Chapter 1034 Went Back Home after Exam for Lunar New Year
They were from the same faculty and the same batch. They had their cla.s.ses in the same cla.s.sroom.
Qiao Nan would often be called upon to answer the questions in cla.s.s. Yu Xiaoxiao knew that Qiao Nan did very well in cla.s.s.
If she wanted to get a scholars.h.i.+p, it would mean that Qiao Nan was her fierce rival.
Not only must she get the scholars.h.i.+p, but she must also have the highest possible results.
It was a good thing that Qiao Nan was reading books related to psychology instead of her own major.
Yu Xiaoxiao relaxed and concentrated on her revision.
She had to do more revision now. It was her chance to do better than Qiao Nan.
Qiao Nan wanted to overcome the negative influence that Ding Jiayi had on her. That was why she decided to read up on psychology books and sort out her thoughts. She had no idea that Yu Xiaoxiao would overthink as a result of that.
There were many things in the world that would not turn out as what one wished.
“The exams are finally over.”
“Qiao Nan, all the exams are over. We intend to relax ourselves tonight. Do you want to join us?”
A few female students greeted Qiao Nan, asking her to have fun with them.
Qiao Nan gave them a friendly smile. It was not her intention to be a loner, but she turned out to be one. “Thank you, but I have already bought a train ticket to go home tonight. I am sorry. If there is a chance, let’s have fun when school reopens.”
“Okay. You have agreed to join us after school reopens. You must not reject us then.” The female students were not unhappy that Qiao Nan rejected them. They did not feel that Qiao Nan was looking down on them either. Instead, they agreed to ask her out next time.
Qiao Nan did not have any cliques in the school. Apart from the students in the club, she seldom made new friends. Moreover, she did not live in the school’s dormitory. Therefore, it was not surprising that she was a loner.
Qiao Nan was well-known in the school, and the new English club was getting more and more popular in Peking University. As a result, more and more people noticed Qiao Nan, the freshman who was the secretary of the new English club.
Initially, many people felt that Qiao Nan looked down on them as she was indifferent to them.
But when all the students were revising for their exams, someone noticed that Qiao Nan prepared good revision notes, and when asked to lend the notes, Qiao Nan agreed right away.
When one had yet to know someone, one would feel that the person was arrogant and aloof. But upon knowing the person, one would realize that it was not as what one had imagined.
Perhaps it was because Qiao Nan was much more approachable than what they had imagined. After getting to know her, there were fewer rumors that Qiao Nan was cold and indifferent. Some students would also take the initiative to ask Qiao Nan to join them in their activities.
The semester was ending soon, but at the very least, after s.h.i.+ Qing transferred to PLA National Defence University, Qiao Nan finally had someone to share the table with during meals.
“Sure, see you next year when school reopens,” Qiao Nan waved to the female students and said her Lunar New Year greetings to her boss at the Palace Museum before rus.h.i.+ng back to the Lin family’s residence. She took her luggage that she had packed beforehand and went to catch the train.
In the early 2000s, the trains were very crowded during the Spring Festival travel season.
Thankfully, Lin Yuankang had told his pupil to buy the ticket for Qiao Nan once the train ticket for her intended departure date was up for sale. Otherwise, she might not be able to get a train ticket to go back home on the day her exams ended.
It was good to have someone help her with the train tickets.
Qiao Nan not only managed to buy the train ticket, but her seniors also purchased a soft berth ticket for her.
At least, Qiao Nan would not need to go through too much suffering on her journey back home.
Qiao Nan had an overnight train ticket. She could sleep through the night and she would reach Ping Cheng the next morning at around ten o’clock.
“Nan Nan, over here!” Qiao Dongliang spotted his daughter right away among the throngs of crowds.
“Dad!” Qiao Nan’s eyes lit up. She carried the luggage and rushed toward Qiao Dongliang. “Dad, didn’t I tell you that I would reach at around ten o’clock? How long have you been waiting here? Are you cold?”
Qiao Nan’s heart ached at the thought of her father waiting for her in the cold.
He was her biological father.
“I am not cold. I only waited for a short while. Is the luggage heavy? Give me the luggage. I will carry it.” Qiao Dongliang beamed at Qiao Nan. He used one hand to carry the luggage and he took a paper bag out from the pocket of his cotton coat with another hand. “You must be cold. It’s still hot. Have a bite.”
Qiao Nan cradled the paper bag in her hands. She was excited at the soft touch. “Is it baked sweet potatoes?”
“Yes. I bought it for you. Let’s go home.” Qiao Dongliang knew that his daughter loved baked sweet potatoes. He checked that she was about to reach and he squeezed out of the crowd to buy them.
It was windy and n.o.body would board the train at the pick-up location. Therefore, although it was a slight ha.s.sle, it was easy for Qiao Dongliang to make his way in and out. “It’s good that the train did not arrive late.”
“Hahaha. Perhaps I am lucky.” Qiao Nan smiled as she ate the sweet potatoes. “It is well-baked. It is very soft and tasty.”
“I told the boss to pick the good ones for me.” Qiao Dongliang was glad that Qiao Nan loved it. “The bicycle is here.”
“Dad, is this suitable?”
“Of course it is.” Qiao Dongliang smiled confidently. “Didn’t you know that back then…”
Back then, he rode the model ’28’ bicycle with his whole family. Nan Nan sat on the wooden plank in front, while Ding Jiayi and Zijin sat on the seat behind. The family of four rode the bicycle to watch movies.
However, Qiao Dongliang stopped in mid-sentence. It was inappropriate to bring this up now.
Back then, Ding Jiayi was already biased toward Qiao Zijin.
Qiao Nan was younger than Qiao Zijin by two years. The mother sat at the back, cradling the elder daughter, while the younger daughter sat at the front in the wind.
Qiao Dongliang dismissed those thoughts and patted on the back seat. “Nan Nan, have a seat first.”
Qiao Nan knew what Qiao Dongliang was about to say. She did not learn of it from her parents. She heard about it from her neighbors in the previous life.
Back then, she would console herself that at the very least, the entire family went to catch a movie together. It was good enough that her parents did not leave her at home.
Since Qiao Dongliang stopped in mid-sentence, Qiao Nan stopped her thoughts from wandering. “Dad, you can get on the bicycle first. I know how to jump onto the bicycle later. Don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure? How about the bag here?”
“Dad, I can do it.” Qiao Nan patted her chest with confidence.
Since Qiao Nan was so confident, Qiao Dongliang decided to give it a try. If it could not work, he would get her to take the seat first.