Chapter 66: 065 Going to Sichuan Province for Volunteer Teaching

Fang Qingye drove out of the county town, got on the Shenhai Expressway, and headed southeast. With music playing in the car and chatting and laughing with Bai Ou, he didn't feel lonely.

After driving for nearly two hours, preparing to merge onto the Changjia Expressway, Bai Ou said, "Ye Zi, why don't you rest and let me drive?"

"You?"

"My family has a car; I drive often when I come back," Bai Ou said.

"Alright then, switch with me at the service area ahead."

After another hour and change on the ring expressway, they finally exited onto the Shenzhuan Highway. They parked by the roadside, found a relatively clean restaurant for lunch, and continued on their way.

This time, Fang Qingye drove again. It took over forty more minutes of driving to reach their destination: the Songjiang Campus of the University of Political Science and Law.

Today was the first day of school; the campus was bustling with activity. Students and parents were everywhere. Vehicles ranged from Audis and BMWs to ordinary Lavidas and Jettas. Most were pedestrians dragging suitcases, and some parents even used snake-skin sacks to carry their children's luggage.

Only in a place like this could one see families from different social classes coexisting harmoniously.

Following Bai Ou's directions, Fang Qingye drove the car to the front of the female graduate dormitory. He got out and helped carry Bai Ou's luggage upstairs while she held a large cardboard box containing an orchid.

"Bai Ou!"

A Miss with shoulder-length hair called out to her.

Bai Ou looked and saw it was Quan Shasha from her dormitory, so she smiled and greeted her.

Fang Qingye helped carry Bai Ou's suitcase up to her fourth-floor room, put the luggage away, and was about to leave.

"Ye Zi, why not sit for a while?" Bai Ou invited.

"No need. The car is parked downstairs; I have to move it quickly, or security will come," Fang Qingye said.

"Alright then, be careful on your way."

"Okay, see you when I get back!"

After saying that, Fang Qingye smiled at Quan Shasha beside him, turned around, and left the dormitory.

Through the window, Quan Shasha saw Fang Qingye drive away in the Regal and asked Bai Ou, "That guy is quite handsome. What's his name? Is he your boyfriend?"

"He's my childhood friend, Fang Qingye."

"Childhood friend? So that means you grew up together, right? Almost like a boyfriend... Which university is he from? Is he working?" Quan Shasha asked.

"He graduated from Shanghai Finance University and now works at a bank in our county," Bai Ou answered truthfully.

"Shanghai Finance University is good... Why go back to the county? Isn't it better to stay in Shanghai?" Quan Shasha was somewhat puzzled.

"Everyone has their own aspirations."

"I wouldn't want a boyfriend like that. Bai Ou, you absolutely must not go back. Even if you don't stay in Shanghai, at least go to Nanjing, right?"

"We'll see about that later," Bai Ou said with a smile.

Fang Qingye drove out of the school and headed straight for the location of this gathering—the main campus of Shanghai Finance University on Guoding Road.

It took a full hour and a half of driving to arrive. Fang Qingye checked into the nearby Howard Johnson Plaza, a five-star hotel.

Since he was staying, he might as well stay somewhere nice; nowadays, he wasn't short on money.

The weather outside was hot, and Fang Qingye didn't want to go sightseeing. Besides, before his rebirth, he had lived in this city for nearly twenty years and was already familiar with everything here.

At 11:30 the next morning, Fang Qingye went downstairs. He didn't drive—the gathering spot wasn't far from here. Following the text message from Liu Shuai, he went up to a private room on the second floor of the Jinding Restaurant.

The private room was already full. There were men and women; Fang Qingye glanced around and counted about a dozen people, roughly one-third of the class.

Liu Shuai was chatting with classmates.

He wore a T-shirt and casual trousers, with a short buzz cut that made him look spirited. Having graduated just over a year ago, his style and taste had already improved by more than one level.

They were all classmates. Not having seen each other for over a year, they felt warm upon meeting. They talked about their current situations and shared some funny stories from their school days, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Fang Qingye noticed that the classmates who had arrived seemed to be doing quite well.

Two had been admitted to graduate school at this university, two had started their own companies, and one, like Liu Shuai, had passed the civil service exam but at the prefecture level. Most, like Fang Qingye, had entered banking departments, and some had stayed in Shanghai to work at the Investment Bank.

Liu Shuai had arrived early and was greeting the classmates.

Seeing Fang Qingye enter, someone immediately called out, "Fang Qingye, you look very spirited! It seems you're doing quite well back in your hometown."

"It's okay. It's just a small county town, just killing time. It's not like you guys in the big cities who have hope for the future," Fang Qingye laughed.

"What hope? We're destined to be workers for life. The housing prices in Shanghai are so high... When will we ever be able to afford a house?" someone immediately sighed.

You can't afford it now? You'll be even less able to afford it in the future!

Fang Qingye chuckled inwardly, but he wouldn't say such hurtful words. He just smiled and said that since they had all just graduated, there were opportunities for everyone.

With almost everyone arrived, Liu Shuai invited everyone to take their seats. The dining table was large and had an automatic rotating tray. Since they were all classmates, there was no need to be so particular about who sat in the place of honor or the subordinate seats. Those who were close sat together. Everyone ate and talked, making it very lively.

Fang Qingye said he had driven and had to drive back to his hometown in the afternoon to start work the next morning, so he couldn't drink alcohol; a little beverage would suffice. No one pressed him.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and a man and a woman hurried in.

"Sorry, we're late," the very delicate-looking young man apologized hurriedly.

"Li Ye? What happened? You live at the school, yet you're still late?" someone asked.

"Exactly, three cups of penalty wine!" someone immediately chimed in.

"I accept the penalty, I accept the penalty."

Someone nearby brought over two chairs, and the waiter brought two sets of tableware. The two sat down.

Fang Qingye recognized them too.

This young man named Li Ye and the girl following him were a couple, both admitted to graduate school at this university.

The girl was named Zhang Dongwen, from Shandong Province, somewhat introverted and not talkative. Li Ye was from Zhejiang Province and was usually quite lively.

After drinking a few cups of wine, Li Ye said to everyone, "I can't drink much today because Dongwen and I have to catch a flight to Sichuan Province in a while."

"What are you going to Sichuan Province for?" Liu Shuai asked curiously.

"Volunteer teaching," Li Ye said.

"Ah? Volunteer teaching? Aren't you graduate students?"

"Exactly, why did you suddenly think of doing volunteer teaching?" everyone immediately asked in a cacophony of voices.

"I heard from classmates a while back that you guys were going to Chuanshengzhi Sect, and I thought it was just a joke — I didn't expect it to be real?" Liu Shuai finally said, "Yeah, why?"

"Didn't a major earthquake hit Chuansheng this year? During summer break, Dongwen and I went to Chuansheng as volunteers. You probably don't know since you weren't on-site — the devastation, sigh..."

Li Ye let out a sigh, then went on, "Actually, we couldn't be much help when we got there. Later we heard that basic education in the Chuanxi area was terrible, and they were short on teachers. Dongwen and I discussed it and decided to teach there for a year. We talked it over with our advisor, and he was very supportive of our idea. A few days ago we handled the suspension-of-studies paperwork."

"Where exactly are you going?"

"Mount Daliang."