Free Web NovelChapter 446: Chapter 445: A Thoughtful Person
Many years later, Wang Hai was still alone. His leg, too, had ultimately become disabled.
Xue Yue happened to run into him twice, and each time, he would ask her if Meng Ye had been in contact.
Meng Ye never returned, nor did she contact any of them. No one knew where she went. Right up to his death, Wang Hai never saw the woman he longed for again.
Of course, Wang Hai never married. As for whether he had other women, Xue Yue didn’t know—not that she cared.
’It’s just a shame to have lost a friend. I wonder how Meng Ye is doing, wherever she is.’
But of course, that is a story for another time.
It was the twelfth lunar month again, and this year, the entire family was heading back to their hometown for the New Year.
He Zichen and Yun Shu had made their relationship official, so they were going back too.
He Ziniannian wasn’t on duty at the hospital this year, and since he hadn’t been back for a good many years, he was going with them as well.
Daya had joined the army.
Xue Xingzhou and his wife were also taking Tun Tun back to see his maternal grandparents. Zhang Qian’s parents were getting on in years and weren’t in the best of health, so it was time they went back for a visit.
Zheng Guofeng had retired at the beginning of the year, giving him a lot more free time. However, he wasn’t going back with them this time. Instead, he was off to the Wen Family’s home for a reunion with old friends and would be spending the New Year there.
Tun Tun—oh, he should be called Zheng Lingrui now—was twelve years old, yet he was in the same grade as He Ziqian.
The children were all grown up; it felt strange to call them by their nicknames now.
He Ziqian was too embarrassed to tell anyone that Zheng Lingrui was his younger cousin.
"Hey, can’t you leave me a little face? You’re so ridiculously gifted, why not just skip another grade and be done with it?"
Zheng Lingrui replied with a perfectly straight face, "I was actually planning on it. Probably in the second half of next year."
He Ziqian glared at him, gritting his teeth. ’Is he even going to let me live?’
Zheng Lingrui was the classic ’child from next door’ that parents always held up as a model. He was exceptionally smart, having already skipped two grades. If Zhang Qian hadn’t worried that her son was still too young and wouldn’t be able to socialize with much older kids, there was no telling what grade he’d be in by now.
He Ziluo laughed. "Are you crazy, trying to compete with Xiao Rui’s intelligence? You should be competing on height."
That just made He Ziqian more depressed. ’I’m fifteen and nearly 1.8 meters tall, but the kid is hot on my heels, just a tiny bit shorter. And he used to be so chubby! Who knows when he slimmed down. He even looks just like our uncle—it’s a totally unfair blow.’
’Still, his height is the one thing I have going for me. A little taller is still taller, right?’
He Ziluo saw her brother’s frustrated look and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Sis, how can you still be laughing? For all you know, Xiao Rui might skip into your grade one day and take the college entrance exam with you next year!"
He Ziluo nodded. "And so what if he does? We’ll take it together. One must remain calm in the presence of a genius."
He Ziqian rolled his eyes. ’Calm, my butt!’
He Ziluo laughed again.
Xue Yue entered their compartment. "What’s all the laughter about?"
Seeing Xue Yue, He Ziqian immediately latched onto her arm, resting his head on her shoulder. "Mom, you have to console me. My spirit has been crushed."
Xue Yue chuckled and tapped him on the head. "What is it?"
He Ziluo laughed. "Mom, he’s just jealous of how smart Xiao Rui is."
It was a well-known fact that Zheng Lingrui was brilliant, and Xue Yue laughed at her daughter’s words.
"What’s there to be jealous of? Xiao Rui is just naturally brilliant; we don’t need to compete with him on that front. Anyway, it’s noon. What do you all want to eat?"
They were on the train, and they had bought plenty of food before getting on.
He Ziluo said, "I’m not very hungry yet. I’ll just have a piece of bread later."
Xue Yue nodded. "All right. And you, Xiao Rui?"
"I’m not hungry either, Auntie."
He Ziqian, still clinging to Xue Yue’s arm, declared, "I’ll eat! I want a real meal." He would channel his grief and indignation into his appetite and grow taller.
"Okay. When you’re ready to eat, just come get it from the next compartment."
"Got it, Mom."
"Okay, Auntie."
He Ziqian followed Xue Yue next door.
Zhang Qian and Yun Shu were inside, chatting.
Zhang Qian asked, "What do they want to eat?"
Xue Yue pointed to her son. "Those two aren’t hungry yet, just him."
He Ziqian said, "They might not be eating, Auntie, but I am!"
Zhang Qian smiled, stood up, and went to open a bag.
"Come and pick for yourself. The roast chicken we bought is still warm."
"In that case, I’ll have a drumstick."
Xue Yue sat down opposite Yun Shu and asked, "So, when are you and Little Chen planning on getting married?" freeweɓnøvel.com
Yun Shu replied with a shy smile, "I’ll let him decide."
Ever since making things official, the two’s relationship had advanced by leaps and bounds. He Zichen was very caring, and Yun Shu felt a great sense of security around him.
In reality, only two or three months had passed since their last trip home. But returning this time felt completely different for Yun Shu. The last trip, she had been flustered and anxious; this time, she was filled with excitement.
Gao Cuiyun was thrilled to hear that Little Chen was bringing Yun Shu home for the New Year and had already called several times to fuss over them.
Xue Yue smiled as she looked at Yun Shu. ’She’s such a pure-hearted girl, so easy to be around. She and Little Chen are a good match.’
Zhang Qian said to Xue Yue, "Xing Jun and his mother are staying in Beijing City for the New Year. He made a special trip over yesterday to drop off some gifts and a few hundred yuan for you to take back to your father. Xing Jun is such a thoughtful young man. I wonder how your dad is managing all on his own."
Xue Yue had called the village a few times already, but on the phone, her father would only ever share good news, never the bad.
"We’ll see when we get back," Xue Yue said. "He’s probably just making do on his own."
’Thinking of her father’s cooking skills, Xue Yue figured he couldn’t be living that well.’
The compartment next to theirs was where He Lang and the other men were staying. Right now, they were all lying in their berths.
Xue Xingzhou was also asking Little Chen about his wedding plans.
Little Chen said, "I plan on registering our marriage during this trip back." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"And the wedding ceremony?"
"We’ll see how it goes. If the timing is right, we’ll have the ceremony as well. Yun Shu doesn’t really have any family on her side, so we can hold it anytime."
Xue Xingzhou nodded. "She seems like a good girl. Settle down and live a good life."
"Of course," Little Chen replied.
He Lang asked Xue Xingzhou, "Are you all still going to Zhang Qian’s family home for the New Year?"
Xue Xingzhou nodded. "We haven’t been back for a few years, and her father retired two years ago. Zhang Qian has been going on and on about coming back, so we definitely have to spend the New Year at her family’s home."
"That makes sense."
「Two days later」
They arrived at the Black Province train station.
A blast of cold air hit them as they stepped off the train. Zhang Qian laughed. "I haven’t been back in so long, I’m not used to this cold anymore."
Xue Yue nodded. "Yeah."
The cold in Black Province was a completely different beast than in Beijing City.
The two brothers, Xiao Yang and Xiao Ming, had been waiting outside for a while, not even minding the cold. They were ecstatic that everyone was back. Their big brother had only left a few months ago, and now he had returned. The last time he left, they had pouted, thinking it would be ages before they saw everyone again.
They spotted He Lang the moment he stepped off the platform and ran toward him.
"Third Uncle!"
"Third Uncle!"
