Chapter 59
Jiang Jiang finished making the black suit for Zhong Xing before the first rain of late autumn fell.
After the suit was made, Jiang Jiang waited for several days, but there was no sign of Zhong Xing. Usually, Zhong Xing would come and take her out for dinner about every ten days or so.
Unable to wait for Zhong Xing to come, Jiang Jiang thought for a while and decided that if Zhong Xing didn’t come to see her next Friday, she would go to his workplace to find him.
After finishing class on Friday morning, Jiang Jiang still hadn't seen Zhong Xing. She folded her suit and put it in a box, changed into a lavender sweater and a beige skirt, and took the bus to Zhong Xing's workplace.
It was Jiang Jiang's first time to come here. It was not far from the city, and there were several large and medium-sized factories connected to it. Ornamental trees were planted on both sides of the road. This was the season of falling leaves. The fiery red maple leaves fell one after another, slowly landing on the dark asphalt road, which was both gorgeous and lonely.
"Who are you looking for?" the old man on duty at the door asked her.
"Zhong wakes up."
"Oh, go find Zhong Xing. Wait a minute, I'll call and ask if he's there!"
Jiang Jiang was waiting at the door holding the suit.
The old man on duty at the concierge hung up the phone and said, "Sorry, little girl, he's been on a business trip for the past half month and won't be back in the next day or two."
"Is that so..." Jiang Jiang felt an indescribable sense of loss in her heart. She handed the bag in her hand to the old man, "If he comes back, please give it to him for me."
"Okay, what's your name? I'll register it for you."
"My name is Jiang Jiang."
The old man asked as he registered, "Are you his sister?"
Jiang Jiang was silent for a while before nodding, "Yeah, I guess so."
The wind started to blow. Jiang Jiang left the industrial area and just returned to the dormitory door. She saw several of her roommates gathered at the door, as if waiting for someone.
Seeing Jiang Jiang, several girls came up to her. The one who spoke was her roommate Liu Huayan. She was very generous and had a boyish demeanor. She was also the dormitory leader elected by Jiang Jiang and the others. "Jiang Jiang, you're back. We're waiting for you to go eat hot pot together."
"It's been windy these past two days, and the weather has been cloudy and damp. Eating some hot pot will warm you up."
Several roommates looked like they had dressed up seriously, changing into clothes they didn't usually wear, and taking care of their hair. They were all smiling. Jiang Jiang threw away her previous annoyance and walked up to her roommates to hold their hands, "Okay."
A few girls walked out of the school chatting and laughing.
The hot pot restaurant they were going to was near the school. It was a farm hot pot restaurant. The restaurant was full of people and steam was rising. There was a large plate of thick meat slices on the customer's table, which looked very mouth-watering.
Everyone was already starving, and looking at the dishes on the menu, beef and mutton were two yuan a plate, chicken and pork were one yuan and fifty cents, and vegetables like potatoes and greens were fifty cents. Everyone tacitly ordered meat dishes as a way to improve the food.
When the hot pot boils, Jiang Jiang takes the cooked meat out of the pot. The fresh beef and mutton are dipped in the sauce and taste fresh and spicy.
"By the way, Jiang Jiang, do you know? The results of our major's midterm exam are out, and you're first."
"Jiang Jiang is really amazing. She is worthy of being the first person in your province to be admitted to Capital University."
Wang Ling and Jiang Jiang from the next dormitory are both from Province X. They also learned from Wang Ling that Jiang Jiang was the top scorer in the college entrance examination in Province X this year.
Xu Yingchu paused with his chopsticks while eating hot pot.
"The results are out? When did it happen?"
"This afternoon, when you left school."
"I didn't expect Jiang Jiang, who doesn't look very impressive, to be so strong. The second place is more than ten points behind you. It seems that we all have to work hard to catch up with Jiang Jiang in the future."
Jiang Jiang smiled and said, "It was just a stroke of luck for me. Everyone is in the same major and passed with similar scores, which means everyone's ability level is about the same. I was just lucky this time and did well in the exam. I may not be able to do well next time."
When Xu Yingchu came back from the bathroom, she saw several girls gathered around Jiang Jiang and talking to her. She secretly clenched her fists, and her face with light makeup looked unclear under the light.
But when he thought of Tang Yu, Xu Yingchu was secretly glad in his heart. As long as Tang Yu was there, no matter how outstanding Jiang Jiang was, she would only be a tiny light and would always be eclipsed by the real pearl.
After another snowfall, the whole world became covered in silver. There was no trace of green on the entire Loess Plateau. Only patches of barren loess and flying snow could be seen.
With the arrival of severe cold weather, Jiang Jiang's first semester of study at Capital University also came to an end. After taking the last exam, the students who lived on campus packed their luggage and left the school within a day or two. Jiang Jiang also packed his things and got on the train back home with Xie Jinyan.
At daybreak, He Guijuan got up and added coal to the boiler. She wore a dark blue cotton jacket and covered her thick black hair with a hairnet. She put some dumplings she had made yesterday into the pot with cold water. When the water boiled, the dumplings were almost cooked.
Half a spoonful of lard and soy sauce was added to the bowl, and the hot dumplings were served into the bowl. Lin Youqing was still washing up, so He Guijuan simply didn't wait for him. While eating dumplings, she turned on the radio and listened to today's news.
After Lin Youqing finished washing his face, He Guijuan had already eaten most of the dumplings in the bowl. He couldn't help but laugh, "The earliest train from the capital to our place doesn't arrive until after ten o'clock. Why are you in such a hurry? I heard you tossing and turning at four or five o'clock."
"I was so excited thinking that Jiang Jiang would come back today that I couldn't even sleep."
Lin Youqing smiled when he thought about his daughter coming home today. He hadn't seen his daughter for a few months and he missed her very much.
After breakfast, He Guijuan packed up simply and urged her husband to go out.
"Here I come."
As soon as the train arrived at the provincial capital, Jiang Jiang was so excited that she could not sit still. Every half an hour she could not help asking the train attendant where the train was going. She was looking forward to it and wanted to rush back home immediately.
The train arrived at the station with a rumbling sound. Jiang Jiang walked out of the station carrying her suitcase. The wind and snow hurt her face. She couldn't help but tighten the wool scarf around her neck. As soon as she looked up, she saw Lin Youqing and his wife not far away.
They both saw Jiang Jiang at the first moment and smiled at their daughter across the crowd with a somewhat relieved smile. Her mother was wearing a royal blue scarf and her face was red from the cold.
Jiang Jiang's eyes felt a little sore. She couldn't help but ran over with the box and hugged the couple, "Dad, Mom, I'm back."
"I'm back, finally back." He Guijuan hugged Jiang Jiang, and the mother and daughter cried and laughed.
"I miss my baby daughter all the time." He Guijuan stroked her daughter's hair affectionately.
"I also miss my parents all the time. The moment I got on the train, I hoped that the train would go faster and faster. I really understood what it means to be eager to go home."
Lin Youqing took Jiang Jiang's suitcase and patted his daughter's shoulder with relief. "It's cold outside. Let's go home quickly."
"Yes, let's go home."
Although the Spring Festival has not yet arrived, the air is already filled with the festive atmosphere. Red lanterns are hung in many places. The pick-up car has been waiting outside for a long time. Jiang Jiang and her parents got on the car and could not help but lean her head on their shoulders. She felt that all the fatigue along the way was swept away the moment she saw her family.
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