There is a corner in the middle of the path, and the inside is full of dense bushes, so no matter which end you come from, you can only hear the footsteps, and it is difficult to clearly see the scene on the other side of the corner. Because of this, this place became one of the top ten popular dating places in University A at the beginning. However, later the administrative building was moved next to it, and more teachers and leaders came and went, and it became deserted again.
At this moment, I heard someone talking over there and walking towards me slowly.
"The topic selected by the School of Information a few years ago. I'm sure you've heard about it. After more than three years of research, it was finally successfully developed. At the end of the year, they won the first prize of military scientific and technological progress, and our entire school reported and praised it. Originally, this topic was forward-looking and had high technical content. But who would have thought that when we happily took the scientific research results to the army to find a husband and want to promote it, we felt embarrassed. Lao Chen and his team did not conduct in-depth research and demonstration in the army beforehand. Although the results were good, the army could not use them. In the end, they had to take them back and lock them in the filing cabinet. They really became a decoration that looked good but was useless. Therefore, our entire school should reflect on this. Xiao Mu, especially you are also cooperating with the military." A middle-aged man said earnestly.
When I heard the word "Xiao Mu" at the end of that person's long speech, my heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, Mu Chenghe's voice came later.
"We'll keep an eye on it," he said.
I panicked and wanted to find a place to hide. But it was not possible to keep going, and it was too late to retreat. If I ran back, I might be able to make it, but what should I do with the box? I couldn't just leave it here. It looked like a tool for terrorist activities if it was left alone.
There was a small canal on the right side of the path, so I couldn't jump down. Besides, even if I did, I would be discovered. On the left side was a bush as tall as a person. My mind was thinking rapidly, and finally I made up my mind to jump into the flowers with my luggage and hide behind the bush.
Fortunately, they walked slowly, as if they were strolling in the garden.
After I was in position, I walked slowly step by step.
"Is your mother in good health recently?" the man asked again.
Mu Chenghe said: "Not bad."
I squatted behind the evergreen, staring at the road nervously through the gaps between the grass leaves.
"Last month, I went to a meeting in City B and met your mother. She's still as good at talking as she was when she was young. Because of you, I'm afraid to see her now."
"What's wrong?" Mu Chenghe asked.
"You must know better than me." The man said with a smile, "Xiao Mu, you are 28 this year, right? When I was your age, I was already married. If you find a child you like, bring him back to your mother to see. Otherwise, she will blame us for delaying your research."
I don’t know if Mu Chenghe was laughing, but he didn’t respond.
I listened to their conversation gradually fading away and wanted to stand up to confirm, but I didn't dare to move forward rashly. I had to say to myself: Wait a little longer, wait a little longer.
But I didn't expect that while I was waiting, I heard footsteps coming from afar. I looked carefully and found that it was a person alone. This person actually stopped near me and then stopped in front of the evergreen where I was hiding.
I stared at the shoes with a bit of suspicion, thinking they looked familiar, as if I had seen them just now. Thinking of this, my face suddenly turned pale.
Then, the owner of the shoes said condescendingly: "Xue Tong, what are you doing squatting here?"
I quickly raised my head, and after meeting Mu Chenghe’s gaze, I stood up with a jerk, stammering, “I… I…” My brain short-circuited for a moment, and I wished I could just throw a smoke bomb like a Japanese ninja and disappear on the spot.
"Are you looking for something?" Mu Chenghe asked with a raised lip corner.
It was more like a hint than a question. I nodded immediately: "Yes, looking for something."
"Looking for your phone?"
"Yeah," I agreed.
"Where?" He tilted his head and asked me.
“This is not…” Before I could finish my words, I suddenly realized that the phone was not in my hand. I subconsciously touched the pocket of my down jacket, but it was empty. In a flash, I remembered that I had called Liu Qi and put the phone back into my backpack.
I corrected myself guiltily and said, "I put it back in my bag."
Mu Chenghe smiled when he heard that, his eyes narrowed, and then he said "oh" meaningfully, with the curve of his lips deepening.
I realized then, was he setting me up? He made up a lie for me first, and then let me reveal my true colors. Looking at his smiling eyes, I became more certain of my conclusion.
This guy is bullying me again!
So I quickly responded to him with a sad look.
He stood outside and I stood inside, with a half-high evergreen tree between us. At this time, I saw his eyes fall on my face, and then he took a step forward.
I stared at him a little suspiciously.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly raised his left hand and stretched it towards me.
My heart suddenly accelerated.
I could see the fingertips getting closer and closer to me.
One foot, half a foot, one inch, half an inch...
Just before he touched me, I subconsciously turned my head. With just this tiny angle, I avoided his left fingers, causing them to stop awkwardly in the air.
In an instant, I saw something flashing rapidly in Mu Chenghe's eyes.
It was a very strange look.
It passed so quickly that I didn't have the chance or time to understand it.
So later on I thought, as a person with such a rough mind, I might never understand some things.
After a moment, the smile returned to his face.
He took his hand back and asked me, "Are you going to stand there and continue to trample on the flowers and plants in our school?"
I screamed and quickly jumped out.
"What are you doing here?"
"I... I... am waiting for someone."
"on vacation?"
"Well," I said, "it's a good time to pack up some things that I won't need for next semester and take them home."
"Found a job?"
“Not yet.” I said a little frustrated.
"How are you going to spend your winter vacation?"
"Mom wants me to go to her place next week and spend the New Year with her."
"Oh," he said, "I'll be out of town, too."
The conversation seemed to have come to an end.
To break the silence, I took the initiative to ask, "Are you busy at work?"
"good."
"Don't be so picky." I suddenly said again.
"Huh?" He didn't understand what I meant for a moment.
"I just overheard you talking."
He smiled helplessly.
"Your mother must be very anxious. Has she asked you to go on blind dates everywhere?" I wanted to tease him.
"No, she knows I have no plans in this regard."
"Why?" I was surprised.
The smile on his face gradually disappeared, and then he said calmly: "Life ambition."
The topic ends here.
We stood face to face, and fell into awkward silence again.
"Xiaotong." Liu Qi called me as he came towards me from the other end.
"Hey" I responded to him happily. I don't know why, but I felt a sense of relief.
Liu Qi saw Mu Chenghe beside me and said respectfully, "Teacher Mu."
Mu Chenghe nodded with a smile, then left on the pretext of having something to do.
Afterwards, Liu Qi helped me lift the suitcase out of the bushes and couldn't help asking me, "How did you get it in there?"
"My first thought was, if you don't come to pick me up, I'll hide it in there until you come to get it in the evening."
"No way, you really think so."
"Of course." I said, raising my chin.
Talking to Liu Qi was completely different from being in front of that person. Even lying was so simple. But Mu Chenghe was different. Any disguise I made seemed unnecessary in his eyes.
"Xue Tong." Liu Qi's voice brought me back to my wandering thoughts.
"Um?"
He gestured to my forehead.
I followed his gaze, touched my bangs, and then felt something hanging from my hair. I took it off and saw that it was a leaf.
Small, dark green, evergreen leaves.
The edges of the leaf tips are slightly yellowed, so they are a little curled.
It turned out that he just wanted to take it off for me.
I feel that Mu Chenghe gives me a feeling of both awe and fascination.
But from now on, I no longer need it.
On the third day after the exam, I took a long-distance bus to City B.
My mother's prison is not far from the city. Her company rented her a three-bedroom house in the city. She thought it was too far from the prison and rarely went there, so she lived in the company dormitory. The dormitory was actually a tube-shaped building with shared toilets and bathrooms, and she had to eat in the cafeteria.
After I came here, I found everything inconvenient and not as good as our school.
So she moved back to the city with me.
When moving things, several of my mother's colleagues came to help. Among them was a man in his fifties who was particularly enthusiastic. The young driver kept calling him "Political Commissar Chen" with a smile.
Ever since the last quarrel with her in the cemetery, I have become extremely sensitive to the word "Chen" and have squinted at that "Political Commissar Chen" many times.
He was not tall and thin, and wore a navy blue cotton police uniform that made him look very dark. He was kind to me, but he looked very serious, always with a stern face, and was a completely different type of man from my father.
Later, he seemed to notice my scrutinizing gaze and looked at me frequently.
But my mother didn't say a word.
Before going to bed, I couldn't help myself and asked, "Is this man the one you were talking about?"
Mom was puzzled: "What are you talking about? This and that."
I was so angry: "It's that Chen something, who helped you move things today!"
After hearing this, she laughed, "What have you been thinking about recently? You are suspicious of anyone with the last name Chen. What Chen, what Chen, is this polite? This Uncle Chen is the political commissar of our unit, not the one I mentioned last time..." She paused, "Not the one I mentioned to you last time."
"Oh." I answered, "Who told you not to explain clearly?"
"By the way, his daughter is also a senior. After she finishes her graduate school exam next week, she will come over to spend the New Year with him. You can keep her company then."
"oh."
"He said his daughter is introverted and doesn't like to get close to people, and he was afraid that you two wouldn't be able to reach an agreement. I said you have a good personality since you were young and can get along with anyone. I was exaggerating, so don't put me down."
Suddenly, I realized a very serious problem: "Mom, is this Uncle Chen married or divorced?"
My mother got angry and said, "Xue Tong, you control me more strictly than I control you!"
I couldn't help but grin.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m growing up or because it’s so rare for my mother and I to get together now, but our relationship is indeed much better than before.
I have never wandered around the streets of a strange city alone with a map in hand. I felt uncomfortable at first, but after a few days I began to love this feeling.
Uncle Chen's daughter arrived here the second week.
Her name is Chen Yan. She is an extremely delicate girl with very fair skin.
"What's your major?" I asked.
"law."
"Wow, this is a great major."
"What about you?" Chen Yan asked.
"English."
"English is also good. At least when you take the postgraduate entrance examination, English can help you get a lot of points. Why don't you give it a try?"
"I don't like going to school anymore," I said. "Besides, what's the point of studying? You can't make money."
Just as my mother wished, Chen Yan and I really became good friends.
After we got to know each other, I found out that her silence was just an outward appearance. In private, she was still as chatterbox as any other girl, and she loved gossip and was very curious.
Once when talking about my mother's workplace, I was surprised: "Are the prisoners in their prison male?"
"Yeah, you don't even know this?" Chen Yan was even more surprised.
"My mother never told me about her work. I only knew that she used to work in a women's prison, and most of her colleagues were women, so I thought this was also a women's prison. So I was puzzled when I saw so many male police officers that day."
"It's not like women can only supervise female prisoners. In men's prisons, female police officers just can't take shifts or enter the cells." She obviously knew a lot more than I did.
"Why can't I enter the cell?" I asked curiously.
"It's not that they are absolutely forbidden to enter the cell, but the regulations state that female police officers must be accompanied by two male police officers if they enter the cell." She continued to monitor.
"Why?"
Chen Yan didn't answer immediately, but blinked her big eyes at me.
And then... I understood.
I was so happy that I pointed at her and said, "Your expression is so vulgar."
Chen Yan asked: "You yourself don't think of obscene things, how can you tell that I am obscene?"
“You know so much,” I said.
“I like to ask my dad about his work.”
"You two can get along?"
"Yeah." Chen Yan nodded. "Don't be fooled by his stern face. He is actually very kind."
Kind? I raised my head and recalled Uncle Chen’s dark face. I couldn’t associate it with the word “kind”.
On the night of New Year’s Eve, we dressed up and went to set off fireworks.
When it was almost twelve o'clock, Liu Qi called me and talked to me for a long time.
Chen Yan asked: "Your boyfriend?"
"Yeah. About that."
"Be careful or I'll tell your mom."
"She doesn't care about me." I said, "What about you?"
"I haven't," she answered. "I don't have the time."
"Dating is not a trivial matter." I argued.
"I don't have such plans. I want to live on my own for the rest of my life," said Chen Yan.
"Why?"
Chen Yan said with emotion: "It's so good to be alone, without worries, and I have other ideals." Her tone was unusually serious. Chen Yan's words made me think of Mu Chenghe. Is it because he also holds this attitude towards life that he wants to be single
Suddenly, Chen Yan's phone and mine rang at the same time.
It’s mom.
"Hello" I said.
"Tongtong, where are you?"
"In the Plaza Mayor."
"You stay with Chen Yan tonight. Mom has to go to the company for something and may not be able to come back." Mom said in a serious tone.
"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.
"Don't ask about work matters, just be careful." This is her attitude when it comes to work.
After my mother hung up the phone, Chen Yan talked on the phone for a while longer than I did.
"Your father beat you?"
"Yeah. He said something big happened in the prison, maybe someone escaped."
"No way!" I widened my eyes.
Even though my mom usually keeps me away from her work, I've watched a lot of TV and know that prison breaking is a big deal.
"What should we do?" Whenever I encounter a problem, I am at a loss.
"My dad's car is here to pick us up." said Chen Yan.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Go to my house."
After a while, driver Xiao Li drove to the meeting point and took us back to Chen Yan.
Along the way, Xiao Li looked extremely serious. At the Second Ring Road intersection, we encountered a checkpoint where police and armed police carefully questioned and checked every vehicle entering and leaving.
It was not until this moment that I realized how serious this matter was.
"When did it happen?" Chen Yan asked.
Xiao Li and Chen Yan are very familiar with each other, so he said directly: "We made sure that this person was still there after dinner. They usually finish watching TV at 9:30, and after roll call, they go to bed at 10. Tonight is New Year's Eve, so they were allowed to watch the end of the Spring Festival Gala, but at 12:30, they found that one person was missing."
"How did he get out?" I wondered.
I went to my mother's prison the day I arrived in City B. There are two layers of walls, especially the outer wall, which is as high as a three-story building, with a 10,000-volt power grid on top, and armed police patrolling the outermost.
Xiao Li said: "He may not have escaped, he may still be somewhere in the prison. So, when you arrive, you can only stay in the office area. The prison now has checkpoints at the intersections, just in case he is hiding in a truck and sneaking out."
After he finished his explanation, we remained silent.
A few minutes later, the car passed the second checkpoint.
In silence, Chen Yan asked again: "Who is it?"
Xiao Li said, "A 50-year-old new prisoner who arrived last month. He was convicted of poisoning and sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve."
"Two years' reprieve from death?" I asked.
"It means the death penalty is suspended for two years. If there is no further illegal or criminal behavior during the two years, it will automatically be converted to life imprisonment. Otherwise, it will be executed immediately," Chen Yan explained.
When we arrived downstairs at Chen Yan's building, Xiao Li locked the car and insisted on taking us upstairs.