The day Liu Meiyu planned to buy a counseling book for Gangzi happened to be the day when 35 reprinted Chinese and foreign literary classics were released uniformly in Huaxin Bookstores across the country.
On this day, long queues formed at Huaxin Bookstores across the country, and people's faces were filled with a desire for knowledge and joy. It was truly a carnival for readers.
Liu Meiyu's dormitory is no exception.
Wang Meihua woke everyone up at five o'clock.
"Hurry, hurry! Meiyun, Hongjie, Xiaoyan, hurry up. I see some commotion in the dormitory next door. We have to hurry. What if we go too late and all the books are sold out?"
Wang Meihua has been very excited since the day she saw the notice from the bookstore. Not only was she excited, she also lived frugally and saved all the living allowance from the school to buy books. She relied on eating big cakes and exchanging boiled water to fill her stomach every day. She had lost a lot of weight before she even bought any books.
Liu Meiyu climbed out of bed. Although she didn't need to scramble for those reprinted literary classics because she had read most of them in her previous life, and she didn't have to rush to buy any tutoring books for Gangzi today, she was eager to join in the fun.
"It's just a few books. Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning?" Song Qi was dreaming when he was woken up by Liu Meiyu and the others. He complained impatiently.
Zhou Yanhong asked her cautiously and apologetically, "Song Qi, do you want to go buy books with us?"
"I'm not going!" Song Qi covered his head with the quilt and was about to continue sleeping when he suddenly moved, as if he thought of something, and sat up from the bed, startling Zhou Yanhong and others who were about to go out.
"Wait, I want to go too, wait for me!"
Song Qi suddenly changed her mind and got up from the bed. She told her roommates to wait for her in a ladylike tone, while she dressed slowly and even had time to admire herself in the mirror.
"Everyone in the next-door dormitory has already left!" Wang Meihua looked anxious and a little reluctant to wait.
The eldest sister Zhou Yanhong was also anxious, but since they were all in the same dormitory, she couldn't wait any longer, so she tried to smooth things over: "Let's run faster, we should be in time. Song Qi, hurry up."
"Oh, don't rush me, I'm already very fast."
What Song Qi meant by "fast" was that after looking in the mirror, she asked Su Qinghe, who was sleeping on the upper bunk, to help her braid her hair.
Su Qinghe is not the type of person who is likely to refuse. After so long in school, she has gradually gotten used to asking Song Qi for "help". Sometimes she fetches water or brings meals for him, and she has almost become Song Qi's "little maid".
Since Su Qinghe didn't say anything herself, it was hard for others to say anything.
But Song Qi's spoiled daughter temper can only be used against soft persimmons like Su Qinghe. When it comes to Liu Meiyu, it doesn't work at all.
"Song Qi, I'll give you three minutes. Put on your pants and get out of bed. Let's go. After three minutes, you can follow slowly!" Liu Meiyu looked at her watch and urged mercilessly.
"Three minutes! I haven't even washed my face, how is that possible! Liu Meiyu, don't bully me!" Song Qi glared at Liu Meiyu angrily.
Cyndi Lau: "Two and a half minutes left."
Seeing that Liu Meiyu was serious, Song Qi was so angry that he complained to Liu Meiyu that she had no empathy and no friendship with his classmates. At the same time, he quickly put on his clothes and shoes, but he couldn't catch up with Liu Meiyu's three minutes.
"I'm leaving first. If you are waiting for someone, just call Song Qi." Liu Meiyu got up before dawn, not to waste time here.
"Meiyu, I want to come too." Wang Meihua followed Liu Meiyu without hesitation.
Then the butterfly effect occurred, and even Zhou Yanhong and Su Qinghe followed suit with an apologetic look on their faces.
"Wait for me!" Song Qi shouted urgently as he was pulling up his pants and putting on his shoes from behind.
It's impossible to wait.
Not only that, when they hurried to Huaxin Bookstore, which was the closest to Huaqing, and saw the dense crowd at the door and the long queue that had already stretched to the intersection, Liu Meiyu even felt sorry for wasting those three minutes.
If we had arrived three minutes earlier, we could have left behind so many people.
Song Qi guessed what Liu Meiyu was thinking at a glance. She curled her lips and said, "You can't blame me for this. Unless you come to line up in the middle of the night, there will be so many people even in the early morning."
"What should we do? Even if we line up, we may not be able to buy it?" Wang Meihua looked at the long line anxiously.
"You definitely can't buy it." Liu Meiyu said firmly.
This bookstore is right next to their school, but the queue in front of them clearly shows that all the students from nearby colleges have squeezed in.
Liu Meiyun: "Let's go a little further away, to a bookstore with fewer schools nearby, like the one near the South Gate?"
"I agree!" Wang Meihua was the first to agree.
Song Qi pulled up his collar to cover his face and asked Liu Meiyun in a low voice, "It's so far, and there's not even an early bus yet. How are we going to get there?"
If Liu Meiyu dared to say that she would go there, she would definitely turn around and go back to the dormitory. At worst, she would not buy it!
Liu Meiyu rolled her eyes at her as if she was a fool, and said she would go to the next bookstore on foot. By the time they arrived, the line there would probably be even longer than this.
Liu Meiyun: "I know there is a place to rent bicycles nearby. Let's ride there."
"Great! Meiyun, you still have an idea!" Hope rekindled on Wang Meihua's face.
Liu Meiyu only recently discovered that someone has been secretly running a bicycle rental business near the university. Although the bicycles look badly worn out, and it's obvious that they're second-hand or self-assembled, there's nothing wrong with riding them on the road. From what she's observed, many Huaqing students have rented their bicycles there, and some have even bought them outright.
"Yes!" Su Qinghe also remembered, "A classmate in our class rented a bicycle when she went to the park last week. She said it was only 50 cents a day. We can rent one for two people, which is more cost-effective!"
So the group found another car rental point.
The owners are a couple. They knew that there would be a lot of students coming to rent the house today, so they opened the door a little early.
When Liu Meiyu and her friends went in, the boss didn't ask any questions and directly let them go to the backyard to pick a car.
There were rows of old bicycles with peeling paint lined up in the backyard. Liu Meiyu took a quick look and knew that the boss could make a lot of money in a day.
At this time, anyone with a quick mind and courage can be the first to try something new. This couple, who rent out second-hand bicycles near the university, has apparently already started to taste the crabs in a low-key manner.
Zhou Yanhong and Su Qinghe rented one car each, while Liu Meiyun, Song Qi and Tian Xiaoyan each rented one car.
After paying the money, the seven of them got on their bicycles and rushed to Nanmen Huaxin Bookstore without delay.
After finally arriving at the Huaxin Bookstore in Nanmen, Wang Meihua saw that the queue outside the bookstore was much shorter than that of the one near Huaqing. She immediately shouted to her roommates excitedly, "Hurry up, there really aren't many people here!"
Perhaps it was the power of knowledge, as Wang Meihua also had Su Qinghe riding on the back seat, so she pedaled faster than Liu Meiyu and the others who didn't have anyone on the back seat!
It's impossible not to admire Liu Meiyu.
A group of people locked their bikes and hurried over to line up.
Facing the rising sun in the early morning, Liu Meiyu stood in the queue. After waiting in line for a while, she felt very hungry.
Fortunately, the state-owned hotel opened soon after, and Liu Meiyu rushed in first and bought two buns for everyone.
"Thank you, Meiyun. I'll give you the money when we get back to school." Zhou Yanhong took the buns embarrassedly.
Liu Meiyun waved her hands and said, "No need, I'll treat everyone."
"That won't work." Zhou Yanhong declined, but Liu Meiyu left her speechless with just a few words.
"I don't want to. I haven't even washed my face. Liu Meiyu blames you. Hurry up, hurry up!" Song Qi covered his face and shielded himself seriously.
More and more people lined up. Song Qi was very concerned about his image and didn't dare to look around, let alone eat buns in public.
"Forget it!" Liu Meiyu was not used to her. It was just two buns, and anyone could eat them.
Seeing Song Qi dodging and evading like she was a big star, she didn't forget to mock him, "You didn't even brush your teeth, just starve, it's only two hours."
After saying that, he started eating.
Song Qi's stomach growled with hunger, but Liu Meiyu was eating with gusto right in front of her eyes. She was so angry that she turned around and said unhappily, "Liu Meiyu, go away and eat some, the smell is too strong!"
Liu Meiyu ignored her. Everyone in the team was taking time to eat breakfast. The fried pancakes tasted even better, and Miss Song didn't say anything to anyone else.
After eating three buns, Song Qi gave the remaining Liu Meiyu bun directly to Wang Meihua.
"Liu Meiyun?"
Just as people were lining up and watching the bookstore finally opening, Rong Xufei rode out on his bicycle to buy breakfast for his family, and unexpectedly saw comrade Liu Meiyu, who had impressed him, in the queue.
"Student Rong Xufei, are you here to buy books too?" Liu Meiyu greeted him politely.
I haven't forgotten that this man was the one who made Lu Changzheng jealous on the first day of school.
"No, my home is nearby and I came out to buy breakfast. Are these all your roommates?" Rong Xufei sat on the bicycle seat with his long legs casually propped up. He had a good-looking appearance and a cheerful and outgoing personality, so he quickly became familiar with Liu Meiyu and the other young sisters.
Except for Song Qi who didn't wash his face and didn't give people much face, everyone else couldn't dislike Rong Xufei.
In particular, several people in their dormitory were also from the Department of Architecture. They all knew the name Rong Xufei. Like Liu Meiyu, he was a top figure in the Department of Architecture. Not only did he have good grades in professional courses, but he was also said to be the last disciple of the architectural design master Zhang Qiushan!
"What are you planning to buy? I have a complete set of the literary classics that are on sale today. I can't finish reading them all at once, so I can lend them to you. You can just take turns reading them." Rong Xufei shared generously.
But everyone was surprised, the bookstore hadn't even opened yet, but Rong Xufei already had one at home!
Seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's faces, Rong Xufei quickly explained, "My mother works in a publishing house. They have the benefit of giving internal employees priority in purchasing. In order to encourage me to read more books, she gave me so many books at once. Many of them are in foreign characters, which I can't understand. You can borrow them if you need them. You can save the money and buy other books."
"I want to buy them and read them slowly at home. Thank you, Rong, for your kindness." Liu Meiyu has the money for those books. She came to join in the fun simply to add more memories to her old age on this day.
Although the others were tempted, they were not familiar with Rong Xufei after all. Seeing that Liu Meiyu did not agree, they were too embarrassed to nod.
Song Qi didn't even think about it. She wasn't short of money, she just came to "queue up to buy books". Besides, the books she bought were to be given as gifts. How could she give them away if she borrowed them from others?
Just as Rong Xufei said goodbye to Liu Meiyun and was about to go back, Su Qinghe asked cautiously: "Um, Rong, can I borrow two books?"
"Sure, my house is right next door. Wait for me to buy breakfast and you can pick it yourself." Rong Xufei agreed generously.
"Thank you! I'll go with you." Su Qinghe mustered up her courage and without waiting for Rong Xufei's response, she just told Liu Meiyu and the others that she would come back to see them after borrowing the books, and then she walked across the street to get her bicycle.
After the two of them rode away on their bikes, no one in dormitory 301 had reacted yet. The person who had taken the initiative to borrow a book from Rong Xufei was Su Qinghe, who was recognized as the least courageous person in the dormitory!
"She's not borrowing books, she's attracted to him, right?" Song Qi hid his face in his clothes, with a look of knowing everything.
Zhou Yanhong defended Su Qinghe, saying, "No way. Qinghe's family is poor and she can't afford to buy two books. I see she has to send the school subsidy home every month."
Song Qi rolled his eyes. He was annoyed by Zhou Yanhong's tendency to speak well of everyone. He said directly, "If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't borrow from you. It's too obvious that she's borrowing books from a male classmate she just met. Wang Meihua is also poor. Why doesn't she borrow from others?"
Wang Meihua: “…”
Zhou Yanhong: “…”
Song Qi has a sharp tongue and will attack anyone he catches.
Even though what he said was unpleasant to hear, it was said in a way that no one could refute.
"The bookstore is open!" Liu Meiyu didn't care about Su Qinghe and Rong Xufei, she was just waiting for the bookstore to open.
In her previous life, she had never queued like this even at a food restaurant where internet celebrities checked in for a sale. Today, she queued for so long that if she didn't buy a few more books, she would feel guilty for her perseverance throughout the morning.
Finally it was their turn. The students from the same dormitory were crowded in front of the counter, discussing what to buy. They were still discussing whether to buy too much or borrow books from each other. The people next to them just let the salesperson take the books and pay without even looking at them.
Liu Meiyu and the others saw that this was not going to work, and by the time they had finished thinking about it, they found that the books they wanted to buy were almost sold out.
So Liu Meiyun picked out 15 books at once and said to Zhou Yanhong and the others, "I'll take these to pay the bill first, you guys take your time to pick out the books, I also need to bring some reference books for my friend, go check out the shelf over there, and we'll meet outside after we finish buying."
The bookstore was packed with people. Liu Meiyu had only seen such big sales in shopping malls before, but had never seen such a lively book-buying scene. She was fortunate enough to witness it for once, and she could only sigh with emotion.
Not only were the reprinted and first-issued Chinese and foreign literary classics in great demand, but the reference books for the college entrance examination were also equally popular. Liu Meiyu was quick to pick out several books for Gangzi, and also bought a number of children's reading materials for her three sons, as well as some for her younger brother Liu Bowen.
She bought nearly twenty books in one go, and while she was waiting in line to pay, she attracted many sidelong glances from people around her.
Most of them are envious. If you have money in your pocket, who wouldn’t want to buy more?
After finally walking out of the crowded bookstore from Dormitory 301, everyone's face was filled with an expression of victory.
In particular, Wang Meihua bought four books in one go with the living expenses she saved from eating dry biscuits every day. Others bought one or two books more or less. Moreover, their dormitory had a great harvest of books this time. After reading their own books, they could borrow from each other. Wang Meihua felt that she could read these books for a while. When she came out, the smile on her face was almost stretched to the back of her ears.
"Song Qi, your copy of Meiyun has already been bought. You bought the duplicate!" Tian Xiaoyan kindly reminded Song Qi when she saw the copy in his hand.
As a result, Song Qi raised his eyebrows and said, "This is a gift from me. Don't worry, I won't borrow books from you."
"That's not what I meant." Tian Xiaoyan explained with embarrassment.
Song Qi waved his hand without caring, put the book in the basket with his arms like a treasure, and urged them to go back quickly.
Liu Meiyu glanced at the book that Song Qi bought for her in her pocket. It was a Chinese translation of a famous foreign literary work. The theme was about a girl's first love and a poor boy who went through setbacks, resisted family opposition, and finally broke through class barriers and walked towards happiness hand in hand.
Liu Meiyu raised her eyebrows. Song Qi said that others were having romantic feelings, but she herself was not much better.
But she was very curious about how attractive this poor boy was to Miss Song, who usually looked down on others.
She would get up early, regardless of her image, endure hunger, and queue up while complaining, just to buy a book and give it to someone.
And if she remembered correctly, the foreign literature book that Song Qi picked had a second volume, which should have just been released overseas and had not yet been introduced to China. The first volume had a fairy tale ending, but the second volume was more realistic.
The poor boy married a princess from a noble family and his status rose dramatically. He saw a lot of fame and fortune, but he couldn't resist the temptation. In the end, he became greedy and ruthless, and all the vows he made became slaps in the face by reality.
The princess met the wrong man and was devoted to love. In the end, she not only lost her life, but also implicated her entire family.
Anyway, the ending is pretty tragic.
But novels are novels after all, and may not necessarily reflect reality. Besides, Song Qi has a powerful mother, so it is not the turn of these classmates to worry about her.
After they bought the books, they waited for a while before Su Qinhe came with the two books she had borrowed from Rong Xufei, Shan Shan Arrives Late.
Seeing the little girl's blushing face, the bold and direct spirit just now disappeared at all, and she returned to her usual shy and reserved appearance, even more silent than usual. Everyone's heart was like a mirror.
In fact, there are many men and women like Song Qi and Su Qinhe who are just beginning to fall in love. They all keep their feelings secret and correspondence is probably the most daring way for them, who are usually very well-behaved, to express their feelings.
However, this year, as newspapers, radio, movies, literature, and even policies have become increasingly open, people's thoughts are growing and changing like spring buds breaking through the ground.
There was even a discussion about love on the radio, which received alarmingly high ratings.
In order to be able to listen to the broadcast on time, Song Qi even moved his Haiyan brand radio from home directly to the dormitory.
Now everyone in the dormitory followed suit, even people from the neighboring dormitory came to eavesdrop, and it was not just the girls' dormitory, but the boys' dormitory as well.
In just a few short months, this discussion about love has penetrated into everyone's heart, taken root, and grown stronger and stronger.
Huaqing's Poetry Society, Student Union, and Literary Exchange Society hold heated discussions about love every day. People are now more open to discussing topics that used to be kept silent about.
Moreover, many young men and women who started out as underground lovers have gradually become bold enough to move forward with their relationships openly.
More people are holding hands on dates in the park, more people are exchanging letters every day, and even more and more men and women are openly waving goodbye and saying goodnight in the girls' dormitory.
As a married mother, Liu Meiyun certainly did not feel deeply about the change in atmosphere and concepts.
While others were busy falling in love, she was busy studying.
She has to take care of professional courses, English and French, and has to divide her time into two halves every day.
When I go home on weekends, I have to remember to check the homework grades of the three kids.
But what made her happy was that the third boy's grades were at the bottom on the island, but since coming to the capital, he has been willing to put in some effort in his studies.
In the mid-term exam, Dabao worked very hard and got the first place.
Erbao and Xiaobao also squeezed into the upper middle level.
The three brothers all made progress, so Liu Meiyun readily rewarded them with pocket money.
20 cents per person, Liu Meiyu felt that she was a very generous mother, but Erbao was not satisfied.
Erbao: "Mom, can you please stop being so stingy? Last time I bought matches for Grandpa, he gave me three cents!"
A box of matches costs three cents, and Erbao can earn 27 cents by running errands, but his mother only rewards him with 20 cents, which is really too little.
Mr. Lu was reading a newspaper nearby. He started coughing when he heard this and quickly defended himself: "My eyes are blurry. I mistook 30 cents for 3 cents. If you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten. You have to pay me back the rest of the money. You're the one who charged me for running an errand for Grandpa!"
"Ah?" Erbao cried and tried to make excuses for himself: "Grandpa, I remembered it wrong! It was only 3 cents!"
"It's obviously 30 cents!" Xiaobao exposed Erbao without caring about the brotherhood, and did not forget to complain, "Mom, grandpa gave 30 cents, and there was 27 cents left, and he only gave me and my eldest brother 5 cents each!"
"Didn't I buy you some bubble gum later!!!" Erbao said angrily.
Dabao stood up and said fairly, "After buying the bubble gum, you will have the most left."
Because of "unequal distribution of the bill", the brothers' boat turned upside down and they started quarreling in front of their mother and grandfather.
The old man blocked his face with the newspaper, impatiently mixing it up.
This happens every day when he gets home from school, and he's almost used to it.
They quarrel today, fight tomorrow, and get along well again the day after tomorrow.
It’s more exciting than any other opera troupe.
"Erbao, what do you need so much money for? Don't you have New Year's gift money? How much have you saved?" Liu Meiyu pulled the three brothers apart, thinking that Erbao had become a miser.
As a result, Erbao hesitated and said nothing.
At the critical moment, she sold out her brother again: "Mom, the second brother is the poorest, he has no money left!"
Liu Meiyun: “????”
"Erbao, what did you do with the money?" If Liu Meiyu remembered correctly, the three brothers all had their own small treasury, at least several yuan.
Erbao pinched his fingers and refused to say anything.
Xiaobao wanted to continue selling, but Erbao glared at him fiercely and he held back.
Xiaobao was frightened by Erbao, but Dabao was not.
He decisively exposed: "Mom, my brother always buys snacks and hair ties for his female classmates! The New Year's gift money is almost gone!"
“…”
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