Chapter 43

After having a serious conversation with her third uncle, Fengzhen ultimately decided to return to school.

In truth, she didn’t have a strong aversion to school; it was just that during her elementary school years, she hadn’t paid much attention to her studies. She often failed exams and was scolded by Li Hongmei for being a fool while her classmates mocked her. Over time, this led her to develop a psychological resistance to learning. Although she had managed to get into middle school, her grades were nothing to brag about, always landing her among the last few in her class. This made her feel that studying was meaningless. Even after lucking into being accepted into high school, Li Hongmei didn’t want her to continue, and she felt indifferent about it, thinking it would be better to just follow Li Hongmei’s wishes.

Whether she went to school or not didn’t make much difference to her.

That afternoon, Lin Youqing talked with her for quite a while. She felt as if she had gained a deeper understanding of life and learning. Although she still didn’t know what she truly wanted, at least now she wanted to continue her education.

Shortly after the county high school opened, Lin Youqing happened to be there on business and took the opportunity to check on his niece, Fengzhen.

As luck would have it, it was just after school, and the girls’ dormitory at the county high school was bustling with noise. Lin Youqing found it inconvenient to go inside, so he asked a female student to help him call Fengzhen outside.

“How’s school going? Are your studies and life okay?” he inquired.

“I’m doing well, Uncle. You don’t need to worry about me,” Fengzhen replied.

“Here’s fifty yuan. Take it and buy yourself something nice,” he said, handing her the money.

“Uncle, you, Aunt San, and Jiang Jiang have already taken such good care of me. I’ve had plenty of meals and a place to stay at your house during my three middle school years. I can’t possibly take your money,” she insisted.

“Just listen to me and take it,” Lin Youqing urged.

Lin Youqing insisted on shoving the fifty yuan into his niece’s hands.

After leaving the county high school’s main building, Lin Youqing suddenly felt like checking on his daughter.

Since Jiang Jiang started middle school, he hadn’t visited her school yet.

He arrived at Jiang Jiang’s first-year class (Class 1), but unfortunately, she was not in the classroom.

The principal of the county middle school was originally inspecting the classrooms with two teachers when he saw Lin Youqing standing outside. The three of them paused momentarily before walking over to greet him.

“Secretary Lin, why didn’t you let us know you were coming? We could have prepared for your visit,” the principal said, inviting Lin Youqing to his office for some tea.

“I’m here for personal reasons. My daughter is in her first year here, and I just wanted to check on her. I hope I’m not interrupting your teaching?” Lin Youqing replied.

“Not at all.”

Fengyin glanced up and spotted Lin Youqing outside the window. Her eyes lit up as she dropped her pen and ran out.

“Uncle!” she called cheerfully.

The principal looked at the little girl who had suddenly appeared and regarded her with a warm gaze. “Secretary Lin, is this your child?”

“This is my second brother’s daughter, my niece, Fengyin,” Lin Youqing clarified.

“She looks like a bright and clever child,” the principal praised.

Fengyin shyly stuck out her tongue.

“Uncle, let me show you around our school! It’s really big,” she exclaimed.

The principal chimed in warmly, “Secretary Lin, let us accompany you. It will give us a chance to introduce the school’s situation, and we can consider it a work report.”

So, Fengyin led Lin Youqing and the principal on a tour around the school.

When Fengyin returned to the classroom, her story had already spread throughout the entire grade. Everyone excitedly crowded around her, asking, “Fengyin, who was that person just now?”

Fengyin lifted her chin proudly and said, “Oh, that was my uncle! He’s a big official in the county committee. Even the principal has to report to him.”

The fact that Fengyin had an uncle who was a deputy secretary was quite a big deal, and her classmates looked at her with admiration and envy as if they were seeing “Lin Fengyin” in a new light.

When Jiang Jiang got home from school, she happened to run into Zhou Youquan, the village secretary, who was discussing work with Lin Youqing. After the previous village secretary stepped down, the former captain Zhou Youquan was elected as the new village secretary of Dongxi Village.

Seeing Jiang Jiang, Zhou Youquan was quite surprised. “Jiang Jiang has grown up so much! You’ve become so beautiful,” he remarked.

Jiang Jiang greeted him, “Uncle Zhou.”

Then she turned to Lin Youqing and said, “Dad.”

“Yes. Your mom might be back a little later. I have to go out again soon, so if you get hungry, just cook something for yourself,” Lin Youqing replied.

“I understand. I’ll head back to my room now,” she said.

Zhou Youquan watched Jiang Jiang’s retreating figure, noting her star-like eyes and mountain-like brows. Dressed in a simple and elegant white outfit, she no longer resembled the ragged little girl she once was.

Zhou Youquan had not expected Secretary Lin and his wife to treat Jiang Jiang, who had no blood relation to them, so well. They clearly raised her like a daughter, treating her like a precious gem.

Once in her room, Jiang Jiang turned on the light and took a letter out of her backpack.

Over the past six years, her room had undergone some changes. She had added many little trinkets typical of a girl’s interests to the existing decor and replaced her old desk with a new one that was more suitable for her height now.

In the corner stood a small two-tier bookshelf filled with books that Jiang Jiang had read.

She opened the letter and was surprised to find that Zhong Xing had also sent her a photograph.

Picking up the black-and-white photo that had fallen onto the desk, she was taken aback by the young man’s image: his hair was jet black, his features were handsome, and his clear gaze was striking. He wore a clean shirt, making it easy to guess that he was a recent college graduate.

Jiang Jiang held the photo in her hands and examined it closely. Over the past few years, she and Zhong Xing had kept in touch through letters, sharing updates about their lives. Although they didn’t write often—sometimes once a month or even every two to three months—they had never lost contact.

After Zhong Xing went to work in the provincial capital, it was less than a year before the college entrance examination was reinstated. He had been accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Department at Capital University and had just graduated last year. He was assigned to work at the Capital Machinery Factory.

In these few years, the changes have been monumental. The production teams had been disbanded and replaced by a household contract responsibility system. The lazy could no longer thrive, while the diligent saw their lives becoming increasingly prosperous. Private enterprises began to flourish: some opened brick kilns, others set up vinegar factories, some started small restaurants, and some sold sweet soups on the street. Everywhere, there was a sense of spring and prosperity.

Shuanzhu and Fengzhen were both in their first year of high school at the county middle school. Tiezhu had also come to the county town for junior high, but he was in Class Two, not the same class as Jiang Jiang.

Last year, Jiang Jiang’s uncle Tang Xiaojun and aunt Tang Hongmei finally welcomed a baby, which made her grandparents so happy that they couldn’t stop smiling for an entire month. They would bring up their little grandson to anyone they met.

Jiang Jiang held up the photograph, trying to connect the young man in it with her memories of Zhong Xing.

Six years had passed, and while his appearance hadn’t changed much, she felt that his demeanor had become more mature. When Jiang Jiang looked at herself, she feared that if she stood in front of Zhong Xing now, he might not even recognize her.

This thought made Jiang Jiang feel a bit sad.

But then she realized that if Zhong Xing could send her a photograph, she could also send him one in return.

A new photography studio had opened in the county, and several of her classmates had already had their pictures taken there. She decided that she would go get her picture taken tomorrow.

With this thought, Jiang Jiang felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. She took a deep breath to calm herself, pulled out a piece of letter paper from her drawer, and began writing a reply to Zhong Xing, planning to send her photograph along with the letter once it was taken.