"No matter when, you are always a part of our Senior High School!" Old Man Liu said to Li Qingfeng with utmost sincerity, taking over the conversation as he looked at him. "If you hadn't been here back then, who knows when our Senior High School would have gotten a decent spot!"
He was being quite honest, as it was indeed the case.
Hearing this, several people listened attentively.
"Really, Grandpa? Are you joking with me?" Li Qingfeng couldn't help but ask, a touch of surprise in his voice after hearing Old Man Liu's words.
Old Man Liu nodded immediately in response.
"Don't worry!"
"Now that you say it, I feel much more at ease. I'll be going then!" Li Qingfeng replied to him. He showed no inclination to go inside for a look, simply waved goodbye to Zheng Yingxue, and left.
Zheng Yingxue, sensing that Li Qingfeng seemed a bit down, didn't call out to him. She turned to look at the gatekeeper and said directly, "Grandpa Liu, I'm heading back now!"
"Ah! Good girl, if you need anything, just come to your Grandpa Liu. It'll be convenient here at school!"
"Bye-bye, Grandpa Liu!" Zheng Yingxue waved to him and happily entered the school.
Seeing this, Old Man Liu couldn't help but sigh.
"Such a good girl!"
He couldn't help but sigh, and his thoughts drifted back to Li Qingfeng.
"Alas!"
He let out two consecutive sighs, truly feeling the boy's experiences were too heartbreaking.
"I wonder when he'll be able to move past this!" Old Man Liu thought to himself. After all, Li Qingfeng had already given him the answer; even now, he still couldn't let go of that matter.
It was true, anyone who encountered such a situation would likely not be able to endure it. After all, what was at stake wasn't just some trivial matter, but the very lifeline of his existence, something of immense consequence.
As he was lost in thought, the sound of a car suddenly broke the silence from outside. Then, a rich, fragrant aroma wafted over. Looking up, he saw Li Qingfeng, who had just left, returning with two plastic bags.
"It's young Li! Weren't you heading back?" Seeing him, Old Man Liu suddenly looked regretful and quickly asked.
Hearing his question, Li Qingfeng waved the two bags in his hands, which contained some food and small beers.
"The roast duck from the east gate, and the duck necks from Jasmine Fragrance at the north gate. All your favorites."
"It's been a while since I've seen you, Grandpa. I had to come and show my filial piety!" Li Qingfeng said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Old Man Liu's smile widened even further. He immediately retrieved a portable table from his security booth. The rough, worn texture of the tabletop clearly indicated that this table had weathered many a storm.
"Remember this table? You almost broke it for me back then!" Old Man Liu said, a touch of nostalgia in his voice as he brought out the table.
"Can you blame me? Who knew this thing was so poorly made? I didn't expect it..." Li Qingfeng said with a hint of helplessness. In truth, he hadn't anticipated it either; who could have known such a thing would happen at that time?
Looking at the scene before him, Li Qingfeng couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy and could only nod earnestly at Old Man Liu.
"Alright, let's not dwell on it. Come, sit down, and have a drink with me!" Old Man Liu, being a shrewd individual, said directly after considering the situation.
Indeed, upon hearing his words, Li Qingfeng nodded seriously.
"Let's get started! We won't go home until we're drunk!"
"Not until we're drunk!"
And so, the two, bound by their age gap, drank the entire afternoon away, drawing the attention of countless students.
Zheng Yingxue also witnessed this scene. When she saw Li Qingfeng and Grandpa Liu arguing heatedly, their faces flushed, over who would drink whose share of the wine, she couldn't help but smile. She truly hadn't expected their relationship to be so good.
Simultaneously, the school administration also became aware of the situation. Consequently, they began to implement emergency measures.
"What measures? Did they expel Old Man Liu?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
The school's decision was: "Before the end of school, no student is allowed to approach the school gate. Any offender will face severe penalties regarding their academic credits!"
Well, that directly cut off the students' path to spectate. And it turned out to be quite effective. With this in place, no one could get through.
Satisfied, the school staff members finally nodded in approval. As for Old Man Liu and Li Qingfeng, who were still drinking, no one bothered them. They could drink as long as they wished!
Perhaps this was the reason Old Man Liu had been able to stay on for so long. Regardless of anything else, his position here was truly unique; everyone had to show him some respect.
"Little Li, Little Li, let's have another one..." By the time they were on their fourth bottle of liquor, Old Man Liu finally couldn't hold on any longer and had fallen asleep on the table.
Seeing him like this, Li Qingfeng shook his head with a sigh, helped him up, and placed him inside the security booth. On the table, there was still half a box of duck necks and two bottles of beer.
"No, I can't let this go to waste. I have to finish all of it!" Li Qingfeng declared. He then proceeded to eat everything, washing it down with beer and the duck necks.
"Burp!" After he was full, he let out a loud burp and stumbled groggily into the security booth. The security booth had two beds. Old Man Liu occupied one, and Li Qingfeng took the other, and they both slept until evening.
In the evening, Li Qingfeng finally woke up in a daze. The sky outside was already dark. Seeing this, Li Qingfeng walked to the gate. By this time, evening study hall had long since ended, and the school gate was locked.
"Forget it, I'll sleep!" Li Qingfeng decided, no longer thinking of anything else. He returned to the security booth, ready to sleep. It was perhaps due to the school's carelessness, but today, there wasn't even a night watchman on duty.
"Really, not even a sense of urgency. They don't even have a night watchman!" Li Qingfeng muttered to himself with a sigh. When he was a student, there were always two night watchmen on duty, making it impossible to sneak out. Now, it was different; no one was paying attention.
Little did he know, there were always people on night watch. If the two of them hadn't occupied the security booth, someone would have already been there. Li Qingfeng didn't think much more about it and lay back down in the security booth.