Seeing that the provocation tactic hadn't worked, everyone started talking about how stingy Xiang Anqi was.
"Teacher, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Hey, don't go, don't go," Xiang Anqi said, looking down and rummaging through the filing cabinet at his feet. Finally, he took out a round tin box, about the size of a palm, which rattled when he picked it up. "Here's a box of milk candy, Soviet brand. Last time I ate some, it knocked out my molar filling. You can have it."
Bai Jiaojiao took the box of candy with both hands, feeling that Xiang Anqi was treating her like a child.
"Thank you, teacher."
"Alright, you can go ahead with your work."
"Then I'll be going now, teacher. I'll make some snacks for you again next time."
"Alright, alright, you remember that."
Bai Jiaojiao left Xiang Anqi's office with a box of candy and returned to her dormitory to have dinner with Shu Manling.
The two were halfway through their meal when they heard heavy footsteps. Before they could react, the person entered the room.
"Xu Yue? Why are you back?"
There's still almost a month before school starts, she's back way too early.
“I can’t stay in my home for even a day longer. My sister went to the countryside before, but now that things are better, she wrote to come home and asked my mom to retire so she could take over her job. But my mom retired, and my brother didn’t want that. He insisted on taking over her job. Now my sister is back, and they’re arguing all the time. I’m at my wit’s end. That’s why I quickly bought a train ticket and came back. Let them argue all they want!”
Xu Yue left her suitcase inside the door, sat down at the table, and said, "Am I that lucky? I actually got to be treated to special meals by you guys?"
"Yes, yes, what a coincidence! We just started eating. But we don't have enough steamed buns. Why don't you go to the cafeteria and buy one now?"
"No need, no need," Xu Yue went back to rummage through her bag. "My mom made me two pancakes before I left. I didn't have an appetite on the train, and they all smelled of stinky feet, so I didn't eat a single bite. Isn't this perfect?"
The three of them hadn't seen each other for a month, so they got together and chatted a lot.
Xu Yue complained about her family's troubles, and Bai Jiaojiao told Xu Yue about her joining the lab. She and Shu Manling, however, tacitly avoided mentioning Shu Manling's in-laws.
When the three of them got together, with Xu Yue chattering away, the days seemed to pass much faster.
Shen Heng returned in a couple of days. Bai Jiaojiao picked him up at the station, and it was the first time she had officially met Jian Shao.
Jian Shao praised repeatedly, "Yes, yes, they are a couple, they are a couple. You guys go ahead, don't worry about this old man, I'll figure out how to get back myself."
After receiving the message, Shen Heng took Bai Jiaojiao and left.
Bai Jiaojiao whispered, "Wouldn't it be impolite of us to just leave like this?"
"Hey, you don't know, Teacher Jian has a car to pick us up, he doesn't want us to hitch a ride with him. You rode your bike all this way?"
The station was bustling with people. Shen Heng wanted to pinch Bai Jiaojiao's cheek, but he could only clench his own hand.
"Yes, the car is parked outside. I have someone watching it for me."
"Come on, let Heng take you home. I've been exhausted these past few days, I need to relax."
Bai Jiaojiao, who was walking fast, almost couldn't keep up with Shen Heng. She pedaled her bicycle with great effort the whole way, saying that she didn't look tired at all!
When Bai Jiaojiao arrived, she stopped by the roadside for a while, bought an ice pop, ate it, and rested before continuing her journey. Shen Heng carried her all the way without stopping and went straight home.
As soon as Bai Jiaojiao got off the car, Shen Heng hadn't even stopped the car properly when it crashed over in the yard. He didn't care, locked the gate, picked up Bai Jiaojiao in his arms, and carried her inside.
"Brother Heng!"
Bai Jiaojiao's eyes widened, but she didn't dare to shout loudly, afraid that the neighbors would hear.
"I miss Heng so much. Let me check, have you been missing Heng these past few days?"
"How...how do you check?"
Shen Heng carried Bai Jiaojiao to the kang (a heated brick bed) and kissed her several times on the face without saying a word. Bai Jiaojiao laughed and said with disgust, "You smell like the train. Go change your clothes."
Shen Heng looked down and smelled himself. Even though he had come back on a sleeper train, the environment was not very good. Plus, they had been traveling all day and were tired, so it was not clean.
"You're such a fussman. Fine, I'll go wash."
On a hot day, Shen Heng would simply scoop up a ladle of water and rinse himself off. The courtyard was connected to the tap water, which was very convenient.
Bai Jiaojiao found a set of clothes for Shen Heng to change into when he came back, but Shen Heng got on the kang and drew the curtains: "Why wear anything? I'll have to take them off later."
Shen Heng was shirtless without any shame. The sun was blazing outside, and even with the curtains drawn, the room wasn't dark. Bai Jiaojiao looked at Shen Heng, who was brazenly facing her, and looked away, saying, "What are you doing? You're being a pervert."
"I love your shy little face, come here."
Shen Heng chuckled and pulled Bai Jiaojiao into his arms, letting her lie back on the bed against his chest: "Why are you still being so formal with it? Don't you greet it every night? It's only been half a month since we last met, and you're already acting like strangers?"
Shen Heng talks nonsense and has no sense of propriety.
"Don't talk nonsense," Bai Jiaojiao shifted to a more comfortable position, face to face with Shen Heng, "How about going over there this time?"
“I told my teacher about buying a house, and he said it was okay to buy, so it's likely that they'll be buying into that area. Every policy needs a testing ground, not just in the market, but all sectors of society are looking for places to set up models.”
Reform was imperative, and Bai Jiaojiao wasn't worried about it: "So, did you buy it?"
“Yes, I bought it. I went to check it out. It’s even poorer than Shili Village. In the old society, it would have been a place where people sold their children. There’s hardly anyone around there anymore. Teacher Jian and I went through a lot of trouble to each get a place. It’s really dilapidated, but it’s not small.”
"Did Teacher Jian buy it too?"
"Do you think we're the only shrewd family in the whole world?"
Bai Jiaojiao thought about it and agreed. Even if Jian Shao didn't have the luck of being reborn, his vision was still far-sighted; otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved his current status.
"By the way, when I went to Aunt Qin's house the other day, she asked me if I wanted to register my household registration directly in Yancheng."
My roommate mentioned this to me too. I'm fine with whatever you say. Or do you want to register your household registration in the south?
"Why settle in the south? It's definitely better to settle here. After all, it's the capital."
"Whatever you want, I don't care where I register, as long as our household registrations are in the same place."
As Shen Heng spoke, he touched Bai Jiaojiao's hand again and began to act inappropriately.
Bai Jiaojiao was still resting her chin on Shen Heng, dreaming about the future, unaware that Shen Heng had already started unbuttoning her shirt along her arm.
"Brother Heng!"
"Why."
"you......"
"Heng-ge, this hurts a bit. Feel it and see if something's wrong."
Shen Heng pointed to his right ribs, and Bai Jiaojiao reached out to press them. Clearly, Shen Heng had diverted her attention, and she had her buttons undone.
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