Chapter 38
On Monday, which was supposed to be a trip to the bookstore with Chen Jingbai and the others, He He was woken up by her grandparents, ate breakfast, and then went back to sleep.
The Cheng family made a big fuss last night, and the party didn't end until after 10 p.m. He He hadn't seen them for many years, and several of her uncles didn't want to leave. The elders, peers, and younger generations all held her back, insisting that she tell them in detail about her time in the Qianjin Brigade.
Even with Cheng Sulin helping her speak, she couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the Cheng family. Her throat was dry from talking so much, and it was past midnight by the time she finished.
She falls asleep late and is always half asleep when she is woken up in the morning. Her grandparents feel sorry for her and tell her that if she is still sleepy after breakfast, she can go upstairs and sleep a little longer. So she sleeps until lunchtime.
Her room was on the third floor, facing south, and had a small balcony; it was the best room on the third floor of the villa.
Next door is Cheng Fang's room. Cheng Fang went to school early in the morning. The school has a cafeteria, and he eats lunch there instead of coming back home.
He He put on the new dress her aunt had bought for her. It was a blue, knee-length, collared cotton A-line dress with a small square collar.
My aunt has a great eye for fashion; the dresses she chooses are all very suitable for young girls these days, and they're the most popular styles in Rongcheng right now. Since the resumption of the college entrance examination last year, things have become much more relaxed, and young girls on the street are dressing in more and more different styles. Now, it's not like a few years ago when it was rare to see girls wearing dresses on the street.
My aunt was very considerate; before delivering the dress, she washed it clean so that my aunt could wear it whenever she wanted.
When He He came down, her uncle and aunt also returned. They sat together and left an empty seat for her next to her grandmother. She greeted them one by one.
As soon as her aunt saw her arrive, she immediately waved and greeted her, "Xiaohua, you look so beautiful today. Did Sister-in-law Furong buy you this dress?"
“Yes, it was given by my aunt. Why didn’t my cousin and sister-in-law come back?” He He walked to the dining table, pulled out the chair next to her grandmother, and sat down.
The aunt explained, "They are both busy with work, and like Fangzai, they don't come home for lunch."
He He: "I see."
The meal was very plentiful today, including leftover roast goose and beef ball soup from yesterday, as well as freshly stir-fried celery and shredded pork and sweet and sour pork ribs.
There were five people eating, and the meal was plentiful. She loved sweet and sour pork ribs and picked up several pieces from the plate. Her aunt noticed that she liked them and moved the sweet and sour pork ribs closer to her.
He He bit into the fragrant sweet and sour pork ribs and said, "Thank you, Auntie. I can do it myself."
Aunt: "Xiaohua, you made plans to go to the bookstore with your friends this afternoon, right? Do you want me to take you there?"
He He finished her meal and put down her chopsticks. "No need to trouble Auntie. I can take the bus myself. Bus number 3 goes there quickly. Auntie, you still have to go to work. It's better to sleep a little longer than to take me on a detour."
Auntie smiled and said, "You're so good with words. Be careful this afternoon."
Grandma spoke slowly, "Go play, and come home early."
He Heli raised his hand and said, "Yes, sir!"
After dinner, she watched TV in the living room for a while. When she saw that it was almost time, she took a parasol and went out.
As soon as she stepped out of the military compound, she saw some uncles and aunts who had watched her grow up.
It was the daughter-in-law of the Youth League Committee who called out to her, "Xiao He, you're back? I didn't hear a thing. Are you going out to play?"
She scrutinized He He again, saying, "He He has grown more and more beautiful. Girls change a lot as they grow up. She's even prettier than before she went to the countryside. Why don't you ask my son Acheng out to play now that you're back? You two were high school classmates."
He He was in a hurry and didn't have time to pay attention to her aunt. She said bluntly, "It's been too many years since we last met. I'm not familiar with your son Acheng either. We didn't even exchange more than a few words in high school. Why would you want to meet him?"
The daughter-in-law of the Youth League Committee was embarrassed. She had originally wanted to help her son build connections, but He He didn't give her any face at all. She said sullenly, "Since you're in such a hurry, then I won't bother you any longer. Come to my house for a visit when you have time."
He He walked briskly, afraid of being stopped by someone again. She had just stepped out of the military compound and thought no one would call her, but she bumped into the women's director of the neighboring model building.
The women's director was a bit younger than her maternal grandmother and about the same age as her aunt. Her family was closer to the Cheng family.
Upon seeing someone, He He couldn't help but greet them, "Hello, Grandma Zhang."
Grandma Zhang looked at He He with a smile, "I heard from your maternal grandmother this morning that you're back and that you even got into the Normal University, right? Wow, that's really impressive. It must have been tough. You must have suffered a lot while you were sent to the countryside."
He He: "It's alright, it's not too bad there. The people in the brigade are very kind to us educated youth."
Seeing that He He was in a hurry to leave, Grandma Zhang didn't stop her from saying anything more. "You're dressed so nicely today, are you going out to play? Then hurry up and go, or you'll miss the bus."
He He waved her hand, "Then I'll be going now, Grandma Zhang."
"Go."
He He arrived at the bus stop just in time; she hadn't been standing there for more than a few minutes when the No. 3 bus slowly pulled up.
He He boarded the bus, took out some change to pay for the ticket. The bus was full of people, so she could only find an empty spot to stand. It was the time when people were going to work or school, and unfortunately, the No. 3 bus was one of the busiest in terms of passenger flow.
The military compound is close to Xinhua Bookstore; it only took two bus stops to get there. It was the afternoon when the sun was at its strongest, but Xinhua Bookstore is also close to the bus stop, just a few hundred meters away.
She glanced at the time; there were still ten minutes until the agreed-upon time. By the time she arrived at Xinhua Bookstore, the time should be just right.
As He He walked to the Xinhua Bookstore and stood at the door about to close her umbrella and go inside, a tall and upright young man came out.
He was standing at the door. He He was focused on closing and tying the umbrella and didn't notice the person's face. Thinking that she was blocking the way, she quickly made way for him.
The young man didn't move. Instead, he called out to her in a familiar voice, "What, you don't recognize me after just two days?"
He He looked up, somewhat surprised, "Ah, Jing Bai, it's you! I didn't notice you, I thought you were just a passerby."
Chen Jingbai didn't blame her. "Let's go, come inside first. You can fold your umbrella inside."
Cheng Surin and Chen Jingyi also arrived. Chen Jingyi, needless to say, had set off with Chen Jingbai. What surprised He He was that Cheng Surin had also arrived.
They chose a corner to sit in, and Chen Jingbai led her there.
He He folded her umbrella as she walked, saying, "You're here so early."
Cheng Surin: "It's because you arrived too late."
He He glanced at her watch and retorted, "What's late? It's exactly two o'clock! I call this precise control of time. I don't talk to someone like you who has no control over time."
Cheng Surin: "Oh, I just spoke up for you yesterday, and now you're turning your back on me."
He He: "Tch."
The two were used to this kind of mild, unintentional banter.
Chen Jingbai stepped forward and said, "Xiao He, let me take you to choose a book to read. What book would you like to read?"
"Any good books?" He He stopped arguing and followed Chen Jingbai to choose books.
The bookstore has been renovated a lot and the store has been expanded considerably. There were no seats before, but now a row of seats has been added for customers to read.
Even the flat table that used to hold books has been transformed into rows of bookshelves.
Today is a weekday, and besides the four of them, there are only two or three other people in the store, plus one other employee.
On a whim, He He pulled Chen Jingbai to a secluded corner of the bookshelf.
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