Chapter 46 Confession
At the dinner table, Chen Yuqin earnestly asked Zhao Minglei about his situation . Zhao Minglei talked about it with great joy, especially when he proudly mentioned that he had been elected into the Student Union and became a cadre of the Student Union. Chen Yuqin was even more satisfied with this "future son-in-law" she had chosen.
In Chen Yuqin's opinion, Zhao Minglei has a cheerful personality, is good at communicating, and is a college student. He must have a bright future, and she knows his family situation inside out. Such an outstanding young man is undoubtedly a good match for Lin Yan.
"Yanzi, you must learn from Minglei. Don't just study hard. Get in touch with your classmates and participate in more social activities. By the way, Minglei, Yanzi has always had a stubborn temper and doesn't understand the ways of the world. You must teach her well in this area in the future!"
"Yan Zi has a good personality. Don't worry, Auntie, I will." Zhao Minglei said with a smile, looking at Lin Yan with tenderness in his eyes.
Lin Yan paused with the chopsticks in her hand. The education she received since childhood made her always restrain her dissatisfaction, but now she couldn't control it.
Just when she was about to put down her chopsticks and explain the matter clearly, Lin Daoyuan picked up a piece of fish and put it in Lin Yan's bowl.
"Yan Zi, don't you like fish? Your mother made it specially for you today. Eat more." Lin Daoyuan said kindly to his daughter, with a meaningful warning in his eyes.
"Thank you, Dad." Lin Yan sighed in her heart. She thanked her father, picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.
Lin Yan was very tired after the meal. After the meal, Zhao Minglei stayed at his home for a while. When it was getting late, Zhao Minglei got up to say goodbye. Chen Yuqin originally planned to let Lin Yan send Zhao Minglei out. However, Lin Daoyuan came to Lin Yan's rescue and found an excuse to talk to Lin Yan about something, so that Lin Yan was not too embarrassed.
He gestured to Lin Yan to follow him into the study. After Lin Yan went in, he closed the door. Lin Daoyuan sat down, lit a cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and looked at his grown-up daughter.
"Tell me, your attitude is not right today. Do you have any opinion about Zhao Minglei?" Lin Daoyuan asked.
"Dad!" Lin Yan had been feeling aggrieved until now, and her eyes suddenly turned red when she heard the word "Dad".
"Sit down and talk slowly..." Lin Daoyuan pointed to the sofa beside him.
Lin Yan sat down and looked at her father. Lin Daoyuan didn't talk much at home, but the children had been afraid of him since they were young. In the eyes of the children, Lin Daoyuan was a strict father with principles.
"Dad, I don't have any feelings for Zhao Minglei. I even... I even dislike this person." Since her father had seen through her thoughts, Lin Yan did not hide it. Besides, she had been planning to make things clear today. Since her father asked, she planned to tell the truth.
Immediately, Lin Yan talked about her opinion of Zhao Minglei. In Chen Yuqin's eyes, Zhao Minglei might be an absolutely excellent man, but for Lin Yan, their personalities, hobbies, and outlooks on life and the world were completely different.
Chen Yuqin had never consulted Lin Yan about this matter from the very beginning, which made Lin Yan extremely dissatisfied. More importantly, in order to pair Lin Yan and Zhao Minglei together, Chen Yuqin secretly hid the letter Song Yuanchao gave her without telling Lin Yan.
These days, Lin Yan has been feeling aggrieved and angry about this matter. Since Lin Daoyuan asked her this, Lin Yan did not hide anything and said everything she wanted to say.
"Dad, maybe in your eyes Zhao Minglei is a good match, but shouldn't we respect each other's opinions when dating? Should we be in love with each other? Should we understand each other and have an emotional foundation? If I were to fall in love with someone I don't love at all, and even spend my whole life with this person, I simply can't imagine what the future would be like."
Lin Yan said so. Lin Daoyuan looked at his daughter and sighed slightly in his heart. It seemed that his daughter really didn't like Zhao Minglei.
Although he did not deny that Zhao Minglei was an excellent man, Lin Daoyuan had a different opinion from his wife Chen Yuqin. He felt that Zhao Minglei was too ambitious and more utilitarian than ordinary people.
If Lin Yan accepts Zhao Minglei, these problems would not be a big problem. With the status of his own family and the Zhao family, Zhao Minglei is also qualified. But if Lin Yan has no interest in Zhao Minglei from the beginning, then this may become a contradiction in their future life. Lin Daoyuan has been doing revolutionary work all his life and sees the essence of the problem much more clearly than ordinary people.
"Yanzi, Dad wants to ask you something." After Lin Yan finished speaking, Lin Daoyuan took a puff of cigarette and said.
"Do you already have someone in your heart?"
Lin Daoyuan had a sharp eye. He could see that there must be other reasons why Lin Yan rejected Zhao Minglei besides the reasons she mentioned, and this reason might be the most important.
Lin Yan bit her lower lip slightly, lowered her head and did not speak for a while. Lin Daoyuan did not urge her, but waited quietly for her answer.
"Yes!" Lin Yan suddenly raised her head and admitted it to her father.
Lin Daoyuan's expression remained serious. He looked into his daughter's eyes, as if to confirm whether what she said was true.
"Tell me, tell me about him," Lin Daoyuan said lightly.
"His name is Song Yuanchao. He is from Shanghai and is two years older than me. He and I were both educated youth who went to the countryside in the northwest..." At this point, Lin Yan no longer concealed the truth and talked about her and Song Yuanchao.
Unlike when she was talking about Zhao Minglei just now, when talking about Song Yuanchao, Lin Yan was in high spirits and her eyes were shining, especially when she was recounting the little bits and pieces of past events between her and Song Yuanchao when they were in the northwest. The smile from the heart on Lin Yan's lips made people feel the deep affection between her and Song Yuanchao.
"In the college entrance examination that year, our team had a limited number of places. In order to ensure that I could apply, Yuan Chao took the initiative to give up his place..." Lin Yan recounted the past, her eyes seemed to travel through time and space back to that time.
"In order to give me the conditions to prepare for the exam, Yuan Chao set out at three in the morning and walked dozens of miles along the mountain road to the county town to collect books and study materials. He didn't get back until midnight and only ate two steamed buns and drank a pot of cold water the whole day. In order to give me enough time to prepare for the exam, Yuan Chao took on all the work in my field and did the work of two people. Not only that, he also used a Plum Blossom watch left to him by his father to exchange for old hens and eggs from a fellow villager to supplement my nutrition..."
As Lin Yan spoke, she couldn't help shedding tears. During the days of reviewing and preparing for the exam, Song Yuanchao tried almost every way to create better conditions for Lin Yan. When Lin Yan was finally admitted to the university, Song Yuanchao, who had lost a lot of weight, smiled from the bottom of his heart and congratulated Lin Yan, and silently helped her prepare her luggage for returning to the city...
Lin Yan remembered that on the day she left, Song Yuanchao accompanied her to the train. He stood on the platform, looking at Lin Yan affectionately, and watched the train slowly start.
When the train left the platform, Lin Yan couldn't help crying. She leaned out of the window and waved to Song Yuanchao desperately, shouting, "Yuanchao! I'm waiting for you at the Imperial University of Peking! You must come!"
Song Yuanchao on the platform did the same thing, running after the train and shouting, waving his hands at himself, until the two of them could no longer see each other...
Lin Yan took out a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with sobs. This was the most unforgettable moment in her life, and it was also the last time she met Song Yuanchao.
Lin Daoyuan listened quietly to his daughter's story, the cigarette in his hand had long been extinguished.
He could feel the sincere feelings between his daughter and Song Yuanchao. If all this was true, this young man named Song Yuanchao had given so much for Lin Yan.
Subconsciously, he took a puff of the cigarette, only to find that it was out. Lin Daoyuan threw the stub into the ashtray, took out another cigarette from the cigarette box beside him and lit it, then asked, "Did Song Yuanchao get into college later?"
Lin Yan shook her head. "I later learned that Song Yuanchao fell ill after he sent me away. The local medical conditions were poor and his illness was so serious that he almost died. It took him several months to recover. But it was because of this illness that Song Yuanchao failed to get into university. Later, the policy changed again, and he and several other educated youth returned to the city and returned to Shanghai..."
"What a pity... such a good young man..." Lin Daoyuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. From Lin Yan's story, Song Yuanchao was fully capable of going to college, but he gave up his place to Lin Yan the first time, and failed the second time because of illness.
"And where is he now?"
"He is now in Shanghai. Because his father was a teacher at Shanghai No. 2 Middle School, he went back to Shanghai and found the leaders of No. 2 Middle School to work in the school-run factory. He works very hard and is highly valued by the leaders. In just a few months, he has become the workshop director of the factory."
Lin Yan said proudly that although he was just the workshop director of a small school-run factory, in Lin Yan's heart, Song Yuanchao's identity as workshop director made her more proud than Zhao Minglei's identity as a student union cadre.