Chapter 123123 Great Joy
The camera returned to Lu Jiaze's hand. He looked up at Jiang Lili, who was still smiling across from him. At this moment, he was extremely glad that he had made the right decision.
"Those people behind seem to be looking for you. I'm going back to class first. We'll talk when we're free." Jiang Lili pointed to the people not far away. They were classmates in their class who wanted to take a photo with him.
"Okay, let's contact each other when we have time." Lu Jiaze stared at her back until she completely disappeared from his sight. Then he slowly turned around and walked towards the classmates behind him.
When the group, led by Ji Mingyue, saw him approaching, they all smiled and approached, inviting him to take a photo. Ji Mingyue stood at the back, waiting for everyone else to finish their photos and leave before slowly approaching, saying gently, "Lu Jiaze, can I take a photo with you?"
Everyone had just been taking a group photo, so Ji Mingyue's request seemed a bit abrupt. Lu Jiaze was about to refuse, but then he caught a glimpse of her clutching the corner of her clothes, and she suddenly remembered how cautious she had been. So he changed his mind and said loudly, "Okay."
*
Jiang Lili held her graduation photo in her hand. She glanced back at the classroom she had been in. This time, she thought, she was truly saying goodbye to high school. Ke Sisi ran over and asked, "Lili, are you going to the dinner tonight?"
"Dinner party?" Jiang Lili looked at her with some confusion.
"The class monitor is organizing it. In addition to classmates, the teacher and others will also be invited. Do you want to come?" asked Ke Sisi.
"Come, of course." Jiang Lili agreed happily.
"Okay, then let's go over and sign up." Ke Sisi took her arm and walked towards the class monitor over there.
No one in the class refused this dinner. With the Gaokao over and everyone now adults, they tried beer for the first time and raised their glasses together, wishing everyone could realize their dreams. Just before the dinner was over, Tie Zhiyuan, the class sports committee member, looked at Liu Jia and said loudly, "Liu Jia, I've also filled out your application. Would you like to go with me?"
Tie Zhiyuan's sudden confession brought the dinner to a climax. Seeing this, others also boldly confessed their love to their favorite objects. At this moment, whether they agreed or not was no longer important. What was important was that no one wanted to leave any regrets, and it was a very happy thing to let the other person know that they once liked him or her.
It was not difficult for Jiang Lili to refuse. She also realized that they chose to express their affection to her at this time just to put a perfect end to their youth. She smiled and thanked them for their love, then waved goodbye to everyone, and also said goodbye to this moment full of youth.
After returning home, Jiang Yulan quickly smelled the faint smell of alcohol on her body. She smiled and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
"Just a little bit. I can't refuse such a kind offer." Jiang Lili said, comparing with her fingers.
"You are a big girl now and can make your own decisions. Go take a shower first?" Seeing that she seemed to be in pain, Jiang Yulan asked her to take a shower first.
"Okay, I'll go take a shower and change clothes first." Jiang Lili really didn't like the smell of alcohol on her body. Tonight was a carnival for everyone, and she not only smelled of alcohol, but also of cigarettes. Thinking of this, she hurried back to her room to find some clean clothes and take a shower.
Jiang Yulan casually put the graduation photo she brought back on the table. Today, Cheng Yuntian called to ask about the time they would go to Beijing. She had already handed over her work in the factory to Yan Xiaoqing, and she could leave at any time. The only uncertainty was about Jiang Lili.
After taking a shower, Jiang Lili felt much more relaxed. She walked up to Jiang Yulan with a hair dryer and acted coquettishly with her, "Mom, please help me blow dry my hair."
"Okay." Jiang Yulan took the hair dryer and started to blow her hair. During her senior year of high school, Jiang Lili had her hair ends trimmed several times, so the length of her hair hardly changed.
"Have you finished dealing with the school matters?" Jiang Yulan asked, putting down the hair dryer.
"Well, now we just have to wait for the admission letter." Jiang Lili said and yawned. She was too busy today, so busy that she didn't even have time to take a nap. She was sleepy.
"Then when are we going to Beijing? Xiao Cheng said he has prepared a room for us." Jiang Yulan said and glanced at Jiang Lili.
"It's all right here for me, how about you?" Jiang Lili said in a straightforward tone. It was very convenient to come back now anyway.
"Yan Xiaoqing and I have already completed the handover work and can go to work at any time. Then I will go buy the ticket tomorrow?" Jiang Yulan still remembered that she had mentioned before that she wanted to buy a house. Since she wanted to buy a house, she had to go and take a look in advance.
"Okay, let's buy it for the day after tomorrow. It should take about two days to pack the luggage." Jiang Lili said.
"Okay, go to bed early if you're sleepy." Seeing her yawn again, Jiang Yulan stood up and urged her to go to bed quickly.
They said they were packing their luggage, but when they actually started packing, Jiang Lili found that there seemed to be nothing to pack. They were still living in the factory dormitory in Beijing. After buying a house, they could slowly add things to it. There was no need to move everything here over.
Of course, Jiang Lili did not forget her previous promise. This time she took Jiang Qitong with her to Beijing. Since no one else was going, Jiang Yulan simply bought the plane tickets.
"Grandpa, you really don't want to go with us?" Jiang Lili tried to persuade Jiang Jianyi again.
"I won't go this time. I have an appointment with your Grandpa Lu." Jiang Jianyi waved his hand, indicating that he already had an appointment.
"Okay, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future anyway." Jiang Lili thought, if everything goes well, the next time they meet will probably be when they buy a house, and they will definitely come over to introduce themselves.
"Sister, when you leave now, will it be Chinese New Year when you come back next time?" Jiang Aiguo asked.
"Should?" Jiang Yulan was not sure either. She was different from Lili. She used to work, and if she wanted to go back to Yuncheng, the only suitable time would be the Chinese New Year holiday.
"Plans cannot keep up with changes. It's hard to say. Don't worry, uncle, we will send Tongtong back safely." In order to liven up the atmosphere, Jiang Lili deliberately misinterpreted his meaning.
"You girl, you are really..." Jiang Aiguo originally wanted to pinch her cheek, but when he looked up, he found that the little girl from back then had grown very tall now, so he stretched out his hand and patted her shoulder instead.
"Leaving is for a better reunion. Besides, I'm going to Beijing to study. Come, let's raise a toast together." Jiang Lili said as she raised her glass to them first.
"You ran away before the results came out. Won't the TV station be disappointed when they want to interview the top scorer?" Jiang Aiguo said and glanced at Jiang Lili. This was the first time he mentioned anything related to the results after the college entrance examination.
"Uncle, are you so confident in me?" Jiang Lili looked at Jiang Aiguo with a smile. Although she performed well this time, she was not sure that she could be the number one student in the city.
"Weren't you at the top of the list in that baseline test? Isn't this a normal performance? Why, don't you have the confidence?" Jiang Aiguo raised his eyebrows and looked at her.
"There are too many uncertainties in the college entrance examination, but if there really is a day when the top scorer is interviewed, you can just go on my behalf." Jiang Lili laughed out loud after she finished speaking.
"If certain people saw this, wouldn't they be so angry that smoke would come out of their noses?" After Jiang Aiguo said this, everyone laughed out loud and the atmosphere in the room became relaxed.
A smile flashed in Jiang Yulan's eyes when she heard that: "Of course I will." At first, Ji Yushu didn't care about Lili's parent-teacher meeting at all, and he even made excuses to let her go. Later, she found out that Lili always ranked first in the exams, and he always rushed to attend every parent-teacher meeting. Once, he forgot Lili's growth manual at a parent-teacher meeting, and when she delivered it, she saw him shamelessly imparting parenting experience to his neighbors. That was the first time Jiang Yulan knew that he was as vain as his parents.
"Then let him be envious. Which day do you want to book your flight tickets? I'll take you to the airport." Jiang Aiguo quickly put away the smile on his face and asked about the business.
"The day after tomorrow morning, you should go to work. Your father is at home," Jiang Yulan reminded.
"That's fine. If you don't have time, we can come and pick up Tongtong." Jiang Aiguo said.
"We'll see what happens then. Just pack some clothes for her later." Jiang Yulan said, looking at Jiang Qitong: "Tongtong, how about staying in Beijing for a few more days this time?"
Jiang Qitong said nothing, but just looked at Jiang Aiguo and Zhou Qingfen. Her meaning was obvious. Zhou Qingfen was already busy with tutoring during the summer vacation. Seeing this, she nodded at her and said, "Okay, but you have to behave yourself."
"Don't worry, I'm very good, Sister Lili, right?" Jiang Qitong quickly pulled her "witness" over.
"Yes, you are very good." Jiang Lili rubbed her head and signaled Zhou Qingfen not to worry.
"Sister, Lili, I'll trouble you guys to take care of Tongtong." Ever since hearing what Jiang Lili said that day, Zhou Qingfen also wanted to make more money in the next two years so that she could settle down in Beijing before Tongtong went to junior high school.
*
After returning from school, Lu Jiaze went straight back to his room. He took out the film from his camera and planned to go to the photo studio to have it developed. When he got to the living room, he realized that Qiu Shaoli didn't seem to be in class today. He was a little surprised: "Mom, aren't you going to work today?"
"Yes, it's our turn to rest today. Are you going out again?" Qiu Shaoli asked casually.
"Well, I brought my camera to school today and took a lot of photos. I'm going to the photo studio to have them developed." Lu Jiaze explained to her.
"Your dad asked me to ask you what your plans are for the summer vacation?" Qiu Shaoli didn't get the answer she wanted from his expression.
"Isn't Grandpa going back to Jincheng? I'll go with him. He also made an appointment with Grandpa Jiang, and I just happen to be able to accompany them for a few days." Lu Jiaze told her his plan.
"What about Lili?" Qiu Shaoli asked directly.
"I think you are right. We should just be friends." Lu Jiaze felt extremely relaxed when he said this. He no longer had to worry about people around him praising Jiang Lili as soon as they opened their mouths, let alone worrying that he would become her accessory one day. He thought, maybe his love for her was not deep enough, at least not to the point of willingly submitting to her, so being friends was the best choice.
"It's good that you can figure it out. Then you can spend the summer relaxing with them in Jincheng. You won't have an easy time after you get the admission letter and report for school." Qiu Shaoli said with a sigh. It would be much easier for him if he chose another university.
"Mom, it's not hard to do what you like." If Lu Jiaze had wavered about applying to the school because of Jiang Lili before, Jiang Lili's words today made him completely sober. No one is worth him giving up his dream, which is the dream he has been fighting for since he was a child.
"As long as you are happy." This sentence was not just said casually. Both Qiu Shaoli and Lu Liangjun thought so. As long as he was happy, it was fine.
"Mom, I'm an adult now. You don't have to worry about me. I'll go develop the photos first." Lu Jiaze said as he took the film and went out. Qiu Shaoli stared at his back for a long time. After a while, she laughed out loud. Jiaze has really grown up.
*
This was not Jiang Lili's first time to Beijing, so she seemed familiar with the place. Jiang Yulan and Jiang Qitong followed her and looked around. This was Jiang Yulan's first time to such a far place, and her eyes were full of curiosity.
"Mom, when you are free, I will take you and Tongtong to visit Beijing." Seeing the surprise in their eyes, Jiang Lili spoke in a gentle voice.
"Don't worry. We can't eat a big fat man in one breath. We will develop in Beijing in the future. Take it slow." Jiang Yulan quickly retracted her gaze. She lowered her head to look at Jiang Qitong and told her to hold her hand tightly.
"I won't get lost, aunt, don't worry." As Tongtong spoke, she reached out and tightly grasped the corner of her clothes. She felt that this hold was more secure.
"Sister Cheng is here, we don't need to take a taxi." Jiang Lili said as she nodded towards the front of her forehead. Following her line of sight, she soon saw Cheng Yuntian standing there. To be honest, they hadn't seen Cheng Yuntian for almost half a year.
"Big cities do support people. Look, Xiao Cheng looks much more imposing now." Jiang Yulan glanced at Cheng Yuntian over there and whispered.
"Indeed, this year, apart from the orders that Cheng Yuntian found for the factory himself, most of the other orders were negotiated by her. These were accumulated bit by bit through her experience." Jiang Lili thought that Cheng Yuntian must have made a lot of progress this year.
"Sister Jiang, Lili," she said, then looked down at Jiang Qitong: "Tongtong, do you still remember me?"
"Of course I remember you, beautiful sister." Jiang Qitong nodded quickly to indicate that she remembered her.
Cheng Yuntian smiled and looked at Jiang Lili: "Tongtong also has great potential."
"That's true." Jiang Lili raised the corner of her lips, then got into the car with Cheng Yuntian. On the way back, she casually asked, "Sister Jiang, are you living at home now?"
"Yes, I live with my parents. The room we used to live in is now occupied by you and Sister Jiang. You mentioned buying a house before. When do you plan to buy it?" Cheng Yuntian asked casually.
"Let's take a look first. I plan to buy it with a loan, and I may have to trouble you with the bank's procedures." She definitely couldn't get a loan given her age, so Jiang Lili still planned to put Jiang Yulan's name on the house.
When she heard the word "loan", Jiang Yulan's eyebrows couldn't help but jump. She glanced at Jiang Lili next to her and knew that she was not the kind of person who spoke without purpose, so she withdrew her doubts and planned to go back and ask her again.
"It seems that you have done your homework in advance. Even if you didn't tell me, I would have reminded you to take out a loan. Now there is a mortgage, which is very convenient. Sister Jiang has a salary every month. You can set the monthly repayment amount to half of Sister Jiang's salary and choose a period of twenty years. This way there will be no pressure." Cheng Yuntian suggested.
"That's what I was planning too, but my mother just came to Beijing, so I'll probably need your help with the procedures required for the loan." Jiang Lili wanted to settle this matter as soon as possible.
"Okay, go and look at houses first. If you find something suitable, just tell me directly." The house in Cheng Yuntian's family was bought by Old Cheng, so she had zero experience in this area.
This was Jiang Qitong's second time at the branch factory in Beijing. It had changed so much since she last left. Cheng Yuntian bought her a popsicle from the shop at the factory gate and asked, "Tongtong, do you remember what it looked like the last time you were here?"
"I still remember this place and that place. They were bare before, with nothing on them. Now they have become so beautiful and convenient." Jiang Qitong said as she opened the package of the popsicle and took a lick. It was cool and sweet, and really delicious.
"You have a good memory. Come on, I'll take you back to your room to rest for a while."
Jiang Lili, who was following behind Cheng Yuntian, noticed that there were workers busy on the open space over there. She couldn't help but frowned: "What are they doing?"
"Build a building. There are too few dormitories now. We have argued for a long time about the dormitories and asked the factory to treat everyone equally. So I plan to build it into a dormitory. In this way, everyone can live in the dormitory and save time on the commute to get off work." After Cheng Yuntian finished speaking, he looked at the unfinished dormitory over there. It would be better to use the empty land to do something.
"That's fine."
"By the way, Song Zhenzhen resigned half a year ago. I was planning to tell you before, but I forgot about it every time I talked to you on the phone." A hint of apology flashed in Cheng Yuntian's eyes.
"It's okay. She is an insignificant person. As long as she doesn't affect the factory, it's fine." I originally thought that Song Zhenzhen would use the job here as a springboard, but I didn't expect her to stay here for so long.
"She can't affect anything. You guys take a break first and then eat in the cafeteria. They hired two new chefs last year, and the food is delicious."
"Are Lu Hongzhe and the others still eating in the cafeteria?" Jiang Lili asked casually.
"They should still be there. My schedules are always different from theirs, so I haven't met them many times. You guys take a rest first. I'll go to the office to send a fax." Cheng Yuntian said and went straight to her office.
This was Jiang Yulan's first time here. She looked around and concluded, "The factory here is bigger than the one in Yuncheng."
"Yes, the area here is much larger, Mom. You just arrived and you will have plenty of time to get familiar with it. You should take a rest first." After saying that, Jiang Lili put her hands on her shoulders and "forced" her to sit down and rest. There was no rush to get familiar with the factory.
"I'm a little nervous since I just arrived. I don't know what kind of job Xiao Cheng will assign me." After Jiang Yulan said this, she realized that she had changed to a new environment and was not as calm as she had imagined. She was even a little nervous.
"No matter what position it is, I believe you can adapt to it." Jiang Lili said with a smile.
"Let's pack your luggage first, Tongtong. Go lie on the bed for a while. We'll call you for dinner later." Jiang Yulan patted the dazed Jiang Qitong and asked her to go to the bed and rest for a while.
When they went to the cafeteria to eat, they both saw Yao Yan in the crowd. It had been more than a year since they last saw Yao Yan. Probably because she had been working in the workshop for a long time, Yao Yan looked much paler.
"I don't know if she sent Lanlan any living expenses. That kid always reports good news but not bad news."
"I guess the mother and daughter are still bargaining. There are student loans for tuition, and she can earn her living expenses by working. It doesn't matter whether she sends living expenses or not." It is always difficult to leave the original family, but she believes that Ji Lanlan is very happy to do so.
"That's right. We have helped as much as we can. The rest depends on her."
Jiang Lili asked Jiang Yulan to take Jiang Qitong to find a seat while she went to get her food. While waiting in line, she ran into Zhao Dong. When he saw her, his eyes were filled with surprise. "Lili, you're finally here. When will the new map be released?"
"Brother Zhao, you don't have to be so dedicated to your job." Jiang Lili said with a helpless smile.
"Hasn't the factory released new models for a while? I was excited for a moment. How did your college entrance examination results go?" Zhao Dong remembered that she was taking the college entrance examination this year.
"The results haven't come out yet!" Jiang Lili shook her head.
"It should be soon. It will be much more convenient for you to go to school in Beijing. The factory has been producing products for more than a year, and the orders for teething gums are decreasing." Zhao Dong is the workshop director, and the number of orders is also linked to his interests, so he is very active.
"Didn't the other designers in the factory come up with any designs?" Jiang Lili was a little curious.
"Yes, we do, but the sales volume is average, so we didn't let Yuncheng start production," Zhao Dong explained.
"It's good to have output. You have to give people time to grow." Jiang Lili said with a smile, but she was thinking about her indoor playground plan in her heart. It seems that before that, she has to draw a few more new products.
Zhao Dong knew she had a point, but that was just how people were. They always wanted to take the shortcuts that were right in front of them. But since she had said that, he decided to stop while he was ahead. "You're right."
In the afternoon, after Cheng Yuntian finished his work, he discussed Jiang Lili's house purchase with her. She smiled and said, "Sister Mei's family has someone developing a real estate project. If you like the house there, we can ask her for an internal discount."
"Let's take a look at the location and room type first, and then contact her if it's suitable." Jiang Lili naturally wouldn't refuse such a good thing. The money saved would be money.
"I happen to be free these few days. I will drive you to see houses. Buying a house is a big deal." Cheng Yuntian offered to be the driver.
"Then thank you, Sister Cheng." It would be so convenient to have a car, so Jiang Lili was reluctant to refuse.
During the days when they were house-hunting, the college entrance examination results came out. Yuncheng was bustling with activity, especially in Class 1 of the Science Department. Jiang Lili's results this time were even better than her previous placement test results, so she successfully won the title of the city's top scorer, which was considered a final honor for her alma mater.
Upon hearing the college entrance examination results, Ji Yushu looked at Ji Mingyue hurriedly: "How did you do in the exam? Can you go to the same city as the kid from the Lu family?" They worked hard for a year. If she didn't pass, wouldn't it be a waste of effort?
"Sure." Ji Mingyue's tone was firm. She made the right bet. She could get into her first choice school and live in the same city as Lu Jiaze.
"That's good. Now you are both in college. If you don't work harder, that boy will be Jiang Lili's. You have to work harder." Ji Yushu reminded. He couldn't wait to see Jiang Yulan's expression when she knew that her favorite son-in-law was snatched away by someone else.
At this time, a familiar voice came from outside. It was Zhang Cong, the famous loudspeaker of the iron factory: "Ji Lao Er, great news! Your daughter Lili is the top scorer in the college entrance examination in Yuncheng!"
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