pertwk Chapter 260: A Sudden Flutter of the Heart
Chapter 260: A Sudden Flutter of the Heart
Summer vacation ended quickly, and in early September, Huang Xiaochuan returned to school. One group left and another group came, and there were many new faces on campus, all curious about everything in the school.
Huang Xiaochuan, Ding Yi, and Chen Zhe successively received letters from Wu Duo and Zhang Gaolei.
The letter said they were all doing well. Wu Duo was at MIT, studying economics, while Zhang Gaolei had switched to Stanford to study computer science. The letter mainly described what they had seen and heard, and also mentioned that some places in the United States had very poor public security. After they arrived, someone told them that there were some communities that Asians should avoid, and that they should carry some small change with them. If they were robbed, they should not panic, just give the money, and never resist, because the country does not prohibit guns.
However, Wu Duo felt that the atmosphere of the school here suited him well. Moreover, the school advocated practical education and emphasized the cultivation of students' abilities and knowledge through discussion and practice. There were also many cases to learn from. However, Wu Duo was somewhat troubled because his English needed to be improved. When he arrived here, he found that the English he had learned was only good for reading, but daily communication was completely different. The people here also had accents and used various slang or proverbs similar to Chinese idioms.
Wu Duo mentioned that these prestigious American universities only require you to meet their requirements or have a recommendation from a senior professor or scholar to gain admission. He and Zhang Gaolei happened to meet the academic standards and also had recommendation letters from relevant scholars. However, these well-known American universities operate on a "wide entry, strict exit" model; if you don't have enough credits, you won't graduate, and the tuition is extremely expensive.
In this respect, it is really not as good as universities in China. Moreover, the popular majors here are lawyers and doctors, but if you want to become a lawyer, you must have connections. Don't study here if you don't have a background. The tuition is expensive and it is not easy to get ahead.
To become a doctor, you must first complete an undergraduate degree before you can apply for a medical school, which is completely different from China. However, once you get your medical license, your future is secure.
In his letter, Zhang Gaolei mostly talked about his troubles. His stomach simply couldn't handle the American food. He thought he would go to a local Chinese restaurant to improve his meals, but after one bite, he almost threw up. It was that kind of sour-sweet taste that Americans liked.
He misses his family's mutton stew noodles and spicy soup, or even pan-fried buns! Unfortunately, the US doesn't have any of that. How can they call themselves a developed country?
His roommate was a Black man, very tall and quite friendly, but his body odor was unbearable, especially after playing ball or exercising. Fortunately, they only shared a living room and lived in their own rooms, each with its own bathroom.
Then he expressed his longing for Huang Xiaochuan and the others, hoping they would write to him often.
Chen Zhe read the letter aloud, and Ding Yi shook his head after hearing it.
"Isn't this just paying money to suffer?"
Chen Zhe said, "Shall we send them some things? They don't seem to be eating well."
Ding asked, "What are you sending? A pot of braised pork? Can you even send that?"
"Send some chili sauce and sausages or something, those should be sendable," Huang Xiaochuan suggested.
"Then I'll go buy some later, and I might as well buy a lot and send them to them."
Huang Xiaochuan advised, "Send some over first and see. If they want it, they'll write or call us."
"Damn it, I've never been this good to my parents. If they don't call me 'Dad' when they come back, they'll be letting me down," Ding Yi complained angrily.
Now, only Chen Zhe lives in dormitory 222. Ding Yi was ordered to go home, while Huang Xiaochuan moved to the old apartment because Ji Mei moved out and he was worried about Yu Xiang's safety.
So Huang Xiaochuan asked Chen Zhe, "Did they say they were going to assign two people to our dorm?"
Chen Zhe shook his head: "Nobody told me about this, but now that three beds are available in our dorm, there's a high chance the dorm management will arrange for someone else to move in."
Ding Yi retorted directly, "Old Chen, you're being unreasonable. It's not like you're short of money. Why don't you just buy an apartment? Buy an apartment and move out. Isn't that better than living alone or sharing a dorm room with others?"
Huang Xiaochuan also thought this was a good idea.
"Old Chen, you can consider Old Ding's idea. Generally speaking, a house is something you can live in yourself, and it can also maintain and increase its value in the future."
Chen Zhe wasn't one to ignore advice, so when his two roommates said the same thing, he agreed to go and look at the apartment when he had some free time.
Ding Yi has been busy choosing a car lately. He and Yu Wei got their driver's licenses at the end of August, and now they're really into it. They're thinking about what car to buy all day long, and they're so overwhelmed with choices that they can't make up their minds.
"Xiao Chuan, can you do me a favor? Come with me to look at the car?"
"No way, you know that's a problem? You have decision-making difficulties. But if you ask me, it's easy to cure. When you get to the car dealership, just close your eyes and point to any car you want. Buy whichever one you point to. Or just write down the car you want on a piece of paper and draw lots."
"Hey! You know what, that's a really good idea, let's do it this way!" Ding Yi immediately adopted Huang Xiaochuan's suggestion.
Huang Xiaochuan originally wanted to say that only children make choices, while adults want to have it all. However, if he said that, given Ding Gungun's character, he might actually buy all the cars that Huang Xiaochuan liked. So Huang Xiaochuan didn't dare to say that.
Another uneventful college life has begun, but as I walk along, there are fewer and fewer people around.
So the remaining three people in dormitory 222 became even closer, inseparable every day.
The three of them were on their way to the cafeteria to get food when they happened to run into Sang Weihong.
Huang Xiaochuan greeted her first: "Senior, what a coincidence! You're here for dinner too?"
Sang Weihong was annoyed by this question. Did it mean I didn't need to eat?
Sang Weihong, now a senior, has stepped down as president of the department's student union and is focusing most of her energy on her studies. She will be writing her graduation thesis next semester.
"It's quite a coincidence. Since that's the case, why not let it happen by chance? How about I treat the three of you to dinner at the small restaurant on the second floor?"
Huang Xiaochuan looked at Ding Yi and Chen Zhe, and seeing that they didn't object, he agreed.
"Alright then, I'll let you treat me to a meal today, how about a few hearty dishes?"
"Don't worry, it'll be so tough you won't be able to chew it." With Huang Xiaochuan agreeing, was the food even a problem?
Unexpectedly, as soon as Ding Yi and Huang Xiaochuan arrived on the second floor, they saw Qi Huan also dining there.
This was the first time Ding Yi had met Qi Huan since that incident, and for some reason, Ding Yi felt a flutter in his heart.
Huang Xiaochuan immediately noticed his unusual behavior. He followed Ding Yi's gaze and saw that the guy was staring at Qi Huan for no apparent reason.
"Cough cough cough!" Huang Xiaochuan pretended to cough a few times to remind Ding Yi.
Ding Yi quickly returned to normal, but he kept glancing at Qi Huan from time to time, and when he sat down, he made a point of choosing a spot where he could see Qi Huan.
His actions clearly revealed his true intentions, something Chen Zhe and Sang Weihong didn't understand, but Huang Xiaochuan knew perfectly well.
Huang Xiaochuan silently counted for Ding Yi. He had looked at Qi Huan a total of 73 times, not including the time he pretended to drop his chopsticks.