Of course, this reunion of the Jiang family and Cheng Ran's graduation banquet was just a meeting with Old Jiang. The two of them didn't even exchange a few words.
But many things are not like this. It's good enough as long as we see each other.
In the evening, Jiang Hongshao went home, and Li Jingping took a walk with her along the Qingbo River outside their courtyard. During the conversation, he smiled and said that if my good daughter had not gone to England, it would be very likely that you would be the champion this time. Although it was a hypothetical joke, in fact, Li Jingping's expression reflected by the river that night was very lonely.
In Chinese society, the number one scholar has always been a huge topic, and even a complex since ancient times. In the imperial examination era, the emperor selected talented people and appointed them to positions. The number one scholar meant "ten years of hard study, one day to the dragon gate. In the morning, you are a farmer, and in the evening, you are in the emperor's hall." Although there is no such thing as being famous overnight and being promoted immediately in ancient times, it also means that there is a smooth road with the best choice for everyone. Although there have been doubts in society from beginning to end about where the number one scholar is now, the beautiful vision and imagination of this matter is imprinted in the bones.
Just by thinking about it, you can know what kind of glory and excitement the person who wins this crown will get.
Today, Cheng Ran's family turned into giant pandas at the banquet. This was an example. In addition, whether in the circle of friends or in the work organization, the discussion about the top student in the province, their children's college entrance examination scores and whereabouts were the hottest topics. As a result, Li Jingping had no idea where to start the discussion, and he couldn't help feeling a sense of loss. Anyway, there was always something that Li Jingping was still brooding over, "I shouldn't have asked you to tutor him during the high school entrance examination... Now he has become the top student in the province!"
Looking at the indignant Li Jingping, Jiang Hongshao couldn't help laughing, "Dad, that was a long time ago."
"That was the reason. You went to No. 10 Middle School, and within a year he also went there. His grades weren't that good to begin with, but they improved steadily at No. 10 Middle School. It was because you took the lead." Li Jingping frowned, "If you hadn't gone out to study... you would have definitely defeated him."
Li Jingping would probably only be so "unsteady" when saying things like this in front of his own daughter.
Jiang Hongshao explained to him seriously, "That's not necessarily true. Cheng Ran has a very strange thing. You won't know his trump card until the last moment. I didn't take the exam, so I don't know how much I can score. But Cheng Ran's score is not something I can always get."
Li Jingping stared at his daughter for a long while, and finally sighed and said, "Your mother must be terribly angry..."
After Jiang Yueqin's job transfer, she seldom returned to Chengdu, and Jiang Hongshao and her mother rarely had in-depth conversations anymore.
Li Jingping said, "In the future, you should communicate more with your mother and don't let her become Wu Zetian."
Jiang Hongshao nodded slightly.
…
Shu Jiexi received an admission letter from the Department of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney and then treated everyone to a meal. He had always wanted to study architecture. Cheng Ran remembered that he actually wanted to go to the University of Minnesota in the United States. After the meal, Shu Jiexi really went to Guangdong with his father to worship his ancestors.
Luo Wei scored over 520 points in the exam. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be admitted to a second-tier financial college in the province where the principal has a good relationship with his family. Su Hongdou was admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Ma Ke went to Tongji University. In this context, frequent gatherings among classmates and friends gave Cheng Ran and Jiang Hongshao more excuses and space to get together.
Previously, they were a tale of two cities, one in Chengdu and the other in London, with a time difference of seven hours. Apart from the technology that brought them closer together and the messages on CQ, Cheng Ran would wake up at the same time as Jiang Hongshao went to bed. Cheng Ran's afternoon was the early morning for Jiang Hongshao. The two of them would either talk on the phone, with Cheng Ran telling her about the interesting things of the day and her talking about her experiences yesterday. Or they would chat about the books they had read, movies and TV. Sometimes, when they were interested, they would exchange poems like sour literati, some were serious, some were doggerel, some were chivalrous, and sometimes they would do role-playing. At such times, Cheng Ran still liked to make phone calls the most. The voice he heard on the phone was so addictive.
London is cold all year round. It is extremely cold when it is windy or rainy. Sometimes when Jiang Hongshao walks in the park covered with fallen leaves, she will look up, wrap herself tightly in her coat, and smile at the thought of someone still sleeping.
Of course, the two of them had a lot of space and freedom during the holidays. Cheng Ran would often send her home after finishing a day's project with her. Jiang Hongshao would not play too late. She would sing karaoke and have supper with friends at the latest. Li Jingping would call her at ten o'clock. When Cheng Ran sent her home, he would meet Li Jingping waiting for them to get off the car in the yard or at the street corner. Li Shuji would nod to Cheng Ran as a greeting for him to send his daughter home.
The greetings are false, the strict defense is real.
It seems that after Jiang Yueqin returned to Beijing from a short stay in Chengdu, Boss Li, who was attending a meeting in Chengdu, received a death order.
But even so, the two still had a pleasant time. They ate at the newly opened McDonald's in Chengdu together, took the second to last row of seats on the bus together, and walked along the road to No. 10 Middle School with the bus, listening to the people on the bus discussing the top scorer in Sichuan Province who rejected Tsinghua University and Peking University and chose to go to Central South University of Science and Technology with either great admiration or deep sorrow.
I would go to the milk tea shop outside the door, eat egg cakes, and the stinky tofu at the corner. Lao Jiang would hold a bunch of them in one hand and push her hair behind her ears while eating. She was as good as a man.
They would also return to No. 10 Middle School, where they would be stopped by a security guard. The two said that they had just graduated and wanted to visit the school. In principle, the security guard would not let them in without a student ID. As a result, Jiang Hongshao told a bunch of interesting stories about No. 10 Middle School, which really confused the security guard, and he asked them to register and let them in.
The security guard behind him thought the photo looked familiar, so he looked at the photo on the wall of honor next to him and slapped his head.
They strolled around No. 10 Middle School and later went to the rooftop to watch the sunset again.
We walked together on the bridge of time under the red columns, as if to make up for the last summer we didn't experience together.
What Cheng Ran still remembers vividly is the way she faced the setting sun with her whole body bathed in the sunset glow.
Such gatherings would happen whenever there was nothing personal to do. We would meet every other day at most, and every day seemed like we were looking forward to something new and creating shared memories for the two of us. It was a life full of colors, but because there would be separations, we cherished it.
Not long after they arrived in Chengdu, Li Jingping was about to return to Shanhai, and Jiang Hongshao was about to go to the capital.
On the last night when I sent her home, I didn't see Li Jingping at the street corner or outside the yard. I just saw a light on in the living room of Jiang Hongshao's small building across the river.
Jiang Hongshao turned around in the night and smiled mischievously, "You went shopping with me and ate Chengdu snacks these days. Although sometimes I treated you, considering that you, a provincial champion, can condescend to do nothing, I'll give you an eight."
"You're even doing after-sales reviews... No, this makes me, a top student, seem to be working in the service industry." Cheng Ran frowned, "Could it be that you are going to experience the last part of your lost high school life, and I am just a slave?"
"You are not allowed to talk about yourself like that." Jiang Hongshao said playfully, "You are still a tour guide. I am quite satisfied with the high school life that Cheng Ran introduced. You must keep up the good work in the future, and keep me updated on your college life!"
Cheng Ran laughed, "Isn't reporting a two-way street?"
"As for me, my life is a routine between the library, classroom and dormitory. Although the instructor teaches at a round table, I actually rely on self-study to a large extent... There is basically nothing to be proud of about my experience." Jiang Hongshao waved her hand.
Cheng Ran looked into her eyes and asked, "Do you really want to know about my college life?"
"I'm bored, it's not impossible to have more information channels." Jiang Hongshao stretched lazily. The river, the lights and stars falling into the river, and the beautiful woman.
Cheng Ran remembered something, "I remember that I didn't talk to you on the phone for a few weeks before the college entrance examination. Why, if I didn't contact you, you wouldn't call me, or you felt that you were afraid of affecting my performance and refrained from disturbing me?"
"What are you enduring?"
Jiang Hongshao burst out laughing. "I know you are preparing for the college entrance examination. I also need to prepare a PS for my tutor. My course is equivalent to integrating two years of A-level into one year. I am also very busy and have things to do."
She tilted her head and smiled, looking at Cheng Ran who didn't respond, "Are you angry?"
Then he smiled helplessly, "Okay, just consider it as me enduring very hard."
Also look at Cheng Ran.
As a result, Cheng Ran did not have the expected disappointment in his smiling eyes. Instead, he had a bright look that made her feel guilty. "Sometimes on weekends, I often receive your text messages at 12 noon, although they are just simple messages like 'Have you eaten?' or 'What did you eat?' But you seem to have forgotten... I received your text message at 12 o'clock, which means that you will get up earlier than usual on weekends, at 5 o'clock in the morning... just to send me a greeting text message?"
"I would be reading books, newspapers, and papers at that time," Jiang Hongshao tilted her head a little awkwardly, showing her sharp fangs, turned around and strode forward, "It's a coincidence!"
"You don't happen to know that!"