Around 7 PM, they finally arrived at their final destination, Beijing. Despite Shen Xuyue's reminder to wear all the warm clothes possible, Zhao Mingyue still shivered as soon as she got off the train; all the warmth seemed to evaporate. Beijing was so cold, especially at night. The air felt like it could be scooped up with ice crystals, and the wind felt like knives cutting into your face—first a sharp pain, then numbness. How do Beijingers survive the winter these days without thermal underwear, sweaters, or down jackets?
Shen Xuyue asked with concern, "Are you cold, Mingyue?"
Zhao Mingyue gritted her teeth and shook her head: "Phew! It's alright."
Liang Dong blew his nose forcefully, inhaled the cold air, and said, "This weather is really something." He didn't put on any more clothes; he was wearing the same thing he was wearing before.
Shen Xuyue said, "This is not the coldest time yet. Spring is almost here, and the temperature is rising a bit."
Liang Dong chuckled: "Don't worry, we can handle it. We'll get used to it."
"Let's go, it's getting colder the longer we stand, the colder it will be if we move around," Shen Xuyue urged.
The universities were quite considerate, knowing that students would be arriving in the coming days, and had set up reception points outside the station and arranged shuttle buses. After leaving the station, Liang Dong got on the Peking University shuttle bus. Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue didn't go to the same university; their schools were quite far apart. Shen Xuyue got on the Beijing Normal University bus. Zhao Mingyue said, "Why don't you go to your school first and come find me tomorrow?" Her main concern was that there wouldn't be any transportation to Tsinghua University that night.
"It's okay, I'll take you to school. I'll stay at your school's guesthouse tonight. Anyway, I don't have any blankets and can't make up a bed," Shen Xuyue said with a smile.
"Oh right, I forgot about that." Zhao Mingyue smiled awkwardly.
The bus was full of Zhao Mingyue's alumni, all of them freshmen. Their faces were ashen from the long journey, and most of them looked a bit weathered, as they were all adults in their twenties or thirties. There were very few people like Zhao Mingyue, who were eighteen or nineteen years old and should be attending university normally. Besides Zhao Mingyue, there was only Bian Hongyu, who had just boarded the bus. She was a senior high school student.
Because of their age, everyone had experienced hardship and struggles in society, so they were particularly friendly and amiable, and quickly became close friends after getting on the bus.
The school had just resumed enrollment, and this year's intake was small. Not everyone was able to come together. The bus waited at the train station for three trains before it finally filled up with everyone and took them back to the school. It was already 10 o'clock when they arrived.
Without going through any formalities, they wanted to find a dormitory and settle down first, and deal with everything else the next day. Shen Xuyue escorted Zhao Mingyue to the dormitory, which was a bit old, a six-person room with a shared bathroom on each floor. Zhao Mingyue wasn't the first to arrive; two people were already there. It was too cold, and they had already crawled into bed and gone to sleep. When they saw Zhao Mingyue bring a man in, they greeted him and then huddled under the covers, too afraid to move.
Shen Xuyue helped her carry her things inside, tidied up her belongings, and made her bed before saying, "Mingyue, I'm leaving now. I'll leave my luggage here and come back to find you tomorrow morning."
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay, then go ahead and get some rest." She saw Shen Xuyue to the door, but Shen Xuyue sent her back: "No need to see me off, I know this place better than you do, go back."
Zhao Mingyue watched Shen Xuyue leave her sight before returning to her room. Both of her classmates peeked out from under the covers. The person in the top left bunk said, "Your name is Zhao Mingyue, right? Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Chunmei, and I'm from Chongqing, Sichuan."
The one in the upper right corner against the wall said, "My name is Tang Weihua, and I'm from Xi'an, Shaanxi."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Hello, my name is Zhao Mingyue, and I am from Jinnan, X Province."
“I know, your place is famous for its scenery.” Li Chunmei is a typical Sichuan girl, quick-witted and very cheerful.
Zhao Mingyue laughed and scratched her head: "It seems so."
Tang Weihua asked her, "Who was that man just now?"
"Oh, that's my boyfriend," Zhao Mingyue said somewhat shyly.
The two of them half-lifted themselves from under the covers, which were wrapped like cocoons: "Your boyfriend? Are you from the same place? Did he bring you here?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "He just got into Tsinghua University and came with me. He brought me to the university first, and then went to his own university. He was sent to the countryside in our hometown and is from Beijing."
"Oh, that's great." The two of them lay back down.
The three then stated their ages. Tang Weihua was the oldest, 26, and already a mother. Li Chunmei was 21 and unmarried. After the resumption of the college entrance examination, the admission requirements stipulated that applicants must be under 25 and unmarried. However, for those with exceptional skills, the age and marital requirements could be relaxed. As a result, many students in the classes of 1977 and 1978 were married, or even parents. Starting with the class of 1979, married applicants were no longer accepted.
Tang Weihua lent Zhao Mingyue a pot of hot water. After a quick wash, she was finally able to crawl into bed and sleep. Having not rested for a day and a night, Zhao Mingyue fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, wondering if Shen Xuyue had found a place to stay yet. She was just too tired.
A young body recovers easily, and when she woke up, it was already daylight. Li Chunmei had already put on all her clothes, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, and kept complaining, "I'm freezing! It's so cold! Didn't you feel cold last night?"
Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment, "It seems a bit cold, but it's bearable. Isn't there heating? It's just so dry, and my throat feels really uncomfortable." The room has heating pipes, but it doesn't seem very warm; it doesn't feel much better than outside. Zhao Mingyue was too tired to notice the cold, but she felt extremely thirsty and uncomfortable after getting up. She quickly put on her clothes and went to wash up; Shen Xuyue should be coming soon. While washing her face, she blew her nose and was shocked to find her hands covered in blood. It was so dry!
After Zhao Mingyue finished washing up, she waited and waited, but no one came. So she looked downstairs and saw Shen Xuyue waving at her from outside the dormitory: "Mingyue!"
Zhao Mingyue quickly slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and went downstairs: "Why aren't you coming up?"
Shen Xuyue said, "The old lady guarding us won't let us in."
“They let us in last night,” Zhao Mingyue said.
Shen Xuyue said, "They probably thought I was there to see you off last night, so they let you in. It's okay, let's go have breakfast first, and then I'll go with you to register." Registration takes place over a few days, so those who arrive first will register first.
"Hmm, and you?"
“I’m not in a hurry. We’re not reporting for duty until tomorrow. I’ll go back and check on things once you’re settled,” Shen Xuyue said.
Zhao Mingyue knew that he must be eager to go back and check on his family right now, so she nodded and asked, "Where did you rest last night?"
Shen Xuyue pointed and said, "It's in the guesthouse over there. Let's go have breakfast. I just checked, the canteen is over there, very close to your dorm. Do you need any other daily necessities later? Go buy them. You don't have a bucket yet, right?"
"Yes." Zhao Mingyue nodded. Last night, she used a cup to hold water and then used it to wet the towel. She felt it wasn't appropriate to borrow someone else's bucket.
This was Zhao Mingyue's first hot meal after arriving in Beijing. Last night, after getting off the bus, while waiting for someone, Shen Xuyue ran to buy two hot pancakes. Because it was so cold, the pancakes were almost cold by the time she took them out, but they were still much better than dry steamed buns. It was too late when she got back to school, and she was so sleepy that she just wanted to go to bed as soon as possible, and she didn't even think about eating.
For breakfast, they had hot noodles with minced meat sauce, which cost four cents a tael. Shen Xuyue got three taels for Zhao Mingyue and also bought her a serving of fried liver for ten cents. He himself got half a jin of noodles and a bowl of fried liver. "If you're still hungry, you can get more noodles." Shen Xuyue poured vinegar into the noodles and stirred them with chopsticks. The steaming noodles looked especially comforting.
Zhao Mingyue said, "That's enough, too much. I'm afraid I won't be able to finish it."
"I haven't had a proper meal in days. Eat as much as you want." Shen Xuyue ate the noodles heartily.
Zhao Mingyue had never eaten fried liver before. Starving and freezing, she ate her first bowl and found it quite delicious, thus developing a very good impression of it. Shen Xuyue, on the other hand, hadn't been back to his hometown for many years. Eating this long-missed delicacy again while hungry was an indescribable experience; he would never forget it.
Shen Xuyue ate with great relish, slurping and making noises that clearly indicated he was enjoying himself immensely. He ate until he was about half full before finally slowing down to savor the flavors. He observed Zhao Mingyue's movements, noticing that she ate quietly without making a sound. He was slightly surprised by her upbringing. Back in Moon Bay, he had seen many villagers who ate noisily, assuming that was the norm. Zhao Mingyue, however, was different, eating slowly and gracefully.
In truth, Shen Xuyue had always felt that Zhao Mingyue was different from others. Although she was a rural girl who had only completed junior high school, she didn't exhibit any inferiority complex, restraint, shyness, or timidity. She was always confident, natural, and poised, not only better than other rural girls her age but even more natural than girls raised in the city. She didn't possess the sense of superiority that many city girls had. The feeling of being with her was, how to describe it? Just right, making people very willing to get close. Moreover, her insight was stronger than many men's. She was a woman full of merits, yet somewhat enigmatic.
Zhao Mingyue looked up and found Shen Xuyue looking at her. She covered her face with her hand and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "No. Is it delicious?"
Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Yes, it's delicious."
"Is this enough? If not, we can add some more noodles," Shen Xuyue asked.
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "That's enough, that's more than enough." Actually, she was already full before she finished eating, but she couldn't waste food, so she tried her best to finish everything in her bowl. It was a very satisfying meal, and both Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue were very content.
Enrolling was simple; there was no tuition fee, accommodation was free, and the teacher training college provided a monthly living allowance of sixteen yuan, which was enough for her to eat very well, and there was even a surplus.
University graduates in those days enjoyed truly excellent benefits. They didn't need to find jobs after graduation; the government assigned them positions—civil servants, state-owned enterprises, and public institutions. No wonder people described university life as living in an ivory tower; getting into university meant escaping rural life and receiving a monthly salary of fifty-four yuan after graduation. Of course, getting into university in those days was incredibly difficult; those were truly the cream of the crop.
After they finished registering, they overheard two people talking: "It's so good that you students are studying to be teachers, you even get a living allowance. Our school has to apply for financial aid for students in need ourselves."
"Really? Is it possible to get approved?"
"It should be possible, but it's tiered, and usually it's only a ten-yuan subsidy."
"That's enough for a meal."
"Yes."
After listening to the conversation between the two, Zhao Mingyue turned around and looked at Shen Xuyue with some surprise. She had always thought that there was a living allowance for college students, but now she found out there wasn't: "Xuyue, did you hear that? Your school doesn't provide a living allowance?"
Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "I know, it's okay. Didn't he say we can apply for subsidies? Besides, I have some money of my own, so it's fine."
After accompanying Zhao Mingyue to register, Shen Xuyue took her to a store to buy daily necessities: buckets, basins, soap, etc. After buying the items, Shen Xuyue said to her, "Mingyue, I need to go home and check on things. Can you go back to your dormitory first? I'll come back to get the things when I get back. I might not be able to come back tonight."
Zhao Mingyue hesitated for a moment: "Do you want me to go back with you?"
Shen Xuyue thought for a moment and shook his head: "Forget it, I'll go back by myself. I don't know what's going on." He himself couldn't predict what would happen, so he didn't want Zhao Mingyue to face those unexpected events.
Zhao Mingyue was very understanding: "Okay, then be careful on your way."
Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay, you can go back now. Goodbye!"
When Zhao Mingyue returned to her dormitory, she found another classmate had arrived, accompanied by her mother. This classmate was very tall, well over 1.7 meters, and a bit stocky. She had short hair and looked somewhat like a boy. When she spoke, she had a heavy Beijing accent, with a particularly strong retroflex ending. She spoke very quickly, and her words exuded confidence and cheerfulness. She smiled at Zhao Mingyue, revealing a set of white teeth: "Hello, my name is Qian Sisheng, from Beijing."
Looking at the other person's sincere smile, Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth. She extended her hand to shake hands with her: "Hello, my name is Zhao Mingyue, from X province."
Qian Sisheng looked at Zhao Mingyue: "How old are you?"
Zhao Mingyue said, "18 years old."
Qian Sisheng turned to everyone and said, "It seems that Zhao Mingyue is probably the youngest in our dormitory. I'm 20."
"Maybe. There are still two who haven't arrived yet. Tomorrow is the last day for registration, so they should arrive soon," Li Chunmei replied.
Zhao Mingyue put her things away and saw Qian Sisheng's mother sitting at her table: "Hello, Auntie!"
Qian's mother smiled and nodded: "Hello. It's fate that you can go to school together. My family lives in Beijing. If you want to have a nice meal or something better, come to my house for dinner. Don't be shy. From now on, you will both be my son Sisheng's good friends."
Zhao Mingyue smiled sweetly: "Then thank you in advance, Auntie."
Qian's mother left after a while. Qian Sisheng went to see his mother off. When he returned, he saw Zhao Mingyue still packing her things, so he asked, "Zhao Mingyue, you're so young, are you a recent graduate?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "No, I returned to my hometown to farm after graduating from junior high school in 1975."
Qian Sisheng gave a thumbs up: "Great job! But we're all pretty much the same. I didn't attend many classes in high school. I was doing manual labor every day. I learned everything on my own."
Tang Weihua said, "That's right. I graduated from high school so many years ago. I graduated in 1969 and was sent down to the countryside, where I stayed for seven or eight years. When it came time to take the college entrance exam, I crammed at the last minute and unexpectedly passed. It's really amazing."
“Yes, I’ve been working at the printing factory for three or four years. Suddenly they said we could take the college entrance exam again, and I couldn’t believe it. My boyfriend insisted that I take the exam with him. In the end, I came to Beijing, but he didn’t pass. He said he’d take it again this year. Sigh! It seems Zhao Mingyue is the happiest. She and her boyfriend both passed the exam and came to Beijing. I wonder if my boyfriend will be able to pass the exam and come to Beijing again.” Li Chunmei sighed as she said this.
Qian Sisheng turned to look at them: "No way, Sister Tang got married, you two both have partners, and I'm the only single guy left?"
Tang Weihua laughed and said, "You're a happy bachelor, how wonderful! I also wish I could go back to being single, carefree, without having to think about feeding the baby or changing diapers. But now I can't be free anymore; I have to drag my little burden along with me on my new life. Look, this is a picture of my son, isn't he cute? I took this picture before I came, otherwise I would have missed him terribly." Tang Weihua then took out a two-inch black and white photo and showed it to everyone.
Looking at the photo of the family of three, Zhao Mingyue saw a typical Shaanxi man, very honest and simple. The child looked like his father, chubby-cheeked and adorable, about two years old. "Sister Tang, how old is your son? He's so cute." Zhao Mingyue loved children and couldn't help but feel envious when she saw other people's children. She thought to herself, "I guess I'll be able to have my own child someday."
Tang Weihua said, "He was two years old. When I was studying for my exams, his father sent him to his grandmother's house so as not to disturb me. It was really pitiful." As she said this, Tang Weihua's eyes reddened. The child was separated from his mother at such a young age, and this separation lasted for several years. How could she not worry about him?
Li Chunmei asked, "Sister Tang, does your husband stay home to take care of the children?"
Tang Weihua said, "That's right. We were told that we would both take the exam together, and whoever passed would go to school, while the other would stay to take care of the child."
"What if they all pass the exam?" Li Chunmei asked.
“If they all pass the exams, the children will be left with their grandparents. However, the children’s father is not planning to take the exams anymore. This summer’s college entrance exam requires a foreign language component, and his foreign language scores are very poor, so he can’t take the exams,” Tang Weihua said with emotion.
Upon hearing this news, Zhao Mingyue couldn't help but feel secretly relieved. Luckily, she hadn't taken the foreign language exam last year, otherwise her third brother would definitely have failed. However, since the foreign language exam was this year, Yu Youqing would have to prepare for one more subject. She wondered how well he did in his foreign language exam; she would have to write back and tell him.
"By the way, I want to take a shower. Where can I take a shower?" Zhao Mingyue asked.
Li Chunmei said, "There's a public bathhouse over there. You can go in and take a bath for five cents a time. It's very comfortable."
Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Thank you." She decided to take a shower first, then go buy some stationery to write a letter home to let her family know she was safe, and also to write to Yu Youqing to tell him what she knew.
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