Chapter 3 third quarter

Just after the summer of that year, I went to England.It turned out that I could live in London, but the first thing I did was go back to school. I walked towards the path, familiar and happy, and I thought with shame: So my heart is here, here. Now after a year, I've grown up, do they recognize me when they see me?I raised my hair and ran forward, halfway, I slowed down, and I saw him, Mr. Navean!I almost suspected that I was mistaken, but there was no doubt that it was him. Mr. Navan was holding a large pile of books, which looked exactly the same as before. He walked towards the library very attentively and rigorously.

He paid no attention to me. I hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help it, and called him: "Mr. Navan." He turned his head, saw me, stayed for a while, and smiled immediately, but he didn't recognize me, I was very disappointed, I shrugged, after all, no matter how small the university is, there are thousands of students, how could he recognize me ?Besides, I've been gone for more than a year, and he looked at me. He suddenly asked, "Joe? Is it Joe?" Ai!He finally recognized me.I laughed: "It's Joe, I'm Joe." "Didn't you go home?" he said. "Ah, back again."

"Where are you going?" he asked. "I'll go to school to see." "I'm going to the library," he said. "If I don't go, I'll be fined." I laughed, "I'll go with you, doesn't it matter?" "Of course it doesn't matter," he said. He is not my teacher now, I am natural.Of course it's kind of awkward to do that, following a man around.But he's not just a man, he's my professor, we've known each other for three years. "How is everyone?" I asked, "It's been a year." "Very well, thank you, the lobby has been renovated again, new students have come and gone—" he said suddenly, "I'm getting old."

I glanced at him, he was exactly the same as before, how could he be said to be old, I laughed and said, "Old? I don't think scientists should pay attention to whether they are old or not. This is the trouble for us women." He said, "Are you here on vacation?" "No, I want to find a degree to continue my studies, or I want to live here if I have a good job." I sighed, "I was a very happy person at home, but when I came to England, I became a very unhappy person." People, finally getting used to this environment, have to go back again, who knows that they are even more unhappy when they get home, so they have to come back again, suffering from the east and the west, what a pity.”

He was a little surprised, "It's just—I don't quite understand." I smile, I'm too vague, of course he won't understand. It was dusk, and the yellow leaves fell one by one. He was only wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up high. He was still wearing those clothes. It was so cold, but he didn’t feel cold . But when I walked with him, I felt an indescribable joy. When we arrived at the library, I returned the books with him, and he asked me if I wanted a cup of tea.We went to the dining hall to sit down. Sitting in this simple dining hall, drinking a fourpence cup of tea, is much better than sitting in those luxurious coffee seats at home. Happiness, happiness is an extremely difficult thing to measure, happiness is in the heart.

"How is Mrs. Naveen?" I asked him. "Okay, thank you, my daughter is entering middle school this year." "Congratulations." "It's strange that she's grown so big. Sometimes it's almost unimaginable to watch a child grow up. She's very assertive now. She doesn't listen to her parents when she dresses and eats. Joe, are you free? How about coming to our house for a meal?" Why didn't he ask me to go out to eat? I thought about it and said, "Okay, when?" "Where do you live now?" he asked. I gave him my phone number and address.I live in a new one-story house with perfect facilities. I have never lived so comfortably in a foreign country. It is simply luxurious. The central heating is always around 70 degrees, and I only wear single clothes in the house.Although the rent is expensive, the place is so big that one person can't live there all the time. It's really comfortable. I'd rather be tighter on pocket expenses.

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow morning," he said. He was leaving, so I walked to the school gate with him and said goodbye. Then I asked myself: I came back this time to see him, right?how can that be possible?to see him?He is just a professor. There are more than 70 professors in our school. Why just look at him?No, it's just that he is nice to me.I need someone who cares about me - who doesn't? On the way home I bought some food, cooked it and ate it, and went to bed early. There is one advantage of being outside. If there is any trouble, the ears can be quieter. At home, it is even more apologetic to a lot of relatives and friends who are helpless.

Distraught, now taking care of myself - one has to live, so take care of yourself well. Sometimes I find that I love myself very much, put a mirror in front of me, and record my own voice in the tape recorder, or do I doubt my own existence? After eating, I picked up the newspaper and went to bed.Looking at the recruitment advertisements in the newspapers, I thought, it’s good to do things, at least earn money, and gain some experience, so why not give it a try, because it was empty, so I wrote a few letters in one go, put stamps on them, and waited Get up tomorrow to post. Then I fell asleep.

The phone ringing woke me up and I picked up the receiver.Over there is Mr. Navean. "Joe?" I said yes, and he said, "I'll pick you up at seven o'clock tonight, okay?" He came to invite me to his house, and I said yes.He hung up the phone, very open and frank. I got up, took a shower, soaked in the water for a long time, then got dressed and went out to post the letter.Walking past a barber shop, I asked if they were free, and they said they could cut my hair this afternoon.So I walked around town, bought some winter clothes, sat down to eat, and went to the barber.

It was getting dark gradually, I was impatiently waiting for the bus with my big bags and small bags, so I called a taxi. After the hair was cut short, my whole head felt lighter, and I felt very comfortable when I raised my head. When I got home, I took out the newly bought clothes and hung them up.I washed my face, put some oil on it, and wanted to put on makeup, but it was getting late, and I wanted to change clothes. I was still wearing ripped jeans and an old sweater, and I was going to Mr. Navan's house as a guest, which didn't seem very good.I remembered that I shouldn't go empty-handed, so I took two boxes of candy, at this moment, the doorbell rang, I smiled wryly, Mr. Navan was the most punctual, it seemed that I had to go like this, I grabbed my leather bag With the coat on, go downstairs and open the door.

Mr. Navan stood outside the door, smiling as warmly as ever, with a suit on his hands and a shirt on his body. I smiled and said, "Come in, please." He came in, and I asked him to sit down, and he asked in surprise, "You live alone?" I nod. "What do you want to drink? I'll make tea." "Okay thank you." I said, "Can you come and sit in the kitchen? The kitchen is more comfortable than the living room." He came in and said, "This floor is very comfortable." I quickly made the tea and handed it to him. He took a sip and smiled, "It's very weak tea. After being here for so long, the tea is still made lightly." He shook his head. I was a little surprised that he was making fun of me.The professor doesn’t make fun of the students. From this we can see that I have been promoted and he no longer regards me as a student. I said: “Many people think that making tea is easy, but it’s really strange. It’s like cooking. There are many problems. It’s really not easy. It's something that seems simple." "Are you ready?" he asked with a smile. I said, "That's it, okay?" "Okay, my wife said, 'Joe's back? Ask her to come with her boyfriend, I want to meet her,'" he said. "You're all welcome back." "Thank you." I paused, "But I don't have a boyfriend." He smiled, maintained his dignity, and kept silent. I said, "This kind of thing is like cooking rice and making tea. It looks the easiest, but it's actually the most difficult!" We went out and got into his car, which was a very old little car that fit four people.It's not that I don't know any good cars in this world, but when I'm with him, I don't care about these details, his advantages cover everything. From the beginning to the present, I always think he is a rare man. His home is also a comfortable but ordinary home. He has a son and a daughter. The daughter is reading a newspaper in the living room. When she sees me, she winks and expresses her interest.Then Mrs. Naveen came out, and she—it was the first time I saw her.She is a brown-haired woman. She is just like a middle-aged woman. She has no characteristics, but she is very enthusiastic. She reached out to shake my hand, "Joe, you are finally here!" with a smile on her face. I sit down. It's tea and biscuits again, and my mouth is sour after eating. Mrs. Navan said: "Why are you still so thin? Since I saw you in the hospital, I have never invited you here! By the way, you didn't see me that time. Your eyes are completely fine, right?" I just smiled politely. "This is Nelly," she introduced her daughter. "Nellie, where is Mattie? Ask Mattie to come down and meet this young lady." "Mattie's watching the football game and he won't come down," Nelly said. It is a very normal home, so it is indescribably ordinary. Does Mr. Navean really belong in this family?At this moment, he said apologetically: "There is simply no way for the child to grow up." Mrs. Navan looked at me. "I think the children from the East are fine." I said, "I'm not a child anymore." Mr. Navan said: "Joe is not a good boy either. He came back here only a year after he came home and said he was not happy when he came home." He laughed. Mrs. Navan also laughed, "Huh?" She looked at me carefully. I said, "I'm not a child." The husband and wife answered one-on-one, and I suddenly felt lonely, and regretted coming to dinner, and I wanted to drink tea after dinner, and I didn't know when I could get away after drinking tea.I silently thought: Husband and wife must be so ordinary to maintain their relationship, but Mr. Navan is not an ordinary person, I don't understand. After dinner, I sat in the guest's seat.Mrs. Navan was very talkative, chatting about domestic affairs, but I was a little tired from sitting.I am most afraid of eating western food cooked at home, but it is just a piece of beef that is too old to chew, a few balls of yams, the taste is bland, and there is no taste at all. I desperately add salt and pepper. , pretending to be delicious. Mrs. Navan was not a very good cook. After the meal, I was still very hungry and wanted to go home and make a bowl of noodles with green vegetables and shrimp.We started chatting again - exhausted. Mrs. Navan suddenly found out that I had cut my hair, saying that Chinese women should have long hair, and that it looks good, and so on.I listened quietly, and Mr. Naveen listened quietly, and suddenly, I realized that she was the only one talking incessantly. I got up and said goodbye, foreigners are just as good, they don't try hard to keep customers.Mrs. Navan asked my husband to take me home. Foreigners are the second best thing. A wife will never follow her husband like a thief.I said I could call a car myself, but it was still Mr. Navan who took me home. On the way home, he smiled and asked, "It's boring, isn't it?" "...No." I murmured in denial. "You young people are not used to this kind of life. You like colorful and colorful. This kind of family life is really boring, but it suits me. I am a person with no hobbies, and I don't even go to bars." Say. "Your hobbies are teaching and reading, Mr. Naveen," I reminded him. he laughed. I said, "And you're not old at all." He parked the car in front of me and I said goodbye and shook his hand.His hands were still strong and powerful.It was time to go back to that hospital. He was with me in those days. I bowed my head and smiled, and went back to the house. I have no excuses for him.I used to see him every day in class, but now I go to him for no reason, just to pester him.I didn't want to do that and had to sit at home. I went to various universities to get charters to see which subject to study for a master's degree.After graduation, many students change their careers to study accounting because it is easy to make money. I don’t care about these things. I want to choose interesting subjects to study. If I want to make money, I can make it now. At this time, all the cover letters I wrote received replies, and one of them had a very ideal salary. After thinking about it all night, I decided to make money and stop studying, at least temporarily. I was invited to an interview. They were surprised to see that I was a foreigner, but they didn't have any questions. They only asked me if I had any relatives or friends. I naturally filled in Mr. Navan's address.I think there is probably no problem with this job. So I want to inform Mr. Navan, otherwise he will not know if he is a guarantor. I drove my car (by the way, I bought a TR6, new, yellow) to the school to wait for him. I asked the school officer and found out that he finished class at 5:30. I didn't go in and look for him, I just sat in the car and it was raining and it was beating on the windows and they were freezing cold.I leaned my head on my side and put my hands on the steering wheel.The street was very quiet, and it was getting dark early.I feel lonely, very lonely. Then he came out, he didn't drive, didn't hold an umbrella, walked out, I started the car, followed him, and rang the horn-it shouldn't be so frivolous to the teacher, but I was too tired and lonely I'm not happy to hide myself anymore. I rolled down the window, "Mr. Navean!" He turned around, saw me, and I opened the car door. He bent down and asked, "Joe?" I said, "Where's your car?" "Miss drove to London," he said. "Mr. Naveen, do you have ten minutes? I have something to tell you." I said, "If you don't mind, I'll give you a ride." He sat in the car, because he was tall and the car was short and small, he shrank his legs, and said, "My God, where do I put my briefcase?" I smiled and brought his briefcase to me. "Be careful with this kind of car," he said. "Where, it looks good, but it doesn't move much." "The best car in your generation can fly." He laughed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Navan, I really have something to tell you." "Why didn't you find me? How long have you been waiting for me outside?" "It hasn't been long." I told him about the job application, "I really don't have any relatives or friends here, so I had to fill in your name. I'm only here to inform you now, please don't be angry." "Never mind," he said, "so you've decided to work?" "Yes." I said. "That's fine. Joe, if you have such a thing, just go to us. A girl in a foreign country needs someone to help her." "Thank you, Mr. Navean." He also smiled. I started the car. "It's time to celebrate, you got a job," he said. "I would like to invite you to the Chinese Restaurant. Shall I invite the children and Mrs. Navan out? Will you be in a hurry?" "She and the children went to London to see their grandparents." "I invite you!" I said smoothly, "I'll make an appointment with them another day, okay?" "How can I invite students to treat me?" I laughed, "I graduated three thousand years ago, so I am not your student. I called you Mr. Navan because I respect you." "You can call me Bill." He smiled. I was startled, thought for a while, and said, "No, I'll still call you Mr. Navan." He shook his head, "You are a very strange girl." "Not surprising at all," I said. I drove the car into the city, driving fast, a little dangerously, and Mr. Navein said, "This is the way you drive—" I laughed, "That's how women drive." I didn't expect that he would agree to my invitation. Probably this is just a kind of generosity of theirs, and we are quite familiar after all. I ordered a few dishes and ate a lot. Mr. Navan is very good at using chopsticks. He said he learned it before. He doesn’t even drink beer and doesn’t smoke. , I'm a bit regretful—too obedient, unbelievably obedient, like a blank sheet of paper, with no writing at all, so it's boring, as if you haven't lived at all. Mr. Navan said an interesting story when he was studying in the United States—"—a daredevil accidentally pressed the alarm, and everyone evacuated immediately. I was just in the laboratory and thought: This is the end, how can I escape the radiation? Throw it away quickly." The instrument escaped, but it turned out to be a false alarm, and fortunately it was a false alarm." I smile. He said: "Since your incident, another incident happened in the school. An infrared stove exploded. I don't know which student's masterpiece. He turned on the stove and forgot to turn it off, and he didn't pay attention to the red light." "Is anyone hurt?" I asked. "No," he said. "Actually——Mr. Navan, you always thought it was your fault when I was injured that time?" I asked. "Of course it was my fault," he said. "Not necessarily. If you keep saying that, I will feel inferior, I will think! Mr. Navan treats me well, it is not true, but because of guilt, he invites me to dinner and is my guarantor. For guilt, not because he really likes me," I said. "Of course we all like you," he laughed. "You know that." I smile.Yeah?Mr. Navan is the most fair, kind and responsible person, who doesn't know?What exception do I have? I beckoned the waiter to pay the bill, and the waiter smiled and said in Cantonese, "This Westerner has already paid the bill." I immediately said, "This Westerner is from my professor, don't get me wrong." He laughed with such content that he had to be gagged. I said to Mr. Navein: "It means I'm treating you." "How can this be?" He laughed, "It doesn't make sense." "Thank you," I said, "I'll invite you another day." "We'll talk about it another day," he said. I didn't make a sound, and fiddled with the chopsticks on the table, I sincerely invited him, the British are very frugal, and going to restaurants is a big deal, so I am embarrassed to spend a few pounds for no reason, my There are definitely more petty uses than him.They live very simply. At this time, the hotel was playing a record of period songs, which was a very common song. Mr. Navan asked me: "Is this a Chinese song?" I laughed, "It's a fashionable Chinese song, not a real Chinese song, just like David Bowie's song is not an English song." The Chinese song should be: "Brother is a dragon in the sky, and younger sister is a bunch of flowers on the ground." But the era song is also very touching, the singer is singing: I already know you have no conscience, Fall in love with you again. Why do you always believe, Deep intoxication does not blame you. I used to be infatuated with you, Who knows you forget me. Inch lovesickness for you, Actually abandoned me away. I'm afraid it is the tragedy of the eternal woman.I have never been in a formal relationship. I only went out to watch movies and eat with boys. We thought each other was a leprous. We stayed far away, a few feet away, talking politely, and passed a few hours insipidly. , went home. I'm not born a good man and a believer, but I don't have any romantic objects. I gently asked Mr. Navan, "Can I go?" He nodded, I stood up with him, he put on my coat, and I smiled at him.We got in the car, and I still sent him back. He pointed me in the direction of the road, and I only made one wrong turn. He kept saying thanks as he got out of the car. I still smiled, and then drove the car away. I thought of my loneliness, and went back to the house. The heater was on all day, and it was very warm. I lay on the bed and sighed softly.A few days later, the company called to make an appointment, saying that their boss wanted to see me, and I made an appointment for an afternoon.I went to see them, and they used me. The annual salary is 2,000 pounds, which is very good, but apart from taxes and insurance, this, that, I am afraid it is not enough. Fortunately, my mother will definitely help me share some of the burden. I am very ashamed. I have graduated from college and found a job, but my parents have to bear the burden of life. What kind of words! I took the job down. From now on, I will go to work at nine o'clock every day and leave work at five o'clock. It is not easy to work for a foreigner, but we just get along well with each other. A few boys wanted to ask me out within a week, and I pushed back because I didn't have time on weekends. They said it would be good to have a cup of tea in normal times, but they couldn't push it, so they had to go.Foreign boys are good companions, most of them talk and laugh happily, just being with them, it’s not good to meet people, there’s something unspeakable—how can you date foreign men?So he always stayed far away from them and maintained a polite attitude. It's a pity that men are very strange. The more polite you are to them, the more they want to get close, so my male colleagues are very aggressive towards me.My boss sighed and said, "I hired three female secretaries, and I asked them to pursue me as wives. I'm afraid you won't be able to do it for long!" Yes, women use all places as marriage agencies. Yet I worked hard. There is a date with a colleague, time flies, and Christmas is approaching, and as soon as Christmas arrives, I feel like the year is dying. I went to buy gifts in mid-December, and I was going to send them home by air.My mother is not very satisfied with my job, she thinks the salary is too little, and she is working hard in a foreign country, because of this, she doesn't write to me very much, and no matter what festival comes, she feels homesick. There was a snowfall that day, and the ground was covered with a layer of white, which was very cold.After work, a male colleague was waiting for me.He wanted to ask me out for a drink and dinner on Christmas Eve. I said I would think about it and reply in a few days. He was very patient and kept saying yes. I chose two woolen sweaters for my parents. They were so-so, not ideal, but just to show my heart. Walking to the road, there was a crowd of people, I frowned and pulled my coat, it was really cold, the snow on the ground was crushed, but the snow from the sky was falling again, white, small, and lonely. So I really want to go home. I rubbed passers-by's shoulders and walked towards the parking lot. I saw him at the gate of the parking lot. He called me. "Joe," he called me. I turned my head, and the scene was very similar to "... Looking back, the man was in a dimly lit place." I could only smile. "Mr. Navein," I called him. He came up, "OK?" he asked. After all, this city is no more than London. It is a small place where people bump into people everywhere.It's not that I don't want to see him.So what if we just met?I just have to laugh. "It's Christmas," he said. I nod. "Hurrying back?" he said. "No rush." ​​I said, "There's time for coffee." He smiled, "Do you want to drink coffee?" "How about you?" I asked. "No, Joe, come on, let's go to the coffee shop by the post office," he said. He and I happily walked out of the parking lot again. Believe it or not, the snow has become so beautiful at this time. "It's the first snow of the year," he said. We walked to the coffee shop and he bought a hot cup of coffee and handed it to me.I bumped into his hand when I went to pick it up, he looked up at me, he didn’t make a sound, and I didn’t make a sound, the small coffee shop was full of people, and the smoke was so hot, I squeezed and sat down with him, I slowly sipped my coffee, Eyes look away.It was hot in the store, so I didn't take off my coat, only one glove.Sweat gradually began to form on the back. He asked, "Still living in the original place?" I nod. "Is the job ideal?" I nod. "I haven't seen you for a long time." I nod. He is also drinking coffee. I turned my head slowly, and found that his temples were a little white.He turned his head and smiled at me too. I cleared my throat.I think it's time for me to talk. "Mr. Navan!" "What, Joe?" He looked at me. "You are my teacher." I said. "A long time ago, Joe." He smiled.That "elderly" smile. "But you are still my teacher." I said. "So what?" With sweat on the tip of my nose and sweat on my palms, I said, "Don't laugh at me. I... have loved you for a long time, Mr. Navean." He was startled, and the cup shook slightly. I said, "I'm not kidding, I just wanted to tell you, that's all." He doesn't ring. I put down my coffee cup, sighed, and walked towards the door. I gently pushed through the crowd, squeezed to the door, pushed open the glass door, and walked out onto the street.I bow my head.It's okay to tell him, he must be afraid, and he won't dare to see me again in the future-what does it matter?Anyway, I can't see it now. I hurried to the parking lot, but there was still a sea of ​​people on the road.I found the car on the second floor of the parking lot, and opened the door with the key. Before I got in, a hand was placed on it. I was startled, and I looked back suddenly. Standing behind me was Mr. Navan, Mr. Gao Tall and stable, with a slightly bent body, I looked into his eyes under the dim light, and there was so much tenderness and understanding in his eyes. I burst into tears suddenly. When did he follow, I have no idea. I looked at him and he wasn't angry at all - why wasn't he angry? He looked at me, silently took out his handkerchief, and wiped my tears. Tears flowed into my mouth, salty, and I stood there in a daze, crying and crying.There is no way to stop, but there is a strange feeling in my heart, as if all the unsatisfactory feelings have flowed away from the tears. He gently pressed my head against his chest, my two arms hugged his waist naturally, he was very warm, those few seconds seemed like an eternity. Then I let go, I opened the door of the car, I got in the car, and I started the car.The car slid out like an arrow. Instead of driving home, I drove the car on the road. I drove in the suburbs for nearly two hours without closing the windows. The cold wind kept blowing in, making my fingers stiff and my ears and nose hurt. I stopped the car , sighed, resting his head on the steering wheel. I still have to get up tomorrow, I think. Let's go back. I drove the car back slowly and heard the phone ringing at the door. I stopped the car, opened the door, and ran in to pick up the receiver. "Joe?" "Yes," I said, "Mr. Navean?" gasping. "Yes," he said, "where have you been? You worry me?" I don't ring. He didn't make any noise, and after a long time, he said, "I'll come to see you." Now?I want to ask. "Come now." He said and hung up the phone. I was stunned, I closed the door, took off my overcoat, which was stained with the smell of cigarettes in the bar just now, I walked up the stairs in the dark, lay down on the bed in the dark, and lit a cigarette.Should be sleeping, so tired.He should apologize to Mr. Navan, he is really worried, he should... I'm not a good person on principle. Fortunately, it's not at school, I'm embarrassed at school, and we have to meet the next day, so it doesn't matter now.Thinking about it now, I really don't know where the courage just now came from. I sat up from the bed, pressed to put out the cigarette, and the doorbell rang. I went downstairs and opened the door, and there stood Mr Navean under the lamppost. I lowered my eyes and said, "I'm fine, don't worry." He came in and I took his coat and hat and hung them up. I didn't have the courage to look at him. He went to the kitchen and made tea. I sat and stared blankly at the floor, I was so tired that I couldn't tell, maybe I should go home. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked gently. "That's not important," I said. He opened the refrigerator, and it was empty, so he had to close the refrigerator again. "No food at all," he said. I waved my hand apologetically. He handed me a cup of hot tea, and when he touched my hands, I realized how cold my hands were, and I hid them under my armpits.He sat across from me, drinking tea.There was only one small lamp in the kitchen, and it was dark. There were two shadows on the floor, and I was waiting for him to speak to me. Everyone treats me like a child, teach me to cross the road, live life, and wear clothes. He always respects me, but I want to listen to what he teaches me. He puts down his teacup. He said, "Joe—I'm old."