Chapter 309: Chapter 308: Surprise

“Hey…” At the moment the photographer pressed the shutter, Tian Kai and two others rushed into the frame.

Zhang Yuanhong angrily hit him, while Tian Kai jumped far away laughing, “You two old guys are so unfriendly, why just the two of you taking pictures with our class flower? Heck, we’re all classmates, we want a photo too…”

Ling Chengyan was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head with a smile: Class flower, Tian Kai’s got some nerve thinking of that!

A small incident that no one paid much attention to; a group of people gathered themselves, visited the memorial hall, and paused quietly in front of the monument.

Having gone through the smoke and fire of war, they felt more deeply than ordinary people. Standing here, they couldn’t help but recall the not-so-distant past and the people and events from back then. Even Ling Chengyan, who had led the Special Service Company without losing a single member, was equally touched.

The Special Service Company she led hadn’t lost anyone, but several comrades they went south with now rested in the distant frontier.

They spent half a day wandering around the square, and the group finally arrived at the Imperial Palace, bought tickets, and entered with the flow of tourists, through the Meridian Gate, Taihe Gate, and Taihe Palace…

This palace was not the same as the one Ling Chengyan was familiar with, but she knew the similar layout, every gate, every hall… She seemed to see guards standing as still as javelins, lined up endlessly, unable to count them all.

She seemed to see the Ministers of Cultural Affairs filing in one by one to discuss affairs of state.

She seemed to see the beauties in the harem, their youthful faces growing old, their favor rising like the midday sun or chilling with the frost of cold nights…

Zhang Yuanhong, who had been here before and had heard the official explanation, took on the role of a temporary guide for the group of rough men, explaining where the Emperor ascended the throne, where the Emperor and Empress were married, where the imperial exams were held, which palace the Empress lived in, and which palaces the concubines lived in…

Ling Chengyan listened absentmindedly, at times unable to suppress a shake of her head and a sigh: Regardless of how wise and mighty the emperors who expanded their territories were, within a hundred years, or even just a few decades, they would become mere gossip among common folk, who mostly discussed not their great achievements, but trivial tales and strange anecdotes.

The group strolled through the palace in a cursory manner, and upon exiting Shenwu Gate, they once again saw the bustling street with its traffic. Ling Chengyan felt as if she had just stepped from one world into another. Looking at the others, they were chatting and laughing as usual, completely unaffected, with some already planning where to go for lunch.

There weren’t many restaurants near the Forbidden City, and the group had to take several bus rides around a few streets to find a place to have lunch.

In the afternoon, some suggested visiting Wangfujing to stroll around and buy something for their wives and kids back home.

Although these people were used to leaving their families for work, and often being apart, their longing and concern for home would never change.

There was no shortage of food or clothing at home, and Ling Chengyan hadn’t planned to buy anything, but when they arrived at the number one department store in the nation, she still bought some clothes and shoes for the kids. Nearby was a bookstore, and while the others continued shopping, Ling Chengyan went to the bookstore on her own, bought some books for the kids to read, and found a few reference books for herself.

Carrying clothes and shoes in one hand and a few books in the other, she went to pay at the register when Zhang Yuanhong walked in and greeted her: “Feel free to browse if you want to; no need to hurry back.”

Ling Chengyan shook her head, smiled, and said, “I bought a few to take back and read first; I can come back for more once I’ve read these… Where are the others?”

Zhang Yuanhong reached out to help her with the assortment of small items and said, “They weren’t interested in the bookstore, so I let them head back first.”

Ling Chengyan smiled without saying anything more, paid the bill, and left the store with the neatly bound books.

This area was one of the most bustling parts of Beijing, and right next to it was the most famous Beijing Restaurant, the earliest five-star hotel.

Zhang Yuanhong suggested, “Let’s catch a cab back from over there.”

Carrying so much, squeezing onto a bus wasn’t very convenient. He wanted to take Ling Chengyan to catch a taxi from the hotel entrance.

Given his family’s financial situation, spending a few dozen yuan on a cab wasn’t considered expensive.

When Ling Chengyan saw he was heading in the wrong direction, she asked, and upon learning his plan, she immediately vetoed it: “My monthly allowance isn’t much; a couple of fares would wipe it out. No worries, let’s take the bus.”

Zhang Yuanhong looked back at her, seeing her calm and unyielding expression, could only smile and shake his head, and follow Ling Chengyan as they turned toward the bus stop.

In the mid-afternoon, the bus wasn’t too crowded; at least they weren’t lifted off the ground by the crowd when they got on.

They swayed lightly all the way back to the school, and Ling Chengyan was still full of energy, even politely refusing when Zhang Yuanhong offered to walk her back to her dormitory: “This is hardly anything, not even half of what we carried during field drills.”

Saying so, she took everything, some on her back, some in hand, and still had a hand free to open the dormitory door.

Zhang Yuanhong stood where he was, watching Ling Chengyan stride away, carrying so much without a hint of awkwardness, her posture still as straight as a pine tree.

He sighed lightly and turned to head back.

Meanwhile, Ling Chengyan was just returning to the dormitory building, and even though there were still dozens of meters to go, she suddenly heard someone call her: “Mom, Mom…”

Ling Chengyan was startled, then saw two children, one big and one small, running out of the dorm supervisor’s office, dashing towards her.

Ling Chengyan simply dropped what she was carrying and opened her arms, embracing the running Xiao Xing and Shi Tou.

“Mom, Mom!” The two children hugged her neck and legs, kissing and rubbing affectionately.

Ling Chengyan also kissed the cheeks of her two children sideways, smiling and asking, “Why are you here? Why didn’t you call ahead? A telegram would have been fine too.”

“Hehe, Dad wanted to surprise you.”

Amidst the lively chatter among the mother and children, Wang Liansheng walked out with Xiao Yu.

Ling Chengyan immediately asked, “Xiao Yu, how did the exams go?”

Xiao Yu, who had finished junior high school this year and was moving up to high school, had been asked about her situation previously by Ling Chengyan in a letter, to which Wang Liansheng had only said things looked good, but they’d have to wait for the results to be sure.

Calculating the time, since the exams were in early July and it’s been over half a month, the results should be out.

Sure enough, Xiao Yu replied a bit shyly: “I scored 589.”

Wang Liansheng hastily added, “She ranked third in our district’s exams, and the district high schools have all offered her a spot; she can choose whichever one she likes. However, before we came, a key high school in the province also called, saying that Xiao Yu could study there with all tuition and accommodation fees waived.”

Xiao Yu slightly lowered her head and said in a low voice, “I don’t want to go to the provincial city.”

But Ling Chengyan smiled broadly, patted Xiao Yu on the shoulder, and said softly, “Go, how can you not take such a great opportunity… Let me tell you, your brother-in-law and I may soon be transferred to work in the provincial city. If you don’t go to the provincial key school, when we move, will you be left alone in Huicheng?”

“Huh?…” Xiao Yu seemed a bit at a loss.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep