CHAPTER 152: CHAPTER 152: ROOMMATES

Liu Ling sneered, "What good kids can Ma Cuihua raise? Just look at Liu Yongguo and Liu Yongming, one lazes around, fears his wife, has no skills, and just waits eagerly for his siblings to succeed and help him out.

And Liu Yongming, don’t even mention him, he’s like a viper. Even my grandma said that everyone should stay far away from him and not say a word to him. Do you know how disgusting he is?

He used to act so arrogant, never came to our home for years, but once he heard I got into college, he brought a bag of snacks to our place, spoke all sorts of niceties to my grandma, and even told me to ask him if I ever needed help with anything.

I felt like throwing up when I heard that. You know my grandma, she’s always kind to others, but even she couldn’t manage a fake smile that day. Once he left, she cursed him with the nastiest words!

Liu Li is Ma Cuihua’s little darling, getting all the ’special treatment’! I’ve never gotten along with her since we were kids; she’s so fake. If my sister hadn’t caused a scene at the school to expose her hypocritical act, who knows how many more people she’d be toying around with? She deserves whatever’s coming her way!

But I heard Liu Li married a wealthy guy, and now Liu Yongming is benefiting from her status, thriving like never before. You’d say he really is lucky!"

Other girls, if they were as troubled as Liu Li, would’ve probably been dead several times over. But look at her, she married well!

Lin Qin curled her lips noncommittally, "Whatever, just focus on your studies, get assigned to a good job after graduation, and find yourself a decent man. Why envy her?"

"I don’t envy her at all!" Liu Ling grinned cheekily and continued talking about all the things her family had her bring along, looking every bit of a girl pampered and doted on by her family.

Lin Qin, watching her, couldn’t help but imagine what Yaya would be like once she grew up and left home, and she doted on and cared for her more than ever.

The bus ride to An City Normal College took about twenty minutes.

After talking for a while, they arrived.

When they got to the school gate, carrying their bags, they found a reception area for new students already set up.

Lin Qin was majoring in Chinese Language, while Liu Ling was in the English department.

They parted ways at the school gate.

Lin Qin found her way to the Chinese Language section, where a female senior helped her enroll and a male senior assisted with her luggage; both seemed younger than her and quite plain.

Lin Qin proactively said, "I can carry my own stuff; just tell me where the dorm is, and I’ll head there myself."

"Well..." The two hesitated but relented when Lin Qin insisted and finally pointed her in the right direction.

From the gate to the dorm was quite a walk. In those days, there were no campus shuttles, just your own two feet or a bicycle.

Lin Qin gritted her teeth and determined she’d bring her bike next time she went back home.

When she finally found her dorm, it was empty, not a soul in sight.

In those days, college dorms were converted from four to six or eight per room. Her dorm building wasn’t very big, so it was four converted to six.

There were two lower bunks and four upper bunks. Lin Qin thought it over and chose an upper bunk without a lower one beneath.

She took out a rag she had brought, fetched a bucket of water, and carefully cleaned her bed. She didn’t have a straw mat and didn’t plan to stay in the dorm; she just placed her personal items and left the woven bag on the bed.

Later, she went out to buy a straw mat, a bedsheet, and a mosquito net from outside the school.

By the time she finished tidying up, it was already past noon.

Liu Ling came over just then, and Lin Qin quickly locked her cabinet and went out with her, "I plan to go home and come back on the day classes start, what about you?"

Liu Ling thought about it, then nodded, "I’ll go back with you, I can still run my stall for a couple more days and earn a bit more."

Having tasted the benefits of making money, Liu Ling didn’t want to waste any time.

So, they took a tour of the school together and then headed back home.

The next day, a new arrival came to Lin Qin’s dorm, room 301.

A middle-aged man with a dark complexion stood at room 301’s door, looking at the closed door, somewhat at a loss.

The girl behind him stared eagerly at the senior who had led them there, "Is this the place? Why are all the other dorms open, and this one’s closed?"

Wang Xinyuan explained warmly, "Your roommate checked in yesterday. If no one’s inside, the door would naturally be closed. Here’s your key."

Wang Xinyuan opened the door, glanced around, seeing no one inside except for one tidied upper bunk near the back door, turned to the girl and said, "Du Juanhua, that bed’s taken, you can choose from the other bunks; adjacent are the corresponding lockers, except for the locked one, you can pick any of the others."

Du Juanhua nodded repeatedly, blushing as she thanked Wang Xinyuan.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

Seeing Wang Xinyuan leave so briskly, Du Juanhua felt an inexplicable sense of loss and spoke to her father in their hometown dialect, "Dad, just put the stuff anywhere, I’ll tidy up. Where are you staying tonight? How about a guesthouse?"

Her father shook his head without hesitation, "Why stay at a guesthouse? It’s a waste of money! It’s so hot, and there’s so much grass around your school; just find a spot and make do. Check what else you need here; later, we need to check the cafeteria prices, not sure if college meals are expensive."

The Du family wasn’t well off, and supporting a college student was a stretch, so Du’s father had to be frugal.

Du Juanhua quickly nodded, looked around, decided to follow Lin Qin’s lead, and chose an upper bunk without a lower bunk, while secretly comparing it to the opposite bed, noting Lin Qin’s items were all new, while her straw mat had been used for years and mended.

The sheet was no exception, plus she hadn’t brought a mosquito net...

Her father also noticed Lin Qin’s belongings, slapped his forehead with regret, "We forgot the mosquito net! I wonder if there are mosquitoes at this height."

Du Juanhua breathed a sigh of relief, "True, being this high, there shouldn’t be many mosquitoes."

The father and daughter continued organizing.

After a while, Wang Xinyuan came in, followed by a pony-tailed girl who brightened Du Juanhua’s eyes.

Bai Junjun waved enthusiastically at Du Juanhua on the bed, "Hi, I’m Bai Junjun, nice to meet you."

"Hello!" Du Juanhua quickly responded, looking both shy and nervous.

Bai Junjun looked at the occupied spots, weighed her options, and chose the upper bunk on the same side as Lin Qin, "Dad! I’ll sleep on this bed."

Bai Junsheng, seeing his daughter’s energetic demeanor, helplessly greeted Du’s father, then quickly dragged his daughter’s suitcase inside to help her unpack.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, not much interaction.

But Du’s father noticed that Bai Junjun had a mattress before the straw mat and a mosquito net like the bed opposite hers.

At this, Du’s father couldn’t sit still, silently leaving the dorm.

Only after Du Juanhua finished arranging, did Du’s father return with a new mosquito net.

At that moment, Du Juanhua’s eyes reddened, but she said nothing in front of her roommates.