Chapter 653: Alma Mater, Meeting Again, Just Like Before

"If it's tasty, eat more; the old man has plenty."

The old man said with a hearty laugh, then whispered to An Yinan, "I'm not bragging to you, girl, but in this village, on this street, there isn't a soul who doesn't know this shop, and there isn't a soul who hasn't eaten my braised meat and dishes."

As the old man spoke, he looked extremely proud.

The old woman and Mother Liu exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads helplessly—this old fellow!

An Yinan nodded, "That's for sure, the craftsmanship of you and the old woman is truly excellent."

"The very first day you opened, I knew your shop would be a massive success!"

One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it.

The old man nodded as if it were a serious matter, "You have a good eye."

The old and the young smiled at each other.

Leaving the old couple's place, she left the children there; she needed to make a trip to Beijing University to find Zhang Cheng and Li Zai.

Besides, carrying two children into the school was truly a bit conspicuous.

Especially since it wasn't holiday time, and there were far more students at the university than in their day.

"Hello, I'm looking for Professor Zhang from the Department of Economics," An Yinan said to the old man guarding the gate.

The old man's eyesight wasn't great; he leaned in closer, widened his eyes, and then smiled, pointing at her, "I recognize you."

"An Yinan, right? Are you Student An?"

An Yinan was somewhat surprised; after all, she had been gone for a long time, and she hadn't expected this old man to still recognize her.

"Yes, I am An Yinan."

An Yinan nodded, acknowledging it.

"You are the pride of our Beijing University; many students now come here specifically because of your reputation," the old man said with a chuckle as he opened the gate.

Even if others didn't know, who in Beijing University could fail to recognize the Four Golden Flowers?

The four of them had opened a clothing store just after enrolling, and now their shops had spread all over Huaxia; they were proud!

"No, no, Beijing University itself is already the brand," An Yinan hurriedly waved her hands.

Beijing University was the top institution of higher learning in Huaxia; how could she possibly be riding on its coattails?

The old man waved his hand, "Recognizing you is one thing, but you still have to register!"

An Yinan laughed out loud and hurriedly picked up the pen to register in the logbook.

This was her first time registering to enter Beijing University; before, she had entered as a student, but now she was an outsider coming into the school.

In the end, her status was different now.

"Go on in," the old man said with a chuckle, pointing inside the school after seeing An Yinan finish writing.

An Yinan bowed to the old man to show her respect, then walked into the familiar university.

She looked this way, then looked that way.

In the past, she was busy with the company, busy with the clothing store, and busy with tasks arranged by the state every day; the time she could spend at school was few and far between.

Now, looking at the familiar places and thinking of the familiar people and events, she felt an even deeper sense of nostalgia.

"An Yinan." A familiar voice rang out.

She turned her head to look; sure enough, an acquaintance.

"Teacher Liu."

Seeing the person who had turned around, Liu Jianguo pointed at her and nodded, "I saw your back and thought it was you, but I didn't expect it really was."

"I saw Zhang Cheng a few days ago, and I guessed you would definitely come back."

"I didn't expect to actually see you."

An Yinan smiled, then tilted her head, "Theoretically speaking, we were the first batch; how about it, do you still miss those days?"

They had been gone for a year; Teacher Liu must have taken on new students.

"I do," Liu Jianguo nodded affirmatively.

He tilted his head to look at An Yinan, then shook his head and smiled.

"Hey, Teacher Liu, that smile of yours is a bit much," An Yinan said, unable to help but laugh herself.

"What else can I do? I can't exactly cry, can I?"

"If I had known the situation back then, I..."

"I probably would still have made that bet with you, because that bet allowed me to witness many miracles."

When Liu Jianguo said this, he was full of nostalgia.

Those days were chaotic, and every time she disappeared for ten days, half a month, or even a month or two, it was a common occurrence.

Every time a leave request came, it wasn't brought by her, but by the Principal.

It was the first time he had heard of reverse-signing a leave request, yet she had managed to do it.

The Principal would sign first, the Tutor second, and the student on leave would just fill in the paperwork whenever she returned, with whatever reason she chose to write.

Although this special case applied only to her, wasn't that all the more unforgettable?

"I always made you worry about me," An Yinan looked at everything familiar in front of her; she understood, but there were many things she had to do.

If she hadn't done them, she wouldn't be who she was today.

And she had never regretted her decisions, never once.

"What of it?"

Liu Jianguo's laughter was hearty; he wasn't actually that old, not much older than that group of students.

"At the very least, I witnessed miracles, witnessed your development, and saw your individual achievements."

"Thinking that I walked a stretch of the road with you during your university years and saw a bit of the scenery—that is also a point of pride for me."

Hearing his words, An Yinan was not surprised at all.

She was truly fortunate that her Tutor was Liu Jianguo.

He gave her the maximum amount of freedom, gave her space for development, without restrictions, without suspicion, without harsh criticism, and without discouragement.

"You are a truly wonderful teacher," An Yinan concluded at last.

Liu Jianguo stopped solemnly, then looked at An Yinan as she turned back, "You are a very excellent student, but I think I will have many excellent students in the future."

An Yinan blinked, digesting the meaning of his words, then shrugged her shoulders, "Of course."

Among the throngs of students, since they could be admitted to Beijing University, which one of them was not excellent?

The future of Huaxia belongs to us, but... it belongs even more to them.

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of knocking on the door rang out.

"Coming, coming. At this hour, who has come to the house?" Professor Zhang put down the newspaper in his hand, then opened the door and saw a person with a face as radiant as a flower.

She was wearing a floral dress with her hair tied in a bun on top of her head; there was no special occasion, and she wore no makeup. If one did not know her, they would certainly think she was a gentle and graceful young woman.

However...

"Why have you come?" Professor Zhang looked at the person outside and said with a huff.

An Yinan raised an eyebrow, walked into the house, and then closed the door herself.

She looked at the living room, where everything was still arranged as it had been before, without any changes.

"I thought you might have questions to ask me, so haven't I come over?"

An Yinan set her backpack aside, then took charge as if she were the host, sitting down on the sofa without waiting to be invited, and subsequently poured herself a cup of tea.

Mmm!

This tea is fragrant!

Professor Zhang looked at her, seeing how she didn't treat herself as an outsider, and the expression he had just been holding back could no longer be contained at all.