Shen Xuyue spent the afternoon playing with Zhao Mingyue, and then he and Song Huaihai took her back to school. The three of them had dinner together at the university cafeteria. Zhao Mingyue went back to her dormitory, and Shen Xuyue promised to come see her on the weekend. Then he and Song Huaihai left together.
As Song Huaihai drove, he asked, "Is this the girl?"
Shen Xuyue hummed in agreement: "What do you think of her?"
Song Huaihai thought for a moment and said, "It's better than I expected."
"What do you imagine it to be like?" Song Huaihai was three years older than Shen Xuyue, the same age as Shen Xuyue's older brother. They grew up in the same courtyard and often played together. Song Huaihai was like his older brother. Although they hadn't seen each other for many years, the two brothers still felt very familiar and close when they met. Time had not diminished their brotherly affection.
Song Huaihai said tactfully, "When I went out for training before, I met some girls from the countryside, and I've also met girls from the suburbs. How should I put it, they're rather shy and a bit rustic. This Zhao Mingyue is quite bold."
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "Right. She's a very insightful person, and sometimes what she says surprises and surprises me."
Song Huaihai nodded: "I can tell she's a confident girl, neither arrogant nor humble. But Xu Yue, are you sure you want to be with her?"
"Don't you think it's good?" Shen Xuyue felt a little lighter. After so many years of being sent down to the countryside, Zhao Mingyue was the only bright spot in his life, so it could be considered that he had gained something.
Song Huaihai tapped the steering wheel with his finger: "It's not that it's bad, it's just that I feel the gap between you two is a bit too big for outsiders to see, and your parents might find it hard to accept."
"What's the difference? I don't think there's a difference at all. Marriage and relationships are free now. As for my parents, they probably don't have much to object to." Shen Xuyue felt that his parents had suffered so many setbacks over the years, they shouldn't be so old-fashioned on this matter, and besides, hadn't the prejudice of social class been eliminated along with those outdated things?
Song Huaihai smiled and said, "That's true, but it's still better to be careful." Although class distinctions have been eliminated, it doesn't mean that people don't care about social standing when it comes to marriage. People of the older generation, like their parents, mostly prefer to find partners within the family and arrange marriages between their children.
Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay, I understand."
When Zhao Mingyue returned to the dormitory, her classmates were all getting ready. When they saw her return, they all started teasing her. Qian Sisheng pulled Zhao Mingyue aside and said, "You're back. Tell me honestly, what's his name, what does he do, how did you two get together, and tell me your love story!"
Zhao Mingyue glanced around at the girls in the room, each of them dressed neatly, and asked, "Are we about to go to a class meeting?"
Gao Dongfang said, "Don't rush to start the class meeting, let's talk about your romances first."
Zhao Mingyue bent down and picked up her thermos: "If you're not in a hurry, I'll go to the water room to get some water, otherwise there won't be any to drink."
"This brat, always dodging the question, refusing to tell the truth, huh? Sisters, come and take her down!" Qian Sisheng grabbed Zhao Mingyue's waist, put her water bottle on the ground, and started tickling her. Qian Sisheng was taller and stronger than Zhao Mingyue, so it was effortless for him to bully her. Li Chunmei also jumped up to help. Zhao Mingyue laughed so hard she couldn't speak, only able to cry out "Ouch, ouch!"
Tang Weihua waved his hand: "Stop first, let her catch her breath before we talk."
Zhao Mingyue pleaded, "Sisters, you have to let me get some water first, otherwise there really won't be any to drink. Don't worry, I'll explain everything, but it's not something that can be explained in just a few words, is it? Let's finish this first and talk about it when we have time, okay?"
Gao Dongfang waved his hand: "Approved, go quickly, I'll wait for you to come back."
Zhao Mingyue herself didn't have any sisters her own age, and she rarely played around with people her own age so intimately. She couldn't help but find it quite fun, and a sense of closeness unconsciously arose in her heart, as if they were her own sisters.
When she finished getting the water, she found everyone had already left. There was a note on the table with an address, telling her to hurry to the classroom. Zhao Mingyue glanced at the alarm clock on Qian Sisheng's desk; it was already 6:45. Oh no, it looked like she was going to be late. She quickly grabbed her backpack, locked the door, and ran out. Being late for the first day of the meeting was not a good idea.
The class meeting was scheduled to start at seven o'clock, and fifteen minutes should have been enough time. However, Zhao Mingyue had just arrived at the school and only knew where the cafeteria and water room were. She only had a general idea of the location of the teaching building and had never been there before, so it would be troublesome for her to find it.
In Beijing, it gets dark early in winter, around 5 p.m. At this time, it's completely dark. To save energy, there are only a few streetlights far apart. Zhao Mingyue ran for a while and almost bumped into a few people taking a walk. When they saw her apologizing hastily, they smiled and said, "You must be a freshman."
Zhao Mingyue was extremely embarrassed and quickly turned to leave. Once inside the teaching building, she realized she had gone to the wrong place—the Department of Political Science and Law. She quickly turned back to look for the Department of History, and as she turned, she bumped into an acquaintance: "What a coincidence! You're here!"
Bian Hongyu was talking with some classmates in the corridor when she saw Zhao Mingyue. She paused for a moment, then gave a haughty snort: "You guys aren't in this building, are you?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "Oh yeah, I went to the wrong place. I'm leaving now, goodbye!"
Bian Hongyu remained silent. What was there to see again?
Bian Hongyu's classmate asked, "Who is that?"
Bian Hongyu shrugged: "I forgot her name. I met her on the train."
When Zhao Mingyue found her class, the class meeting had already started, and the homeroom teacher was speaking on the stage. Zhao Mingyue walked to the door and knocked: "Excuse me, I'm sorry I'm late."
The homeroom teacher was a man in his thirties, who looked about the same age as the students below the stage. He wore black-rimmed glasses, glanced at Zhao Mingyue, and nodded: "Come in. You're late for the first class meeting, so you'll be the first to introduce yourself. Please." The homeroom teacher smiled and gestured with his hand on the podium, indicating that she should come up.
The class burst into laughter, and her dorm mates giggled, covering their mouths. Zhao Mingyue, looking utterly embarrassed, went up on stage. The male students in the audience couldn't help but brighten up – what a great start! Speaking on stage wasn't Zhao Mingyue's forte. She had given speeches in front of thousands of employees before, and had participated in serious occasions like television interviews and meetings with leaders. Now, in front of a group of simple, honest young people from the 1970s, she remained calm. However, she hadn't prepared her self-introduction and would have to improvise.
She stepped onto the stage and said confidently, "Hello everyone, my name is Zhao Mingyue, and I come from Jinan District, X Province. I am honored to be the first person to meet you all, and I look forward to becoming close classmates, comrades, brothers and sisters with you over the next four years..." Her self-introduction, which lasted less than three minutes, along with her graceful attitude, beautiful face, and confident smile, left a deep impression on everyone and won enthusiastic applause.
After stepping off the stage, Zhao Mingyue sat down next to her roommates. Her roommates winked at her, but Zhao Mingyue shushed them and pointed to the stage, indicating that more students were coming up. All thirty-one students introduced themselves. The vast majority were over twenty years old, already working, and two were even over thirty. The oldest, Lao Lu, was thirty-three and a father of two. As he recounted his experiences over the past decade, everyone present couldn't help but sigh with emotion, because almost everyone in the class had similar difficult experiences and heartbreaking stories.
After the self-introductions, class officers were elected. Class officers were elected through a process of self-nomination followed by a vote. Seeing everyone actively going up to nominate themselves, Zhao Mingyue's roommates urged her, "Mingyue, why don't you nominate yourself as the entertainment committee member?"
Zhao Mingyue waved her hand and declined, saying, "I don't know anything, why would I be the entertainment committee member?"
A male student in the back row suddenly interjected, "No need to learn. If you go, people will naturally sign up enthusiastically when there are activities."
Hearing the voice, Zhao Mingyue turned her head and saw a boy with a side-parted hairstyle, wearing a black overcoat, resting his chin on his hand, looking at her leisurely with a smiling eye. Zhao Mingyue had a special ability: if she paid attention, she could remember the appearance and name of people she had only met once. She had memorized all twenty-odd classmates she didn't know yet, and she knew this person's name was Wang Xingkai, a local from Beijing, and a very confident person.
Zhao Mingyue glanced at the other person, then turned back. Qian Sisheng, who was next to her, whispered in her ear, "This guy is the son of a high-ranking official, and he's a womanizer."
Zhao Mingyue quietly asked her, "How did you know?" No wonder he was so confident.
Qian Sisheng said, "He went to the same high school as me, but was two grades ahead of me. He had several girlfriends in high school."
"oh."
Surprisingly, when the election ended, Mao Jianlan actually won the position of class monitor, and all her roommates in room 305 were very happy for her.
After leaving the classroom, the girls walked back to their dormitory in groups, chattering all the way about the class meeting that had just ended and the new classmates they had met. Li Chunmei, quick to speak, said, "Have you noticed? That guy named Wang Xingkai is a complete petty bourgeois. Look at his hair, his coat and leather shoes, he's so slick and greasy."
Someone coughed behind them. The girls turned around, and under the dim streetlights, a tall boy in a black trench coat covered his mouth with his hand to hide his cough. It was none other than Wang Xingkai. Li Chunmei said, quite embarrassed, "Why are you like this, secretly following behind and eavesdropping on people's conversations?"
Wang Xingkai said, "The road is so wide and the light is so bright. I didn't tiptoe or wear a mask, so how can you say I was sneaking around? I was walking openly and honestly. It's the people who like to gossip behind people's backs that are really doing this."
"You!" Li Chunmei was a little annoyed, but what the other person said was true. She had indeed been talking about someone behind their back, and had been caught red-handed. Zhao Mingyue pulled Li Chunmei aside and said with a smile, "We were just joking. We're all classmates. Don't take it seriously. She didn't mean any harm."
Upon hearing Zhao Mingyue speak, Wang Xingkai said, "That's right. If you want to give me your opinion, just say it to my face. I won't mind. Zhao Mingyue, what are your thoughts on me? You can tell me directly."
Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, "This guy is way too self-important." Without turning her head, she said, "Sorry, I don't know you well, so I have no opinion on you." Then she walked into the group of women and ignored him completely.
Wang Xingkai, having been rebuffed by Zhao Mingyue, touched his hair and chuckled. He figured they weren't close yet, but they'd get to know each other better. Now that he was in university, he had no more pressure; besides studying, it was all about having fun. And as an adult, from a normal perspective, it was indeed time for him to start dating.
Back in the dormitory, Li Chunmei was still a little angry. Tang Weihua said, "Forget it, you shouldn't be so outspoken in the future. It's so embarrassing to be caught red-handed."
Li Chunmei was both embarrassed and annoyed: "How was I supposed to know that he was walking right behind us, and he didn't say a word?"
Gao Dongfang changed the subject: "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Now it's Xiao Zhao's turn to confess. Hurry up and confess, we've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Knowing there was no way to avoid it, Zhao Mingyue said, "Let's wash up first, then lie down on the bed and talk."
Once everyone was in bed, they all craned their necks to look at Zhao Mingyue's bed. Zhao Mingyue cleared her throat and said, "Actually, it's nothing. He was sent to work in our brigade as the village party secretary. That's how we met, and over time we developed feelings for each other and got together."
"That's too vague. We need specific details, specific times, and specific events! Tell us the truth, don't leave anything out!" Gao Dongfang said.
"Yes, be more specific!" everyone exclaimed. Shen Xuyue is clearly a high-quality man. He's tall, handsome, and a top student. Both of them are studying in Beijing. Zhao Mingyue is so lucky.
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment, "I can't really explain it in detail. It's just that once I was framed and slandered, and he felt sorry for me and helped me find out who was behind it. I was really touched. Later, we studied for exams together, and over time, we gradually became a couple." Of course, she couldn't say that she had liked Shen Xuyue for a long time.
Tang Weihua asked, "Has he ever done anything particularly touching for you?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "It's alright, just some minor things. When we weave reed mats in our area, my hands get scratched all over by the reeds in winter. He once gave me some pearl cream to apply to my hands."
"So, how far have things progressed for you two?" Li Chunmei asked, lying on the quilt.
Zhao Mingyue said somewhat embarrassedly, "What do you mean by 'at what stage'? Nothing at all. He came to my house for dinner and to pay New Year's visits, so I guess that counts as us being in a relationship, but nothing else."
Li Chunmei scoffed, "You didn't even hold hands?"
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "No, I'm sorry."
Tang Weihua laughed heartily: "That's really pure enough."
"Why do you always want me to talk? Sister Tang, you should tell us about your love story too! And Chunmei, you should tell us too!" Zhao Mingyue complained. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that her relationship with Shen Xuyue was really quite innocent; they hadn't even formally held hands.
Tang Weihua chuckled: "I really don't have much to say. My wife and I were sent to the countryside as educated youth from the same place. When we reached the right age, we got together. It was very natural, just that simple."
Li Chunmei said, "We were introduced by a mutual acquaintance, and we thought it was a good match, so we started dating. We were even planning to get married, but when we heard that I could take the college entrance exam, we put it on hold. He's definitely resenting me now." At this point, she suddenly sneezed. "I told you, he's definitely cursing me right now, calling me heartless."
"Where's Xiao Mao?" Qian Sisheng asked.
Mao Jianlan was lying in bed reading a book when she casually replied, "I haven't been in a relationship."
Tang Weihua said, "There will be opportunities later. You're all in college now, and there's no pressure to get into university. What's the point of wasting time if you don't solve your personal problems? Sisters, hurry up! If you like someone but are too shy to say it, tell me, and I'll help you make the connection. Don't be shy; it's a new era, and women can be proactive too." She patted her chest, looking quite confident. Married women are different; their gossipy hearts beat even more excitedly.
Li Chunmei suddenly drew out her words and said, "I think that petty bourgeois seems to be interested in our Mingyue."
Zhao Mingyue said, "Stop messing around, I already have a boyfriend, I'm not getting involved with them."
"He's a womanizer, ladies, keep your eyes open!" Qian Sisheng said, drawing out his words.
"As expected, all show and no substance." Li Chunmei said with great satisfaction, feeling that she had now made an enemy of Wang Xingkai.
Gao Dongfang said coolly, "I don't think he's all show and no substance. Xiao Zhao, one of these days, call your husband out and let that petty bourgeois see for himself, so he'll understand that comparisons are pointless!"
Zhao Mingyue lay on the bed, pursing her lips and secretly smiling. Looking at the spider webs still remaining on the ceiling, she wondered: What is Shen Xuyue doing now? Is he asleep?
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