Tang Baozhu rubbed her rumbling stomach and finally made the bed. The dormitory was quite clean, probably because the two girls who had arrived before her had already cleaned it.
I was planning to go out and find something to eat, but I didn't know if there was anything left to eat at the state-run restaurants, since it was already three or four o'clock.
If there's really nothing else, I'll just chew on some jerky. The main thing is to look around and get familiar with the place, since it's where I'll be living for the next four years.
I grabbed a piece of jerky, chewed it as I walked outside, and locked the dorm room door behind me. The dorm auntie had given me a key when I went upstairs, so I figured everyone should have a key to their dorm room.
I went to the canteen first, but there was no food left, and there were no meal tickets either. I heard that there are subsidies for students now, so at least there is enough money for food. This should make life a little better for the poorer educated youth who went to the countryside.
Tang Baozhu had heard that in this era, there were many people who impersonated others and many who favored sons over daughters. Even if their daughters were admitted to university, they would not provide them with food expenses. Fortunately, there were subsidies now, so life was a little better.
After leaving the cafeteria, I took a walk around the campus. I have to say, as expected of a foreign language school, there seemed to be far more girls than boys.
Tang Baozhu thought she was already a very pretty girl, but after entering this place, she saw several girls who were just as pretty as her, and even one who was prettier than her.
She wandered around the campus for a while and saw that it was already four or five o'clock. Since she didn't have meal tickets in the cafeteria and couldn't eat there, she was too lazy to go to the teacher to exchange them. She decided to go out and eat something better, since she had national food coupons and the like.
When I left the school and arrived at the school gate, I found that there were still students coming to register one after another, carrying large and small bags.
The two people in my dorm who arrived before me were probably locals, otherwise they wouldn't have been causing such a commotion in the dorm. I haven't seen them come in for almost two hours, so they must have gone home.
Tang Baozhu envied that they could go home to live. She also wanted to buy a house in Beijing so that she could live in the dormitory if she wanted, or go back to her own home if she didn't want to.
It seems that the policy of allowing home purchases has not been opened up yet. It should be around July or August before home purchases are allowed.
There are still more than six months to go, and Tang Baozhu can afford to wait. However, she doesn't have much money, but she doesn't plan to buy a very nice house. Just enough for her to live in alone is fine.
Just in case, it's best to prepare a little extra. I'm afraid I might find a house I really like, but I don't have enough money, and I'll miss out, which would be a real shame.
Tang Baozhu wasn't very familiar with this area, so she had to ask for directions. Fortunately, the people there were quite helpful, and she arrived at the state-run restaurant in less than ten minutes by following their directions.
The restaurant was quite crowded, which suggests that the locals are generally well-off, hence the higher number of people dining out.
I ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles and two fried eggs. Although it cost a little more, the cooking was really good.
I can only say that he is indeed a top chef in Beijing. When I am better off, I will also hire a chef to cook for me, making ten or eight dishes for each meal, and then secretly storing them in the warehouse. The chef may be very surprised at first that I eat so much, but he will get used to it.
Tang Baozhu thought about it more and more and felt that this was a good idea. In the past few years in the countryside, she would sometimes be lazy and not want to cook, so she would eat the food in her space. In her previous life, with so many eyes watching her, she could not smuggle too much food, and it was almost gone.
I must stock up a lot this time, so I won't lack vegetables or meat. I can also change chefs every year or two, so I can eat all kinds of cuisines without worrying about getting tired of them. The more I think about it, the more I realize how smart I am.
There's no use thinking about it now. I don't have enough money, and I don't own a house. I can only wait until I graduate to think about it.
After eating the noodles, I noticed the sky outside was getting dark, so I quickly left the state-run restaurant and headed towards the school.
I've heard that this era is very chaotic, especially for those educated youth who secretly returned. They have no jobs but still need to eat, so they can only come up with crooked ideas.
As a single woman, I'm the object of many people's attention.
Once inside the school, the tension finally disappeared. Perhaps it was because the gatekeeper was a retired soldier with an upright posture and a heroic air, which gave people a sense of security.
When I got back to the dorm, the door was open, so there must have been someone inside. I wondered if it was my two roommates whom I had never met before.
Upon entering, I saw a young woman I didn't recognize making the bed. She was dressed simply, giving off the vibe of a girl from the countryside, like the girl next door.
"Hello, I arrived this afternoon. My name is Tang Baozhu. What's your name?"
"Hello, I'm new here. My name is Liu Yue. It's nice to meet you."
Liu Yue was probably a little nervous at first, but the nervousness disappeared instantly after she said those words.
She is indeed quite simple and honest, the kind of girl who is well-behaved but not particularly introverted.
"Hurry up and get ready, I won't bother you anymore. It's getting dark soon, I'm going to wash up too."
"Okay, go quickly!"
Tang Baozhu picked up the thermos, intending to check if there was any hot water and fill it up for washing.
There's no place to shower inside the house, so it's inconvenient to even sneak a spot in the room to wash yourself.
It seems I'll still need to sneak into the small space at night; otherwise, I'll definitely feel very uncomfortable.
It seems we really need to set up a corner and discuss it once everyone has arrived. This way, it will be more convenient for everyone to wipe themselves down, and we won't have to worry about being seen by others and feeling uncomfortable.
I grabbed my thermos and went to the hot water dispenser, but unfortunately there were too many people waiting, so I could only wash up with cold water on the side. I forgot to fill it with hot water in the afternoon, and now there's none left. Luckily, I have some in my own storage space.
When Tang Baozhu returned from the tea room, she saw that Liu Yue had already tidied up and was about to fill a kettle with water. Tang Baozhu quickly stopped her, "There are many people waiting for hot water in the tea room. Even if you go now, there won't be any hot water available. You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to get some."
"Oh, I see! It's my fault for not getting water earlier when I arrived. I guess I'll have to remember to get hot water earlier next time."
After putting the kettle back, Liu Yue took a washbasin, towel, and toothbrush to wash up.
Tang Baozhu planned to take advantage of the fact that no one was in the dormitory at the moment, go up to the top bunk, enter the small space, quickly wash herself, and then come out of the small space.
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