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墨書 Inktalez
In the book "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" by Jin Yong, Ren Woxing says, "Wherever there are people, there is a world of Jianghu..."
During high school, Hu Ruoyun lived in a large dormitory with over twenty other students, all from rural backgrounds. No one minded the smell of sweat or stinky feet. However, in their university dormitory with just six people, problems arose constantly.
Jie Bing, the only child from Dongyang City, had a mother who was the deputy director of a local police station and a father who held a leadership position in the district. From a young age, Jie Bing was pampered by his parents. Although he was the youngest among them, he was also the most perceptive. Hu Ruoyun noticed that after getting to know each other better, he categorized himself along with the elder brother Zhao Jinpu and the second brother Miao Shujie (both from urban areas, at least from county towns), while he grouped the rural students—Third Sister Hu Ruoyun, Fourth Brother Liu Jiawang, and Fifth Brother Cui Shuigen—together.
Zhao Jinpu was two years older than Hu Ruoyun. He had good character and despite his decent family background, he lacked any spoiled demeanor. He loved to eat and play but didn’t study hard; nonetheless, he took good care of his brothers and had a strong sense of responsibility as an older brother. Miao Shujie was quieter and didn’t socialize much with fellow villagers; he lived a pure life, appearing indifferent to worldly affairs.
Jie Bing was different; he was very active in class and particularly eager to get close to their counselor, Teacher Zhou. He often visited Teacher Zhou's office for various reasons. It was unclear how Jie Bing managed it, but during the first class meeting, Teacher Zhou appointed him as class monitor, stating that since everyone was still unfamiliar with each other, they would elect class committee members themselves starting from the second semester.
September 27th was Jie Bing's birthday. That evening, he organized a banquet at Xueyuan Restaurant next to the third cafeteria (a privately-run small restaurant that was on par with average off-campus eateries). He invited not only his five dorm brothers but also all the members of their "class committee."
He opened all the birthday gifts from others right in front of them but casually set aside the gift boxes from Brother San Hu Ruoyun, Fourth Brother Liu Jiawang, and Fifth Brother Cui Shuigen.
On the weekend, when Hu Ruoyun met Mao Na, he mentioned this incident. Mao Na responded nonchalantly, “In the adult world, wherever there are people, there is a world of Jianghu. You don’t need to take it to heart. General Qi used to be quite a figure in our two classes; he was very popular but has now faced harsh realities! After the school announced its handling of him, two girls from Class Two who had ties with him reported him to the Student Affairs Office for allegedly seducing and deceiving them into having relations... They demanded compensation or threatened to report him to relevant authorities!”
General Qi realized he could no longer stay here; he didn’t even return for this semester!
Suddenly, Mao Na seemed to remember something. She turned and tugged at Hu Ruoyun's ear forcefully: “Tell me, have you met Zhang Meina? Did you meet her without telling me?”
Hu Ruoyun covered his ear and protested: “Sister, I really haven’t met her! Who told you she’s in Jiangcheng?”
Mao Na then let go: “You really don’t know she’s in Jiangcheng? Fine, I’ll let you off this time! Qiuying wrote to me saying Zhang Meina is studying at the Provincial Police Academy on a self-funded program and mentioned that after graduation her brother could arrange for her to work in public security in Jiangcheng!”
After saying that, she shot a glance at Hu Ruoyun: “You will meet her sooner or later; Qiuying said Zhang Meina even asked about you. Just remember: meeting isn’t an issue as long as there are no lingering ties.”
Hu Ruoyun continued to protest: “You know what our situation was back then? It ended before it even began!”
Mao Na pulled one of Hu Ruoyun's arms into her embrace: “I know; I’m just reminding you.” Then she pinched his ear again: “Oh dear, it’s all red! Let me blow on it for you.”
Among the six roommates, Liu Jiawang and Cui Shuigen were the most diligent students. However, perhaps due to differences in education between rural areas and cities, these two along with Hu Ruoyun struggled particularly with English.
When English class began and the teacher taught entirely in English, it became one of the most challenging times for the three of them.
For Hu Ruoyun, one small consolation was that this major did not include advanced mathematics or physics and chemistry; otherwise, it would have been an even heavier blow for him.
As for other subjects such as Introduction to Linguistics, Classical Chinese, Modern Chinese, Introduction to Literature, History of Chinese Ancient Literature, History of Modern Chinese Literature, Classical Chinese Philology, History of Foreign Literature, and Folk Literature, he found them to be manageable.
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