After not seeing her for a while, Zhao Hong had changed so much. She was fairer, and her face had filled out a bit. With her round face and ear-length short hair, she looked like she had returned to when she and Lu Chengming first met as educated youths sent to the countryside. Lu Chengming felt a sense of disorientation.
"Are you... out shopping?"
Zhao Hong shook her head and smiled, pointing to the shop behind her. "I took over this shop. I'm running a business now."
Lu Chengming nodded. "Oh, that's good. After all, the battery factory isn't good for your health. It's better to quit sooner rather than later for your well-being."
A wave of委屈 (grievance) suddenly welled up in Zhao Hong's heart, and her eyes began to water. She hadn't expected Chengming to still care about her.
Lin Xiaohui stormed out of the 'Shuse' clothing store, looking around. She finally spotted Lu Chengming in the direction to her right. Just as she was about to hurry over, a woman emerged from a shop, and Lu Chengming also stopped in his tracks.
Squinting, Lin Xiaohui saw it was Zhao Hong. How infuriated she was; it was as if she was a persistent ghost!
"Chengming!" Lin Xiaohui called out loudly and quickly walked towards their direction.
Lu Chengming looked up when he heard the voice. Upon seeing Lin Xiaohui's disheveled hair and scratched face, he instinctively frowned. Compared to the gentle and serene Zhao Hong beside him, a hint of regret suddenly arose in his heart.
When he was with Zhao Hong before, she never spoke to him loudly, and she was always diligent in managing the household. Lin Xiaohui, however, was different. She was strong-willed, wanting to control everything, and was suspicious. She had even caused trouble at the factory twice, causing him to lose face.
"What are you doing here? You're divorced now, why are you always hanging around our Chengming?"
A woman's intuition is always the most accurate. Lin Xiaohui immediately saw that Zhao Hong's gaze towards Lu Chengming was unusual.
"Xiaohui, what are you going crazy about? The child must be hungry. If you have nothing else to do, hurry home and don't just wander around outside all day," Lu Chengming admonished with a frown.
"You, Lu Chengming, I'm your wife! Are you still harboring feelings for this vixen?"
"Can you stop being unreasonable? Zhao Hong and I just ran into each other and said hello."
"I'm being unreasonable?"
Thinking about how Lu Chengming had left her alone and run ahead in the 'Shuse' clothing store earlier, Lin Xiaohui's anger couldn't be suppressed.
"Why did you run away earlier in the store? Now you can't move when you see this woman, can you? I even gave birth to your child, Lu Chengming, how shameless can you be?"
Lu Chengming's face reddened slightly at Lin Xiaohui's outbursts. He raised his hand and pushed her. "If you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth."
"Lu Chengming, how dare you hit me?" Lin Xiaohui shrieked and lunged at Lu Chengming. "You ungrateful Chen Shimei, I'll fight you to the death!"
"This life is unbearable! Believe it or not, I'll take our son back to my parents' home, and I'll make sure your Lu family has no descendants!"
It was only after giving birth that Lin Xiaohui learned that Lu Chengming could no longer have children due to an accident. This was also why she felt so emboldened, after all, she had given Lu Chengming a 'son'.
In front of Zhao Hong, his ex, Lu Chengming forgot all his scruples and was solely focused on saving face. His attitude towards Lin Xiaohui was completely impolite, and soon the two were entangled in a struggle.
Since it was on a commercial street, the couple's fight quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Chen Lishu also heard the commotion when she came out of her shop, but she didn't stop. As the saying goes, "a wicked person is best dealt with by another wicked person." For someone like Lu Chengming, marrying Lin Xiaohui, their clashing personalities were a perfect match.
Two days passed quickly, and it was time for the final exams. Since she had prepared sufficiently beforehand, Chen Lishu found the exams quite easy.
When they emerged from the examination hall after the last subject, everyone looked relaxed, regardless of how well they had performed. The end of the exams signified that they could finally go home for the holidays.
"Lishu, thank you so much for highlighting the key points before the exam. Several of the questions appeared, and I think I did quite well. I can finally have a peaceful Chinese New Year now," Zhang Xue said happily, linking her arm with Chen Lishu's. "Oh, and when you go back to your hometown and come back, don't forget to bring me some good food. I want to eat the preserved meat my mom pickles."
Chen Lishu smiled. "Okay, I'll tell my mom when I get back."
"Right, eldest sister, when did you book your ticket? Let's see if we can go to the train station together," Zhang Xue said, turning her head to look at Yang Lili, who was trailing behind the group.
"I'm not going home this year," Yang Lili replied, looking up and managing a faint smile.
Going back would mean compromising. She would not give up the opportunity to study that she had finally obtained.
"Not going back?" Chen Lishu and Zhang Xue were both a little surprised.
It was understandable if she didn't go back during the summer holidays to save money, but now, with Chinese New Year just over a month away, everyone was looking forward to going home for a reunion.
"My brother-in-law and child came to see me a while ago. Coincidentally, someone introduced me to tutor an English student, and the pay was decent, so I agreed."
Since the resumption of the college entrance examination, English had evolved from being merely a reference to becoming a mandatory subject. Its weightage in the total score had been increasing year by year, prompting many parents to start paying more attention to it.
"Eldest sister, please be careful on campus. This is our village's phone number. If anything happens, give me a call." Knowing she was a strong-willed woman who never asked for help when facing difficulties, Chen Lishu didn't try to persuade her otherwise. She simply gave her the phone number and urged her to call if anything came up.
"Thank you."
Yang Lili pursed her lips, took the piece of paper Chen Lishu handed her, glanced at it, and then carefully put it away. However, as the three parted ways, she turned and threw the paper into the trash can.
She didn't need anyone's help or pity. From now on, she would obtain everything she desired through her own hands.
...
As soon as the students were on vacation, especially with the Spring Festival travel rush approaching, the train station was packed with people carrying large bags and parcels, queuing to buy tickets. The long lines even stretched out of the ticket hall entrance.
"Fortunately, Ding Chen came early to queue. Otherwise, we'd be like them now." Gu Xingping couldn't help but sigh, looking at the crowded hall.
Chen Liyuan frowned. "There seem to be more people at the station this year than last year."
It wasn't just a little more. When Chen Lishu went home last year, she could buy a ticket on the same day. Now, even three days in advance, she might not be able to.
"Policies are better now, and more people are coming to the city to work. Especially in the last two years, the country has been investing heavily in infrastructure, so the demand for labor is naturally higher."
Hearing Chen Lishu's words, Ding Chen nodded in agreement. "Many employers are now coming to our school to recruit. Some students in the cohort ahead of me still have a year before graduation, but they've basically all been pre-booked. Some employers even want to hire us to help."
The country's development in the "four modernizations" urgently needed talent. Especially since Chen Lishu and Ding Chen were among the first batch of university students selected after the resumption of the college entrance examination, their academic qualifications were considered more valuable and sought-after than those admitted through recommendations, making many employers eager to hire them.