On July 2, Xu Lan packed her luggage and even bought a suitcase for the occasion. She put all her things in it. Cheng Ran looked at her and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Mom, we're just going to take a test for one day, not to move."
Xu Lan said, "When you go out, it's better to be prepared. And your dad went there first, and I don't know how the situation is. I don't know if he brought enough things. It's a rare opportunity to go out. I heard that the clothes in the Jiulong Wholesale Market in Chengdu are very cheap... I will go shopping there. When you go to Chengdu to visit relatives, you must bring some local specialties. You can't count on your dad for these things!"
The exam for Chengdu No. 10 Middle School is on July 4th. I will take a train on the evening of the 2nd and arrive on the 3rd to take a day off. The exam will be on the 4th. After that, I may stay in Chengdu for another day or two before it’s time to go back.
Cheng Ran remembered that Xu Lan seldom went out very often. In the past, transportation was inconvenient, and any business trip was a long journey. Airplane tickets were a luxury that ordinary people could not afford, and train tickets were also a considerable expense. Therefore, the cost of a trip to Chengdu was very high. Every time the green train started, it might mean a long separation and a confused future.
There was no Taikoo Li and Silverstone Plaza in the city center of later generations. At that time, the Jiulong Lotus Pond Wholesale Market in Chengdu was a shopping destination that radiated throughout the province and was even famous in the country. Whoever could buy some clothes there would bring them back and show off to others.
There was no such thing as e-commerce at that time. Generally, a city would have a centralized trade market that would gather goods from merchants all over the country and then distribute them. Cities across the country were all similar.
My mother has rarely been to Chengdu, but that does not hinder her inherent passion for shopping. Because of her husband's career and her son's future education, she seems to have found a legitimate reason to travel to Chengdu. Her response is usually that why go to Chengdu? It's a waste of money.
Seeing Xu Lan's face as if she was facing a great enemy and ready to come over or leave, Cheng Ran said softly, "Mom, we'll move there in the future, so you can go whenever you want."
"It's still early." Xu Lan said, "I'm just in need of summer clothes. I'll go see what I can buy..."
What Xu Lan said was "go see what to buy", not "go buy more". In fact, Xu Lan also has times when she wants to dress up, but whenever she thinks of her home and Cheng Ran's various expenses, this idea naturally disappears.
She is still thinking in the same way as before, but she is slowly feeling the changes in the surrounding environment brought about by the change in the family situation. Yuan Chun, who used to show off his family background in front of her, even when he bought a toy for his son, now keeps his mouth shut.
Many people in the unit discussed Fulun Company privately, and looked at her with envy and admiration.
There was a supervisor in the company who was always arrogant and difficult to deal with, but now he was much more polite to her. In the past, Manager Tong's more introverted and shy wife would just say hello to her and nod to her when she came to the company, but now she would take the initiative to ask about Cheng Ran's situation, and then talk about her daughter Tong Tian saying that Cheng Ran was a legend in No. 1 Middle School, and talk to her about family matters for a long time.
Even the hotel's boss came to her and confessed that the hotel would be restructured in the future and many employees would have to buy out their years of service, but she, Xu Lan, could own shares in the hotel after it was privatized in the future, and would not need to take a share of the money and leave like the others.
In the end, she did not ask for any special treatment. She took the compensation and left her previous unit like everyone else.
It seemed that many things, including the previous social conventions, had slowly changed with the growth of Cheng Feiyang and Fulong, and Xu Lan had some difficulty adapting. This period of time was also the window period for leaving the company where she had worked for more than ten years. Cheng Ran also had to take an exam, so he went to Rongcheng to relax. Cheng Feiyang had already gone there with the senior management of Fulong, and they were going to meet him after deciding the future company address.
On the evening of the 2nd, the two took a train to Chengdu.
In fact, Cheng Ran still preferred the plane when it came to transportation, but Xu Lan believed that even if the family could afford to fly, she would still feel heartbroken when she saw the airfare, so she didn't buy a plane ticket, and at most she could only take a sleeper. So Cheng Ran accompanied her in the rumbling green train carriage and headed south to Chengdu.
Arriving at the station in the morning, Cheng Feiyang picked up the car. Fulong bought an old electronics factory in the west of the city that was no longer in business. The factory was very happy and enthusiastic about him as the general manager of Fulong. They even sent a special car to take him to the railway station to pick up his family. After putting the luggage in the trunk of Santana 2000, the family rushed to the Pearl Hotel outside Chengdu No. 10 Middle School, which Cheng Feiyang had booked in advance.
This is to take care of Cheng Ran. The No. 10 Middle School is located within the first ring road, and there are many hotels outside. Every year when the No. 10 Middle School holds its independent enrollment examination, the surrounding hotels are crowded with families who come from various cities and counties in the province to accompany their children to take the examination. Every time an examination is held, they are eagerly waiting outside, which is a spectacular sight.
It is still the same today. When checking in, I saw a lot of students and parents. There were also many family-run hotel solicitors holding "Accommodation" signs on the streets to attract customers.
When checking in, Cheng Ran asked tentatively, "Can we book two rooms?"
As a result, Xu Lan scolded her, "Why do you need two rooms? I'm your mother, why can't we live together? How expensive are two rooms?"
Cheng Ran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to say that he had about a million yuan in his credit card, so he could afford a house... But he didn't say such shocking words in front of Xu Lan. He and Cheng Qi were making money from board games, and they knew it, but they didn't ask how much they made. They probably thought that giving their child privacy and letting him control himself was what enlightened parents they were...
If this amount were made public, my current life would probably be messed up and there would definitely be a lot of unnecessary complications. My mother has already been a little confused by the changes in the family recently, so it would be better not to add to her burden.
But in the end, Xu Lan still booked two rooms. When giving him the room card, she said, "You have grown up, you need some privacy, but I remind you! Don't think that no one is watching you when you lock yourself in the room to play! If no one is watching you, you will not be able to enter the high school you have chosen. This is your own business..."
From the elevator to the corridor, Xu Lan kept giving instructions. Maybe when she arrived, she was affected by the atmosphere of families checking in for the exam, and she began to get nervous. When my mother gets nervous, she keeps talking.
In fact, Cheng Ran knew that those who came to take the exam were not necessarily taking his transfer exam for the second year of high school. Many of them came to participate in the independent enrollment for the first year of high school.
Independent enrollment is the policy of the Education Bureau for these high schools. Enrolling transfer students is not included in the Education Bureau's policy, and they are not enrolled on a large scale. And everyone knows how difficult the questions are, so there are not many students who come to take the transfer exam, probably only about one or two hundred people. Many people have never even heard of this exam before, and they can only call for consultation. They also have to go through the admissions department of Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School to confirm your school grades and rankings. After confirming your qualifications, they will let you come to collect the exam materials.
Only when I walked into my room could I find some peace and quiet.
Cheng Ran put down his bag and listened to Xu Lan packing a suitcase in the next room. She said she would bring him the washcloth later.
He responded with a hoarse "Okay", walked to the window, fumbled with the window rope, and pulled open the curtains.
At first glance, you can see the ancient building that has remained standing at its original location for more than 2,000 years, untouched by wind and rain.
Outside the red riveted copper-nailed gate is a row of six majestic red columns supporting a green glazed tile roof. Behind this facade is the shadowy ancient building from the Han Dynasty, standing tall with a heavy historical atmosphere.
Li Hongzhang once inscribed here: "All Hanlin scholars in the world are juniors, and half of the excellent scholars in Shu are students. The clouds and mist in the stone room remind me of my old dreams, and the wind and rain in Jinjiang are the lights for reading."
Ji Xianlin wrote "One school from ancient times to the present, shining for thousands of years".
He Qifang taught Chinese here, Cao Baohua taught English here, and the stone plaques with inscriptions everywhere are from Ma Shi Tu, Li Fangming, Lu You, Fan Zhongyan...
This building, which has gone through two thousand years of history, now stands majestically in front of the countless people who are looking at it.
With an aura that cannot be conquered.
Ah, an update! I'm in Nagoya, here to send you razor blades!