Chapter 030

Gu Huijuan had just given birth to a child and needed to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

That evening, Meng Li returned home and made herself something to eat. After finishing her meal, she read a book, washed up, and went to bed.

With midterm exams coming up, she had already agreed with Zhuo Xi and the others that they wouldn’t go out on weekends. For the past few weekends, they hadn’t come to hang out with her.

She spent her time at home studying and reading, occasionally using a banana leaf fan to cool herself when it got too hot at noon.

Whenever she felt that life was particularly tough, Meng Li naturally thought back to the days before she had crossed over.

Air conditioning, fruit, ice cream—how could she have endured such hardship?

However, thinking too much about these things was futile. It would only mess with her mindset, so Meng Li made an effort to control her thoughts and not dwell on it.

With no other way out, she could only focus on living the present days steadily and peacefully.

Gu Huijuan was discharged from the hospital on Sunday evening. Despite the heat, she was wrapped up tightly, not allowing a single breeze to touch her.

The child was in Grandma Cheng’s arms, while Cheng Chunliang walked beside Gu Huijuan, and Tang Yuan’er followed behind them.

Gu Huijuan had a face full of joy and happiness, but when she saw Meng Li, she acted as though she hadn’t noticed her.

She smiled and greeted the neighbors, Aunt Dong and Aunt Liu, then went straight into the house.

Meng Li, as always, acted as though she were an outsider and didn’t involve herself in the celebration or excitement.

She simply went about her own business, doing what she needed to do.

It wasn’t until Gu Huijuan was comfortably lying in bed, the baby settled, and Grandma Cheng finally had a moment of free time, that she came over to speak with Meng Li. With a beaming smile, she said, “Your mom just gave you a little brother, he’s chubby and cute. Aren’t you going to take a look?”

Meng Li didn’t feel any desire to see her new brother. From the moment she saw Cheng Chunliang’s expression and felt the festive atmosphere in the courtyard, she had already guessed the newborn’s gender. Whether it was a boy or a girl didn’t concern her, and she had no particular thoughts about it.

However, this newborn baby, just a few days old, was Grandma Cheng’s biological grandson. Meng Li naturally didn’t want to dampen Grandma Cheng’s spirits, especially since Grandma Cheng was the only person in the courtyard who had ever been kind to her.

She smiled at Grandma Cheng and said, “You know how my mom has always treated me, she can’t stand me. Just seeing me would make her so mad she might explode. I’d better not go in and see him now, or I might ruin her mood. If she gets upset and the whole thing turns into an argument, she might not be able to rest properly during her confinement, and I’d be to blame.”

Grandma Cheng thought for a moment about the constant tension between Meng Li and Gu Huijuan. It often only took a single sentence for them to clash and start arguing, disturbing the whole household and even the neighbors. If it truly affected Gu Huijuan’s confinement, that wouldn’t be good.

Grandma Cheng didn’t say anything more. She quietly replied, “When I have some free time, I’ll bring him out for you to see.”

Meng Li smiled and nodded, “Okay, thanks.”

She kept herself at a distance, not involving herself in the arrival of the new baby in the household. To be honest, even if this child were her real brother, whether they shared the same mother or not, she had no feelings for him.

She thought to herself that the original Meng Li probably felt the same way.

After all, why else would she feel completely indifferent?

Meng Li didn’t dwell on it further and went to bed at the usual time, maintaining her normal routine.

The next day, Meng Li had to take her midterm exams, and most of her attention was focused on that.

Although this era didn’t place much emphasis on academics and exams, Meng Li had grown up in an environment where academic performance was highly valued. She always treated every exam with seriousness and gave her best effort, and it had become a habit for her by now.

Whenever there was an exam, she couldn’t afford to slack off in the slightest.

However, she had hoped to get a good night’s sleep before the exam, but that didn’t go as planned.

Since Gu Huijuan was in the east room for her confinement, the baby cried throughout the night.

Whenever the baby cried, Grandma Cheng had to get up and rush from the west room to the east room to tend to the baby.

Meng Li slept in the middle room, and every time Grandma Cheng turned on the light to fetch water and moved back and forth, she was disturbed and woke up.

After being woken up several times throughout the night, Meng Li woke up in the morning feeling groggy and disoriented.

After getting up, Meng Li took her toothbrush, toothpaste, and towel to the courtyard to wash her face and brush her teeth. As she stood by the stone trough and reached to turn on the faucet, her eyes were still half-closed and hard to open.

It wasn’t until she splashed her face with cold water that she finally woke up.

After washing up, she went back to her room, grabbed a steamed bun, took a few sips of water, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and left for school.

On the way to school, she dozed off for a while in the bus and managed to sleep through the first reading class once she arrived, which helped her regain some energy.

By the time the formal exam began, she was able to shake off her fatigue and focus, and it wasn’t much of an issue.

Meng Li focused on the exam paper and worked on the questions, not letting her mind wander.

The midterm exams were spread over two days, and Meng Li hadn’t been able to get much sleep during that time. So, aside from forcing herself to stay alert during the exams, she spent the rest of the time sleeping with her head down on her desk, not caring about anything else.

Today, after finishing the exam, her tense nerves could finally relax.

She finished sleeping through the remaining time, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the school.

Today, Ji Chen hadn’t asked her to wait for him after school, as they both had friends waiting for them outside the school.

Xiao Jianguo and the others were waiting for Ji Chen, while Zhuo Xi and the others were waiting for Meng Li.

As soon as Ji Chen stepped out of the school gates, he spotted Meng Li walking up to Zhuo Xi and the others.

Zhuo Xi and Wei Dong were standing next to a woman selling popsicles. When they saw Meng Li approaching, they handed her a cream popsicle with beaming smiles that could almost blind someone.

Ji Chen stood still, watching as Meng Li smiled and took the popsicle, bringing it to her lips and taking a bite.

Zhuo Xi reached up and ruffled her hair, much like how one would pat a puppy’s head.

Ji Chen felt a surge of frustration as he watched, not even noticing when Xiao Jianguo and the others had walked up to him.

It wasn’t until Xiao Jianguo slapped him on the shoulder and threw his arm around his neck that Ji Chen snapped out of it.

Just as Ji Chen snapped back to reality, he heard Xiao Jianguo ask, “How did the exam go, bro?”

Ji Chen shrugged indifferently, “Well, I filled in all the answers.”

The group of them walked together, and Zheng Hang asked again, “Have you decided where to go for some fun tonight?”

Ji Chen cast a quick glance in Meng Li’s direction. He saw her laughing and talking with her group of friends as they walked further away. He didn’t seem particularly interested, and his tone was casual as he replied, “Whatever, it’s just Beijing. We’ve been everywhere already.”

Xiao Jianguo and the others didn’t have any particular ideas either. They hopped on their bikes and kicked off the pedals. “Then let’s just see where the night takes us,” Xiao Jianguo said.

Zheng Hang and Zhang Yue chimed in, “Yeah, let’s go.”

They had just ridden a short distance when Xiao Jianguo suddenly seemed to remember something. He stopped his bike and asked, “By the way, should we invite Yu Sitian and Wan Hong? Where are they? I haven’t seen them around.”

Ji Chen hadn’t given those two girls much thought and wasn’t willing to wait for them. He urged Zheng Hang to get going. “Let’s just leave now.”

Xiao Jianguo had wanted to wait, but seeing that Ji Chen and the others had already left, he had no choice but to pedal his bike and catch up.

The group hurriedly left the school and found a small restaurant to sit down and eat.

As they walked, Zheng Hang noticed that Ji Chen didn’t seem to be in a good mood. He appeared uninterested in everything, as if there was something bothering him. So, he asked, “Did someone mess with our brother Chen? You look like you’re in a bad mood.”

Ji Chen really wasn’t feeling great. There was a knot in his chest that he couldn’t get rid of, and the reason for it all stemmed from seeing Zhuo Xi hand Meng Li the cream popsicle and ruffle her hair.

Then, the thought of Meng Li hanging out with Zhuo Xi and the others almost every day made him feel even more frustrated.

There was no vinegar on the table, but he felt as though his heart was bubbling with sourness.

Ji Chen didn’t answer, and Zhang Yue followed up with, “What’s wrong? Did you mess up the exam? Or did that bastard Third Master Meng get on your nerves?”

Ji Chen picked up his water cup and took a sip, “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

Seeing that Ji Chen wasn’t willing to talk, Xiao Jianguo and the others didn’t press him further.

They changed the topic and started chatting about other things while eating.

Meanwhile, the person who was causing Ji Chen so much frustration, Meng Li, was also at a small restaurant, eating with her friends.

Zhuo Xi noticed that Meng Li didn’t seem to be in the best mood and asked, “What’s wrong? You look kind of down.”

Meng Li wasn’t bothered by anything else. She blinked and said, “Gu Huijuan gave birth to a son. Every night, that little kid wakes up several times, either because he’s hungry or needs to pee. I get woken up several times every night, and I’m not getting enough sleep.”

Zhuo Xi and the others immediately understood—it was all because of the lack of sleep.

After a moment of thought, Zhou Nan hesitated before speaking up. “If it’s so noisy at home, Third Master, maybe you… should come stay with us at Shuiyue Temple for a while?”

As he said this, the three of them were all looking at him, with Wei Dong even clearing his throat.

It wasn’t a big deal before, when they didn’t know she was a girl, but now that they knew, was it really appropriate for them to stay together at night?

Meng Li really didn’t want to go, especially since it was so hot, and she wasn’t as good at pretending as the original Meng Li. She might end up exposing herself. She lowered her head and shook it, offering an excuse. “I have to wake up early and go to bed early every day. I’d probably be a bother to you all, so it’s better not to.”

Seeing that she wasn’t keen on staying at Shuiyue Temple, Zhou Nan didn’t press her further.

However, Zhuo Xi thought for a moment and then looked at Meng Li, saying, “Doesn’t your school have a student dormitory? If it’s really bad, you could ask your homeroom teacher if you can stay on campus. Not many people stay there anymore, and if you go, you might even get a room to yourself.”

Meng Li wasn’t in the mood to think about anything else, but when Zhuo Xi reminded her, she suddenly realized that this was actually a good idea. There were barely any students staying at the school dorms, and most of the rooms were empty. She could easily pick one and stay there for a couple of months.

In two months, they’d all have to pack up and leave.

Whether they were going to join the military or be sent to the countryside, none of them would stay in Beijing.

Meng Li thought this was a great idea—actually, a really great one. She perked up and said, “I’ll ask my homeroom teacher tomorrow.”

Wei Dong sighed deeply, saying, “If you really stay on campus, we’ll have even less time to see each other.”

Meng Li didn’t think it was a problem. She smiled and said, “You guys don’t have anything going on, just come find me at school after class. Besides, we still have two days off every week. Isn’t that enough time for us to hang out?”

Zhuo Xi nodded slowly and agreed, “Yeah, no problem. We’ll come find you after school.”

Meng Li’s eyes sparkled slightly. “It’s settled then.”

She considered Zhuo Xi and the others as close friends and family, and it was enough for her to discuss things with them.

As for Gu Huijuan, she didn’t bother talking to her much.

Meng Li knew that Gu Huijuan didn’t care whether she came home or not. Now that there was a third child in the family, Gu Huijuan probably hoped that Meng Li wouldn’t come back, so she wouldn’t disturb their family’s harmony.

After spending time with Zhuo Xi and the others, they all went their separate ways to head home. Just as Meng Li was about to leave, Zhuo Xi called her back.

It seemed like they had planned this in advance. Each of them reached into their pockets and fumbled around for a moment, then pulled out some money.

They didn’t even count it. One by one, they placed the money into Meng Li’s hands.

Zhuo Xi said, “This should cover it. You might need to pay for accommodation, so take it.”

Meng Li looked at the old, crumpled bills in her hand, took a deep breath, and then stuffed the money into her pocket.

She didn’t hesitate to accept it. There was no need for formalities between them; that wasn’t how things worked between them.

They had been together for so long, sharing both good times and hardships.

Although they sometimes joked around or argued, they never treated each other like strangers.

Meng Li smiled and said seriously, “Thanks, guys. You’re my friends for life.”

Wei Dong clicked his tongue and teased, “That’s so cheesy, but of course, we’re friends for life.”

The group laughed and joked around for a while before they sent Meng Li home.

After that, they didn’t go out to hang around. They all went their separate ways and headed home for the night.

When Meng Li got home, she still acted like she was invisible. She quickly freshened up and got ready for bed.

The next morning, after waking up, she went to school and planned to talk to her homeroom teacher about staying on campus.

Since they had just finished the exams the day before, the teachers were busy grading papers, so it was a self-study day.

During the morning break, Meng Li went to find Wang Chaohai and brought up the idea of staying on campus.