Chapter 10, Going Home
After the birthday banquet, life returned to its usual calm.
The final exams were at the end of January, and not long after the exams, Deyin would have its Chinese New Year break.
The atmosphere in the classroom was a little restless. After class, everyone was discussing their winter holiday plans. Some talked about traveling abroad, some about visiting family abroad, and others about skiing. Each had their own ideas.
"What about you? Ji Linxue, where are you going to play?"
Ji Linxue looked up at him, "I'm going home."
Only then did Shen Shaoyan remember, "Oh, right, you're from A City, quite far from here."
After asking his deskmate, he turned his head to ask the two people in the back row, "Lu Xiaoyu, Heng Ge, do you have any plans?"
"Just say it directly," Lu Yu spun his pen, "What kind of messy event do you want to drag us into this time?"
Shen Shaoyan's eyes widened, "Nonsense! It's clearly a very normal gathering!"
Lu Yu returned a cold sneer. Shen Shaoyan quickly crumbled under his gaze, "It really is an ordinary gathering..."
Seeing that Lu Yu wasn't budging, Shen Shaoyan began to turn his attention to Gu Hengzhi, "Heng Ge."
As if he could guess what he was going to say, Gu Hengzhi was very ruthless, "No time."
Having grown up together, he knew Shen Shaoyan's character, he changed girlfriends every three days and partied hard. The banquets were a mess. Gu Hengzhi had been tricked into going once, and couldn't stand it for even a few minutes, leaving with a cold face.
"This time it's definitely a proper one, the Su family's [girl/person] will also be there." Shen Shaoyan whispered something in his ear, vaguely sounding like a person's name. "She's hosting it, and I heard there are many interesting activities. Want to go?"
Gu Hengzhi was silent for a few seconds, "Last time."
Just as Shen Shaoyan's excited expression appeared on his face, Gu Hengzhi suddenly turned and said to Ji Linxue, "You come too."
Ji Linxue was startled for a moment and refused, "I don't want to go."
No sooner had he spoken than his arm was nudged. Ji Linxue looked at Shen Shaoyan, who was mouthing words to him, 'Say yes quickly'.
Ji Linxue shook his head firmly.
Gu Hengzhi didn't force it, "Fine, don't go then."
On the day the holiday began, many people had already packed their dorm belongings in advance, just waiting to grab their suitcases and leave as soon as school ended.
Compared to everyone's eagerness to return home, Ji Linxue moved unhurriedly. His ticket was for the next morning. The school regulations stated that students had to leave campus within three days, so he had plenty of time.
"Xiao Xue, are you really not coming with us?" Shen Shaoyan had changed into a new outfit from head to toe, and his hair was sprayed with setting spray, dressed very elaborately.
"Don't call me Xiao Xue." Ji Linxue looked at him coldly, "And I'm going home tomorrow."
Compared to Shen Shaoyan's elaborate dressing, Gu Hengzhi had merely changed out of his school uniform into simple casual wear, but as long as the two stood in the same space, the latter would attract all the attention.
"No, no, you're too eye-catching like this." Shen Shaoyan pulled out a pair of square-rimmed glasses from somewhere, "These are non-prescription, wear them to cover up a bit."
Gu Hengzhi dodged his hand, "Are you sick? No way."
Lu Yu was gloating nearby.
Shen Shaoyan grew anxious, "You're really handsome! If you don't believe me, ask Ji Linxue!"
Gu Hengzhi's gaze, half-believing and half-doubting, turned to him.
Suddenly called out, Ji Linxue subconsciously raised his head, looking at Gu Hengzhi's face, and said sincerely, "You are very handsome."
A small surge of joy rose in his heart. Gu Hengzhi held out his palm to Shen Shaoyan, "Give it to me."
Shen Shaoyan fawningly handed them over.
Gu Hengzhi without glasses was like a sharp knife, his handsomeness was overt, and one could feel a sense of distance immediately. After putting on the glasses, his aura seemed to settle, like a polished treasure sword, making people want to get closer and admire him more closely.
"Handsome!" Shen Shaoyan instinctively praised, and then immediately regretted it after realizing. He clearly wanted Heng Ge not to steal his thunder, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
After the three left, the dorm quickly became quiet. Ji Linxue packed his things for going home. He didn't have many things, so it was just one suitcase when he finished.
The next morning, he boarded the high-speed train back to A City.
The high-speed train traveled fast and steadily. Taking advantage of the boredom on the journey, Ji Linxue opened WeChat and found new activity in the WeChat group that he had always muted.
This was their four-person dorm group. Usually, Shen Shaoyan was the only one talking to himself, Lu Yu and Gu Hengzhi occasionally said something, and he almost never spoke.
The messages were from last night, from a frantic Shen Shaoyan.
[Silence is Golden : Ahhh, all the effort I put into my hairstyle was wasted! I hate this world!]
[Little Fish Eats Big Fish : What's wrong?] This was Lu Yu.
[Silence is Golden : I'd never going to invite Heng Ge again. As soon as he comes, all the girls' eyes are glued to him. Not only that, the girl I liked confessed to him ]
(t/n : 言多必失" ( talking too much can lead to mistakes or trouble) . the literal tl is too many, so i use "silence is golden")
[Little Fish Eats Big Fish : Oh, then you're pretty pathetic [clapping.gif]]
[Silence is Golden : Can't you comfort me a little? I suspect she did it on purpose. She knew I was celebrating her birthday and specifically chose today to confess to Heng Ge. She's deliberately trying to annoy me, isn't she?]
[Little Fish Eats Big Fish : Don't think that way, maybe you guessed right [eating melon seeds.gif]]
[Silence is Golden : ...]
[Silence is Golden : Can you stop eating those damn melon seeds?]
[Little Fish Eats Big Fish : [gives you a bag.gif]]
[Silence is Golden : [clapping.gif]]
Ji Linxue found it amusing. He replied with "Hang in there" in the group and, as expected, received Shen Shaoyan's "meow拳" (cat paw punch) greeting.
As for Gu Hengzhi, one of the parties involved, he never appeared from beginning to end.
A few hours later, Ji Linxue arrived home.
Ji Mu came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands, a smile on her face, "You're back. The food's ready, wash your hands and eat."
Ji Linxue's expression softened, "Where's Dad?"
Ji Mu brought out the hot dishes, "Your dad is working overtime. We'll eat first, no need to wait for him."
The two sat down at the dining table. Halfway through the meal, Ji Mu suddenly remembered something, turned and went back to the bedroom. A moment later, she came out with a letter.
"This is from Chutang," Ji Mu winked, gossiping, "Are you two still in touch?"
Ji Linxue didn't miss the teasing in her eyes. His mother had a very open mind. Unlike other parents who avoided puppy love, she didn't care at all, even starting early to help her son find a girlfriend.
Bai Chutang was once her highly favored candidate for a daughter-in-law.
Ji Linxue sighed, "Mom, Chutang and I are just friends."
Ji Mu pouted, "I was just asking."
Ji Linxue opened the letter directly in front of her. Inside was just one sheet of paper filled with writing.
On the paper was the girl's delicate handwriting, describing her life over the past six months. The Bai family had moved to a new city. After arriving there, Grandma Bai's illness had suddenly improved greatly, requiring only regular medication.
However, her younger sister still needed to go to school, and the family expenses were quite high. Bai Chutang was diligent, but her age was insufficient, so she could only go to some less-strict bars to promote drinks and do odd jobs.
Within six months, she had gradually accepted the fact of her parents' passing. The family changes forced her to grow up.
At the end of the letter, she expressed a lot of gratitude to Ji Linxue, saying she would definitely pay him back in the future.
Ji Linxue felt a mix of emotions.
Sure enough, following the plot's trajectory, Grandma Bai's illness improved as soon as they left A City. Even though uremia was late-stage kidney failure, and without a kidney transplant, her condition should only worsen, she seemed to have a temporary recovery, gradually getting better.
Until a few years later, when Bai Chutang met Gu Hengzhi, her condition worsened again.
This was an irreversible ending.
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