The farewell party for classmates that night ended up moving from the classroom to the campus. A group of people revisited the vegetable garden that brought them deep memories and walked through familiar corners.

Finally, on the lawn not far from the second door, they looked up at the starry sky, sharing their feelings from the past five years and teasing each other.

They chatted until dawn without sleep. There were many topics, but the time was short. After watching the sunrise, everyone would pack their bags and head to their respective workplaces.

At the train stations across the country, they clearly realized once again that it was truly time to part from the classmates they had spent five years with day and night.

Everyone had tears in their eyes, holding each other’s hands tightly, bidding farewell. They repeatedly said, "Keep in touch, don’t forget to write letters!"

Train after train left, and the classmates who remained in Beijing said farewell with red eyes. They were the lucky ones, still able to breathe in the same city.

And those who left?

Back at the Big Courtyard, the Zhou Family’s living room was already filled with friends and relatives who cared about the young couple. Even the usually distant Lin Xueying and her husband were there.

Old Mrs. Cheng, hearing from Aunt Chen that they were back, didn’t care about her usual demeanor and rushed to the door: "Why are you back only now?"

Startled, Cheng Ruzhu hurriedly followed to support her, "Mom, don’t rush. You should sit down first."

As Zhou Jiao stepped into the courtyard, she saw Old Mrs. Cheng at the doorway of the living room and quickly ran over. Zhang Guoqing, seeing her run, followed worriedly behind her.

This sped up the pace, but also left Little Ping’an dumbfounded. It seemed everyone wasn’t as composed as he was. He didn’t run; his parents were so capable, why didn’t they have confidence in them?

"How was it?"

"Did Auntie know we got the placement certificate?"

"We received the news by noon, why are you only coming back now?"

"Went to the train station to see off classmates." Zhou Jiao supported her into a seat and greeted everyone. Over there, Zhang Guoqing was already reporting to his father-in-law.

Compared to everyone’s joy, although the father-in-law seemed calm, Zhang Guoqing still noticed his clenched fists suddenly relax. He was happy too, wasn’t he!

——Now his precious daughter finally had leisure and money.

Zhou Jiao solemnly handed the notice and placement certificate to her dad with both hands.

To be honest, despite all the preparations, she didn’t have much hope. Especially since her dad said he couldn’t intervene in her graduation placement. There were times when she really worried about being sent to some secret research institute with those documents.

Who wouldn’t want to rise to a higher place, ideally with leisure and confidence? How could she not be excited? She gave up a comfortable lifestyle and spent five precious years to achieve this great result.

Hands full of blisters, bloodshot eyes from staying up late, painstaking performance, and resentment suppressed without retaliation.

——Finally, Zhou Jiao took a big step forward successfully!

With such a good starting point, Zhou Jiao was no longer afraid of any storms to come, and never again needed to wear a hypocritical mask to guard against those with ulterior motives.

Zhou Xiaozheng could feel the excitement beneath his daughter’s calm demeanor. After reading, he gave her an encouraging smile: "Well done!"

The father and daughter exchanged smiles and both looked at Zhang Guoqing. The next move was up to him!

Old Mrs. Cheng, following the gaze of the father and daughter, thought about how Zhang Guoqing would also go to military school for three months next month, and she laughed heartily.

"It’s great, the workplace is closer now, no need for daily commutes. Tomorrow Auntie will take you to report."

Mr. Cheng laughed joyfully, "You think it’s like Little Ping’an going to school? You better not go. If you start chatting with those old fellows, the juniors might think our Jiao Jiao got in through connections."

"You’re right. Getting old makes the brain confused." Old Mrs. Cheng laughed at herself, looking at Zhou Jiao with affection, "Find some time to tell your grandparents the good news, let them be happy in heaven."

"Okay." Zhou Jiao looked at her parents and Zhang Guoqing, "How about this weekend? Let’s take the three kids. Our family will visit grandpa and grandma."

"Aren’t the kids too young?"

Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Old Mrs. Cheng, as she was reliable for these taboos.

Old Mrs. Cheng nodded: "Let’s decide that day."

Zhou Xiaozheng understood and nodded slightly. There were many eyes, especially with Lin Xueying present, he didn’t want to mention this. With that in mind, he shifted the topic and instructed Aunt Chen to cook two more dishes so the men could have a few drinks.

Regarding Li Jianjun, his former brother-in-law, Zhou Xiaozheng quite appreciated him. He had capability, vision, and intelligence. If an ordinary person encountered the previous incident, they might not have escaped his setup.

Over here, as Ping’an waited for them to be seated, he ran back to the room, grabbed a military satchel, and ran out, "Mom, while you and dad were away, a lot of letters came."

There were quite a few! The satchel was full.

Seeing this, Old Mrs. Cheng said, "You read first, we’re chatting."

Zhou Jiao apologized with a smile to everyone. During this period, since their job assignments were imminent, letters from relatives and friends from various places were inevitable.

"Mom, I took the stamps off. You read what grandma and grandpa said first?"

"Why didn’t you open it first?"

"That’s not right!" Ping’an shook his head, "See if there’s a note for me inside?"

Zhou Jiao laughed speechlessly, patting the little one’s head.

"Mom, will you be like grandma and grandpa in the future, not needing to travel far for work?"

"So clever!" Zhou Jiao said, handing him a piece of paper she took from the envelope, "You read it yourself, and remember to reply."

Ping’an folded it and put it in his pocket, patting it: "I’ll wait a bit more. Some older brothers must have written notes to me too."

Zhou Jiao opened each envelope, without reading the contents, she first handed all accompanying notes for Ping’an to him. Then sorted and put the rest back into the satchel.

"Mom, can I exchange extra stamps with others?"

Zhou Jiao fully supported her child’s philatelic hobby. She decisively responded, "Yes, do as you please. Besides the old ones, I can also help you supplement new stamps."

The little miser thought for a while and shook his head: "I better buy myself, last time grandma bought too many."

Lying there getting caught in the mire, Lin Lishan couldn’t help but laugh, tweaking his little nose: "Little rascal, grandma won’t buy for you next time."

"Grandma, good grandma, your grandson was wrong. Please buy!" Ping’an saw his grandma happily unable to close her mouth, his eyes twinkling, "I worry you won’t have money to spend if you buy too many."

This sweet talk made Lin Lishan beam with a wide smile, and everyone burst out laughing.

Lin Liyin looked at her elder sister and felt genuine envy. Some people are always favored by heaven, cherished by their family.