Chapter 194: Chapter 194

Two people were having sporadic verbal disputes, which made time fly by incredibly fast. Almost in the blink of an eye, it was the following afternoon. Several people sat in the living room with a simple suitcase on the floor and a cloth bag next to it, containing six fragrant melons.

Su Yan sat upright in a black dress, looking at the girl pouting across from her, and said grumpily, "Can’t you be generous for once? You always act so petty!"

Li Xianglu shook her head unhappily, "Why do you have to go?"

Su Yan sighed and said, "If I don’t leave now, I’ll be arrested, my dear. There are already people watching outside."

Li Xianglu asked with concern, "Will you be in trouble when you go out?"

Su Yan shook her head, "No, I came here this time as a United States citizen, but I can’t stay for too long. The situation is still not good enough; I have to leave. I guess the next time I come, I’ll be able to stay longer. Remember to watch over your grandfather!"

Li Xianglu promised, "Mhm, I assure you I’ll take good care of Grandpa and won’t let any other old ladies whisk him away!"

Mr. Li’s face reddened, ready to speak, but he heard Su Yan scold, "That’s not what I asked you to watch! I meant his health, don’t let him fall ill with all your wild thoughts!"

Alright then, Li Xianglu nodded sheepishly, and Mr. Li also nodded in embarrassment on the side.

A horn sounded outside. Su Yan sighed, "It’s time for me to go, take care of yourselves." As she spoke, she shook hands with Qin Xi, "You are the most reliable of the three. They’ll depend on you from now on!"

Qin Xi nodded earnestly, promising to do her best!

After seeing off the visitor, Li Xianglu was the first to ask, "Grandpa, what exactly did you do to make Grandma Su lump you and me together?"

Mr. Li also felt wronged. Wasn’t it just because of that Zhou incident a while ago, where he lay half-dead for several days? Both his granddaughter and Su Yan, who was far away in the United States, were worried, and Su Yan even rushed over. When she heard the reason, she flew into a rage. So she risked coming back to check on him just because of this? Was he behaving like Lin Daiyu as he got older? Had this been decades ago, he would have died hundreds of times over.

So, Su Yan lost her trust in Li Huai Ren, thinking he no longer had the strong heart he used to have and lumped him together with Li Xianglu, a crybaby.

This time, Su Yan’s departure didn’t cause much sadness among everyone. The ’80s were approaching, and everything started to get better. Someone with Su Yan’s status would be able to return soon. Su Yan left with hope, and everyone looked forward to meeting her again next time.

Then, everyone entered into a busy period of study. In order to broaden students’ knowledge, the school organized many lectures and seminars, filling up all the time outside of coursework.

Lu Anna continued to board at school, and from then on, she stopped participating in any clubs or social gatherings, with a car picking her up after class.

Half a month later, Xiao Chong also returned to school but had to walk with crutches.

Li Dayu moved away, apologizing to Lu Anna before she left. Without explanation, Lu Anna didn’t say a word.

Soon after, it was rumored in the class that Li Dayu and her childhood sweetheart boyfriend had broken up.

At Capital University, Tie Bing was only criticized and educated, with a record made in his file.

While Li Dayu was only criticized without any record in the file, Li Xianglu thought this might be Lu Anna’s doing.

However, at Huaqing University, two students were expelled, and three thugs confessed that they were instructed by Ma Lingling and no one else.

As for Ma Lingling herself, she’s quite the character. After leaving that day, she just vanished without a trace, and even with a nationwide warrant, she was nowhere to be found.

So the matter was temporarily put to rest, and summer came around in the blink of an eye. Today’s summer is especially hot. How hot, you ask? Well, the girls outside started wearing increasingly skimpy clothes.

After finishing the last exam on the 7th or 8th of July, Li Xianglu bid farewell to her dorm mates, carrying her laundry and bedding back home.

On the way back, Li Xianglu, who was riding on the back of Qin Xi’s bike, watched the diverse fashions of people on the streets with great interest. The colors on the streets were becoming more varied—red, green, blue, white, and some even had their hair permed. Times were changing at a visible pace.

Upon arriving home, they found the door unlocked. Li Xianglu pushed the door open and told Qin Xi to wheel the bike in. She then saw a tall figure sitting under the porch awning chomping on a watermelon, while Grandpa was fanning him with a handheld fan.

Li Xianglu frowned and moved closer to take a look. She saw a grinning Qin Zhen saying to her, "How come you only just got back? I arrived this morning!"

Li Xianglu, looking at Qin Zhen with his long, curly hair and wearing bell-bottom jeans and a floral short-sleeve shirt in front of her, felt her head swell with exasperation. This guy, why does he always show up looking every year?

Li Xianglu, somewhat relishing the absurdity, called out to Qin Xi, "Qin Xi, come quick and look at this monster!"

Qin Xi, having parked his bike, also noticed and came over with his eyebrows twisted like pretzels.

Seeing his older brother approach, Qin Zhen hurriedly shifted to give up his seat and ingratiatingly called out, "Bro, I’m back."

Qin Xi didn’t sit down; instead, he furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "What’s with your hair? Why is it curled?"

Qin Zhen touched his own curls, also looking puzzled as he replied, "I dunno, it just grew out and became naturally curly."

Qin Xi’s face instantly darkened, thinking he was being treated like an idiot. Didn’t he know this was a perm? Frustrated, he grabbed Qin Zhen by the ear and dragged him outside, saying to the two people laughing behind them, "I’m taking Qin Zhen to get a haircut."

Li Xianglu sat down in Qin Xi’s spot, grabbed a slice of watermelon, and began eating. While munching, she remarked, "Grandpa, it’s really sweet! You must’ve chilled it in the well water, right?"

Mr. Li nodded with a smile, "Yes, I put it there at noon, thinking it would cool you down when you returned in the afternoon. But Qin Zhen couldn’t wait and had half of it cut already; just as he ate a few slices, you guys came back. How did the exams go?"

Li Xianglu grinned ear to ear, "Who do you think I am? I’m an academic superstar!"

Mr. Li, puzzled, "What’s an academic superstar? Does it mean being very bossy?"

Li Xianglu realized her slip-up and quickly added, "Yes, it means being very bossy in academics."

Mr. Li shook his head. His granddaughter loved to spout all sorts of strange new phrases. Suddenly remembering something, he hastily pulled a piece of paper money out of his pocket and handed it over, "This is the money Grandma Su asked someone to send. You and Qin Xi go exchange the money, then look for some good quadrangle houses to buy nearby."

Li Xianglu’s eyes widened, "Grandma Su is coming back to live here?"

Mr. Li shook his head again, "She can’t return for now. She thinks that property prices in the capital will rise since so many foreigners of all ages are coming to live here and they like quadrangle houses. She thinks it’s good to buy a few as investments, putting them in your name."