Gu Xingdong walked up to Wang Erbao, threw two hundred yuan into his arms, and said expressionlessly, "Keep your mouth shut. If I find out even the slightest negative thing about Wang Kuo gets out, you'll deal with the consequences yourself."
Wang Erbao flinched instinctively. He had no doubt that the man before him would act on his words.
When Gu Xingdong came out, Wang Kuo was already sitting in the passenger seat.
At this moment, any comfort would seem redundant. Gu Xingdong said nothing and drove straight to town.
The two found a guesthouse to stay in. The next morning, Wang Kuo's complexion was still not great, but his emotions were noticeably more stable. After finalizing the divorce with his wife, they returned to the provincial capital together.
...
Because she was concerned about the autumn harvest at home, Li Xiulan also had no major issues. Gu Shoufu packed his things early and took a bus back home.
Although Gu Xingye's leg still couldn't handle labor, walking was no longer a problem. Lin Qi had gone to the neighboring province, and Chen Lishu had to take care of the children and attend classes. The company would definitely need someone to oversee it. Therefore, after seeing Gu Shoufu off, he went directly to the company.
With graduation only a little over a month away, some students in the class were starting to feel restless. However, there were few courses left, and whether one paid attention didn't seem so important anymore.
"Have you all thought about what you want to do after graduation?" Zhang Xue, tired of everyone's discussions, couldn't help but ask them.
"I'm not cut out to be a teacher. I'll probably end up in a factory," Feng Deshuai said after some thought.
University students were highly sought after now. Ordinary factories couldn't secure positions easily. If one could be assigned to a factory, while not comparable to a giant panda, leaders would definitely attach great importance to them. Some would even offer housing immediately, aside from salary and subsidies, just for their presence.
Given the current housing shortage, the priority given to housing allocation showed the importance placed on university graduates.
Li Zhiwei: "My parents want me to join a government agency. But with my personality, working my way up alongside a bunch of old fogies would just drain me. It's too boring."
Chen Lishu: "Then where do you plan to go?"
"I plan to go abroad." Li Zhiwei: "Didn't I mention before that we have relatives in the United States? Publicly funded study abroad is out of the question, so it has to be self-funded. My family is already working on it."
Zhang Xue exclaimed, "Self-funded? That must cost quite a lot of money."
Given Li Zhiwei's family's financial situation, the cost of self-funding was not an issue.
"Chen Lishu, I heard that the economy in the United States is very developed. You're in business, aren't you? Be ambitious and strive to operate over there. If you ever make it, I'll treat you to a meal."
Chen Lishu couldn't help but laugh. "So you're saying if I travel all that way, you'll just treat me to a meal?"
Li Zhiwei chuckled. "You can treat me too."
"Chen Lishu will definitely stay at the university. Zhang Xue, where do you plan to go?" Feng Deshuai asked.
"Me? I also plan to become a teacher, but my abilities are limited, so I'll just be a middle school teacher. Anyway, staying in the provincial capital means we can still get together often."
Li Zhiwei sighed. "Ah, hearing you say that makes me a little hesitant to leave."
Zhang Xue: "Don't be! When you get there, try to bring back a foreign wife and have a mixed-race child."
Chen Lishu hesitated before speaking. "I'm not planning to stay at the university."
Zhang Xue was immediately surprised. "Not staying? Why?"
"My energy is limited. I have three children at home to care for, and I want to focus on my career. Just as Li Zhiwei said, I can't let him off the hook easily; I need him to treat me to a big meal."
When she initially wanted to stay at the university, she thought a university teacher's schedule was more flexible. However, having two children so quickly meant her energy was finite, and children also needed her company. It was better to do one thing well than to do both poorly.
Furthermore, with 1982 just two months away, policies would only become more lenient, and it was time to spread her wings.
Since Chen Lishu had made her decision, she took the opportunity to discuss her thoughts with her teacher, Chen Yinchu.
If she didn't want the position, the school needed to make other arrangements.
"Little Chen, you don't want to stay at the university anymore? Why?"
"As Teacher knows, I have three children at home now. They need more of my time and attention. Also, I'm running my own business, so my energy is truly limited. Rather than regretting it later after staying on, it's better to inform you of my decision now."
Chen Yinchu had some understanding of her business from Chen Guoping. Having also studied abroad, his thinking was not as conservative. He merely nodded, offering no criticism.
"Teacher, I mentioned before that my ability to successfully enroll in university was greatly thanks to the generous guidance of Aunt Sun and Uncle Ding, and then meeting a wonderful teacher like you. I truly feel incredibly fortunate."
Chen Yinchu, who had been feeling a bit regretful, couldn't help but smile upon hearing her words. "You are an excellent student, Teacher merely did what was expected."
"Originally, I aspired to be a good teacher like Aunt Sun and you. However, my personal abilities are limited, and the number of students I can teach is also limited. Therefore, I plan to establish a dedicated scholarship for impoverished students after graduation. I myself come from a rural background and understand the hardships of students from impoverished families the most."
Chen Yinchu was greatly impressed by her words. "You want to use your own money to establish a scholarship for the university?"
Chen Lishu nodded. "It's not a large sum, but with my current capabilities, two thousand yuan annually should be manageable. This will allow the university to cultivate more good teachers and provide an opportunity for education to students from disadvantaged backgrounds."
"Teacher truly didn't misjudge you."
Chen Yinchu looked at her with a mixture of relief and excitement. This wasn't a one-time contribution but a commitment of two thousand yuan annually. The tuition and living expenses for a student were only a little over a hundred yuan per year, yet this small amount had thwarted the progress of countless families and students.
After discussing the details further with Chen Yinchu, Chen Lishu took her leave.
She exited the teaching building and took a car home.
As soon as she stepped through the door, she heard the sound of children laughing and playing in the living room. Following the noise, her eyes landed on a tall figure standing next to the sofa.
"Lishu, come quickly and see if our son recognizes people!" Gu Xingdong looked up, saw her enter, and beckoned.
Rui Rui also called out happily, "Mom, come quick! Little brother is so happy to see Dad back, he's been giggling the whole time."
Chen Lishu, intrigued, leaned closer. She noticed that whenever Gu Xingdong was within Xiao Chengzi's line of sight, the child would kick his legs excitedly and even giggle. The moment he was out of sight, he would turn his little head, instinctively searching for him.
"Let me try too." She felt a pang of jealousy, as the boy rarely giggled for her, even though she held him every day.
However, the moment she revealed herself, Xiao Chengzi blinked his dark, glistening eyes, watched for a moment, then suddenly pouted and burst into tears with a loud wail.