At the beginning of September, it was time for enrollment.
Chang Le dragged his rolling suitcase and took a four-hour train ride with his parents to Jiangzhou, then took the welcoming bus to the entrance of Jiang University.
The entrance of Jiang University was not grand, but rather plain.
The two weathered marble pillars looked quite desolate, and the horizontally placed wooden plaque was already mottled. The red background with golden letters spelling out "Jiangzhou University" had obviously been repainted.
"It's not much different from when we were here." Chang Xueqin looked up and smiled.
"Yeah, it's been twenty years, and besides the trees being denser, there's not much difference." Tan Xiaoya said.
"Mom, Dad, let's take a photo." Chang Le found a senior-looking male student, handed him the SLR camera, and then pulled his parents.
"Alright, look at the camera!"
"1, 2, 3... Click!"
The group photo this time was different from the previous life.
In the past, there were only two people, Chang Le and his mother, Tan Xiaoya.
It was the freshman season, passing through the gate, walking on the tree-lined avenue lush with foliage, one could see the welcoming registration points of various colleges on both sides.
At the registration points, there were banners hung by each college to welcome the freshmen.
Viewed with the perspective of future generations, some of the slogans were quite ordinary, while others were more innovative and humorous from the perspective of the current era.
"From the moment I took your luggage, we became a family."
"You are 3, I am 9, except for you, there's still you."
"Smiling as the senior sister carries luggage, back then, it seemed ordinary."
"Boys conquer the world, girls rule the machinery."
Chang Xueqin and Tan Xiaoya looked with interest at each banner. "These are quite creative," Chang Xueqin remarked.
Chang Le's artistic eye, on the other hand, maintained a downward angle of 15 degrees for a long time, sometimes adjusting to 30 degrees depending on the object. He was more interested in the undulating lines.
At the same time, while examining them, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The gap with Shida is quite obvious."
At the registration point of the Faculty of Literature.
The senior sisters of the Faculty of Literature were chatting lively.
As soon as they saw Chang Le, they became enthusiastic and surrounded him.
Moreover, after completing the registration procedure, they changed their demeanor from before and took the initiative to lead the way, helping Chang Le with his luggage. Not just one, but three of them, completely ignoring Tan Xiaoya behind Chang Le.
Under Tan Xiaoya's gaze, Chang Le reluctantly declined the enthusiasm of the senior sisters, citing familiarity with the route, and went to pay fees and collect military training and daily necessities on his own, much to the regretful looks of the senior sisters.
Chang Le was indeed very familiar with this place, but even more familiar was the adjacent Shida School of Music, where he left many "love" footprints.
On the way, Tan Xiaoya said, "Lezi, Mom understands why you chose this major now. You're here for these girls, aren't you? I just heard someone say that the Faculty of Literature has a male-to-female ratio of 1:5. It's like stepping into a country of women. Your dad thought you really liked literature."
Beside her, Chang Xueqin shook his head with a smile and didn't say much.
Chang Le defended himself, "Mom, don't think of me like that. I really love literature. After all, dancing with the sages and exploring human nature is profound."
Tan Xiaoya rolled her eyes, "I don't know if literature is profound, but I know you didn't come for the depth. You're my child, and I know what you're up to."
Chang Le: "..."
"I'll remind you, university is a place for learning, not for finding a partner."
Chang Xueqin intervened in time, "Ahem... Of course, learning should be the priority, but feelings can also be managed while advancing together."
After hearing this, Tan Xiaoya gave Chang Xueqin a glare and quickly looked away.
"Mom, you and dad were dating in college, too," Chang Le said.
Tan Xiaoya felt embarrassed, "Um..."
"Well, what your dad said does make sense. It's possible to manage both. But remember, I said remember, those girls who completely lack restraint, who look at you like wolves look at sheep, with makeup on their faces like painted clay, just forget about them. Our family's door isn't that easy to enter."
Tan Xiaoya's attitude was somewhat proud.
Chang Xueqin agreed with this.
Chang Xueqin said, "Lezi, your mom is right. Learning is important, and these four years are even more crucial. Your future success, how far you can climb, and how much you can see are closely related to the foundation you lay down during these four years. Those girls just now... Well... lacked a bit of restraint."
Chang Le said, "Alright, Mom. If I'm looking for a partner, I'll definitely use you as the standard reference, okay?"
This struck a chord with Tan Xiaoya.
"Well... although it's a bit difficult, it's not impossible. You handle it yourself." Tan Xiaoya was proud and confident, especially about her appearance.
After completing the payment and receiving daily necessities, the three of them arrived at the newly built student dormitory outside the campus.
The student dormitory was a small community, just completed this summer.
Standard 4-person rooms with private bathrooms.
The dormitory aunt introduced that this year's students were lucky to have standard apartments.
The previous year, they lived in the tube buildings built in the 1980s, with 8 or 12 people sharing bunk beds and communal bathrooms.
When they arrived at the dormitory, the three future roommates had already arrived with the help of their mothers and were tidying up their belongings. Their youthful faces showed anticipation, curiosity, and excitement for the upcoming four years of university life.
Zhu Gang, from the same province, was chubby with a round face, giving off a kind-hearted vibe;
Yang Haichuan, from the northeast, was tall and sturdy, speaking with a mischievous accent;
Huang Haibo, from the coastal area of Jizhou, was slim and tall, with clear eyebrows and eyes. Compared to Zhu Gang and Yang Haichuan, he was definitely a handsome guy.
But compared to Chang Le... ordinary was valuable!
After getting to know each other and tidying up their belongings, Chang Le followed his parents out of the apartment building and wandered around the campus.
Every time they passed by an old building, Chang Xueqin would introduce the history of the building and some interesting stories from back then to Chang Le.
Chang Le was more curious about their stories of acquaintance and mutual understanding on campus.
In his youth in the previous life, he didn't have this awareness to ask, and later when he did, he couldn't find out anymore.
Of course, now that he had the opportunity and the conditions, he didn't ask.
Whenever Chang Le asked, Tan Xiaoya always responded with pinching his ears, while also preventing Chang Xueqin from becoming sentimental and nostalgic.
The afternoon passed like this, with the sun setting and dusk arriving, casting a myriad of colors across the sky.
Autumn evenings were beautiful, like a colorful landscape painting.
In the twilight, the three of them had dinner in the campus cafeteria.
Chang Xueqin said they would return to Linzhou after dinner.
"Dad, Mom, according to the plan, aren't we supposed to stay in a nearby hotel for one night and leave the next day? Tomorrow, we can go to the medical school to reminisce about your past stories and footsteps, and it's not far away."
"Chang Le..." Chang Le's ears were pinched again.
"Mom... be gentle, don't be so rough, you'll break them."
"Serves you right. What's the use of mom's warning if you don't listen?"
"Mom, I really didn't mean that. I just wanted to see where you studied back then and let you and dad revisit the old places and reminisce."
"You're still talking! Lezi, you're not even officially in college yet, and you're being so cheeky."
"Huh? Mom, my ears are going to break, they're really going to break."
Chang Xueqin smiled and said, "Plans are plans. The county just contacted me and said there's a county car on official business in the province, and they asked if I wanted to go back. After discussing with your mom, we decided that instead of taking the bus the next day, we might as well take this convenient ride."
"Okay... that's fine."
Tan Xiaoya said, "Lezi, although you're going to college, don't think that you can do whatever you want. The kite string is still in Mom's hands."
"Mom, I dare not, I dare not! No matter how high I fly, I have to come back home."
"Good to know!"
After dinner, Chang Le accompanied Chang Xueqin and Tan Xiaoya to the school gate.
On one side of the gate, there was a black Passat parked.
Hmm, 1.8T Lingyu, a classic model.
Seeing Chang Xueqin and Tan Xiaoya approaching, the county worker on official business got out of the passenger seat and took the initiative to help them with their luggage.
Before getting on the car, Chang Xueqin turned around and said, "Lezi, your mom and I are going back now. As you are about to embark on your wonderful university life, Dad wishes you success in your studies and a bright future."
"Thank you, Dad!"
"Lezi, remember what Mom said, be honest." Tan Xiaoya also reminded him.
"Yeah... Mom, give me a hug." Chang Le opened his arms.
"Oh, can't bear to leave Mom?" Tan Xiaoya smiled happily and hugged him back. "Actually, Mom can't bear to leave you either."
"Mom, you don't need to spray so much perfume, it's a bit overpowering
."
"Huh? Lezi, don't run."
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