lcionline Chapter 1862 Sense of Belonging
Chapter 1862 Sense of Belonging
Seeing Ye Buping's almost instinctive action of hiding the gift, Li Xiangnan felt a pang of sadness in his heart, as if something had tugged at him hard.
He quickly pushed through the crowd and strode forward, his face filled with genuine surprise and respect, his voice clear and melodious.
"Teacher Ye, what brings you here? Please come in and have a seat!"
Before Ye Buping could react, Li Xiangnan eagerly grabbed his arm. The embarrassment in his heart was relieved a little by the enthusiasm, but he still felt a little uncomfortable and stiff.
He was almost passively pulled by Li Xiangnan into the courtyard, which was too lively and out of place for him.
The net bag containing two cans of food in his hand now seemed incredibly heavy, and he mechanically, with a shameless grin, handed it to Li Xiangnan.
"Xiao Li, Xiao Qin, congratulations...congratulations to you both!"
Ye Buping's voice was soft, carrying the slight helplessness and restraint characteristic of intellectuals, "I don't know what to buy... It's just a small token of my appreciation, please... don't mind it!"
His words were halting, his eyes flickered, and he dared not look Li Xiangnan in the eye for too long, nor did he dare to meet the curious gazes of the students around him.
Those two jars of fruit, yellow peaches, still had brand-new labels, and the fruit was crystal clear. In an era when resources were scarce, they were considered a very good gift for an ordinary family.
Ye Buping, as if burning his hand, shoved the gift into Li Xiangnan's arms. Compared to the pile of heartfelt gifts from his classmates on the table, the gift seemed so meager and glaring.
Li Xiangnan held the net tightly with both hands, and could still feel the slight tremor in his fingertips when Ye Buping let go.
He showed no hesitation or disdain; on the contrary, he seemed to have taken on a tremendous burden, his expression extremely solemn.
“Teacher Ye,” his voice was filled with undeniable sincerity, “Ruobai and I are so happy that you could come. Really, this is more important than anything else. Why bring any gifts… You’ve really gone to so much trouble!”
Li Xiangnan stared intently at Ye Buping's thin, weary face, his mind perfectly clear.
He had heard from his senior brother Zhisheng that Ye Buping had previously been very supportive of students working part-time at his massage parlor. In addition to his busy studies, he himself often went to the massage parlor to help out, especially this semester, after Ye became a full-time teacher and had a lot more time, so he went even more frequently.
This senior student, who came from a remote rural area, was admitted to Yenching University through his hard work, effort, and talent. While serving as their counselor, he stayed on to teach at the university with outstanding grades.
Ye Buping is a diligent student, hardworking and conscientious, honest and sincere, and makes people feel very comfortable in his interactions with others.
Li Xiangnan knew Ye Buping's character well, and he knew his family even better. He had heard Principal Yan say that Ye Buping's parents were in poor health and that he had several younger siblings who relied on his meager monthly salary and subsidies for support.
As soon as he receives his meager monthly salary, the vast majority of it is immediately sent back to his distant home, the family that needs his support.
He stayed in Yenching, thanks to the fact that the school provided free room and board, which saved him a lot of expenses.
His meager savings were often used to buy books and materials, and to help the poor children in his class.
Those two jars of fruit probably cost him most of his hard-earned savings; they were the most tangible blessing he could offer.
The value of this gift far exceeds its price; it carries the most sincere and profound sentiments that a poor teacher could give.
Li Xiangnan understood even better that he and Lao Ye had a very good relationship, and that he did not go to the hospital to visit him immediately, but instead chose to come over as soon as his child returned home.
The main reason was that the hospital was crowded and noisy, and Ye Buping was afraid that his meager gift would embarrass him in front of many visitors, and he was even more afraid that his lingering inferiority complex would be exposed in such a situation.
He came to the house with great courage, but he didn't expect to run into a large group of classmates, which once again impacted the dignity he had carefully protected.
"Teacher Ye!"
Thinking of this, Li Xiangnan's voice softened even more. She carefully placed the net bag among a pile of gifts and comforted him, saying, "Please don't say that. Ruobai and I understand your feelings! When Xitang is old enough to eat this canned food, I will definitely tell her that your kindness is sweeter than anything else, and we will remember it for a lifetime!"
He said things like "I'll remember this for a lifetime" and "It's sweeter than anything else" to tell Ye Buping that he, Li Xiangnan, saw all of Ye Buping's efforts and cherished them immensely.
Upon hearing this, Ye Buping's eyes instantly reddened. He quickly lowered his head, adjusted his old glasses to hide his discomfort, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he couldn't speak for a moment.
Li Xiangnan's understanding and respect were like a warm current, washing away the fragile dam in his heart that he had built with his self-esteem.
At this moment, Wang Defa and Lu Chen, who had been observing from the sidelines, exchanged a glance.
"Oh, Teacher Ye, you've finally arrived! We were just talking about whether we should give you a call. How could we miss the wedding of the first child in our class?" Lu Chen immediately understood.
Wang Defa stepped forward at the opportune moment and warmly pulled Ye Buping to sit down at the octagonal table. "That's right, Old Ye, look at Xiao Li's child, Xiao Xitang, he's amazing! He'll definitely be just like you in the future, a natural scholar! Xiao Li, quickly let Teacher Ye hold the child!"
The two of them worked together to quickly shift the focus from the gifts to the main character of the day, the child, giving Ye Buping a way to gracefully step in.
"Oh dear, no way, I don't know how to carry you!" Upon hearing this, Ye Buping immediately bounced up on his buttocks again.
"Hahaha!" Everyone immediately burst into laughter, and the classmates came up to greet them warmly.
"Old Ye, we just cooked a lot of dishes, you absolutely have to try them!"
"Teacher Ye, you've arrived!"
"Old Ye, you'd better be careful holding him later. Learn how to hold a baby properly!"
Surrounded by the enthusiastic and genuine support of his classmates, Ye Buping's embarrassment quickly dissipated.
He was led to the bedside, and looking at the exquisitely beautiful Li Xitang in her swaddling clothes, a genuine, shy smile appeared on his face.
"Old Ye, hold him!" Li Xiangnan carefully handed the child to him. Ye Buping's movements were a little stiff, as if he had been frozen in place, but he held the child with utmost gentleness, his eyes filled with the loving kindness and hope of an elder.
In the courtyard, accents from all over the country mingled together as people discussed the customs and food of their hometowns, shared anecdotes about university life, and dreamed about their future.
These young people from all over the country gathered at Peking University because of knowledge, and they also gathered in this small courtyard because of Li Xiangnan.
They had no conflicts of interest, only the purest friendship among classmates, respect for their teachers, and the most genuine blessings for the new life.
This friendship, like Li Xitang, is an unpolished gem that shines with a warm and lasting radiance in this simple era.
Even after many years, Li Xiangnan always feels a pang of emotion whenever he recalls that day, and longs to return to that day.
At this moment, Ye Buping held the child, listened to the students' laughter and chatter, and felt the long-lost warmth surrounding him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Because of Li Xiangnan, he was able to stay at the university to teach; otherwise, he would have been assigned to a pesticide research institute in a remote mountainous area as a researcher. He was grateful to Li Xiangnan for giving him a relatively stable future.
At this moment, Li Xiangnan and these students accepted him and warmed his heart, allowing him to find a true sense of belonging in this vast city.
Seeing Ye Buping's eyes gleaming with emotion, Li Xiangnan finally felt relieved and led him and his classmates to finish the meal in a lively atmosphere.
However, amidst this almost cozy atmosphere, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, which made his heart tighten and he instantly stand up.
"Squad Leader Hao? Squad Leader Hao, you're back?"