That night Liang Fu took Zhang Pingyu home and it was already twelve o'clock at night.
They had eaten for too long, and the verbal exchanges in the game were all about adults' complicated thoughts. Liang Fu occasionally listened to it, but then leaked it out, and she was distracted.
When he got home, Zhang Pingyu deliberately criticized Liang Fu for her incomprehensible behavior at the dinner. Liang Fu was listening at the bottom of the stairs. She just wanted to get rid of the people as soon as possible. It was rare that she didn't refute a word, so she agreed to them all.
"Afu, you're not young anymore. Don't refuse contact like a child when you don't like things. You have a good relationship with Qingqu, and learn more from him how to do things." Zhang Pingyu finally finished his lecture. , took off her earrings and walked to the bathroom.
Liang Fu finished washing up as quickly as she could in her life, hid in her room, and sent a message to Fu Yucheng. After waiting for about ten minutes and no reply, I called again. After two rings, the call was connected. I heard a lot of noise on the other side, as if someone was swearing.
"Hello."
"Fu Yucheng, it's me..."
There was a pause, "Wait." After a moment, when he spoke again, his voice was much clearer.
"I'm sorry for today." Liang Fu prefers retro-style things. The bed in the bedroom is also in European palace style. The dark green tassels hang down from the satin bedspread. She wraps it between her fingers, not realizing that her words are coquettish and submissive.
"It's okay." She heard a drawn-out breath and thought he might have lit a cigarette.
"are you free tomorrow?"
"Full class."
Liang Fu was a little worried, "...are you angry with me?"
"Do you think I'm such a stingy person?"
Liang Fu explained to him that her childhood sweetheart was injured and she had to go to visit him, and she couldn't refuse.
Fu Yucheng said "hmm".
Liang Fu always felt that he was not very interested, "Fu Yucheng... I will come find you tomorrow."
Fu Yucheng smiled and asked, "Don't you believe I'm really not angry?"
"So... you're not disappointed either?"
"What do you think?"
Liang Fu laughed out loud, feeling much relieved. She turned over, put her phone on speakerphone, and lay on the bed, not caring that her face was deformed by the pillow. She was really a little disappointed, and her tone of voice was quite dejected, "I originally bought a new dress today and wanted to show it to you..."
There seemed to be a low laugh from the other side, "I can imagine it, just think I've seen it before."
"Let's go out for fun on New Year's Day, okay? I'll spare time on the 31st. Let's go see an exhibition, or let's go to sea! There are many islands nearby!" I want to welcome the New Year with him.
Fu Yucheng said: "It's all fine, you decide."
After talking about the business, they chatted a lot, and Fu Yucheng was willing to agree with her even if she said boring things. An hour later when she hung up the phone, she said "good night" to him, and was satisfied to hear the "good night" echoed through the radio waves, her voice as deep as her ears.
Liang Fu never thought that she would be slapped in the face so quickly, and she regretted that she should not have agreed so easily.
After the last performance of the year ended, she met Teacher Yang in the dance troupe and learned about the group building on New Year's Day. It was a short trip to another place. She would go on the 31st and return on the afternoon of the 2nd.
Speaking of which, there are actually two "leaders" of the dance troupe, one who is in charge of operations and the other who is in charge of actors. Teacher Yang was in charge of this group of actors and she was quite strict. When Liang Fu first joined the group, she often scolded her to tears. But it was also Teacher Yang who would be the first to come up and hug her when the curtain fell after her first performance.
Teacher Yang is a senior member of the group and has not been on stage for more than ten years. However, he still maintains his figure as in his prime and is an extremely self-disciplined person.
Liang Fu trusted her and respected her.
Liang Fu heard the news a few years ago that the troupe was going on tour after the new year, and she was chosen to play the lead role. This meant that while her status in the group was fully recognized, it also meant that she was about to start cultivating a successor.
The team building this time is because the group has recruited new actors. Liang Fu met the new children. There was a girl named Tan Lin who was very talented and the group was willing to observe and cultivate her. At the beginning of a year, when the situation was changing again, it was absolutely impossible for Liang Fu to ask for leave.
Teacher Yang even gave a direct order to die: "Even if your leg is broken, you have to crawl over for me."
"But why so suddenly..."
"Suddenly?" Teacher Yang raised his hand and hit her on the head, "You blocked the WeChat group again? How many rounds of discussions have there been in the group?"
Liang Fu felt guilty, "...No, I didn't block it. I was just busy, so I didn't see it."
"Remember to check the time notification in the group and don't let me miss you on the morning of the 31st."
·
Fu Yucheng was on his way to Liang Andao's office when he received a call from Liang Fu.
I can't tell you how I felt when I heard Liang Fu apologize. I didn't seem to feel much at all. It was probably because no matter what happened, he was used to envisioning the worst outcome in advance.
Fu Yucheng laughed, "It's okay, let's talk about it later."
"Are you angry then?"
"I was reviewing and almost forgot about it."
Liang Fu seemed to be relieved, "I will definitely be free when the team building comes back. We won't have many performances scheduled at the end of the year. I will come find you then."
No matter how well he controlled his emotions, there was still a hint of fatigue in his eyes. Fu Yucheng raised his hand and pinched his eyebrows, and said softly: "...I have exams in mid-to-late January, and I don't have much time to spare."
Liang Fu said "Ah", her tone seemed a little at a loss, "Then..."
"Let's talk about it during the winter vacation."
Liang Andao called Fu Yucheng over to talk to him about the ICC (International Criminal Court, International Criminal Court) Moot Court Chinese Competition.
At the beginning of October, the school had sent out the registration notice. Fu Yucheng passed both the written examination and interview, and his overall score ranked third in the Criminal Procedure Law major of the School of Law, behind the two second-year graduate students. There are a total of 7 registration places, 3 each for the School of International Law and the School of Law. Within the School of Law, three registration qualifications were given to two second-year graduate students who were ranked ahead of Fu Yucheng, and a student majoring in civil and commercial law.
"The student led by Dean Zheng has something to do and can't participate. The hospital has decided to move forward according to the total score of the written test and interview and give you a spot." Liang Andao handed him a list, "The other six students have already started. Prepared - this is the reference material prescribed by the instructor on the international law side, not to mention the international law-related works of Zhu Wenqi, Malcolm and Ian Brownlee, the "Rome Statute", as well as the applicable "Elements of Crimes", You need to be familiar with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, as well as related cases in the ICC, ICTY, ICTR and other courts. Submit your pleadings in March and go to Beijing for the main game in April. Time is running out, so hurry up."
Fu Yucheng solemnly agreed.
Liang Andao said with a smile: "Last year's champion was the University of Political Science and Law next door to us, and our school won fourth place. Come on, it's a battle of revenge."
·
It rarely snows in Chongcheng in winter, and it only snows for a short period of time. Before it covers the road, it is crushed by the spinning wheels. The air is only damp and cold, the sky is also gloomy, and the days are getting longer and sunny.
Fu Yucheng took his luggage home and met Aunt Shi downstairs in the community who was watching her grandson playing wildly in the sandpit. Aunt Shi has been a neighbor for many years, and Fu Yucheng remembers eating the sweets she fed him as long as he could remember.
Aunt Shi has two sons, one works in a factory and the other runs a small business. Fu Yucheng played with them when he was a child, but later he entered a key high school and completely separated from the brothers who dropped out of school early. He only came to say hello during New Years and holidays. They were no longer in the same world, and they would have nothing to say after a few words, only the embarrassment of staring at each other, so later they developed a tacit understanding of a "three-step" set of polite words. When they meet each other in the corridor, they will carry it forward: "I'm back", "Have you eaten?", "I'm going down to buy something, come and sit at my house when you have time".
But with Aunt Shi, Fu Yucheng could chat for a longer time. Perhaps the elders have the ability to talk unilaterally regardless of whether the younger generation listens or not.
Fu Yucheng touched his pocket and found a few candy balls, which seemed to be given by the dormitory aunt at the door of the dormitory on New Year's Day. He peeled off the sugar coating and fed it to Aunt Shi's grandson. The knuckles of Fu Yucheng's hands turned red from the cold, and the child's rosy cheeks that swelled with the candy balls in their mouths were also cold when he touched them. The child didn't seem to feel the cold. He shoveled sand into the red plastic bucket with a small shovel and hummed happily.
Aunt Shi chuckled, "He actually likes you."
"It's cold, you'd better go inside early."
"It's too cold in the house and I can't stay any longer. It's okay to play outside. The kids can resist the cold." Aunt Shi also had her hands free. She held a mobile phone and a pen, held a rolled-up thin-cover book, and copied it. Copying numbers: She likes to buy some lottery tickets on weekdays, although the amount is not large. I heard that I passed the exam and got thousands of dollars, and I became even more fascinated from then on.
Aunt Shi said: "Xiao Fu, your mother's cough is very severe this time, and it lasts for a long time. Why don't you take her to the hospital to have a look? It's okay if it's just a cold, just in case..."
"I understand, thank you Aunt Shi."
"If you want to thank me, come to my aunt's house for dinner tonight."
"I will definitely go if I have time."
The old community has no elevators. I don't know who designed the corridors. They are completely enclosed and have no transom windows. The lights have to be turned on all year round. There were rumors of demolition in the past two years, but this year it has gradually subsided. Everyone has to suppress their impetuous mood and devote themselves to the boring daily life day after day.
Fu Yucheng's home is on the sixth floor.
He stopped at the door and raised his hand to knock on the door. After a moment, he heard Zhao Hui's voice from inside: "Here we come."
Guessing that her son was back, Zhao Hui opened the door without any precaution. She was wearing a blue and white floral apron and holding a handful of garlic in her hand.
Fu Yucheng took off his clothes and changed his shoes and went to help in the kitchen, but was kicked out again. Both his home and school are in Chongcheng, but they are far away. Fu Yucheng usually goes back every two to three weeks. He usually first checks whether there is anything that needs to be repaired at home. This time he found that the nails hanging the paintings in the living room seemed to be loose, so he first found a hammer to hammer on them.
Fu Yucheng was standing on the sofa and heard a cough coming from the kitchen, "...Aunt Shi said that you are always coughing these days."
"I just caught a cold due to a sudden change of weather."
"Let's go to the hospital after the new year. Don't worry. In case of recurrence..."
"How can I relapse? It's been almost four years."
"Don't hide your illness and avoid medical treatment."
Zhao Hui just said: "Don't worry about it, I know it."
Fu Yucheng hammered the nails in, packed up his tools, and took a look in the kitchen.
Zhao Hui did things in an orderly manner and didn't like others to interfere and make trouble, so she asked her son to go back to the house and read a book - he was already in graduate school, and she treated him as if he was a high school student.
Fu Yucheng went back to his bedroom and took out the international law books he borrowed from the school library to read. In winter, if you sit indoors for a long time, you will feel cold. When he was in high school, he had an air conditioner installed in Fu Yucheng's bedroom. Later, Fu Yucheng went to study abroad and insisted on moving the air conditioner to Zhao Hui's bedroom.
"Acheng, there is a heater in the living room, you can use it!"
Fu Yucheng responded, but did not move. He kicked his chair away, put his feet on the desk, held the book, and flipped through the pages.
Not long after, Zhao Hui called Fu Yucheng out for dinner.
There were only two people, but they cooked six or seven dishes. Although Zhao Hui has a happy-go-lucky personality, she has a common problem among mothers all over the world, always holding on to the good things for her children.
In fact, their life in the past two years was not as tight as in the earlier years. The money earned from Fu Yucheng's scholarship, part-time jobs, and internships, plus Zhao Hui's salary, was more than enough for daily expenses.
"After dinner, I will take you to buy some clothes in the afternoon."
Fu Yucheng said: "No, it's enough to wear."
"There's no one who doesn't wear new clothes during the New Year."
Zhao Huichang lamented that Fu Yucheng had inherited his father's tall height. He was 1.85 meters tall and was gifted with clothes. No matter how cheap clothes he wore, he didn't feel cheap, which saved him a lot of money.
Fu Yucheng knew he couldn't compete, so it was up to her.
Zhao Hui talked about what happened at Aunt Shi's house downstairs: "...the boss of the boss factory embezzled a lot of money and took his mistress to Bali for vacation. A group of workers did not get their wages and were still waiting for the New Year. The boss The second batch of goods was detained, and I was looking for connections everywhere..."
In the end, it is inevitable to sublimate the theme, "After all, reading is the right way."
Fu Yucheng has been "someone else's kid" since he was a child, and his grades have always been among the best. If she hadn't been sick during the college entrance examination, which distracted him and affected his condition, he would have been admitted to Chongqing University as an undergraduate.
Others praised Fu Yucheng for being sensible, but Zhao Hui felt that being sensible did not necessarily mean good. The kid was thoughtful, but he never told her. Living under the same roof, she had not understood his true thoughts for many years.
In the afternoon, Fu Yucheng followed the enthusiastic Zhao Hui to the mall and let her choose a coat for him. The clothes were of a good shape and could only be worn by those with broad shoulders and narrow waists. When Zhao Hui saw that Fu Yucheng looked great on them, she was so determined to buy them. Wool material can be worn for many years if taken good care of. Perhaps the shopping guide's words were the important reason for her decision.
This year has been as ordinary as usual.
The Fu family doesn't have much contact with relatives anymore. Both her grandparents and maternal grandfather died early. Zhao Hui also has a cousin with whom she keeps in touch during the holidays, but she's not in Chongcheng, so she can't go all the way to pay New Year's greetings every year.
I only communicated with Liang Fu on WeChat and didn't talk much. Comparatively speaking, the Liang family is busy with socializing and socializing. Fu Yucheng can always see her complaining about being divided into groups in the circle of friends, "There are so many visitors, I am bored to death, I don't like celebrating the New Year the most" and so on. She also posted a photo, in which she was dressed festively, making strawberry nougat with a woman who looked not much older than her. She called the woman "little aunt" and said, "little aunt is still the cleanest place here." .
On New Year's Eve, Fu Yucheng sent her a red envelope. Ms. Liang answered quickly and responded with a "Thank you boss" emoticon. He followed all etiquette and sent messages to his teachers and friends, then threw away his phone and ignored it. In the early morning, I accompanied Zhao Hui for a walk downstairs. Along the way, I met neighbors and wished each other happy New Year. Fireworks and firecrackers are banned in the city, but children in the community have developed a new way of playing. One person holds two colorful light sticks and runs around the place. It is a bit festive to watch at night.
When he returned upstairs after midnight, Fu Yucheng picked up his cell phone from the sofa and found that Liang Fu had called him at midnight.
He said hello to Zhao Hui, took his cell phone and went downstairs, finding a secluded corner to call back. It took Liang Fu three times to answer the call. I don't know if it was intentional or if she didn't hear her.
"Fu Yucheng, happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
There was a gust of wind, and there was coldness in the wind. He stood with his back against a pine tree, sifting through the cold and bitter frosty wind at night.
Fu Yucheng held his cell phone, took out a cigarette with one hand, bit the filter, and then went to get a lighter to light it. He never smoked in front of Zhao Hui, fearing that it would be bad for her lungs.
"On the fifth day of the lunar month, we went to play cards at that place last time. Are you going to go?"
Fu Yucheng said: "I made an appointment with a friend for dinner."
Liang Fu laughed, "Is the schedule so full?"
"It's not as good as Senior Sister."
"...Are you still angry?"
Fu Yucheng laughed, "You may not know that I still hold grudges."
Liang Fu chuckled on the other end of the phone, "...Fu Yucheng, don't you have any plans to meet me?"
"Aren't you waiting for Senior Sister to ask me out?"
"Fu Yucheng!"
Fu Yucheng stopped teasing her, "Would you like to hear the truth or a lie?"
"It's a lie. You know, I have to listen to good words. If you coax me, I'll be happier."
"There is no such thing as a lie."
The other end of the phone fell silent immediately. After a long time, Liang Fu called him in a low voice. There was a tenderness in her soft voice that made people's hearts tickle: "Fu Yucheng."
"Um?"
"Where are you at this time?"
"Outside, under the tree. There is a child not far away, maybe peeing in the grass."
Liang Fu laughed loudly, "...No, I'm asking where you live."
"South of the city."
"...Is it far?"
"Far. Are you at home?"
"exist."
"Please spend time with your parents first."
"...Yeah." Liang Fu responded dully, her tone unable to conceal her disappointment.
While he was talking, Fu Yucheng stood up and went upstairs to knock on Aunt Shi's door. He remembered that the second son of the Shi family had a car.