Chapter 661: Chapter 537: No More Naïve Innocents These Days

Before we had time to savor spring, the breath of early summer hit us, as if overnight, the campus was suddenly devoid of jackets and thin coats. With an unintentional glance, one could see a garden full of short-sleeved vests, with the occasional flicker of swaying skirt hems.

Early summer was truly arriving. The biting cold of winter was gone, and the gale and sandstorms of late spring had passed. Summer had arrived quietly.

After finishing her experiment, Zhou Jiao left with a group of female classmates. As she made small talk with them, she was simultaneously thinking about rushing home to sew two sets of short tops and shorts for her son.

“Jiao Jiao, look ahead… it’s a pity you haven’t worn a long skirt these past two years.”

Zhou Jiao followed the direction hinted at by her classmate and saw four or five girls in cloth skirts ahead, chuckling to herself, thinking that when the night turns cold, they’ll be quite chilly.

“I’m planning to go to the department store tomorrow, do you want to make one too?”

“I’ll pass. I’ll save some cloth tickets to make summer clothes for the kids.” Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head. Skirts were something she only wore at home; in the past two years, she had already stopped wearing them in public places.

It’s best to avoid trouble when you can. Since starting university, neither she nor Zhang Guoqing had made new clothes, and in the past two years, she had subtly influenced her mom to change her dressing style.

At the crossroads, Zhou Jiao parted ways with the others and quickly returned to the dormitory. Since the weather had become hot, there were significantly fewer clothes hanging in the corridors, which was a lot more pleasing to the eye.

Zhang Zhiying, holding an enamel washbasin, came downstairs cheerfully. Seeing Zhou Jiao, she quickened her pace and whispered, “They have an event tonight, come early.”

Zhou Jiao blinked in confusion, “What event? If it’s stealing melons, I’m not going. I can’t run fast.”

Zhang Zhiying hesitated for a second, then smiled and shook her head, “Well, just wait for us in the usual spot. Xiao Wu and the others have an event tonight too, don’t they?”

Zhou Jiao, puzzled, tilted her head and replied hesitantly, “I think there’s no event. I heard they’re having a meeting. After finishing the experiment, he and Da Yi went to find our class counselor.”

Zhang Zhiying shook her head with a smile, “They’re really busy. Those underclassmen want to take a walk outdoors, and I originally planned to get help from the student council to organize it. Forget it, we’ll talk about it later. Next month is my birthday, you must bring your friends from your department to my house as guests.”

Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded, but then said, “No problem. I will definitely help you invite them. But next month I might be going out with the professors, we’ll talk then.”

Zhang Zhiying’s face stiffened, and she said with a smile, “Alright. I’m going to wash clothes now. Do you have any for change, so I can wash them together?”

“Not now, but there will definitely be some for you later.” Zhou Jiao laughed.

Zhang Zhiying laughed heartily along with her and waved goodbye as she went downstairs.

What a silly laugh. It’s just idle worry, like eating radishes and worrying for nothing, managing even the underclassmen and trying to get involved with the student council. She’s just like her dad, a bureaucratic enthusiast.

And that Wang Huihui, really, birds of a feather flock together.

Watching her back, Zhou Jiao lowered her eyes, curled her lips in a knowing smile, and turned back to her room. The outside world was so complicated, she wanted to go home to find her dad.

Inside the room, Zhou Jiao sighed, spent a moment in a daze, and then pulled herself together, taking out a piece of yellow-green fabric to start sewing Ping’an’s little shirts and shorts.

Not half an hour had passed when someone downstairs started calling for Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao put down her work, opened the window, and peeked out. It was Qiao Na, who had returned with her earlier. She waved to her from below.

“Jiao Jiao, come out with me for a while.”

Zhou Jiao gestured that she would come down soon. To be honest, she was never able to shout loudly, so she envied her mother-in-law’s boisterous voice.

Putting things away, Zhou Jiao left a note, shouldered her military pack, and ran downstairs, secretly preparing some tickets in her pocket as backup.

Qiao Na stood in the shade, watching Zhou Jiao skipping over, laughing heartily. She still remembered that when they first met at the start of the semester, this girl seemed very steady, but now she realized she was a quirky person after getting to know her.

“Slow down. Come with me to the district; I’ll treat you to noodles with soybean paste tonight.”

Zhou Jiao nodded happily and followed her. The two walked briskly out, “Are we going to buy fabric? Didn’t you say we’d go to the market tomorrow?”

“I feel too bored in the dorm. I thought I’d better buy it early; it would be frustrating if it’s out of stock later.”

Zhou Jiao laughed, thinking that this girl certainly had a craving for food.

“Did you leave a note for Zhang Guoqing?”

Zhou Jiao nodded.

Qiao Na patted her chest, “That’s good. Do you have an impression of Su Mu in my dorm?”

Zhou Jiao nodded.

Qiao Na looked around sneakily, even though there was no one around, and lowered her voice, “She’s always so lifeless, and I thought that was just her personality. But just now, she threw a huge fit in the dorm, it really scared me.”

After speaking, seeing Zhou Jiao’s confused look, she chuckled.

“She’s been close with a male classmate from her class. We all know about it, but nobody’s exposed it. This time, the guy’s family sent a package, and he shared a bag of dried fruits with Su Mu. The girl on my upper bunk asked if it was from her fiancé’s family, and Su Mu flipped out. My gosh, it was terrifying.”

Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes, “I didn’t know. Of course she’s upset! The girl isn’t even married yet, what fiancé’s family? If the rumor spreads, how will she live?”

“Exactly, no one dared to persuade her, so I just ran away. Luckily, it’s in school; outside, such a baseless rumor would have turned into fact by now.

During the New Year, my aunt told me about a young girl at her workplace. She’s very pretty but quite careless. Once, while rushing off work, she collided with a man over ten years older than her, and they both ended up on the ground for a while. It caused such a scandal, people even said they had been in a relationship for a long time. After breaking off her engagement, she did marry that man. So words really shouldn’t be spoken carelessly.”

Zhou Jiao nodded in agreement. With societal attitudes as they are, one must certainly be careful in choosing words.

“Do you know what He Ben Shan’s father does?”

Zhou Jiao shook her head. She never pried into such matters; she only knew that he was from the South.

Qiao Na looked at her with disdain, “So ignorant. I bet everyone else knows except you.”

Zhou Jiao stared at her wordlessly, “You find great satisfaction in belittling me?”

Qiao Na laughed heartily, “Yes! It’s rare to find someone like you. Have you noticed the imported wristwatch on He Ben Shan’s hand? And the sneakers he wears?”

Zhou Jiao didn’t want to talk anymore; it was really hard to have an enjoyable play with her.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. His dad is a sailor. He’s the only son, with two younger sisters. No wonder he hasn’t slimmed down in the past few years.”

Now Zhou Jiao understood, out of all the things said, she was most envious of the fact that he didn’t lack food.

“I think you’re quite something. Didn’t your elder brother just send you a package? Why are you envious of him?”

Qiao Na sighed, complaining, “My brother is getting married, so this treatment will soon be over. Why does he have to marry so early? I was hoping to introduce one of my friends to him.”

Seeing they were nearing their destination, and with more people around, Qiao Na fell silent, causing Zhou Jiao to chuckle quietly. In these times, there really aren’t any naive people left.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep