and their faces looked particularly ugly under the light.
Perhaps because she was in a strange place and saw strange people, the little girl seemed particularly uneasy. When Qi Layue sat on the edge of the bed, she hid behind her.
She unexpectedly met Wen Wan's gaze. Wen Wan smiled at her kindly, and she just stared at Wen Wan in a daze.
She took out the lock she had bought and locked cabinet number one. She then asked the people in the dormitory, "Did you guys go out for a walk this afternoon?"
Wang Chunlin, who was lying next to her in bed, said, "I did walk around, but I haven't finished yet. The school is so big!"
Wen Wan smiled and said, "That's okay. There'll be plenty of time later. Just take your time. I'm going to get some hot water. Who's going to go?"
It's still cold now, and she won't be able to sleep warmly unless she warms her feet at night.
Wang Chunlin looked at the already hazy sky outside and said, "It's been called. I won't go in now. The boiler room is quite far from the dormitory."
Hu Shuangshuang, who got out of bed diagonally opposite, said, "I'll go with you. I have nothing to do right now anyway. I'm free anyway."
Wen Wan smiled and replied, "Okay, let's go together."
Their dormitory is on the third floor, room 312.
There are stairs on both sides of the corridor, and a sink in the middle that divides the corridor into two parts, where you can fetch water and wash clothes.
After the two of them came down from upstairs, Hu Shuangshuang asked her, "Wen Wan, where are you from?"
Wen Wan said: "My home is right here, how about you?"
Hu Shuangshuang's eyes lit up: "Are you from here? My home is in the south, by the sea, quite far from here."
"The beach? In Guangzhou?"
Hu Shuangshuang nodded: "Yes, yes!"
Only then did Wen Wan notice that her accent was different. There was a different tone mixed in with her Mandarin. Because she had never been to the south and had no contact with people from there, she didn't recognize it just now.
Wen Wan was a little curious: "Isn't it really fun over there? It's close to the sea, with lots of different kinds of fish?"
Wang Shuangshuang smiled and said, "It's not just fish, there are many other good things."
After boiling a pot of water, the two of them were finally familiar with each other.
When I entered the dormitory carrying boiled water, it was already completely dark outside.
Wen Wan first poured herself some hot water, which she usually drank before going to bed. Then she went to wash and soak her feet.
Everyone in the dormitory lay down, but when they got to the center, everything was so new and strange that no one could fall asleep.
Wen Wan poured out the water and climbed onto the bed. Li Jing, who had gotten out of bed, asked, "Is anyone else going to get up? If not, I'll turn off the lights."
The light cord was at the door, so it would be most convenient for her to sleep on the lower bed and face Qi Layue opposite. However, she thought that Qi Layue had a child with her, so it would not be as convenient for her to get up as it was for her.
"Turn it off, turn it off. We're all lying down. It's a waste to keep the lights on."
Following the echo, a switch clicked softly, and the room was plunged into darkness.
The light in the room suddenly went out, and the little girl that Qi Layue was bringing shouted "Mom" and then started crying softly.
Qi Layue was very nervous. There were more than one person in the dormitory, but she was the only one who brought her child to school. She was afraid that others would have opinions.
She patted the child's back gently to comfort him, not daring to speak loudly.
Hu Shuangshuang, who was sitting next to her, asked her, "Qi Layue, how old is your child? What's his name?"
Qi Layue gently patted the child in her arms and answered her, "She's five years old, and her name is Qi Chunxue. She's usually very well behaved, but she's not used to carsickness. And today, she followed me around everywhere for the report, and we were in unfamiliar places. I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
The female student she slept with was called Guo Xue. When she heard her words, she said, "It's okay. It's still early and I can't sleep. Where are you from? Why did you bring your child to school? It's okay now, but what about during class? Do you have to bring him into the classroom?"
Qi Layue said: "I don't know if I can bring her into the classroom. If not, let her stay in the dormitory."
Hu Shuangshuang said, "She'll be scared if she's alone. She's too young. Where are your family members? Isn't there anyone who can help take care of her?"
After she finished speaking, the dormitory fell silent. Hu Shuangshuang realized that she had said something wrong and said, "I'm sorry!" With her brain, if her family members were in charge, they would not bring their children to school.
These days, women are treated unfairly. To be able to go to college, a woman must not only have the necessary conditions but also great perseverance.
Qi Layue chuckled and said, "It's okay, no need to apologize. My family is from Hubei Province. I have several brothers and sisters. In the early years, our family background was not good, so they all went to the countryside, to the northwestern mountainous area, and started families and had children there. This one is a girl, and they didn't want her, so I took her away."
Her journey was extremely difficult. Both her parents were gone, and none of her brothers and sisters-in-law welcomed her back. Her husband's family did not agree to her leaving. The endless quarrels during that period almost drove her crazy. She begged the cadres to secretly transfer her food supply and ran away with her children.
She will never go back to that place in her life.
As for the favors I owe you, I hope I’ll have the chance to repay them in the future!
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