After dinner, leaving the kitchen to Gu Xingdong, Chen Lishu eagerly went to the Wu family's home.
When she entered, Wu Zheng was wrestling with a fish on a cutting board in the kitchen. In the bedroom, Lin Xiaoyue was feeding the baby and was happy to see her: "Sister-in-law is back?"
Chen Lishu smiled and leaned closer to look at the baby in her arms. The baby was only two days old, still red all over, but with exceptionally dark and shiny hair. Lying in Lin Xiaoyue's embrace, closing its eyes and sucking with great vigor, Chen Lishu was instantly smitten.
"It looks like a good size."
"He weighs a full eight catties. I went through a lot of hardship giving birth to him." Although Lin Xiaoyue complained verbally, her eyes were filled with tenderness as she looked at her child.
"Have you named him yet?"
"Sister-in-law, you've come at the perfect time." Wu Zheng finally decided to give up on cooking the fish soup, leaving it to Lin Xiaohui. Hearing Chen Lishu's question, he spoke up, asking her to help mediate: "I want to name the child Wu Di, but your wife strongly disagrees. Wu Di means invincible, what a great name."
"Great? How is it great?" Lin Xiaoyue glared at him, dissatisfied. "If the name is too grand, what if the child can't live up to it?"
Wu Zheng retorted, "There are so many lowly names in the countryside. Would you let your son be called Doggy Leftover?"
Lin Xiaoyue, angered, pointed at him. If she weren't holding the baby, she would have taught him a lesson.
Seeing that she was speechless, Wu Zheng pressed his advantage: "You want me to name him but then complain it's too grand to live up to, and when you're asked to name him you say you can't think of anything. You're more difficult to please than your son."
"Go away." Lin Xiaoyue frowned and gave him an impatient glance. She turned to Chen Lishu and said, "Sister-in-law, you're a university student, you must know what a good name is. Why don't you help name the child?"
Chen Lishu waved her hands repeatedly upon hearing this: "Sister-in-law, I'm not good at naming. This is something that will be used for a lifetime. I've never named anyone before, I can't."
"Yes, sister-in-law, just pick one. We trust you. Besides, my wife and I argue about the child's name every day, and it's not conducive to family harmony, is it?" Wu Zheng chimed in.
Seeing that they both insisted, Chen Lishu couldn't refuse any longer. She thought carefully and said, "How about the character 'Yan'? It contains 'mountain' and 'stone', hoping he can grow into a resolute and upright man."
"Wu Yan, Wu Yan. The name is smooth and the meaning is good. What do you think, wife?"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded with a smile: "I think this name is quite good. With mountains and stones, it looks sturdy."
"Son, we have a name now." Wu Zheng said, reaching out to touch the child's chubby cheek, but Lin Xiaoyue slapped his hand away halfway: "You smell of fish. Did you wash your hands after coming from the kitchen?"
Wu Zheng chuckled and said, "I'll go wash them right away."
Chen Lishu sat at the Wu family's for a while longer before getting up to go home.
That night, Gu Xingdong was more insistent, demanding twice more. Perhaps exhausted by the intensity, when he woke up the next day, Chen Lishu was still fast asleep.
The morning sun illuminated her slightly flushed face. One could clearly see the soft, downy hair on her cheeks, her upturned eyelashes resting gently on her lower eyelids, casting a shadow. The quilt was pulled up high, almost tucking her small chin into the corner of the bedding.
Gu Xingdong couldn't help but lean down and kiss her forehead before getting up. He dressed himself lightly and quickly, then turned and left.
Chen Lishu woke up around eight o'clock in the morning. She made herself some noodle soup and a poached egg. After a simple bite, she put on her shoulder bag and headed back to the city.
Before returning to school, Chen Lishu first went to a shop to buy some red dates and cut cakes. Carrying her purchases, she went to the faculty residential area.
Chen Yinchu had taken good care of her during this period, lending her books and tapes. Since it was the weekend, she decided to visit him.
Jiang Yuwei and Sun Ling had made plans to go shopping together today. They had nothing else to do in the afternoon, so they returned to school together.
"Yuwei, I heard that if you get excellent grades in the final exams, you can not only receive a scholarship, but if you leave a good impression on the school leadership and teachers, you might even have a chance to stay at the school."
Jiang Yuwei's eyes lit up when she heard the words "stay at the school": "Who told you that?"
"I'm in the student union, so the information is naturally more readily available than for others. The senior students from previous years all came through this way. Your class counselor was an outstanding graduate from two years ago."
Sun Ling paused and continued, "You refused when I asked you to join the student union back then. You don't know anything crucial moments like this."
As they were talking, Sun Ling suddenly saw Chen Lishu's figure not far ahead. She quickly tugged on Jiang Yuwei's sleeve: "Yuwei, look!"
Jiang Yuwei followed the direction of her finger and saw Chen Lishu carrying items in her hand. As she turned, she entered the faculty residential area. Looking at the unit number, it was the home of their class advisor, Professor Chen.
Sun Ling, feeling indignant, spat, "Hmph, she must have heard the rumors and made a move first. How shameless!"
Jiang Yuwei looked at Chen Lishu's retreating figure, her expression turning a little grim. The opportunity to stay at the school must be hers!
"Knock, knock."
Chen Yinchu was diligently translating materials at his desk. Hearing a knock at the door, he was about to get up when his wife, Han Xiuyun, came out from the inner room to open the door. Upon seeing an eighteen-year-old girl standing at the entrance, she was taken aback: "Young lady, who are you looking for?"
Chen Lishu smiled: "Hello, excuse me, is this Teacher Chen's home?"
"Yes, are you Old Chen's student? Please, come in and sit." Han Xiuyun realized and quickly opened the door wider, inviting her in.
"Hello, Madam Teacher. My name is Chen Lishu. This is my first visit, please don't mind this small token of my appreciation." Chen Lishu said, handing over the things she had brought.
Seeing that she had also brought gifts, Han Xiuyun waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, you mustn't be so formal with your own teacher. Please take it back."
"Madam Teacher, it's not much money, just a small token of my sincerity."
"If your academic performance is good, I'll be happier than eating anything. If your academic performance isn't good, even delicacies won't taste good to me."
Chen Yinchu heard their conversation, put down his pen, and got up from his seat to come over.
The academic performance of this year's students was uneven. He was so worried about improving their overall grades that he felt like he was losing several strands of hair every day.
Chen Lishu knew he had been troubled by the class's academic performance. She smiled and comforted him: "Improving grades isn't something that happens overnight. We are all working hard, and you have to give us some confidence. After all, quantity accumulation leads to qualitative breakthroughs."
"Little Chen is right. No one can get fat in one bite. I see you've gotten a lot more white hair because of this matter recently."
Han Xiuyun said, then turned to Chen Lishu: "Little Chen, don't stand at the door. Go and sit in the study with your teacher."
"Madam Teacher, please keep the gifts. I know Teacher has been busy lately, so I specially bought some red dates for him to replenish his energy. This is the only time. I promise I won't buy anything even if someone asks me to next time." Chen Lishu said, winking at Han Xiuyun.
Seeing her playful expression, Han Xiuyun couldn't help but chuckle.
"You two, teacher and student, sit and chat for a while. I'll go make dinner. Little Chen, please stay for dinner."
Han Xiuyun said this and went straight to the kitchen without waiting for Chen Lishu to refuse.
During the ten years of turmoil, their children had scattered to various places and couldn't visit often. For some reason, from the moment she met Chen Lishu, Han Xiuyun felt a genuine liking for her. She could tell that Old Chen also liked her, so she thought of it as a way to keep her around to accompany the elderly couple.