They got off at the Provincial University station and walked for a few minutes to the main entrance.

Provincial University was established in the 1990s, making it the second national university after Jing Shi University.

It is well-known nationwide for its programs in medicine, architecture, philosophy, and life genetics.

The campus has endured several wars, so only a few old buildings remain.

Most of the campus now consists of later repairs and additions.

The entrance gate, with its blend of Eastern and Western styles, is very grand, featuring elegant lines that resemble a phoenix preparing to fly.

At the entrance, there is a lot of activity with signs directing new students on where to report, and upperclassmen are there to welcome them.

These upperclassmen are mostly students who were admitted through recommendations.

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan entered the campus and saw some tables and chairs set up along the main road for new student registration.

They walked over.

Cheng Rushan, being tall, quickly spotted the area for architecture students.

He turned to hold Jiang Lin’s hand but found she was surrounded by a group of students.

“Are you from the class of ’77? What’s your major?”

“You must be a new student. You’re so young!”

The age range of students in the ’77 class varied widely from sixteen to over thirty.

Some even lowered their age to qualify for the exams.

There were also cases of mothers and sons, or teachers and students, attending the same school.

Most of the new students are in their twenties, so seeing Jiang Lin, who is young and beautiful, drew a lot of attention, especially from unmarried students.

There is a rule that married students can attend, but unmarried students are not allowed to get married while studying, though they can date and marry after graduation.

This rule leads some older students to marry before or right after receiving their acceptance letters, which is a loophole that the school does not address.

Unmarried students naturally hope to find like-minded, educated partners on campus.

In fact, during the first six months of university, many view it as a high-end matchmaking event.

Male students tend to be more forward than female students.

When they see a young, beautiful, and possibly unmarried female student, they often light up with interest.

They approach her to make small talk and find out her major and other details.

Jiang Lin was looking for Sun Qinghui, who also got into the provincial university.

Other classmates were in teacher training, agricultural, or secondary schools, so they weren’t around.

As she was searching, she got surrounded by a group of enthusiastic students.

When they asked her questions eagerly, she smiled and said, “Sorry, I’m married.”

Married people aren’t available for flirting.

“Oh, you’re married? You look so young,” said an eighteen or nineteen-year-old male student in surprise. “You look like a high school graduate.”

He introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Su Xingyun from the Architecture Department.”

Just as Jiang Lin was about to shake hands with him, she heard Cheng Rushan calling her, “Linlin, over here to check in.”

She quickly raised her hand and waved at Cheng Rushan, then told Su Xingyun, “I need to check in now.”

She hurried over to Cheng Rushan.

Su Xingyun turned and saw Cheng Rushan standing out in the crowd.

Jiang Lin ran up to him, said something with a smile, and Cheng Rushan turned to look.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, and Su Xingyun immediately smiled and greeted, “Hello.”

Cheng Rushan nodded in acknowledgment and took Jiang Lin’s hand to check in.

Su Xingyun felt quite disappointed.

He had come a day early specifically to see if there were any outstanding female students, and the one he found most interesting was already married.

It was really disheartening.

He had already seen the list of students in their class—almost sixty students in total, and there were only three or five female classmates.

It couldn’t be worse.

In general, there are fewer female students in school compared to male students.

Female students who can afford to study full-time and go to university are even rarer.

Especially in technical fields, the gender ratio is extremely unbalanced.

Jiang Lin followed Cheng Rushan as he led her.

He was holding her hand tightly, and she tried to pull away gently, feeling embarrassed with so many people watching them.

Cheng Rushan looked down at her. Although he supported her attending university, he felt uneasy seeing the variety of students around—tall, short, strong, or weak.

Despite knowing she would handle things well, he felt uncomfortable thinking about others trying to approach or test her.

So, he ignored her attempt to pull away and held her hand even tighter.

Some young men quickly understood the situation and stopped approaching Jiang Lin.

Several nearby female students were disappointed.

With the policy changes and society opening up, entering university gave them a sense of excitement.

University, knowledge, romance, and love were things they longed for, and their previously suppressed feelings seemed ready to emerge.

Young men and women, handsome and beautiful, are the most direct and initial attraction.

After the novelty wears off, they would focus on studying and other pursuits.

Even though the area was crowded, Cheng Rushan stood out the most. With his tall stature, handsome looks, and cool demeanor, he drew all the attention as he stood among the crowd.

Some female students originally wanted to ask him about his major, name, and exchange information, but they were taken aback when they saw him holding Jiang Lin’s hand.

With a handsome man and a beautiful woman, many people felt a bit envious and moved aside to avoid feeling out of place.

The couple stood at the table, and Cheng Rushan said he needed to register.

A male student handed him a form, saying, “You need to fill out all the blanks.”

Cheng Rushan glanced at the form and noticed there were no chairs, so he looked for something for Jiang Lin to sit on.

One of the welcoming students immediately said, “Here’s a chair.”

Cheng Rushan then took it out for Jiang Lin to sit.

A few students were surprised and asked, “Hey, aren’t you registering?”

Cheng Rushan replied, “My wife is registering.”

They exchanged glances and quietly observed the couple.

The man had a neatly trimmed haircut and an elegant neck.

His hands were fair and slender, with rosy palms and fingers, very attractive.

He wore a dark blue sweater and an ankle-length coat designed by Jiang Lin and made by Yan Runzhi.

The coat was simple and elegant, not flashy, but it suited his demeanor very well.

The students couldn’t guess his occupation because most people in official positions at this time wore standard uniforms—short hair, leather shoes, and jackets with four pockets—but Cheng Rushan didn’t look like that.

When they looked at Jiang Lin, they wondered if she might be the daughter of a high-ranking official.

How else could she be so delicate and refined?

Jiang Lin carefully filled out the form, making sure everything was correct.

She asked Cheng Rushan to check it for any omissions.

Cheng Rushan stood behind her, leaning over the table and holding her in his arms as he reviewed the form.

He noticed that in the family section, she had listed not only her parents but also his and his parents’ names.

The words “married” made Cheng Rushan quite pleased, and he couldn’t help but smile, thinking, “Not bad.”

Jiang Lin handed the completed form to the staff.

They looked it over and one of them remarked in surprise, “You were a sent-down youth in ’70? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “The place where I went is very nurturing.”

They suspected she must be the child of a high-ranking official and that the rural experience was just a cover, thinking she had been in the city all along and got married there.

Married students also needed to provide information about their spouse, which Jiang Lin had filled out.

They were even more surprised to see that her husband was from the countryside! From the countryside!

They wondered how she could choose a rural man.

Wasn’t city life better?

A female student glanced at a male student with disapproval, suggesting that the husband was quite impressive in his own right.

The male student, feeling convinced, then saw the background information which still had to be filled out at that time—revolutionary gentry.

Oh, a landlord! No wonder.

Cheng Rushan stood behind Jiang Lin, quietly observing their reactions but saying nothing.

After the form was checked and stamped, a senior student said, “Jiang Lin, take the registration form to the finance office to pay for books, collect your allowance and ration tickets, then return here to pay for class fees and living expenses. We will arrange your dormitory.”

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan went to the finance office.

At that time, university tuition was not required, but a ten-yuan book fee had to be paid.

Students could receive a monthly ration of 30 pounds of grain and 23 yuan.

They also had to pay 2 yuan for class fees, 3 yuan for miscellaneous expenses, and 18 yuan for living expenses.

Even though the 30 pounds of grain were only a qualification, actual food still had to be bought, along with vegetables and other necessities, which required additional money.

Ration tickets were usually given out one pound per ticket, which was inconvenient for daily use, so they were often exchanged for small meal tickets that were more practical.

Meal tickets didn’t expire, but ration tickets were valid for only one month.

Jiang Lin bought some meal tickets and vegetable tickets, keeping the rest in case she needed more later.

Accommodation was free, so Jiang Lin completed the necessary paperwork.

If there were any school activities or busy study periods, she would definitely stay on campus.

She and Cheng Rushan went to check out the dormitory.

It had eight-person bunks with four sets of upper and lower beds.

The iron frame beds were quite small, and they had to bring their own bedding.

Her dormitory was shared among several majors, so the residents would be diverse.

At the moment, only two people had arrived, and neither was in the dorm.

It was already noon, so Jiang Lin smiled at Cheng Rushan and said, “Let me treat you to lunch.”

Cheng Rushan replied, “With thirty pounds of grain a month, it definitely won’t be enough if you eat here every day.”

He implied that she should go back home, as he would take care of her and provide her with meat and fish.

Jiang Lin smiled and took his arm. “Let’s go.”

Feeling happy and not paying much attention since the building was still relatively empty, Jiang Lin enjoyed the moment.

Cheng Rushan, though reserved, felt comfortable with her holding his arm.

As the couple walked out from the third floor, they attracted numerous surprised and shy glances from those they passed.