Zhang Hongmei suddenly heard someone else speaking on the other end of the phone. Then Zhang Xingguo's voice came through, "Hongmei, I have to go now. Call me again when you have a chance. That's all, I'll hang up now." After he finished speaking, the receiver went dead.
Putting the microphone down, I realized that Zhang Xingguo has really had a tough time. It is also very difficult for a man to protect his country and make contributions.
Xiao Li stood to the side, watching Zhang Hongmei in a daze, not wanting to disturb her. Fortunately, she woke up on her own after only a few minutes.
"Are you going to have dinner with your boss?" Xiao Li asked very proactively, hoping to get some perks for his boss.
"I'm not going. Take me home instead. I still have some things I haven't prepared." She wasn't going there anyway; she figured she wouldn't be able to eat there. Zhang Shouyi must be incredibly busy. He skipped work all day yesterday, and he'd be skipping work for at least the next five days. She wasn't going to go and work overtime with him.
I'll take a good nap this afternoon, and I can drive myself tonight. Or I can take turns driving with Wang Ying. Anyway, I've come up with an excuse not to go.
"yes."
"Let's go now and see what food we have at home. Maybe you can bring some food back with you."
"Yes." What could he say? He should be extremely satisfied with just this; at least he thought of bringing him lunch, right?
Back home, Aunt Li and the others were busy preparing dumplings. Today's dumplings were filled with chives and eggs. Zhang Hongmei didn't want to bring any for Zhang Shouyi, imagining the handsome man leading a meeting, with a group of people around him enduring his rudeness, and chive leaves stuck to his teeth when he spoke.
Zhang Hongmei quickly shook her head, she couldn't think about it anymore, otherwise Zhang Shouyi's image in her mind would collapse.
"What's wrong, Hongmei?"
"It's alright, Aunt Li, you go ahead with your work, I'm going back inside."
Xiao Li, you should go back too. Today's meal isn't suitable for you. Go eat at the cafeteria.
Xiao Li nodded, thinking to himself, "Luckily, the boss doesn't know. Otherwise, I would have been disappointed again."
Zhang Hongmei returned to her bedroom and tidied up two sets of clothes. What else would she wear when she got back? The car didn't have air conditioning, so Zhang Shouyi decided to leave at night, probably because he was afraid of the heat.
After packing, I lay in bed, wondering if there was anything I had forgotten. In the end, I decided to just leave it at that, and when I got home, I would see what everyone was missing, buy it, and then send it to them.
I sat up after thinking about this for a while. I felt both the joy of going back and the difficulty of facing everyone back home.
This is so difficult. How am I supposed to explain this? Especially to the old lady, what should I say? Maybe I shouldn't tell the truth. Should I lie and say I like, or have fallen in love with, Zhang Shouyi?
I felt guilty saying that, but I didn't have a good excuse to hide it. The old lady had no eyelashes, so it wouldn't be easy to fool her.
Well, let's just take it one step at a time. As for Liu Maocai and his wife, they're fine; they don't need to explain themselves.
Gu Chuanming didn't come back for lunch either. There were only a few people at home for lunch, and Zhang Hongmei didn't eat much of the chive-filled pancakes, worried about bad breath. Wang Ying didn't think much of it and ate happily.
Wang Ying finished eating. "Hongmei, are you going out to buy things again this afternoon?"
"Go by yourself this afternoon. Go to the restaurant and buy thirty sesame seed cakes, and go to the roast duck shop and buy two jars of meat sauce for noodles with soybean paste. Also, go to sleep when you get back. You can drive tonight; I'll read this afternoon."
"Okay. I'll be there in a bit." So they wanted me to come along? That's great!
"Hongmei, shall I make you some pancakes? And pick a few cucumbers too."
"Okay, Aunt Li, you can make as much as you like, but don't make too much, or it will go bad."
I went back inside to read. Now that I knew the exact date, and I figured I wouldn't have much time during this period—today was already the 27th, and I wouldn't be back from Liujiatun until the 2nd at the earliest—I had to go to school for at least a day to say hello to the people I was close to.
It wasn't until four o'clock in the afternoon that Zhang Hongmei put down her book, stretched, and decided to go to the kitchen to order some fruit. This kind of weather was really making her drowsy, and several times Zhang Hongmei had thought about simply taking a nap, but in the end she managed to resist.
Aunt Li was cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Zhang Hongmei come in, she thought she must be hungry, as she hadn't eaten much at noon. "Hongmei, are you hungry? What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."
"No need, Aunt Li. Do you have any watermelons at home?"
"Yes, I'll cut it up and bring it over to you. It's too hot here, you should go back."
"No need, Aunt Li. Just find a small watermelon, cut it in half, and give me a spoon. I can eat it myself."
"Okay, wait here, I'll cut it for you right away." Aunt Li moved very quickly. Zhang Hongmei carried half a watermelon with a spoon stuck in it and went back to the study.
Reading a book while eating watermelon—what a wonderful life!
Before I knew it, I had finished half a watermelon. It was already five o'clock. I figured Zhang Shouyi wouldn't be back until six at the earliest. He was very punctual, and he was almost always back by this time.
I only realized I'd eaten too much when I got up. I stopped reading, threw the watermelon rind in the trash, and then strolled around the garden to digest, otherwise my stomach would get too bloated.
"Hongmei, it's so hot, what are you doing wandering around the yard?"
"Grandpa, you're back? Why are you back so early today?"
"You're leaving again today, how can I not come back early? You heartless bastard, you don't even know how to care for an old person."
"How could that be? Why don't you come along? Liujiatun is great. Really."
Gu Chuanming shook his head. "I can't go. At this time, Shouyi and I must have one of us at home, otherwise something terrible will happen. You two go. Go and properly kowtow to your parents. You're all married people now, you're adults."
"I know, Grandpa. You said that after I go back this time, I'll be leaving the country in just a few days, and I won't be able to see you for several years." Zhang Hongmei said with a touch of sadness.
"It's alright, I can wait. Just come back soon. You're already reluctant to leave before you've even gone?"
"That's right, I really can't bear to leave. I'm not afraid of a new environment, I'm just afraid of missing you all."
"Hehe." Gu Chuanming patted Zhang Hongmei's head.
"Don't be afraid, take our photos. If you really miss it, just look at the photos. It's not like it's only been a few years."
"Hmm." It's not that I absolutely have to go abroad, but I just want to contribute to the country. But if I don't go abroad, how can I explain what I know? Besides, one person's wisdom is limited; training more people is the most important thing to do.
"Silly child. Study hard and build our country into a strong nation in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com