The festive atmosphere faded after the tenth day of the first lunar month.
People working away from home departed in batches, embarking on another year of toil for meager earnings.
At this time each year, many children left behind to attend school would feel heartbroken.
Like Tang Wen, those who could stay with their parents and whose families had already established themselves in big cities were, after all, just a minority.
Generally speaking, after eating the Tangyuan for the Lantern Festival, the Spring Festival truly came to an end.
Universities typically resumed classes after the Lantern Festival.
In the senior high school class group chat, everyone began to prepare for their departure.
Class monitor Mu Nan and Liao Juan were the first to leave. Shanghai was quite far, so they planned to arrive a few days early to settle in, as they had nothing else to do at home.
In the days leading up to their departure, those who had been treated like treasures by their parents were once again transformed into precious jewels. They were served delicious food and drinks every day, and no one bothered them when they slept late; they might even be allowed to sleep longer.
That morning, classmates bid farewell to the class monitor, Liao Juan, and two other departing individuals in the class group chat.
“Safe journey, Class Monitor. See you at the end of the year.”
“Wishing both beautiful ladies smooth sailing. Bring back boyfriends next year.”
“Hahaha… Shanghai has so many wealthy people. With the looks of our Class Monitor and Liao Juan, finding a rich and handsome man should be a piece of cake!”
“What are you guys talking about? Does our Class Monitor need to actively look? Rich and handsome guys are lining up to approach her!”
…
As everyone chatted, the conversation gradually veered off track.
“Stop fooling around, we’re boarding the train. Let’s all meet again at the end of the year!”
Class Monitor Mu Nan also chimed in, sending a message to everyone in the group.
Upon seeing this, everyone spammed the chat with the words “Let’s all meet again at the end of the year.”
As expected, once everyone gradually returned to school, the class group chat would fall silent again.
But as long as there was a class monitor like Mu Nan and such cohesion, no matter how many years passed, everyone would still be able to reunite when they returned home for the holidays.
Qin Tian, who had just woken up from a long sleep and was scrolling through his phone while leaning against his bed, also sent out the words “Let’s all meet again at the end of the year.”
Suddenly, a message notification chimed.
Qin Tian exited the class chat group and saw a message from his second cousin.
“Report: Successfully reached the designated location, target locked, mission about to commence [Shy] [Shy]”
“Seize the opportunity and proceed with caution!” Qin Tian typed back with a bit of amusement.
“Received!” Tang Heng replied with two words.
Qin Tian chuckled and took a screenshot of the chat history, sending it to Xia Nuannuan.
This guy was sparing no effort to find a girlfriend. He had begged Xia Nuannuan for help, found out Mu Nan and Liao Juan’s train schedule, and bought a ticket for the same train.
According to his plan, he intended to engineer a chance encounter on the train.
“Second cousin is so funny!” Xia Nuannuan quickly replied.
“More like second-rate?”
“Hehe… No, don’t talk nonsense.”
“Everyone’s leaving, when are we going to school?”
“Tomorrow afternoon?” Qin Tian typed and asked.
There were still four or five days before the start of school, but he also planned to head over in advance.
The two apartments there had already been aired out. By going in advance, they could purchase appliances and furniture, and then buy various daily necessities, after which they could move in.
“Okay, I’ll go by your plan.” Xia Nuannuan happily agreed.
“Then come over with your mom tonight. I’ll cook a few good dishes, and we can have dinner together.” Qin Tian invited.
Two days prior, his future father-in-law had already departed for Jiangcheng, and they also had to leave tomorrow. So, today they would have a good meal with the two mothers.
“Sure, my mom agreed. We’ll head over later.”
“Alright.”
By six in the evening, it was already dark outside.
In the brightly lit main hall, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan sat with their two mothers for dinner.
On the table were various delicious home-style dishes, all prepared by Chef Qin.
“Aunt Tang, has Uncle Qin returned to the capital?” Xia Nuannuan asked.
Tang Xiuxia smiled and nodded, “He left yesterday afternoon.”
“Oh, I see!”
“He also told me to tell you that you’re welcome to visit the capital when you have time.”
“Okay!” Xia Nuannuan smiled sweetly and glanced at Qin Tian beside her.
Qin Tian was busy eating his food, pretending not to hear their conversation, and naturally couldn’t grasp the implied meaning.
“Sister Xiu, Qin Ge works at the research institute. What field is he mainly in?” Su Xia asked with a smile.
“Hmm… I’m actually not sure about that. He seems to have mentioned something about bioengineering, but I don’t understand it. He can’t say much either, as many of the projects they participate in are covered by non-disclosure agreements,” Tang Xiuxia replied.
“It seems that Xiao Qin’s strong learning aptitude isn’t without reason,” Su Xia said with a gentle smile.
“Can we not talk about him?” Qin Tian put a piece of meat into Xia Nuannuan’s bowl, his tone filled with helplessness.
The two mothers chuckled and changed the topic.
“Brother, what time are we leaving tomorrow afternoon?” Xia Nuannuan asked with a sweet smile.
“After lunch?” Qin Tian suggested.
“Okay!” Xia Nuannuan nodded in agreement.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Mhm mhm!”
…
…
The next day, after having lunch with his mother at home, Qin Tian packed his small amount of luggage and prepared to leave.
“I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.” Qin Tian spread his arms and hugged his mother before saying goodbye.
“Mm!” Tang Xiuxia responded with a bright smile.
Without further ado, Qin Tian let go, opened the car door, and got in.
After starting the car, he rolled down the window and looked at his mother outside.
“I’m off!”
“Drive slowly on the road and be careful.”
“Got it.” Qin Tian nodded in response, then turned the car around and headed towards Xia Nuannuan’s house.
As he drove further away, he glanced back through the rearview mirror. He saw his mother still standing there watching him, her slender figure appearing somewhat lonely. This made him recall his reluctant father. If his mother had his company beside her at this moment, would he not have felt this way? Thinking this, Qin Tian shook his head forcefully, casting the distracting thoughts out of his mind.
The car drove directly into Xia Nuannuan’s residential community. After parking, Qin Tian went straight up to help carry her luggage. Including the clothes bought during the Spring Festival, Xia Nuannuan had more luggage than when she returned.
After bidding farewell to Xia Nuannuan’s grandparents, his future mother-in-law saw them off to the car.
“Mom, I’m leaving!” Xia Nuannuan, sitting in the passenger seat, waved goodbye to her mother outside the car.
“Go ahead. Xiao Tian, drive slowly on the road,” Su Xia instructed with a gentle smile.
“Okay.” Qin Tian replied and started the car, driving away.
This time, it was just the two of them. Xia Nuannuan had also called Su Yan and learned that she had another banquet to attend and would only be able to return to Jiangcheng in a couple of days.