Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 181 Return

Grandma nodded: "It doesn't matter where you eat, the important thing is whether you like the food."

He Ci'en nodded: "I think it's very good, and there are also stir-fries. If you're tired of fast food, you can order stir-fries yourself. It's just that the price is a little expensive, but the living expenses given by my aunt are enough, so my meals will be very good."

After arranging the seats, He Ci'en went to get the food: cold dishes, stir-fries, stewed meat, and even a casserole. Soon, the four dishes were served, and the four of them sat down at the table to eat. During the meal, Jing Yan could always feel the gazes sweeping over her from time to time. This was the first time she had been spied on. Although it was a bit blatant, she still felt quite novel about it.

After dinner, He Ci'en took them to see her dormitory. The dormitory supervisor saw that they were parents and let them in, but he also said, "I would never let a young girl in, after all, we need to avoid suspicion."

Is this meant to reassure parents? Jingyan didn't understand, so she simply stopped thinking about it. When she entered the dormitory, the six beds already took up almost all the space, not to mention there was a long table in the middle. The room was really small. Her grandmother frowned and said, "No wonder your aunt insisted on buying a house to arrange a place for you. This dormitory is really too crowded."

The others in the room...were they being rejected?

Jingyan tugged at her grandmother's sleeve: "Grandma, these conditions are already quite good. Many schools are said to have eight-person rooms. Look, the school even has radiators, so it won't be cold or damp in winter. These are pretty good conditions."

Grandma sighed and didn't say anything more. The old lady had never suffered any hardship in her life. Even when she lived in the nursing home, the room was very spacious, so she certainly had the right to complain.

He Ci'en smiled and reassured her, "Great-Grandma, the living conditions at school are certainly not as good as at home, but they are still quite nice. You see, the place is clean and the items are neatly arranged. Most importantly, everyone is easy to get along with."

Grandma smiled as she looked at the few young men standing in a row, looking rather reserved: "They're all good kids. They're all really tall, quite a sight to behold if they walked out together."

Jingyan and Sister Wang exchanged a glance. Seeing the embarrassed faces of the boys who had turned bright red, they were still kind enough not to laugh out loud. They pursed their lips, lowered their heads, and tried their best to suppress the corners of their mouths that had already turned up.

Grandma walked around the dormitory and was quite satisfied with the children. She took out two ten-yuan bills from her pocket and handed them to He Ci'en: "Ci'en, you have classes this afternoon, right? Your great-grandmother and your aunt will head back first. You should treat these classmates to a nice meal later. Consider it your great-grandmother's treat. Remember to get along well with your classmates. Oh, and come home this weekend. We bought train tickets for the return trip on the morning of the 13th. Can you see us off?"

He Ci'en nodded in agreement: "Okay, Great-Grandma, I'll go back during the winter break. It won't be long before we see each other again."

Jingyan patted his shoulder: "If you confirm the holiday time, buy a sleeper ticket to go back. Otherwise, sitting for more than 30 hours is too uncomfortable. Don't try to save money on the half-price ticket. If you can't buy a sleeper ticket here, call your uncle in advance and ask him to find a way for you. Don't be polite with him."

He Ci'en pursed her lips and nodded heavily. The three of them turned and left the dormitory, preparing to leave. He Ci'en followed behind to see them off, but Jing Yan turned back and refused: "You have class this afternoon. Take a nap while you have time. We can find our way home. We won't get lost."

He Ci'en didn't insist, but watched them go downstairs before turning back to her dormitory. Once the parents left, her roommates, who had been acting like timid children, suddenly became lively: "Your great-grandmother is so good to you, she even gave you money to treat others. Twenty yuan is enough for your food expenses for a week, right? So generous, your family is very rich?"

He Ci'en shook her head: "My great-grandmother was a descendant of a red capitalist. Although she later donated all her family property, her upbringing remained, so she valued social interaction and reputation. However, she and my aunt are not actually related to me by blood."

My grandfather was adopted by my great-grandmother, and my aunt was her biological granddaughter-in-law. But she, my uncle, and my aunt and uncle were all very good to me. I've lived with my aunt ever since I returned to Haishi from the Northwest with my grandfather in my third year of junior high school.

My family isn't wealthy; my parents only receive ordinary allowances. I also have a younger brother, but they treat me like their own grandson or nephew. My aunt covered most of my high school expenses. This time, they were worried about me going north alone, so they used the excuse of me wanting to see the world to bring the whole family to see me off.

The people in the dorm were stunned: "What kind of amazing relative is this? We want one too!"

He Ci'en looked very proud, and for a moment, he had a touch of youthful pride and arrogance: "Yes, I also feel very lucky."

"What house did your great-grandmother mention?" someone asked casually. He seemed to have heard the old lady say something about buying a house earlier.

He Ci'en paused for a moment: "Oh, my aunt was worried that I would need a place to stay if I didn't want to go back during the summer vacation, so she bought a house near the school a few days ago and asked me to take care of it. But the house belongs to my aunt, and I'm just responsible for looking after it."

"Bought you a house to live in? It's already very kind of you not to charge you rent. I heard from some senior students that some upperclassmen think about moving out of school and renting houses off-campus after they start dating. You won't have to worry about where to live when you start dating. Your aunt has already prepared everything for you. Is this to support you in finding a partner in college?" someone exclaimed.

He Ci'en shook her head: "I don't plan to date during university. My studies are already very demanding, and I want to learn more about other things. I don't have much energy to focus on relationships. My aunt's house is mainly for storing my books."

I enjoy reading and take notes, but our dorm room is so small. With clothes for all four seasons and books from each semester, there's simply not enough space. If I have any unused or rarely used items, I'll move them over there to save space in our dorm.

"Aren't you planning to move out?"

“I don’t plan on it for now. Our dorm is close to the school library, so it’s more convenient to live on campus. I can go and check out the other dorm on weekends. If any male students want to rent the place… well, never mind, I’d better not rent it out. If the place is messy, my aunt will be upset when she comes to visit.” He Ci’en frowned and gave up the idea of ​​renting out the house.

The other roommates also felt it was a waste to leave the apartment vacant, but they had only known each other for a week and didn't really understand each other's personalities. It was a big no-no to be too forward with someone you barely knew—nobody's stupid enough to get into a university like that—so no one continued the conversation.

After resting for a while, seeing that it was almost time, everyone headed to the teaching building together. They were all in the same major and took the same courses, so it was normal for them to go in and out together. However, the girls in their dorm were all good-looking and tall, so they attracted a lot of attention.

These past few days, some girls have expressed their affection for them, and the two of them have become somewhat interested. However, seeing how clear He Ci'en's plans are today, they felt they didn't want to fall too far behind, so they nipped that little budding romance in the bud.

The weekend arrived quickly. He Ci'en skipped evening self-study on Friday night and went straight home. Time always flies when family members are together. The next day, He Ci'en took everyone to the train station. Jing Yan handed him the house key: "If you don't sleep well in the dormitory, you can move here. You also have a bicycle, so it's very convenient."

Don't skimp on money. When winter comes, go to the mall and buy some winter clothes and shoes. Buy good quality ones, don't worry about the price. Expensive clothes can last for years, while cheap ones will need to be replaced every year or two, making it less cost-effective overall.

Don't cut your hair yourself. It doesn't cost much at the barbershop. Your hair grows fast, so you need to get it cut every two or three months. Ideally, you should get it cut once a month. Boys should also stand up straight and not be sloppy, or you'll lose face.

"If you don't have enough money, just call your uncle and we'll wire you some. Our family doesn't need your living expenses." Jingyan felt increasingly uneasy as she spoke, but her family couldn't really stay with her all the time, so she reluctantly got into the car. This time, she didn't let He Ci'en see her off at the train station, afraid that it would be too late for him to take her away.

He Ci'en stood on the platform the whole time. When the train slowly started moving, he couldn't help but run alongside it for a long distance. For the first time, he felt an urge to cry. Emotions he hadn't felt even when he left home surged up at this moment.

As the people who had come to see him off slowly left, until he was the only one left on the platform, he squatted down, wrapped his arms around his head, buried his head in his knees, and cried silently. Let it all out this once. His aunt had told him not to suppress his emotions, so this was the only time he would let the tears flow freely.

After calming down a bit, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe away his tears, straightened his clothes, and stood up again. He was the same calm and composed He Ci'en, with his back straight, walking out of the station as if he were walking towards the future, each step firm, without any hesitation or doubt.

The family on the train were also in low spirits. Zhizhi's eyes were red: "Mom, when will Brother Ci'en come back? I miss him."

Jingyan rubbed her head: "He'll be back during winter break. From now on, Zhizhi will have to get used to the days when Brother Ci'en isn't around often. In the future, there's also Brother Xiaoli, and even An'an and you will have your own paths and your own futures when you grow up. Eventually, you'll all have to leave home. This is just the beginning..."

Zhizhi blinked her confused eyes at Jingyan. She couldn't understand her mother's words, but she understood one sentence: that her brother Ci'en would only be able to come home during winter and summer vacations, and that her brother Ci'en, who needed her to help him with his homework, would no longer be home on weekends or after school.

The family arrived home on Monday. During rush hour, there were few passengers on buses and boats. The seven of them first went to their uncle's house to let him know they were back. They left him some local specialties and snacks they had brought back from Beijing, as well as a roast duck that had gone cold.

None of my family members have the skill to slice the skin of Peking duck properly, so we can only use the simplest and most direct method: chop it up, put it back in the pot, and then make a stir-fried Peking duck. But it's just a token gesture; nobody expects to taste the crispy outside and tender inside texture that's fresh out of the oven in Beijing. It's enough to just taste it.

After having lunch at my uncle's house, I took a boat back to my home on Changxing Island. I was quite tired from the journey these past few days, so after washing up when I got home, I went straight to sleep without even getting up for dinner. Of course, no one cooked for me.

The children woke up hungry in the middle of the night. Seeing that all the adults in the house were asleep, they took out some snacks from their bags, poured some hot water, ate a little bit to fill their stomachs, and then went back to sleep.

Once everyone has rested, it will be a new day. Grandma still needs to rest for a few more days. This period has really worn her out. When she is out, she is happy and does not feel very tired, but when she returns home, her energy dissipates and she feels very tired. The others, on the other hand, have almost recovered.

After breakfast, He Zhijun took his passbook to the bank, withdrew 20,000 yuan, and transferred it to Yuan Xiaoling. He also made a phone call to let her know that they had returned. Yuan Xiaoling said that they would come to visit when they came to work here in a while.

Jing Yan went to the shop, and everyone there was happy to see her. She shared the local specialty snacks she had brought back with everyone, and they thanked her profusely. Dou Zhixiao told her about the recent situation at the shop. In fact, since the business had long been on track, her absence had not had much of an impact.

However, two other families wanted to hold wedding banquets and came here to book their tables. Dou Zhixiao explained that the hosts were not present and the chef had also gone out, so they were not accepting banquets for the time being. The other side did not say anything more, because they had said that they might be stranded outside for a month, and the other side could not wait that long, so they let it go.

Other than that, there really wasn't anything else.

Huo Benqin then asked her to check the store's profits over the past twenty days. As expected, the turnover was over 8,000 yuan, and the net profit was about 4,000 yuan. Jing Yan left some change for the store's daily needs and took the profits away.

She didn't plan to come to the store these past few days, intending to rest at home. Before leaving, she said, "I told you before I left that if you stayed at the store for a month, your salary would double in September. Although it hasn't been a month yet, this promise remains unchanged."

Amid cheers, Jing Yan left with a smile, and everyone was in high spirits: "Our store's wages are already 100 yuan a month, wouldn't doubling that be 200?" Xiao Jinhua's eyes shone brightly, and she was very happy.

Sister Feng, who is in charge of noodles, nodded: "Putting everything else aside, our boss is really generous. Although everyone's wages have increased now, there aren't many people who are as generous as our shop."

My son works at the shipyard. Although he's just an ordinary worker, his salary is higher than what you'd earn in a factory outside. He only makes a little over seventy yuan a month this year, while I make a hundred.