Liao Xiaoqiao took off her headphones and sneered, "So what if I'm showing off? I have the right to be. I'm not like you, willing to marry even a cripple. The blind date my family arranged for me is a high-ranking official in the compound. He's handsome, from a good family, and capable. I'm not on the same level as you. It's disgusting that you don't even let people say it, it's even more disgusting."
Zhang Ying's face turned red with anger. Being humiliated in public like this, she glared at Liao Xiaoqiao with red eyes and trembling body.
Chu Yu patted her shoulder and glared at Liao Xiaoqiao:
"What are you doing? Trying to cause trouble, huh?"
Liao Xiaoqiao knew that Chu Yu was not someone to be trifled with, so she didn't want to confront her directly. She just sneered, "So what if I start trouble? Can you call the police and arrest me? Let me tell you, I'm not someone to be trifled with."
"You're not someone to be trifled with, but we are?"
Chu Yu looked unwell, and Li Miao and the others gathered around.
"Let me tell you, Liao Xiaoqiao, we're here to learn, not to watch you act like a jerk! Your family's financial situation is none of our business. We haven't eaten a single grain of rice from your family, so we don't need to put up with your attitude. Besides, only a frog in a well like you would show off all day long. You're all talk and no action, and you really think you're someone important. If you don't want to stay, then get out. We're not putting up with you!"
Chu Yu's words were harsh enough that no one could ever get the better of her. Even Liao Xiaoqiao couldn't win an argument with her. After a long while, her eyes reddened, and after glancing at the group of people, she ran away crying.
Chu Yu patted Zhang Ying on the shoulder and said gently:
"Don't take it to heart, that kind of person is just sick."
Zhang Ying wiped away her tears. "She can tell me directly what's wrong with me. No one has ever told me to brush my teeth at night since I was a child, so of course I didn't know."
Chu Yu knew that Liao Xiaoqiao's words were quite hurtful. For Zhang Ying, who was sensitive and insecure, it was like rubbing salt into a wound. Zhang Ying's man was a cripple, and she must care a lot about that.
Liao Xiaoqiao reopened someone's wounds and mocked them, which Chu Yu found quite distasteful.
"It's nothing. The country has only been established for a few years. We're all just ordinary people. If you don't understand any hygiene habits, you can ask me. I'll tell you everything I know. As for your man, I believe you must have your reasons for choosing him. Relationships have nothing to do with others. As long as you two are happy, that's all that matters."
Zhang Ying cried bitterly, "Chu Yu, he really is a very good person. I never did a single day of work at his house. I took the college entrance exam for several years, and he had to take care of the children and do farm work. He did everything at home and outside. Without him, I would never have been able to get into university. People shouldn't forget their roots after they become successful, right?"
Chu Yu thought of Zhou Jian'an and nodded, saying, "You're right. Once you graduate and start earning money, you can improve your family's life. I believe that if you work hard, your life will definitely get better and better."
Chu Yu's words smoothed out the wrinkles in Zhang Ying's heart.
She lost her mother at a young age and was often ridiculed by her stepsister. The clothes she wore were patched many times by her stepsisters until they could no longer be patched before it was her turn.
She had never experienced being cherished and loved. The man treated her well and gave her a normal family.
Zhang Ying realized then that home is a warm place.
"Thank you, Chu Yu. My husband also wants to come to Beijing to work, but our child doesn't have a household registration for school. Once I graduate and my household registration is in Beijing, we can transfer our child's household registration here."
Chu Yu wholeheartedly agreed, saying that the college entrance examination in Beijing is relatively less difficult, and it's better for her child to stay in Beijing than in Harbin.
After this little incident, the atmosphere in the dormitory became even stranger. Liao Xiaoqiao cried to her classmates, saying that they were jealous of her good family background and that she could wear pretty dresses every day, so they ganged up on her to bully her.
"She's got such a big face. She's talked about those few shabby clothes over and over again. Everyone knows she bought them at a department store, and each one costs tens of dollars. Chu Yu's clothes are much more expensive than hers, and I've never seen Chu Yu flaunt them. I don't know where she gets such a big face!"
Li Miao was a little annoyed and glanced at Chu Yu's Cartier bracelet.
"By the way, she also told others that your bracelet is fake. She said that this style is not available overseas, and since you come from the countryside, you can't afford this bracelet. Chu Yu, let me ask you one question: is your bracelet real? I don't think you have any vanity, and you don't seem like the kind of person who would use fake goods."
Chu Yu didn't hide anything, "It's true, my boyfriend brought it back from a business trip to Hong Kong."
"Your boyfriend is so good to you. Is this bracelet expensive? How much did it cost?"
Chu Yu gave a rough estimate, probably around two hundred US dollars. These days, money has high purchasing power; she casually wore a color TV on her wrist, and her astonishing purchasing power still shocked her roommates.
"Your boyfriend is so good to you, his family must be well-off, right?"
Chu Yu didn't hide anything, and Zhang Ying and Li Miao were stunned. Liao Xiaoqiao was showing off that she had a blind date with the son of a high-ranking official in the compound. Even though it was still far from being a done deal, she could still brag about it.
As it turns out, Chu Yu's boyfriend is the son of a high-ranking official, making it obvious who is superior and who is inferior.
Students at Tsinghua University aren't that bored; they don't compare money or family background. They have the stars and the sea to conquer, and they don't usually talk about these things. It's just that Liao Xiaoqiao is too eccentric and out of place with the simple and unpretentious atmosphere of Tsinghua University.
“Compared to your man, my man is a bit poor,” Zhang Ying said with a smile.
Chu Yu knew that Zhang Ying was frugal. The government provides subsidies for college students, and each student receives more than ten yuan a month for living expenses. Zhang Ying's money was enough to live on, but her daughter was weak and often had to go to the hospital for fevers. Zhang Ying saved money from her own meals and sent it home to pay for her child's medical treatment.
"If you can balance your studies, you can find a part-time job," Chu Yu suggested.
Zhang Ying thought the same way. She wanted to tutor, but these days the competition in education isn't that fierce. Few parents really care about their children's studies; as long as they're fed, that's enough. The children are mostly left to their own devices.
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