Chapter 41 Departure for University Registration

The long vacation eventually came to an end.

August 30th marked the registration day for new students at Yunhai University.

Early in the morning, Li Jinqiu got up to help her son pack his luggage.

As the old saying goes, dumplings before a journey and noodles upon arrival; the dumplings had been wrapped by the elderly couple the night before.

The filling was pork and scallion, which was their son's absolute favorite.

To send their son off to university registration, Chen Jianye had specifically swapped shifts with a colleague today.

Seeing his wife rolling out the dumplings alone in the kitchen, she began to secretly wipe away tears as she worked.

Chen Jianye could not help but softly scold her.

"What are you crying for? This is clearly a wonderful thing. Our son has grown up and is going places; you should be smiling."

Li Jinqiu wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Our son has never traveled this far from home before..."

"Alright, alright. How old is our son now? We should have learned to let go long ago."

"With a doting mother like you, he'll never achieve anything great in his lifetime."

Li Jinqiu glared fiercely at her husband.

"And you don't dote on him? I don't know who it was last night that kept worrying about the safety of the road, couldn't set their mind at ease, and insisted on coming along."

Called out by his wife for his hypocrisy, Chen Jianye's old face instantly flushed red.

He glared fiercely back at her.

"Enough. The boy is up. Hurry up and wipe your face, don't let him notice."

During breakfast, Li Jinqiu sat to the side, completely unable to eat, continuously nagging her son about various matters.

"I've sewn your tuition money into the lining of your jacket, make sure you keep it on you at all times."

"Keep your tuition and living expenses in separate places. Hold your backpack tightly against your chest on the bus, and don't just chat with strangers..."

"The weather is going to turn chilly soon, you must remember to wear your long johns..."

"And, you must get along well with your classmates at school."

"Especially your roommates. Never get into fights..."

Li Jinqiu chattered endlessly, while Chen Fan just kept his head down, eating and offering perfunctory murmurs of agreement.

To be honest, if it were his past life, Chen Fan would have found his mother's nagging tedious and annoying.

However, having experienced the sorrow of parting from loved ones through death, Chen Fan only felt immensely blessed at this moment.

"Alright, alright!"

Chen Jianye by the side could not help frowning.

"You've been rambling on for ages, you've made the boy lose his appetite. Can't you talk about something important?"

Li Jinqiu glared at her husband.

"Then why don't you talk about something important?"

Chen Jianye looked at his son and exhorted, "If your living expenses aren't enough, you must remember to tell the family."

Li Jinqiu immediately chimed in.

"Right, right, right."

"If your living expenses aren't enough, just tell Mom, and I'll wire the money to you through the post office."

"If anything comes up, call your second aunt directly. Your dad has already called to have a landline installed. Once our home phone is set up, I'll have your second aunt give you the number..."

"Yeah, yeah, Mom, Dad, I've noted it all down."

Chen Fan looked up at the elderly couple with a smile.

"You two can rest easy, my living expenses will definitely be enough."

"Besides, I've already planned it out. Once I'm settled at university, I'll study while finding a part-time job to temper myself."

Li Jinqiu felt somewhat worried: "A part-time job? Make sure you don't get scammed..."

Chen Jianye directly glared at his wife.

"Enough. Can't you say something auspicious?"

With that, he looked back at his son.

"Think about the part-time job later. Even though your parents are poor, we are still capable of putting you through university."

"Your only task right now is to study hard."

Chen Fan could neither laugh nor cry, but he knew better than to argue about such matters.

So he vaguely nodded to indicate he understood.

The old couple went on nagging about a few more things.

Finally, Chen Fan finished his two plates of dumplings, and it was time to depart.

Li Jinqiu felt rather anxious.

"Xiaofan, do you really not need your dad to go with you?"

Chen Fan smiled and shook his head.

"Really don't need to."

"Mom, Dad, look at how old I am. If I still need my parents to accompany me for university registration, what kind of future could I possibly have in this life?"

"University is about independence and self-reliance. I've decided to start forging myself right now."

Seeing that his mother was still somewhat worried, Chen Fan could only smile and comfort her.

"Mom, besides, I'm not going alone, am I? Isn't Guo Shuai going too?"

"He's also studying in Yunhai, so the two of us are traveling together."

"The boy is right."

Chen Jianye looked at his son with admiration.

He had a distinct feeling that his son had finally grown up.

Yet, in the end, he still couldn't help quietly instructing Chen Fan to make sure he stayed safe on the road.

Chen Fan didn't have much luggage—just a large suitcase and a backpack.

Aside from a quilt for bedding, Chen Fan brought nothing else.

As they headed out, his father Chen Jianye carried the suitcase, and his mother Li Jinqiu carried the backpack.

Chen Fan followed alone behind them, locking the courtyard gate.

Walking down the road, they finally arrived at the village bus stop sign.

Along the way, they met quite a few familiar neighbors.

"Off to school, Xiaofan?"

"A college student now, and I heard it's a prestigious university too..."

The villagers always greeted them warmly, and at times like this, Chen Jianye would cheerfully chat with everyone for a bit.

"Sending the boy off to university."

"Yes, yes, the semester has started, I'm seeing him off..."

Though his tone was casual, one could sense that this was perhaps one of the proudest moments of the old man's life.

The bus to the county town arrived. Chen Jianye loaded the suitcase onto the bus, while Li Jinqiu handed the backpack to her son.

Chen Fan hugged his backpack and waved goodbye to the two of them.

"Mom, Dad, you guys head back. I'm off."

Li Jinqiu's eyes turned red.

"Mind your safety on the road, and give your second aunt a call as soon as you arrive."

"Alright, I know."

As the bus started moving, Chen Fan looked through the window and could see his parents still standing by the roadside, raising their hands and waving.

Chen Fan's eyes stung, and tears almost burst forth.

His mother's hair already had streaks of white, and his father's spine had grown somewhat stooped...

Their son had grown up, but the passage of years had bent the backs of the two elders.

Watching their receding figures, Chen Fan silently vowed in his heart.

"Mom, Dad, rest assured. In this life, I will definitely make you live the happiest lives possible."

In his past life, the two elders passed away too early to enjoy any blessings from their son, which had always been one of Chen Fan's deepest regrets.

In this life, he would never allow such a regret to happen again.

Carrying a hint of melancholy all the way, he arrived at the county bus station.

Guo Shuai was already waiting there.

This fellow had been driven here by his father.

In order to travel to registration with Chen Fan, this kid had flatly refused his parents' request to drive him all the way to Yunhai.

"I say Brother Fan, you're so slow. I've almost smoked a whole pack of cigarettes."

This fellow was finally free from having to smoke in secret now that he was entering university.

He was brimming with excitement, looking like a little bird released from a cage.

"Quick, quick, I bought the tickets long ago. Get on the bus."

Guo Shuai rushed forward to help Chen Fan drag his suitcase.

Chen Fan looked suspiciously at this guy.

"Where's your luggage? Just a backpack?"

Guo Shuai chuckled.

"That's where you don't understand, big brother has this."

As he spoke, he patted his backpack.

"I'm carrying enough money, I'll buy everything brand new once I get to university."

Chen Fan could neither laugh nor cry, shaking his head speechlessly.

"I hope you like the quilt issued by the school..."

"What?"

"Nothing, get on the bus quickly."

Guo Shuai glanced around.

"Where is Su Ruochu?"

"Why hasn't sister-in-law arrived yet?"

He looked at Chen Fan, saying, "Didn't we agree to set off together?"

"I even bought her ticket."

Chen Fan's expression paused slightly, and he sighed.

"Let's go. She must have been sent to university by her family."

"Not coming with us?"

Guo Shuai looked blankly, staring at Chen Fan in surprise.

"Wait, no, no, no..."

"Your expression is very suspicious."

Guo Shuai suddenly chased after him.

"Hey, what on earth is going on? At least tell me..."