Chapter 239: First Anniversary of Rebirth

At the bottom of the Overseas Chinese Apartment building, Wei Ming's motorcycle had a bulging burlap sack tied to its rear, which happened to be seen by Xiao Shufang, the wife of Wu Zuoren.

"Little Wei, what's this?"

"Auntie Xiao, my sister starts school soon—I'm taking her to register."

"Which department at Peking University?" As close neighbors, the couple already knew Wei Ming's younger sister was a genius.

"Mathematics," Wei Ming replied with a smile, unsurprisingly earning Xiao Shufang's praise.

"People who study math are geniuses among geniuses—I never would've guessed such a tiny girl is smarter than the whole floor combined."

"Auntie Xiao, if you keep saying that, she'll get swollen-headed," Wei Ming laughed.

Upstairs, Xu Shufen was still urging Xiao Hong to hurry—she still had things to pack, and Yunyun was there too, having taken half a day off to accompany Xiao Hong to enrollment.

He had no hope of ever attending university himself, so he'd just experience what enrollment felt like alongside his cousin.

Since the four of them owned only one motorcycle and two bicycles, and Xu Shufen couldn't ride a bicycle, she rode on her son's motorcycle.

The mother and son left first; Xiao Hong and Yunyun followed slowly on their bikes—it wasn't far, they'd definitely arrive in under an hour and a half.

Bicycles were still the most common vehicles on the road; Wei Ming asked his mother, "Mom, should I buy you a bicycle too?"

Xu Shufen secretly envied those who rode bicycles—in the countryside, owning one was a source of pride—but she hated spending money.

"No need—I can't ride anyway."

"How will you ever learn if you don't buy one? It's settled—this way, it'll be easier for you to go plant vegetables at the Sihe Academy."

His mother no longer refused, smiling: "Then buy a secondhand one—when your father comes, he can ride it too."

This time Wei Ming entered through the West Gate, just like his first visit last year—in a flash, his rebirth had reached its one-year anniversary, a truly joyful occasion.

He greeted the gate guard at the West Gate, parked the bike, and waited for Xiao Hong and the others.

During the wait, a few new students walked in, but not many—mostly local students accompanied by parents.

Today was enrollment day; most out-of-town students were still on the way.

Some upperclassmen arrived earlier, like Liu Zhenyun, who had returned to campus two days ago with his classmate Guo Jianmei.

Wei Ming and his mother encountered them at the West Gate, returning from outside—last year at this time and place, it had been the same two, except Wei Ming's father had become his mother, and the vehicle had changed.

Wei Ming rode a motorcycle; Liu Zhenyun rode a bicycle.

"Not bad, Old Liu—you finally splurged on a bicycle," Wei Ming teased.

Liu Zhenyun winced: "Who else would I blame? You wouldn't sell me yours, so I had to buy someone else's—it cost me eighty yuan."

He'd just bought it after returning to campus and was testing it with his girlfriend.

"I heard you published a novel—can't you afford this?" Wei Ming grinned.

After spending the entire summer writing critiques, Liu Zhenyun finally published his first story that earned him royalties—a rural-themed piece, over ten thousand characters, in his city's local newspaper, exactly netting him eighty yuan.

"How do you know? Did the People's Daily report it?"

This guy was still so amusing; Wei Ming said, "I saw it on the News Broadcast."

Actually, he'd heard it one day on the street when Liang Zuo was out with his younger siblings.

Since both were Wei Ming's friends, Liu Zhenyun had grown closer to his senior Liang Zuo, and after publishing, he'd written to brag and even mailed him a copy of the newspaper.

Liang Zuo replied: I copied your article and claimed it was mine—showed it to my mom—she said I need more practice.

Hearing this, Liu Zhenyun protested: "I've got another copy of the paper—let me show you—I don't think it's that bad. Professor Chen must've thought it was his own son's writing, so he was biased."

Wei Ming: "Not now—I'm waiting for my sister."

Guo Jianmei exclaimed: "Xiao Hong really got in?!"

Wei Ming and his mother both nodded with smiles.

"Which department?"

"Mathematics."

"Mathematics? That's a high score, right?" Liu Zhenyun asked.

Wei Ming: "Average, really—just Hebei's top science candidate."

"Whoa!" Liu Zhenyun was surprised. "Our little sister's that good?!"

Just then, Xiao Hong and Yunyun arrived; the Henan arts top scorer immediately shook hands with the Hebei science top scorer, welcoming her into the Peking University family.

Since school hadn't officially started, Liu Zhenyun was idle, so he and Guo Jianmei helped Xiao Hong with enrollment procedures—they had more experience, making their group look especially large, while Xiao Hong entered campus with empty hands.

Watching the new batch of freshmen, Liu Zhenyun felt deeply moved: the classes of '77, '78, and '79 had nearly exhausted the decade's accumulated pool of older applicants; those who failed had mostly given up, so most students this year were recent graduates, even some skipping grades like Xiao Hong—hence the new students looked overwhelmingly young, making them all feel old.

The group arrived at the dining hall, found the mathematics department's enrollment table, where both young teachers and third-year seniors volunteered to assist.

Liu Zhenyun deliberately avoided the Chinese Department, where his own classmates were helping—he feared being drafted into labor.

Zhang Yitang from the '77 math class had returned early and been pressed into service by the counselor to register new students—he himself was '77, even if he was a third-year, but couldn't these small tasks be left to the '78 kids?

The new student before him was followed by five or six people—clearly someone of considerable background.

But when he checked her home address, it was a small village in Hebei; then he checked her age.

"Born in '66? You're only fourteen?" Zhang Yitang was surprised.

Wei Hong: "Yes."

"Just now we had a fifteen-year-old—we thought she was the youngest. Looks like you're the smallest."

As they spoke, a senior girl beside them stared at the small, dark-skinned chubby boy and exclaimed: "Tang Puqi—you're our Hunan science top scorer, right?"

The dark-skinned boy scratched his head sheepishly, mumbling: "I did rank first in the province."

Wei Hong stuck out her tongue—so many top scorers.

Wei Ming said: "Since you chose mathematics, prepare yourself—your classmates will all be geniuses just as strong as you."

Next came dorm assignment; Guo Jianmei cheered: "Building 33—great! We're in the same building!"

Wei Ming bluntly said: "If you ever need help, find Sister Mei—law department girls are tough, especially when it comes to talking."

Wei Hong nodded seriously: "Mm-hmm."

Liu Zhenyun nodded too—yes, their tongues were sharp.

Before heading to the dorms, they had to go to the library to buy meal tickets—Wei Ming's current workplace; once Xiao Hong's enrollment was done, he'd start his job.

Rural student subsidies hadn't been distributed yet, but Wei Ming wasn't short on cash—he immediately exchanged meal tickets for Xiao Hong; she couldn't buy more anyway—monthly quotas were fixed.

Guo Jianmei said: "Meal tickets come in four types: vegetable tickets for side dishes, and for staples—flour tickets, rice tickets, and grain tickets—for noodles, rice, and coarse grains. Since you're in math, you can only eat at Dining Hall One."

Sure enough, when exchanging tickets, they asked her department and gave her only Dining Hall One tickets.

But students had been pushing to make tickets interchangeable across all dining halls—this unfriendly rule might be abolished this year.

Leaving the library, Xiao Hong asked: "How much money will I get each month?"

Liu Zhenyun said: "Students from rural areas get the maximum subsidy—22. yuan. If you're frugal, it's plenty—but you won't need to be."

"Getting this much money without working—college is so happy!" Xiao Hong had heard her brother describe it, but now that the subsidy was imminent, she still felt blissful.

"This isn't even the happiest," Liu Zhenyun said. "Our classmate Sister Zhang used to have a job—she'd worked five years, so the state pays her a salary while she's in college—30 yuan a month."

"Wow!"

As they spoke, they reached the dorm area, near the South Gate. Their old dorm had been taken over by newcomers; only Brother Feng remained as an elder—he couldn't fit everyone at home, so he lived in the dorm.

But the new building was confirmed for him, already completed, and he'd move in once the baby was born.

Passing their old dorm, Liu Zhenyun introduced it to Xiao Hong.

"If you can't find Sister Mei, come here—I'm easy to find. All the Chinese Department boys know Wei Ming."

Guo Jianmei smiled: "The Chinese Department girls in Building 31 know your brother even better—they've all invited him to meals."

Xiao Hong and Yunyun covered their mouths laughing; Xu Shufen looked worried—so this was the prelude to Gong Yu and Zhu Lin's affair? Our Xiao Ming is perfect in every way—except he's too outstanding, too attractive.

At that moment, a confused, bespectacled boy bumped into the loquacious Liu Zhenyun and apologetically asked: "Senior, where's Dormitory Building 32?"

He spoke with a faint southern accent, carried two bags, clearly a rural kid—and Wei Ming instantly recognized him.

Oh, this isn't Yu Minhong?

Liu Zhenyun, hearing they were in the same building, asked eagerly: "Are you a freshman in Chinese?"

He looked kind of old—he'd assumed all '80 freshmen were young, but apparently there were older ones too.

Though he looked old, and had taken the exam three times, Yu was only eighteen.

"No, no—I'm in Western Languages," Yu Minhong adjusted his glasses.

Last year, the Foreign Languages Department split into Western Languages, Eastern Languages, and Russian.

Eastern Languages covered Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Thai; Western Languages covered English, French, German, Spanish.

Seeing he wasn't a direct junior, Liu Zhenyun waved his hand: "You're standing right in front of Building 32—go in."

"Thank you, senior."

Dormitory gender restrictions were looser now, especially on enrollment day—Wei Ming and Liu Zhenyun escorted Xiao Hong straight to her third-floor dorm—a six-person room, and Xiao Hong was the first to arrive.

Her first impression was disappointment—it was much smaller than her brother's home, and the toilet was far away.

But Liu Zhenyun congratulated her: "Better than our eight-person room. And Xiao Hong, you get first pick of bed—listen to your brother: never pick the one next to the door."

Guo Jianmei had been to their dorm—she knew Liu Zhenyun was the one next to the door, responsible for turning lights on and off, and the first one woken up when someone went to the toilet at night.

Wei Ming: "The window side is better—you just decide if you want the top or bottom bunk."

Bottom bunk is easier to sleep in; top bunk offers more privacy.

Xiao Hong tried both—her light frame made her move like a monkey: "I'll take the top."

Then everyone helped her lay out the bedding—this tiny task could've been done by her mother alone; the rest just watched.

As they watched, another new student arrived—a beautiful girl in a white dress, accompanied by her parents, whose demeanor clearly indicated stable, respectable jobs.

"Oh, two classmates already here? We're the third," the girl's father smiled.

He mistook Yunyun for a freshman; Yunyun quickly waved: "We're just dropping off my sister."

Yunyun also noticed the girl was wearing clothes from Xintiandi—though she'd never seen them before; probably bought during her leave.

The girl's mother looked at the crowd and asked, "Are you all family members?"

Liu Zhenyun leaned against Guo Jianmei: "They're family. We're friends—and also senior and junior classmates."

Wei Hong, on the top bunk, volunteered: "I'm Wei Hong. What's your name, classmate?"

"Ning Xin." The girl's demeanor was colder than her parents'. Wei Ming assumed it was the natural aloofness of a top student.

The girl's father asked her: "Xinxin, which bunk do you want?"

Then Ning Xin pointed to Wei Hong's spot—her dream bunk, where she could feel the breeze, see the sky, and not be disturbed. She hoped Wei Hong would offer it to her voluntarily.

Wei Hong laughed triumphantly: "Lucky I got here first—otherwise you'd have taken it."

Seeing Wei Hong didn't get her meaning, Ning Xin glanced at her parents. Her mother said: "Then we'll take this top bunk—head-to-head with Wei classmate."

She knew her daughter had a slight cleanliness obsession and disliked others touching her bed, so the bottom bunk was out of the question.

Ning Xin reluctantly chose the middle top bunk. She didn't want to sleep head-to-head with anyone, but if she faced her feet toward Wei Hong's head, the third student on the top bunk might face their feet toward hers—too risky. She had to choose the lesser evil.

During his conversation with the girl's parents, Wei Ming learned they were from Beijing, the girl was sixteen, an only child, and somewhat spoiled.

"Where are you from?" Ning Xin's father asked, wanting to understand her roommate's background.

Wei Ming: "My family is from a village under Hengzhou in Hebei. I work at Peking University now."

"You're a professor at Peking University?" Both parents looked incredulous—even Ning Xin turned to look.

Though only nineteen, Wei Ming carried a calm, seasoned air. Compared to Liu Zhenyun beside him, apart from his handsome, youthful face, it was clear Liu Zhenyun was still a student, but Wei Ming already felt like a seasoned adult.

At this moment, a straight man was needed—Liu Zhenyun stepped in: "Calling him Professor Wei isn't wrong—he works in our school library."

You don't call me Professor Wei when I'm on guard duty—I won't hold it against you. But now I'm in the library, and you still won't call me Professor Wei? That's unreasonable.

"Wei?" Ning Xin's father seemed to recall something. "Could you be the famous writer Professor Wei Ming?"

Liu Zhenyun smiled—he'd just saved himself a lot of explanation.

Seeing the man reach out again, Wei Ming shook his hand: "Famous? Not really. I'm Wei Ming."

Ning Xin's parents reacted with great enthusiasm, like devoted fans—they'd read Wei Ming's novels, studied his poems, and listened to songs he'd written.

But Ning Xin on the top bunk remained expressionless, unmoved—as if hearing "Wei Ming" for the first time. Wei Hong felt a little annoyed—this classmate gives zero emotional value.

Then another student arrived, accompanied by her father. The girl was Qiao Cui, seventeen, also from Beijing.

Ning Xin's father enthusiastically introduced Wei Ming to Qiao Cui's father—his daughter having a famous writer as a roommate made him genuinely happy.

But this time, the father was baffled, while the daughter jumped up and down.

"Wei Ming! You're Wei Ming! My classmate's brother is Wei Ming! Is he your real brother?"

Wei Hong beamed, standing beside Wei Ming for Qiao Cui to see: "Look at how much you two resemble each other."

Qiao Cui nodded, then rummaged through her bag and pulled out a copy of *The Beast Is Aggressive*, holding it out with both hands to ask for Wei Ming's signature.

Ning Xin's father quickly removed his pen from his shirt: "Use mine. We have this book at home too—I'll have Xinxin bring it over later for Professor Wei to sign."

Ning Xin ignored them entirely, still staring blankly at her dream bunk.

"Don't you have the stamp? The one that says 'Wei Ming's Backside'?" Qiao Cui asked—she even knew that.

Wei Ming laughed: "Didn't bring it. I'll add it next time."

"Great! Professor Wei, you must visit our dorm often. We're math majors, but our Chinese grades aren't bad—we all crave literary nourishment." Qiao Cui grinned.

With three students now, the dorm felt cramped. Guo Jianmei pulled Liu Zhenyun aside to leave.

Wei Ming hurried: "Lao Liu, you two head to our usual spot and save a table. We'll be right there. It's been so long—let's have lunch together."

Liu Zhenyun's eyes lit up—he'd spent eighty yuan on a luxury car and had already prepared to tighten his belt for the semester. Now, a big meal awaited him right back on campus.

After they left, the dorm felt much more spacious. Qiao Cui's quiet father, likely a worker, had to leave for his afternoon shift too.

Qiao Cui had only claimed Wei Hong's bottom bunk and hadn't even unpacked before heading downstairs to see her father off.

Ning Xin still needed some daily items and followed her parents downstairs to shop.

Wei Hong: "Let's go too. Lock the door."

Wei Ming checked the time—it was nearly quitting time. He told Xiao Hong and the others to order dishes first, then ran to his office to fetch Ping'an Shu and Feng Ge.

With new students arriving and returning seniors back, the campus was packed. Liu Zhenyun's early table reservation had been wise—when Wei Ming arrived, all tables were taken, and a line still formed outside.

Thanks to Wei Ming's influence at the Changzheng Cafeteria, Liu Zhenyun had managed to keep their table from being shared. Dishes had already started arriving, but no one had touched their chopsticks yet.

Wei Ming ordered each person a chilled Beibingyang soda. Time to eat.

Ping'an Shu raised his bottle first: "Sister-in-law, I'm truly sorry—I had a meeting this morning and couldn't help Xiao Hong with her enrollment."

Xu Shufen waved it off: "It's just enrollment. With Xiao Ming and Xiao Liu helping, everything went smoothly."

Wei Ping'an sighed: "Seeing Xiao Hong get into Peking University with such great scores—I'm truly happy. It's just a pity Jiefang didn't live to see this."

Wei Ming: "Uncle, you sound like Dad's gone."

Wei Ping'an realized his mistake: "That's not what I meant. But he must've been heartbroken to miss this day—it's a student's honor, and a parent's too."

He remembered his own enrollment day—his mother couldn't come due to poverty, and only Jiefang accompanied him. Jiefang had no money either—he'd sneaked onto the train.

Then Wei Ping'an explained what the meeting had been about.

"Yesterday, Professor Wang Xuan's research team successfully printed a sample copy of *Wu Hao's Sword* using the laser typesetting system. The school plans to establish a company dedicated to promoting this system, and it'll be under our Production and Management Office." Today's meeting had discussed this.

Wei Ming's heart stirred—he knew Fangzheng Group would be born earlier than expected, partly due to his "brainwashing" of Ping'an Shu.

It was good news. Wei Ming raised his bottle to toast him.

After lunch, Xu Shufen and Xu Yunyun prepared to leave. Wei Ming had to return to work. Xiao Hong would begin her new life as a Peking University dorm resident—she felt a little excited.

But when she returned to the dorm, she saw Ning Xin crying at her desk, while Qiao Cui tried to comfort her.

"What's wrong? Missing your parents?"

Qiao Cui explained: "Just now, her parents left. She came back alone and found the door locked—then she started crying."

Wei Hong: "Huh? You didn't have a key?"

Ning Xin sniffled: "I—I left it in the dorm. I—I waited half an hour and no one came."

Qiao Cui: "Luckily I brought my key."

Wei Hong quickly apologized. Ning Xin, face buried, immediately looked up: "Then swap bunks with me and I'll forgive you."

Wei Hong chuckled: "Nope."

She apologized out of sympathy—not because she felt responsible for Ning Xin's tears. Why should she swap?

Ning Xin cried harder. Wei Hong grabbed Qiao Cui's arm: "Cui Cui, you don't know Peking University well yet—let's go explore."

Qiao Cui glanced at Ning Xin, who was wailing without tears, hesitated, then nodded: "Okay."

Seeing both girls so indifferent, Ning Xin's crying faded into silence. When they stepped out, she thought for a moment and followed.

Wei Hong began pointing out landmarks—she knew Yanyuan well, having visited several times. Even the convenience store owner recognized her.

"Oh, you're Wei Ming's sister?"

"Yes. Three green bean popsicles, please, Auntie." Wei Hong was generous—even the crybaby Ning Xin got one.

As they walked, they reached Yannan Garden. Both girls hesitated—Wei Hong said this was where the president and top professors lived. Were they trespassing?

"I miss Feng Lao's Meier. Let's go see her."

"Who's Feng Lao?"

"Oh, the philosopher Feng Youlan. My brother's got his eye on Meier's kid~"

…

(Yesterday's guaranteed update)

(End of chapter)