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This year's Class Reunion is set for the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, and according to Brother Biao's request, we must go to his house.
On the fourth and fifth days of the New Year, we will stay at Mao Na's home. On the morning of the sixth, they need to take a bus to Lao Gu and then ride their bikes to Xiong Debiao's house in Xiong Family Village. Although it seems troublesome, Hu Ruoyun must attend this gathering—he's back from military service after more than two years!
Mao Na is reluctant, not because she doesn't want Hu Ruoyun to go, but because she wants to go along as well. Comrade Weiguo has adopted a policy of non-interference, offering no suggestions or demands. Comrade Zhang Xiuzhen can't argue against it, and although she is unwilling, she still approves it. However, she privately admonishes her daughter: "You're not even married yet; staying at your in-laws' every day—aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
Mao Na retorts, "But I'm not married yet; doesn't my dad let Xiao Hu stay at our house every day?"
Zhang Xiuzhen is left speechless: "Go on, go on! And here you are, already starting to talk back before anything has even happened. Once you get married, you'll probably forget about me altogether."
Mao Na then hugs Zhang Xiuzhen around the neck playfully: "Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you! I just want to see Jiang Qiuying with him..."
Whether true or false, Comrade Zhang Xiuzhen finds herself with no way out. After thinking it over, she feels relieved. The two are together in Jiangcheng every day; there are plenty of opportunities. Even if they were to take things too far, there’s nothing she could do about it. Over the past year or so, they seem quite disciplined. Both families have met on the fourth day; let them go.
Thus, Mao Na sets off with Hu Ruoyun again. They take a bus first to Lao Gu and then make their way back to Hu Family Village. Zhao Meirong wishes to keep her daughter-in-law at home for a chat but seeing how close she is with her son dispels that annoying thought.
In autumn, they bought a new heavy Phoenix Brand bicycle for the family. Hu Ruoyun pushes it out while taking some festive snacks left over from visiting relatives for the two kids (it’s only the sixth day of the New Year; very few shops are open). He also packs two bottles of wine gifted by Mao Weiguo.
Once outside, Hu Ruoyun hops onto the bike first and lets Mao Na sit behind him holding onto things. Xiao Feng worries that Mao Na's hands might be cold and takes off his cotton gloves to give them to her.
As they exit the alley, Aunt Kui and Sister-in-law Wei Hong are chatting in the street. Upon seeing them, they joke: "Where are you two lovebirds off to visit relatives?"
Mao Na blushes and doesn’t know how to respond.
Hu Ruoyun says, "Second Aunt, we're going to visit our classmates."
Sister-in-law Wei Hong expresses envy: "Look at Qihua and his wife; their life just keeps getting better!"
The Woodzi Woman nearby rolls her eyes and makes a snide remark: "Still just the county chief's daughter; she's not even married yet but stays at her in-laws' every day..."
During this festive time, Aunt Kui holds her temper and ignores her comment. She calls out to Sister-in-law Wei Hong: "Come on! Let's go visit Qihua's family; they just got a new soft sofa in their house that’s so comfortable!"
The group follows her as they leave Woodzi Woman behind, stuck in an awkward position.
Hu Ruoyun carries Mao Na on the bike and takes over forty minutes to reach Xiong Family Village. After asking around, they arrive at Brother Biao's house and see Zhao Hongtao's Peugeot 405 parked in front.
Before they even enter the yard, eager children have already run ahead to spread the news. Jiang Qiuying, Zhao Hongtao, and Li Xiangqian in full military uniform come out to greet them...
Mao Na hugs Qiuying while Hu Ruoyun shakes hands tightly with his two male classmates. Behind them are Xiong Debiao's father and uncle offering cigarettes while accepting gifts and inviting everyone inside warmly.
Once inside the yard, Brother Biao appears wearing an apron with a spatula in hand from the kitchen: "Sit tight! Just a couple more dishes are almost ready."
As soon as dinner is prepared, everyone lets the elders take their seats first. Li Xiangqian begins introducing what has happened over the past two years...
First, there was the basic training unit, which began with intensive physical training. After my first 3-kilometer run, the arches of my feet ached unbearably, but I managed to adapt to the breathing, likely due to our previous love for basketball.
What troubled me the most were the parallel and horizontal bars. At first, I could barely do a few repetitions, and each time I failed, I was punished with push-ups.
The most exhilarating moments were during emergency roll calls, sometimes before wake-up time or while I was covered in shower gel. Each time left me sweating profusely, my face flushed and heart racing.
Although these three months were exhausting, they were incredibly rewarding. Now, whether it’s a fully equipped 5-kilometer cross-country run or various physical training exercises, I excel in all of them. My confidence has grown, and I've become bolder; I can now stand up during roll calls to lead everyone in singing and express my thoughts during ideological education sessions.
Indeed, everyone can see that my skin has darkened, but my body has become strong and robust, filled with determination and resolve. Li Xiangqian has also set a goal for himself: to attend a military academy and continue his unfinished studies in the army!
We all raised our glasses in a toast and wished for Forward's dreams to come true. Next up was Hong Tao.
In the past two or three years, Hong Tao has made steady progress; last year he was just the head of a local office, but now he is the second-in-command at the central society. However, at this level, he has encountered a bottleneck: his educational background has become a significant limitation. Advancing further may be challenging, so he is preparing to enroll in correspondence courses at Jiangcheng University.
Since he had to drive, we didn’t let Hong Tao drink alcohol but instead toasted with tea. Brother Biao chimed in with his usual chatter: “Let’s talk about today’s dishes; do you think my cooking skills are good enough to open my own restaurant?”
Everyone took a moment to sample the food seriously; surprisingly, it did have that flavor. Brother Biao said, “I’ll be graduating this year and plan to find a restaurant in Ji Nan to work at for a while to gain some experience. Once the timing is right, I’ll open my own place!”
Everyone encouraged him again.
Mao Na was just a "family member," so next it was Hu Ruoyun and Jiang Qiuying's turn to speak. Jiang Qiuying is currently among the top students in her grade and is determined to work hard for graduate school after graduation due to the upcoming expansion of university admissions.
Finally, it was Hu Ruoyun’s turn to speak candidly: her grades remain about the same, with an unstable ranking in her class but consistently among the top students. Looking at Mao Na beside her, she added, “I’ll strive for smooth graduation and employment before getting married!”
Although they joked around when alone together, saying this in front of others made Mao Na blush.
Girls tend to think quickly; Qiuying asked a crucial question: “The main employment areas for Chinese Language and Literature majors include teaching, government positions, and journalism. Given your current situation, it’s highly likely you’ll enter the media industry. However, job opportunities here in Annan are limited?”
Hu Ruoyun looked seriously at everyone: “I’ve thought about this for a long time too. But if we consider it from another perspective—compared to being nothing after graduating high school with no hope for further education—are these issues still problems?
In the future, whether working in Jiangcheng, Ji Nan, or Annan, it certainly won’t compare to Mao Na working in their system while I’m stuck farming at home or working elsewhere!”
After the meeting concluded, we began passing drinks around again. By then we had nearly finished eating when Jiang Qiuying pulled Mao Na aside for a “private meeting,” while several boys started reminiscing about our three years in middle school.
As the winter sun dipped low in the west, they finally parted ways. Hu Ruoyun leisurely pedaled his bicycle while Mao Na sat behind, sharing some gossip that Qiuying had told her.
The first piece of news was about their classmate Zhang Meina. It seemed that her senior from Jiangbei University’s Business School had been bragging about something. Li Yingjie, who was not only handsome but also academically accomplished, was the son of Deputy Township Head Li. This made him quite popular, not just with Zhang Meina but with other girls as well. Consequently, Zhang Meina's boyfriend had been stolen away by someone else.
After a moment of hesitation, Mao Na added, “Qiuying said that Zhang Meina even slept with that guy Li Yingjie…”
Once she finished, she playfully poked Hu Ruoyun in the side, urging him to share his thoughts. Knowing that he had to tread carefully, Hu Ruoyun simply replied, “What does it have to do with us?”
Mao Na was very pleased with his response.
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