He is from the Great Sea of ​​Stars [Quick Travel] Chapter 3

Of course, Huo Xingchao couldn’t go to school without eating breakfast. At his age, he was in a period of growth, and his height was changing every day, so his demand for food was high. He had three rice dumplings in his bag. Although the Dragon Boat Festival was still far away, there was no custom in their area that dictated they could only eat rice dumplings during the festival. They could make them anytime they wanted.

However, many families couldn’t afford to make rice dumplings. After all, they couldn’t even afford to eat enough rice, let alone have extra money to buy glutinous rice and fillings.

Of course, the Huo family didn’t lack these things. In this era, workers were the most popular. The salary aside, in fact, they didn’t need much money to live. The factory had a canteen, housing, medical care, and electricity, which didn’t require them to spend their own money. Also, the children only needed to pay for textbooks to go to school.

Therefore, most of the monthly wages and vouchers could be saved. Many families had only one worker but had four or five children to raise. Except for the slightly crowded housing, they were not hungry in other aspects.

Moreover, the Huo family had been farmers for several generations. Huo’s grandfather was a soldier, and Huo’s parents were both workers. So, their family background was healthy for several generations.

Therefore, although they were still in turmoil, this cultural revolution did not affect them.

…

Sure enough, there were not many people when Huo Xingchao arrived at school. The college entrance examination had been canceled for several years, and basically, they recommended workers, peasants, and soldiers to universities.

During the Cultural Revolution, there were many political activities in schools. Compared with the teaching time, the teachers spent less time teaching the knowledge in the textbooks.

Anyway, compared to later generations, the current school definitely did not have such strict management systems.

Huo Xingchao opened the rice dumpling and put his bag in his seat. When he bit into the red bean paste filling, he frowned. He thought he had taken a meat-filled dumpling, but it turned out to be sweet. It was a mistake.

But now food was precious, and although he didn’t like sweet things, he still ate it cleanly. Then he threw the dumpling wrapped in leaves into the garbage box with a crisp sound.

A girl with a twisted braid in the front seat couldn’t help but turn back to look. When she met Huo Xingchao’s gaze, she quickly turned back. Her ears turned red.

Although it was early now, there were still some people who had arrived earlier than him. For example, the girl in front of him was a study enthusiast who came to school early every day to read. After discovering that Huo Xingchao wasn’t taking notes, she even wrote an extra copy for him every day.

It must be said that if Huo Xingchao didn’t grow up, based on his appearance alone, he might have been a likable little boy forever.

It’s just a pity that supporting characters who are too good-looking in novels usually end up going astray.

Especially those who are on the opposing side of the protagonist.

When Huo Xingchao leisurely finished eating the three rice dumplings in his hand, he found that he had almost finished one-third of the math book.

Actually, he came so early today with the intention of studying hard.

But now he suddenly realizes that the 8th grade math textbook that the old version of him thought was as difficult as reaching the heavens is actually so simple.

So he spends the whole morning sorting out all his books, reading slowly. He no longer looks like the helpless little white face in the hearts of his male classmates in the same class.

Even during the break between classes, when the homeroom teacher found this troublesome student sitting quietly in his seat reading a book, he walked over with interest to observe him.

“Why are you reading the 7th grade Chinese language textbook?”

The troublesome student, Huo Xingchao, lifted his head and replied earnestly, “Teacher, one can skip a meal or a night’s sleep, but one cannot skip reading books. These days, I have deeply experienced the truth of Chairman Mao’s words. From today on, I cannot waste my life anymore. I want to study hard and contribute to the construction of the country!”

…

The surrounding students’ eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The homeroom teacher patted his shoulder with satisfaction and said a lot of positive and uplifting words.

In the end, he concluded, “You must have enthusiasm, and never speak falsely. Since you have made up your mind, you must stick to it. The key to success is being serious!”

After the teacher left, the girl in front of him turned around and handed him her notes. Although her cheeks were still blushing, her eyes were very serious and full of joy.

“Huo Xingchao, you have such determination. This is my previous notes. If you don’t mind, you can take a look.”

Huo Xingchao flipped through it.

In an era when there were so many political activities in this school, this girl could still write such serious notes.

She was indeed diligent and loves studying.

So he nodded and sincerely thanked her.

Although he felt that he actually didn’t really need these notes.

…

Huo Xingchao spent a good morning studying and making progress at school.

At noon, when he went to have lunch, he didn’t eat in the school cafeteria because his home was nearby and his mother said she would cook chicken for lunch.

Moreover, he didn’t bring his own lunch.

The school cafeteria, which was said to be a cafeteria, was actually just a place to steam rice. Most students didn’t buy food or vegetables in the cafeteria.

Basically, students who lived far from school would bring rice and some dried vegetables before coming to school every week. They would take their lunch boxes to the cafeteria to steam rice and eat before the first class ended at noon.

As for students like Huo Xingchao who lived in the city and had better family conditions, they would go home for lunch.

Sometimes, the school didn’t even have classes in the afternoon.

They would carry out political activities or have students help with some work, as Chairman Mao said, “Cultivate morality and refine the mind while strengthening the physique through wilderness training.”

…

When Huo Xingchao returned home, he immediately smelled the fragrance of chicken as soon as he opened the door.

Perhaps due to an automatic physical reaction, he raised his eyebrows and thought of the taste of meat.

But halfway there, his steps came to a sudden halt.

There was no living room in the house. Besides the bedroom, there was only the kitchen, and the dining table in the kitchen was used to entertain guests.

At this moment, his mother was busy at the stove, his father was not at home, and an old woman in her fifties sat beside the dining table holding a cup of tea to warm her hands.

As soon as she saw him, she smiled and said cheerfully, “Xingchao is back.”

Huo Xingchao paused and showed a polite smile, “Grandma Jiang.”

Yes, this old woman was Jiang Xiaxia’s grandmother.

She made the decision to keep the cause of Hé’s father’s death a secret and later volunteered to become the head of the Jiang family and adopt He Nian and his brother.

“Ah.”

Grandma Jiang responded with a pleasant expression and took out a few candies from her pocket, handing them to him.

“Here, Xingchao, have some candy.”

……

Huo Xingchao felt like a fourteen-year-old big boy and thought it was very embarrassing to eat candy like a child.

— Of course, this was purely his own quirky idea.

But out of politeness, he still took it.

The boy looked at the milk candies in his hand, raised his head, and asked seriously, “Grandma Jiang, isn’t this the candy that my mom said was for Nian Nian last time? Did you forget to bring it to her?”

…

Grandma Jiang didn’t know how to respond for a moment and her expression became awkward.

Last time, Mother Huo gave her a bag of candy, saying it was for their children to taste, but this neatly packaged bag was clearly meant for the two siblings, He Nian and He Yi.

But such a big bag, the two children couldn’t possibly finish it.

And children have no self-control when it comes to eating candy. Grandma Jiang was afraid that they would ruin their teeth, so she simply kept it and gave the children one candy every few days.

But it seemed like He Nian didn’t like candy very much. It was Xia Xia who kept clamoring to eat it, and most of the bag of candy ended up in the mouths of the Jiang children.

Now that Huo Xingchao mentioned it, she didn’t know how to explain it.

Thankfully, Mother Huo gave her second son a stern look.

“What are you talking about? These kinds of candy are everywhere in the supply and marketing cooperatives. How can they all be from me? The candy I gave to your little sister Nian Nian last time was from ages ago. You, you lazy boy, don’t study hard and just daydream all day.”

“The child has a good memory and is smart.”

Grandma Jiang quickly stepped in to smooth things over, taking out a bulging bag of something from her pocket.

“We don’t have anything good in the mountains, these are freshly dried mushrooms. Nian Nian likes to eat them, and I thought you city folks have less access to wild food, so I brought some over for you.”

Mother Huo wiped her hands on her apron, took it over with a smile, and said, “We also love to eat these mushrooms, Xingchao too.”

“Hehehe, as long as you don’t mind.”

Mother Huo served the last bowl of chicken soup to the table.

“Come on, the chicken soup is ready too. Zhong Gang won’t be back for dinner today, so it’s just the three of us.”

Grandma Jiang looked at the dishes on the table.

Just the three of them.

There were meat dishes and vegetarian dishes, and soup.

Half of the chicken was stewed in soup, and the other half was stir-fried. The oil and seasoning were added generously, and the aroma wafted into the nose.

When she arrived earlier, Mother Huo was already boiling chicken soup, which showed that she didn’t make the meat dish just to entertain guests.

Moreover, she didn’t hesitate to use seasoning and put enough oil to fry two dishes. Looking at the way the Huo’s second son treated the candies that were cherished by the other children in the family, it was clear that they were different from the others.

It really makes one sigh that life in the city is really different, and the Huo family is particularly different. Both the husband and wife are dual employees, and the grandfather is a retired soldier who receives a monthly allowance.

With just the two children, they can live a prosperous life.

Therefore, when He Nian’s parents passed away, Grandfather Huo and Father and Mother Huo came to offer condolences. When the Jiang family learned that He Nian’s fiancé was Huo Chenyang, they felt that although her parents were gone, she had such an unmarried fiancé and her future was assured.

Sure enough, in the following years, whenever Grandma Jiang went to the city, she would bring back a lot of things, including money, ration coupons, industrial coupons, malted milk, and fine cotton fabrics that were hard to find in the countryside.

So many years have passed, and at first, they only raised the two children of the He family out of guilt and a sense of responsibility. They originally thought it would be a considerable burden, but later they realized that the two children couldn’t eat as much as what the Huo family provided.

It wasn’t as precious as what the Huo family gave them.

Thinking about it this way, they became even better towards He Nian and He Yi, treating them just like their own children.

But kindness paid for by self-interest will eventually turn into evil. From the beginning of the concealment to the later use of what the Huo family gave to He Nian and He Yi without guilt, it can be seen that their guilt and sense of responsibility may not be as pure as they portrayed.

……

When Grandma Jiang left, Mother Huo gave her a big bag of things. Some were specifically for her, while others were to be given to her eldest son and the two siblings, He Nian and He Yi.

Grandma Jiang received the bag with a smile. Huo Xingchao knew she would take good care of the one for Hu Chenyang, but as for He Nian and the others, it was hard to say.

Watching the smile in Grandma Jiang’s eyes as she left, Huo Xingchao snickered inwardly. He took two steps forward and took out a pen.

“Grandma Jiang, could you help me give this to He Nian and tell her it’s my graduation gift to her?”

He Nian was in fifth grade and was about to graduate from elementary school. The reason was reasonable enough.

Grandma Jiang smiled and accepted it. “Okay, I’ll remember.”

“Grandma Jiang, you must give it to He Nian.”

Huo Xingchao emphasized again, “This is my gift to He Nian. As for the one for Jiang Xiaxia, I’ll prepare it later. I’ll trouble you to bring it to her next time.”

Grandma Jiang didn’t know why he suddenly mentioned Xiaxia, but she nodded her head. “Xingchao, don’t worry. Grandma will give it to Nian Nian.”

“That’s right.”

Mother Huo also scolded him with a smile. “Your things from the last time, weren’t they brought by Grandma Jiang.”

“But last time when Xiaxia came over to play, she brought the picture book I gave to He Nian.”

Huo Xingchao frowned, looking like a worried little boy. “She said I gave it to her, and I thought Grandma Jiang had forgotten, so I mentioned it a few more times. Grandma Jiang, please remember this time. This pen is expensive.”