It took an hour and a half to get to the dormitory by taking the subway to the bus, because everyone got up early because of the exam today. There are often people in the dormitory who do not return overnight. First, except for Xiao Rui and me, the rest are all Beijingers, and they often go home. Secondly, Xiao Rui also has relatives here, and they often keep her overnight. Although I have no relatives here, no one has ever asked me this question. I come home every night, and everyone is used to it.
"The exam is coming soon, didn't you leave work early yesterday?" Ning Anan came over and asked me.
"After get off work, I went to watch an all-night movie."
"It's pretty well done, isn't it?"
"Too tired, I want to take a rest."
"Can I sit next to you during the listening test?" Ning Anan asked quietly, "My walkman is broken, and I haven't listened to tapes much recently."
"Don't blame me for failing the exam."
"I'll buy it for you and go early. By the way, there is a party in the dormitory tonight, and the brothers from 301 will come over." Another "friendly dormitory" activity.
"Do you want to buy something? Do you need me to join in?" I don't go to work tonight, so I hurried to make up for the group activities that I have been absent.
"You're not here, so I made it up last night. The dormitory was also cleaned. Feng Jinger said, I'll send you to turn on the water."
"Okay, okay." I tried to fit in.
"Brother Xiu came to see you several times yesterday."
"I work all night."
"It's daytime."
"Oh, no chance."
"He brought you boiling water."
"How embarrassing." I suddenly thought, my face has been washed.
"He asked me if you never have time to turn on the water at night."
"I've been playing during the day."
"I'm the elder brother. The elder brother has to take care of the younger sister." Ning Anan talked on and on.
"When did you like being a matchmaker?"
"I was bribed."
"How did you bribe?"
"Take me to a meal."
"It's that easy? I'll treat you to two meals, and don't be his lobbyist in the future."
I didn't sleep all night, my spirits were not good, and I passed the exam one day. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw Li Chuan, standing alone next to the refrigerator, bending down to get milk in a posture similar to gymnastics. Years later, every time I think of Li Chuan, the first image that flashes in my mind is always this image. And my heart seemed to be pinched suddenly by an invisible hand, sore and out of breath. After the last exam in the afternoon, I went to the water room to get two bottles of boiled water, and walked back slowly. Before I got to the dormitory, I saw Ning Anan running towards me quickly.
"What's up?"
"There is a handsome man looking for you. My God, how can you be so handsome?" She made an exaggerated gesture: "Please ask him to sit in the dormitory for a while. Let's taste it carefully, shall we?"
"Really looking for me?" Li Chuan wouldn't be so idle, so I quickened my pace.
"Feng Jinger, the others and the brothers from 301 have surrounded him. Can you please tell him that it's time to turn on the water. If he continues to stand downstairs under the girl, there will be an accident. Three girls are already patronizing him. Look at him, holding a hot water bottle and bumping into people..."
I laughed, thinking she was joking. When I walked downstairs, the ground was really shiny with silver, and indeed several bottles were broken. The uncle at the gate was cleaning the battlefield with a broom, swearing and cursing.
The person standing by the door wearing a white shirt and jeans was indeed Li Chuan.
"Hi." He greeted me across the crowd.
"Hi."
He came over, took my hot water bottle, and asked, "Are you done with the exam?"
"finish exam."
"Did you do well in the exam?"
"good."
"Xiaoqiu, please invite classmate Wang to go upstairs for tea." Xiao Rui winked at me. In just a few minutes, they already knew his name. Is Xiao Rui a nympho, like a flower picker.
"No, let's... go to the restaurant."
"The food in the restaurant is so expensive, don't go there! There is a party tonight, and the food has already been prepared." Feng Jinger, who had always been indifferent to me, suddenly became courteous.
"Student Wang, let me show you some face." Wei Haixia encouraged him with a half-smile. This group of people would never be reconciled if Li Chuan was not kidnapped upstairs. We just nodded. The stairs in the girls' building are much steeper than those in the movie theater. I asked everyone to go upstairs first, and then accompanied Li Chuan to go up step by step. He insisted on carrying water for me along the way: "Why didn't you wake me up in the morning?"
"It's too early, you should sleep a little longer."
"I can't sneak away like this in the future."
"Why?"
"What if I go missing?"
"Li Chuan," I looked at him, and said, "Remember, even if I really disappear, it has nothing to do with you. ——You have no responsibility for me."
His face changed slightly, and just as he was about to argue, half of Xiao Rui's face appeared from the stairs: "Hey, why haven't you come up yet? The water bottles have been brought up for you. Brother Wang, hurry up."
Li Chuan frowned: "Brother Wang?"
"I'm just kidding. Let's go up and sit for a while. There is a party in the dormitory tonight. Eat a little first, don't eat too much, and then go to the restaurant. I'll treat you to a good meal."
He suddenly reached out and pulled me.
"What's wrong?" I asked. His hands were as cold as winter air.
"You are blocking the way of others." It turned out that someone went upstairs. Then, bang, the girl who went upstairs screamed, another bottle of gallbladder.
He continued to go upstairs, still walking step by step, looking exhausted, I couldn't bear to see him: "It's a pity that there is no elevator in the building."
"Otherwise it would be much more convenient for you to carry hot water," he said.
I remembered one more thing and asked, "You live so high up, what if the power goes out in the building?"
"Light a candle."
"What if it's a fire alarm?"
"Stay in the room and don't come out."
"What if it's a real fire alarm?"
"There's never been a real fire alarm."
The dormitory was full of people, and everyone rushed to give him the best seat.
"I never knew that Xiaoqiu had friends, no wonder Yeye came back so late." Xiao Rui poured him tea.
"We just know each other." Li Chuan and I said in unison.
"Hey, Brother Wang, where did you buy these jeans, what brand, why are they so stylish." Ning Anan asked.
"It looks like Levi's, but—" Xiao Rui stared at Li Chuan's back, "Levi's pockets don't have this kind of lace. Your shirt is also pretty, and it would be even better if you pair it with a blue tie."
Li Chuan asked me for help with his eyes, and I hinted that he would accept death calmly.
"Which department is Xiao Wang from?" Xiu Yue asked.
"I'm not a student, I work."
"Already working?" Xiao Rui studied his face and shook her head: "Not like, not like, like a graduate student!"
"Which line of work does Mr. Wang do?" Xiu Yue asked again.
"architecture."
"Is it civil engineering, or architectural design?"
"architectural design."
"Ah, are you an architect?" Xiao Rui asked. She looks hyper today and I don't know why.
"That's right."
"My brother is too. He is from Tongji, where are you from? Maybe you are classmates."
"I'm not from Tongji." He said, "I changed my career."
"Changing careers? Then what did you do before?"
"I studied economics for several years in college."
Feng Jinger's eyes lit up: "Economy? Lu Jie is also in the Department of Economics. Lu Jie, come here quickly, there are colleagues here."
Lu Jie has been drinking coffee silently beside him. He has always been the center of the girls, a typical public lover. Seeing this scene today, he looked listless: "Really? The economics department of our university is so-so. My dad used to be in Fudan University, but now he is in Fudan University." National People's Congress. Mr. Wang, which university are you from?"
"University of Chicago."
Lu Jie took a deep breath and looked doubtful: "University of Chicago? As far as I know, the Department of Economics of the University of Chicago is the best in the world."
"It's not the best." Li Chuan said, "Massachusetts and Harvard are both good. Yale and Princeton are also good. Isn't there a London School of Economics in the UK?"
"My dad visited the University of Chicago before and met Professor Ecker. What year did he win the Nobel Prize in Economics?"
"This... I don't really remember." Li Chuan thought for a while and said, "1993? No, Professor Fogel was in 1993, and Professor Ecker was in 1992."
"The research capabilities of the University of Chicago must be the best."
Li Chuan smiled but did not answer.
Feng Jinger took the opportunity to ask: "Then how did you apply, Mr. Wang? Did you also take the GRE?"
"Of course the GRE is important."
"The Department of Economics of the University of Chicago has such a bright future, why did Mr. Wang change careers?"
"Well... personal reasons."
"Does Mr. Wang have an e-mail address that is convenient to contact? In the future, Lu Jie will have problems applying for university, can I ask you for advice?" Feng Jinger asked persistently, and handed over a pen.
"Of course." He took out a pen and wrote down an email address.
"Don't Brother Wang have a business card?" Xiao Rui poked her head out from the upper bunk and asked.
"No, I didn't bring it."
"Mr. Wang must have a lot of acquaintances at the University of Chicago, right?" Feng Jinger motioned him to eat salted peanuts, saw him shake his head, and peeled oranges for him.
"I can't talk about acquaintances... I'm just a student."
"I heard that applying for a university tutor is the most important thing, is that true?"
"It's very important... It also depends on grades and recommendation letters."
He knows how to protect himself, and all the answers are short. Feng Jinger's "couple" consulted with him intensively for more than an hour, but I didn't have a chance to intervene.
Xiu Yue took the opportunity to chat with me, asking about the situation in my hometown.
"Does it often rain in Yunnan?"
"yes."
"Do you eat mushrooms every day?"
"no."
"Then what do you eat most often?"
"Rice noodles."
"By the way, speaking of Guoqiao rice noodles, I went online yesterday. There are several Yunnan restaurants in Beijing, and the one closest to us is..."
He didn't go on because I wasn't paying attention.
At this moment, Ning An'an, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interjected: "By the way, tell me, Xiao Qiu, how did you and Brother Wang know each other?"
Feng Jinger gave her a displeased look. An An's voice was too loud, almost rudely interrupting her chat with Li Chuan.
"He goes to coffee shops a lot," I said.
"That's it? It's not romantic at all! Let's add more spice!"
"We're just... a general understanding." I blushed.
How should I put it, indeed, generally speaking, non-boyfriends are not easily allowed to enter the female dormitory. Li Chuan stood up knowingly: "Thank you for your warm hospitality. I still have something to do, so I will take my leave first. Enjoy yourself."
Ning Anan gave a strange cry: "Brother Wang, come here often! We have a dance here every week!" After finishing speaking, remembering that he was inconvenient to walk, and afraid that he would not be able to dance, he hurriedly made a face: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to oh."
I sent Li Chuan downstairs. When I got to the bottom of the building, I asked him: "Are you really busy? Go to the restaurant and have dinner before leaving, okay? I must treat you."
"It's nothing, I just don't want to be checked. Is the restaurant far? Do I need to drive?"
"It's right in front. The first floor is the student cafeteria, and the second floor is where you can order food. People say that the stir-fries are delicious. I've never been to the second floor."
"Then go to the second floor."
We found a window seat on the second floor and sat down. The waiter came over and handed over the menu, looking at Li Chuan unscrupulously: "What do you two want to drink?"
"What are you drinking?" he asked me.
"Cola."
"A glass of Coke and a glass of mineral water."
"What kind of food do you want? Male classmate?" The waitress kept looking at Li Chuan with a friendly tone, as if he was the only customer.
"What do you eat?" Li Chuan looked at me.
I quickly glanced at the menu and quickly decided: "Spicy diced chicken, stir-fried cucumber."
The waiter wrote it down and looked at him again: "Male classmate, how about you?"
"Celery."
"Only this?"
"Xiaoqiu, do you want anything else?"
I glared at him: "Are you a vegetarian in the first place, or do you want to save money for me? Why don't I fry vegetables like celery and lily for you?"
"I don't eat much meat, it's true."
"Do you eat fish?" At the coffee shop, he always eats tuna sandwiches.
"Fish is delicious."
"Then I'll have steamed sea bass." This meal is thanks to him, and it must be delicious.
"The perch is a separate price, calculated by the catty."
"Let's have a medium one. Two more bowls of rice."
"The trumpet is fine," Li Chuan added.
"Okay." I sighed.
It was early in the dinner rush hour, and there was no one in the restaurant. The dishes came out quickly.
"When I came back in the morning, I met your friend." I said.
"My friend? Who?"
"He said his name was Ji Huan."
"Oh, yes. He lives on the forty-second floor. I always bump into him in the swimming pool, and gradually get to know him."
"Do you like swimming?"
"Quite like."
"I like it too, and I was the champion of the 400-meter freestyle in our county's youth games. My home is by the river. In summer, I swim every day. It's a pity that when I came here, the university's swimming pool was only open during the summer vacation, so I had to change it to I ran every day."
"No wonder you look so energetic and always have a rosy complexion." He said, staring at my face.
"I love sports by nature. Eat, why don't you eat? Eat more."
He ate, but only moved his chopsticks for a long time.
"Don't worry, I will finish my share." He still ate slowly, chewing slowly, as if he had a digestive disorder.
"I won't talk anymore, lest you keep answering and don't eat."
After a while, seeing that he was really eating slowly, I said again: "Don't force your stomach, I can take away what I can't finish, and make it tomorrow's lunch."
"Is there a refrigerator in the bedroom?"
"No. It won't break overnight."
"It's bound to go bad overnight."
"I put it on the window sill to cool down. The temperature is low at night, so it's fine."
"It's not salted fish."
He ate for a while, and I helped him eat, and finally finished the celery lily. Then we eat fish together.
"This fish is delicious." He began to speed up. "What are you doing at night? Dancing?"
"Do not jump."
"Why?"
"I don't like group activities, although I always try to be social. I'd rather be alone in bed watching, listening to music, eating snacks."
"Or, go to a scary movie alone," he added.
"Well said."
"The one with two white papers on the mosquito net is your bed?"
"how do you know?"
"The rest of the beds have city girl characteristics," he said.
"What characteristics?"
"There's at least one doll by the bed."
I find it funny: "How come I never noticed this?"
"What's written on the white paper?" he asked.
"One yin and one yang are called Dao, so you don't worry if you know your fate." I said, "It's in the Book of Changes. My dad is a Chinese teacher."
"Well..." He praised me: "It's quite learned."
"How do you say "Book of Changes" in English?"
"ook of Changes. Some people call it I-ching."
"Speaking of the Book of Changes, do you know fortune-telling?" He asked again.
"No. Wen doesn't know how to tell fortunes, and Wu doesn't know how to beat rice." I poked the head of the fish with my chopsticks, trying to figure out which part was still edible.
He laughed silently: "Then, Xiaoqiu, would you like to go swimming with me tonight?"
"If you finish this fish, I'll go."
He ate the perch very slowly, leaving a messy pile of bones clean enough to be used as a taxidermy.
The waiter brought the bill, I took out my wallet, and he quickly handed over two hundred-yuan bills: "Thank you, I don't need to look for it."
"Hey, who made you pay the bill?" I called.
"You are a student. Still working part-time."
"It's agreed that I will treat you today! Waiter, please return the money to him!"
He pressed my hand: "As long as we eat together in the future, I will always pay. Let's make it a rule, clear?"
I opened my mouth to refute, but he stopped me with his eyes.
"Let's not argue with you today." I said, secretly happy in my heart, it turns out that there will be a chance to have dinner together in the future.
He took me downstairs to the dormitory and waited for me to pick up my bathing suit. The party in the bedroom is also in full swing. I hurriedly said hello to Ning An'an, Feng Jing'er came over and asked in a low voice: "Are you going to dance tonight? We're all going. Men bought the tickets. If you don't go, Xiu Yue will be booked."
"I have something to do."
"Where is that classmate Wang? Will you come to accompany you?"
"No...we're not even friends, just acquaintances." I corrected again.
"Say a word, don't feel bad, and when you're sad, don't blame me for not reminding you," she said, in a flat tone, "Don't get too deep. You two, it's impossible."
I didn't ask her why, and went downstairs with my schoolbag.
Li Chuan was still waiting for me downstairs. We walked forward together, someone threw orange peels on the ground, I almost slipped, but he stopped me in time: "Be careful."
"I always walk without looking at the ground," I said.
"I do look often, and I will watch for you," he said, "but you have to hold my hand all the time."
After saying this, he held my hand logically, as if he wanted to take care of me from time to time to prevent me from falling.
"Today I found a nearby place to park without having to go to the school gate." He pointed to a small red building not far away.
I looked at him dumbfounded.
"What's wrong?"
"Where did you park your car?"
"Hmm. Is something wrong? The parking lot is big and empty."
"It's dead, that's the principal's office, and the cars of the three principals are parked there." I said, "Go slowly, I'll investigate first and see if your car has been towed away."
"Go, I'll rest here for a while."
The school is designed in a garden style, with chairs everywhere. He found a wooden chair and sat down, his face turned pale.
He is a high-level amputee, so how can he not work hard when he walks so far with his prosthesis. I didn't leave him, sat down with him, and found a bottle of mineral water from my bag: "Do you want some water?"
He shook his head.
After sitting for a while, he stood up and continued walking. Just then, we saw a black Mercedes driving by. When we walked to the parking lot together, the Mercedes also drove into the parking lot. I saw Li Chuan's car at a glance, and then I squeezed his hand hard.
"what happened again?"
"Student Li Chuan, you didn't find a good place to park your car. You parked in the principal's parking space."
"That seat should be a parking space for the disabled," he said.
"This is not America!"
The Mercedes pulled up in front of us and seemed to be waiting for us to drive away and make the space available.
I whispered, "Li Chuan, get in the car, let's go."
That's too late. The car door opened, and a silver-haired old man came out with a briefcase in his hand.
"He is Principal Liu." My hands were shaking. I saw him give a report in the auditorium during the opening ceremony.
"He is the principal, not a ghost. What are you afraid of?" Li Chuan took my hand and smiled at the old man, "Principal Liu, hello!"
I am completely speechless.
"Hello, you are-"
"Wang Lichuan. This is my cousin, Xie Xiaoqiu. She is a freshman in college."
I blushed and said, "Principal Liu, hello."
"Little classmate, what do you need from me?" Principal Liu shook Li Chuan's hand kindly, and then shook my hand. I was nervous for a while, and couldn't help pinching Li Chuan's palm.
"That's right. Xiaoqiu just arrived here, and she hasn't fully adapted to school life yet. She thinks that our university's facilities and systems are still not perfect, and would like to give you some advice." Li Chuan talked eloquently, completely ignoring me.
God, I wailed from the bottom of my heart, Brother Li Chuan, are you pushing me into the fire pit!
"Oh, we attach great importance to freshmen's opinions on the school, classmate Xie, would you like to come to my office to discuss in detail?"
"This... She is quite nervous, so let's talk here. Xiaoqiu, you talk to the principal, and I will back out the car. I'm sorry, Principal Liu, I just stopped temporarily."
"Don't be in a hurry to reverse the car. There are spare parking spaces here. My driver will park the car." The principal said calmly, very gracefully.
My heartbeat was three hundred, and I stammered: "Principal, I think the time for water supply in the girls' dormitory...is too short. The water comes only three times a day, which is not enough. I heard that the school is doing this to strive to be an advanced water-saving model."
"We are discussing this issue. I believe there will be new measures next month."
"I came to school from a remote area and the standard of dining in the school canteen was too high. Meals were too expensive. We couldn't afford it."
"Well," said the principal, "your cousin looks very rich, let him help you a little bit. Are you studying hard for a scholarship?"
"In order to bear the daily expenses, our poor students have to work part-time and have no time to study. So they can't get scholarships. I think... I think... there is a problem with the school scholarship system." Anyway, I have said it anyway, so I will go out and say more.
"Is there a problem with the system?" The headmaster narrowed his eyes.
"Scholarships should be divided into two categories. One is bursaries, which help students with difficulties in their studies. The other is scholarships, which are all based on competition and are determined by scores."
"The school has always given scholarships to students in need. Have you never applied for it?"
"Applied, but not approved."
"Student, which department are you from?" the principal asked.
"English Department."
"Then you can write a proposal in English. Write it, and we will have a meeting to discuss it. I will inform you of the result of the discussion." The headmaster kept smiling: "I still have a meeting, so I'm leaving first."
The principal left, Li Chuan stood by the car door, looked at me with folded arms, and smiled.
I gritted my teeth: "Wang Lichuan, watch how I deal with you!"
"Look, didn't you say it very well? This is called a good seedling, and it will germinate when given a little sunshine." He continued to joke.
"I can't write that proposal at all."
"You write it well, and I'll help you correct it. I only change the wording, and you fix the grammatical mistakes yourself."
"You can write?"
"I often write. We are engaged in construction, and we need to write bid documents when bidding. The format is similar."
"I think Chinese is not your mother tongue." I hit him.
"I don't speak Chinese well?"
"That's not true, you don't know how to use chopsticks."
"Why can't I use chopsticks? I love sushi when I'm abroad, and I always use chopsticks."
"Occasional use and year-round use are fundamentally different."
"What is the essential difference?"
"The difference lies in eating fish. You can't chop it in half with chopsticks as soon as it is served. You should eat one side, turn over, and eat another side."
"Fortunately, I don't eat whole fish at every banquet, I only eat fish pieces, which is too troublesome." He smiled, "Otherwise, it will be seen by others, how rough it would be. - Next time you will teach me?"
"You have to treat."
"no problem."