Clutching her admission ticket, Lu Wanwan whispered to Gu Mingyue, "I never expected that this trip to Haishi would be for the college entrance examination."
Gu Mingyue smiled and comforted her, "Don't be nervous. Just think of it as getting familiar with a new place. Let's just put what we've learned into practice."
Lu Lin sat down next to them and handed them a cup of hot tea he had just brewed: "I'll be waiting for you outside the exam hall tomorrow, so don't worry."
They arrived in Haishi in the evening and found a guesthouse near the examination site to stay in.
The next morning, the three of them arrived at the examination site, where the entrance was already crowded with examinees and people who came to see them off. There were people who had come from afar like them, as well as local students. Everyone had the same nervousness and anticipation on their faces.
Watching Gu Mingyue and Lu Wanwan walk into the examination hall, Lu Lin silently cheered them on.
As she entered the examination center, Gu Mingyue took a deep breath.
Looking at Lu Wanwan beside her, who was also clutching her exam admission ticket, she gently patted the other's hand: "Don't panic, let's do it the way we usually do."
Lu Wanwan nodded, but she still couldn't hide her nervousness in her eyes.
After all, the preparation time was too short, and many knowledge points had only just been thoroughly understood, so everyone was unsure of themselves.
When the exam bell rang, Gu Mingyue picked up her pen and looked at the questions on the exam paper. The knowledge points she had repeatedly memorized and the problem-solving techniques that her teacher had taught her gradually became clear.
She steadied herself and began to answer the questions carefully, stroke by stroke.
As the bell rang for the last exam, Gu Mingyue walked out of the examination room, the wind in her face carrying a sense of ease.
The tension of more than two months has finally eased, and this period of leaving early and returning late, burying myself in my studies, has finally come to a perfect end.
As soon as she stood still, she saw Lu Wanwan walking over quickly, her face showing some nervousness: "Sister-in-law, I just recalled a few questions, and I feel like I didn't answer many of them well."
As he spoke, he took out a draft paper and compared answers with Gu Mingyue.
Gu Mingyue looked at her furrowed brows and gently patted her shoulder: "Don't think about it anymore. We've done our best. If we do our best, we won't have any regrets. There will definitely be a good result."
Hearing this, Lu Wanwan slowly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "You're right, the exam is over, there's no use dwelling on it anymore."
Lu Lin, who was standing to the side, smiled and took the two backpacks from them: "Come on, let's go get something good to eat and relax for a few days."
In the days that followed, Gu Mingyue finally had time to focus on spending time with Chenchen.
Watching the little one crawling all over the place and babbling, she suddenly remembered that Chenchen's first birthday celebration had not been held before because of his exam preparation. With the New Year approaching, she had an idea.
When we return to Beijing for the Chinese New Year, we'll hold the baby's first birthday celebration together with the New Year's feast, so that Grandpa and Grandma can see what Chenchen looks like in person, and the whole family can have a lively and joyful time together.
Upon hearing this idea, Zhong Yuxiu immediately nodded in agreement: "That's a good idea. Let the elderly share in the children's joy. Only when our whole family is reunited can we truly celebrate the New Year."
Feeling relieved after the exam, and with nothing else to do at home, and with some time before the results were released, Gu Mingyue discussed it with her family and decided to return to Beijing ahead of schedule.
Gu Mingyue squatted down next to the luggage, carefully folding the local specialties she had brought for her grandparents, while Lu Lin tidied up Chenchen's clothes.
The two whispered to each other from time to time: "We need to bring this little cotton-padded jacket. It's colder in Beijing than here. Don't forget to pack the tea for Dad."
While we were busy, Chenchen slowly moved over, holding onto the wall. She clutched her little sweater in her hand, babbling as she approached the luggage, tiptoeing to try and stuff the sweater inside.
But instead of tucking the clothes in, he almost fell over, which made Gu Mingyue and Lu Lin laugh.
Gu Mingyue picked him up and sat him on her lap: "Chenchen came to help too?"
Chenchen seemed to understand, and with her little hand she grabbed the sweater and handed it to Gu Mingyue, while also reaching out with her other hand to pull the scarf out of the luggage.
Lu Lin took the opportunity to pick up a small scarf and gently wrapped it around Chenchen's neck: "Our Chenchen is so capable, she even knows how to help her parents pack things."
Zhong Yuxiu walked in carrying fruit. Seeing this scene, she smiled and said, "This child is so clever for his age."
However, Lu Lin and He Xiao were still on a mission at the military camp and couldn't go with them, so he could only help them load their luggage into the car and repeatedly reminded them: "Be careful on the road, and remember to call me when you arrive."
On the day of departure, just as dawn was breaking, Gu Mingyue carried Chenchen, Zhong Yuxiu carried the things to bring back to their hometown, and Lu Wanwan was in charge of looking after their personal luggage. The group walked towards the dock together.
Chenchen seemed to know they were going out, and was exceptionally well-behaved in Gu Mingyue's arms, turning her little head back and forth, curiously looking at the scenery along the roadside.
Lu Lin and He Xiao escorted them to the dock and watched the ship leave before turning to leave themselves.
He Xiao glanced at Lu Lin and sighed, "Now it's just the two of us all alone."
Lu Lin: "Who said we're going to live together?"
After saying that, he strode away with his long legs, leaving He Xiao standing there clicking his tongue in disapproval.
Meanwhile, the mother and her two children, along with Chenchen, successfully arrived at the train station and boarded the train.
Chenchen had rarely left home since she was little, so she was very curious about the scenery outside. After the train started moving, she was quickly attracted by the trees passing by the window and stretched out her chubby little hand to pat the window.
Zhong Yuxiu sat next to Gu Mingyue, peeling oranges for the child while chatting about the changes in Beijing: "Your dad called the other day and said that the trees in front of our house have grown taller again. Chenchen will definitely like to play under the trees."
Lu Wanwan also came over and said with a smile, "When we get back, I'll take Chenchen to the department store and buy him some sugar figurines."
Although Lu Lin couldn't come back with them, he was surrounded by his family and looked forward to a reunion, so the journey home was still full of joy.
Gu Mingyue gently patted Chenchen's head, hoping to get to Beijing soon so that the child could see his grandparents.
After three days, the train slowly pulled into Beijing Station. Gu Mingyue, holding Chenchen, leaned close to the window and immediately spotted the grandparents in the crowd on the platform.
Grandpa was wearing a Zhongshan suit, and Grandma was wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat. They were both standing on tiptoe, looking towards the carriage, and carrying scarves for the children.
As soon as she stepped off the train, Xia Huiying rushed over and grabbed Gu Mingyue's hand, her gaze fixed on Chenchen, her voice trembling: "My dear great-grandson, I'm so glad to see you."
Lu Limin also came over, carefully trying to hug Chenchen, but afraid of scaring the child, he gently touched his little face and smiled so much that the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were squeezed together: "You're so good-looking, just like Xiao Lin when he was little."
At first, Chenchen was a little shy and hid in Gu Mingyue's arms to peek. But when Xia Huiying took out a milk candy wrapped in a candy wrapper from her pocket and handed it to him, he reached out his chubby little hand to take it and even let out a soft "ya".
This sound instantly brought tears to Grandma's eyes, and she quickly said to Gu Mingyue, "Come home quickly, I've made some chicken soup to nourish you."
The guards beside her took the luggage from Zhong Yuxiu's hands and carried Lu Wanwan's bag.
Lu Limin kept saying, "You must be exhausted from the journey. Everything at home is ready, just waiting for you to come back."
The group chatted and laughed as they walked towards the exit.
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