Chapter 440: Chapter 413: Black, Let’s Have Some Lamb Skewers! Chapter 440: Chapter 413: Black, Let’s Have Some Lamb Skewers! The sheriff’s case had caused quite a stir, and Jiao Yuan even made a special call to inquire about it. Fortunately, as the end of the year approached, the students were busy preparing for their final exams, buying souvenirs, and scrambling for tickets to return home, so there were far fewer people blocking the sheriff. However, the sheriff was no longer as free to roam around the campus as before. Whenever he appeared, someone would immediately chase after him.

The students chased, and the sheriff ran, so now Zheng Tan seldom saw the sheriff freely strolling around campus. He could only hide in the courtyard to play with Ah Huang or communicate with the two dogs in the small flower bed.

This was the downside of fame. No benefits were gained, only a bunch of troubles. Seeing the sheriff’s plight, Zheng Tan felt fortunate to have always taken a low-profile path, and Jin hadn’t revealed himself either.

After Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Jiao family was counting the days, waiting for Jiao Yuan to return.

This was Jiao Yuan’s first time being away from home for so long, six months. He had barely managed to finally return, but then he told the Jiao family over a phone call that he might be delayed. He was helping out in his advisor’s lab on the other side, and a project was currently in progress with no one leaving. Even though he was just a freshman, it wouldn’t look good if he just left, as other students in the group might take it the wrong way even if they said nothing.

Mr. Jiao could understand this, as it was the same with his students. Now, as the undergraduates were leaving one by one, some graduate students still had unfinished work and wanted more hands to help. This situation could indeed deepen Jiao Yuan’s relationships with his senior lab mates, which would also be networking for the future. It would also create a better impression of him in the advisor’s mind, which could be beneficial for either going abroad or pursuing graduate studies in the future.

Understanding was one thing, but Jiao Ma still felt uneasy and continued to look forward to the days ahead.

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, when Chuhua University had quieted down, Jiao Yuan finally returned, and Mr. Jiao drove to the station to pick him up.

Having been away from home for six months, Jiao Yuan had changed a lot. Previously, he could only be considered a student, possessing the innocence and brashness of youth. But now, he seemed much more mature in his speech and actions. Being away from his parents indeed accelerated a person’s growth.

What annoyed Zheng Tan was that everyone liked to pick him up and weigh him upon their return. Protests were futile.

Although he returned late, it was still good to have a reunion year. Jiao Yuan said that some of his lab mates in Beijing would have to stay behind for Chinese New Year. The experiments were at a critical stage; they couldn’t leave and couldn’t go home, spending all day racing against time. Many were researching hot topics that other countries were also studying. If you were a step slower, your efforts might seem meaningless to some, regardless of how much time, money, and effort, as well as the sacrifices you made.

Such scenarios were particularly tough, affairs like these weren’t uncommon in the field, as Zheng Tan had heard several times.

Once the New Year arrived and everyone was back, Jiao Yuan and his few friends gathered again and arranged to bring Zheng Tan to “Triumph” to swipe their cat cards. The four from the courtyard plus Fu Lei, the five of them chatted, speculated, drank, and played at “Triumph” for a night, with Zheng Tan listening to their tales of their grueling university lives on the side.

Probably, among the five, Xiong Xiong was the most laid-back. Jiao Yuan, Su An, and Lan Tianzhu were always busy. Besides class hours, they had to stay in the lab and couldn’t easily sneak away because their advisors were in frequent contact with their fathers. If caught slacking off, it wasn’t just troublesome for them, but also embarrassing for their fathers.

Others thought they had connections and didn’t need to worry, but they didn’t realize the pressure they faced. While others played, they had to assist in the lab; while others flirted, they stood speechless next to their experimental subjects; while others went home, they had to stay in the lab to help their senior lab mates. Who was luckier, and who was more miserable?

As for Fu Lei, he was working part-time. His family wasn’t well-off, having spent a lot on high school already and finding it tough to afford college. Since he didn’t have many classes and could boldly skip some, he would go out to look for part-time jobs and internships to alleviate some financial burden, hoping to find a foothold as soon as possible after graduating since his father had no connections to tap on, leaving him to rely on himself.

Zheng Tan listened and sighed deeply. How come when he was in university, he didn’t feel anything, but now he suddenly felt these five guys had matured so quickly?

“I suddenly feel like I was so awesome in high school, knowing astronomy and geography. After half a year in university, I’ve forgotten a lot of stuff. By the time I graduate, I will probably forget all the non-major related knowledge.” Fu Lei, who had tutored during his freshman year, reflected.

Jiao Yuan said, “Exactly, I often get asked, ‘You’re a student from a prestigious university, how can you not know middle school and high school knowledge?’ But now I only focus on my major-related subjects, and my impression of other subjects has faded.”

The other three nodded in agreement.

“Actually, it’s mostly like this; there’s nothing strange about it,” Su An said.

Xiong Xiong chuckled: “A cat once said, ‘The more you learn, the more you know; the more you know, the more you forget; the more you forget, the less you know; so why study?'”
“Haha!”

“Hey, Xiong Xiong, do you remember back in middle school, there was a teacher who wrote a comment at the end of your Chinese test paper?” Lan Tianzhu smilingly asked.