NCCnovel Chapter 290 Relocation to Beijing
Chapter 290 Relocation to Beijing
On a clear morning in early August, cicadas were chirping merrily in the trees of the Yuan family courtyard.
Yuan Bao had just finished hanging up the clothes for his grandmother when he heard a sudden screech of brakes outside the gate.
"Excuse me, is this Yuan Bao's home?" A middle-aged man in a sharp suit stood at the door, followed by two young men carrying briefcases.
Hearing the sound, Mr. Yuan came out of the house and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"Hello! I'm Director Li from the Tsinghua University Admissions Office." The middle-aged man warmly extended his hand. "I've come specifically to visit Yuan Bao and Bao Guo."
Before Mr. Yuan could react, another black sedan pulled up in front of the door.
This time, it was the teachers from Fudan University's admissions team who came down, carrying a large bouquet of flowers.
In less than half an hour, the Yuan family courtyard was already packed with admissions officers from various prestigious universities.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University... even Lingnan University, which is far in the south, sent special personnel over.
Everyone had a friendly smile on their face and held thick admission brochures and generous scholarship offers in their hands.
"Yuan Bao, Tsinghua University is willing to offer you a full scholarship, plus an annual living allowance of 20,000 yuan..."
"Fujian University can provide you and your siblings with excellent dormitories, as well as opportunities for international exchange..."
"Our Zhejiang University's medical school is among the top in the country..."
Yuan Bao and Bao Guo were surrounded, their ears filled with the generous offers from various schools.
Grandpa sat in the main seat of the hall, grinning from ear to ear. This scene was even more glorious than when he was a soldier and made a meritorious contribution.
“Dear teachers,” Yuan Bao finally stood up and said politely, “thank you very much for your kindness. However, my brother and I have decided to go to Peking University.”
The yard suddenly became quiet.
Director Li from Tsinghua University pressed on, unwilling to give up: "Is it because of the guaranteed admission agreement? That can be renegotiated! With your grades, you can choose any major..."
“No,” Baoguo explained with a smile, “we’d already decided to go to Peking University.”
The admissions officers looked at each other in bewilderment.
In the end, it was the Fudan University professor who sighed first: "Alright, we respect your choice. However..."
He suddenly pulled two elegant boxes from his briefcase. "These are souvenirs from our school; please accept them."
Seeing this, teachers from other schools also took out the gifts they had prepared.
Before long, the Yuan family's octagonal table was piled high with souvenirs from various schools—gold-embossed notebooks, exquisite school badges, limited-edition fountain pens...
After the last admissions officer left, Yuan's mother looked at the table full of gifts and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "This is more lively than Chinese New Year!"
That evening, the Yuan family held a family meeting to discuss the siblings' choice of majors.
"The guaranteed admission spots were only limited to the mathematics department," Grandpa said, puffing on his pipe. "Now you can choose freely. What are your thoughts?"
Bao Guo scratched his head: "I'm good at math, but I don't want to spend my whole life studying theory..." He looked to Yuan Bao for help, "Little sister, do you have any suggestions?"
Yuan Bao's eyes lit up.
She had been waiting for this opportunity: "Brother, have you heard of e-commerce?"
"E-commerce?" The whole family looked puzzled.
"It's about using electronic technology to conduct business," Yuan Bao explained, trying to use simple language, "like using computers to process orders and conducting transactions online..."
Bao Guo's eyes lit up: "This is great! It uses math and is also practical!" He turned to Yuan's father, "Dad, I think this major is perfect for me."
Although Mr. Yuan didn't quite understand these new terms, seeing how interested his son was, he nodded in agreement.
"And what about you?" Yuan's mother asked Yuan Bao with concern.
"I want to study medicine," Yuan Bao said firmly, "specifically, I want to focus on research in traditional Chinese medicine."
This decision surprised the whole family.
Only Grandpa nodded thoughtfully: "Bao'er has a talent for this; it's good for her to learn it!"
What Yuan Bao didn't say was that she chose medicine not only because of the talent for traditional Chinese medicine and pharmaceutical manufacturing suggested by the system, but also because she knew the importance of the future pharmaceutical industry.
With the system's support, she might be able to achieve extraordinary success in this field.
After deciding on their majors, Yuan Bao and Bao Guo formally submitted their applications to Peking University.
The school took it very seriously, approved it quickly, and sent it along with the admission notice.
Inside the gold-embossed envelope, besides the official admission documents, there was a congratulatory letter written by the principal, as well as a generous scholarship agreement.
After deciding on their major, Yuan Bao's family accelerated their plan to move to Beijing.
That morning, the Yuan family courtyard was bustling with activity.
A moving list was spread out on the stone table under the tree, and Yuan Bao was marking it up with a red pen.
"Grandma, you really don't need to bring those pickle jars anymore," Yuan Bao advised helplessly. "You can buy anything in Beijing."
Grandma hugged her most beloved blue-and-white porcelain jar, stubbornly shaking her head: "Nothing bought outside tastes as good as homemade pickles! This jar has been with me for thirty years, I have to keep it!"
Mr. Yuan and Baoguo were packing books in the side room.
Baoguo picked up a yellowed copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," the first extracurricular book his grandfather had given him. "Dad, should we take all these books with us?"
"Bring them, bring them all." Mr. Yuan wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your grandfather said a family without books is like a person without a soul."
My aunt's room was the simplest. Besides a few changes of clothes, she only brought her sewing machine that she had used for more than ten years and a box of fabric.
“These are all my treasures,” Auntie said, stroking the smooth surface of the sewing machine. “When we get to Beijing, I’m counting on them to open a tailor shop.”
Yuan's mother was in the kitchen checking the dried goods she needed to bring: homemade dried mushrooms, her grandmother's special chili sauce, and a small jar of treasured wild honey.
"Honey, are you sure Manager Li will come to look after the house regularly? My orchids need someone to water them."
“Mom, don’t worry,” Yuan Bao replied while folding clothes, “Manager Li promised to send someone to clean every week and will also help us collect the mail.”
On August 8th, the whole family gathered in the main room for their last family meeting.
Mr. Yuan said solemnly, "The truck will come to pick up the large items tomorrow, and our first group will set off the day after tomorrow."
Our family, including my maternal grandparents and aunt, will settle in first. His uncle's family will come at the end of the month, and his aunt's family will move in before the children start school.
My uncle nodded: "I need a little more time for the handover of my work, but I'll definitely be there by early September."
The uncle patted his chest and assured him, "I've already spoken to my work unit; I'll be leaving at the end of this month. As for Xiaoshan's school transfer, I'll need Bao'er to talk to Boss Chen again."
Yuan Bao wrote down everyone's itinerary in a small notebook and checked the train ticket times again.
Although the courtyard house in Beijing had been prepared long ago, this move was still an important step in the family's life.
In the stillness of the night, Yuan Bao stood alone in the courtyard, gazing at the home he had only recently settled in.
The blue bricks and gray tiles looked especially gentle under the moonlight, and the rose she planted when she was a child was swaying gently in the night breeze in the corner of the wall.
"Reluctant to part with it?" Aunt Yuan appeared behind her without her noticing.
Yuan Bao leaned gently on her mother's shoulder: "A little. But mostly I'm looking forward to it."
She looked up at the starry sky and said, "Mom, our new life in Beijing is sure to be even more wonderful!"
Yuan's mother smiled and put her arm around her daughter's shoulder: "No matter what, as long as our family is together, these are the best days."
Two days later, in the early morning, three trucks stopped in front of the Yuan family's house.
The workers carefully carried the few pieces of furniture and large luggage.
Neighbors came to see them off, and Aunt Wang even cooked a pot of tea eggs for them to eat on their journey.
Remember to write when you arrive!
"You must come back to visit during the Chinese New Year!"
Take care of yourself!
Amidst the blessings of the crowd, the first group of Yuan Baojia members to relocate boarded a van bound for the train station.