Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The street still looked the same and so did the buildings. Even the broken streetlights had not changed.

Chen Hansheng stood at the door of his house. He wanted to knock gently, but they ended up being loud as always. “Mom, I’m back.”

The inner wooden door opened first and a middle-aged woman in her forties appeared in Chen Hansheng’s line of sight. The moment she opened the door, she was quick to reprimand him. “What are you making so much noise for? The entire building can hear your voice. You’re already an adult but you don’t even bring your keys when you go out.”

‘The same words and the same smell.’ Chen Hansheng thought to himself.

Chen Hansheng had been nervous before knocking on the door. But the moment he saw his mother and heard her talk, he felt as if he had returned to being his seventeen-year-old self. Nothing had changed.

Chen Hansheng eventually entered the house, despite his mother glaring at him the entire time. The living room might look a little stuffy, but otherwise, he felt truly at home. He bent over the sofa to look for a remote control. “Why don’t you turn on the air conditioning? It’s so hot. Where’s Dad?”

Liang Meijuan took out the refrigerated watermelon as she said, “All you know to do is turn on the air conditioner when you get home. Your dad hasn’t gotten off work yet.”

When he saw the refrigerated watermelon, Chen Hansheng chuckled. “Seems like my mother still dotes on me.”

“Well, I only have one son to feed.”

Liang Meijuan looked at her lively son. She loved him very much but pretended to be very stern with him. “Where’s the admission letter?”

Chen Hansheng casually threw the envelope containing the admission letter on the dining table. “Here.”

“Are you asking for a beating?!”

Liang Meijuan hurriedly picked up the envelope and made sure that there was no watermelon juice on it. Then, she used the spatula to lightly hit Chen Hansheng. “You little brat, do you still want to go to university?”

Liang Meijuan carefully took out the admission letter and read the words printed at the top. “Chen Hansheng has been accepted in the ‘Public Administration Major’. Please report to the university with this notice on September 1, 2002.”

Although domestic universities saw an increase in enrollments since 1999, getting admitted to one was still a good thing for those among the older generation.

After all, many of that generation such as Liang Meijuan did not attend university, and neither did many of her nieces and nephews. Although her son was not very obedient, he still did well in his studies.

He may only be in the second batch of admissions but he could still take the postgraduate entrance exam in the future.

As Liang Meijuan read the letter, Chen Hansheng had already wolfed down half of the watermelon. Once he was done, he patted his belly and left for the bathroom to take a shower. Liang Meijuan quickly advised him. “Let the water heat up for ten minutes first, or else you will catch a cold.”

Their place had a solar-powered water heater, which meant that they would need to let the water heat up for a while before using it to shower. But Chen Hansheng did not listen to her. He picked up a fresh set of clothes and walked into the bathroom. “It’s been such a hot day, so I’d rather take a cold shower.”

“Rascal!” Liang Meijuan could not persuade him, so she could only let Chen Hansheng be. She looked back at the admission letter again, and suddenly felt a sense of relief.

It took a lot of effort, financially and mentally, to support a child through their education.

“But in another four years, his father and I will be able to relax and just focus on helping to take care of our grandchildren. We won’t have to do anything else for the rest of our lives.”

This was the day Liang Meijuan, a middle-aged woman in Port City, was looking forward to.

…

Chen Hansheng took a cool shower to his heart’s content and then stared blankly at his eighteen-year-old face in the mirror. He was young, healthy, and full of vitality.

But if he looked deeper into the eyes of the face in the mirror, he could sense his true self in there, the thirty-five-year-old.

Chen Hansheng suddenly reached out and poked at his reflection in the mirror. “Since you’ve sent me back in time, I must do something worthwhile. Although I will never be short of money in the future, wouldn’t it all be pointless if I didn’t do anything slightly different this time?!”

At this time, Chen Hansheng heard the sound of the iron door opening and closing, then a man’s voice in the living room. He put on a serious expression, a loose shirt, a pair of underwear, and walked out of the door. “Dad, you’re back!”

A handsome and tall middle-aged man stood in the living room. This was Chen Hansheng’s father, Chen Zhaojun. Chen Hansheng looked very similar to him but their personalities were worlds apart.

Chen Zhaojun rarely spoke and Liang Meijuan often said that he was a no-nonsense kind of person, the complete opposite of their son who was more lively and less well-behaved.

Thus, despite their son’s cheerful greeting, Chen Zhaojun could only muster up a faint response of acknowledgment. When he turned to look at their son, he noticed that Chen Hansheng had just taken a shower and there were still water droplets on his back. Chen Zhaojun silently walked over and turned up the air-conditioning temperature in the living room.

Before Chen Hansheng could speak to his dad, Liang Meijuan took out a pack of cigarettes from Chen Hansheng’s laundry and placed it on the table. “Well, done, Chen Hansheng. Have you learned how to smoke secretly?”

It was the Hongjinling cigarettes which Chen Hansheng had ‘seized’ from his teacher, Mr. Xu. He had forgotten to hide it so it wasn’t a wonder that Liang Meijuan had found it.

Chen Hansheng remained indifferent. “Mr. Xu forced it on me. Well, more like a consolation for not doing so well in the university entrance exam.”

“Bullsh*t!” Liang Meijuan did not believe him. “How could a teacher give a student cigarettes? Chen Zhaojun, aren’t you going to say anything? Do you still care for your son?”

Chen Zhaojun did not want to get involved in this mother-son ‘war’ at all. He was just about to succeed in sneaking into the bedroom but Liang Meijuan caught him in time.

Chen Zhaojun turned to look at his furious wife and indifferent son, eventually deciding to side with his wife.

“It’s still too early for you to be smoking at this age. Even if you’re a social smoker, you should have at least waited until you’re already at university. I’ll keep this pack of cigarettes for now.”

Chen Zhaojun put the cigarettes in his pocket as he spoke. Chen Hansheng had felt embarrassed that he hadn’t brought home anything as a gift for his parents since he was taken back in time.

‘Well, this pack of cigarettes would be the gift for them, then!’ Chen Hansheng thought generously.

After the minor argument, the family finally sat down at the table for dinner. Liang Meijuan did not forget to bring up a topic with her husband over dinner. “Remember to apply for leave. We have to send Hansheng to university together.”

Chen Zhaojun nodded but Chen Hansheng shook his head.

“I can just go by myself. You don’t have to go out of your way for me.”

Liang Meijuan glared at him. “It’s hundreds of kilometers away. Besides, we have some money left over from paying your tuition.”

“Just keep it,” said Chen Hansheng.

Back then, Chen Hansheng didn’t ask his parents to accompany him either. They had paid for his tuition in cash and he took a bus with the few thousand yuan left in his pocket. He was very nervous then.

“Plus…” Chen Hansheng paused for a moment before continuing. “If our families met the conditions for a student loan, I would have applied for one a long time ago. I would have loved to take advantage of the government system.”

“Nonsense!” Liang Meijuan put down her chopsticks and said, “Although our family is not rich, it’s not a problem for us to provide for you to go to university. Don’t try to fool us. Just do things honestly and focus on your studies.”

Liang Meijuan knew her son very well. But Chen Hansheng refused to listen. “I have thought it through. Other than the first semester, I will not ask for tuition and living expenses from you guys in the future. I will think of a way to earn money myself!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Liang Meijuan raised her eyebrows.

“What’s there to be afraid of?!” Chen Hansheng argued back.

“Chen Zhaojun, say something!”

It always came down to this. Whenever the mother and son had an argument, Chen Zhaojun would be the referee. This family tradition continued even into the future.

Chen Zhaojun thought seriously and slowly said, “Hansheng is now a man. It’s normal for him to want to take risks, just as long as he doesn’t fall behind in his studies.”

Liang Meijuan became even unhappier when her husband sided with their son. “This child has always been so obedient since he was young. Now, you’re telling me that boys need to develop an independent and tenacious character and a sense of responsibility. You’ve always supported his strange ideas until he doesn’t listen to me anymore.”

However, the family democracy vote was two to one, which meant that Chen Hansheng’s proposal to report alone and earn his own money had been approved. Liang Meijuan remained unhappy even into bedtime.

Chen Zhaojun comforted his wife, “Hansheng may not be the best student, but I’m sure you know that his hands-on ability and EQ are better than many of his peers. His strengths will be more obvious once he goes out into the world.”

When the thirty-five-year-old Chen Hansheng started his own business right after graduating from university, he had failed time and time again before finally succeeding. His tenacity and communication skills were something his dad had trained him in since he was young.

“My son, it seems that you have learned to become more sensible.” Liang Meijuan muttered to herself.

Chen Zhaojun chuckled. “Our family just has a son that has finally grown up.”

…