Chapter 323: Chapter 323

According to Ye He Ping’s arrangements, Ye Ling and Ye Qian would share a room, Bai Guoping’s family of three would have another room, and he and Bai Xue would sleep in the living room. If this was only for one day, it might work, but since it was for two days, Ye Ling simply decided to stay at Zhao Guodong’s house with Grandma Zhao, which Ye He Ping agreed to. So Ye He Ping slept in the living room while the Bai Family took over Ye Ling’s room.

At the Zhao Family, Ye Ling didn’t need to study anymore. Zhao Guodong was busy organizing card games every day. The Zhao Family was lively, and Ye Ling got pulled into playing cards too. If it weren’t still during the holiday season, Ye Ling would have even had meals there. On the fifth day of Chinese New Year, after breakfast, Ye He Ping personally saw off Bai Guoping and his wife. Bai Xue felt uncomfortable having to send her daughter off to the company alone again, but there was no other way. After all, her husband had to send his brother’s family off. If he didn’t go with them, Bai Xue herself would also be uneasy. After spending the season’s festivities quietly, Ye Ling and her group returned to school, marking the end of the New Year celebrations.

In summer, Ye Ling and her friends had an easy transition into junior year, and Shen Bin, who was in school for further studies, graduated. The day before he left, he found Ye Ling and gave her a phone number, telling her she could call him if needed, without saying much else. During summer break, Ye Ling and her father agreed to return to their hometown to visit her grandmother’s grave, so she took the train without joining Zhao Guodong and the others back to the city, and got off directly at their hometown.

After getting off the train, she saw her father waiting at the small station. Seeing his daughter arrive, Ye He Ping smiled and approached her, "I guessed that once you heard we were going back to the hometown, you’d come back right away. Thankfully, I came back a few days early to tidy up the house; otherwise, we really wouldn’t have had a place to stay."

Ye Ling noticed her father looked thinner, "Dad, how is your stomach? You seem to have lost weight."

"It’s all better now, don’t worry." Ye He Ping laughed, full of affection, "Lingzi, the day I arrived and cleaned up the house, I went to your grandmother’s grave to pull out the weeds and talked to her. That night, I dreamed of your grandmother. She said she’s relieved to see me doing well and asked why you didn’t come, saying your grandmother surely misses us."

"Of course, grandma loved me the most." Ye Ling smiled, though her eyes showed a touch of sadness, "Dad, stop dwelling on the past. Look at me—I’m doing fine now, and you’re good to me; grandma surely feels assured."

"I know, seeing you become independent puts me at ease. I just worry about not being able to care for you, making your grandmother uneasy." Ye He Ping said with a hint of emotion.

Ye Ling laughed, "In college, we all have to be independent. Once I join the army, I’ll be grown up. Dad, don’t keep worrying about not caring for me. Look, I’m doing fine. I even gained weight this semester."

Ye He Ping genuinely turned to look at his daughter, nodded with a smile, "You did gain weight, that’s good."

Turning back as they walked home, he continued, "I noticed the two kids in the village who got into college returned early. One of them is going to the army school in Shijiazhuang, which is quite good, and the girl is attending a teacher training college, so she’ll be a teacher after graduation. Were they students in your grade before? They’re children from the Zhang Family and Si Family, right?"

Ye Ling nodded. She hadn’t paid much attention to Si Daochen and Zhang Zhenlian in recent years, but she knew Si Daochen was quite good at studying, so it wasn’t surprising he entered college. She hadn’t expected Zhang Zhenlian to get into college either, which was different from her previous life.

"That’s great, with you, there are now three college students from the village," Ye He Ping smiled, "If your grandmother could see it, she’d definitely be happy. If I’m ever not here, you should ask Shen Bin for help with anything."

"Dad, why are you saying things like that? You’re still young." Hearing this, Ye Ling felt a sudden sadness and a foreboding feeling, as if her father was hinting at something, "Dad, you can’t say things again, or I’ll be upset with you."

"Okay, okay, I won’t say it anymore. It’s just seeing you all grow up makes me feel old. I won’t say it again." Ye He Ping laughed. The source of thɪs content is novelꜰire.net

Ye Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. The house was still the same, with quilts drying in the yard, and vegetables planted by neighbors in the garden since it was left empty. When Ye He Ping came back, neighbors had greeted him, telling him he could eat those garden vegetables anytime.

Ye Ling picked cucumbers and chatted with her father in the yard. Not long after, she saw someone approaching. At a glance, Ye Ling recognized her as Zhang Zhenlian. After all, attending college in a big city, Zhang Zhenlian exuded youthful energy, shedding that rural small-town vibe.

Seeing Ye Ling, like an old friend meeting after many years, Zhang Zhenlian greeted her courteously, "Ye Ling, I heard from Uncle Ye yesterday that you’re coming back. I figured you’d arrive around this time, and you really did."

Zhang Zhenlian was half a head taller than Ye Ling, with two braids, a short sleeve dress, and white nurse shoes—the typical college outfit of that era. In comparison, Ye Ling dressed more casually, with a black knee-length skirt, and a white short sleeve shirt. Her previously long hair was now cut into a bob, giving her a delicate and more refined look. This surprised Zhang Zhenlian, as she remembered Ye Ling as being old-fashioned and solitary, yet two years had transformed her into someone bright.

"Ye Ling, you’ve changed." Zhang Zhenlian couldn’t help but voice her thoughts.

Instantly regretting it, fearing this might ruin the positive atmosphere she was trying to establish with Ye Ling, to her surprise, this was not the case.

Ye Ling smiled, "You’ve changed too."

Turns out she could engage in a conversation.

That was the thought that flashed in Zhang Zhenlian’s mind, but she quickly collected her surprise and smiled, "Yes, back then I was scared of going anywhere. In these years of schooling, I finally learned to speak openly with people. Oh, and Si Daochen is back too. We planned to come see you together, but Wang Shumei suddenly visited his place, so I came alone."

"In the same village, we’ll eventually bump into each other, no need to rush. Thanks for visiting me today, but my dad and I have to visit my grandmother’s grave, so I can’t keep you." Despite treating Zhang Zhenlian politely, Ye Ling hadn’t forgotten the past incidents in school involving Zhang Zhenlian and didn’t intend to get close to her.

Being asked to leave, Zhang Zhenlian wasn’t offended, smiling she said, "All right, I’ll come find you tonight."

She bid farewell to Ye He Ping and then left. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this story, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)