Eight people were crammed into a space less than thirty square meters. The children had never endured such hardship.
Li Zhiwei smiled, "Auntie Sun, the school assigned it uniformly. If it were up to me, I'd definitely let Sun Ling and the others have single rooms."
Although he smiled on the surface, he felt a touch of disdain in his heart. Sun Chengcai had only been promoted to section chief for a short while before this woman started acting so delicate.
"Students by the window, could any of you swap seats with our Yu Wei? She's been afraid of the cold since she was little, and it would be better if she were closer to the radiator," Mother Jiang said, her gaze falling on Chen Lishu and the three other students by the window.
This was the last day for school registration, and only two spots remained near the entrance. It was still late February, and the heating hadn't been turned off yet. Sleeping by the door would surely be cold.
Everyone understood the logic, and no one was willing to give up their spot.
"You'll be living together for the next four years. Can't you help with such a small matter?" Accustomed to being in charge, even her question had the tone of an order.
After she spoke, no one responded. Mother Jiang's face darkened. After a moment's thought, she walked to Chen Lishu's bed, looked up at Yang Lili on the upper bunk, and put on a gentle smile. "Excuse me, student, could I trouble you to swap with our Yu Wei?"
Yang Lili, being called out, felt a bit flustered. She was naturally timid and never knew how to refuse people.
"Student, is that alright?" Mother Jiang pressed.
Thinking that they would all be in the same dormitory and see each other often, and since the request had been made directly, she wondered how they could get along if she refused now. With this in mind, Yang Lili hesitated and nodded.
Seeing this, the Jiang family busied themselves with moving their luggage.
Sun Ling, seeing that Jiang Yuwei had successfully swapped seats, walked up to Chen Lishu's bed and spoke condescendingly, "I want to swap with you too. Pack your things and move to that end."
Chen Lishu looked up, "Why should I?"
"Yu Wei and I are together. Since she's on the upper bunk, I naturally have to be on the lower bunk. Hurry up and move your things and give me the bed."
Chen Lishu was amused by her self-righteousness. "There are already bunk beds at that end, so why go through all this trouble?"
"Are you deaf? That end doesn't have heating, and Yu Wei is afraid of the cold."
"I'm afraid of the cold too."
"You!"
"Student, Sun Ling and I are good friends and have always been very close. Since she's sleeping on the upper bunk, I naturally want to be on the lower bunk. If you could help us swap, that would be great. We're all classmates, and I'll treat everyone to lunch at the cafeteria today," Jiang Yuwei said to Chen Lishu with a smile.
Chen Lishu raised an eyebrow and looked at her with a half-smile, "Since you two are so close, wouldn't it be better to sleep in the same blanket?"
"Pfft, haha!"
Li Zhiwei, who had been standing by the door, couldn't help but laugh out loud. This girl was not only beautiful but also quite interesting. She was indeed the girl he, Li Zhiwei, had taken a liking to.
Seeing her daughter being bullied, Mother Sun stepped forward to reprimand her, "I really should report this to the relevant school leaders. You are the first batch of pillars selected by the country in ten years, and the school always advocates for comprehensive development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor aspects. Now, you don't even possess the virtue of friendship and mutual help among classmates. What can we expect from you in the future?"
Chen Lishu glanced at her, "Auntie, aren't you overreacting? Not giving up your bed means not caring for your classmates? Is your daughter disabled and requires special care? She seems to have no trouble moving. Could it be a mental issue?" Moreover, it looked quite serious. Everyone was here to study; why should she give up her spot?
Mother Sun was angered by the retort and immediately became incensed, "You ill-mannered thing from which forgotten corner! Did your parents not teach you how to speak to elders?"
"If you have manners and are cultured, why are you being so bossy here?"
Mother Sun was so angry that she trembled, pointing her finger at Chen Lishu's nose, "What's your name? I'll report you to the school leaders. With someone like you, do you still want to go to university? Go home now!"
Chen Lishu was amused by her words, "Auntie, remember this: I am a student of the English major in the '77 cohort, and my name is Chen Lishu. When you report to the school, please don't get my name wrong and implicate others."
She got into university through her own merit; let's see who dared to touch her.
"You!" Mother Sun's blood rushed to her head, and she immediately clutched her forehead, swaying slightly.
"Mom, are you alright?" Sun Ling quickly stepped forward to support her arm.
"Forget it. If the swap doesn't happen, then it doesn't. We're in the same dormitory anyway; there's no need to insist on bunk beds," Father Sun said, trying to de-escalate the situation.
Thinking of something, Mother Sun and Sun Ling, though unwilling, finally gave up.
Soon, Yang Lili packed her things and moved to the spot by the door. Sun Ling glared at Chen Lishu with lingering resentment, but Chen Lishu acted as if she hadn't seen it, looking down at the book in her hands.
"You really shouldn't have argued with them. It's clear their parents have some status. Anyway, it will be warm soon, and it won't matter where you sleep."
Watching Jiang Yuwei and Sun Ling finish arranging their beds and leave with their families, Yang Lili looked at Chen Lishu and then spoke.
"Sister, this kind of thing has nothing to do with the other party's status. For such a small matter as swapping beds, if you agree, they'll take it for granted. If you refuse, they'll become angry. Since either choice is thankless and leads to trouble, why waste time? Besides, I didn't want to in the first place. Being overly concerned just makes me suffer. It's better to follow my heart."
Zhang Xue, on the upper bunk opposite them, suddenly sat up and leaned on the railing, saying, "I agree with what Fifth Sister said. She didn't mention it to me today, but if she had, I wouldn't have agreed either. If they wanted the beds by the radiator, why didn't they come earlier? Why wait until the last day?"
Zhang Xue was originally a female worker from a machinery factory. Although her name was very feminine, her personality was quite boyish, and she acted and spoke straightforwardly. Today's incident made her feel that Chen Lishu was a good person, and Chen Lishu also had a good impression of her. The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile.
The next day, the school held an opening ceremony in the lecture hall. A large banner was hung on the stage: '1977 Freshman Opening Ceremony.' The portrait of the Chairman was displayed on the backdrop, and school leaders sat in a row on the stage. The first to speak was the school principal. Looking at the spirited new students below, he was filled with emotion.
Eleven years, a full eleven years! The dark clouds that had hung over people's heads had finally dispersed! Looking at the pairs of eyes filled with a strong desire for knowledge, the principal smiled with relief.
The opening ceremony lasted for nearly an hour. Afterward, the students were led back to their respective classrooms by their class counselors.
Chen Lishu and her classmates also returned to their classroom.
Not long after, a thin old man in his sixties with white hair walked in. He was Professor Chen Yinchu, the head teacher of the English class.
He had ten years of overseas study experience and had also spent ten years in a "cow shed" (a place for political re-education). But for someone with his strong will, all external hardships could only damage his body, not break his tenacious spirit.
Even during the most difficult times, he continued to pursue academics and translate foreign languages. Therefore, as soon as the school reopened admissions, he was able to teach directly.
Professor Chen was a man of few words. After a brief greeting, he asked everyone to introduce themselves. Due to their major, in addition to a Chinese introduction, they were also required to give a brief introduction in English.
At this request, the already tense classroom fell silent.