Wang Miaomiao carried her luggage back to the dormitory first, and several people were already there. But Cheng Xue hadn’t arrived yet...
Wang Miaomiao dropped her bag without tidying up and went straight to the principal’s office, "Brother Huang, Cheng Xue..."
"She’s here..." Huang Zhizhong calmly took a letter from the drawer and handed it to Wang Miaomiao, "She’s not coming back here for school."
"Thank you!" Wang Miaomiao had somewhat anticipated this, but still felt a bit lost upon hearing the news.
After leaving the principal’s office, she found a quiet corner and eagerly opened the envelope to read.
In the letter, Cheng Xue mentioned that her father was seriously injured. She felt very regretful and apologetic for not being able to accompany her through the rest of high school and needed to take a leave to care for her father.
Upon reading about this leave, Wang Miaomiao felt a bit anxious, thinking there’s no need to leave school to take care of her dad, and she feared Cheng Xue might abandon her studies. Wang Miaomiao hurried back to the dormitory, took out some stationery, and quickly wrote a letter.
The letter from Cheng Xue included the key to her wardrobe. Wang Miaomiao opened the wardrobe, packed her clothes and daily items, and swiftly went to the post office with the letter.
The return address was on the letter from Cheng Xue. She bought an envelope and stamps, paid extra for express mail, and sent both the luggage and letter.
Stepping out of the post office, Wang Miaomiao adjusted her scarf around her neck and tucked her hands into her large pockets, leisurely walking back to the school...
Without Cheng Xue’s chatter, dorm 202 was much quieter. A lot had happened in that dorm last year, and the atmosphere was already awkward.
Even after the New Year had passed, things hadn’t improved.
However, Li Jiajia noticed Cheng Xue’s absence and took the initiative to ask Wang Miaomiao. Wang Miaomiao briefly explained that she had gone home and wouldn’t be attending school, to which Li Jiajia simply replied, "Oh."
After that, she often invited Wang Miaomiao to attend classes together and go to the cafeteria. Seeing that they were both alone, Wang Miaomiao agreed.
In truth, she didn’t dislike Li Jiajia. Compared to those deceitful people, she found it reassuring to make friends with someone who wore all their emotions on their face.
However, she had no intention of forging a deep friendship with her; after all, a true friend is valued for quality, not quantity.
The two of them maintained a lukewarm relationship, and Li Jiajia seemed to understand Wang Miaomiao’s stance, treating her as a well-regarded classmate.
A week after school started, Wang Miaomiao received a letter from Cheng Xue. In the letter, she mentioned that she had taken her advice and was attending school in Beijing, though she mostly self-studied at home and only went to school for exams.
This was Wang Miaomiao’s suggestion. In a previous letter, Wang Miaomiao had sensed Cheng Xue’s reluctance to continue her studies, so she offered this compromise.
What Wang Miaomiao didn’t know was that she had hit the nail on the head. To attend school, there had been another argument in the Jiang Family.
Cheng Xue was very stubborn about personally taking care of Cheng Hongbing.
Both Cheng Hongbing and Jiang Zhongyi naturally wanted her to continue her studies, suggesting they could hire a caregiver for Cheng Hongbing. After all, Cheng Xue was right; asking Bai Li, the sister-in-law, to care for her brother-in-law wasn’t appropriate, especially since she also needed to take care of Grandma Jiang and was already overwhelmed. Helping occasionally was feasible.
Cheng Xue believed a caregiver wouldn’t be attentive, and she didn’t trust them. Studying wasn’t as important as her father, and she insisted on accompanying Cheng Hongbing.
Just as things were at an impasse, Wang Miaomiao’s package and letter arrived.
The Jiang Family already had some understanding of Wang Miaomiao. While at the hospital with nothing to do, Cheng Xue often talked about her half-year life in J City.
She appreciated and admired this good friend suddenly appearing in her life and was grateful for the kindness and warmth the Wang Family had shown her, regretting she couldn’t visit Red Star Town in J City to see them again.
The Jiang Family was also grateful for the Wang Family, who had taken care of their child for half a year, and held a good impression of them.
The receipt of Wang Miaomiao’s letter prompted Cheng Xue to change her mind, and they grew even fonder of that clever girl.
Wang Miaomiao smiled knowingly as she read the letter, put away her homework, and opened her book, outlining a unit of coursework to send along with the stationery.
Since she planned to self-study, she had to study hard and couldn’t neglect her studies and fall behind.
Cheng Xue received the letter, feeling happy yet troubled.
Cheng Hongbing asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"
Cheng Xue waved the sheets around and said coyly, "It’s just Sister Miaomiao writing me an outline, asking me to master all the knowledge points on it and make sure to do well on exams without dropping grades."
"Haha, that’s a good thing. Sister Miaomiao values your studies so much that she sent you a detailed outline to encourage you to study well. You can’t let her down..." Cheng Hongbing looked at his daughter’s charming appearance with joy.
He had originally been worried that his situation would hinder his daughter’s progress, leading to despair and self-loathing. However, a single letter changed everything, setting everything in its rightful place.
In his life, he’d done right by the country, the Party, and the people. The only ones he owed were his family.
Now, he had only one son and one daughter. His son had become a soldier, following in his footsteps, and he no longer needed his guidance. Just this one daughter, considerate and sensible, was left for him to love and care for in his remaining years.
"I know." Cheng Xue felt a bit proud, knowing that even apart, Sister Miaomiao remained close to her and thought of her... They were close friends, an unbreakable bond.
Thus, Cheng Xue and Wang Miaomiao became frequent pen pals, maintaining a close, unshakable relationship.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan moved to a new military unit, where he was excessively busy, wishing he could split himself into three people.
Joining the military unit was a massive reorganization and restructuring, adhering to the principle of preferring to erroneously eliminate a thousand rather than overlook a single one. Honestly, this approach offended quite a few people.
There were always dissenters expressing their dissatisfaction, claiming they were brothers who had faced life and death together. How could a newcomer doubt and dismiss them without solid evidence?
In response, Jiang Yan employed his ironclad methods, backed by force, to resolve matters perfectly. Soldiers are supposed to obey orders and admire strength, respecting the powerful.
Each day, Jiang Yan was mentally and physically exhausted. After dealing with the dissenters, he had to analyze each soldier’s potential stay or departure. Though he seemed firm and resolute, his hard work behind the scenes was considerable, hoping this major restructuring would be flawless, not letting down those devoted to the country and willing to shed blood for it.
Whenever night deepened and he prepared to sleep, memories of a person who haunted his thoughts surfaced. Her image was etched clearly in his mind and lodged in his heart.