As Grandfather and Grandmother left, Zhang Sao quickly pulled a few little ones aside. "Stop making a fuss, let your mother rest well. She has another exam tomorrow. You all should behave these days."
"It's alright, Zhang Sao. I'll play with them for a while," Zhi Xia smiled.
Surprisingly, the children were very well-behaved. Upon hearing Zhang Sao's words, they quickly pushed her back to the room and considerately closed the door, ensuring they behaved outside.
After a day of exams, everyone was a bit tired, so Zhi Xia went along with them.
Lying on the bed upon returning to the room, she suddenly felt a disturbance in the space. She got up again to open the door. "Zhang Sao, I locked the door and will take a nap. Can you help watch over them?"
"Sure, go ahead and rest. Don't worry about the kids. I'll take care of them," Zhang Sao replied.
Hearing Zhang Sao's response, Zhi Xia closed the door once again, locked it from the inside, and entered the space.
As soon as she entered, she was embraced by the man she hadn't seen for over a month.
"How was the exam?" His voice sounded a bit weary, and he held a bathrobe in his hand, as if he wanted to take a shower.
"It went fine. But I still have another exam tomorrow," Zhi Xia held his strong hand, turning herself to face him.
Her tender fingers gently brushed his tired face, instantly noticing his exhaustion.
"Wasn't it supposed to be less tiring once everything fell into place?"
Pei Jing sighed. "It's not that easy. Establishing a new department involves dealing with various trivial matters. It's like feeling your way across a river..."
If it weren't for worrying about her college entrance exams, Pei Jing would rarely come to the space alone.
The couple savored their reunion, talking about their respective experiences with the children.
Water flowed steadily in the bathroom, creating an ambiguous contrast against the skin—black and white forming distinct boundaries.
An Zhiren's male contraceptive pill had been successful for the past two years. It was taken orally and lasted for half a year, with a contraceptive effectiveness of over ninety-nine percent. Currently, only Pei Jing and An Zhiren used it, without any observed side effects.
Although it had been promoted in hospitals, in an era that valued having many children for blessings, there were not many people willing to opt for voluntary contraception.
Without worries, physical intimacy became more spontaneous.
Afterward, Zhi Xia lay on the bed, the sheets underneath her crumpled.
Pei Jing kissed her cheek and got up, putting on his clothes. "Rest well. I have to go back."
The Special Forces team consisted entirely of men who spent most of their time together, even sleeping in the same dormitory at night. It wasn't easy to disappear for such a long time without being noticed.
Zhi Xia's fatigued fingers didn't want to move. She simply murmured a sound of acknowledgement.
Only after he left did she burst into laughter she couldn't control.
Suddenly, she had a feeling that they weren't like a married couple but more like two people engaged in an affair, always in a hurry.
Originally, she wasn't tired, but now she truly felt exhausted. Zhi Xia couldn't think about anything else and quickly fell into a deep slumber.
The next day, when she came out of the examination room, she saw An Zhiren waiting outside.
"Second Brother, are you here to pick up Second Sister-in-law?" Zhi Xia approached and greeted him.
"I've been waiting for you," An Zhiren smiled and said, "Let's go home for dinner tonight. Grandpa and grandma will also be there."
After all, everyone has been quite nervous during the period before the college entrance examination. Now that the exam is over, regardless of the results, it's worth celebrating.
Zhi Xia nodded in agreement and didn't refuse, then she went back.
Riding her bicycle on the bustling streets, amidst the crowd, Zhi Xia seemed to catch a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Liang Zhiwei's fate didn't change. With the passing of Zhao Jingyun, he became a lonely person with white hair overnight.
The sight of that head of graying hair disappeared quickly, and Zhi Xia quickly turned her head to face forward.
Everyone has their own path to walk, and some people, despite seeming successful, actually lose everything.
Soon, those who were sent down will be rehabilitated, and the first to be impacted will be the ideological committee. The chaotic era of shouting and killing has passed. As the director, Liang Zhiwei's good days have also come to an end.
Zhi Xia returned home and told Zhang Sao not to prepare dinner. She took the children to An's house.
During dinner, An Jingzhi asked how they did in the exam, but no one could give a specific answer.
Among them, An Zhiren should be the most confident. After all, from the announcement of the resumption of the college entrance examination to now, it has only been a few months. The levels of knowledge and skills are different, and last-minute cramming can be said to have some effect, but it is also limited.
Fortunately, the test questions this time weren't too difficult, and it gave many people a chance.
As the day came to an end, snowflakes began to fall.
Just before the New Year, Zhi Xia received her admission notice.
Although Jincheng University is not as prestigious as Peking University, it is also one of the top universities and conveniently close to home. That's why Zhi Xia chose it as her main reason.
Meanwhile, An Zhiren was admitted to Peking University, and Guo Momo also got into Jincheng University. However, Big Sister and Second Sister still hadn't received any news.
Apart from Liu Ling, who applied to Jincheng University, Zheng Suchun also applied to Peking University. At this time, they still hadn't received any news, which meant they were most likely rejected.
Pei XiangXiang also failed to get in, but she still had a job with the Cultural Troupe, so it didn't affect her much.
The sound of a car outside the door rang out, and before Zhi Xia could react, several children shouted and ran out.
"Dad and Fourth Uncle are back..."
Zhi Xia was quite surprised that the two of them came back together.
She quickly went out and saw Pei Jing and An ZhiAng had already gotten out of the car.
"Younger sister, did you miss Fourth Brother?" An ZhiAng frowned, but when he smiled, his teeth appeared exceptionally white, and he seemed much more mature than before.
"Of course I missed you. How long can you two stay this time? Can you celebrate the Lunar New Year at home?" Calculating it carefully, there wasn't much time left until the New Year.
An ZhiAng looked dissatisfied as he glanced at Pei Jing and said, "How long we can stay isn't something I can decide. Shouldn't you ask Captain Pei about that?"
Pei Jing didn't even give him a glance. He held Zhi Xia's hand and walked home, but before leaving, he turned back and asked An ZhiAng, "Who was clamoring to come and see grandpa and grandma? Why don't you go?"
"None of your business." An ZhiAng replied impatiently, but obediently went next door.
Pei Jing watched the group of little rascals behind him and mischievously said to Pei ChenYe, "ChenYe, take your little brothers to play with your cousin. Ask your fourth uncle to drive you all to your grandfather's house and tell him that Mom and Dad will visit them tomorrow."
Pei Jing handed the car keys to Pei ChenYe, and the little guy's face lit up with excitement at the thought of riding in a car. He didn't care about the reunion and quickly called his friends before running off.
Pei Wanqing, like a little sprite, watched Pei Jing closely. Pei Jing calmly looked back at her and said, "If you don't want to go, you can stay at home. Dad will have some time to check your homework later."
Pei Wanqing made a resistant expression and said, "No, no, I'd better go to Grandma's house."
"It's not easy for us to come back for a visit, and you're chasing them away. What's the point?" Zhi Xia couldn't help but glare at him, seeing the children all run off.
Before Pei Jing could respond, Zhang Sao came out of the living room, her face red, and looked at them. "Um, I suddenly remembered that there's something to do at home today, so I'll go back first. You can make dinner yourselves."
After all, she was an experienced person. Even the children were cleared out, so it would be inconvenient for her to stay.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this couple was in the midst of sweet affection. Zhi Xia was self-aware and quickly retreated.
As expected, Pei Jing didn't refuse and said, "Alright, it's been hard for Zhang Sao to take care of them all this time."
Watching Zhang Sao's hurried departure, Zhi Xia suddenly realized that she might have misunderstood.
Fortunately, she had a thin face but a rather thick skin; otherwise, she would have been embarrassed to death.
The fact proved that Zhang Sao had not misunderstood.
As soon as she left, Pei Jing closed the door.
The cold winter wind blew outside, but the temperature inside gradually rose.
