Chapter 63: Youthful Hormones with Nowhere to Go

Listening to their daughter’s innocent remarks, Cao Shujie and Cheng Xiaolin felt a bit awkward.

The couple exchanged glances, wondering when they might have let their emotions slip in front of their daughter. But then they reassured themselves that they had always been careful.

Mengmeng noticed her parents’ silence and pointed to a photo on the wall, “Mommy in a princess dress, Daddy kissing.”

A photo?

The couple was incredulous. Following their daughter’s finger, they noticed their wedding photo on the wall.

In the photo, Cheng Xiaolin wore a strapless wedding gown adorned with tiny diamonds, and a faux diamond tiara on her head. Cao Shujie was in a black suit with a maroon tie, his arms around his wife’s waist, leaning forward to give her a light kiss.

“Oh, Mengmeng, you have such a keen eye,” Cheng Xiaolin said with a sigh of relief, secretly catching her breath.

She thought that once her daughter was a bit older, she would definitely have her sleep in her own room.

Mengmeng blinked, looking from the ‘wedding dress’ on the computer to the wedding photo on the wall. She smiled and asked, “Mommy, pretty dress, I want to wear.”

“Sure, when Mengmeng grows up and finds someone she loves, you can wear a wedding dress too,” Cheng Xiaolin replied.

Mengmeng didn’t fully understand, but she was happy nonetheless.

Cheng Xiaolin, not wanting to continue the conversation, scrolled through the computer, and the beautiful clothes on the browser caught Mengmeng’s attention, diverting her from the ‘wedding dress’ topic.

Seeing a pink dress, Mengmeng pointed and shouted, “Mommy, this one, want.”

Cheng Xiaolin saw that it was something her daughter could wear and quickly said, “Okay, I’ll buy it for you.”

After shopping for clothes and shoes for his wife and daughter, and picking up some summer outfits for his parents, Cao Shujie left the room with his phone to call Cao Zhen.

“Is this going to work? If not, forget it,” Cao Shujie explained the situation to his childhood friend, Cao Zhen.

Cao Zhen was unconcerned, “I thought it was something serious. The policy supports it, and you’ve leased so much land, contributing to rural development. Everyone’s just following the rules, so why not?”

“Alright, I’ll prepare the application materials in a couple of days and come to see you.”

Back in the room, Cheng Xiaolin and Mengmeng had already turned off the computer and were playing on the bed.

…

As May came to an end and June began, the temperature rose further, and fewer people strolled the streets.

After retrieving the necessary application materials from Cao Jiangang, Cao Shujie informed his wife and parents before driving to Pingyuan County Town.

On the way, he called Cao Zhen, telling him he’d be in town in half an hour.

Cao Zhen replied, “Shujie, you’re just in time. When you arrive, take me to Yiling City.”

“Sure!” Cao Shujie agreed without asking further.

He picked up Cao Zhen at the entrance of Mingbo Textile Co., Ltd., where Cao Zhen worked, and seeing the road was clear, he turned towards Yiling City.

On the way, Cao Shujie sensed Cao Zhen’s urgency and accelerated, asking, “What’s going on?”

“My cousin at Yiling University got into a fight with another student a few days ago. He didn’t tell his family, and now the other student’s parents are causing a scene at the school. It’s a mess,” Cao Zhen said, frustrated.

“My uncle is at a meeting at the county government today, so he can’t go.”

“And my aunt is on a business trip to Jiangsu Province for an ‘Economic Development Seminar.’ Talk about bad timing.”

“Young men are hot-blooded; it’s normal for tempers to flare and fights to happen,” Cao Shujie said with a laugh. “Cao Zhen, remember when we were in high school? We got into our fair share of fights.”

This brought back memories for Cao Zhen, though he couldn’t help but comment, “Things were different back then.”

“Yeah!” Cao Shujie nodded, asking, “Do you know how bad it was?”

“According to my cousin, it wasn’t too bad. He wasn’t hurt, but the other guy took a few punches. They’re probably just looking for compensation,” Cao Zhen explained.

In such cases, asking for compensation was understandable.

Driving quickly, they reached the outskirts of Yiling City in just over half an hour, before ten o’clock.

As they passed a construction bank, Cao Shujie instinctively slowed down, “Cao Zhen, did you bring money?”

“Don’t worry, my uncle arranged it. I withdrew ten thousand from the finance department earlier. We’ll see how it goes. If it’s not enough, we’ll figure it out,” Cao Zhen was prepared.

“Alright, I have my card, so we can get more if needed,” Cao Shujie mentioned as he drove towards Yiling University.

Once in the city, the traffic slowed them down, taking nearly 20 minutes to reach the university entrance.

Security guards were stationed at the gate, and outside vehicles weren’t allowed in, so Cao Shujie parked along the street.

With a bag under his arm, Cao Zhen and Cao Shujie headed to the university gate.

As they approached, Cao Shujie muttered, “If I’d known we were coming here, I would’ve brought something for my sister from home.”

“Oh, I almost forgot, our sister Fangfang is studying here!” Cao Zhen chuckled, realizing his earlier distraction.

“I’ll call my cousin. Maybe you can buy something for Fangfang to bring in,” he suggested.

“Let’s deal with your issue first,” Cao Shujie replied.

At this time, his sister was likely still in class.

After Cao Zhen made his call, they waited at the university gate for seven or eight minutes before a man in his thirties approached. Seeing Cao Zhen and Cao Shujie, he asked, “Are you Lian Qijian’s family?”

“I am!” Cao Zhen quickly nodded, “I’m his cousin.”

“Cousin?” The man was momentarily taken aback, then asked seriously, “Why didn’t Lian Qijian’s parents come?”

“And you are?” Cao Zhen asked, unsure of how to proceed without clarity.

The chubby man introduced himself, “I’m Fang Junye, the tutor for Lian Qijian.”

“Oh, it’s Teacher Fang. I apologize, his father is attending a meeting at the county government, and his mother is at the ‘Economic Development Forum’ organized by Sujiang Province. They really couldn’t make it today, so they entrusted me to handle this matter,” Cao Zhen explained thoroughly.

“But don’t worry, Teacher Fang. My uncle also said that if I can’t handle it, he’ll come over after his meeting tomorrow.”

Fang Junye thought he must have misheard.

However, seeing the serious expression on Cao Zhen’s face, which didn’t seem like a joke, he quickly put aside any irrelevant thoughts and led Cao Zhen and Cao Shujie into the school, heading directly towards the administrative office building.

This was Cao Shujie’s first time at this school. Upon entering, he saw many female students in short sleeves and skirts walking around the campus, as well as young men in short sleeves and shorts energetically running about.

Someone shouted loudly, “Head to the basketball court, Class 5 and Class 7 of Grade 10 are at it again on the court…”

Well!

Just stepping into the school, he could smell the unrestrained scent of youthful hormones in the air!

(End of Chapter)