Chapter 101: Moving Again

University life is quite routine. Every day, Wen Jiajia goes between the dormitory, the teaching building, and the library.

Half a semester had passed, and Wen Jiajia had only formed a good relationship with Jiang Ruowang in the dormitory, while her relationships with the others remained just ordinary.

There were no major conflicts. Everyone had worked hard to get into university, and studying was the top priority. There was no time for forming cliques.

Without a mobile phone, work, or the distraction of taking care of children, Wen Jiajia devoted herself entirely to her studies.

She might not be considered a person with a high IQ, but there were indeed high-IQ students in her class.

Wen Jiajia nearly fell during her first exam. Out of the 32 students in the class, her score ranked 26th.

Could she tolerate this? Of course not!

Interestingly, during that period, Wen Jiajia often went around buying houses near the school.

She was running all over the city. Where was she going? She visited a scrap collection station and bought a lot of scrap iron to make kettles.

Wen Jiajia even assembled 8 bicycles, ranging from 50% to 80% new, and sold them all within a week.

The money from selling the bicycles, plus the proceeds from the kettles and cotton cloth, pushed her savings over 1,000 yuan! This amount was enough to buy a house, even in Haishi.

Wen Jiajia was so pleased with her earnings that she nearly forgot about studying and was hit hard by her exam ranking.

She also wanted to maintain some dignity and set a good example for her nieces, Wen Chun and Wen Xuan.

Those two sisters always ranked in the top three in every exam and never fell below that. She couldn’t be ranked in the bottom three herself, or she would feel guilty teaching them to study hard.

Wen Jiajia then learned from her mistakes and focused her energy on studying. On average, she spent two hours in the library every day and slowly caught up on missed courses.

By the time of the final exam, she ranked eighth in the class, a testament to her hard work over the semester.

In early July, during the final holiday, Wen Jiajia went home alone, carrying a bag of this year’s popular clothes from Haishi.

Recently, clothing colors have become bolder. The whole street was no longer just blue, green, black, and white.

When Wen Jiajia got home, she was wearing a yellow shirt with a knot at the hem, which looked quite stylish. Unfortunately, there were no jeans available at that time, which would have complemented the outfit better.

Upon arriving, Wei Dai and his friends were extremely surprised.

Wei Dai was actually fine, having made six trips to Haishi this semester. Fortunately, Wen Jiajia had money saved from her profitable reselling ventures, so the cost of the train ticket didn’t bother her.

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan were so happy that they jumped up and surrounded Wen Jiajia, chattering non-stop.

Xiaomei looked at her with a strange expression before bursting into tears.

Wei Dai sometimes brought his xiaomei to school to ensure she wouldn’t forget her mother.

After the reunion dinner, Wen Xuan complained, “Aunt, my uncle-in-law always goes to see you from Monday to Saturday, and I can’t go with him.”

Wen Jiajia reluctantly put down her chopsticks, touched her round belly, and said, “There’s nothing I can do. Your uncle-in-law’s rest time is irregular.”

The food at home was delicious. The aunt’s cooking skills had improved significantly, almost matching those of state-owned restaurants. Wen Jiajia thought she should give the aunt a raise.

In fact, she had already given the aunt a raise when her salary increased before. Now that she was not at home, the aunt had to take care of the three children more, so another raise was in order.

Wen Xuan pouted, “But I miss you so much.”

“I’m on vacation now, so I can be with you for more than a month.”

Wen Jiajia had considered transferring the two children to Haishi but decided against it due to the trouble it would involve. She might need to return after graduation, so she abandoned the idea.

At night, Wen Jiajia, finally back in a big bed after several months, was so comfortable that her eyes were about to close. She moaned and groaned, rolling over in bed.

“It’s so comfortable! You don’t know how uncomfortable the dormitory bed was during the first half month of school. I couldn’t stretch out at all!”

She stretched her limbs on the bed, lying down in the shape of a “big” character.

She added, “If the school hadn’t prohibited it, I would have considered buying a house and living outside. Well, forget about the bed; I’ll get used to it. Even the bathhouse was…”

Wen Jiajia shook her head and said, “I just can’t adapt. Especially in the summer, I had to shower every day and fetch water daily. It’s so much more comfortable at home.”

Wei Dai was sitting at the desk reading a book, scratching his head as he read.

Things had changed. Last year, it was Wen Jiajia who was struggling; this year, it was Wei Dai’s turn.

After hearing her, Wei Dai put down his pen and turned around. “How about I go with you to look for houses when school starts and see if we can buy one? Even if we don’t move in, we could use it to shower on weekdays.”

Wen Jiajia was taken aback. That’s a good idea.

“Besides, you always say that the sooner you buy, the sooner you can enjoy it. A house won’t break down if you buy it and leave it empty, so you won’t have to move out at the end of the school year. Also, buying and renovating early can help get rid of the furniture smell,” Wei Dai added.

Wen Jiajia’s eyes gradually lit up. She suddenly sat up with excitement. “Speaking of houses, I’ve picked out four. Two are courtyards, and two are apartments.”

Wei Dai was intrigued. “What do you mean?”

Wen Jiajia explained, “One of the courtyards is 168 square meters, and the other is 120 square meters. One is 5 minutes away from the school, and the other is 10 minutes. The one that’s 5 minutes away isn’t really a courtyard but a small Western-style building made of blue bricks. It’s a bit western and a bit old. If you buy this one, you’ll need to renovate the whole house because, while the outside looks fine, the wooden floor creaks inside, and it’s easy for mice to get in.”

“What about the other one?”

“The other is an ordinary courtyard with somewhat unclear property rights, but it’s cheaper. The front one is priced at 2,800, and the back one is priced at 1,500.”

“That’s much cheaper!”

Wen Jiajia continued, “The other two are apartments in the school’s staff quarters, but they are on different floors. One is 98 square meters with three bedrooms and two living rooms, and the other is 118 square meters with the same configuration. The latter can be divided into four bedrooms. However, there’s a downside: you have to use the public toilet. The prices are 1,180 for one and 1,350 for the other.”

“…It’s almost like a bungalow!”

Wen Jiajia responded, “What do you think? The most popular thing now is the building.”

Wei Dai thought for a moment and said, “For the same price, I still think the bungalow is better.”

Wen Jiajia laughed heartily and lay on the bed like a shrimp. “You finally think a bungalow is better than a building?”

Wei Dai stubbornly replied, “I’m just talking about the same price.”

He then abruptly changed the subject. “Which house do you think is good?”

“Of course, I think the small Western-style building is good. It’s just expensive, and the renovation costs will be high. The building has three floors. Just imagine the cost of renovation…” It would deplete my savings.

She whispered the last part.

Although Wen Jiajia had been studying hard, she hadn’t completely given up selling things; she just sold them less frequently. Most of what she sold were bicycles and watches, which could fetch high prices.