The Internet was indeed a great thing.
In the past, they could only listen to what the teacher had to teach. But things were different now. Qin Guanglin had downloaded video lessons of various famous professors from the Internet and saved them on his computer. These were not confined only to art videos, but other videos about sociology and archaeology, too.
If he continued his studies, he would no doubt be able to listen to these academic big shots’ lectures, too. But he would waste too much time if he attended courses purely out of interest. The situation right now was the best. It was a pleasure to revere their glory in his free time.
Broadening his knowledge and deepening his understanding of his areas of interest was a source of joy for Qin Guanglin. He often had sudden flashes of insight whenever he watched their lecture videos.
Anyone considered outstanding in his field usually had a different way of thinking than ordinary people. Learning these ways of thinking was the best way to broaden one’s horizons. Of course, at the same time, he would get a higher level of understanding.
After briefly watching one of the big shots explaining western culture, Qin Guanglin looked up theses on the differences between western and oriental outlooks on love. He did not quite understand and fell asleep thinking about it.
On 20th May, there was a small drizzle.
Qin Guanglin got up from his bed and sighed quietly next to the window. He definitely could not ask He Fang out in this terrible weather. How irritating.
He went back to his bed and grabbed his cell phone. As usual, He Fang had greeted him good morning long ago. He replied to her and thought for a bit before tidying his appearance. He was planning to go out for a walk.
When he left his room, Mother Qin was sitting in the living room and reading the newspapers. She greeted him when she saw him. “There’s porridge in the pot.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mother Qin looked down and continued reading the newspapers. After a moment, she recalled something. “There’s a plate of pickled vegetables in the fridge. It tastes quite good. Did He Fang make it?”
At one glance, it was obvious that it was not bought from elsewhere. It was homemade using radish.
“I guess.” Qin Guanglin recalled He Fang saying that she wanted to make pickled vegetables. It was probably that plate of vegetables.
“Ask her to come here again another day and teach me how to make it. It goes quite well with rice.”
“Sure.” Qin Guanglin scooped a bowl of porridge for himself and came out. Then, he said, “Don’t tell her what I told you yesterday.”
“Your mother’s not dumb.”
Mother Qin was unconcerned and did not think much of it. It was way too early. They had not dated for long, and he was already thinking about marriage. This foolish chap was still too young.
Then again, it would be quite good if they really got married. Young people these days have been pampered and spoiled since childhood. Even He Fang was much better than normal people… At this, Mother Qin instinctively smiled and asked, “How are you planning to marry her?”
“Just… Just… Just like that.” Qin Guanglin stuttered twice but still did not answer her question.
“Which means what?”
“Uh… After we date for a long time, we’ll naturally get married.”
Mother Qin snorted. “It’s more likely that you’ll end up breaking up after dating for a long time.”
“Pooh, pooh, pooh. How can that be?” Qin Guanglin felt that his mother was deliberately making things difficult for him.
“Why’s that impossible?” Mother Qin put down the newspaper and turned around, intending to argue with him for a bit. “Look. He Fang is still in school right now. She’s going to graduate soon.
When she leaves school and starts working, she will meet more people, and she will definitely have higher standards. Society is different from school. There are plenty of outstanding people everywhere. Tch, tch…”
The more Qin Guanglin listened, the more displeased he was. But it made sense when he thought about it carefully. He could no longer stomach the porridge remaining in his bowl and put the bowl on the table. “What should I do then?”
“What does she like about you?” Mother Qin turned into a relationship counselor and helped him analyze.
“I don’t know either.”
“Then you’re done for.” Mother Qin shook her head. “Maybe one day you’ll end up breaking up without knowing why.”
“Don’t jinx me all the time.”
Qin Guanglin thought for a bit. “She wants to be a teacher. There are only a certain number of teachers in a school. They probably won’t be outstanding, right?”
“She wants to be a teacher?” Mother Qin looked upon this occupation very favorably. “Then you must hold on to her. It’s really difficult to find such a good girl.”
“You have to help me. I don’t know what to do at all. I’m too passive.” Qin Guanglin felt a little anxious after hearing Mother Qin’s words earlier. He felt uneasy.
“Let me think.”
While watching Mother Qin think, Qin Guanglin lifted the bowl and poured the porridge into his mouth. He cleared the table and sat opposite her, waiting for her pointers.
“Do you know her friends? Or does she know your friends?” Mother Qin asked.
Qin Guanglin shook his head. “No.”
“That won’t do. Your social circles must intersect. Only then can your relationship progress.”
“That makes sense.”
“Do you have shared interests?” Mother Qin asked again.
“Reading.”
“That won’t do. You have too few shared interests.” Mother Qin, the relationship counselor, gave a constructive opinion. “The more shared interests you have, the better it will be. It’s best you share the same interests, so you could do things together.”
Qin Guanglin slapped his thigh. “You’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re silly,” Mother Qin said disdainfully.
“What else? Teach me more.”
“I have to mull over this slowly. I’ll tell you when I think of something.”
Qin Guanglin sat for a long time. He knew that he could not rush such matters. He looked for an umbrella, intending to go out.
“Think about it. I’m going out for a walk.” He said to Mother Qin, “I won’t be coming back for lunch.”
“Where’re you going?”
“I’m going to walk along the Luo River.”
Since he had nothing to do, he might as well walk along the riverside and collect some material. Luo River was very important to Luo City. Drawings of the scenery at Luo River were never short of demand. Of course, only if they were drawn well.
Whether he was dating or getting married, money was something he needed.
He went out holding the umbrella. The streets outside were slightly wet. There weren’t many people on the streets, and all of them were in a hurry. Fatso was squatting at the entrance of Old Pan’s convenience store and playing around with charcoal. When he saw Qin Guanglin, he shouted loudly, “Brother Lin! I’m entering a contest using my charcoal drawings tomorrow!”
“Sure. Bring back a prize,” Qin Guanglin responded.
What prize did they give in primary school? A pencil case? Erasers?
Fatso was full of confidence. “I’ll definitely get a prize. And when I do, I’ll give it to you!”
“Keep it for yourself.”
Qin Guanglin politely declined his good intentions and strolled in the direction of the bus stop. He was still thinking about Mother Qin’s words about what would happen after graduation. It seemed as if campus romances were quite fragile?
The proper thing to do was to improve himself.
The dense and thin droplets created gentle sounds upon hitting the umbrella. The cars that drove by him did not create water splashes. But the tires still sent some mud droplets flying, so he tried his best to walk along the opposite edge of the path.
Quite a few people were squeezing under the shelter of the bus stop as they waited. Maybe some of them were purely there to hide from the rain. Many of them were not holding umbrellas.
Qin Guanglin did not take up the brief space that was left under the shelter. He held his umbrella and stood beside the bus stop. He quietly watched the buses drive here and stop briefly for the passengers to get on before driving off.
The buses were like massive steel-skinned monsters that ate up a few people at each stop. Qin Guanglin suddenly thought of buying a car – it would make things much more convenient, and He Fang would not need to jostle around in the bus.
He knew that He Fang disliked having any physical contact with people. Whenever they were outside, whether passing things to people or footing the bill, she would always put the money on the table or the counter. She seldom gave it directly to people using her hands.
After thinking about his savings, Qin Guanglin felt that this was viable. If it would not affect his quality of life, he could buy an average car earliest next year, given his current income. Anyway, he had already gotten his license during his university days.