466 Acceptance Letter
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Fu Zhengtu borrowed a car from Mr. Hu and took his whole family on a tour around the city.
After several decades, the capital has changed a lot and is no longer the same as the imperial city in Zhou Linglan's memory.
Passing Chang'an Avenue, looking at the portrait of the great man hanging in the square, the whole family bowed their heads in silence, and their hearts could not calm down for a long time.
It took many pioneers to bring our country today's prosperity and peace. We should thank them for their hard work along the way.
Chenchen finally got to eat the roast duck he had been craving for. Although he thought it wasn't as delicious as the one his mother roasted, he was still very happy.
As soon as he got home, he kept asking his father to light the oven so that he could eat roast duck made by his mother in the future.
There were still a lot of bricks and tiles left over from the renovation in the courtyard, and two or three bags of cement in the house. Fu Zhengtu didn't have much vacation time, so he simply asked Su Taotao to decide on a location and build an oven for the dust base immediately.
Su Taotao was so embarrassed that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's too cold. Let's wait until it's warmer. A few months won't make a difference. Do you want to tire your dad to death?"
Chen Chen shook his head: "Then let's wait until the weather warms up."
Su Taotao: "I still need some time to re-plan the kitchen. The oven will be built into the kitchen by then. The scenery in the yard is very beautiful, so don't move any grass or trees."
Su Taotao looked at the dried-up grape trellis and asked Zhou Linglan: "Mom, will the grapes still grow on the trellis in the spring?"
I don’t know how many years this grape vine has been growing, but its branches are already thicker than the trunk. Even now, it’s dry and I don’t know if it can still sprout in winter.
Zhou Linglan nodded: "Sure, they can climb all over the grape trellis in spring, and they can even stay cool under the trellis in summer."
Chenchen touched the grape trellis and raised his little head to exclaim, "Grandma, it's still growing after being so dry? Could this be the legendary dead tree coming back to life? Can the pomegranate tree and the Chinese toon tree also grow leaves?"
Chenchen had grown up in the south where there were green trees all year round. He had never seen such bare tree trunks. This question was really beyond his scope.
Zhou Linglan smiled and said, "Of course, it's like a dead tree coming back to life."
…
I can’t make an oven for now, but I can still make Baibai’s doghouse and chicken coop while I have time.
The tool room has all kinds of tools and all kinds of wood scraps, so it's quick to get things done.
Chenchen still wanted to build a small swimming pool and raise a few ducklings, but was rejected by Su Taotao. In fact, if Chenchen and Zhou Linglan hadn't strongly requested it, she wouldn't even want to raise chickens.
No matter how clean you are, once you have chickens and ducks in your yard, odor is inevitable.
In comparison, raising ducks takes up more land and is smellier, so we had to give up raising ducks.
Chenchen and Zhou Linglan thought it was a good idea to keep the chicken, but as for the ducklings, they should just not raise them. What if they run away again like Xiao Yunduo, the "ungrateful" one?
The three gentlemen in the family worked together and quickly built the chicken coop. After it was built, they moved it under the grape trellis and waited for the weather to warm up before buying some chicks to raise.
We put away a little bit of things at home every day, and on the fifth day of the New Year we worked together to put them away again, and finally we had almost everything ready.
On the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, Fu Zhengtu officially started working at the headquarters.
The headquarters is in the suburbs, very far from home. It takes three or four hours to go there and back by bus. If you ride a bicycle, you can go the distance in a straight line, but it still takes several hours to go there and back.
Fu Zhengtu could only apply for a single dormitory. He usually lived at the company and could only come back to live there on weekends.
In fact, it's the same for Su Taotao. College students generally require accommodation, so at least in the first semester, Su Taotao has to live in the school honestly, and then apply for off-campus accommodation depending on the situation.
After all, Chenchen is still young, and Su Taotao feels it is not a good thing if both parents are not around.
Huaqing is not far from here, only a few stops away by train, so it is not a problem to go to school on foot.
The postman started delivering mail on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Someone nearby also received an acceptance letter from a university, and the cheers echoed throughout the alley.
On the afternoon of the sixth day of the New Year, Old Lady Song and Old Master Hu came in person.
When a person is happy, he or she is in high spirits. Old Mrs. Song looks as beautiful as a peach, and she seems to be a few years younger:
"Taotao, your acceptance letter has arrived. Congratulations, Taotao. Huaqing University is one of the best universities in the country. You have a bright future!"
When the postman delivered the letter, he deliberately shouted, "Congratulations! Congratulations to your family for having a student who studied at Huaqing University. This has brought honor to our alley."
It's just like the ancient people who won the first place in the imperial examination and came to announce the good news with the beating of gongs and drums.
Several households nearby and passers-by all leaned over to look, all with envy on their faces.
It was Chinese New Year, and Mrs. Song was so happy that she gave the postman a big red envelope and distributed candies to the adults and children who were watching, so that everyone could share in the joy.
Su Taotao knew what was going on. She took the acceptance letter, opened it and saw that the reporting time was March 1st, which was still half a month away.
"I see Taotao doesn't seem surprised. Has the admissions office contacted you?"
Zhou Linglan came back from burning incense and replied with a smile: "Taotao is the provincial champion. The admissions office had already informed us before we came."
"No wonder," Old Lady Song held Su Taotao's hand and looked around, "Birds of a feather flock together. Your whole family is smart, and Linglan was also very good at studying when she was young. If it weren't for..."
"Ahem." Mr. Hu cleared his throat, and Mrs. Song stopped talking in time and changed the subject:
"Zhengtu has always been number one in studies, and so have Ahhang and Chenchen, right?"
Su Taotao nodded: "Yes, they are all very good at studying. I am far behind. It's just luck."
Su Taotao was not being modest when she said this. Compared with geniuses, she was at most not stupid, but not particularly smart.
Old Madam Song smiled and said, "Don't be so modest. How can anyone be so stupid as to be admitted to Huaqing University? It's such a happy thing, why don't you celebrate?"
Su Taotao nodded: "Okay, you choose the place, I'll host, and we'll celebrate."
Old Mrs. Song: "You are being too polite, aren't you? It's so cold, it's best to eat hot pot at home. Xiao Zhang has already prepared the food and will bring it over soon. Let's eat at home."
Su Taotao smiled and said, "Grandma Song is really thoughtful. I'll go prepare two more side dishes."
Old Lady Song held Su Taotao's hand and said, "Don't bother. It's so cold. Let's not bother. The hot pot is enough. Come in and talk to me.
Linglan, come over here too, and we three can have a good talk."
Grandpa Hu took out a chess set and said cheerfully, "Ah Hang, Chen Chen, let the female comrades talk about their own things, and the three of us will play chess."
Chen Chen tilted his head and looked at Grandpa Hu: "Grandpa Hu, Mom said that the chessboard is unpredictable and victory and defeat are common in the military. We should enjoy the process of playing chess instead of being obsessed with winning or losing."
"Okay, okay, okay. Chenchen is very good and said it well! Taotao also taught well!" Old Master Hu said three "good"s in a row, showing that he was really happy.
Chen Chen continued, "Grandpa Hu, actually I just want to ask you in advance, just in case, I said just in case, if I accidentally beat you, you won't cry, right?"
Su Taotao didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing this.
Chenchen is like a once bitten by a snake, he is afraid of the rope for ten years. His brother who is only a few years older than him cried when he lost to him. Grandpa Hu is several decades older than him. If he can't afford to lose, won't he cry down the Great Wall?
Mr. Hu burst into laughter and touched the child's head:
"Don't cry, don't cry. A real man sheds blood but not tears. If Chenchen can beat me, I will be so happy. Why are you crying? Come on, let's see who's the winner on the chessboard!"
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