CHAPTER 300: CHAPTER 292: ENROLLMENT

Old Man’s house in Beijing was a small courtyard, not far from Zhang Mingliu’s home. It had three sections and two small yards, with a well in the front yard. The well water was sweet and clear, very good quality.

The surrounding environment was also very nice. There was a park nearby where many elderly people gathered daily to practice Tai Chi or do morning exercises, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

At that time, Beijing was not yet shrouded in smog. The air was fresh, the environment beautiful, and the pace of life slow, making it indeed a very suitable city for retirement.

He Xuewen had also bought several properties in Beijing. Since he had no time to visit these properties himself, he gave the money to Sisi and asked her and Tian Xinhua to handle it. According to Sisi’s requirements, Tian Xinhua listed more than a dozen courtyards for sale in Beijing that were beautiful, spacious, and had their own courtyards. In the end, Sisi chose six properties—the largest was even bigger than Yun Mansion, the smallest about the size of Old Man’s, making them all very decent for personal use.

Properties were extremely cheap at that time. These six properties cost Sisi less than twenty thousand yuan, some smaller ones costing just over a thousand yuan. But considering the salary of several tens of yuan at the time, it was true that not many people could afford to spend over a thousand yuan on housing. Moreover, properties were allocated by the government, so there was no need to buy them, which meant that everyone lacked the awareness of buying properties.

Sisi instructed Tian Xinhua that if there were any good properties available in the future, to let her know as she wanted to buy them. Tian Xinhua looked at her strangely, "Ah Nan, why buy so many properties? They can’t be eaten or used, it’s a waste of money!"

"Brother Xin Hua, these will all be gold mines in the future! I won’t need to work; I can just collect rent every day until my hands are sore from counting the money. Haha, I’m finally able to fulfill my dream of becoming a landlady!"

Looking at the pile of property deeds in front of her, Sisi’s eyes sparkled, and her hands trembled with joy, her mouth unable to close from excitement. She was in a frenzy.

Tian Xinhua: ...Ah Nan has gone mad.

On the day Sisi went to register at Tsinghua University, she even met Zhang Mingliu, who had transformed into the honorary dean of the Arts Faculty. Dean Zhang addressed the new students on stage, very serious and stern, appearing quite intimidating.

"Dean Zhang is said to have military background, who would have thought he could be the dean of the Arts Faculty? Is it just a nominal position?"

"You guys might not know this, but I heard from my aunt’s niece’s niece that Dean Zhang was one of the earliest scholars to study abroad. After returning, he became a professor at Nankai University before joining the revolution. Now, he is finally doing his own profession!"

"Oh my, both scholarly and martial, a refined gentleman; I love this type of man the most. Alas, he was born before my time, and by the time I was born, he was already old. Such a pity, missing the moment we could have met!"

"Hehe, true love is fearless of age, status, geography, and race. I heard that Dean Zhang has never married, ts ts, successful in his career, rich in experience, elegant in demeanour. Apart from being a bit older, Dean Zhang really isn’t a bad candidate for a husband!"

"Is it just a bit older? He’s a lot older, okay? He could be our grandfather!"

"You guys, stop daydreaming. I heard that Dean Zhang has a dream lover, supposedly the once famous socialite Xu Xiaona!"

"Oh, it’s Xu Xiaona huh, she’s the person I admire the most, beautiful and talented, daring to fight against feudal ethics for love. Oh, such a brave woman!"

"Too bad she’s no longer here, beauty is short-lived."

...

Listening to the chatter of a few young girls around her, Sisi couldn’t help but want to laugh on several occasions. She didn’t expect that Zhang Mingliu, a man in his sixties, could still be the topic of conversation among these young girls for such a long time. Truly befitting of someone from the arts, with open-minded thoughts and bold statements, Sisi couldn’t help but look forward to her upcoming university life.

Sisi also applied for a dorm room, though she wouldn’t stay there often. Still, it would be nice to have a place to take a nap sometimes, and she was also interested in experiencing the communal life of the seventies.

The dormitories at Tsinghua University were quite decent, even though they were very simple compared to the high-standard student apartments of future generations. In this era, these conditions were considered quite superior. Sisi’s room was 406, about fifteen square meters, with a wooden floor, giving it a nostalgic feel.

Sisi found the bed allotted to her, which was the upper bunk near the window, very much to her liking. What satisfied her most was that there was a large terrace right around the corner from the dorm, from where one could enjoy the view or dry clothes.

Sisi and the others arrived a bit late, so the other five students in the dorm had already arrived. All five were young, beautiful girls who looked like they came from good backgrounds, judging from their fashionable clothing.

It made sense—only families who were well-off would send their children to study something as impractical as art during this era. The art program wasn’t like in the future when countless students desperately tried to get in.

He Xuewen and Tian Xinhua set up her luggage and made her bed while Sisi was dismissed with a wave of Tian Xinhua’s hand when she tried to help. The other girls had already cleaned everything else, so there was nothing left for her to do.

Sisi pulled out some arborvitae from her bag, placed it on the table, and invited her roommates to share. Arborvitae wasn’t as common back then as it would be in later years, so everyone enjoyed it immensely as they ate and chatted, becoming friendly in no time.

Arranged from oldest to youngest:

Song Mengshi, 21, from Shanghai, a bit delicate, a typical delicate Shanghai young woman.

Li Anqi, 20, from Qingdao, gentle and generous, the eldest in her family, with a very elder sister-like demeanor.

Shangguan Feifei, 19, from Harbin, tall and somewhat aloof, also extremely stunning.

Zhu Yunxiu, 19, from Nanjing, straightforward and cute, a baby-faced foodie.

Liu Xuelian, 18, from Beijing, petite and exquisite, somewhat domineering.

Ranked this way, Sisi was the youngest in the dorm, but not the shortest—Liu Xuelian was only about 155 cm, much shorter than 165 cm tall Sisi.

"Sisi, you are so lucky to have such a good dad and brother. Unlike my dad, he refused to accompany me here, saying that girls need to be independent and strong, and can’t rely on others, sigh!"

Zhu Yunxiu was munching on arborvitae and whispering to Sisi. She was a very easygoing person and soon became very chatty with Sisi.

Sisi just smiled, not bothering to correct that Tian Xin was not her brother. Everyone would figure it out once they got to know each other better.

"That means you must be quite capable usually, unlike me, I can’t do anything well, that’s why my dad worries."

"That’s true!" Zhu Yunxiu nodded in agreement.

"Yun Xiu, you really exaggerate."

"You’re really uneducated, what I said should be called self-awareness."

...

Under the influence of delicious food and gossip, Sisi developed a new friendship at Tsinghua University.