RBCT Chapter 43: Packing My Bags
Chapter 43: Packing My Bags
The days flew by, and the day to register at school was fast approaching.
We've eaten lobster and held a banquet.
Yu Wei registered for school on the 24th, while Huang Xiaochuan reported on the 25th. Because the journey from Qingjiang to Huhai is quite long, the daytime bus takes a whole day on the road, arriving in Huhai in the evening.
Therefore, Yu Wei had to set off on the 23rd, stay overnight in Shanghai, and then report for duty on the 24th.
The two registered only one day apart, so Huang Xiaochuan naturally planned to depart on the same day as Yu Wei.
The two tried everything they could to dissuade their parents from seeing them off, and after much pleading and cajoling, they finally got their parents' consent.
They traveled to Shanghai on their own; their parents would simply drop them off at the long-distance bus. However, just to be on the safe side, Lao Yu informed Yu Xiang, who was in Shanghai, of Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei's itinerary, asking her to pick them up at the station.
This made Huang Xiaochuan very excited.
Starting from the 20th, Zeng Lijuan took three days of leave from her workplace to take Huang Xiaochuan to purchase necessary daily necessities.
No matter how Huang Xiaochuan tried to persuade him, it was to no avail.
All I could do was complain, "Mom...sigh! I told you not to buy so much stuff. You could buy it in Shanghai. Why did you have to buy it here? And then I have to lug it all the way to Shanghai. Isn't that exhausting?"
"Prices are high in Shanghai, and things are more expensive than here. You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge of the household. Every little bit helps." Zeng Lijuan didn't take Huang Xiaochuan's complaints seriously at all, and took out her notebook to check the items she had bought one by one.
"The mat is ready."
"Toothpaste and toothbrush are ready."
"Four towels are ready."
"Xiao Chuan, you need to hang your foot towels and face towels separately, okay? I brought you four; replace them with new ones every two months, understand?"
"I heard you!" Huang Xiaochuan listlessly rested his chin on his hand as he watched his elderly mother count the pile of equipment he was to take to Shanghai. He had a headache!
"Two basins, that's fine. Xiao Chuan, the yellow one is for washing your feet, and the red one is for washing your face. Don't mix them up, understand?"
"I know...!" Huang Xiaochuan said weakly, dragging out the words.
"Blankets for spring and autumn, and quilts for winter are fine."
"Two sets of sheets and pillowcases will do."
"Two thermos flasks will suffice."
"One table lamp will suffice."
"One hot water bottle will suffice."
"Six pairs of socks and six pairs of underwear, that's enough. Xiao Chuan! You need to change your underwear and socks every day, understand? You need to be hygienic."
Huang Xiaochuan, propping his head up with his hand, said weakly, "I understand!"
"It's not just about changing it; you have to wash it clean right away, understand?"
"knew!"
"Two sets of thermal underwear will do."
"Two bottles of shampoo and two bars each of soap and laundry soap will do."
Zeng Lijuan checked off each item on the list with a pen, nodded in satisfaction after finishing the count, and asked one last question.
"Xiao Chuan, do you think we're missing anything?"
Huang Xiaochuan hurriedly straightened up and waved his hands, saying, "Nothing's missing, everything's complete."
Zeng Lijuan seemed to have remembered something again, and kept patting the notebook: "Clothes, I almost forgot about clothes. The weather will turn cold next month, so I need to bring my autumn and winter clothes too."
Huang Xiaochuan covered her face with her hands. Good heavens! So many things to bring to school! Can't you buy any of these things in Shanghai? She had no words to express her suffering, after all, it was the heart of a loving mother.
"Why are you covering your face? Did you hear me?"
Huang Xiaochuan moved his hand away, revealing a smiling face: "Mom, I'm listening! We need to bring all our autumn and winter clothes, right?"
While busy writing down autumn and winter clothes in her notebook, Zeng Lijuan also gave Huang Xiaochuan some instructions.
"When living alone, make sure you bring all your things. Otherwise, you'll realize how inconvenient it is when you need something and don't have it..."
"Things are expensive outside, so we should save as much as we can..."
"You must learn to be thrifty and frugal when you go to school, and don't spend money recklessly..."
Huang Xiaochuan could only nod repeatedly, responding with "Mmm-hmm!"
Just then, the phone rang at home, "Ring ring ring..."
Huang Xiaochuan took the opportunity to slip away while answering the phone.
"Hello, who is it?"
The voice on the other end of the phone startled Huang Xiaochuan. Qin Yu?
Huang Xiaochuan quickly recovered after a brief moment of confusion and began exchanging pleasantries with Qin Yu on the phone: "Oh, it's the class monitor! What's up?"
At home, Qin Yu held the microphone in her left hand and talked to Huang Xiaochuan, while her right hand fingers kept twisting the telephone cord.
"Huang Xiaochuan, I'd like to ask when you plan to go to Shanghai?"
Instead of directly answering Qin Yu's question, Huang Xiaochuan asked her about the start date of school: "Class monitor, what date does your school require students to report to school?"
"What about you two days, August 30th and 31st?"
Huang Xiaochuan was secretly delighted, but said with a regretful tone, "That's really unfortunate! Our school requires registration on the 25th and 26th, and Yu Wei's is on the 24th. I had already arranged with Yu Wei to leave with him on the 23rd, so it seems we can't leave together."
However, Huang Xiaochuan gave Qin Yu another idea: "I heard that Ren Yangyang's school starts around the same time as yours, so you could team up with her."
"It seems this is the only way. I was thinking it would be great if the few of us could travel together, it would be more lively on the road. But it's okay, we'll have more opportunities to meet in the same city in the future." Qin Yu had no choice but to settle for second best.
After chatting for a few minutes, Huang Xiaochuan hung up the phone. But as soon as he turned around, he was startled to see his elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan's, face.
"Mom? What are you doing?"
Zeng Lijuan, the elderly mother who had been listening intently, deliberately asked, "Female classmate?"
This mother is really something else. Just a couple of days ago she was worried that her son would forget about her after he got married, but when she heard that a girl was calling her son, she started to have a little expectation in her heart.
"Yes! Our class monitor also applied to a university in Shanghai. He asked me when I was leaving, that's all. We're just classmates, don't overthink it." Huang Xiaochuan could tell what his mother was thinking just by looking at her expression, so he quickly clarified.
"Your class monitor in high school? Was she pretty?"
Seeing his mother's expectant expression, Huang Xiaochuan deliberately feigned a naive look and asked, "Mom! Didn't you forbid me from dating?"
Enraged, Zeng Lijuan slapped Huang Xiaochuan on the shoulder.
"When you're in high school, your studies should be your priority; you need to get into college, so of course I can't let you date. Now that you're about to go to college, you're an adult, so why should I object to you dating?"
Huang Xiaochuan feigned displeasure: "Mom, I'm not even eighteen yet. Don't you know that dating now is considered puppy love?"
Zeng Lijuan was almost driven mad with anger by this boy. She really wanted to beat him up to vent her anger, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He wouldn't be staying at home for many more days anyway, so she decided to let him be. Her son was right; he was still young, and there was no need to rush things. It wouldn't be too late, even after he graduated.
"Stay away from me, I get annoyed just looking at you. None of you Huang family members, young or old, give me any peace of mind," Zeng Lijuan told her directly.
Huang Xiaochuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon upon hearing this; if he didn't slip away now, when would he?
However, they didn't go far; they went to Yu Wei's house on the third floor.
When they arrived at his house, they found it to be similar to Huang Xiaochuan's. His mother, Zheng Aiying, was also helping him pack his luggage, and he had just as much stuff as Huang Xiaochuan.
Yu Wei, having been misled by Huang Xiaochuan, looked distressed as he stared at the pile of luggage.
She was also complaining, "Mom, are you trying to kill me by buying so much stuff? You might as well just give me the money and I can buy it in Shanghai, that would be so much easier."
While helping pack the luggage, Zheng Aiying scolded Yu Wei: "You? You're going to buy things? Don't buy defective products and waste money. Just let me save myself the trouble! I'll prepare everything for you at home, so you don't have to buy things yourself."
She looked up and saw Huang Xiaochuan enter, and then used Huang Xiaochuan as a model to criticize her own son: "Look how obedient Xiaochuan is, you should learn from him."
Yu Wei stared in disbelief, pointing at Huang Xiaochuan and then at himself, saying, "I learned from him? I learned from him, okay?"
Yu Wei felt so wronged! More wronged than Dou E. It was Huang Xiaochuan who came up with the idea of going to Shanghai to buy things without taking anything or any money, and his own mother actually wanted him to learn from him.
Huang Xiaochuan seized the opportunity to kick him while he was down: "Yu Wei, look how good Aunt Zheng is to you, and you're still whining and ungrateful. You've been eating for nothing for the past ten years."
Yu Wei's face flushed red with anger, and he pointed at Huang Xiaochuan, unable to speak: "You..."
Before Yu Wei could even utter the word "fart," Huang Xiaochuan interrupted, "Don't you know what it means for a mother to worry when her son travels a thousand miles? We sons should appreciate our mothers' love for us. Look how angry you've made Aunt Zheng."
Turning his head, Huang Xiaochuan changed his tune and said to Zheng Aiying in a fawning manner, "Aunt Zheng is such a good person, just like my mother."
Huang Xiaochuan deliberately played a trick; his words were a double entendre.
Huang Xiaochuan's words warmed Zheng Aiying's heart, and she immediately scolded Yu Wei: "Learn something good from Xiaochuan. I don't know when you'll ever become sensible."
If it weren't for Zheng Aiying's presence, Huang Xiaochuan would have been doubled over with laughter. He kept winking at Yu Wei, which made Yu Wei so angry that he raised his head and ignored him. This treacherous bastard who betrayed his friend for personal gain, he'd settle accounts with him later.