After Escaping Marriage - Chapter 140
Chapter 140
In the corridor, the Wei family cried their hearts out. Wei Tingzhi and Wei Tinglan rushed into the hospital room, wailing "Third Brother" before Wei Tingyu's corpse, which was covered with a white cloth. The younger generation cried "Third Uncle." Yet, the other protagonist of this drama felt no emotion, remaining completely indifferent to the scene.
Yu Qingtang emerged from the hospital room, her expression wooden. A warm hand enveloped the back of hers.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. She saw Cheng Zhanxi standing before her, and behind Cheng Zhanxi, Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou, their faces etched with worry.
Yu Qingtang shook her head. "I'm fine."
Then, she said to Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou, "Dad, Mom, thank you for coming so late. It's been hard on you."
She and Cheng Zhanxi were already engaged, so she had long since changed how she addressed them.
Song Qingrou said gently, "Are you hungry? When we get back, Mom will make you a late-night snack."
Cheng Yi also said, "Dad can go out and buy you something now if you like. What do you want to eat? Tell Dad."
Yu Qingtang managed a faint smile. "No need, I'm not hungry."
Cheng Zhanxi put an arm around her shoulder and said softly, "Shall we go home and sleep then?"
Yu Qingtang glanced back at the overcrowded hospital room and said quietly, "I'll wait here a little longer."
What was she waiting for? She didn't know either.
Wei Tingyu's soul hadn't been willing to linger in the human world for her for even an extra second.
Cheng Zhanxi had her parents go back first. However, before Cheng Yi left, he still went to buy two cups of hot congee. In the dead of winter, the corridor was cold, and holding the cups would at least warm their hands.
According to Wei Tingyu's last wishes, no memorial ceremony was held after his death. After dawn, he was sent to the funeral parlor, cremated the same day, and buried in the cemetery the same day.
Beishan Cemetery.
Yu Ci's grave was here. However, there were two names on that tombstone. Yu Ci's name was in gold, while Wei Tingyu's name was in red. If a living person was to be buried with a deceased one, the living person's name would be traced in red. After that person passed away, the red would be painted over to match the color of the inscription of the one who had died first.
Wei Tingyu's ashes were buried with Yu Ci, and his name was slowly painted gold.
Wei Tingyu's black and white posthumous portrait was one from his youth. Placed next to the portrait of Yu Ci, who was in her twenties, time seemed to stand still.
The Wei family members left one after another, leaving only Yu Qingtang standing before the grave.
"I came here after I grew up," Yu Qingtang said into the cold wind, the tip of her nose red from the chill. Her voice betrayed no obvious emotion.
Cheng Zhanxi took a step forward from behind, standing beside her.
"It was probably during my freshman year of university," Yu Qingtang said. "I didn't know where she was buried, so I went through all the cemeteries in the Capital City, searching one by one. When I saw his name written together with my mother's, I... I couldn't describe how I felt at that moment."
Yu Qingtang said, "I know he loved my mother, and I know he lived on in this world only because my mother wanted him to. The last thirty years of his life were torment and pain. Only today has he found true release."
Yu Qingtang placed the flowers she held before Wei Tingyu's grave.
Finally, looking at the smiles of her parents in the black and white photos on the tombstone, she said, "I think, I never truly hated him. It's just that in this life, I was not fated to be their daughter."
Yu Qingtang turned around, exhaled softly, forcing back the mistiness in her eyes, and said, "Let's go."
Cheng Zhanxi took her hand.
Yu Qingtang descended the steps one by one, without looking back.
Wei Tingyu's death inevitably had an impact on Yu Qingtang.
Especially after Wei Tingyu's death, his inheritance, including his personal belongings, were all given to Yu Qingtang. Among them were Yu Ci's art studio and Wei Tingyu's handwritten journals from all these years. They were filled entirely with Yu Ci; his life had and only had one name, etched into his soul.
Yu Qingtang saw how Wei Tingyu had transformed from the high-spirited Third Young Master Wei into this handful of ashes, devoid of any lingering attachment to the world.
She began to have frequent nightmares.
In her dreams, Cheng Zhanxi would meet with an accident and leave her forever.
Once again, Yu Qingtang awoke from a nightmare, her hands and feet ice-cold, her body drenched in a cold sweat. She tightly hugged the warm body of the person beside her in bed. The familiar warmth gradually calmed her trembling.
Cheng Zhanxi gently patted her back. After Yu Qingtang quieted down, Cheng Zhanxi got up, turned on the bedside lamp, and asked softly, "Another nightmare?"
Traces of undried tears still lingered at the corners of Yu Qingtang's eyes. She clutched Cheng Zhanxi's sleeve.
"Dreams aren't real," Cheng Zhanxi comforted her gently, not pressing for details about the dream.
Every time Yu Qingtang woke up, she would cling to her, so Cheng Zhanxi figured something bad must have happened to her in the dream.
However, Yu Qingtang didn't remain silent as she had the previous times. She sat up, her voice low and hoarse, "I dreamt you left me."
"I won't."
"Wei Tingyu once thought that too."
Whether tomorrow or an accident would come first, no one could guarantee.
Cheng Zhanxi took her hand.
Yu Qingtang looked at her and said, "If you really... I might become like Wei Tingyu."
Cheng Zhanxi looked back at her gently and said, "You won't."
"Really?" Apathy filled Yu Qingtang's eyes; she didn't believe it.
"Yes." She and Wei Tingyu were not entirely the same.
Yu Qingtang changed the subject. "If we had a child, and I couldn't love her, if I ignored her completely, would you resent me?"
Cheng Zhanxi thought seriously for a moment, then said, "Probably not." She continued, "I might resent myself. Why couldn't I have stayed with you longer? Why couldn't I make you fall in love with this world? Why, after I left, did you lose the ability to love?"
Tears quickly welled up in Yu Qingtang's eyes.
Cheng Zhanxi said, "I truly cannot guarantee against natural disasters or man-made calamities. If that day really comes, I allow you to be weak, I allow you to escape, I allow you to be irresponsible, I allow you to abandon everything and be with me. We will continue our bond in the afterlife."
Yu Qingtang's tears fell.
Cheng Zhanxi gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and said, "But if you choose to be strong, I will also wait for you at the Naihe Bridge. We will reincarnate together and continue to be together in our next life. You must remember, the person I love most will always be you, so don't be afraid."
Yu Qingtang buried her face in Cheng Zhanxi's embrace, her tears soaking the front of her pajamas.
Having cried herself out, Yu Qingtang, her eyes red-rimmed, nestled in Cheng Zhanxi's arms and fell asleep.
If death was something two people faced together, it seemed one could find the courage to confront it.
Emotions were temporary; the most important thing was to seize the present. Yu Qingtang wouldn't get bogged down in pointless anxieties and remain unable to move on.
A little over a month later, Yu Qingtang had mostly returned to her normal state. She had thoroughly studied manga, even learning to master it through comprehensive study and draw inferences. Under her touch, Cheng Zhanxi blossomed to her fullest.
It was worth mentioning the math teacher's skill—drawing perfect circles freehand. Yu Qingtang drew all sorts of circles, and Cheng Zhanxi, unable to bear it, wanted to escape, but Yu Qingtang pressed down on her from behind…
This year, Yu Qingtang spent the Spring Festival at the Cheng family home. The whole family gathered happily around the table making dumplings. Cheng Yuanxi went out to paste the Spring Festival couplets. Outside, it was bitterly cold, while Cheng Yi and the three ladies enjoyed the comfortable warmth indoors. In the evening, they watched movies, had a sauna, and kissed when the clock struck midnight. The next morning, they woke up early for a swim in the constant-temperature pool in the basement, emerging just in time for breakfast.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Song Qingrou took the whole family to visit her parents. Commander Song and Cheng Zhanxi's maternal uncles and aunts each gave Yu Qingtang a large red envelope.
Cheng Zhanxi's maternal grandmother had suffered a fall earlier and had difficulty walking. Among the younger generation in the family, she only recognized Cheng Zhanxi. Cheng Zhanxi led Yu Qingtang to her grandmother and introduced her gently, "Grandma, this is your granddaughter-in-law."
The grandmother looked at Yu Qingtang with a kind smile. "Good."
Cheng Zhanxi said, "Call her Grandma."
Yu Qingtang said, "Grandma."
The grandmother raised her hand, and Yu Qingtang quickly offered her own, letting her grandmother hold it.
The grandmother then extended her other hand, took Cheng Zhanxi's, and pressed their two hands together.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Cheng Yi also took the family back to the Cheng ancestral home. The Cheng family was known for accumulating good deeds and possessed an imperially bestowed plaque passed down through generations. During turbulent times, they had made significant contributions to the country and its people. Although they were not involved in politics, they were a renowned and influential family in the Capital City's circles, and even those in political circles would show them some deference. The Cheng family also had another moniker: "Confucian merchants," as each member was gentle and refined, and their interactions with others were as refreshing as a spring breeze.
Grandpa and Grandma Cheng had retired early and had long resided in the countryside, in the very village where Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang had met as children.
The two of them had always wanted to revisit their old haunt, and this time, they finally had the chance.
The countryside had changed a lot. The small paths had been paved into wide, flat roads, and every household had built Western-style houses or villas. But the mountain was still the same mountain. Because Grandpa and Grandma were advanced in age, they no longer tended the orchard, and it had become overgrown.
In the dead of winter, at Cheng Zhanxi's playful coaxing and pleading, Grandma Cheng personally went to the kitchen and made a bowl of ginger milk curd.
Cheng Zhanxi fed Yu Qingtang a bite with a small porcelain spoon and asked, "Is it good?"
Yu Qingtang nodded.
Then Cheng Zhanxi ate the entire bowl of ginger milk curd herself.
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Cheng Zhanxi wiped her mouth and said, "I'll bring you some next time."
A perfect reenactment.
Yu Qingtang laughed.
Cheng Zhanxi suddenly grew excited, pulling Yu Qingtang quickly over to her grandparents. Mysteriously, she kept them in suspense, "Guess who she is?"
Yu Qingtang gave her a look of feigned annoyance.
Grandma Cheng chuckled. "Your wife?"
Yu Qingtang's ears turned slightly red.
Cheng Zhanxi's eyes crinkled with a smile. "No, she's Momo."
Over the years, Cheng Zhanxi had occasionally asked the old couple about Momo. How could they not remember?
Grandma Cheng looked at Yu Qingtang in surprise. "Is she the one you took as a younger sister when you were little?"
Cheng Zhanxi: "Yes, yes."
Grandma Cheng: "The one you brought ginger milk curd to every day?"
Cheng Zhanxi: "Yes, yes."
Grandma Cheng tapped the point between Cheng Zhanxi's eyebrows with her fingertip and said, "I didn't expect you to have such designs on her so early on."
Cheng Zhanxi was exasperated. "What do you mean, 'designs'? We're childhood sweethearts."
Cheng Yi, Song Qingrou, and Cheng Yuanxi didn't know about this part of their history and, upon hearing it, all came over to ask for details.
Cheng Zhanxi felt awkward on the spot.
She actually didn't remember many details from back then; only a lingering fixation had kept Yu Qingtang in her memory. Yu Qingtang calmly picked up the conversation, "Let me tell you."
She recounted the events of that year bit by bit, even remembering the color of the clothes she wore on the day she gave Cheng Zhanxi flowers.
Later, when Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang returned to their room, Cheng Zhanxi leaned against the door, trapping Yu Qingtang between her arms. She looked down at her and asked, "Did you like me when we were children?"
Yu Qingtang smiled. "No."
Cheng Zhanxi said, "You definitely did. You just didn't realize it at the time. The first time I ever received flowers in my life was from you."
Yu Qingtang raised an eyebrow. "The little red flower stickers from kindergarten?"
Cheng Zhanxi said, "Never mind, those don't count. Did you like me when we were children?"
Yu Qingtang said with helpless indulgence, "Yes, yes, yes. I coveted you since childhood, and now that I've grown up, I've finally succeeded in marrying you. It's a dream come true."
"Childhood sweethearts, innocent playmates." Cheng Zhanxi licked her lips and said, "Shouldn't we celebrate with a high-speed train ride?"
Yu Qingtang's lips curved into a smile.
Well then, a high-speed train ride it was.
The high-speed train rumbled past.
Yu Qingtang released her grip on the pillow and said, "Let's stay here for a couple more days."
Cheng Zhanxi's work commitments were scheduled for after the Lantern Festival. "Okay," she said.
The next day, they went up the mountain. The stream water was so cold that a thin layer of ice had formed on its surface, making it impossible to wade and play. They climbed to the mountaintop. The tree from all those years ago was still there, its trunk a circle thicker than before, its branches even sturdier, though all its leaves had fallen, leaving it bare.
Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang took a photo together under the tree. Cheng Zhanxi looked down at the photo on her phone and lamented again, "If only I had brought a camera when I was little."
That way, they could have a twenty-years-before-and-after comparison; it would have such a sense of destiny.
Yu Qingtang said, "We can come take a picture every year when we visit Grandpa and Grandma."
Cheng Zhanxi looked at her.
Yu Qingtang tucked her long hair back and asked, "What's wrong?"
Cheng Zhanxi smiled. "Nothing."
She was already calling them Grandpa and Grandma more naturally than Cheng Zhanxi herself.
They stayed in the countryside for three days. On the last day, they caught a bucket of fish and brought it home. Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang cooked a big meal for Grandpa and Grandma, then returned to the city in the afternoon.
Cheng Yuanxi's birthday was in the first month of the lunar calendar.
The family busied themselves preparing birthday gifts for him. Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou planned to bake a cake. Cheng Zhanxi was giving him a suit and a tie. Yu Qingtang asked Cheng Zhanxi what she should give, and Cheng Zhanxi told her to give women's clothing.
Yu Qingtang: "..."
Although Cheng Zhanxi had previously told her that Cheng Yuanxi was a master of cross-dressing, she had taken it as a joke.
"Is it really true?"
"It's true," Cheng Zhanxi said. "If you give him a little dress, he'll definitely like it."
Yu Qingtang bought a large-sized dress but didn't dare to give it to him personally. She and Cheng Zhanxi swapped gifts.
On Cheng Yuanxi's birthday, he ate longevity noodles and eggs in the morning. When he returned from work in the evening, he had a handmade cake. On the cake were a little princess figure in a white dress and a handsome, refined gentleman; both figures had identical faces.
Yu Qingtang: "..."
During the gift-giving, Cheng Yuanxi's eyes lit up when he unwrapped Cheng Zhanxi's gift (which was actually Yu Qingtang's dress). "Thank you, little sister."
Song Qingrou said, "Why don't you try it on now?"
Cheng Yuanxi looked at Yu Qingtang, who immediately said, "I want to see too."
Cheng Yuanxi went upstairs to change.
He looked surprisingly good in women's clothing. He had swapped his silver-rimmed glasses for contact lenses, and once he put on a wig, he and Cheng Zhanxi looked like sisters standing together.
Yu Qingtang turned to look at Cheng Yi and Song Qingrou; both were smiling.
Afterward, the family ate cake while watching a home movie.
It was a compilation of footage from Cheng Yuanxi's birth to the present day. When he was one year old, the Cheng family had held a first birthday celebration for him, which was recorded in its entirety. Only a small segment was included in the edited film. As the family watched happily, Song Qingrou suddenly remembered something and glanced in Yu Qingtang's direction.
Yu Qingtang met Song Qingrou's gaze. "?"
After the film finished, Song Qingrou said to Yu Qingtang, "That complete videotape has Wei Tingyu and your mother in it. Would you like to see it?"
Yu Qingtang was stunned for a moment.
She received the old videotape from Song Qingrou and took it back to play on the television.
Cheng Zhanxi covered the coffee table with snacks, trying to make the atmosphere as relaxed as possible.
The recording was very long. Yu Qingtang didn't fast-forward, watching intently second by second. About an hour into the tape, Wei Tingyu and Yu Ci appeared. The cameraman had probably been instructed by Song Qingrou, as the following segment focused entirely on them, not sparing a glance for anyone else.
It was the first time Cheng Zhanxi had seen footage of Yu Ci. It was no exaggeration to say that Yu Qingtang bore a nine-tenths resemblance to her, with the remaining one-tenth resembling Wei Tingyu.
The couple walked into the frame hand in hand, Wei Tingyu in a formal white three-piece suit, his arm linked with his ethereally beautiful wife.
The camera zoomed in close, and Yu Qingtang could see their gentle, kind smiles, the love and happiness flowing between them as they looked at each other.
Yu Qingtang couldn't help but smile.
Song Qingrou had searched her house all night and found another videotape, one that had been stored away at the bottom of a chest for a long time.
Yu Ci and Song Qingrou were close. After finally conceiving, Yu Ci often consulted Song Qingrou, a young mother who already had experience with childbirth. Sometimes, she would even visit the Cheng family home to play with Cheng Yuanxi, the future little "husband" of the child in her belly. Song Qingrou had been filming Cheng Yuanxi at the time and had conveniently recorded an extra segment.
Yu Ci started showing her pregnancy relatively late. This segment was likely filmed when she was four or five months pregnant, her lower abdomen slightly protruding.
She was sitting on the living room sofa eating a tangerine when she noticed Song Qingrou filming her. She looked up and smiled, "Song Qingrou." Her tone was casual, indicating their familiar relationship.
Song Qingrou's voice said, "Let me film you a bit. You're so beautiful, truly a treasure for all humanity. We need to preserve more images for future generations to admire your beauty."
Yu Ci smiled but didn't respond.
Song Qingrou's voice spoke again, "That tangerine is really sour, don't you think?"
Without looking up, Yu Ci popped one segment after another into her mouth and said, "Don't pregnant women like to eat sour things?"
Song Qingrou: "They say sour cravings mean a boy, and spicy cravings mean a girl. Do you want a boy or a girl?"
Yu Ci thought for a moment, stroking her lower abdomen, a gentle motherly love appearing in her eyes. "A girl, I think."
Off-screen, Yu Qingtang's breathing softened.
Song Qingrou asked, "Why?"
Yu Ci smiled, her gaze growing even more tender. "My husband likes girls. Although he says it's the same whether it's a boy or a girl, I know he wants a daughter."
Yu Qingtang's vision gradually blurred.
At this moment, Song Qingrou's voice suddenly rose slightly, "Your husband is here."
Simultaneously, the camera turned towards the entrance hall.
Yu Qingtang quickly wiped her eyes, widening them to watch carefully.
A young man, handsome as jade, walked over with a smile.
"A Ci."
Yu Ci smiled back at him.
Wei Tingyu walked up to her, squatted down, and pressed his ear to Yu Ci's lower abdomen.
Yu Ci gently patted her young husband's head, amused. "The doctor said you can only hear fetal movement at five months. What are you listening for now?"
Wei Tingyu remained pressed against her belly, saying joyfully, "It's almost five months. I want our child to feel Daddy's love for her at the very first moment."
By then, Wei Tingyu had already chosen a name for their unborn child.
Yu Ci also looked down at her own belly and said softly, "Qingtang, did you hear that? This is your silly daddy."
Wei Tingyu laughed heartily.
The footage ended abruptly at that moment.
Off-screen, tears streamed down Yu Qingtang's face.
Cheng Zhanxi came over and hugged her, her own eyes slightly moist.
"They loved you..."
Yu Qingtang wailed loudly in her embrace.
Just as Yu Qingtang had said at Wei Tingyu and Yu Ci's grave that day, they could have been a happy family; it was just that they were not fated to be so in this lifetime.
With this, Yu Qingtang completely let go.
She couldn't choose the first half of her life, but she could take control of the second half. She already had the best family in the world.
After the Lantern Festival, Cheng Zhanxi temporarily stayed in the Capital City to handle work matters, while Yu Qingtang returned to Sicheng City to teach.
In the blink of an eye, it was the second semester of her second year of high school. Half of the three years of high school had passed, and a sense of urgency about the approaching college entrance exam began to spread among the students.
After a semester of improvement, Xiang Tianyou's grades were now firmly in the top five. If he maintained this, getting into a key university wouldn't be a problem. Yu Qingtang didn't proactively discuss his future goals with him, fearing it would put pressure on him. However, Xiang Tianyou himself told her that he wanted to get into Yu Qingtang's alma mater, one of the nation's top two universities.
The top two universities had quota restrictions for admissions from each province; it wasn't solely based on scores. Sicheng No. 1 Middle School had a high rate of students meeting the score requirements for key and first-tier undergraduate programs each year, but the number admitted to the top two universities was very small.
The year Yu Qingtang took the college entrance exam, she was the provincial top scorer.
Yu Qingtang said to Xiang Tianyou, "With your current grades, you still need to work twice as hard. If you have any questions, whether about academics or admissions, you can always ask me."
Xiang Tianyou said, "Thank you, Teacher Yu."
Yu Qingtang thought for a moment and said, "Tell your other classmates that they can also ask me if they have similar questions."
Xiang Tianyou said, "Got it." He then asked, "Hasn't Teacher Cheng returned yet?"
Yu Qingtang raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
Cheng Zhanxi was no longer a teacher and rarely appeared at school. Logically, Xiang Tianyou shouldn't know. Could Cheng Zhanxi have told him?
Xiang Tianyou said, "I can tell. Your spirit is different."
Yu Qingtang took a piece of candy from her drawer and tossed it to him. "You're a sharp one."
Xiang Tianyou bent down and caught the candy before it hit the ground, grinning. "I'm off, Teacher Yu."
He skipped out of the office like a bird, bumping right into Yu Zhou, who was coming in. More accurately, Yu Zhou bumped into the young man's chest. Xiang Tianyou quickly steadied her. "Sorry, are you okay?"
Yu Zhou lowered the hand that had been rubbing the tip of her nose. "I'm fine."
The tip of her nose was red, and her eyes were welling with tears.
Xiang Tianyou: "Really okay? Want me to take you to the infirmary?"
Yu Zhou shook her head. "Really, I'm fine."
Xiang Tianyou lifted his foot. "Then I'm really going?"
Yu Zhou chuckled.
Xiang Tianyou then strode off.
Yu Zhou, holding a stack of practice exercises, watched the boy's retreating figure from the doorway for a moment. When she turned her head and met Yu Qingtang's gaze, she involuntarily lowered her head.
Although Yu Zhou had transferred to the experimental class, her new teacher shared an office with Yu Qingtang, so she still came by occasionally.
Yu Zhou walked with her head down all the way to her new teacher's desk.
Yu Qingtang opened the lid of her thermos flask and leisurely took a sip of tea.
She picked up her phone.
[Yu Qingtang]: I've discovered Yu Zhou really likes Xiang Tianyou.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: Hahahaha, what did you see this time?
[Yu Qingtang]: They bumped into each other at the office door. Yu Zhou watched his retreating figure for a long time, and the look on her face clearly showed she has a crush on him.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: Amazing, Teacher Yu, you have sharp eyes [thumbs up].
[Yu Qingtang]: This semester, I've discovered two more couples in our class dating. I'm not the same person I used to be.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: It's Niohuru Yu Qingtang.
[Yu Qingtang]: Hahahaha.
[Cheng Zhanxi]: I'll be back in three days.
[Yu Qingtang]: That's still so long [face down on table, blowing bubbles].
[Cheng Zhanxi]: When I get back, I'll let you drive the car you've been wanting to drive. You can drive as fast as you want.
[Yu Qingtang]: Screenshot taken.
Cold gave way to heat, winter departed and spring arrived.
The calendar on Yu Qingtang's desk turned to the year 2021.
In the classroom of Senior Year, Class 5, the blackboard display at the back had several large words written in neat chalk: Gaokao Countdown: 100 Days.
Yu Qingtang walked into the classroom. The students, toiling like boats in a sea of books and mountains of questions, looked up to receive the distributed papers, then lowered their heads and wrote furiously.
Half a class later, Yu Qingtang began to efficiently go over the papers. There wasn't a single second to waste.
The bell for the end of class rang. Yu Qingtang walked out. In the corridor, apart from the footsteps of a few students going to the restroom, all the classes in the senior year building were silent, with students diligently reviewing in their classrooms.
Several teachers exchanged glances in the corridor and left with lightened steps.
"Being a student is really too hard," Yu Qingtang couldn't help but sigh on the way home. "I see a few students in my class who are almost studying themselves into a daze."
Cheng Zhanxi hadn't experienced the pressure of the Gaokao, but when she applied to the Paris Academy of Fine Arts, she had overcome numerous obstacles, and the mental pressure had been immense. She said, "Didn't you also go through the Gaokao? And you even got first place in the province. Wasn't it hard for you back then?"
The corners of Yu Qingtang's lips turned up. "I'm smart; I learn relatively quickly."
Cheng Zhanxi clapped. "Impressive."
After praising herself, Yu Qingtang blushed and said, "I was just talking nonsense. It's just been too long, I don't remember clearly."
The day before the Gaokao holiday, Yu Qingtang hung zongzi high on the classroom doorframe, symbolizing "excelling in exams."
On the afternoon of June 8th, Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang picked up Xiang Tianyou outside the examination site. Xiang Tianyou dashed out, followed by numerous other Gaokao examinees, like so many free birds.
Youth, like green leaves, would eventually fade. The students' three years of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy experiences came to an end with the conclusion of the Gaokao.
And Cheng Zhanxi and Yu Qingtang's lives were about to enter a new starting point.
After two years of meticulous planning and preparation, the Cheng family had even consulted a renowned master to calculate an auspicious date. Their wedding was set for August.
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