Xin Zhai

Tong Yan came back three days before the exam week.Ye Li knew that his plane landed at 8 o'clock in the evening.He did the math, and it was probably after 9 o'clock when Tong Yan arrived at school.

There are still people in the department hall after 8 o'clock in the evening, and usually there are very few rooms with lights on after 9 o'clock.Ye Li alone was reviewing homework in the small laboratory.He estimated that there is a high probability that Tong Yan will return to Xinzhai directly, but it is not impossible for him to return here.

Ye Lili had been reading books in the department hall absently. At 9:[-], there was the sound of a trolley case sliding on the floor in the corridor.Ye Li threw the pen away, raised his legs and ran out.

In the far distance of the corridor, a man in a suit walked over, holding a trolley case in each hand.The rattling of the wheels of the box, and the sound of the man's leather shoes stepping on the wooden floor of the department building also sounded rhythmically, which was very clear in the silent building.The corridor was very dark, Ye Li couldn't see his face clearly.So he didn't go forward, but stood in the light at the door.Tong Yan's walking sound hit his heart every now and then, getting louder and louder.

When he saw Tong Yan's expression clearly, Tong Yan was already smiling at him, and he felt that his smile was different from before, but he felt that it was most likely due to his own change of mood.

"You haven't left yet?"

"No."

Tong Yan usually only wears a suit and shirt, but today he is still wearing a tie.He stopped at the door of the office, took out his key and opened the door.The sound of boxes sliding and walking disappeared, and instead the sound of keys colliding together sounded.

"What's the matter today?" Tong Yan asked.

"No."

The door opened, Tong Yan turned on the light in the room, and walked in.Ye Li also followed in.

Nothing in the house has changed, the air is very fresh, Ye Li comes over to open the window every day.The anthurium on the window sill grew too luxuriantly, Ye Li was divided into two pots the day before yesterday.

Tong Yan entered the room, sat down, opened one of the small boxes he brought back, took out a stack of books inside and put them on the desk, and then closed the box.

"Have you finished reading the book? Come back to the dormitory with me after reading it. A teacher in the dormitory building asked me to give him some materials, and kept urging me. If you help me, I will give it to him tonight."

"Ok."

The two packed their things separately, and then each pulled a box and two plastic bags full of materials, and walked towards Xinzhai together.

The new campus of University A Linhai has only been built for a few years, but Xinzhai has a history of several decades. It is a dormitory building built in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.At that time, this area was the former site of another university in City Y. Later, the university in City Y changed several times, and University A got a large piece of land on the Linhai side.Because Xinzhai has a long history and the quality of the house is good, it has been preserved, but the interior and exterior have been redecorated.

This is Ye Li's first time here.

As soon as he entered the door, he felt that the interior of Xinzhai was very special, with an obvious western style, and the corridor was actually surrounded by a half-person-high wooden wall.It can be seen that the interior has been renovated in recent years, but the layout of the house cannot be changed.The dormitories on both sides of the corridor are closely arranged, and the narrow and long passageway has a small semi-circular European-style window at the top.

Tong Yan stopped in front of a door, opened it, and the two walked in.

To Ye Li's surprise, Tong Yan's dormitory only had a bed, a table, a bookshelf and a wardrobe, and nothing else. With these things in the room, the space was pitifully cramped.Like Yeli and their dormitory, each floor has two public bathrooms and several public toilets.Each room in the newly built dormitory for doctoral students has its own bathroom, but Xinzhai still has such an old structure.He saw that Tong Yan didn't go home all the year round, and he thought the dormitory was in good condition, but in fact it couldn't even compare to that of a doctoral student.

"The condition of your dormitory is too bad."

"It's okay, anyway, there is no need for one person."

There are some messy documents and books on the table, bookshelves are full of books, there is nothing on the bed except the quilt and pillow, and a shirt is hanging on the side of the wardrobe.

Ye Li looked around, and saw that the windows in the house were also semi-circular lattice windows.Under the street lamp outside the window, there is a luxuriant crabapple growing beside Xicao.The scene of the military training there at the beginning is still vivid in my mind.

"By the way, I brought you something."

Tong Yan sat on the bed, opened the big suitcase, and took out a notebook from it.

Ye Li was very surprised, he took it.It's the kind of leather-bound notebook, not too big and not too thick.After opening, there is a very simple single-line grid, the paper is slightly yellowed, and even a logo cannot be found.

Ye Li was very excited. In order to find a more solid basis for this excitement, he asked without thinking: "This, is this a gift from the manufacturer?"

Tong Yan was so angry that he grabbed the notebook and slapped him hard on the head: "No! I bought it myself!"

"Oh," Ye Li took the notebook, turned it up and down, left and right, and then asked boldly, "Then you brought back a lot of notebooks?"

"Why? Still want it? Just this one!"

Tong Yan glared at him and took off his suit jacket: "Okay, it's too late, let's go back quickly."

"Well, then I'm leaving."

Ye Li took his schoolbag, and when he turned around, he saw Tong Yan pulling off his tie with his hands, throwing it on the bed, and unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt.Tong Yan seemed to be strangled by the tie. With his waist in his waist, he looked up at the ceiling and panted. The line from his chin to his neck was stretched.

Ye Li cast a glance, opened the door, and left.

The crabapple flowers at the door had just fallen, and the ground was covered with petals, which felt soft when stepped on, as if drunk.

In the next few days, it officially entered the exam week.Ye Li didn't have time to go to the big laboratory on the first floor, so he just stayed in the room on the fourth floor to review.In the past few days, he only found out that Tong Yan distributed some snacks brought back from abroad to other teachers and students, but he didn't see him giving away notebooks or other things.One afternoon, when a female teacher came over and asked if she had brought her a bag, Tong Yan said "I don't have time to go shopping".

After Tong Yan came back, he often stayed alone in the big laboratory.He has some new ideas on this trip abroad, but they are still immature, and it will take some time.He asked Ye Li and the others to review the exam first, and when they come back next semester, his plan may become clear.

Although Ye Li doesn't have to deal with the project anymore, his students still have to take exams.In addition to Chen Shan this semester, he later found two students.The money given was not as much as Chen Shan's, but at least he didn't have to work the night shift anymore.During the exam week, besides reviewing by himself, he also had to go over what he had learned to the three students, which also took a lot of time.

Chen Shan's progress this semester is quite obvious, and she and Cheng Luoyi are very satisfied with Ye Li.Especially Cheng Luoyi, every weekend, she would stay with Ye Li for dinner, and then chat for a while about his family's affairs.Ye Li also felt very happy chatting with her.

After Ye Li came to Chen Shan's house that day, Chen Shan came to open the door.He thought Cheng Luoyi was not at home, but Chen Shan said that her mother was lying in bed at home.

Ye Li hurried to Cheng Luoyi's room, walked to the door, and saw the aunt at home peeling fruit for her.

"Ye Li is here?" Cheng Luoyi didn't wear makeup today, and her hair was combed loosely behind her head.It was the first time seeing Ziyeli like this, and it was a bit of a surprise.But he saw that Cheng Luoyi looked good, and seemed to be in a good mood.

"Here we come. Auntie is sick?"

"No." Cheng Luoyi smiled, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Go and teach Shanshan."

Ye Li didn't want to ask any more questions, so he turned around and went out to Chen Shan's room.

"Auntie is sick?"

"No," Chen Shan lowered her head and said while preparing the book, "She's pregnant."

"What? Pregnant?"

"Ah."

Cheng Luoyi is 42 years old this year, she is well maintained, and looks only in her 30s.But no matter how young it looks, having a child at this age is still a risk.

Because Ye Li was quite familiar with her family, he was full of suspicion, but it was not easy to ask directly.

"She wants to give father a son." Chen Shan said.

"This..." Ye Li was very surprised.

He didn't know what Chen Shan was thinking, but he felt that there was no reason for her to be happy about this matter.Whether it is a younger brother or a younger sister, it is a robbing of love and resources for her.Although it is very impersonal to say this, but as Ye Li who has a younger brother, he knows this too well.

He has complicated feelings for his younger brother.On the one hand, it is a relative, the two of them can indeed play together when they are young, and he will take care of him instinctively, hoping that he will live a happy life.But after the age of running around and messing around together, to be honest, he and his brother didn't know what they wanted.The responsibility and burden that this younger brother brought to him accounted for most of it.So if someone asks him, do you love your brother?Of course love, but this love is very heavy, unable to choose, unable to refuse, like sandbags on the feet that can never be taken off.

If someone asked him again, if you could choose, would you like to have a younger brother?Ye Li couldn't answer, the decision was not in his hands.

Maybe when his mother gets old and Ye Qi grows up, he can be courageous.It's all uncertain, isn't it?

However, the situation of Chen Shan's family is different. With his family's conditions, there is no problem raising three or five children.Ye Li thought about it, even if Chen Shan had a younger brother, life should be easier than him.

"I feel sorry for her."

"Who is poor?"

"my mother."