Chapter 235 University
Nan Zhiyi immediately sat down next to Aunt Feng, took her arm, and gently comforted her, "Aunt Feng, please don't say that. You can rest assured, Yue Ran and I will take care of each other and we will definitely be able to have a smooth university life."
Zhang Yueran squeezed in and leaned against her mother's other side, her tone light and cheerful: "Mom, I'm all grown up now, I can take care of myself! Besides, I still have my sister! Once I'm settled in at school, I'll write to you and give you a detailed report. You and Dad stay home and take good care of yourselves. I promise I'll be the first one to rush home for summer vacation!"
Aunt Feng looked at her two beautiful, sensible, and considerate daughters beside her, and reached out to touch their hair. "Good, good, you are both good children, it's just...it's just that I can't bear to part with you..."
The three of them chatted intimately for a while before resting.
The next morning, after breakfast, Xiao Liu drove Nan Zhiyi, Zhang Yueran, and Xiao Man to take Aunt Feng to the train station.
On the platform, crowds thronged, and the green train spewed out white steam.
Aunt Feng gave Xiaoman a final hug, kissed his little face, and carefully instructed Nan Zhiyi and Zhang Yueran on things like "study hard," "take care of your health," and "write letters often."
Nan Zhiyi held back her tears and nodded repeatedly.
Zhang Yueran's eyes were red. "Mom, be careful on the road. Remember to send us a telegram when you get home!"
The train whistle blared, urging passengers to board.
Aunt Feng got into the car, looking back every few steps, and leaned out of the window to wave.
Carrying my longing and reluctance, it disappeared into the distance.
Nan Zhiyi and Zhang Yueran stood on the platform and watched for a long time.
"Let's go, Yueyue, let's go home."
Zhang Yueran wiped away her tears, looked at her sister and Xiaoman, and the sadness of parting in her heart was gradually replaced by anticipation for the future.
The following day was the day that the Capital University held its opening ceremony.
Before dawn, Nan Zhiyi quietly got up, afraid of waking Xiaoman who was still fast asleep.
At just 6:30, she tiptoed downstairs and found Zhang Yueran already sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, her eyes full of joy.
"Sis, get up! I've packed everything and my luggage is all sorted out. I can stay in the dorm tonight."
Zhang Yueran showed a hint of reluctance again, "It's just... I can't see my sister and Xiaoman every day..."
Nan Zhiyi sat down with a smile and took the porridge that Sister Zhang had served: "It's okay, the school isn't far away. You can come back anytime you want on Saturdays and Sundays, or on weekday afternoons when you don't have classes."
Zhang Yueran thought it made sense, so she let go of her worries.
A short while later, Sister Zhang brought over some side dishes and boiled eggs.
Nan Zhiyi said, "Sister Zhang, I'll have to trouble you more from today onwards. Please take good care of Xiaoman. I'll come back as soon as I get off school."
Sister Zhang quickly replied, "Sister-in-law, you can go to school without worry! Leave Xiaoman to me, I'll make sure she's well taken care of!"
Two days ago, Nan Zhiyi mentioned to her that since she would have more time to take care of her child in the future, her monthly salary would be increased by ten yuan, which made her even more motivated.
Nan Zhiyi nodded, then, still feeling uneasy, gave Xiaoman a few more detailed instructions about her eating habits, nap time, and other trivial matters.
I couldn't help but feel anxious. I wondered if Xiaoman would cry and fuss since she wouldn't see me during the day? Would she be able to adjust...?
Just after breakfast, I heard the sound of a jeep outside the courtyard. Xiao Liu had arrived on time.
The two sisters loaded Zhang Yueran's personal belongings and luggage into the car and took her to school first.
Upon arriving at Peking University, Nan Zhiyi helped Zhang Yueran move her belongings to her dormitory, and the two sisters said goodbye in front of the dormitory building.
Nan Zhiyi first inquired about the approval process for being a day student. After verification, the staff handed her a day student certificate stamped with an official seal, informing her that the procedures were complete and that she could enter and exit the campus with her student ID and this certificate, but she needed to abide by the school's schedule and teaching arrangements.
Following the instructions, she found the classroom designated by the Chinese Department, Class 1 of the 1977 Chinese Department.
The classroom was already filled with students of varying ages, ranging from teenagers to those in their thirties.
After a brief roll call, the counselor led everyone to the auditorium for the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony was solemn and enthusiastic. The speeches by school leaders, teacher representatives, and senior student representatives were full of earnest expectations and encouragement for the first batch of students after the resumption of the college entrance examination, which made Nan Zhiyi's heart surge with emotion.
After the ceremony, everyone returned to their classrooms.
The counselor reiterated the importance of discipline and studies, and then asked everyone to introduce themselves one by one.
The students came from all over the country, but their eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Nan Zhiyi's self-introduction was very brief, stating her name and where she was from.
Next, the counselor distributed the course schedule.
Nan Zhiyi looked closely and saw that there were many types of courses, including Introduction to Literature, Ancient Literature, Modern Literature, Contemporary Literature, Classical Chinese, Modern Chinese, Writing, and Foreign Languages.
The course load is not large, usually ranging from 4 to 6 classes per day, and not every day is a full day.
Classes typically start at 8:00 AM and end around 12:00 PM; afternoon classes begin around 2:00 PM and end before 4:00 PM. Evenings sometimes include lectures or study sessions. Classes are also usually scheduled for Saturday mornings.
This means that she needs to leave home around 7 a.m. every day, and after class at 4 p.m., she can take the bus or ride a bicycle, so the time is not too tight.
After receiving her new textbooks in the afternoon, Nan Zhiyi's university life officially began.
The first few days of school are incredibly busy for every new student, like a clockwork mechanism.
Zhang Yueran, who lives on campus, is especially busy. She has to get to know the huge campus, quickly get to know her new roommates from all over the country and coordinate her schedule, and figure out the location of the cafeteria, hot water room and bathhouse... The novelty and the trivial matters are intertwined.
Nan Zhiyi was thinking about Zhang Yueran, but she was afraid of bothering her.
It wasn't until noon on the third day, when she figured Zhang Yueran should have finished lunch and returned to her dorm, that she went to look for her.
Sure enough, after waiting for a while downstairs in the dormitory, I saw Zhang Yueran and several roommates walking over, chatting and laughing.
Zhang Yueran spotted her sister immediately, and her eyes lit up.
She whispered something to her roommate and then jogged over: "Sis! You're here? I was just thinking of coming to see you as soon as get out of class ended this afternoon! How have you been these past few days? Are you settling in alright?"
Nan Zhiyi took her hand and said, "I should be asking you, how are you? Did you sleep well last night? Are you getting used to the dorm? Are you enjoying the food in the cafeteria?"
Zhang Yueran simply pulled Nan Zhiyi to sit down on a bench near the dormitory building before she began to explain in detail, as if giving a work report:
"Don't worry, sis! Everything's fine! I slept well last night, and everyone in the dorm is getting along really well. We even had a late-night chat last night. The food in the cafeteria, well, it's all communal cooking, so it's alright, but it's enough to fill you up."
"Oh, right, after the class meeting, we received this month's food coupons and subsidies. There are 30 jin of food coupons and an 18 yuan subsidy. The department's life committee member distributed them to everyone, saying that they will be distributed around this time every month from now on. Sis, this is really useful! They also said that if your family is in particularly difficult circumstances, you can apply for a higher level of subsidy."
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