After a joyous and lively banquet ended at the Zhong Estate, it was time once again for the earliest parting of the year, despite the lingering spring chill and the heavy fragrance of winter's cold blooms.
Zhong Shu, Zhong Shi, Zhong Jiu, and Zhong Hua were leaving home to study in Beijing. Hu Changhong’s eldest son, Hu Yu, was also going to attend university in Beijing, so as in previous years, he traveled together with the four Zhong daughters. Meanwhile, Hu Changhong's second son, Hu Jue, insisted on taking the train to Shanghai alone to start his university life. His reasoning was that traveling by oneself offered freedom from restraint while helping to build independence.
Zhong Ziheng first coordinated flight arrival times with his second maternal great-aunt Tang Jiqian and her husband in Beijing, then dispatched Zhao Xing, Qi Liang, Tao Fei, and Qiuting to escort the young people all the way there.
Chapter 121