bayedsolid Chapter 200 The Arrangement That Was Unavoidable
Chapter 200 The Arrangement That Was Unavoidable
Zhou Yanruo couldn't help but start sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
Vice Principal Chang gently held Zhou Yanruo's hand and whispered, "Yanruo, take good care of Grandma. If anything happens, remember to come to the school to find me."
Zhou Yanruo sobbed, unable to speak, but nodded vigorously.
At this moment, Zhang Ling and another male leader also came forward to express their condolences to Zhou Xidi, and then left with Vice Principal Chang.
Only Yan Shao and Professor Zhou's student Sui Yang remained in the hall.
Yan Shao turned to Zhou Yanruo and said, "Yanruo, help Grandma sit down."
Zhou Xidi walked to the table and slowly sat down. Her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and she looked completely exhausted.
Sui Yang walked to Zhou Xidi's side, bent down, and said in a sincere tone, "Grandma, I am Sui Yang, Professor Zhou's student. I have been to our house before, but you may not remember. We are all very saddened by what happened to our teacher, and we have not been able to help much. If there is anything you need me to do in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will do my best."
Zhou Xidi forced a smile and nodded slightly, but she clearly had no strength left to say anything more.
Seeing this, Zhou Yanruo peeled a piece of candy and handed it to her grandmother, saying, "Grandma, have a piece of candy. You don't look well; you might be having another episode of low blood sugar."
Grandma took the candy and put it back on the table, saying, "It's alright."
Yan Shao asked, "Grandma, is there something you want to tell us?"
Zhou Xidi's expression turned serious. She parted her lips and slowly said, "I have something I'd like to ask for your help with."
Sui Yang was worried about not being able to do anything for his mentor, and before Zhou Xidi could finish speaking, he immediately said, "Grandma, just tell us, we will do our best."
Zhou Xidi glanced at Zhou Yanruo standing beside her and said slowly, "It's about Ruoruo. I'd like to ask you to help me find out if Ruoruo can study abroad."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanruo was startled. She quickly wiped away her tears and said anxiously, "Grandma, I'm not going. I want to stay with you."
Yan Shao quickly chimed in, "Yes, Grandma, if Yan Ruo goes abroad, you'll be all alone. It's better to let her stay by your side."
Zhou Xidi said with a serious expression, "Ruoruo's father and mother have always hoped that she could study hard and go to university. Ruoruo herself doesn't like it, and we have always let her have her way. But this time is different. I made the decision for them and we must send her to study abroad. Firstly, to fulfill her father and mother's wishes, and secondly, to get her away from this environment and not be affected by this incident. I hope she can leave here and start anew."
Zhou Yanruo didn't know what to do but cry. What else could she say? Her grandmother was doing all this for her own good.
Seeing this, Sui Yang hesitated, wondering whether he should help.
Yan Shao whispered to Sui Yang, "I have acquaintances in the North American alumni associations of Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Should we contact them and see?"
Sui Yang responded, "I have classmates over there, and we're very close. I can try to contact them."
Zhou Xidi chimed in, "I've inquired about it. We can apply for a trainee status first, and then take the school entrance exam after we pass the language test. We need a guarantor for the application, but I don't know anyone in that field, so I'd like to ask you two to help me make a contact. I also have 100,000 yuan here, which I'm keeping for Ruoruo to use for studying abroad. Just let me know how much you need."
Yan Shao and Sui Yang waved their hands at the same time, comforting Zhou Xidi, "Grandma, don't worry, we don't need any money right now. Let's go and make the contact first."
The group discussed the follow-up matters for a while, after which Yan Shao and Sui Yang took their leave. They agreed to prepare separately and strive to achieve their goals as soon as possible.
After seeing Yan Shao and Sui Yang off, it was already quite late.
Zhou Xidi cooked plain noodles and sat down at the table with Zhou Yanruo. "Eat up, you must be hungry after not eating all day."
Zhou Yanruo stared blankly at the bowl of noodles in front of her, still feeling a sense of unreality.
Zhou Xidi didn't urge Zhou Yanruo to eat, but instead finished her small bowl of noodles by herself. She put the bowl in the sink, then walked over and sat back down in front of Zhou Yanruo, saying earnestly, "Ruoruo, I'm sorry, I made this decision without discussing it with you. You may not understand it now, but when you grow up a bit and gain more experience in society, you'll understand why I insisted on doing this."
Zhou Yanruo looked up at her grandmother, her expression dejected, and murmured to herself, "Grandma, I don't understand, but I believe that what you did must be right. I just feel wronged. Why do we have to give everything to compensate those people when Mom and Dad are gone?"
“For peace of mind, whether for the living or the departed. Isn’t that reason enough?” Grandma gazed firmly into the distance, paused for a few seconds, then looked away and said gently to Zhou Yanruo, “Ruoruo, sending you away to study is actually a little selfish of Grandma’s. Your father and mother’s greatest wish was to see you study hard and receive higher education. Now that they are gone, I want to help them fulfill that wish, but this will make things difficult for you.”
After saying these words, Zhou Xidi finally couldn't hold back and covered her face to weep. When she raised her head again, her face was already covered in tears.
Seeing her grandmother so heartbroken, Zhou Yanruo's initial grievances were instantly replaced by heartache for her. She sobbed, "Grandma, I'll do as you say. I'll go to school and I'll definitely work hard to get into university."
......
In early spring, Zhou Yanruo, filled with reluctance to part with her grandmother and uncertainty about the future, went to study on the other side of the ocean.
During her studies, she only returned home twice. The first time was in 2003, when her grandmother unfortunately contracted SARS but kept it a secret from her. By the time she received a call from Grandpa Su and rushed back, her grandmother had already passed away. Grandpa Su told her many things later. Since her grandmother moved out of the old house she had lived in her entire life, she had been renting Grandpa Su's house for years. Initially, Grandpa Su insisted on not charging rent, but Grandma was adamant. Grandpa Su was helpless, worried that if he didn't charge rent, Grandma wouldn't move in.
Grandma's pension was meager to begin with, and after deducting rent, there was hardly anything left. She had been living a frugal life for the past few years, but she never mentioned this in her letters to Zhou Yanruo.
The second time she returned, she received a notice from Tsinghua and Peking Universities saying that the expert building allocated to her parents years ago was to be renovated, and since it had been vacant for many years, they hoped to return it. Zhou Yanruo didn't hesitate much and readily agreed. For her, home was where her family was; if her loved ones were gone, a house was just a house, and it didn't matter whether she had it or not.
Actually, my parents' belongings had already been cleared out when they passed away. There's nothing particularly special about coming back this time; let's just consider it a final farewell.
Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. This return to the capital was completely unexpected, and only this time did Zhou Yanruo have the thought that she didn't want to leave again.