Back in Beijing, Zhang Guoqing, just as Zhou Jiao had predicted, woke up in the wee hours of the morning, lay in bed in the dark, and gazed at the small group of people around him. He reluctantly waited until almost four o'clock before gently flipping the light switch.
Under the light, Zhang Guoqing couldn't help but kiss his son's hair as he watched him soundly sleep. It would probably take several days for him to return to school.
Zhang Guoqing carefully covered the child's belly with a towel blanket, tucked in the mosquito net, went into the ear room to wash up, looked at his son on the kang, and finally came out with his luggage and closed the door.
Aunt Chen prepared breakfast for him at four in the morning every Monday, just like she always did, and asked him to eat before returning to school. After he left, she would make sure the child was awake.
Zhang Guoqing hurriedly finished his noodles and looked at Aunt Chen who was yawning. He said quickly, "Aunt, go to the room and get some sleep. Ping An needs to sleep until he wakes up at six o'clock."
"No, I can't sleep even if I lie down. Go to school."
Zhang Guoqing reminded him worriedly, "There's plenty of food at home, so eat something first."
"Hurry up, it's almost 4:30, and you'll meet people again when you go out."
Zhang Guoqing nodded cheerfully and walked out of the house quickly, pushing the cart. Aunt Chen's concerns were correct. If he ran into someone and chatted with them, it would not only waste time, but also be embarrassing if someone asked him if he wanted to go to the Lin family.
As the night fell, Zhang Guoqing rode his bike, wondering whether the school teachers should be given a break as the summer vacation was almost half over.
He glanced at the tall crops in the fields outside the city. If he didn't get a holiday, he would have to go to the countryside to support agriculture. The busy summer farming season was really exhausting. Would he have to wait for his wife to come back and continue working?
When he arrived at the dormitory building, the sky was already bright and white. This was in the summer; in the winter, it was still dark.
After returning to the dormitory and putting away his luggage, Zhang Guoqing carried a washbasin and toiletries into the public restroom. After taking a shower, before returning to the room, he heard Wan Dayong's screams.
He went out with the washbasin in his hand and saw that all those people were standing in front of his dormitory door. He laughed and said, "Why are you up so early today?"
Wan Dayong studied his expression and asked, "Do you know everything?"
Zhang Guoqing knew he was asking about the Lin family, nodded at them, and opened the door, "Come in first. Is there anything wrong with my class?"
Wan Dayong and the others walked in, closed the door, and shook his head. "With Old Fan here, nothing bad will happen. By the way, what does Dayi mean? How many great-grandmothers does he have?"
Zhang Guoqing replied seriously, "This is an old lady I picked up on the street."
They all knew each other well, so they could only laugh silently. They couldn't tell anyone about this, so they could only laugh secretly.
Ding Datou said cheerfully, "Just as we expected. They said he had also asked for leave to return to his hometown, so we knew he must have run away with you. When will he show up now?"
Zhang Guoqing waved at them, and as they gathered together, he whispered, "He's coming over tonight. We agreed to split up. Let's have dinner together tonight. He's ready to be slaughtered. Brothers, go sharpen your knives!"
Everyone laughed happily.
Ding Datou rolled his eyes slyly and said, "What do you think about asking him to come over the day after tomorrow?"
Wan Dayong and Geng Dasheng laughed even louder after hearing this.
Zhang Guoqing, who was standing by, suddenly had an idea. "Damn! We're not going to have a holiday the day after tomorrow, are we?"
"clever!"
Zhang Guoqing immediately changed his mind. "Then we'll have dinner together when we get home. Oh my god, I should have stayed a few more days. By the way, our class doesn't have any internship assignments, right?"
"No! I've found out. We'll have free time from now on. What should we do next? How about going out of town? What do you think?"
Geng Dasheng smiled and said, "I'm fine with it. Just let me know where you're going."
Ding Datou also smiled at Wan Dayong and said, "I've been tired for so long, I also need to relax and listen to you."
Zhang Guoqing looked at the embarrassed eyes in front of him and said with a smile, "I just got back from the bus. Please don't let me get on the bus again! It's so hot that it's hard to go anywhere."
"My grandfather and his family are going to the beach soon. Will you go with your father-in-law?"
Zhang Guoqing shook his head, "I don't want to go this year."
Wan Dayong and the other two winked at each other and chuckled gleefully. This guy was waiting for his wife to come back before leaving, and he thought no one knew.
A few people were chatting in the room. Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Shen Yunshi's hoarse voice, "Xiao Wu, open the door quickly."
Several people immediately fell silent. Ding Datou was closest to the door. He opened it and saw Shen Yunshi sweating profusely. He bent down with his hands on his legs, and looked up to see them grinning.
"You idiot! Come in quickly." Ding Datou pulled him and closed the door.
Zhang Guoqing handed him a glass of water and said, "I'm going to the classroom soon. Look how tired you are."
Shen Yunshi took a breath and said cheerfully, "Be prepared to treat us!"
"Oh, it looks like a great joyful event!"
"A treat is a must."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded, "Okay, but you have to tell me what the big happy event is?"
Shen Yunshi lowered his voice mysteriously and said: "Is the title of Outstanding Youth of the City enough? I heard that your experimental report on the double-water-cooled generator has been compiled into a book, and..." After saying that, he laughed.
Wan Dayong kicked him and said, "If you have to fart, do it now!"
Shen Yunshi suppressed his laughter and said, "If he makes trouble again, he will have to stay in school."
Wan Dayong and the others burst into laughter. Serves him right! They all knew that Zhang Guoqing was eagerly awaiting graduation. Hoping to get a job sooner, he'd even privately contacted the department head to inquire about graduating early.
Zhang Guoqing smiled lightly and changed the subject, "Nothing happened in our class, right?"
"No! Apart from attending classes these past two days, I've spent the rest of my time in the lab. Oh, by the way, we have a holiday the day after tomorrow. Can Dayi still make it?"
Zhang Guoqing and the others looked at each other, and he nodded and said, "I arrived in Beijing last night. His mother said he would arrive today and would probably be back to school before tonight."
He looked at everyone and asked, "Shall we talk while we walk?"
"Okay, you also need to ask your counselor to report your leave. I don't know what breakfast is going to be today, so let's go check it out early."
After the group left the house, Shen Yunshi realized something was wrong. He looked at Zhang Guoqing curiously and asked, "You don't have the black scarf or anything else with you?"
Zhang Guoqing shook his head and said, "The old man said it was inconvenient to wear it when he was away, so he hung it in his hometown on the day of the funeral." Of course, there was another reason. If he wore it, Yi Jiefang would be exposed.
Wan Dayong and the other two followed the passing students, carrying their lunch boxes to the cafeteria, while Zhang Guoqing and Shen Yunshi continued walking. By this time, many people on campus had already started their morning exercise and jogging.
The two of them waved and greeted acquaintances they met along the way, while walking side by side.
Shen Yunshi lowered his voice and said softly, "When our class was named an outstanding group this time, I heard that someone was dissatisfied and pointed out the backgrounds of those two students. Fortunately, the counselor argued with reason and the matter was not escalated."
Zhang Guoqing knew who the two people he was talking about were.
Their class of a few dozen or so students came from mostly normal backgrounds: the majority were children of workers, followed by farmers and children of high-ranking officials. Only two male students were often discussed. Song Lin's grandfather had been a local gentry tycoon before liberation, and his parents were still in Hong Kong.
There's also a man named Ke Hexuan from the south, who lived with his mother after his parents divorced. Rumor has it that his father abandoned his wife to marry the daughter of some high-ranking official, and a few years ago, he and his in-laws were exiled to the countryside. Logically, since he was abandoned by his own father, the question of his biological father shouldn't concern him, but there are always those who make a fuss about it.
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