Thirteen, Grudges
It is said that a retired high-ranking CIA official who had long been in charge of defector operations once summarized the motivations of defectors into three categories: for money, for ideology, and for women.
In fact, it's not just the stench of treason that lasts for eternity, but also the traces of the above three can be found in all thoughts and actions. For example, the data from the fifth census conducted in 2000 shows that among Shenzhen's over 7 million permanent residents, only about one-sixth have a local "hukou", such a high proportion of outsiders is probably hard to find elsewhere in the world. The purpose of so many people leaving their hometowns and "making it big" is probably nothing more than wealth, status or love.
As the capital of the party, Beijing cannot afford to have a reputation for being exclusive. Getting a household registration here is much easier than in the Pearl River Delta, where every inch of land is precious but still picturesque. For example, once you're admitted to the Language Research Institute, you can automatically generate a new identity card, even if your household registration is only temporary and collective. As a result, the 20 million people who moved into the city in '49 have grown exponentially, and it's hard to keep up with the growth. Of course, there's also a visible cost to this, otherwise they wouldn't have stopped construction on countless projects worth tens of millions during the Olympics just to avoid foreign athletes getting infected with respiratory diseases; but after the foreigners leave, the old Beijingers will still have to bear the consequences.
But then again, it's not just Beijing on Jinshan that has suffered this misfortune. Under the traditional system, any political center is doomed to be repeatedly reshuffled and ultimately evolves into a character of constant sacrifice. Those who rule here are often outsiders, just like old Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan to carry out land reform, recklessly squandering others' resources, worse than selling one's own family's property, without any qualms since it's not their own home anyway. As Max Weber analyzed from afar, Beijing is a typical "bureaucratic city", where except for a small number of merchants and laborers who have been struggling to make a living for generations, everyone else (mainly officials and their families in the past) only regards this place as a temporary stop in life, including the emperor himself. No one's true home is here. So, let's put an end to the dispute between the "local snakes" and the "dragons from across the river", especially on a day when no one can predict the future, and let people like Hui Liu carry less of the blame.
A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. There was no road in the world, but when many people walked on it, it became a road. Just like the nomadic tribes who lived with their Mongolian tents and followed the water and grass, in the Chinese concept, where a group of small pigs occupied, that place became "home" (the Chinese character for "home", the top part represents a house, and the bottom part is a pig). Now, the great capital has abundant food, and the population is also thriving, but just like those pastures that are empty after being grazed, when it's time for reunion and beauty, the originally bustling city becomes desolate and cold. For example, the repetitive winter and summer vacations, and among them, the most memorable New Year's festival for the nation. Just like the officials who returned to their hometowns when leaves fell, the old and young in the graduate school will also choose to leave without hesitation when called by their hometown and relatives, although it is short-lived. When Xu Zhen stood in the seemingly empty campus that finally belonged to him, he felt a kind of resentment as if being abandoned.
Buddhism shines the light of wisdom on humanity, but even Siddhartha Gautama himself had to admit that the greatest power in the world is still impermanence. What makes it so frightening is not only reflected in those earthquakes and tsunamis that can take lives like paper, or the wars that bring about self-inflicted suffering, but more terrifying are those rebirths and phoenix-like resurrections, when everything that has been knocked down can start all over again, and it's only then that the true illusory and absurd nature of past unions and separations is revealed.
Just like an old prostitute who has contributed all her shame to social stability, she had long forgotten the original coercion into prostitution. When the colors faded and the carriages became rare, it seemed that something was missing. Beijing, which had witnessed countless times of new people laughing and old people crying, had become accustomed to carefully accompanying smiling faces, being pushed and squeezed by strangers. Until the reunion festival when they could finally take a breath, even the streets were deserted. Of course, this is just a fleeting minor flaw, and it won't be long before the gold rushers who come and go will sweep away those fireworks that still have the fragrance of gunpowder, along with the brief indulgence that only belongs to the old and young in Beijing, into the depths of memory, replacing them with 100-yuan notes circulating nationwide. Then, the two small buildings of the Graduate School were also roughly awakened from their old dreams.
Zhen Liu is the kind of person who likes to stir up trouble but doesn't like to join in on the excitement. When everyone else is busy rushing around for the same thing, he tends to stand off to the side and observe with a cold eye, rather than adding his own embellishments. During winter break, when the security guard on duty was too lazy to stay in the freezing guard room and instead snuck back to the dorm to sleep, Zhen Liu would rather awkwardly climb over the locked gate under the strange gazes of passersby just to sit in the classroom every now and then, as if he was afraid of forgetting that familiar dusty atmosphere. But when the familiar faces started bustling around again, he wouldn't even take a few steps, and even had his classmates pick up his course schedule for him.
Today is the last day of registration for the second semester, and Qian Liu Lao Da reluctantly came to the teaching office, only to find that the scene here was much more "lively" than he had imagined.
"She... she... she said... says she... they... don't... don't care..." A little girl was blushing and practicing a tongue twister.
Xu Zhongliu had once dealt with this gentleman, at the beginning of the school year, he had served as Ai Mei's introducer to join the party, but in less than half a month, he scared away this "ambitious" and "active member" who wanted to get close to the organization; indeed it was "bullying the guest", Ai girl's Guizhou dialect was not easy to understand, after "learning from Handan" for a while, until now she still often "mixes garlic".
"This is a rule of the hospital, introduction letters are issued by the department, we are only responsible for stamping," said the old director who wore "Jiang Qing style" big glasses in the teaching office.
After listening for half a day, Zhen Liu finally figured out that this old brother had managed to get a part-time teaching job at a certain university and needed the department to provide a certificate of proof, which was nothing more than saying he was excellent in both character and learning, with good moral conduct and artistic talent.
"Wait... wait until it opens... after it's open... I'll go again and again..."
"Come... come here and sign," said the old director, who was also about to leave.
"Ah... thank you... thank you... thank you... thanks a lot." It's really no wonder that there are many smart people.
"What subject are you going to teach at XX University?" A younger teacher next to him probably also wanted to know.
"Phonetics!"
Zhenliu strolled out of the office building lazily, dodging the playful slanting sun in the afternoon. He had known that many people didn't have that seemingly unnecessary stamp on their student ID, so he was happy not to run outside to drink a gust of northwest wind. Upon further reflection, it made sense anyway - after all, graduate students here were publicly funded and didn't need to be counted repeatedly. It seemed that communism was still good, when the time came, there would be no distinction between you and me, and probably there wouldn't be so many complicated Chinese characteristics that confused foreigners like now.
"Wei Dan——" seemed like a distant voice.
Zhen Liuliang was so scared that he quickly retreated back into the building, almost throwing his student ID into a nearby battery recycling bin. After calming down, Zhen Liuliang noticed that under the dormitory building, a fluttering sleeve caught his attention - it was none other than Wei Xiaojin, wearing a long white coat made of thick yarn, which perfectly matched her light blue school uniform, making them look like one piece. Her backpack was casually slung over her shoulder, and her half-braided hair looked like it had just been styled. It seemed that she had just finished class, according to Wu Yu, during the holidays, Wei's mother had even taken her daughter to live in another city for a while.
Following the little girl's flying arm, a small head popped out of a window on the third floor, probably where that shout came from earlier. Although it can't be seen clearly, from the slightly large river accent in the Central Plains Mandarin and the unpretentious demeanor, the girl's eyes are probably not bad. It turns out that the legendary doctoral brother who seemed to be unreachable was lurking under his eyelids, but unfortunately this major discovery didn't have much market value, if he really called Wei's father, who was also entangled in a lawsuit, to catch them in the act or coerce her into signing a non-interference agreement with Far Navigation, Lèzi would be delighted.
Wei Dan seemed to be avoiding people, but was actually smiling and going upstairs. Chi Liu, who had been holding his breath, finally came out from behind the glass door that had been cleaned spotlessly during the school's big cleaning event. When he turned around, he couldn't help but laugh at himself for hiding in such an obvious place, which not only failed to conceal him but also made him look ridiculous. People who think they are clever often end up like this, thinking they can keep secrets when in fact others have already seen through them. Just like the monkeys in the zoo that try to hide while eating peanuts, as Pu Songling once commented: "How much do animals and monsters change? Only to add more laughter."
It is often said that good fortune never comes in pairs, while misfortune never travels alone; to generalize, all things that leave people at a loss for what to do will come in pairs. For example, frights. Xu Zhènliú had just slipped back to the entrance of his home and hadn't yet regained his composure when another voice sounded from behind him. Fortunately, this time it was a soft female voice: "Zhènliú—" The newspaper that the boy had just bought fell to the ground with a rustle.
"Sorry about that," a familiar red windbreaker crouched down: "Scared you, didn't I?" It was Instructor Zhao Ran. She had always been very gentle with herself, and wasn't the kind of person who would fawn over the dean's son; for example, her eyes were full of kindness, seemingly able to melt away all wariness and hatred, more like she was facing one of her own family members. Unfortunately, Dr. Zhao hadn't had a chance to recruit more disciples yet, so it was impossible to distinguish between true and false through comparison.
"How did you come?" After blurting out, the boy felt a bit inappropriate: "It's been busy with the start of school, and I was going to visit you at your place that day." In fact, since Zhao teacher called him half a month ago to tell him that he had already "returned home", Chi Liang had been wandering around leisurely, and it wasn't that he didn't understand the order of seniority, but he just wasn't used to that kind of dull and tasteless reception.
"I'm just here to take care of some things," she said, picking up the two white plastic bags by the door. This made Zhao Ruan look like he was here to pay homage to his mentor: "Does Wu Yu come back very late every day?" It seemed that these two were quite familiar with each other.
"No, no," Xu Zhongliang hastily opened the door lock after a while: "She seems to be going to some student's home today, she said so this morning." It seemed that all the teachers in the world were used to making a collective move on the same day, just like Interpol taking down a drug trafficking ring in a unified action.
He sat down, just thinking of getting something to drink, when Zhao Ruan opened one of the bags: "I heard Mr. Gu say that you were looking for this set of 'Philosophy Translations', I happened to have it." The boy saw that the top book was Marcuse's 'Eros and Civilization', this set of books had just been released at the beginning of the year, and when he called a few days ago to ask about it, they hadn't arrived yet. From the brand new condition of the cover, it seemed unlikely that it was something Zhao Ruan "happened" to have: "Those are a few Nanjing roast ducks, I didn't bring anything else, you've been a meat-eater since you were little," Zhao Ruan said with a smile, but he didn't open another bag, just pushed the tea table away.
In the "Book of Exodus" (written around 1290 BC or 1445 BC), it was once said: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." When dealing with those who harm you, don't show any mercy. However, in the same Bible, by the time of the "Epistle to the Romans" (written around 57 AD), it teaches believers: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink." It seems that Christians are becoming more and more... unusual. This isn't even helping evil, but at least it's a bit... shortsighted. After being slapped on the left cheek, they offer their right cheek as well. However, the explanation of the scripture afterwards makes one's ears perk up: "For by doing so, you will heap burning coals on his head." Indeed, revenge only increases hatred, just like trying to quench thirst with seawater - it never ends. On the other hand, repaying evil with kindness not only turns enemies into friends but also brings back what was lost many times over.
Dr. Zhao Ruan, who has received a purely Western education, probably understands this principle, otherwise he would not have taken the initiative to visit Xu Zhen's door without even receiving any brain white gold, if it were someone else, they would probably have already scolded Xu Zhen for being too out of touch with human feelings.
"It's a pity that Professor Wu Hong has gone to Hong Kong, otherwise it would be so lucky to have such a great expert around all day," Zhao Ran said while admiring the towering bookshelf, not forgetting to flatter the old master who was far away. To be fair, Professor Wu Hong's research on modern and contemporary European and American linguistics has developed rapidly in recent years, and his generation of "great experts" no longer have any advantages to speak of. Fortunately, our country still has a conscience when dealing with "historical legacy issues", at least in the academic circle, even if they can't fight anymore, it's good that they are still given a dignified position."
Xu Zhongliu was being tormented by the sudden arrival of Yi Debao, and he thought this was a good opportunity to praise Zhao Laoshi as well, which could be considered a small token of gratitude. However, it seemed that today was not his lucky day, just as he was about to speak, the phone in the living room suddenly rang loudly, if he ignored it, it would seem intentional, so he had to hold back his anger and go out to see what's going on.
It turned out to be Cheng Yi, saying that Lu Yuanhang had a low fever and was resting in the dormitory. The content was very concise, just like a routine report file.
Millions of years ago, primitive humans invented writing, originally for the purpose of communicating information when face-to-face was not possible. However, as social interactions expanded, people discovered that if you didn't want to confront someone directly, you could also rely on written language to help, such as declarations of war or breakup letters. It's probably the same reason why telegrams accompanied telephones and text messages accompanied mobile phones.
I remember that Faraway Voyage once mentioned that he would meet with Wei Yicheng, who had just returned from a meeting in Shanghai, at noon today. I don't know which god of flowers he bumped into outside, but when he got back to school, he "had a dream in the garden". According to traditional Chinese medical theory, when stagnant Qi and external wind-cold pathogens attack the body surface, it can cause headaches and fever. From Faraway Voyage's symptoms, it seems that he has contracted this condition. On the surface, it appears that he didn't pay attention to "spring covering and autumn freezing", but according to dialectical Chinese medical theory, the root cause lies in the hidden dangers accumulated during last year's crazy playing season, as the saying goes: "One summer without illness, three parts of emptiness". If not for his carelessness at the time, how could he have ended up being passive all the way? Therefore, simply relieving the surface and warming the body can only be a temporary solution. To truly eradicate the problem, one must use poison to attack poison, which is what is meant by "winter disease summer treatment" in medical theory.
It's strange to say, but the other side of the ocean is not making a move, and instead, Cheng Yi is sending signals, which can be counted on one's fingers. This isn't the first time this has happened. Cheng Yi, who usually likes to make phone calls, only sent a text message this time, probably with deep meaning worth exploring. Since he doesn't want this "third party" to intervene, wouldn't it be better for someone to take care of things for him and "beautify the past"?
Throwing down the phone, Xu Zhongliu rushed into the inner room in front of the bookshelf and was about to say "Last time we were talking about...", but found that Zhao's expression was somewhat unusual, and she looked like a little girl who had done something wrong and been caught by an adult: "This..." Only after taking a closer look did he discover that she was holding a familiar old notebook.
"Oh," said Jianliu, "I remember now that it was last autumn when we were packing to move here and I found this old book from behind the drawer at home: 'It seems to be my dad's. Where did you find it?' After bringing it back, it went missing soon, and Jianliu didn't think much of it, but today he was caught red-handed by Zhao Ran who had just arrived, what a coincidence!
She pointed to the top of the bookshelf, hesitated for a moment, stepped on the small stool beside her, and put the book back. It was unclear whether it was due to the warm air, but when she came down, Dr. Zhao's pale cheeks were slightly flushed: "How...how did it end up here?"
"Hey, I found this while cleaning the house," said Qian Liu in a puzzled tone. "I wouldn't have put my laptop in that corner, and Wu Yu never misplaces his things. It's as if ghosts are real. The book says that old foxes become spirits, maybe even paper can turn white to yellow after being left for a long time: 'I'll use it as a model for calligraphy.' Xiao Pang made up some random excuse, but grandma had indeed used father's elegant willow-leaf script to warn herself many times."
Xu Zhènliú had already thought it through, today no matter what he would drag Teacher Zhao out for a drink, the location was set at that roast duck restaurant in Lùnán that he had been craving for a long time, the perfect place to nourish his body during autumn and winter. Coincidentally, just before school started, he had received some extra income, and his mother had sent back enough money from the Spring Festival holiday to help him achieve his goal of "three steps to wealth" ahead of schedule, so inviting a guest was no problem at all. It would also be a good opportunity to turn "unearned wealth" into "overnight success". However, no matter how hard he tried to persuade her, Zhao Rǎn insisted that she had other plans for the evening. This elegant lady, who rarely participated in the usual gatherings of their group, didn't seem like the type to have a rich social life outside of work. It was unclear what she was worried about today, but she hastily bid farewell with a heavy heart, leaving Xiǎo Pàngzi's roast duck tasting not quite right.
Fortunately, this hot face and cold buttocks are not the norm; In Newton's third law of motion in the 17th century, Sir Newton clearly demonstrated that the force and counterforce are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on a straight line. Everything is the same, take Cheng Yi's lukewarm text message as an example, since he doesn't want to let himself be inserted horizontally, why should he go against the current? So, until the evening of the second day, Chi Liang took the opportunity to visit someone else and "on the way" went to visit Lu Yuanhang.
The whole set is based on the frame. As soon as he entered the house, Xu Zhongliu found that the atmosphere here was good, with a strong sense of recuperation from illness. There were all kinds of medicines, including tablets, capsules, powders and syrups, combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine; various magazines, CDs, drinks and snacks, treating both symptoms and root causes.
"What about Cheng Yi?" The tone of his words was laced with an undercurrent that even Meng Luo himself detected a hint of jealousy.
"Huh?" Lu Yuanhang was quite surprised: "It seems like there's a class or something," She sat down on the edge of the bed and beckoned Xu Zhifeng to sit down, probably because too many admirers had rushed over after hearing the news, the girl hadn't even had time to examine the tribute one by one; she took out several packages of snacks and examined them, admiring and confirming that they were all correct before piling them in front of Xu Zhifeng. Being a chubby also has its advantages, anyone knows how to treat themselves: "He said you might have something going on, kept sending texts but didn't respond, so I didn't bother looking for you again."
This is somewhat unexpected. Zhen Liu found himself in the position of having to explain: "What's going on?" He could only retreat as I advanced: "Is it still burning?"
"It's nothing," the goose-yellow thermal underwear that should have been quite fitting now seemed loose on the girl's limbs, which had become thinner due to her illness. "Didn't Wei Yicheng come back yesterday?" She picked up the hot water cup and held it in her hands, as if the warm air in the dormitory was not enough: "As soon as they met, he said he had to go back, saying there was something at home, but didn't ask him what it was."
In fact, the salt and vinegar of family life are not worth mentioning, it's just that people who haven't entered the besieged city are particularly curious, just like those children who play with fire, only to realize when they get burned that not everything can be tried casually.
"Recently, we always quarrel when we get together," Yuen Wong gazed out the window at an elderly couple who had just returned from buying groceries and were walking hand in hand towards their daily routine of cooking: "You think that completely losing face like this is also quite pointless, right?"
There's a saying: in times of prosperity, antiques are prized; in times of chaos, gold is king. The principle is the same - when danger looms, one can't afford to be overly concerned with propriety, and must first attend to what's most pressing. On the other hand, it's only at such times that a person's true nature is revealed, as the saying goes: "when the boil bursts, the pus comes out." As the veil is stripped away layer by layer, the final mystery is about to be exposed.
"What's it to you what he does when he goes home? What else can there be?" Zhen Li suddenly remembered a sentence she had come across while flipping through an old notebook she had found again after Zhao Laoshi left yesterday: "You can only ask love for what it can give you." Indeed, young men and women in the midst of passionate love often easily make promises that are unlikely to be fulfilled - those castles in the air, flowers in the mirror, are destined to dissipate at dawn's first light on the horizon. And so, young people who have just encountered some setbacks begin to complain about how illusory and unreliable love is. In fact, only when you "reach the end of the water" will you understand that love is just love, and like all other things in this world, it cannot be a panacea or a magic cure-all.
"I understand what you're saying, but every time I think about him having a family to take care of, my heart just feels...". Zhen Liu was already used to Ruan Hang's endless and repetitive chatter. He understood that it was like an addictive drug - at first, it might be out of curiosity, emptiness or seeking stimulation, but later on, it was only to avoid the pain of not taking it, with no relation to happiness. After his usual outburst, Ruan Hang quickly calmed down: "At noon, Lin Feng came over and sat with me for a while, and that bag of fruit was brought by him."
In fact, Lu had repeatedly shown her affection for this handsome guy, and it's no wonder. Lin Feng's unpretentious good looks and capable demeanor met the girls' standards; since entering school more than half a year ago, many of the older students who were about to graduate had tried to get his attention, but unfortunately, he just pretended not to notice. According to the repeated investigations by the dog group, Little Lin didn't have a secret crush or any past trauma that needed healing, and this aloofness only made him more valuable.
"Have you seen Lin Feng's new QQ signature?" Zuanhui, who had been lying in bed with a quilt, seemed to have gained some energy, although she was still pale and weak. She was able to "know the world without leaving her door", as Xu Zhongliang had just entered the room when Lu Niang was smiling foolishly at the computer screen: "He wrote: 'Women are luxury goods, you can only enjoy them when you have enough ability.'"
It seems that, compared to those unscrupulous men who would abandon their old loves for new ones, Lin Feng's approach of valuing things based on their worth is somewhat more decent. At least he won't disrupt the normal order of market transactions. But like all buyers who believe in fair exchange, don't expect him to have any emotional attachment to the goods themselves. Once the deal is done and the money has changed hands, he doesn't need to feel responsible to anyone else for his "labor achievements". It's easy to imagine that once the delicate balance of cost and benefit shifts, his choices will have nothing to do with moral appeals.
"How can he say that," Yuan Hang gazed at the ceiling, chuckling with a stuttering nasal tone, without any hint of derogation on his face.
Women are often like this, hoping for countless silly boys to spend a fortune on themselves at an auction, while also wanting the winner who has spent all their wealth to carefully enshrine them in a Buddhist altar, fearing they will fly away or disappear. However, there is no such cheap way to have it both ways in the world, and any specific price, no matter how high, will eventually be exhausted. Just like collector Mr. Ma Weidu named his private museum "Guangfu" (meaning "to return"), all things, even precious antiques, cannot escape the fate of reincarnation, whether it's a big gamble or a lucky find.
"So," said Zhen Liu, meaningfully fiddling with the various large and small gift boxes: "Cheng Yi is still more considerate."
"Whatever," the girl's emotions rebounded and surged forward: "Others have Gu Sanshan."
Every year before the Spring Festival, in the midst of the massive exodus from Beijing, the only group that goes against the tide and rushes to the capital from all corners of the country are probably the various officials who take advantage of the opportunity to "strengthen ties" in Beijing. Although Cheng Yi's father has nominally left the state-owned enterprise system, his foundation for sitting on the mountain is still based on the personal connections accumulated over the years under the "hidden rules", and the "good tradition" of making courtesy calls during holidays has naturally been passed down. This winter break was no exception. As a result, Cheng Yi and his father formed an army of two, and they didn't return to their hometown in Hunan Province until the 29th day of the Lunar New Year.
Yuanheng said that during the days of being stranded in Beijing, Cheng Yi often came to pour out her heart about her lost love, and she also deeply sympathized with her and felt sorry for her. Although it wasn't convenient for her to take out her own bitter experiences to commiserate with each other, the girl was still very moved by Cheng Yi's "sincere" attitude towards emotions. However, Zhuo Liu had always been quite skeptical about this. Firstly, at that time Gu Shuang hadn't returned to America yet, although it was urgent, there was still a chance to turn things around; the person hadn't died yet, now was too early to cry, it would be more reasonable to seize the opportunity to struggle and make a comeback. Secondly, Cheng Yi belonged to the kind of "generous" boy who usually wouldn't force others to do things they didn't want to do out of self-interest; of course, people who had low expectations for others generally wouldn't make things difficult for themselves either, they could pick up and put down easily, parting ways amicably. To say that he would fall into a romantic relationship and be unable to extricate himself, was indeed hard to believe.
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. Two crisp knocks on the door, before waiting for a response, Cheng Yi nonchalantly poked his head in from the half-open gap. When Huajing and the female student were alone together, they still made it a habit to not close the door tightly, and the sick Yuanyang also needed ventilation: "Ah, I just guessed you'd come," with the same symbolic knock on the door as before, Cheng Yi had an air of being the master.
"Speaking of you," Far Voyage didn't get out of bed, but roughly tidied up the various snacks on the table.
"Hurry up and eat," the cool air on his coat accompanied the hot bento in his hands: "Just out of the pot." Cheng Yi opened two disposable plastic boxes: "Originally, I thought that abalone porridge was pretty good, but it seems like when you have a cold, you can't eat seafood. So, someone recommended this instead."
Xu Zhèn's eyes followed the fragrance to a famous old-brand congee shop, where the clerk was clearly an amateur. The wild chrysanthemum and cassia seed congee and chicken soup with rice were both suitable for patients, but one was cool in nature and the other warm, completely unrelated. On the other hand, the gentle and soothing abalone had a therapeutic effect on yin deficiency and inner heat, which suited Lù Yuǎn Háng's physical constitution perfectly.
"Ah," the girl gestured for Cheng Yi to sit down: "I knew you'd have to go buy food."
In the feudal society, emperors were most afraid of their ministers secretly colluding with each other, especially between insiders and outsiders. What matters could not be openly discussed in court? Frequent small gatherings would inevitably lead to suspicions; later, Mao Zedong also criticized Zhang Guotao and others for their abnormal behavior of "forming cliques" within the party. In fact, socializing among friends is no exception. Some people always like to establish private connections outside of collective activities, which can be seen as creating divisions or at least having ulterior motives. Of course, there are gains and losses; although it leads to distinctions between intimacy and distance, it also provides necessary space for the development of "one-on-one" relationships.
Although Cheng Yi repeatedly invited him to have dinner together, Zhentao tactfully declined, saying he had promised a classmate. Although it was clearly an excuse, no one pressed the issue, so he could only slink back home alone. With nothing better to do, he thought of his father's notebook again, which recorded life experiences and had some insightful passages. Strangely, although he remembered finishing it yesterday and carelessly putting it in his own drawer, it was gone again, and even the bookshelf where it originally belonged was empty, leaving only a flattened peach blossom waiting there alone. Marx once said that any historical event would happen twice, first as a tragedy, then as a farce.
"I really can't carry it anymore," Wu Yu appeared at the door with big and small bags, "Can you help me carry them in?"
Zhen Liu hurriedly ran over, he had a premonition that the mistress was about to return home, so he slightly ajar the iron gate in advance. After the university expansion, nowadays even criminals have mixed into the ranks of intellectuals, and they are not willing to engage in low-tech occupations such as burglary, nor do they need to be on high alert all day long. Wu Yu had also gotten used to this style, so he no longer complained, having a sturdy young man at home added a sense of stability.
"Looks like you've gained weight again?" Xu Zhongliu's swaying body occupied the entire corridor, Wu Yu had to follow behind him, and helped the boy tuck his exposed shirt corners into his pants: "Seems like you need to control your calories."
Nowadays, the pet dogs that have entered the mainstream can be divided into two categories: those that resemble wolves and those that resemble cats. Similarly, men who attract the opposite sex can also be categorized into two types: those who are "manly" enough or those who are "handsome" enough, which can satisfy women's desire to "be owned" and "own". Unfortunately, classmate Zhen Liu belongs to the "inferior goods", but bringing home a "Winnie the Pooh" plush toy is not without its benefits. At least this kind of boy, who has always been lazy in terms of appearance, makes people feel more at ease compared to those handsome guys who are always showing off, just like a virtuous woman who does not wear makeup.
It's just the beginning of the new semester, and as a class teacher, Teacher Xiao Wu is busy with many things. For example, yesterday she didn't even have time to go home for dinner, so she had to make do with what was available in the school cafeteria. Within an hour or two, she managed to whip up a delicious meal, with a good balance of meat and vegetables, and everything looked and smelled great.
Nowadays, all sorts of cooking classes are popping up everywhere, from Korean and French cuisine to Indonesian and Latin American flavors. Many young professionals have even bought professional-grade wall ovens for their homes, but the result is that they can't even bake a simple sweet potato properly - they just end up burning themselves while trying.
In reality, these young white-collar workers who participate in such domestic training classes are not really interested in mastering cooking skills, but rather in enjoying the process itself and showing off their refined taste. They're willing to spend thousands of dollars on tuition fees just for the sake of appearances. You can't expect them to be able to cook a decent meal, let alone follow the traditional Chinese saying "three days in the kitchen, washing hands and making soup; not understanding the nature of food, first sending the young daughter to taste it".
In this era where men and women are equal, the main battlefield has shifted from the kitchen to the bedroom. No wonder there are more and more Chinese men who can cook well but have mediocre careers. If things continue like this, those Japanese husbands who work hard during the day and enjoy family life at night will eventually return home.
Wu Yu, of course, had not received professional training and was only skilled in some empirical home cooking, but with her cleverness and years of practice, she couldn't say that she could turn the rotten into the magical, but it was still a qualitative change within the quantitative change. In fact, the heavy sword has no edge, and the great skill is not shown off, the most common test for chefs in restaurants is dishes like fish-flavored shredded pork, being able to make the ordinary appear extraordinary is the real skill; how often can you encounter deer whip and bear paw in a year? And there aren't that many dragon liver and phoenix gallbladder for you to waste.
"Right... " Zhěn Liú Yī Xiàng eats very quickly, this is a habit he developed when he was studying abroad and living with roommates. After finishing his meal, he remembered that lost and found notebook again: "Did you see it?"
Wu Yu eats very neatly, generally without the habit of chatting and laughing. After the overall improvement in living standards, only in details can we see the differences in family background. Hearing Xiao Pangzi's question, she just shook her head and didn't make any more expressions, using chopsticks to stir the bowl with that crispy outside and tender inside pineapple braised pork.
Although he was full of doubts, Xu Zhongliu didn't ask any more questions and just said that maybe he had simply forgotten to pick it up. After all, it wasn't anything important, at least not in his opinion. And so, Little Fatty picked up a large bucket of canned peaches and lay down on the sofa.
The sports channel is broadcasting a message about "Glass Beauty" Zhao Ruirui, the content is not important, it's probably something like "injury recovery is going well, doctors are full of confidence" and other nonsense that my ears have gotten tired of. However, this sister with 1.26m long legs is indeed a dream lover who has won over Xu Zhenzhen's heart, from the time she was just a member of the Bayi Women's Volleyball Youth Team, he had already "fallen in love at first sight", and even knew her grandmother's surname. In fact, the opposite sex that Xu Zhenzhen has a crush on are often those who look like they can tolerate him, whether it's their temperament or figure, of course, the latter is only from a vertical perspective.
"Today, the school has a teaching and research conference," After cleaning up the battlefield, Wu Yu wiped her hands with hand cream while patting the lazy pillow. It turned out that as the leader of scientific research, this semester it was her turn to go with another female teacher to the Education Commission near the hospital for post training, with two classes to choose from, Saturday afternoon or evening. As a result, the other family-oriented woman took the initiative to take the night shift that ended at 10 o'clock, leaving "lonely" Teacher Wu with the excuse of picking up her children and cooking dinner: "I originally wanted to say that we also have a national treasure panda waiting to be fed here," She pinched the soft belly of Little Fatty's hand: "Just afraid that others won't recognize the account."
Xu Zhènliú understood that, Wu Yu had always disliked crowded places and being squished by people since she was a child. She got used to riding her bike back and forth, probably developing her beautiful long legs in the process; after starting work, although her school was not close to home, she still preferred not to take public transportation to avoid feeling others' body heat. Usually it didn't matter, but this time being forced to return alone on a snowy night at midnight did make her feel a bit uneasy. If it weren't for Xu Zhènliú's mother lending their empty three-bedroom apartment to a newlywed student couple, Wu Yu could have gone there to rest and borrow a place to stay for the night, but now...
"I've got it!" exclaimed Zhen Liu, jumping up from the sofa and splashing canned goods all over Wu Yu's face.
