Chapter 56
Not long after the start of the semester, He He found a time when everyone was free and arranged to meet at a state-run restaurant.
She called over all the educated youth who had been admitted to universities in the provincial capital, including Zheng Xinxin, Li Baiyun, Sun Jiabao, and the rest were herself, Cheng Surin, and Chen Jingyi.
We had gotten together occasionally before. We spent a few years working together in the countryside, and then we all got into universities in the provincial capital. It was a kind of revolutionary friendship.
At each gathering, everyone chats about their recent lives and occasionally reminisces about the time they spent living together in the Forward Brigade.
Chen Jingbai didn't come this time. It's the first time he's missed one of our many get-togethers. He's been very busy and couldn't be called upon.
Sun Jiabao: "Jing Bai is really a busy man, but it's good to be busy. I'm happy to see my brother making money."
Zheng Xinxin said, "You're just envious of Chen Jingbai."
Changing the subject, Zheng Xinxin lowered her head and said somewhat shyly, "I have something I want to share with everyone. I'm dating someone at school. He's a year ahead of me, but we're the same age. We met at an event."
He He was happy for her: "Why didn't you bring him out to meet us today? How long have you been talking?"
Li Baiyun: "That's right, Xinxin, when did you start dating so quietly?"
Zheng Xinxin: "It wasn't long ago, we talked about it a week before winter break. I specifically told you guys about it when we got together this time."
Li Baiyun gossiped, "Alright, alright, so you still remember us. Next time, remember to bring him out so we can see what he looks like."
Zheng Xinxin: "He's only half a head taller than me, quite good-looking, and looks very refined with glasses."
He He gave a thumbs up, "Sounds good, Xin Xin has good taste!"
Teasing her, Zheng Xinxin blushed and looked at He He, "Hehe, you have good taste. You managed to win over Chen Jingbai. Chen Jingbai is so handsome. My boyfriend and he are not even in the same league."
He He shook her head: "No, no, how can you talk about your partner like that?"
Cheng Surin interjected, "Comrade Zheng Xinxin, am I not handsome enough?"
Zheng Xinxin looked at Cheng Sulin. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Chen Jingbai. She didn't reply.
Silence means disagreement.
Feeling wronged, Cheng Surin turned to Chen Jingyi and asked, "Xiaoyi, am I not handsome?"
Chen Jingyi moved his face away. "Handsome, you're handsome too. The food's about to be served, so calm down for a bit."
Cheng Sulin listened to Chen Jingyi very much.
After lunch, everyone went for a walk along the riverbank before returning to their respective schools.
Time flies, and spring arrives. The weather warms up, everything begins to revive, and the flowers planted on the streets bloom brightly, greeting passersby.
The day of He Shuying and Ye Minglang's engagement arrived. Neither family advocated a grand engagement, so they invited close relatives and neighbors from both families and booked three tables at a state-run restaurant.
He Zhongguo specifically informed He He, urging her to go, saying that He Shuying was, after all, her older sister, and they had lived together for over ten years, so there was no major conflict that couldn't be resolved.
On such a big day as He Shuying's engagement, her younger sister had to give her face and attend the banquet.
Even though He He disliked He Shuying, she still gave her this face.
She arrived early and helped out with Wang Fangrong and the relatives from the He family.
Although the He and Ye families did not hold a grand celebration, it was clear that they had made serious preparations and had everything they needed.
Upon arriving at the state-run restaurant, He Shuying and Ye Minglang were busy greeting the guests.
He He sat at the main table with the He family.
The meal was plentiful, and the chef at the state-run restaurant in the provincial capital was famous for his excellent cooking skills. He He ate two large bowls of rice and dishes by herself.
After eating and drinking her fill, He He wanted to go back to rest, but He Zhongguo wouldn't let her leave and instead dragged her along to help see the guests off.
He He was sleepy after eating and kept yawning.
When she was finally able to leave, He He said goodbye and tried to slip away, but halfway there, she was stopped by Ye Minglang.
He took out a red envelope from his uniform pocket and handed it to He He, saying, "Hehe, this is a gift. I also have one for Shengli, but I didn't have a chance to give it to you earlier."
He He frowned, "Haven't we already exchanged greetings?"
When she arrived at the He family's house this morning, He Zhongguo gave her two red envelopes. One was said to be a gift from the Ye family, and the other was her living expenses for this month.
Ye Minglang paused for a moment: "This is an extra gift from me. From now on, I'm your brother-in-law, so it's only right that I love my younger brother and sister."
"Oh, I wrote it." He He neatly snatched the red envelope from Ye Minglang's hand. If Ye Minglang was willing to give it, she would accept it. She wouldn't complain about having too much money.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now. I wish you and He Shuying a long and happy marriage." Having received the red envelope, He He was also willing to offer a few words of blessing.
He He had just finished speaking when He Shuying came over.
He Shuying's eyes swept back and forth between Ye Minglang and He He. She took Ye Minglang's arm and asked, "Minglang, what are you and Xiaohe talking about here?"
Ye Minglang hesitated and didn't say anything.
He He waved the red envelope in her hand: "He stopped me and said it was a gift for me. Here, this is what he just gave me."
He Shuying glanced at Ye Minglang and smiled, "Oh, is that so? Minglang, didn't you already give it to them yesterday? Let my father give it to Shengli and Xiaohe again."
Ye Minglang: "Yesterday's was from my parents, today's is an extra gift from me. Shengli also got some, I'll give it to him later."
He Shuying's eyes were fixed on Ye Minglang, and her voice was gentle: "Minglang, you are so good to my family."
He He didn't have time to listen to the two of them talking about love. "You two chat, I have things to do at school, so I'll be leaving now."
Today is Saturday, and she's finally free. She's just itching to leave so that none of them will stop her again.
As soon as He He left, He Shuying pursed her lips, her fingers tightening.
He Shuying was furious.
What a scumbag! Having her wasn't enough for him. On the day of their engagement, he was still thinking about He He. When she wasn't looking, he came over and started flirting with her again.
You scumbag, a leopard can't change its spots.
He Shuying suppressed her displeasure and, in a corner where Ye Minglang couldn't see her, put on a smile again and turned to Ye Minglang, saying, "Minglang, you're going back to the army the day after tomorrow. What am I going to do if I miss you?"
Ye Minglang comforted him, "If you miss me, you can write to me or send a telegram. I'll miss you too. How about I take you to the department store tomorrow?"
"Okay, I'll write to you often from now on. You must reply to me promptly when you see my letters, and you can't deliberately ignore them." He Shuying was satisfied. Ye Minglang was at least sensible. She would definitely make him pay tomorrow.
Ye Minglang was quite pleased with He Shuying's coquettishness, and said, "How could I dare to ignore you?"
He He left the state-run restaurant and returned to school. At the beginning of this semester, she received many manuscripts from her classmates. Sometimes she would stay at school instead of going back to the Cheng family home on weekends.
Everyone was very enthusiastic and wanted to give her many manuscripts, which He He couldn't possibly read. Outside of class, she spent most of her time reading manuscripts.
Fortunately, some people's articles are obviously uninteresting from the beginning, so they don't take up too much time.
He He is still working with the bookstall owner, who has accumulated a lot of connections. Working with him makes things much easier for her.
She originally planned to open her own bookstore, but when she went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau, they refused to approve it, saying that the authorities do not allow private individuals to open bookstores. These kinds of shops related to cultural dissemination are strictly regulated, and they are afraid that someone will take advantage of loopholes.
He He had to give up on the idea, but her uncle comforted her, saying: Maybe in a few years they will allow private bookstores to be opened.
Before summer vacation, He He had earned more than 400 yuan by selling books. Adding the more than 300 yuan she had earned before, as well as the money she had taken from the He family, she had a total of nearly 1,000 yuan, which was definitely enough for Chen Jingbai to go to the capital to get his ears treated.
He He sat on the bed with her legs bent, counting the money she had saved one bill at a time, very excited.
This was thanks to her usual frugality; she didn't buy any strange or unusual gadgets, and she also got an extra ten yuan from He Zhongguo every month.
Today is the weekend, and we're now in mid-June.
He He made an appointment with Chen Jingbai to go shopping. She wanted to talk to Chen Jingbai about going to the capital. She had already told her family about it beforehand.
Her aunt and uncle and maternal grandparents didn't say anything, but instead praised her for being brave enough to go to the capital. However, they still asked Cheng Surin to accompany her, so that they could look after each other and the two sides knew each other.
She was also asked to inquire with Chen Jingbai about the number of people from his family who were going, and whether his family could help buy sleeper tickets.
It takes two days to travel from Rongcheng to the capital by train, and if you take a sleeper berth, your buttocks will be sore from sitting so long.
He He was in a great mood, walking briskly on her way to see Chen Jingbai. As soon as she saw Chen Jingbai from afar, He He skipped and hopped over to him, throwing herself into his arms.
Caught off guard, Chen Jingbai staggered back a few steps as she lunged at him, instinctively reaching out to support He He.
Why are you so happy?
He He smiled and said, "I'm so happy to see you."
Her eyes were curved, like the crescent moon in the sky.
Chen Jingbai was taken aback. "Okay, I'm happy to see you too."
He He stood up straight, facing me, and said, "I have something important to tell you."
"Go ahead," Chen Jingbai's sharp features softened as he looked at He He earnestly.
Money is a big deal. She pulled Chen Jingbai's neck down and whispered in his ear, "I've saved almost a thousand yuan. I'm only fifty-six yuan short. Even if you haven't saved any, my money is enough to pay for your ear treatment."
A warm feeling washed over Chen Jingbai, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly clenched his fist, his thumb rubbing against the pad of his index finger. "Xiaohe, thank you, thank you for always caring about me so much."
He He: "Don't say thank you to me, it sounds so formal."
Chen Jingbai's lips curled up. "Okay, let's not talk about that. But I've saved enough money. We'll go to the station to buy tickets next week when they go on sale and see if we can get sleeper berths."
This semester, he worked on many projects with his teacher and has earned more than 500 yuan in total. In addition to what he had saved before, it is enough to cover the surgery fees.
This semester, my older sister has made a lot of money from her stall business. It's enough to pay back the money she borrowed from my second and youngest uncles, and the remaining money is more than enough for her surgery.
“I originally planned for my father to go with me, but my sister heard that you were going too, so she's going as well. You two can explore the capital together.”
He He said happily, "Really! I also have good news to tell you. My uncle said he will help us buy sleeper berths. Cheng Surin will go with us. If Sister Jingyi goes too, Cheng Surin will be overjoyed when he finds out."
Chen Jingbai was amused by He He's words, "It's not that exaggerated, but wouldn't it be too much trouble for your uncle to buy tickets for us?"
He He shook her head: "It's no trouble. My uncle is a very nice person. It will be more convenient for him to buy. He might be able to buy a shop together. Give me Uncle Chen's, Sister Jingyi's, and your ID information before next Wednesday, and I will give it to my uncle so he can help me buy it."
Chen Jingbai: "Okay, then I'll give you the money next Wednesday."
He had been to the station several times and had memorized the ticket prices. He had gone so many times to see how others managed to snag tickets. He originally planned to go to the station early on the day tickets went on sale and wait for the sleeper berths. He never expected He He to bring him such a big surprise.
He He smiled and said, "No need, save your money for the surgery."
Chen Jingbai's expression was very serious. "I have enough money. I can't let your uncle pay for us. It's already troublesome enough for him to help buy sleeper berths."
He He: "No, I was thinking of giving money to my uncle myself. I have a lot of money."
Chen Jingbai put his hand on He He's shoulder and stared intently into her eyes: "Xiao He, I know you're good to me, but I want to pay for this myself."
"Alright, alright, I'll do as you say, but I'll pay for my own tickets, you don't need to help me. We'll see when we're coming back, and I'll send a telegram to my uncle to buy tickets for us again." He He could only give in when she couldn't persuade him otherwise; Chen Jingbai was just that stubborn!
Chen Jingbai had originally planned to do this. He had enough money to pay for an extra train ticket. He He wanted to accompany him to the capital, so it was only right that he pay for her ticket.
However, he had just refused He He's offer to pay for the train ticket, and if he paid for her again, she might be unhappy.
Chen Jingbai pinched He He's earlobe, "I'll listen to you."
He He: "Then it's settled. Let's go to the night market now. I can smell the aroma. I want to eat ice cream."
Chen Jingbai: "I'll buy you whatever you want to eat, but you can only have one ice cream. Don't eat anything too cold at night."
He He pulled his hand and walked forward, muttering, "You're like an old woman. Even my grandma doesn't love to persuade me as much as you do."
Chen Jingbai: "Aren't you afraid of getting diarrhea like before, from drinking too much iced soda?"
He He was unhappy when Chen Jingbai brought up her painful past. That time had really hurt her. She had bought three bottles of soda at the brigade store after finishing work late at night, and she drank them all in one go. She then vomited and had diarrhea in the middle of the night.
However, He He still stubbornly insisted, "That was in March, and now it's mid-June. It's much hotter now."
Chen Jingbai: "Be careful, it might happen again like last time."
In the end, He He only bought one popsicle. She was definitely not afraid of getting diarrhea, but rather afraid that Chen Jingbai would scold her.
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