The outsiders disappeared and soon only our own people were left in the office, chatting and reminiscing behind closed doors.
Jian Shu sat at his old workstation, which, of course, now belonged to Zhao Yueling. On the table in front of him was a glass of water and some candy and snacks that someone or several people had bought for their children.
A group of people sat in a circle with Jianshu as the center. Zhao Yueling also moved a bench next to Jianshu, just to have someone to lean on later.
After all, she had kept the news of Jianshu's return a secret and had not told anyone else. Everyone didn't react at first, and by the time they did, they would inevitably be punished.
Isn't it? It's started.
Everyone who was smiling and asking about Jian Shu's well-being ended the topic. Liu Li took a sip of water, glanced at Zhao Yueling, paused slightly, put down the cup, and moved her hand.
"You're such a bad boy, Lingling! You didn't even tell us Xiaoshu was back, and you even deliberately hid it from us. Tell me, have you become a bad boy?" She pinched her smooth face, her smile still lingering in her tone. Anyone who heard her could tell she wasn't angry.
"Take it - no!" Zhao Yueling, whose face was pinched, spoke incoherently.
"You still say no? You don't look surprised at all. You don't know? Who would believe that?" Liu Li rubbed it hard again.
The people around him also agreed and shook their heads, "I don't believe it!"
"I don't believe it either!"
"Since you all don't believe it, then I don't believe it either!"
Seeing that she was exposed, Zhao Yueling, with her face still in someone else's hands, flew towards Jian Shu with a look for help: Sister, save me!
Jianshu cleared her throat and looked around at the group of people, feeling a little timid. She had indeed intended to give a surprise at first, but a surprise, besides joy, also brings surprise. Of course, that would inevitably lead to retaliation.
But looking at my sister with such pitiful eyes, and considering that I was the one who asked her to keep it a secret, I would feel really bad if I didn't care about her.
She didn't want the sisterly love to suddenly turn into sisterly estrangement.
Sighing inwardly, Jianshu finally began to speak. She only hoped that everyone would consider the fact that she had just returned, have some time filter, and forgive her this time.
"Sister Liu, don't blame Lingling. She only found out I was back yesterday after she got off work. She wanted to tell you this morning, but I wanted to give you a surprise, so I asked her to keep it a secret."
"Okay, so it's you. You're such a bad guy, and you're still surprised. Tell me the truth, do you want to see us make a fuss?" Liu Li exposed him bluntly.
"Ahem!" Jian Shu couldn't help coughing, putting his hand to his lips. "You can't say that."
How could she! Okay, she admitted, a little bit, really just a little bit!
Liu Li let go of Zhao Yueling and rushed towards Jian Shu, locking him in her arms. "I don't know you, don't you? Maybe when you saw us being surprised just now, you were secretly happy."
"Come on, everyone, hurry up! You haven't come back to check it out for so long, and now you're back and want to watch the fun, you need to teach them a lesson!"
"Okay! Here I come!"
"Save a spot for me too!"
A group of people were tickling, rubbing their faces, and pulling their ears. Jian Shu couldn't stop laughing and begged for mercy, "I was wrong, I was really wrong, haha! Let me go! Haha - help!"
Zhao Yueling wanted to go up and rescue her, but she was alone and powerless, and instead of being able to rescue her, she got herself into trouble.
The two sisters were "bullied" by everyone.
Five minutes later, Liu Li and others let go of the two. Jian Shu collapsed on her exhausted, and even raising his hands was difficult.
"Okay, I'll let you go today. Let's see if you dare to do it again next time!" Liu Li combed her messy hair with her hands.
Jianshu shook his head, "No, I don't dare anymore!" He was still catching his breath.
How could there be a next time? This one time was enough for her. It wasn't that we were too cowardly, it was simply that the enemy was too powerful.
"Come, drink some water."
"Thank you, sister." Jianshu took it and thanked her politely.
After she had caught her breath and recovered, everyone sat together and started chatting again.
Jianshu told them about her days there, how she went up the mountain to pick mushrooms, dig wild vegetables, pick fruits, and pick chestnuts... She also talked about the local specialties, the beautiful scenery of the rainbow looming in the mountains after the rain, and many other ordinary yet happy daily experiences.
A group of people listened with great interest, nodding in agreement from time to time, or recalling the past days from Jianshu's words.
People of their generation have very rich experiences. Many of them have been to many places and seen many things.
So what started as a reunion soon turned into a storytelling and appreciation of local customs.
I listened to Jianshu with great interest and took notes silently. These are rare experiences and one of the best ways to understand that magnificent era.
A group of people talked about the past, the present, and the future, reminiscing and discussing, their eyes moist with emotion. They imagined and fantasized together, their eyes filled with anticipation for a better life in the future.
Until the moment of getting off work, everyone's conversation had not yet ended, or there was a noisy sound coming from outside, waking up everyone who was chatting enthusiastically.
After checking the time, Jianshu stood up and said goodbye to everyone.
It’s getting late, and we can’t delay everyone’s lunch break.
"Come back when you have time. You will always be a member of our Finance Department. This will always be your home. Don't forget to come back and visit." Section Chief Li, who had been listening, said this when he was about to leave.
The word "go home" suddenly made Jianshu's nose sore, and his slightly red eyes revealed some emotions.
She nodded vigorously, with thousands of words in her heart, which finally boiled down to one sentence, "I will!" This was her promise. As long as she was still in Beijing, she would never forget to "go home" to visit.
Section Chief Li patted her shoulder, smiled, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
"Okay, I have to go. We will meet many times in the future." Liu Li patted Jianshu's hand.
Jianshu reached out and hugged her, then took a step back and watched the person slowly leave.
After everyone left, Jian Shu took Zhao Yueling on bicycles and headed towards a nearby state-owned restaurant.
There was no cooking at home, and it was too late to go back and cook. Jianshu simply took everyone to a restaurant to eat. It was more convenient. After eating early, they could go back and take a nap.
Besides, come to think of it, there is an old friend over there.
Even though we're not that close, he's still an old friend after all, isn't he?
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