After a quiet night, the girls got up, washed, and headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.
Freed from military training, these girls, who had almost shed a layer of skin, were ecstatic.
Over the past half month, they had darkened by three shades, their skin peeling from the sun.
Even now, they still looked rather pathetic.
After getting up early, the girls spent a long time getting ready in front of the mirror, still feeling somewhat unsightly.
But no matter how unsightly they felt, they still had to attend class.
Fortunately, the freshmen’s skin tone was similar to theirs, so they didn’t have to worry about the pot calling the kettle black.
Breakfast at the school cafeteria was simple back then, lacking the variety of later years.
Su Xiaotian chose to drink soy milk, while her classmates opted for rice porridge.
A bowl of porridge, along with a steamed bun or a mantou, constituted a not-so-meager breakfast.
After all, many students at the school could only afford to buy a single mantou.
After breakfast, the girls chatted as they walked to the classroom.
Although the semester had already begun its third week, they had only been to the classroom once.
Su Xiaotian felt that if she didn't have a good memory, she wouldn't be able to find the classroom.
"What do you think the teachers for our two classes this morning will be like? Will they be stern old professors, or young and handsome like our Teacher Huo?" Chu Yue chatted as they walked.
Zhao Hongmei immediately replied, "I hope they're young and handsome like Teacher Huo; it's pleasant to look at!"
The girls teased Zhao Hongmei for her undisguised preference for good looks.
However, in reality, girls aged eighteen or nineteen all had a bit of budding romance in their hearts.
Who wouldn't like a handsome, dashing, and sunny young man?
Chatting and laughing, they arrived at the classroom. At this point, more than half of the class had yet to arrive.
After greeting a few familiar faces with a smile, Su Xiaotian found a seat.
Since there were no fixed seats, the other girls sat around Su Xiaotian.
Su Xiaotian took out her textbooks for the day and began to read.
There were still ten minutes before class, and Su Xiaotian was never one to waste time.
Seeing Su Xiaotian like this, her roommates did the same, holding their textbooks and reading.
This scene surprised the students around them.
Was it really necessary?
This wasn't high school anymore, where they needed to pass exams to get into university.
For ten minutes, wouldn't it be better to chat with classmates and build relationships?
Why were the girls from this dormitory all starting to read?
The books Su Xiaotian and the others were reading were on basic writing.
Chinese Language and Literature, while studying the Chinese language, was actually a highly demanding major.
Over four years, they would study subjects such as Introduction to Linguistics, Modern Chinese, Classical Chinese, Paleography, Phonology, Exegesis, Ancient Chinese Literature, Modern Chinese Literature, Contemporary Chinese Literature, Foreign Literature, Introduction to Literature, Introduction to Chinese Culture, Chinese Literary Theory Through the Ages, Classical Bibliography, Marxist Literary Theory, and many more.
However, perhaps to consider students' adaptability, the first year had more general education courses and fewer specialized courses.
But Professor Huo, their class advisor, had emphasized on the very first day that self-study was more important than lectures in this major.
After all, the study of language, characters, and writing practice were not things a teacher could force; they had to be accomplished through self-discipline.
Su Xiaotian wholeheartedly agreed.
University students were not junior or senior high school students; teachers couldn't constantly follow them around with sticks, forcing them to study.
Often, one truly needed to motivate oneself to surpass oneself.
Ten minutes later, the classroom suddenly fell silent as the teacher arrived.
Although Zhao Hongmei had hoped the first class would be taught by a handsome and dashing teacher no less charming than Huo Sinian, reality was cruel.
The first class was taught by an old professor, who lectured on Basic Writing for the Chinese Language and Literature class.
This old professor was named Xu Hongming, a national treasure, a master in the field of Sinology.
The old professor had already reached retirement age, but in recent years, there had been a shortage of capable and knowledgeable professors.
Peking University had made great efforts to rehire Professor Xu to impart knowledge and educate students, hoping to cultivate more talents for the nation.
An old professor was indeed an old professor. Although his hair was gray, he was spirited. When he lectured, he was full of vigor and energy; it had to be said, his lectures were brilliant.
Su Xiaotian's reading was broad but not deep, and she actually had a weakness: systematic learning.
Listening to the old professor's brilliant and engaging lectures, Su Xiaotian was engrossed, wishing she could dive headfirst into the ocean of knowledge and swim under the guidance of the elder.
Professor Xu's greatest joy in life was students who loved to learn, and he observed his students as he lectured.
The learning atmosphere in this class was very good; most students listened attentively.
Occasionally, one or two would drift off, but they would quickly return to the classroom.
Professor Xu was quite satisfied with this; occasional distraction was not frightening, but continuous distraction was.
Among these students, Su Xiaotian was the most diligent learner.
From the moment he entered the classroom, Professor Xu had noticed the youngest girl who was engrossed in reading.
He had heard long ago that there was a very young girl in the Chinese Language and Literature class.
He had initially thought that a child of such an age would not be able to understand his lectures.
However, to his surprise, Su Xiaotian listened with great interest throughout the entire class, sometimes nodding and sometimes showing slight confusion.
The old professor couldn't help but become interested.
As the lecture neared its end, Professor Xu couldn't help but ask Su Xiaotian to answer a question.
The question he asked was the core content of the lecture.
It wasn't to test anything else, but simply to ascertain whether Su Xiaotian, at such a young age, had understood.
Professor Xu had already heard that this year's intake included students from a gifted program. However, he was dismissive of this news.
The so-called gifted program, in Professor Xu's words, was like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.
He was actually opposed to it.
However, he was only a teacher, not a member of the education department.
After voicing his opinions and having them unheeded, he put the matter aside.
When he learned that there was a student from the gifted program in the class he would be teaching this year, he decided to test the students from such a program.
As the lecture drew to a close, Professor Xu had to admit that Su Xiaotian's performance exceeded his expectations for an underage child.
This child was completely different from the students in the gifted program he had imagined.