Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 275 Who's Watching?

Lin Qingping, carrying the insulated container, smiled slightly and said, "Then I wish you all the best."

Chen Xia was surprised by her reaction. "Lin Qingping, aren't you angry?"

"I sincerely wish you all the best. Go on upstairs, goodbye." Lin Qingping turned around, picked up the thermos, and left.

She was sincere. Chen Xia might not understand, but she genuinely wanted Gu Juncheng to be happy.

Didn't you agree?

Her initial motivation for being reborn was to repay a debt of gratitude. So, she really only wanted Gu Juncheng to live a peaceful and smooth life. Whether or not she was in his life was no longer important.

Since then, Lin Qingping has never been to the hospital building again, but she will appear on time during visiting hours to hand over the meals to Chen Xia.

Later, she even stopped going to the hospital because the department organized a research trip for their grade, which would take about two months.

During her last visit to the hospital, she told Chen Xia about the incident and paid Chen Xia her previous wages, saying, "From now on, Sister Zhao from my shop will deliver the food to you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xia waved the money in her hand, beaming with pride, "That's not necessary. For the sake of this money, I'll cook for him myself and deliver the dishes from now on. After all, I'm his future wife."

Lin Qingping listened to these words and simply smiled, "That's even better."

Chen Xia smiled and said, "Yes, by the time you come back, he should have been discharged from the hospital. We'll let you know when we have good news, and remember to come and congratulate us!"

"Okay." Since we've agreed to give our blessings, then it's a genuine blessing.

Seeing her like this, Chen Xia seemed to lose interest, as if he had punched a cotton ball, which was quite boring. He said, "Then I'm leaving," and turned to go upstairs.

Lin Qingping also turned around and went home.

Back home, she received a letter from Gu Youlian, which detailed Du Gen's injuries. Although serious, the surgery was successful and he was currently recovering. She also asked about Gu Juncheng and how everything was at home.

Lin Qingping wrote a reply, giving a general account of Gu Juncheng's situation, mentioning only the positive aspects. As for Gu Juncheng and Chen Xia, she was too lazy to write about them in the letter; anyway, Gu Youlian would know when she returned.

However, if she goes out to do research and gather information, the shop and home will all be taken care of by Sister Zhao.

She even discussed with Sister Zhao whether they should close the shop for two months.

Sister Zhao did not agree.

Sister Zhao has been working with her for two years and also really enjoys this business. "The store is currently hiring, so I can manage. I can drop the two kids off at school in the morning and then come to the store. I can pick them up again in the evening for dinner and then take them home early. You don't need to worry, just go ahead."

Lin Qingping thought to herself that her journey wouldn't end here. After graduation, she wouldn't stay in the shop near the school forever; she might try something else. Although she hadn't decided what yet, it was definitely going to be something. When she came back this time, she would see what Gu Youlian thought, and then hand the shop over to Gu Youlian and Sister Zhao. She was thinking about what to do after graduation.

With these thoughts in mind, she embarked on her research trip.

The province we went to, Shanxi, wasn't far from the capital.

As the birthplace of Chinese civilization, Shanxi Province has a long history and a profound culture, especially its architecture, which Lin Qingping loved when he visited the province decades later.

The large research team included not only Chinese language and literature majors, but also architecture, art, and other majors. People from different majors exchanged ideas and interacted from different perspectives while gaining a deeper understanding of history and culture, which was very interesting. Historical and cultural knowledge was like rain and dew, gradually nourishing Lin Qingping and giving her new vitality.

This time, they conducted in-depth research, staying directly in local people's homes and spending about ten days in each place to gain a comprehensive understanding of the local culture, customs, architectural features, and so on.

She and Zhong Xiaoxiao were assigned to the same household and lived on a kang (a heated brick bed).

It was Lin Qingping's first time sleeping on a kang (a heated brick bed), and she found it very novel. Moreover, she had to sleep head-to-head with Zhong Xiaoxiao.

Although Zhong Xiaoxiao and I are roommates, in the dormitory, once the curtains are drawn, we each have our own little world and personal space. Living like this would completely eliminate privacy.

Lin Qingping didn't care. In her previous life, she had experienced all kinds of hardships in her entrepreneurial endeavors. She had even slept on train seats.

Zhong Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was very embarrassed to go to sleep at night. She always held a book and would only go to sleep after Lin Qingping had fallen asleep.

Although Lin Qingping didn't know why, she didn't want to pry into other people's privacy, so she pretended not to notice. She just went to bed earlier every day so that Zhong Xiaoxiao wouldn't stay up too late.

Lin Qingping devoted herself to research and discovery, and gradually made new friends from other professions, making her days more and more fulfilling.

A month later, after they finished their research in the third location, the entire research team was given a temporary break, and were allowed to return to school or go home for three days.

Since not everyone chooses to take a vacation, students who need a vacation buy their own train tickets to go home. Lin Qingping and Zhong Xiaoxiao both went home; Lin Qingping went home, while Zhong Xiaoxiao went back to school.

The two boarded the train together and sat side by side. Unexpectedly, two art students who were also conducting research with them happened to be sitting opposite them.

Now they had something to talk about, and they chatted all the way to the Capital Station.

Since the two girls from the art department were a boy and a girl, the boy helped the three girls get hot water and also helped them unload their luggage when they got off the bus.

After getting off the bus, the boy hailed another car, and the four of them ended up sharing the ride back.

It's been more than nine hours on the train; I boarded in the morning, and it's already evening now.

Zhong Xiaoxiao seemed very uneasy the whole way. After arriving at the school, the boy helped her and another girl take their luggage down, then got on the bus and said goodbye to them. He didn't mention the carpooling fee at all, and Zhong Xiaoxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only the boy and Lin Qingping remained on the bus.

At this point, Lin Qingping already knew that the boy's name was He Xin. She had seen him a month ago, but they weren't close because they were in different research groups.

With two fewer people, there was less talking. He Xin sat in the front, and Lin Qingping sat in the back. The scenery along the way was familiar to Lin Qingping.

It's very close to her home from school; the car will arrive in no time.

When she got out of the car, He Xin got out before her, opened the car door for her, and then took out her luggage.

"Thank you, He Tongxue," Lin Qingping said, standing at her front door.

"You're welcome." He Xin handed her the luggage.

Just as Lin Qingping was about to turn around and go inside, He Xin called out to her again, "Lin Qingping?"

Lin Qingping turned around and smiled, "Is there anything else, He Tongxue?"

He Xin hesitated for a moment, then took a painting out of his sketchbook. "This is for you."

Lin Qingping took it and saw that it was a sketch of her, or more precisely, a scene of her chatting with an elderly local man.

The woman in the painting is taking notes, her expression is very serious, and the painting is very lifelike; it's definitely her.

The painting was signed with He Xin's name and the date of the painting.

Lin Qingping smiled and said, "Thank you."

"I'm leaving now, bye-bye." He Xin waved to her and got back into the car.

Lin Qingping waved to him and then opened the gate to her courtyard.

The lights were on at home. Was Zhiyuan still awake?

As she carried her luggage and prepared to go inside, she had a vague feeling that in the darkness, it was as if a pair of eyes were watching her.