Chapter 93: Roommates

Jiang Liyun was also observing Feng Yi’s university.

Before her rebirth, although she hadn’t visited any universities, she had watched numerous videos on the topic. In that era, short videos featured a variety of content.

The universities she had seen in those videos were vast, with expansive playgrounds, state-of-the-art libraries, and ubiquitous high-tech products. However, the university she saw now was different.

H University had a nostalgic feel, with slightly old gates and narrow pathways inside. Along the road, old trees stood, indicating the university’s history.

At the entrance, under the shade of the trees, some tables were set up with various signs directing students to register.

“Are you a freshman?” A male student in his twenties looked at Jiang Liyun with a big smile.

“No, he’s the freshman,” Jiang Liyun happily pointed at Feng Yi.

Even at thirteen, being mistaken for a university freshman always brought joy.

The male student seemed a bit disappointed but still smiled at Feng Yi. “Junior, which department are you in? I’ll guide you through registration.”

Feng Yi had been conservative in his choice of majors when filling out his preferences, and his final grades surpassed H University’s cutoff by a good margin.

As for his major, in recent years, computer science has gained popularity in domestic universities. Jiang Liyun, knowing the industry’s promising future, suggested this field to Feng Yi.

He enrolled in the computer software major.

“This major is excellent; the country currently needs talents in this field. Our school even imported some computers from abroad.” The senior kept talking.

At this time, computers weren’t widely known, and many people in their country were unaware of them. Jiang Liyun had read in the newspaper that their country had just connected to the internet in 1987, and in September of that year, a research group sent the country’s first email to the international computer network.

This industry was just beginning, making Feng Yi’s choice promising.

As for studying business management, Jiang Liyun believed it required practical experience. People who studied it might not necessarily manage a business well, while those who didn’t study it could still become successful business leaders.

Feng Yi listened attentively, but he wasn’t good at communication and didn’t feel like speaking much to the senior, who kept glancing at Jiang Liyun.

To break the awkward silence, Jiang Liyun started chatting with the senior. Before her rebirth, she had watched various videos, and after her rebirth, she stayed updated with national news through newspapers. Although she wasn’t well-versed in the computer industry, she could still engage in conversation.

She chatted with the senior, making him completely forget about Feng Yi as he focused on Jiang Liyun.

Feng Yi: “I missed the chance!”

“Senior, how should I fill out this form?” Feng Yi asked the senior about the registration form.

Although he wanted to talk to Jiang Liyun, the senior remembered he was here for orientation and continued explaining to Feng Yi.

Feng Yi, in turn, changed his previous aloofness, becoming more talkative with the senior.

As a new student, Feng Yi had many forms to fill out. Jiang Liyun glanced around and pointed to a nearby pavillion, saying, “Feng Yi, I’ll go explore around that pavillion.”

Today, with many new students around and limited space, she didn’t want to block others.

“Sure,” Feng Yi replied with a smile, focusing on filling out the paperwork.

He knew how to fill out these forms, so the senior’s explanation wasn’t entirely necessary.

The senior looked up and glanced at Jiang Liyun, not far away.

Unlike Jiang Liping, Jiang Liyun cared about her appearance. Today, she had dressed up specifically for coming to register with Feng Yi. Despite the hot summer day, she tied up her hair, applied light makeup, and wore a dark blue dress with black shoes.

Having spent less time in the sun these past two years, her skin had lightened, making her appear even paler in the dark blue dress. Overall, she exuded a charming and appealing aura.

Feng Yi smiled at the senior. “Senior, isn’t my girlfriend beautiful?”

The senior: “???” Isn’t that Feng Yi’s sister? He was hoping to get to know Feng Yi’s sister today, if not a cute junior!

Feng Yi beamed, “She’s my girlfriend. We’ve been childhood friends since forever. She came specifically to see me off for college.”

The senior: “…”

Seeing the senior silent, Feng Yi turned back to finish the paperwork.

He completed it quickly, and when he looked up, he saw another guy talking to Jiang Liyun.

Feng Yi handed in the form and immediately walked over to Jiang Liyun. “Sister Liyun, I’ve finished filling out the form. Next, we’ll go to the dormitory.”

“Let’s go then,” Jiang Liyun said immediately. “Which building are you in?”

Feng Yi mentioned his dormitory location, and the two headed in that direction.

At this point, Jiang Liyun noticed that other new students had seniors guiding them, but the senior who had guided Feng Yi was no longer there. “Where’s that senior?”

“He had something to do and left,” Feng Yi explained.

Jiang Liyun, not delving further into it, continued with the task at hand. There wasn’t much need for the seniors to accompany them continuously.

On a regular day, female students couldn’t enter male dormitories, and vice versa. However, on the first day of school, such rules didn’t apply.

Jiang Liyun followed Feng Yi into the dormitory and observed that there was a corridor in the middle, with rooms on both sides facing north and south.

“Your dorm faces north.” Jiang Liyun slightly frowned, as north-facing rooms were generally less comfortable.

Feng Yi explained, “The senior said that after living for two years, we can transfer to south-facing rooms.”

“That’s good, but north-facing rooms aren’t ideal for drying clothes. When it gets cold, you can bring your thick clothes home for washing,” Jiang Liyun said, looking at the room number. Soon, they found Feng Yi’s dormitory.

The dormitory conditions were quite basic. The small room had four bunk beds, accommodating eight people, with only two desks.

In the corner, there was a large cabinet resembling a shower room storage locker, with each storage space labelled with a corresponding bed number.

These items crowded the room, and there was a balcony outside.

The balcony was small, with a brick-made sink on one side and a small partition on the other. Inside the partition was a squat toilet with a showerhead above.

It wasn’t easy for eight young men to live in such a cramped dormitory.

While Jiang Liyun thought about this, Feng Yi exclaimed, “This dormitory is really good.”

He used to live in a dormitory with large bunk beds at the brick and tile factory, and the living conditions were extremely poor.

Although this dormitory housed many people, the bunk beds looked sturdy, and there was even a bathroom for showering. Everything was clean and well-maintained, making it really good.

They arrived relatively early, and there weren’t many people yet, so Feng Yi could choose any bed to sleep on.

At this time, people generally preferred lower bunks for convenience. However, the quality of the upper and lower bunks wasn’t that great, and sometimes the bed would shake when turning over on the upper bunk.

But Feng Yi still chose the upper bunk.

Living on the lower bunk meant that everyone could see whatever you were doing. Additionally, the room was quite small, and with only two chairs, someone might end up sitting on his bed if he chose the lower bunk.

Feng Yi didn’t like that.

“The upper bunk is also good. We didn’t bring a mat, so let’s buy one, and we also need to buy a basin, a hot water kettle, and other things,” Jiang Liyun suggested.

They didn’t bring many things with them, intending to buy them after arriving at the school.

“Okay,” Feng Yi said, placing his luggage on the upper bunk near the balcony sink and going to buy things with Jiang Liyun.

While Feng Yi and Jiang Liyun were at the school, Qiao Ming also arrived.

He had barely made it into H University and was reassigned to a new major.

The major was computer software, and initially, Qiao Ming had no idea what it entailed. It wasn’t until he asked around that he got a rough understanding.

Qiao Ming came to register, accompanied by both his parents. They helped him complete the paperwork and then escorted him to the dormitory.

Close to the dormitory, Qiao Ming’s steps hesitated for a moment.

“What’s wrong, Xiaoze?” Qiao’s mother asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Qiao Ming replied.

He should have seen it wrong; that employee from Charles’s company couldn’t possibly be here.

Upon reaching the dormitory, Qiao Ming noticed that one bed already had luggage on it, indicating it had been taken.

However, the other beds were empty, so he quickly occupied a lower bunk.

Qiao’s parents brought everything they might need, and while busy setting up Qiao Ming’s bed and locker, they took out a mosquito nett to hang up. Even though the weather was getting colder, there were still some mosquitoes, including the more toxic “autumn mosquitoes,” so a mosquito nett was necessary.

As they were busy, more people arrived.

A father and son, both sun-darkened and dressed in washed-out clothes, each carrying two fertiliser bags with “urea” written on them, containing various items.

Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be from a rural area and not well-off.

Qiao Ming felt a surge of sympathy and went up to chat with them, wanting to help, which made the father and son feel at a loss.

“What do you know how to do? Don’t cause trouble for others,” Qiao’s mother said to her son.

When Qiao Ming heard his mother’s words, he felt a bit dissatisfied. Still, he wanted to help and saw the man take out an old towel, so he said, “Is this a cleaning cloth? I can help you wipe the bed!” Saying that, he tried to grab the towel.

Feng Yi and Jiang Liyun returned and witnessed this scene.

Feng Yi furrowed his brows slightly.

He had an impression of Qiao Ming and didn’t particularly like him, and now in this situation…

Feng Yi said to Qiao Ming, “Why are you trying to take someone else’s stuff?”

“I’m not taking someone else’s stuff; I’m trying to help!” Qiao Ming explained, looking incredulously at Feng Yi. “Why are you here?”

“I’m a freshman at this university this year,” Feng Yi replied.

“You’re a freshman at this university? That’s impossible!” Qiao Ming exclaimed.

Feng Yi couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. He fetched water and started wiping his bed, preparing to make it.

The guy who almost had his towel taken by Qiao Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiao Ming thought it was a cleaning cloth, but in reality, it was his towel for washing his face. It was still in good condition, and he wasn’t willing to use it as a cleaning cloth.

He hadn’t brought any cleaning clothes this time.

Even though he felt the bed was relatively clean, he wondered if he should clean it too since everyone else was doing it. However, his belongings looked worn out, and he felt embarrassed to take them out.

His mat was quite large, and he couldn’t even spread it onto the bed.

Feeling awkward standing there, he didn’t know what to do. His father also looked embarrassed.

Feng Yi had noticed the situation when he entered the room earlier and knew that the towel in the guy’s hand was definitely not a cleaning cloth. That’s why he stopped Qiao Ming.

Now, seeing the guy standing still, Feng Yi asked, “What’s your name?”

The guy replied, “I’m Lu Haijun.”

Feng Yi asked again, “Where are you from?”

Lu Haijun mentioned an inland province and then a city below it that Feng Yi hadn’t heard of.

Feng Yi had already wiped the bed roughly and found it wasn’t dirty; perhaps someone had cleaned it before. Holding the cleaning cloth, he said to Lu Haijun, “This bed isn’t dirty; someone must have cleaned it. There is no need to wipe it. Which bed do you plan to choose? Do you want to stay on the upper bunk next to mine?”

Lu Haijun, considering his family’s financial situation, would be uncomfortable if he stayed on the lower bunk, where his belongings would be visible to others. If everyone was poor, it wouldn’t matter, but in this dormitory, there was definitely a mix of financial backgrounds. The “young master” who mistook Lu Haijun’s towel for a cleaning cloth, though not extremely wealthy, seemed to live a privileged life. Lu Haijun would find it difficult to get along with him.

Before Lu Haijun could respond, Qiao Ming said, “Lu Haijun, it’s more convenient to stay on the lower bunk. Stay next to me!”

Upon learning that Feng Yi was his classmate, Qiao Ming felt uncomfortable.

He used to look down on Feng Yi, exuding a sense of superiority whenever he was around him. Who would have thought that Feng Yi was his classmate?

Although Feng Yi was unaware of Qiao Ming’s thoughts, he still felt embarrassed.

Just now, Feng Yi even misunderstood that Qiao Ming wanted to take someone else’s stuff!

Qiao Ming thought he met Lu Haijun first, and he wanted to help Lu Haijun. Lu Haijun would probably like him more and listen to him. Qiao Ming expected Lu Haijun to choose the lower bunk next to him.

However, Lu Haijun glanced at Qiao Ming and said, “I want to stay on the upper bunk.”

Lu Haijun had realised that staying on the upper bunk would be better. His oversized mat and mosquito nett, if placed on the lower bunk, would be visible to everyone. However, if placed on the upper bunk, it wouldn’t attract much attention. Later, he could fold the mat as needed.

Thinking about folding the mat, Lu Haijun felt distressed. Folding a straw mat could easily cause it to break.

Qiao Ming, unaware of Lu Haijun’s thoughts, saw that Lu Haijun didn’t listen to him but followed Feng Yi’s suggestion. Qiao Ming’s expression turned cold, and he decided not to make friends with Lu Haijun anymore.

Lu Haijun climbed to the upper bunk and silently organised his belongings, which his father handed up to him.

While they were organising their things, Feng Yi and Lu Haijun chatted briefly with Lu Haijun’s father. However, communication was challenging as Lu Haijun’s father spoke in dialect. Jiang Liyun decided not to say much.

On the other hand, Qiao Ming’s mother struck up a conversation with Jiang Liyun, saying, “I think I’ve seen you before at the Charles Hamburg store.”

Jiang Liyun smiled. “Yes, I work there. Have you bought hamburgers from there before?”

Qiao Ming’s mother said, “I have. Before, it seemed like Feng Yi also worked there.”

Jiang Liyun nodded. “Yes.”

She chatted with Qiao Ming’s mother, inquiring about her views on Charles Hamburg.

Qiao Ming’s mother praised Charles Hamburg enthusiastically, pointing at Feng Yi and saying, “Is he your brother? He’s really capable and hardworking.” She had seen Feng Yi working on renovations at Charles Hamburg before!

Jiang Liyun chuckled. “He is indeed very capable.”

She spoke proudly of Feng Yi, but Feng Yi, overhearing, felt a bit sour.

He wasn’t Jiang Liyun’s brother!

Feng Yi finished tidying up his bed quickly. He turned to Jiang Liyun and said, “Liyun, let’s go around the campus and grab some lunch.”

“Sure, let’s also get you some meal tickets.”

At this point, the school cafeteria still didn’t accept card payments, so meal tickets were necessary.

The meal tickets were made of plastic, not hard but rather soft, displaying the school’s name and denomination. They could be purchased using cash, and then you could use the meal tickets to buy food at the school cafeteria.

The cafeteria didn’t accept cash, likely for easier management.

The lady selling meal tickets stacked them in piles of ten. Jiang Liyun directly bought Feng Yi a hundred yuan worth of meal tickets and had him stow them in his bag, saying, “Don’t be thrifty when you eat. Make sure to eat well.”

The school cafeteria offered cheaper meals than those outside. Jiang Liyun and Feng Yi went to the cafeteria and ordered braised pork, braised chicken, pickled cabbage tofu, braised eggplant, and tomato scrambled eggs. In total, it only cost them two yuan.

“The school cafeteria is indeed cost-effective,” Jiang Liyun commented.

“It’s quite good.” Feng Yi used his chopsticks to separate the lean and fatty parts of the braised pork, then handed the lean meat to Jiang Liyun.

Jiang Liyun didn’t like eating fatty meat.

After they finished their meal, Jiang Liyun was ready to head back.

Feng Yi said, “Liyun, let’s go back together.”

“Why are you going back? Today is the first day of school; you should chat with your classmates,” Jiang Liyun suggested.

Feng Yi replied, “The registration lasts for two days, and not everyone may be present today. I’ll come back tomorrow night.”

True, transportation wasn’t as convenient at this time, and university registration usually lasted more than one day. Today was the first day, and tomorrow was still a registration day.

Some people might arrive early or late.

“Then let’s go back to the store,” Jiang Liyun suggested.

It would take more than an hour to ride a bicycle from H University back to their store.

Of course, they could take the bus, but at this time, buses weren’t as frequent, and waiting for one would take a long time, making riding a bike more practical.

On the way back, Feng Yi said, “Liyun, I don’t want to stay in the dormitory; I want to stay at home.”

“Why? Today is the first day of school, and you’ll be so tired commuting every day. You can come back on weekends,” Jiang Liyun suggested.

With so much to learn at this university, and H University being a relatively strict institution, students were required to attend evening self-study sessions.

Feng Yi, commuting daily, would surely find it exhausting.

“Alright, just on weekends then.” Thinking about being separated from Jiang Liyun for so long, Feng Yi felt a bit unwilling.

Feng Yi understood that commuting three hours every day was not practical. Even if he went back, it would be quite late, and he wouldn’t have many chances to talk with Jiang Liyun.

“Liyun, I will miss you,” Feng Yi expressed.

Jiang Liyun replied, “I will miss you too.”

Feng Yi chuckled.

Today, Jiang Liyun was quite popular at school, making him feel a bit uneasy. However, Jiang Liyun only liked him, which made Feng Yi feel fortunate.

While Feng Yi believed Jiang Liyun was well-received, he was unaware that he had also caught the attention of many.

Being a tall and handsome guy, who wouldn’t take a second look?

He and Jiang Liyun went back to the hamburger store and resumed their busy routine.

In the school dormitory, Qiao Ming was pondering what to say to Feng Yi upon his return, but Feng Yi never showed up.

Feeling frustrated, Qiao Ming complained to the new roommates, “That Feng Yi is really arrogant; despite his poor family background, he likes to act high and mighty.”

“Poor family background?” someone asked curiously.

“He dresses well, but he’s actually a rural person. During the summer vacation, he even went to work to earn money!” Qiao Ming explained.

His mother had talked to Jiang Liyun and learned that both she and Feng Yi came from a small place. Jiang Liyun even mentioned that Feng Yi was the first person from their village to go to college.

Feng Yi’s family background must be challenging!

Thinking about it, he must have worked hard at Charles Hamburg during the summer to have the money he currently flaunted.

“Can you really work and earn money during the summer?” the person speaking to Qiao Ming wondered.

Qiao Ming then described what he had witnessed at Charles Hamburg.

While they chatted, Lu Haijun, the person Feng Yi helped in the dormitory, remained silent on his bed.

After Feng Yi left at noon, Qiao Ming suggested going to the cafeteria together, but Lu Haijun declined. He and his father didn’t have much money, and he didn’t want to eat at the cafeteria.

This incident led to Qiao Ming not talking to him anymore. When others came later, Qiao Ming actively engaged in conversations with them, making friends, while Lu Haijun, not good at socialising, ended up alone.

Unaware of Lu Haijun’s thoughts, Feng Yi returned to the dormitory on the first night. By this time, all eight people in the dormitory had gathered.

Three of them were locals from Shanghai, forming their own group. They even brought in another student who seemed well-off.

The remaining four, excluding Feng Yi and Lu Haijun, were from the north-east and quickly became friends.

Feng Yi didn’t mind being on his own, but if Lu Haijun wanted to follow him, he didn’t refuse.

In the end, the eight-person dormitory was split into three small groups.