After arranging the offerings and lighting incense and candles, Yu Jihong and Fang Yu stood in front of the grave. "Third brother, Fang Yu took leave from kindergarten this year to come along."
"Dad, I've come to see you. Mom and I are doing very well now."
"Yes, Fang Yu also went to study for a correspondence college diploma," Yu Jihong added.
"Mom, you're bringing this up again." Fang Yu tugged at Yu Jihong's sleeve.
“Tell Dad, not in front of other people.”
"Okay, go ahead and tell me."
“Third brother,” Yu Jihong’s nose tingled and her eyes reddened again, “Fang Yu and I are both doing well. You must do well over there too. Take good care of yourself. I’ll burn more money for you, so don’t be stingy.”
Yu Jihong squatted down, lit the paper money, and chatted on and on about everyday things, saying everything she had to say in a year.
After the paper money had been burned to almost nothing, Yu Jihong stood up, patted the dirt off her clothes, and said, "Third brother, we're going back now. We'll come to see you again next year during Qingming Festival. If you have anything to say, please tell me in a dream."
Yu Jihong carried the hoe home, and the door of her house swayed gently in the wind, as if telling a story of unspoken longing.
She and Fang Yu looked around the house again. "Let's go, you have to go back to work."
Fang Yu would occasionally go to internet cafes. When she logged on, she would see that Fang Dongqiang and Lei Shen were also online. Lei Shen would send her messages soon or very soon after.
Fang Dongqiang might be a different story. He wasn't chatting online; he was probably busy with something else. Fang Yu gave Fang Dongqiang an excuse. When Fang Yu was about to leave, she said goodbye to Fang Dongqiang and told him she was going back. Fang Dongqiang replied, "Bye-bye," and "Be careful on the road."
Thor asked her where she was using the internet and offered to take her home, but she said, "No need, I can go home by myself."
"Fish Baby, could you give me your contact information? You don't come online often, and sometimes when you are online, I'm not there."
Although I had a good impression of Thor, I wouldn't go so far as to exchange contact information. "This is my contact number."
Fang Yu still wanted to go back before her mother's shop closed.
Occasionally, I have to go to the county continuing education school for face-to-face classes on weekends.
Weekend in-person classes are always filled with the smell of chalk dust and book pages. Fang Yu sat in the middle of the classroom, with "A History of Modern Chinese Literature" open in front of her. Her pen moved across the notebook as the teacher explained, and whenever she looked up, she could always feel a gaze on her.
Yes, someone was watching her. The person watching her was Tang Zebin, who worked in a public institution in the county. He came to study for a correspondence college diploma just to get a degree. When he was choosing a major, he heard that Chinese language and literature was easier than other majors and there were more girls, so he chose that major.
When he arrived at class, he was not disappointed; the class was almost entirely composed of girls.
Despite not liking to read, he was very enthusiastic about attending face-to-face classes.
As soon as get out of class ended, he sat down next to Fang Yu. "Hey classmate, I noticed you're very attentive in class. Can I leave you my contact information? I can ask you anything I don't understand."
Fang Yu paused, holding the pen, and looked up at Tang Zebin. He was wearing a slightly loose casual jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and his face had a deliberately ingratiating expression.
"If you don't understand, ask your teacher."
"The teacher also said she'd make a contact list for us, so everyone will know the numbers." Tang Zebin glanced at Fang Yu's notebook. "Your name is Fang Yu, right?"
"Um!"
"My name is Tang Zebin. Tang is the 'soup' in 'a bowl of soup'."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yu gently touched the corner of her mouth with her finger, trying hard to stop laughing, but she still couldn't help it.
When Tang Zebin saw her smile, he smiled too, and felt a sudden brightness in his heart.
He thought Fang Yu's smile was really beautiful, even more captivating than her usual quiet demeanor. "That surname is kind of funny!"
"No, no." Fang Yu laughed generously. "It's just that your introduction is quite unique."
"There's no other way, this is the only way to introduce this surname. Ze is Mao Zedong's Ze, and Bin is Wenwu Bin."
"Okay!" Fang Yu nodded.
"Shall we have lunch together later?"
"No, I want to go home."
Where do you live?
Fang Yu was taken aback; why was he asking so many questions?
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I asked the wrong question," Tang Zebin quickly explained.
The next class began, and Tang Zebin returned to his seat, his eyes still glancing at Fang Yu.
After school, Fang Yu pushed her bicycle out of the bike shed and rode back to her mother's shop. Tang Zebin slowly followed beside her on a motorcycle. "Fang Yu, we still have classes this afternoon, let's eat over there!"
“I told my mom I was going back.”
"Then let's have dinner together tonight."
"No, I'm going home."
"How can you, a grown adult who's already working, still act like a child and always want to go home?"
"Yes!" Fang Yu nodded seriously.
"Heh!" Tang Zebin chuckled. "Well then, Fang Yu, see you this afternoon!"
In the afternoon, Fang Yu arrived at the classroom, where Tang Zebin was already sitting next to the seat she had occupied that morning.
Fang Yu hesitated and looked at another spot. "Fang Yu, you're here?" Tang Zebin greeted him.
"Um."
"Fang Yu, come sit here."
"It's okay, there are seats here too." Fang Yu sat down in an empty seat not far from him.
Tang Zebin also picked up the things on the table and sat down. He handed over a can of Xurisheng Iced Tea, saying, "It'll be refreshing if you're thirsty during class this afternoon."
"No need, thank you!" Fang Yu waved her hand.
Tang Zebin opened the can, saying, "It's all open, drink it, it'll be a waste if you don't." He even thoughtfully took a straw out of his bag.
"Thank you!" Fang Yu put the drink aside.
Class started, Fang Yu looked at the podium, and Tang Zebin looked at Fang Yu.
Fang Yu could sense that Tang Zebin was watching her. At first, Fang Yu was also distracted. Correspondence courses have limited face-to-face time, and if she didn't take advantage of the class time to listen more, she would have to rely on self-study when she got back.
Moreover, the teacher's lecture was quite engaging, and I couldn't let him distract me. Fang Yu focused her thoughts; the afternoon class was on Introduction to Literature, and the teacher was discussing the details of Bao and Dai's first meeting in "Dream of the Red Chamber."
Fang Yu rested her chin on her hand as the teacher imitated Jia Baoyu's innocent and surprised reaction when he first saw Lin Daiyu, exclaiming, "I've seen this younger sister before!" She then described Daiyu's shyness and bewilderment, thinking, "How strange, it's as if I've seen her somewhere before, how familiar she is!" This drew a burst of laughter from the classroom.
Fang Yu smiled too, a beautiful curve forming at the corners of her mouth. She was completely immersed in the scene the teacher was describing.
Her gaze followed the teacher intently, as if she herself had stepped into the Grand View Garden and witnessed the moment when the handsome young man and the timid young woman met.
Tang Zebin thought Fang Yu looked really good with her serious expression, and thought to himself, "I want to pursue this girl."
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