Three or Two Things about Rebirth

After the short winter vacation, Qiu Luming returned to school.

She brought some nesting dolls, medals, commemorative coins, and a Red Square harmonica for her second brother, which she planned to take home after graduation.

First, I saw four letters in the mailbox, one from my mother, one from Qin Huifang, one from Zheng Wei, and one from my third brother.

The letter from the third brother was very short and contained words of encouragement. At the end of the letter, he asked her if she had enough money, speaking in the tone of a wealthy tycoon.

Zheng Wei's letter was three pages long, but the content was not much, because his handwriting was very large and took up two lines. His handwriting was quite free and easy, like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins, and every word was meant to run. The content of the letter was nothing more than some trivial matters in Jiayang. He deliberately emphasized at the end that Mou Shanjiang already had a girlfriend. When he wrote this paragraph, he seemed to be in a very good mood, and some of the words had already flown.

Qin Huifang's letter was not long. She expressed concern about her health and asked her to take good care of herself. The rest of the letter was about her daughter Bingbing. Between the lines, her words were filled with the joy of being a mother.

He Manshu's letter was the thickest, with more stamps on the envelope than others. The first half of the letter was almost a paragraph-by-paragraph reply to the contents of Qiu Luming's previous letter, giving her a lot of advice. The rest of the letter, as usual, contained a lot of experience and teachings, and the content was similar to what she usually said.

The last two pages talk about the second brother's family. On the morning of December 55th, Fang Yuan successfully gave birth to a boy, weighing jin. Although he didn't have much flesh, he was centimeters tall and looked very much like Qiu Jiashu when he was a child.

The whole family was very happy. His father had already named him Qiu Zhongzhan, but Fang's father disliked the name because it sounded old-fashioned and named him Qiu Xu instead. Because the child was born in the morning and was only one day away from the leader's birthday, he insisted on giving his grandson this name.

Qiu Jiashu was very embarrassed, but Fang Yuan said that since the child's surname was Qiu, he should naturally choose the name given by his grandfather. Besides, Zhongzhan was taken from Chuci, which was a name full of justice and patriotism, so he should be called Qiu Zhongzhan! Fang's father had already gone too far and mentioned the leader again. Qiu Jiye immediately gave in and smiled and said that Qiu Xu was the best name, and the idea was better than his. He urged Qiu Jiashu to quickly register the household registration as Qiu Xu.

Fang Yuan felt guilty and asked her father-in-law to give the child a nickname. Qiu Jiye said that it would be better for the child's parents to choose the nickname. Fang Yuan refused and insisted that her parents-in-law choose the nickname. Finally, He Manshu mentioned the name Kuan Kuan that had been chosen for a long time, so the child's full name was Qiu Xu, and his nickname was Kuan Kuan.

Finally, He Manshu lamented that the atmosphere was changing too fast, and that every family had one child, and they treated each child like an eyeball. She also said that she didn’t know what society would become when these only children became parents.

After reading all the letters, Qiu Luming felt very satisfied. It was the first time for her to receive four letters at once.

In the afternoon, Ji Cheng came to see her and asked her how her trip was. It was obvious that he was very envious of her trip.

"Overall, it's not bad." He didn't mention a word about being robbed by a drunkard, and even took out a Red Square commemorative medal and gave it to Ji Cheng.

Ji Cheng's face turned red, and he refused to take it. Qiu Luming forced it on him, "Take it! When you go to other countries in the future, remember to send me a postcard."

Ji Cheng collected the commemorative medal and said seriously, "I will definitely send it to you!

Lena also came back from Moscow. As soon as she dropped her luggage, she came to find Qiu Luming. She ignored Ji Cheng and shouted, "Vera! I want to eat dumplings!"

"I'm tired and don't want to wrap." Qiu Luming refused to do it, and Lena glared at her angrily.

When Qiu Luming saw Lena, she immediately remembered the scene she saw at the train station. She was disgusted by Lena's two-timing behavior and didn't want to pay any attention to her.

Lena had no idea the reason and kept begging Qiu Luming, but Qiu Luming still ignored her. Lena was so angry that she slammed the door and went back to her room.

Ji Cheng felt embarrassed and stood up to say goodbye, but Qiu Luming asked him to stay and have a bowl of noodles before leaving.

"Actually, I've been craving for a bowl of dumpling soup these past few days, the kind my mom makes that's white and crunchy, with little oil and salt." Qiu Luming said as he kneaded the dough, "But I can't do that today. My mom said, 'When you get on the train, you have dumplings, and when you get off, you have noodles.' I just got off the train, so I have to eat noodles!"

"Isn't dumpling soup also noodles?" Ji Cheng said.

"That's different. The noodles we get off the bus refer specifically to noodles." Qiu Luming mixed a small ball of dough, kneaded it until it was smooth, applied a little oil on the outside, and let it rest in a basin.

While the dough was rising, Qiu Luming made two small cups of coffee and drank them with two snacks with Ji Cheng.

Ji Cheng didn't like coffee, thinking it was too bitter and sour. Qiu Luming didn't have milk or sugar. She usually drank black coffee to stay awake, so she had to add some white sugar from the kitchen. "Try it, they say it's imported from China!"

Ji Cheng lost a lot of weight in the past six months. He was not used to the local diet and had no means to cook it himself. He either went out to eat at a restaurant with his roommates or bought bread and jam.

"I'm a country bumpkin." said Ji Cheng.

Qiu Luming didn't mind his slightly pedantic nature, at least he didn't blindly worship foreign things.

Qiu Luming sipped her coffee and told Ji Cheng about her travel experiences. She did not mention the bag being snatched by a drunkard, but only described in detail the experience of visiting the Winter Palace. Ji Cheng was so angry that his eyes burst. He only knew about the silver indemnity in history books and that the Old Summer Palace was robbed and burned, but he never had a specific concept. Now he only knew that such a large number of cultural relics were lost overseas. He could not help but slammed the table in indignation, "Damn the Eight-Nation Alliance!"

"I shot seven rolls of film. I'll develop them and show them to you later."

"Seven volumes?" Ji Cheng's anger turned into surprise, "Qiu Luming, you really dare to spend money!"

"Isn't money meant to be spent?" Qiu Luming felt a little guilty when she said these words. Her father was a professor, with a high salary and a lot of living expenses, and she spent it all every month. It was not until she was short of money on the way to Kunming that she regretted not knowing how to save money. But she was used to spending lavishly, and now she has three brothers to support her, so she still doesn't know how to save money.

An hour later, the aroma of garlic and onions frying wafted from the dormitory's kitchenette, and Lena's door opened a crack.

Soon, Qiu Luming returned to her hut with a pot of fragrant pulled noodles. She picked a bowl for Ji Cheng first, and added a few slices of sausage and pickles. "I'm sorry, fellow villager, I don't have a rolling pin, so I'm not cutting the noodles, I'm pulling them."

"It's already very good. It makes me salivate just by smelling it." Ji Cheng took the bowl of noodles and said.

The noodles were not pulled evenly, but they were chewy and the saltiness was moderate. Qiu Luming also added some pepper to the soup. The cup of coffee they drank during the chat made them even hungrier, so no one spoke. They just ate until they were sweating and felt very comfortable.

One bowl was not enough for a twenty-year-old boy. Qiu Luming was about to serve him another bowl when he saw the door slam open. Lena rushed in angrily, snatched the pot from Qiu Luming, and ran away with half the pot of pulled noodles.

“Hey!” Qiu Luming yelled and was about to chase after her, but was stopped by Ji Cheng, “Classmate Qiu, forget it, let her eat, I’m full.”

"Hmph! Damn Russians!" Qiu Luming stomped his feet and shouted. Lena heard it in her room and laughed.

Ji Cheng advised her seriously, "After all, we are away from home, you'd better not offend her. The most important thing is that we all finish our studies and return home safely."

Qiu Luming was stunned for a moment. She was just pretending. Although he hated Lena's promiscuity, it had nothing to do with him. He wouldn't even deny her a bowl of noodles. He made so much, obviously just for her.

But she accepted the offer and said, "Okay."

Before she left the country, her father only told her one thing: I know you are like this, always wanting to win in speech. But now you are going abroad, remember, always wanting to overwhelm others in speech, and not stopping until you win, is the greatest stupidity in life.

Even though his mother's daily admonitions were not as impressive as his father's, Qiu Luming had not been able to change his habits in the past six months, but he had become much more restrained.

After dinner, Ji Cheng insisted on helping to clean up the kitchen before saying goodbye. As soon as he left, Lena came with an empty pot. The pot was not cleaned, but there was not a drop of soup in it, and there were still a few bread crumbs on the bottom of the pot.

Qiu Luming glared at her, "Robber! Go wash the pot, make sure it's clean!"

"Okay, okay!" Lena said with a smile.

***

The courses in the first semester were mainly in Russian, including Russian history, Russian literature, European history, etc. The second semester was mainly focused on professional courses. She studied economics, but in fact she could only learn the basics in half a year. Qiu Luming felt that she was very much like Lin Jiewei back then. She had been to several schools but did not have a formal diploma.

She actually doesn't care much about a diploma. During her brief university years in Changsha, a professor once told them that Chen Yinke, the most learned man in China, had studied in universities in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United States since he was 12 years old, but he never got a diploma until he taught at Tsinghua University. The purpose of studying is not for certificates, but to enrich the mind and live a better life.

Whenever Qiu Luming had free time after class, she would go to the library to study and read a lot of books. Her interests were very broad and not limited to her major. Sometimes she would write letters to her parents in the library to report her safety and then drop them into the large mailbox at the campus post office.

One day in March, Qiu Luming was studying in the library when Lena came in excitedly, "Hurry up! Vera, there's a handsome guy outside looking for you!"

"Quiet!" Qiu Luming rolled his eyes at her.

Lena was anxious and lowered her voice, "He really is looking for you. He said his name is Sergei!"

Qiu Luming's eyes widened. "Why is he here?"

Lena looked gossipy, "Who is he? Is he your lover?"

"Get out!" Qiu Luming packed up his books and left.

Lena was not angry either. Ever since she fell in love with Qiu Luming's cooking skills, she no longer had a temper.

When Qiu Luming walked out of the library, he saw Sergei, smiling brightly, standing at the foot of the tall stairs.

Qiu Luming once again lamented that Russian men were so handsome when they were young, but their blooming period was very short. Vasily, a 35-year-old lecturer at the school, had a full beard and his face seemed to be twice as thick. She smiled and greeted as she walked down the stairs, "Hello!"

Sergey raised his head and laughed, "My grandfather said that you Chinese people usually say, 'What wind brings you here?' But why don't you say that?"

"Hahaha!" Qiu Luming was amused. "Your grandfather really never forgot about China."

"Yes, he didn't marry my grandmother until he was in his thirties. Not long after the Sino-Soviet Friendship Aid, he signed up, but my grandmother was already pregnant with my father and wouldn't let him go. My grandfather didn't make it to China, but he still made inquiries. It turned out that the girl died unexpectedly in 1938. My grandfather was very sad. He never mentioned going to China again, but he was sad for a long time. In recent years, he has been getting older and older, and he has been crying more and more easily. When he saw you that time, he cried again when he returned."

"Isn't your grandmother angry?"

"My father said that my grandmother was very angry when she was young, but she stopped being angry later. She said she had figured it out. My grandfather didn't drink or smoke, and he didn't have an extramarital affair. So what's the big deal about just looking at a photo of a dead person? She said she was very grateful to the Chinese girl for being able to control her husband so well even after her death!"

Haha, Qiu Luming laughed.

Sergei sighed and said, "She's been dead for ten years."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Sergei shook his head and said, "I came all the way here to see you! I have been looking at that photo album with my grandfather since I was a child, and the girl's appearance has long been imprinted in my mind! I think, like my grandfather, we both like Chinese girls!" After saying that, he looked at Qiu Luming with burning eyes. It was obvious that he was much more direct than his grandfather.

"Oh, I thought you were here on a business trip." Qiu Luming was not good at handling such things. She pointed at the school gate and said awkwardly, "Then I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant outside."

"No, no, Qiu, can you cook? Can you cook Chinese food? My grandfather said that China has eight major cuisines, with many, many flavors of dishes. He made me so hungry! Can you cook? I want to eat the food you cook!"

Qiu Luming was about to shake his head.

"She can!" Lena popped up from behind. "She can make dumplings and delicious Chinese food. I bought an induction cooker and a pot just to eat her food! Other people's money was used to buy study materials, but mine was used to buy ingredients! Oh, damn it! Why is it not allowed to use open flames in the dormitory? Otherwise, Vera would definitely be able to make more delicious food!"

Qiu Luming pulled the back of her collar and glanced at her, "Lena! Today is Saturday, why didn't your boyfriend No. 2 come to see you?"

"He's here! Vera, I sent him to buy cod!" Lena half-knelt down, turned her head, and looked at Qiu Luming, her long eyelashes blinking, her blue eyes sparkling, "Vera, if I don't eat the cod you made today, I will die!"

Pah, pah, pah! The old Russians don't care about what's hot or cold, and dare to say anything. Qiu Luming pointed at her speechlessly.

Lena immediately responded loudly, "You old bastard! I'm here to learn, not to be your nanny!"

Qiu Luming held his forehead with his hand, "My parents have rarely eaten the meals I cooked, you old Russians are really getting a bargain!"

"You agreed!" Lena happily hugged Qiu Luming. She was tall, and her plump chest was clasped on Qiu Luming's shoulders. A strong scent of perfume filled his nose.

Qiu Luming pushed her away and said, "Let's go."

Back in the dormitory, Lena changed into a new set of clothes, showing off her big breasts and long legs. Qiu Luming couldn't stand her low-cut tight top, and glared at Lena and said, "Can you change this low-cut dress that's so low that it's about to burst your belly?"

"No, Sasha likes this one the best!"

Speak of the devil, here comes Sasha, carrying a lot of food. He greeted Sergei warmly and automatically recognized Sergei as Qiu Luming's boyfriend. Qiu Luming hurriedly explained, and Sasha looked at him with an expression of "I understand, you don't need to explain at all", and smiled meaningfully.

Qiu Luming simply stopped explaining and called Ji Cheng's dormitory, inviting him to come for dinner, and asked Lena to help him start cooking.

Two hours later, in Qiu Luming's small room, on two desks put together, there was a beautiful tablecloth covering the table and six dishes were placed on it: braised cod, fried shredded potatoes (roughly equivalent to potato chips, Qiu Luming's knife skills were too poor), tomato beef soup, braised spare ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried meat with pickles.

The six dishes were basically all Qiu Luming's energy. The three Russians had no way of comparing whether they were delicious or not. Even if Ji Cheng was not satisfied, he would not say it directly given his personality.

There were six dishes for five people, and the portions were huge, but Sergei and Sasha had big appetites. After they finished everything, only a little shredded potatoes were left, and the rest was eaten up.

This was undoubtedly the highest compliment to the chef. All the resentment that Qiu Luming had originally felt for serving the Russians disappeared.

After dinner, everyone chatted for a while, and Ji Cheng was anxious to go back to study. Lena, under the influence of alcohol, wrapped her arms around Sasha's waist and said with a smile that she couldn't walk anymore.

Sergei drank a lot of wine. He slapped his head in annoyance and said, why did I forget to find a hotel first!

Lena smiled knowingly and urged Ji Cheng to leave quickly and not get in the way.

Ji Cheng's face turned red again. He didn't dare to look at Lena the whole night. Whenever he looked in her direction, he didn't know where to look. In the middle of spring, most of Lena's arms were exposed.

After hearing what Lena said, he looked at Qiu Luming in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief.