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In the morning, Mao Na and Hu Ruoyun returned to Jiang City together. They didn't bring much besides food and drinks, and when they arrived at the bus station, they parted ways without seeing each other off, each taking a different bus.
Cui Shuigen was lounging in the dormitory when he saw Hu Ruoyun come in. He jumped up from his bed in surprise. Since classes didn't start until the next day, the other students had not yet returned. Watching Hu Ruoyun take out snacks one by one, Cui Shuigen's eyes turned red.
As he ate, he said, "The school cafeteria is closed for the holidays, and the restaurants on the street are all shut down. I prepared several boxes of instant noodles... On New Year's Eve, listening to the firecrackers popping everywhere while thinking about how other families were gathered together eating dumplings, I couldn't help but cry!"
He continued, "Brother San, you have to take me out to do something this semester!"
Hu Ruoyun couldn't think of any comforting words and simply patted his shoulder firmly.
In the afternoon, the first to return was their leader, Zhao Jinpu, who distributed the food he had brought from home among everyone. Miao Shoujie’s father insisted on treating everyone to a meal, but they politely declined with the excuse of having just celebrated the New Year and being too full.
Jie Bing was the last to return, dressed head to toe in new clothes. Her mother, an assistant director at the judicial bureau, helped her carry a small bag while her father, the director of the Science and Technology Committee, carried a larger one. As her mother tidied up her bed, she said, "There are apples in your bag; one a day will last you half a month..."
Noticing that there was no water in her son's thermos by his bedside, she called out, "Who will help fill a kettle with water?"
Miao Shoujie usually spent more time with Jie Bing. He got up and checked each thermos. Besides Jie Bing's, he casually took two empty ones down with him. Cui Shuigen jumped down from his bed and grabbed the remaining three: "Second Brother, wait for me!"
Hu Ruoyun, Zhao Jinpu, and Liu Jiawang followed them downstairs.
The group gathered in the water room to fill their containers in silence.
After the Lunar New Year, the north wind lessened while the south wind increased; the weather gradually warmed up—spring had arrived. Just as Zhao Zhongxiang later remarked: "Spring has come; everything revives; it is once again... animal season."
Some classmates began dating; their leader started seeing a girl from his hometown who was gentle and kind from the physics department. Lao Si Liu Jiawang also began dating a senior from his department.
Even Cui Shuigen said, "Brother San, should we also pursue some girls?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "My sister won't allow it!"
He then asked Cui Shuigen, "Do you have someone in mind?"
Cui Shuigen felt a bit shy: "That girl is from my buddy who often plays basketball with me; she has sold Shoe Insoles and Postcards with us before. She's quite pretty but comes from a family situation similar to mine... I even lent her some money; she seems to have some interest in me."
When it comes to matters of love, Hu Ruoyun didn't dare offer any advice.
The fastest among them was Lao Liu Jie Bing; it seemed he had won over the belle of the business school. The girl even came to visit her at the dormitory—she was quite attractive and dressed stylishly.
The second brother also mentioned seeing two people at a restaurant on Pu Yang Road, sharing bites of food, looking quite intimate.
There are many romances in college, but as graduation approaches, it seems everyone just goes their separate ways, each returning to their own homes and families.
In the "foreseen" future, Hu Ruoyun had once experienced a naive romance. The specifics were hazy, but after it ended without resolution, she wrote a poem published in the supplement of Jiangbei Science and Technology News, titled "Heartbreak":
Sitting in September
Watching the southward flying geese
Letting the most beautiful memories
Now the most painful thoughts
Fly in the slanting sunlight
Time flies like a swift bird, leaving no trace
Heartbreak
Yet cannot be like the water of a pond brushed by the wind
In days without love
Harvesting thorns
In moments filled with love
What we planted were roses
Heartbreak
Is reading countless times of the blood-red sunset
Listening to thousands of songs
Murmuring softly
With misty eyes
Yet asking
For whom are those nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine roses planted?
And whose tears
Are flying?
Half a month into the new semester, Hu Ruoyun went to find Mao Na. Mao Na told him, "Lu Meixin and Zhao Gang have divorced, and her situation is causing quite a stir back in their hometown. It's almost driving her parents crazy..."
At the beginning of the school year, the wife of a boy from Class Two came looking for trouble again, causing a scene in the classroom and even at the school. She shouted that Lu Meixin was shameless for flirting with her husband and threatened to confront Lu Meixin, which scared her so much that she didn’t dare attend class!
“What a pity!” Hu Ruoyun said.
“Well, who can we blame?” Mao Na replied with concern. “What if something similar happens to us in the future? For example, if you achieve greater success and feel that I’m not worthy of you anymore? What if we run out of common topics to talk about?”
Hu Ruoyun took Mao Na's hand in hers and reassured her, “No matter how noble or great love may be, it ultimately comes back to the mundane realities of life. A true marriage should be equal. As someone once said, ‘A woman should not be a servant or a concubine, and a man should not be a slave or a thief.’ When we first started dating, you didn’t mind that I wasn’t rich or handsome. If, as you say, I do achieve more in the future, I will bring you along with me!
Moreover, true love is not just about physical attraction; it should resonate on a spiritual level! Have you read 'Life' by Lu Yao? The protagonist, Gao Jialin, returns to his village after graduating high school and becomes a private elementary school teacher. He is satisfied with this job that showcases his talents and fills him with hope, but he is replaced by the son of the powerful village secretary, Gao Ming Lou. A kind and beautiful village girl named Liu Qiaozhen enters his life.
When opportunity knocks again for Gao Jialin, he returns to the city. City life gives him a chance to shine and reunites him with his classmate Huang Yaping. They share similar educational backgrounds and many topics of interest… but soon he begins to resent Qiaozhen for bringing him her old quilt and for only talking about her family’s pigs…”
Seeing Mao Na listening intently, Hu Ruoyun playfully pinched her nose. “We can discuss physical matters later; right now, our souls are in sync!”
Mao Na was still lost in the story of 'Life' and didn’t catch Hu Ruoyun’s teasing remark. “What happened to Gao Jialin and Liu Qiaozhen later?” she asked.
Hu Ruoyun replied, “Gao Jialin accepted Huang Yaping’s love and gently expressed his choice to Qiaozhen. She accepted it tearfully but didn’t blame him too much; instead, she worried about his future and encouraged him to take care of himself elsewhere. However, when Gao Jialin was reported for getting a job in the city through connections, he returned to his rural hometown.
By then, Qiaozhen had married Ma Shuan, a villager who had always cared for him. Even so, she sought help from her sister's father-in-law, Party Secretary Gao Ming Lou, asking him to arrange a teaching position for Gao Jialin…”
The conversation then shifted to Mao Na’s two close friends. Li Shengnan mentioned that Yao Wei was no longer at the County Office but had been transferred to the Organization Department without any change in rank. Many people speculated that he would soon be promoted, which made Li Shengnan very happy.
Zhang Qiang from Ouyang Xiaxue's family was busy following Mao Weiguo around every day and hardly ever home. Ouyang Xiaxue’s mother struggled alone with childcare while Zhang Qiang’s mother came over to help; the two mothers worked together to take care of the kids and cook meals while Ouyang Xiaxue enjoyed herself immensely.
They also talked about Mao Jie seemingly dating someone; she was always out on weekends but wouldn’t share details with Mao Weiguo or Zhang Xiuzhen, which left Zhang Xiuzhen quite anxious.
Hu Ruoyun joked, “That’s because Mao Jie feels it’s not yet time to reveal everything.”
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