“… There are still many excellent young people among us today… You are still far behind and need to learn more.”
Faced with the words from Jiang's mother that seemed to be encouraging but were actually spurring, what else could Cheng Ran do but accept them humbly and cautiously.
Jiang Yueqin was stunned by Cheng Ran's sincere nod of approval. She felt something was wrong. Based on the previous confrontation between Cheng Ran and Jiang Yueqin, it seemed that his admission of defeat came too easily.
But there is an old saying that you should not hit someone who smiles at you, so it is not good to continue to pursue him. But the previously depressed mood finally got released at this moment.
She looked at Cheng Ran with great satisfaction as he lowered his head and submitted to her, and she even began to like him a little.
I don't believe I can't suppress you...
Jiang Yueqin felt that everything was back under control, and suddenly she felt that she was really competitive. Of course, she didn't actually regard him as a real junior before, but now she seemed to be reflecting on herself.
Looking at Cheng Ran's handsome face that looked a bit like a girl under the warm yellow light, he comforted himself again. After all, he was still a little brat, so he easily cut off his sharpness. He was worried about Hong Shao's special feelings for him before, but now it seems that he was probably just too worried...
It feels so good to have the power of life and death. When Jiang Yueqin turned around, she saw Chen Huiyan staring at her without blinking. She responded with a smile with the corners of her lips slightly raised.
She believed she understood the meaning of her signature micro-expression, which was the smile that had appeared after she defeated her opponents countless times in their past college career.
It means "victory".
The taste of victory is sweet, and the feeling of having no more obstacles is so smooth and open-minded.
There can never be two tigers in one mountain. I am the overlord of this place, and I can grant amnesty to the world.
She no longer had to think about bringing up offensive topics, and could instead blend into the atmosphere of everyone chatting under the light in Xinning's living room.
Perhaps because the topic of foreign countries came up in the conversation just now, Marco began to sigh, "Hey, Brother Gao Lin, Brother Luo, you guys can still come back often now. I remember that sister Yawen, who lived upstairs from us, went abroad to study medicine and married a doctor in Canada. She never came back. We used to have a very good relationship and often went to her house for dinner... I don't know how she is doing now. After moving, we have less contact..."
"Yes, will we have fewer and fewer gatherings like this in the future..."
In fact, these words hit the nail on the head. That is, with the passage of time, when their lives change dramatically like a chemical reaction, everyone will most likely face various problems in life and rush to their own battles, so that they will drift away from those who were once inseparable but ultimately cannot share the same ideals.
"Brother Gao Lin, Brother Luo Qin, you will also live abroad in the future, don't forget us! Come back once a year. Let's get together," Luo Wei said, "After all, we have seen what you looked like when you were young, and you have also seen us running around in the yard in open-crotch pants!"
"Luo Wei, what do you mean by saying that... We are still young now. I still remember when you came to me with a runny nose and said that someone was bullying you and asked me for help!" Everyone laughed as Gao Lin spoke.
But besides the laughter, there is still some sadness.
The adults over there had finished their meal and left the table. They came over here and someone asked Luo Kang if he was going to retire in Australia. In fact, someone in their family had already gone there and immigrated and settled there. The house was quite big and their family was not short of money.
Everyone asked, "Brother Luo Qin, are you really going to immigrate there when the time comes..."
Luo Qin nodded, "My aunt and her family are already there, and our family is also preparing to go there."
Wei Weiqing, who was silent for a moment, raised his glasses and said, "In fact, it's good not to immigrate. Our country is still developing and will get better and better in the future. My teacher taught me this. So, the things we are studying now, which other developed countries have, I believe we will also have in the future."
Luo Qin nodded, "I believe it, but I'm not worshipping foreigners..." He glanced at Jiang's mother. They had heard about how Jiang's mother scored first in the IELTS in college and then rejected an olive branch from a foreign university to criticize the craze of studying abroad. Of course, they should make it clear first.
Jiang Yueqin was against the trend of going abroad back then. That was when she was young and in her prime. Later, when she was older, she had more in-depth thoughts. In fact, not everyone wants to escape from poverty and weakness. Some people went abroad to learn advanced things and then consider whether to stay or go... What they actually pursued was just an opportunity to change their destiny.
Whether it is going abroad, taking the postgraduate entrance examination, or starting a business, it is actually within the scope of personal ability and resources. There is no superiority or inferiority in the choice.
Dissatisfaction with one's own destiny and the struggle to change it are the driving force and source of human beings' eternal struggle. It is also the reason why human ancestors migrated and wandered.
Seeing that Jiang Yueqin was just smiling at him, Luo Qinru was encouraged and continued, "It's just that this time when I came back, I found that although my former classmates and friends were close, I felt that there was a distance between me and them. I began to not understand the popular things in China, the things that young people play and talk about. But some of the things they care about most, don't seem to be a problem in my opinion."
"In fact, my aunt's family was the first to decide to immigrate. She was one of the people who were enthusiastic about going abroad. At first, she had the desire to work hard and come back to build the motherland. Later, she fulfilled her promise. She came back and attended the wedding of her former lover. Seeing them happy, she found that her youth had passed away in another country. There are not many friends now. Everyone has their own lives. Maybe they get together with the feelings and freshness of the past, but how many common topics do they have? She was educated in another country, but she couldn't get into the industry after returning to China. Even with the halo of returning from overseas, she found that her behavior was out of tune. She also found that the hometown she once knew had become unfamiliar. My aunt said that she could bear the cold eyes of a foreign country, sweat and tears, and lick her wounds alone, but she could not come back and become a stranger in her motherland. Sometimes it's not that you abandon your hometown, but that your hometown has become different and no longer needs you. My aunt finally thought about the past when she grew up in an old place. It is said that she cried for a long time, and then left the next day to return to Australia."
"I think... I might be like that, too."
Luo Qin said calmly.
Gao Lin recalled his time in Germany with mixed feelings. He thought that he probably would never be able to come back.
But everyone can feel the weight of this exotic and hometown sentiment.
Therefore, the atmosphere was somewhat silent for a while.
Just after this long silence, a gentle voice suddenly sounded, as if chanting the speed of time.
"I have been staying in Bingzhou for ten days, and I miss Xianyang day and night..."
Everyone looked at the people coming and going. In the light and shadow of the chandelier above their heads, the boy who was obviously a teenager had light whispers lingering around him.
"For no reason I cross the Sanggan River again, only to find Bingzhou is my hometown."
Under the bright light, the young man was reciting.
This poem is "Traveling to the North", also known as "Crossing the Sanggan River", by Liu Zao, a poet who lived in the late Tang Dynasty. The natural and genuine emotions in this poem are vividly portrayed on paper, directly and plainly displaying the feeling of living in a foreign land.
When Cheng Ran recited it here at this time, what he was actually reciting was no longer a poem. Instead, he expressed in this way the feelings that people had felt when they were chatting just now, the tangled and inseparable feelings of nostalgia for their hometown, the ties to travel in a foreign land, and the feeling of wanting to say thousands of words but being unable to do so and ultimately being able to only feel the emotions.
Therefore, everyone could deeply understand the emotions of Luo Qin, Gao Lin and other people like them who were in a foreign land.
Not only the people gathered in the living room, but even the men who had just left the table, their faces flushed with alcohol, stopped at this moment, and they felt the truth and were deeply concerned when they heard it.
Li Jingping seemed to see again the young man who sang to Jiang Hongshao downstairs when they were in Shanhai.
And in his eyes, his daughter was also looking at him, reciting softly, as if she was repeating the poem that Cheng Ran recited.
After Cheng Ran's voice stopped, Jiang Yueqin's more magnetic voice sounded, "In fact, all hometowns were originally foreign lands. Our hometown is just the last stop of our ancestors' migration. People stayed here, and the subsequent people regarded this place as their hometown. Wherever you have your lover and family, that place will eventually become your hometown."
“Wherever my heart is at peace, that is my hometown.”
When Jiang Yueqin finished speaking, her eyes were fixed on Cheng Ran. Jiang Yueqin felt that this was a response to his previous performance and a sign of appreciation.
It was a bit of a coincidence that the two of them had hidden intentions and ended up with such a move.
…
A rare dinner and final conversation ended with the men finishing their drinking party, and everyone said goodbye and left one after another.
When Gao Lin and his friends left, they drove here, so they took Luo Wei and Marco who lived in the same place with them. Luo Wei also followed them. The last chat today was quite sad. In fact, everyone felt nostalgic for the older brothers in the previous unit, such as Gao Lin and Luo Qin, who might settle abroad in the future, and they would see them less and less, so they hoped to spend more time with them.
Jiang Hongshao and her family were sent out, while Luo Wei and Shu Jiexi got into Gao Lin's car. As soon as Luo Wei got into the car, he shouted, "Gao Lin, you are really going to be like Luo Kang and never come back... We used to admire you so much. I still remember you used to tell us ghost stories to scare us and make us listen to you. When we were bullied, you were the first to jump out to uphold justice and smash the windows of other people's houses..."
Gao Lin laughed, "Alright, alright! Are you here to complain or do you really admire me..."
Seeing Luo Weishu and Jie Xi's playful smiles, Gao Lin drove the car and laughed, "Okay... You used to worship me, but now, I'm afraid you all turn to Cheng Ranluo..."
After Luo Wei and his group got on the bus and left, everyone wanted him to squeeze in and take him home, but Cheng Ran refused.
After several cars drove away, only Chen Huiyan, Jiang Hongshao's family of three and Cheng Ran were left under the street light.
Cheng Ran said goodbye to them, and Jiang Hongshao said, "I'll take you there."
Jiang Yueqin folded her arms, "It's getting late, I think it's time for you to go to bed, Hongshao."
Jiang Hongshao had already stood next to Cheng Ran and turned around and said, "I'll be back soon."
After saying this, he winked at Cheng Ran and walked forward without saying anything else.
Before Jiang Yueqin could say anything, Li Jingping spoke up, "Well, it's polite to see the guest off. The platform outside is not far away, she will be back soon."
Jiang Yueqin didn't say anything more. She was in a good mood now and didn't think it was a big deal. After all, that boy had been threatening for a while, but he had retreated on his own initiative like a beast surrendering to his master. He should not be a threat at all.
…
Coming out of the community, the two walked side by side under the street lights in the willow forest by the river, walking between the breeze and the gurgling water.
"Hmm!" Cheng Ran stretched out his hand towards her.
Jiang Hongshao was stunned for a moment, then her face became slightly hot, and she glanced back quietly. She looked like a colorful squirrel that had just picked up a pine cone and was worried about the mantis behind it, feeling guilty and blushing, looking cute.
Before Cheng Ran could fully enjoy this rare look, he felt a warm and cool touch on his hand. Her five slender fingers, which made him want to play with them one by one, fell into his grasp.
Like a squirrel hiding in a warm tree hole in the cold winter.
Under the night light, the girl was so bright and beautiful that Cheng Ranjie was overwhelmed by the waves of emotion in his heart.
There was no conversation between the two, only the slightly reddened ears and the clear breathing seemed to be enough.
There were some young people passing by laughing and they were stunned for a moment when they saw the two of them. After they walked past hand in hand, they heard some laughter and arguments from behind, "Ah, if I could be with that girl..."
"I can brag about it for the rest of my life..."
The noise gradually faded from my ears.
Finally, I felt that the journey was too short and came to the farewell station.
Because the lights were bright and there were many people, Jiang Hongshao pulled her hand away like a scared squirrel.
The car that Cheng Ran was waiting for was about to arrive. Lao Jiang smiled and said, "I think what my mother said at the end was very good. In fact, the most important thing for a person's peace of mind is who he meets and who he is with. Where these people are, that is home."
"What about you?" Cheng Ran asked with a smile. The bus arrived and he was the only one getting on the bus at this stop. Cheng Ran put one foot over the door but did not get in.
"Let's go!" Jiang Hongshao was worried that he would be scolded by the driver, so she pushed him into the car. Before the door closed, she smiled and said, "No matter where I go in the future... Shanhai and Rongcheng are the places I will never forget."
…
Chen Huiyan helped to tidy up the Jiang family's living room and moved some chairs. When she came back, Jiang Yueqin, who had just been busy in the kitchen, brought up two cups of ginger tea in bone china cups with beautiful and elegant patterns and placed them in front of Chen Huiyan.
Jiang Yueqin picked up the ginger tea and stirred the small piece of brown sugar in it with a silver spoon. "Let's go later. Drink some brown sugar ginger tea. It helps women replenish their qi and blood in this weather."
As she spoke, she took a sip and stirred it gently, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her, unfocused, as if she was savoring something, with a smile curving at the corner of her mouth.
Chen Huiyan finally spoke, "There is something... I actually... didn't plan to tell you. But seeing how bad that boy was... I couldn't help it..."
"Um… ?"
"I also had my eyes on the Tianxing Dojo and was planning to develop commercial real estate... But Cheng Ran got there first. So just now you... I actually wanted to remind you, but I didn't have the chance..."
Ding wolf wolf!
The spoon in Jiang Yueqin's hand fell into the cup with a crisp sound.