Chapter 106 The Final Chapter
Twenty students from Qingshan Department Store registered for the college entrance examination this year, and thirteen of them passed. Among them, six were admitted to vocational schools, four to junior colleges, and three to universities. Deng Lingling was admitted to a university in the provincial capital, a colleague from the logistics department was admitted to a normal university in the provincial capital, and Lin Qingqing was admitted to Peking University.
Lin Qingqing is the only student from Jinshi to be admitted to Peking University and Tsinghua University, and she is also the top science student in the province's college entrance examination.
Therefore, after the notification was issued, not only did the Revolutionary Committee specially commend Lin Qingqing, but a reporter from the provincial capital newspaper also came to interview her. During the interview, they learned that the college entrance examination pass rate of employees of Qingshan Department Store was as high as 65%, so they went to Qingshan Department Store for a special interview. As a result, when the newspaper was published, in addition to Lin Qingqing appearing in the newspaper, Qingshan Department Store also occupied a considerable amount of space.
Thanks to the newspaper, Aoyama Department Store gained considerable attention, with the number of job applicants reaching a new high and customer traffic significantly increasing.
But that's a story for later; at this moment, Lin Qingqing was still busy handing over her work.
Although Lin Qingqing seemed less busy after Qingshan Department Store got on track, there was still a lot to do during the handover. She was busy until early March before the handover was officially completed.
After handing over her work, with only a few days left before the start of the new semester at Peking University, Lin Qingqing still had to pack her luggage.
Besides packing his luggage, Xie Wei also had to find someone to exchange for coupons. Although he could use his student ID to get bedding and buy necessary daily necessities after school started, and could eat at the school cafeteria, so he rarely needed coupons, Xie Wei was still worried. He exchanged a lot of food coupons, some of which were valid nationwide and some were valid in Beijing. In addition to food coupons, he also exchanged coupons for cloth and other daily necessities.
After finishing these things, it will be March 8th.
Because they were hosting a dinner party, Lin Qingqing and Li Xingfang went to the market together in the morning to buy a lot of vegetables. The vegetables included bamboo shoots, lotus root, and garlic sprouts, while the meat included ribs, pork intestines, and fish. Lin Qingqing also bought a piece of pork blood tofu and a piece of tofu to make two-color tofu.
Since we're not eating dinner until the evening, we didn't rush to cook the other groceries except for the pig intestines, which needed processing. We started working on them around 3 or 4 pm.
Around 5:40, Xie Wei returned, accompanied by Chief of Staff Jiang.
Although Xie Shan had returned to the provincial capital, he had been visiting the Xie family frequently lately. He had helped Lin Qingqing a lot with getting her travel documents renewed for her studies in Beijing. He had also told Lin Qingqing a lot about Peking University, explaining that his family was affiliated with Peking University and that several of his relatives and friends had attended the university.
He had originally said he would arrange for someone to pick Lin Qingqing up and help her settle in when she arrived. However, Lin Qingqing thought that she often went to Beijing on business trips in her previous life, and although decades had passed, the address of Peking University hadn't changed, so she shouldn't have gotten lost. If all else failed, she could just ask someone for directions; someone at the university would surely help her find her way. There was no need to trouble anyone, so she declined.
After six o'clock, Jiang Feng and his wife, Regiment Commander Ding and his wife, Sister Fu and her husband, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff Jiang and his wife who were staying in the front, all arrived.
At 6:30, Lin Qingqing and Li Xingfang brought out the food. Because there were many children, they set up two tables. The adults ate at the main table, while the children were seated in the living room. The dishes on the two tables were not exactly the same. The children ate light dishes such as lotus root slices, stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts, steamed egg custard, two-color tofu, and sweet and sour pork ribs, while the adults ate braised fish and stir-fried pork intestines.
I don't give the children braised fish because I'm afraid they'll choke on fish bones, and I give them raw braised pork intestines because they're too spicy.
After the food was set out, those who wanted to eat served themselves rice, while those who didn't eat drank alcohol, and they sat down separately in the living room and dining room. Li Xingfang didn't eat at the main table because Xie Xi wanted to play with the other children, but she was worried that her granddaughter might bump into something while walking, so she served herself a bowl of rice and watched her from the living room, only coming to the main table to sit for a while when it was time to get some food.
The main reason for this dinner was to celebrate Lin Qingqing's admission to Peking University. Getting into university is a big deal at this time, especially since it's one of the best universities in the country. Jiang Feng had originally suggested that they should have a large banquet, but Lin Qingqing felt that would be too extravagant. After discussing it with Xie Wei, they decided to just invite close relatives and friends. However, due to being busy with other matters, they kept postponing it until today.
So when they ate, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei sat in the main seats. Xie Wei was next to Chief of Staff Jiang, Lao Ding and others, while Lin Qingqing was next to Li Xingfang, Shen Yufen and Sister Fu and others.
Not long after they sat down, Jiang Feng raised his glass and said he wanted to have a drink with Lin Qingqing to congratulate her on getting into university. After Jiang Feng stood up, the others followed suit, and they all toasted together.
After drinking and warming up, everyone started chatting.
At first, the conversation revolved around Peking University, but it gradually expanded to the capital city itself. In this era, the capital is a place many people yearn for; they dream of seeing the Great Wall and watching the flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square. Jiang Feng, for example, had already taken leave two years prior, but due to unforeseen circumstances, he was unable to make the trip, leaving him with great regret.
After drinking, Jiang Feng patted Xie Wei on the shoulder and said, "When you get to Beijing, you must send me photos."
"Okay," Xie Wei replied.
Chen Lirong asked curiously, "Is Deputy Division Commander Xie going to take Comrade Lin to register in a few days?"
"I'm busy lately and can't get away," Xie Wei said, shaking his head. He had been promoted to deputy division commander after the New Year and had been quite busy lately, so he really couldn't leave. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so worried about Lin Qingqing and wouldn't want to prepare everything she would need after going to Beijing.
Chen Lirong was somewhat puzzled. If that was the case, why would Jiang Feng have Xie Wei send the photos instead of telling Lin Qingqing directly? But then she thought, Lin Qingqing had been in Beijing for four years, so Xie Wei would definitely visit her. If he went to Beijing, he would surely visit the tourist attractions and take a few pictures to bring back, which wouldn't be surprising. As for why Jiang Feng said "send," Chen Lirong assumed it was because he was drunk, so she didn't ask any further.
Commander Ding's wife said, "Then your sister-in-law will have to go to school alone, in a place she doesn't know well... Is that alright?"
"Actually, it's not too bad. Chief of Staff Jiang already told me the route. If all else fails, I'll ask someone. Surely someone knows how to get there," Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
“The universities in the background are all quite close to each other. It’s the start of the school year now, and there are many students going to register. We should be able to ask around and find out the way,” Chief of Staff Jiang said.
...
The meal lasted until eight or nine o'clock in the evening. Jiang Feng, Regiment Commander Ding, and a few others were still drunk. Xie Wei and Chief of Staff Jiang took them home one by one. By the time things quieted down at home, it was already 9:30.
Seeing that it was getting late and that Chief of Staff Jiang had been drinking, Li Xingfang asked him if he wanted to rest at home that night.
Upon hearing this, Chief of Staff Jiang glanced at Xie Wei, stood up, and said, "It's alright, I'll go back to the barracks to sleep." As he spoke, he swayed slightly, as if he couldn't hold his liquor.
“How can you go back like this?” Li Xingfang said, worried that he would pass out drunk on the roadside. “It’s settled then. You will sleep at home tonight. I haven’t taken away the blankets from the room where Shanshan slept before.”
Chief of Staff Jiang looked at Xie Wei, his expression showing a hint of hesitation.
Xie Wei wasn't oblivious to his meaning, but firstly, he had observed that Xie Shan was genuinely sincere, and secondly, he had just received a favor from him and couldn't bring himself to argue with him, so he said, "Stay here."
Chief of Staff Jiang laughed and said, "Since Aunt and Third Brother both say so, then I shall accept it without hesitation."
While Chief of Staff Jiang was tidying up the house with Li Xingfang, Xie Wei went to the bathroom to take a shower, while Lin Qingqing took Xie Xi back to the room to sleep. The little girl had picked up this habit from somewhere, and no matter how sleepy she was, she needed to be coaxed to fall asleep.
When Xie Wei returned to the room after taking a shower, Xie Xi had just fallen asleep. Lin Qingqing got up to pack her clothes and go take a shower, but Xie Wei grabbed her and kissed her.
His kisses were tender yet gentle, making Lin Qingqing's cheeks tickle. She reached out to cover his lips, glancing at him sideways as she asked, "Are you drunk?"
“A little,” Xie Wei said, then lowered his head to kiss her lips.
This kiss lasted longer than the previous one, and Lin Qingqing was a little out of breath. Seeing that he was about to push her onto the bed, she quickly stopped him, saying, "I haven't showered yet."
"I don't mind."
"I mind," Lin Qingqing said. She had also drunk two beers that night, and the lively atmosphere had made her sweat a lot, leaving her feeling sticky.
Xie Wei had no choice but to let go of his wife and said, "Then go take a shower quickly."
But Lin Qingqing hesitated. The last time they were intimate, her daughter had suddenly woken up. Although they hadn't had a chance to do anything, the scene was incredibly awkward.
Seeing her hesitation, Xie Wei said, "I'll take Xixi to her mother's place later."
"What should we do if Mother asks?" Xie Xi was already asleep when she was carried away, and Lin Qingqing was afraid that Li Xingfang would ask.
"Mother won't ask," Xie Wei said confidently. Every time he came back, Li Xingfang would make a point of letting Xie Xi sleep in her room, so why would she ask at a time like this? But seeing his wife hesitate, he still said, "I'll tell Mother that I drank tonight and I'm afraid of running into Xi Xi, is that okay?"
Lin Qingqing thought it was feasible, so she packed her clothes and went to take a shower.
After taking a shower, Xie Xi was indeed carried away. Xie Wei lay on the bed watching her longingly. After she finished applying her skincare products, he pulled her onto the bed and pinned her down.
Perhaps because they were about to part ways, Xie Wei was a little impatient tonight, like a newlywed young man. Lin Qingqing was initially in pain from his actions, but later she felt comfortable.
But Xie Wei took an unusually long time today, and in the end Lin Qingqing couldn't take it anymore and begged for mercy with red eyes.
Once the room quieted down, Lin Qingqing lay on the bed, her eyes half-closed. Feeling the stroking behind her, she turned around and patted Xie Wei's hand, saying, "That's enough."
Xie Wei hummed in agreement and said in a low voice, "Go to sleep, I won't bother you anymore."
...
As expected, Lin Qingqing woke up late the next day. The sun was already shining on her bed, and Xie Wei had already returned to the military camp.
Hearing from Li Xingfang that Xie Wei had already left, Lin Qingqing was stunned, feeling a little sad, because this meant she wouldn't be able to see Xie Wei one last time before leaving. Seeing her absent-mindedness, Li Xingfang added the second half of her sentence: "But he said he'll come back this afternoon to take you to the train station."
"Really?" Lin Qingqing's face lit up with surprise.
Li Xingfang laughed: "Of course it's true, would I lie to you?"
Because of those words, Lin Qingqing perked up again, and after finishing breakfast, she went back to her room to pack her luggage.
While she was packing her luggage, Li Xingfang held Xie Xi beside her and watched, asking her from time to time whether she should bring this or that, which made her both amused and exasperated: "It's already March, and it will definitely get hotter every day when we go to school, so there's no need to bring so many thick clothes."
"Who knows, there might be a cold snap in spring! I've heard that winters in Beijing are really cold," Li Xingfang said.
Lin Qingqing said, "You don't need to bring so many clothes. I packed two cotton-padded jackets, and the one I'm wearing is really enough."
Li Xingfang thought about it and agreed: "Okay then, bring more food. Do you want some cured meat?"
“Everyone eats in the school cafeteria, so it wouldn’t be easy for me to bring cured meat to cook,” Lin Qingqing said.
"Oh, I see," Li Xingfang said, feeling a little disappointed. Then, remembering something, she asked, "What will we do when we go there in the second half of the year? Is the rented place comfortable enough for cooking?"
Li Xingfang had never rented a house before, so she didn't know what the environment was like or how convenient it would be to live there. Actually, everything else was fine, but her biggest worry was not being able to eat. In the past two years, most of the large canteens had been closed down, and if they couldn't cook, it would be a problem for them to eat at Beiji.
As for why they were going to Beijing, it was because Xie Wei would be going to the PLA Military Academy for two years of advanced studies in the latter half of the year, and the PLA Military Academy was located in Beijing. Although Xie Wei would return after two years and wouldn't have to return the housing in the military, both he and his wife were going to Beijing, and it was definitely not feasible to leave Li Xingfang and Xie Xi alone in Jinshi. Lin Qingqing was also reluctant to let Li Xingfang take Xie Xi back to Xingfeng Brigade.
Although Li Xingfang missed her hometown, she was also quite excited about the possibility of going to Beijing, which was the capital! If she could visit Beijing, her life would be complete!
So after discussing it, Li Xingfang decisively chose to go to Beijing with her son and daughter-in-law.
The reason was also quite plausible: Xie Wei and Lin Qingqing's schools weren't in the same place, and both of them were busy. If they took the child to Beijing, there would definitely be no one to take care of him. If they didn't take the child, the family of three would be separated, which would be so difficult! Under these circumstances, she, as the mother, certainly couldn't stand idly by!
Although she was happy to go to Beijing, Li Xingfang was also a little uneasy about life there.
Lin Qingqing said, "I'll keep an eye out for houses in the next few months and try to rent a large house with a kitchen."
Upon hearing this, Li Xingfang became anxious: "It doesn't need to be too big, just enough for us to live in." Although Xie Wei was still receiving his salary while he was pursuing further studies, Lin Qingqing was no longer receiving a salary. With a significant loss of income for the family, coupled with the need to raise a child, they would definitely cut back on expenses wherever possible.
Lin Qingqing thought that a small place definitely wouldn't work; it wouldn't be spacious enough, and they might have to move again after a year or two. Rather than going through all that trouble, it would be better to rent a better place from the start and stay for two years straight. However, she also knew that Li Xingfang was used to being frugal, so she vaguely said, "I'll keep an eye out for it later."
...
Lin Qingqing's train was at 5 p.m. She had originally planned to leave earlier, but because Xie Wei hadn't returned, she didn't go to catch the train until after 3 p.m. When she arrived at the train station, it was a little after 4 p.m. Lin Qingqing didn't rush to get her ticket checked and enter the station. Instead, she stood outside the station, playing with her daughter and talking to Li Xingfang.
"He might have been held up by something. Maybe he'll be here soon," Li Xingfang said, trying to comfort Lin Qingqing, whose expression remained calm but whose eyes kept glancing outside.
Lin Qingqing smiled and said, "I know."
But Xie Wei still hadn't appeared by 4:30. Li Xingfang was getting very anxious and couldn't help but mutter, "What's Xie Wei up to? He still hasn't come!"
"I can't get away, can I?" Although Lin Qingqing was disappointed, she knew that Xie Wei must have wanted to come and see her off, but things had come up at the same time and he just couldn't leave.
Li Xingfang sighed, "Probably." She had already given up hope that Xie Wei would be able to come and see the person off.
At 4:40, Li Xingfang advised, "Why don't you go into the station first? If Xie Wei comes, I'll have him come in to find you."
"Okay." Lin Qingqing responded, handed Xie Xi to Li Xingfang, picked up her luggage and said, "Mom, Xi Xi, I'm leaving now." She then turned and walked towards the train station.
"Goodbye," Li Xingfang said.
Nestled in Li Xingfang's arms, Xie Xi, who had been happily waiting, sensed that her mother was about to leave and began to cry, begging Lin Qingqing not to go. Originally, Lin Qingqing was only a little sad, but when her daughter cried like this, she couldn't hold back anymore. She put down her things, turned around and walked to Li Xingfang, hugged her daughter and said, "Xi Xi, be good, Mommy will be back in a few months."
While comforting her daughter, Li Xingfang said, "The more you comfort her, the more she'll cry. There's no time to go in. You go in first, she'll be fine after she's finished crying."
An announcement came over the loudspeaker at the train station: her train had arrived and it was time to board.
Helpless, Lin Qingqing had no choice but to let go of the crying Xie Xi, pick up her luggage, and turn to walk into the train station. During this time, Xie Xi continued to cry, her cries heart-wrenching, and Lin Qingqing felt a piercing pain in her heart as well. By the time she reached the security checkpoint, the crying behind her had finally stopped, but Xie Xi didn't look well either, because the security personnel looked at her hesitantly and asked, "Comrade, how are you?"
When Lin Qingqing came to her senses, she realized that she was already in tears.
She wiped away her tears, smiled, and said, "It's nothing." She carried her luggage through security and then went to the platform from the entrance.
She arrived late; all the other passengers had already boarded the train, and the platform was nearly empty. Lin Qingqing easily found her carriage. Before going in, she glanced back and couldn't help but laugh, feeling incredibly foolish. Even if Xie Wei had arrived, he might have already taken some supplements…
etc.
Lin Qingqing stared wide-eyed at Xie Wei running towards her. Only when he reached her and pulled her into his arms did she manage to ask, "W-how did you get in here?"
"I told the security personnel." Xie Wei was a little out of breath from running. "I'm sorry I'm late."
Lin Qingqing smiled: "It's not too late, not too late at all."
As she spoke, she hugged Xie Wei back; she had almost thought he wouldn't be able to come today.
"The train is about to depart." Seeing that they had been hugging for a while and were reluctant to separate, the train conductor had to remind them.
Upon hearing this, Xie Wei released Lin Qingqing, reached out and stroked her hair, saying, "Remember to call me when you arrive."
"Um."
"Study hard at school. I'll take care of things at home, so don't worry."
"Um."
"Take good care of yourself. Call me if you catch a cold or get sick."
"Hmm...hmm?" Lin Qingqing sensed something was off. "Why would you want me to get sick?"
"I hope you're doing well, but I'm worried you're hiding your bad side." Xie Wei understands Lin Qingqing; she always reports good news and hides bad news, which is what he's most worried about.
Lin Qingqing: "Then I'll call you every day and cry when I'm sick, and I'll annoy you with my crying."
"It won't bother me." Xie Wei looked down at her.
His gaze was intense and focused, causing Lin Qingqing to blush and turn her head away. As she turned, she saw someone peering through the train window at them, and her face turned even redder: "I should get on the train now."
"Okay." Xie Wei helped Lin Qingqing carry her luggage into the car.
The train was noisy when they entered the carriage, and the eyes of the passengers were full of teasing. Xie Wei, without changing his expression, led Lin Qingqing to her berth and put her luggage on the luggage rack.
Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, reminding passengers that the train was about to depart and those who needed to get off should do so immediately.
Xie Wei said to Lin Qingqing, "I'm leaving."
"I send you."
Lin Qingqing escorted Xie Wei to the carriage door. Before leaving, Xie Wei turned around and hugged her again. Then, under the watchful eye of the train conductor, he exited the carriage. As soon as he left, the conductor removed the wooden plank connecting the train and the platform, closed the door, and then left the carriage connection area.
After he left, Lin Qingqing walked to the car door and looked at Xie Wei through the glass. He didn't leave either, but stood on the platform and waved to her. She waved back.
Only after the train started moving and Xie Wei was no longer in sight did Lin Qingqing turn around and walk into the carriage amidst the teasing glances of the crowd.
Although her face was flushed with embarrassment, Lin Qingqing felt relaxed and at ease once she lay down on the bed.
Four months have passed in the blink of an eye.
...
In early July, Lin Qingqing returned to Jinshi for summer vacation, and Xie Wei took his daughter to pick her up at the train station.
At the end of August, summer vacation ended, and Lin Qingqing packed her bags again and boarded a train to Beijing. But this time she was no longer alone; she was accompanied by three people.
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