Chapter 77
◎Are You Unhappy◎
As they were eating, a person sat down opposite them. “Classmate, is this seat taken?”
“No.” Tangtang looked up, and her eyes lit up the moment she saw the person. “Brother Shunian!”
Zhou Shunian was holding a tray, his eyes crinkling with a clear smile. “I was just by myself. I saw you here and came over. I’m not disturbing you and your friend’s meal, am I?”
“How could you?” Tangtang hadn’t expected to run into him in the canteen. She excitedly introduced him to Dong Shuqing. “Shuqing, let me introduce you. This is my big brother’s friend, Zhou Shunian. Brother Shunian is also in our school’s physics department.”
“Brother Shunian, this is my roommate, Dong Shuqing.”
Hearing Tangtang suddenly call her name, Dong Shuqing hurriedly responded and almost bit her tongue. Her cheeks felt so hot they could have cooked the fried egg in her lunchbox. “Hello.”
Zhou Shunian nodded slightly. “Hello.”
Tangtang looked at the tray in front of him. There was one meat dish and one vegetable dish: shiitake mushroom stewed chicken and stir-fried shredded potatoes. The staple food was white flour steamed buns. While he was eating, his well-defined hand rested on the edge of the tray.
He had a gentle smile on his face. “I had a colleague I knew at the factory before. He was transferred to a newly built township factory as a deputy director. The new factory encountered many technical problems in its early stages. I helped him solve some of them. To thank me, he sent me a lot of fruit. The weather is hot, and these things can’t be stored. I kept a small portion, and the rest couldn’t be finished by my dormitory. I’ll give it to you later. You can share it with your roommates when you go back.”
Tangtang felt that it was not good to always accept things from Zhou Shunian, but if she refused directly, it would seem a little distant. She hesitated for a moment and still responded in a low voice, “Alright then. Thank you, Brother Shunian.”
After finishing their meal, Tangtang and Dong Shuqing waited for Zhou Shunian downstairs at the boys’ dormitory.
Zhou Shunian’s dormitory was on the second floor. It only took him a few minutes to come down. He stuffed a large bag of food into Tangtang’s hand.
Tangtang looked at the heavy bag and her eyes widened. “Didn’t you just say it was some fruit? How come there are so many pastries and canned food?”
There were three kinds of fresh fruit: apples, bananas, and pears. There were also several packs of pastries wrapped in oil paper: osmanthus cake, peach crisp, and fried dough twists. There was a bottle of canned yellow peaches and two bottles of canned oranges, all packed in nylon net bags, each one full.
Even Dong Shuqing on the side couldn’t help but click her tongue. Back in their hometown, they wouldn’t even be willing to buy so many good things for the New Year.
“Brother Shunian, you should take some back.”
Zhou Shunian spread his hands. “They’re already packed. It’s a hassle to unpack them. You can just take them back to your dormitory.”
“Alright then.” Tangtang looked at it. It did look a bit difficult to unpack. She could only carry the heavy bag back.
When Tangtang’s roommates saw her come back with this large bag of things, they all stopped their chattering and couldn’t help but gather around.
Pan Yanmei’s eyes widened. “My goodness, so many things. Tangtang, where did you get so rich?”
“These are not what I bought. They were given to me by a friend of my big brother.”
“He’s also from our school, in the physics department, named Zhou Shunian.” As an insider, Dong Shuqing was eager to share the news with them. “You don’t know, that friend of Tangtang’s big brother is really handsome, even more handsome than the male stars on the posters!”
“He’s very well-spoken, and his hands are also very nice. The joints of his hand holding the chopsticks are well-defined. When the sun shines on him, he looks like a painting!”
“And his watch, it’s a Shanghai brand, right? It’s very, very expensive.”
Liang Cuixia looked at the apples, bananas, and pears, as well as some pastries like mung bean cake and osmanthus cake. “This is so generous. This is more abundant than the New Year’s goods we buy back home. I heard that the fruit sold outside is not cheap!”
“Zhou Shunian? This name sounds a bit familiar. I think I’ve heard it somewhere. Is he in the physics department?”
“I think I heard this name from the calculus teacher.”
Tangtang’s shoulders were being shaken back and forth. She then heard Dong Shuqing say, “It’s a pity he’s not in the same department as us… Does your Brother Shunian have a girlfriend?”
“Stop…” Tangtang interrupted their gossip with a smile. She picked out a separate portion from the pile of food, planning to take it to the University of Transportation for her third brother in the afternoon or tomorrow. She gave the rest to everyone. “These fruits were given to him by someone else. Let’s all share them.”
Liang Cuixia smiled. “Then we won’t be polite. We’re benefiting from Tangtang!”
“I’ll just put them on the table. Sister Cuixia, this is for you. Sister Yanmei, this is for you. Xiaohui, this is yours.”
Chen Xiaohui was suddenly stuffed with several kinds of fruit. She pursed her dry lips, her eyes filled with a complicated emotion, but she still looked up and said to Tangtang, “Thank you.”
…
Zhou Shunian was sitting in a corner by the window in a restaurant. The tea leaves floating on the surface of the water swayed and sank to the bottom of the cup. The father and son were silent. In the end, it was Zhou Tingchang who couldn’t help but call the waiter. “When will our food be ready?”
“Comrade, you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
Zhou Tingchang cleared his throat. “I’m on a business trip to the capital and came to see you. You got into university through your own efforts. Dad is very happy for you.”
In his early years, Zhou Tingchang had been busy with his career, so his son had basically grown up with his grandfather and mother. He had basically never participated in parent-teacher conferences or other school activities. He was also a hands-off manager at home, so the relationship between father and son was not close. Since his first wife, Wang Chunlan, had passed away, Zhou Shunian had also gone to Wanqiu to work as an educated youth. The number of times the father and son had met in these six years could be counted on one hand.
The last time they had met was three years ago. Zhou Tingchang had come to the capital to see Zhou Shunian. The father and son had had a fierce argument and had parted on bad terms.
“The transfer order from the Xiangyang Municipal Party Committee has come down. I’ve been promoted from the county party secretary to the commissioner of the municipal administrative office.”
“Congratulations.” Zhou Shunian curled his lip. His father’s career was quite smooth.
As they were talking, the hot pot base and the dishes they had ordered were served. There were mushrooms, green vegetables, meatballs, and sliced meat.
Zhou Tingchang softly called the waiter. “Comrade, please change a dipping sauce for me without minced ginger. My son doesn’t eat minced ginger.”
“Alright.” Hearing this, the waiter took the dipping sauce away and replaced it with a new one without minced ginger.
Zhou Shunian’s eyes moved slightly.
Zhou Tingchang cooked the meat in the pot. After it was cooked, he first put it in Zhou Shunian’s bowl.
Zhou Tingchang was a little emotional. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a meal together.”
“I didn’t expect to be able to sit down and have a meal so peacefully. I know you resent me. When your mother was alive, I didn’t treat her well, and I didn’t fulfill my responsibility as a father to you for a single day. I’m not asking you to forgive me, but your grandfather is getting old. You should take the opportunity to go back and see him more often in these few years.”
When Zhou Tingchang mentioned Wang Chunlan, his eyes still felt a little sore.
Zhou Shunian stared at the white hair on his temples. Zhou Tingchang had also aged a lot in these few years. “How has your health been these past few years?”
He hadn’t expected Zhou Shunian to take the initiative to care about him. Zhou Tingchang was stunned for a moment before he sighed. “Everything else is fine. It’s just that I’m getting old and have some presbyopia. A couple of days ago, I found that I couldn’t even see the words on the newspaper clearly…”
“No matter how busy you are with work, you should still pay attention to your health.”
“I know. Then… what are your plans for the summer vacation? If you have nothing else to do, why don’t you come home and stay for a few days?” Zhou Tingchang asked tentatively, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
Zhou Shunian’s fingers on the table moved, but he didn’t speak.
Remembering something, Zhou Tingchang eagerly pushed the large bag of mountain goods he had brought from his hometown to Zhou Shunian. “Your aunt heard that I was coming to see you and was busy preparing a lot of food. It’s all mountain goods like hickory nuts, roasted peanuts, dried red dates, and persimmon cakes. You can take them back later. The hickory nuts from the mountains are good for the brain. You can eat them when you’re reading.”
Zhou Shunian looked at the large bag of mountain goods at his feet and a sarcastic smile appeared on his lips. “I have other plans for the summer vacation. I’ll find time to go back and see Grandpa. As for staying, I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Zhou Tingchang didn’t want to make things difficult for him and sighed. “Alright then.”
This meal was hot pot, but it ended in less than half an hour. Coming out of the restaurant, there were a few steps in front of the door. Zhou Tingchang wasn’t paying attention and almost missed a step, tripping on the stone slab.
Fortunately, Zhou Shunian reached out in time and supported his dad.
Zhou Tingchang pushed his hand away. “It’s all these shoes’ fault. They’re not comfortable to wear. I’m still used to wearing the cloth shoes your mother made… Sigh, after your mother passed away, I’ve never worn a comfortable and well-fitting pair of cloth shoes again.”
Zhou Tingchang was wearing a pair of rubber shoes. He had come all the way from Yuanlin County, and his shoes were covered with a lot of mud, looking very dusty.
Zhou Shunian looked at his father’s back as he walked ahead. In his memory, Zhou Tingchang’s figure was always straight and upright. He didn’t know when it had also become stooped.
…
After returning from the reading room, just as she reached the dormitory entrance, Tangtang saw a familiar figure.
He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up twice, revealing his strong arms. He was wearing a Shanghai brand watch on his wrist. His extraordinary appearance and temperament attracted the attention of many people.
After greeting her roommate, she quickly walked over.
Tangtang’s eyes sparkled. “Brother Shunian, why are you here?”
Zhou Shunian came back to his senses. He looked at the little girl with sparkling eyes. “A relative came from my hometown and brought some mountain goods like hickory nuts, roasted peanuts, dried red dates, and persimmon cakes. I don’t really like to eat these things. You can take them back and share them with your roommates.”
“Huh?!” Tangtang’s eyes widened, and her small, porcelain-white face wrinkled into a ball. “So many mountain goods. I haven’t even finished the canned food you brought me last time.”
“They’re all mountain goods that can be stored. You can eat them slowly.”
“Alright then…” Tangtang bit her lip. She looked up and met the sorrow in his eyes. She was taken aback. “Brother Shunian, are you unhappy?”