The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 1045 - 1014: Read More, Be Cultured

Chapter 1045: Chapter 1014: Read More, Be Cultured

Jiang Lifang, notorious for her bad temper, was displeased, refusing to listen and even starting to argue back.

"Always with the excuses," Jiang Lifang said, "Alright, better rest up now, you’re not young anymore, shouldn’t be emulating those who stay up late."

"Hehe," Huo Zhekun chuckled, "Getting old, and it’s hard not to acknowledge it. I find I need less sleep than before, going to bed late helps me avoid waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep."

"I don’t care, I’m really sleepy, I’m going to bed." Jiang Lifang lay down on her side, as long as the old man wasn’t in the study, she didn’t bother about it.

Soon, Huo Zhekun heard the faint sound of Jiang Lifang’s snoring and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Hehe, indeed, when you think too much, sleep doesn’t come easy.

His wife was usually busy with work and by the time she came home, she was somewhat tired, diligently and earnestly working without too much fuss, which meant fewer troubles and better sleep.

Huo Zhekun kissed his wife on the ear and then turned off the light to sleep.

Huo Zhekun remained as busy as ever, especially with the recent national swimming championship being held in Nan City. It was a matter of political achievements, and he took it very seriously.

Jiang Lifang had reached the age of retirement, so she only needed to work three days a week.

To be able to watch the competition, Jiang Lifang went to work today so that she wouldn’t have to go tomorrow during the race.

Grandma Wang was resting at home while Huo Yingjie took the three kids out for a stroll, enjoying the most authentic duck blood soup noodles and salted duck, the southern styled roast duck.

The father and sons had a great time and had completely forgotten about He Tiantian, who was preparing for the competition.

Maybe because He Tiantian was quite relaxed, she had a great day overall. In the evening, she even pulled out a foreign novel translated into Chinese, "Gone with the Wind," from her bag and read it seriously.

"Sister He, what book are you reading?" Xie Feifei asked. Having focused on swimming since childhood, her academic performance wasn’t great, nor did she have an interest in such books.

"A foreign novel, ’Gone with the Wind,’" He Tiantian smiled, "I find it quite interesting, so I brought it to read. By the way, what were you all huddling around and discussing outside just now?"

Facing Xie Feifei’s enthusiasm, He Tiantian couldn’t remain distant for long, not wanting to cause the proud Xie Feifei to overthink.

"We were discussing the order of tomorrow’s competition," Xie Feifei said, "I’m not in the same heat as you, luckily, otherwise I’d really worry about my performance."

"Hehe, you’re very talented," He Tiantian realistically replied, "Keep trying."

"Yeah, you too," Xie Feifei said. She pondered for a moment and couldn’t help but ask, "Sister He, from your attire and behavior, you really don’t need to train so hard in swimming."

"Hehe," He Tiantian chuckled, "It’s just because I enjoy it."

"Just because you enjoy it?" Xie Feifei asked, "Not for the glory or the medals?"

Glory and medals, the dreams of every athlete.

"Like you said, I don’t need it. If it weren’t for enjoyment, why would I be willing to come here for such rigorous training and competition?" He Tiantian responded, seeing no need to lie about Xie Feifei’s question.

"So true," Xie Feifei giggled, "Sister He, you’re really fortunate, doing what you love for the sake of enjoyment. Not like me, doing it for medals, glory, hoping for a better job assignment in the future."

Xie Feifei spoke bluntly, nodding her head, "That’s good too; you are working hard for your future."

"Sister He, sometimes I am very confused, I come from an ordinary family in Yanjing, and I’m not good at studying either. Fortunately, I have some talent, which gives me an extra path than others," Xie Feifei said, "As I gradually grew up, I started to understand. We can’t choose our family, but we can choose to strive, to broaden our possibilities."

"You are a clear-headed girl," He Tiantian smiled, "With your efforts, you can achieve your goals."

"Thank you, Sister He," Xie Feifei said, "When free, I should also read more books. I can’t be uneducated."

"Hmm, reading more books is always beneficial," He Tiantian smiled, "I have a book in my bag, would you like to see it?"

"What book is it?" Xie Feifei asked, perking up upon hearing that He Tiantian had a book, "Since I’m free now, I might as well read."

He Tiantian took it out of her bag and said, "This is a martial arts novel, though it’s in traditional characters. You can recognize simplified characters, so you should be able to make out the traditional ones."

"Oh, okay, I’ll take a look," Xie Feifei nodded and took the book.

She found it difficult at first, but the more she read, the more interesting it became.

By nine o’clock, He Tiantian went to wash up, change clothes, and get ready for bed.

"Aren’t you going to sleep?" He Tiantian asked as she saw Xie Feifei still reading, reminding her, "We have a competition tomorrow, and poor rest could affect tomorrow’s performance."

"Sister He, I’ll read a little longer," Xie Feifei said, "This book is so interesting. I really like it. The heroes act bravely and righteously, and the women are spirited and resolute."

Seeing this, He Tiantian came forward, snatched the martial arts novel from Xie Feifei’s hands, and said, "The competition is tomorrow; you need to rest well. Had I known you liked it so much, I wouldn’t have shown it to you. At the very least, I should have waited until after the competition."

Upon hearing this, Xie Feifei also remembered the upcoming competition and nodded, "Sister He, just keep the book there, I will read it after the competition tomorrow. After nine o’clock, I will rest properly."

Once Xie Feifei had washed up, they each rested, preparing for tomorrow’s competition.

Early the next morning, He Tiantian and Xie Feifei were all set, ready for the competition to start.

Huo Yingjie found the gear He Tiantian used in Yanjing for competitions, tying red martial arts headbands on the three children, embroidered with the words ’Certain Victory’ and ’Champion’.

Megaphones, clapping hands, and the like were all ready.

Jiang Lifang and Grandma Wang also accompanied them, having obtained well-located tickets arranged beforehand by Secretary Guo.

Huo Yingjie and his group made their way majestically to the stadium.

As an all-capable secretary, Secretary Guo had also found the schedule for all He Tiantian’s competitions, making it convenient for Huo Yingjie and the children to attend.

The swimming competition was hosted by Su Province Nan City. The mayor of Nan City spoke first, followed by the governor, demonstrating Su Province government’s commitment to sports.

"Grandma, that’s grandpa," Huo Ruimin pointed to Huo Zhekun, who was speaking, and said loudly.

"Hehe, yes, your grandfather is working," Jiang Lifang chuckled, "We are outdoors, and it’s a bit noisy. Let’s not talk so loudly and save our energy to cheer for your mom later."

"Mmm, yes, I want to cheer for mom," Huo Ruimin said earnestly, anxiously waiting for the competition to start.