Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Qi Tongwei finally returned to Handong and Jingzhou.

As soon as he stepped off the platform, Qi Tongwei immediately felt the difference between Handong and Bianxi.

Compared to the dry cold of the west, Jingzhou is damp and cold, seemingly carrying the chill of the ancient capital of six dynasties.

The climate is different, not to mention the economy.

The economy of Handong ranks among the top in the country, far surpassing that of the western border regions.

They walked in silence. After leaving Jingzhou Railway Station, Qi Tongwei headed straight for the Little Red Building.

When he arrived at his front door, Qi Tongwei was about to take out his keys to open it.

But the thought of "a daughter should avoid her father when she grows up" made him put away his key and gently knock on the door.

"Xiaoqin, Xiaofeng... This is Qi Tongwei. Are you home...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps immediately echoed inside the room.

Suddenly, the door was flung open, and a fiery red figure rushed into his arms.

Qi Tongwei's heart tightened, and he glanced at it subconsciously. As he expected, it was Gao Xiaoqin.

Gao Xiaoqin has grown taller and more stylish, exuding a youthful charm.

Her face was flushed, and she pressed herself against Qi Tongwei's chest, choking back tears as she spoke.

"Brother Qi! You're finally back... I've missed you so much..."

Qi Tongwei put down what he was holding, put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her away, saying with a smile.

"You won't even let me in... Are you planning to make Brother Qi stand in the hallway all night..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaoqin immediately pulled Qi Tongwei into the house.

Gao Xiaofeng carried the things into the house and turned to close the door.

Upon seeing Qi Tongwei, Gao Xiaoqin was very excited and kept asking questions.

Gao Xiaofeng quietly went into the kitchen and cooked a bowl of noodles for Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei ate his noodles while sizing up the two of them.

The Gao sisters have changed a lot since I last saw them a year ago.

The two were no longer the fisherwomen from the island in the middle of the lake; their eyes and brows now held a touch of the charming beauty of girls from Jingzhou.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, Qi Tongwei asked with a smile.

"How are things? You two have been living alone for a year while I was away. Are you getting used to it?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaoqin blinked and spoke softly.

"I'm not having any trouble adjusting. Life is so much better now than before..."

Also, although Principal Sun has been transferred, he still comes to visit us occasionally...

We're doing fine in Jingzhou, don't worry...

Seeing that her sister spoke so casually, Gao Xiaofeng didn't say anything, but just nodded silently.

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Children from poor families really do mature early."

He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the two of them, and then asked again.

"How are your studies? How are they going... I was quite angry when I read your letter last time..."

Gao Xiaofeng blushed, pursed her lips, and said softly.

"I...I don't not want to study, I'm just afraid of getting bad grades and letting you down..."

She paused slightly, glanced at Qi Tongwei, and continued.

"Ever since you wrote to us last time, we've both been working really hard, studying until very late every day..."

The grades have stabilized now... it's just that they just can't seem to improve...

She's only ranked in the middle to upper range of the class... Xiaoqin is a bit better; she's been in the top ten twice..."

Qi Tongwei looked at the two increasingly mature women, frowned slightly, and said softly.

"Your grades don't necessarily have to be outstanding... As long as you can keep up with the pace and get into university, that's enough..."

Hearing Qi Tongwei say this, the two women exchanged a glance, and their faces lit up with joy.

Gao Xiaoqin glanced at Qi Tongwei, her face slightly flushed, and said softly.

"Don't worry...the teacher said that with our grades, we have a very good chance of getting into university..."

She paused slightly, glanced at Qi Tongwei again, and added softly.

"I heard from Principal Sun that you, Brother Qi, are a college student...you're educated...I will work hard..."

Qi Tongwei understood the emotions in Gao Xiaoqin's eyes and couldn't help but frown slightly.

He suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth, and after a long silence, he slowly spoke.

"Going to university would be great... University is free now, and schools offer scholarships and subsidies..."

Once you get to university, you can live in dorms...and make even more friends..."

Gao Xiaoqin was taken aback upon hearing this, and immediately looked up at Qi Tongwei, frowning as she asked.

"Brother Qi, is there something we did wrong...? Are you abandoning us...?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei sighed and replied with a wry smile.

"What do you mean by 'want' or 'don't want'... You're a senior in high school, what kind of talk is that..."

Xiaoqin, Xiaofeng, you must remember that you are independent individuals...

You are not anyone's possession; you should have your own lives...

Upon hearing this, Gao Xiaofeng was about to speak when Gao Xiaoqin spoke first.

"Brother Qi, I understand... You must be tired, you should rest first... We can talk about it tomorrow..."

After saying that, she ignored Qi Tongwei and pulled Gao Xiaofeng into the bedroom.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Qi Tongwei sighed and muttered something under his breath.

"What a tragic fate..."

......

Qi Tongwei's trip back to Handong was very rushed, and he was destined not to stay long.

The next day, he began to pay New Year's greetings to his relatives and friends in Handong one by one, the first being Gao Yuliang.

Perhaps because he had grown accustomed to the winds blowing from the west, Qi Tongwei had become much more open-minded.

When she faced Gao Yuliang again, she felt much less conflicted.

He no longer cared about the grudges and grievances from his past life.

In his eyes, Gao Yuliang was no longer a guide, but simply a teacher.

It was his duty to wish his teacher a Happy New Year.

Gao Yuliang was surprised to see Qi Tongwei arrive, and immediately greeted him with a smile.

After a conversation, Gao Yuliang was quite surprised to learn that Qi Tongwei had already taken charge of a county.

Surprised, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, realizing he had truly misjudged the situation.

A county party secretary who is 27 years old is extremely rare, even in the whole of Handong and the whole country.

After a moment's hesitation, Gao Yuliang put down his teacup and slowly began to speak.

"Tongwei, it's not easy for you to come back... I'll organize a get-together..."

Let the old classmates from Hanzhong University get together... so that you can have someone to look after you when you go back to Handong in the future...

Qi Tongwei glanced at Gao Yuliang and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

History, as expected, cannot be changed; the Han University clique still emerged...

While thinking to himself, Qi Tongwei didn't stop talking and immediately spoke up.

"Teacher Gao, my return is very rushed... In principle, I have a month's vacation..."

But Fuyuan's workload is too heavy; this year they're launching a thermal power plant and also building a water diversion canal...

Time may not allow it...

Seeing Gao Yuliang's displeasure, Qi Tongwei quickly added another sentence.

"If I have the time, I'll definitely attend... I miss my old classmates too..."

Seeing Qi Tongwei say this, Gao Yuliang nodded and didn't say anything more.

Qi Tongwei stayed at Gao Yuliang's house for about half an hour before taking his leave.

After leaving Gao Yuliang's house, Qi Tongwei went straight to the Guangming Middle School staff quarters without stopping.

He was going to visit Sun Liancheng, the former head of the Universe District and now the director of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System.

Sun Liancheng was very surprised to see Qi Tongwei, and he smiled and welcomed him into the house.

"The county party secretary personally came to pay New Year's greetings... You really do care about the people's feelings..."

Qi Tongwei didn't stand on ceremony with him, laughing as he punched him lightly and said in a low voice.

"Having only been at the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System for six months, he's become quite glib..."

Looks like you've been eating a lot of oily food with that mouth of yours...

Sun Liancheng quickly straightened his posture and said.

"Hey, other jokes are fine... but this one is a no-go..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qi Tongwei interrupted him with a smile.

"Your sister-in-law isn't home again? And you're all alone?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Liancheng nodded and replied with a smile.

"That's right, she took the kids back to her parents' house... and now I'm all alone again..."

Seeing Qi Tongwei's strange expression, he immediately understood and said in a deep voice.

"Want a bite?"

Qi Tongwei waved the bag in his hand and said with a smile.

"Bianxi beef...and Bianxi's local liquor...let's drink until we drop tonight..."

Sun Liancheng's eyes lit up, and he put his arm around Qi Tongwei's shoulder, saying with a smile.

"Even if you're drunk, you're not allowed to come home... You're sleeping at home tonight, so you can keep me company..."