(The storyline is completely fictional, the official must not sit in the right seat, if there is any similarity, it is purely a coincidence)

In Oxford, on New High Street, also known as Shark House Street, Harry opens the postman's green wooden door and enters his home.

He first took out a book from the large coffee-colored rucksack and put it on the large linen-colored sofa in the living room, and there were two books on the sofa: "How to Fall in Love with a Woman" and "How to Fall in Love with a Chinese Woman". It's just that their serious and delicate binding, paired with these two highly technical titles, produce a little indescribable sense of humor, after all, this is not the same thing as how to raise flowers and fish.

Living so scientifically and rigorously, even having to read a guide book when falling in love, this is not a joke made of nonsense, nor is it Harry alone, there are many British people like Harry, they live like this, serious and interesting, and a little funny.

Putting down his bag and books, Harry went to the kitchen to make a cup of black tea, brought it over, and put it on the coffee-colored plain wood coffee table, and then the whole person lazily collapsed on the sofa, he picked up the two books, one pressed against his belly, and the other in his hand and looked at it......

At this time, Jing Hao was sitting at her desk in her small room, her laptop was open, and she was sorting out some materials to prepare for doctoral applications from the two schools. She read Harry's email carefully, reading line by line his advice, especially on choosing a major. She felt it made sense.

Jing Hao replied to an email to Harry, thanking him and asking what he could do in the future after completing his PhD. Harry replied to an email, but it was very general.

The next day, Harry and Jing Hao met in the office, and Harry answered Jing Hao's questions in the email in detail: "There are many jobs that can be engaged in majors such as East Asian politics and economy, such as continuing to engage in journalism, you can develop from purely reporting events to dabbling in commenting on some events and phenomena; In addition, a PhD in the UK is not easy to obtain, it is more difficult, and this major will have a lot of Chinese reading in the future, which is quite difficult for non-native Chinese speakers, but it may give you a little more confidence. ”

After discussing the doctoral application, the roles of the two seemed to have changed all at once. Harry found a few Tang poems, all of which were written by Wang Wei: "Luchai", "Acacia" and "Bamboo Pavilion", and began to discuss with Jinghao. Jing Hao praised Harry's Chinese skills getting better and better.

As soon as he complimented him, Harry blinked with joy, like a simple child. He was a little embarrassed to be complimented so badly that he winked and smiled.

After chatting about Wang Wei's "Luchai", "Acacia" and "Bamboo Pavilion", Harry told Jing Hao that he had received an invitation to attend a meeting at an academic institution in Wales in the northwest of England, and hoped that Jing Hao could go with him to be his assistant, and the school would pay for it, and this time Harry helped her apply for twice as much subsidy as last time: £100. The other two can stop by Caernarfon Castle, the most famous castle in Wales, which is also part of the arrangement of the academic institution.

Jing Hao knew that the school gave a subsidy of 100 pounds, which was probably not so easy to apply, and Harry must have made a special explanation. She was grateful for this hard work and kindness, and she had always wanted to visit Wales, and she had long admired the name of Caernarfon Castle, but for various reasons she had not been able to make the trip, so she gladly agreed to go and help him do some auxiliary work within his ability.

The two went to Wales, and quietly and conscientiously carried bags, distributed materials, and brought water for Harry, and the academic institution arranged two rooms for them to stay, which was a very quaint little hotel, like a small castle. After the academic activities, the two went to Caernarfon Castle on the way, but it was not as amazing as they imagined.

On his way back to Oxford from Wales, he would pass through the town where Harry's mother's house was located, and Harry said to Jing Jing in advance: "I would like to stop by to visit my mother, and I would like to invite you to see my hometown, is that okay?" ”

Jing Hao said, "Okay, thank you." ”

Harry then made an appointment with his mother on the phone, saying that "after all the work and itinerary is done, I will stop by with one of my friends, 'It's Good'".

In fact, Harry wanted to take the opportunity to see the scenery of the border between Wales and England - his hometown is full of idyllic tranquility, with green fields, grass-roofed houses, more sheep than people, and thunderstorms, and rainbows after the rain several times a day. Again, he also wanted his mother to see Jinghao. This way of meeting is not a special visit, it is much more natural, and everyone will be more relaxed.

Jing Hao probably guessed in her heart that Harry wanted to take the opportunity to get to know him better, and she felt quite warm and happy.

Harry has probably been a university teacher for too long, and has a habit of doing things early rather than late, of course, it is good to be calm, but sometimes he is "exaggerated early". When Jing Hao and Harry visited Harry's mother, Harry was more than ten minutes ahead of each link, but the two actually went almost an hour earlier than the agreed time, and Harry's mother was not waiting for them at home.

Harry called, and it turned out that his mother was having a party at the house of an old friend in a nearby town.

And Harry's mother knew they had arrived, and she was not in a hurry. The old lady was slow and fast, and then drove a red car home far away. The little red dot approached into the white cobblestone front yard.

The local weather was a little cold, so Harry and Jing Hao sat in the courtyard, waited for twenty or thirty minutes, and took Jing Hao around to see the scenery. The cold wind was blowing, and I didn't wear too much, and I was tired from the journey, so I was frozen and cold.

When Harry's mother returned, Harry gave the two a brief introduction to each other, and Jing Hao couldn't help it, tilted his head, and sneezed a string of sneezes on the side.

Harry's mother didn't seem to care, and only asked blandly, "It's a little cooler here, are you catching a cold?" ”

Jing Hao quickly replied: "It's okay, it may be a little cold." ”

Jing Hao thought that Harry's mother would apologize for coming back late, but she didn't want to hear her say, "Harry, you came too early, probably because the wind was strong, and she caught a cold!" When you go out, you should be a little prepared, and you need to bring a few extra clothes with you......"

Inside, Harry's mother went to work in the kitchen, and Harry took a quiet tour of the large compound - a total of three floors, a large back garden.

"There are a lot of rooms, most of the time my sister's family comes to stay with my mother, and they go back to their house on the weekends, but recently my mother is alone, and they don't come here," Harry said. ”

After taking Jing around, Harry led Jing Hao to the kitchen to help his mother.

Harry's mother boiled broccoli, carrots and a tiny cabbage-like vegetable — Brussels sprouts, which the locals called "Brussels sprouts" (Brussels sprouts) (Brussels sprouts) in three large discs. In addition, Harry's mother roasted a piece of beef in the oven, prepared a cranberry cheesecake the size of a pizza at least 9 inches in advance in the refrigerator, and took out the home-brewed cider to treat Jing Hao and Harry. It seems that Harry's mother also prepared in advance.

It's just that when the three of them were eating, Harry's mother didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about Jing Hao, and only asked Jing Hao's name and which country Jing Hao came from, and none of the others cared, nor did she ask how long Harry and Jing Hao had known each other, and what major Jing Hao studied, which would definitely be talked about in Jing Hao's opinion.

Before, Jing Hao had even thought about the details of the conversation in her heart several times, and had practiced silently a few times. Now they didn't say a word, she felt a little surprised, as if she had been treated coldly, a little unpleasant, but she always smiled on her face and made a polite and decent appearance.

Harry sensed the unhappiness of the quiet. On the train back to Oxford, Harry explained to Jing Hao: The elderly in England are very independent, and generally do not revolve around their children's lives, nor do they change their schedules for children's affairs. Harry's father died very early, and his mother had been living alone for many years, probably because she had been living independently for a long time, and her mother seemed more independent than other old people. She has some regular habits of her own every day, so she doesn't wait at home early because someone is coming......

Jing Hao said: "Yes, I understand all of this, I also have other British friends, I know, they all pay more attention to personal space, it doesn't matter." ”

Jing Hao was thinking in her heart: However, after all, this is not a stranger or an ordinary friend who is coming, it is a son! Are you all in this habit? When my son comes home, he also comes to visit with his friends? After making an appointment in advance, are you still stuck on time to go home?

Harry seemed to see through Jing's thoughts, and said a little embarrassedly, "Well——, to be honest, most people don't actually wait for us at home some time early like my mom. If my mother went to Oxford to look for me, I would wait for her at home in advance. Today my mom may not have planned her time. ”

Jing Hao said: "Oh, we Chinese family reunion, very lively, very important, you are not the same as us Chinese." ”

"Well——, what do I say, I guess, the main thing is that my mother probably doesn't think I'm coming back for anything special, but I do come back eight times out of ten times a year, and she often goes to Oxford for a few days." I often come back for my vacations, and the air is good. ”

Jing Hao said: "Then, did I come with you suddenly and disturb your mother, otherwise she wouldn't have talked to me alone, and she wouldn't even be interested in asking what major I studied and why I went to academic activities with you." ”

Harry explained: "Hehe, it doesn't bother her, but she's more independent and respectful of other people's personal space, especially when they meet for the first time. So, maybe your mother deliberately suppressed her curiosity and didn't ask much about you. But I can assure you that my mother must be very interested in you......"

Jinghao nodded again in understanding, but because of the cold and cold, her head was groggy and uncomfortable.

Looking out the window on the train, Jing Hao trance remembered China's parents and grandmothers, whether it was grandparents or parents, if they heard that they were going home, they would start working from the morning, preparing more of her favorite dishes, fruits, sweets, all kinds of snacks, preserved meat, nuts and other snacks, and put them on the table...... Even, even Chen Dongliang's parents will prepare a lot of delicious food for Jing Hao every time......

It's not because of these differences in hospitality habits, but mainly because compared to them, Harry's mother's attitude is really unexpectedly cold, and if she hadn't seen and experienced it in person, Jing Hao couldn't have imagined that the "first meeting" with Harry's mother would be like this with her imagination alone.

She suddenly remembered Mr. Chen's classic saying, "A hot face is attached to the cool cheek". It's this embarrassment, yes, the metaphor is apt.