Chapter 56

After the rain cleared up, the weather was particularly refreshing. Liu Jingtang, who always enjoyed sleeping to the sound of rain, did not sleep well last night. It was registration day, and his father, fearing he would be late, woke him up at five, then at half past five, and again at half past six, with the final call at 7:15.

Basically, when it came to issues like schedules, the more worried party was always the parents. Liu Jingtang naturally did not complain. In another world, he had once read an article in a motivational magazine about a young employee who had an important meeting the next day and was afraid of being late. After setting an alarm, he called his mother back home, asking her to call him before six the next morning to remind him to get up.

As a result, the mother called at around four in the morning. The young man was slightly annoyed and told his mother it was still early, but she replied cautiously that she had been waiting by the payphone for an hour.

Liu Jingtang, carrying his schoolbag and pulling a suitcase, came out of the house, yawning continuously. Seeing her son's state, his mother couldn't help but scold his father a bit.

At the same time, she said to her son, "Your father woke up several times last night and didn't sleep well either."

However, Liu's father, feeling elated by the happy occasion, showed no signs of fatigue and scolded his son, "Cheer up, if the school teachers see you in this state, they might expel you on the spot."

Liu Jingtang laughed it off, and his mother, still playing the role of the mediator, first agreed with his father that the son should be more spirited, and then defended her son, saying that the idea of expulsion was a bit extreme.

After breakfast, father and son set off immediately. Although Liu Jingtang's manuscript fees were already a significant part of the family's income, his frugal father insisted on taking the bus and then a minibus with his son.

Nearly two hours later, Liu Jingtang and his father finally arrived at Yuehe No. 1 Middle School. Because of his outstanding score in the high school entrance exam, the homeroom teacher, Mr. Tian, warmly shook hands with Liu's father and had a conversation. Liu's father, seemingly familiar, asked, "Are you Mr. Tian?"

Liu Jingtang was amazed, thinking that his usually somewhat aloof father was playing this card for his future. Seeing Mr. Tian's forced smile, Liu Jingtang felt an inexplicable disgust.

Of course, under his father's instructions, Liu Jingtang greeted Mr. Tian with an innocent and respectful demeanor, but in his heart, he was secretly wondering, "Why are you so condescending?"

The registration process went quickly. After paying the tuition and textbook fees, they immediately went to handle the dormitory check-in procedures. The new campus of Yuehe No. 1 Middle School was previously a water conservancy college, and the student dormitory conditions were quite good. It was a four-person room with a large balcony. Liu Jingtang was assigned to Room 302 on the third floor, close to the dormitory basketball court, with excellent views and lighting.

...

"Hello, I'm Yu Xiaoshu."

A tall, slender boy greeted Liu Jingtang.

"Hello, Liu Jingtang."

"Liu Jingtang? The Liu Jingtang who wrote 'Chu Chuk and Beta'?"

Due to Liu Jingtang's deliberate downplaying and the cooperation of children's literature, the name "Liu Jingtang" and the fame of the two mice were almost inversely proportional. Liu Jingtang smiled and said, "I'll try my best."

Yu Xiaoshu was very sunny and cheerful, and said, "That's a good name. Maybe one day you'll be even more famous than him."

Liu Jingtang nodded in agreement.

Liu Jingtang chatted with his future roommate, while his father diligently organized the desk and bed. It wasn't that Liu Jingtang was intentionally lazy, but he knew that at this moment, his father was particularly comforted by doing these things, though this might also be an excuse.

Soon, the third roommate arrived. Simply put, he was a fat boy, a fat boy who was out of breath. The boy carried a large military-green backpack and dragged a similarly large suitcase. After entering the room, he randomly chose one of the two empty beds and was about to lie down without cleaning it. Liu Jingtang quickly stopped him, "Come, let's put some newspapers down first."

The boy was clearly very tired, even struggling to greet Liu Jingtang. He smiled and introduced himself with difficulty, "I'm Zhao Kan, hehe..."

"I'm Liu Jingtang, and this is Yu Xiaoshu," Liu Jingtang helped Zhao Kan by introducing him.

"In the future, please take care of me. I heard that one of our roommates is in the Rocket Class. Do you know who it is?" Yu Xiaoshu asked with a smile.

The Rocket Class was a class composed of the top sixty students in the science section of the high school entrance exam. Liu Jingtang's total score was high, but he was two points short in the science section alone.

It was said that entering Yuehe No. 1 Middle School was like putting one foot into college, and entering the Rocket Class was like putting that foot into a key university.

Of course, Liu Jingtang didn't care about these things. He didn't plan to study science in the future, and his science scores in another life were poor. To some extent, being biased in subjects was predetermined by nature.

"I'm in Class 3," Zhao Kan said, having recovered some strength.

"I'm in Class 2," Liu Jingtang said.

"I'm also in Class 3," Yu Xiaoshu smiled at Zhao Kan, and then all three of them looked at the empty bed.

"There seems to be a name on the door," Liu Jingtang suddenly remembered seeing a piece of paper on the door when he entered. He got up to check and indeed saw his name, Zhao Kan's, and Yu Xiaoshu's. The remaining name was Sun Xinyang.

"I know Sun Xinyang. He's the top student in our school and is likely to be in the top five in the Rocket Class," Yu Xiaoshu explained.

"No wonder you know. You didn't do it on purpose, did you?" Zhao Kan, being a quick friend, started joking even on their first meeting.

Yu Xiaoshu laughed, "Exactly."

At noon, everyone went to eat. Liu Jingtang and his father went to climb the mountain near the school. For some reason, Liu Jingtang felt that his father was acting strangely today. His eyes and expression seemed to be filled with deep feelings and even a touch of melancholy about the school. After some thought, Liu Jingtang guessed the reason. According to his mother, his father's ideal high school was also Yuehe No. 1 Middle School.

When father and son reached the top of the mountain, Liu's father stood on a large rock with his hands behind his back and said, "I have two classmates at this school," and then laughed bitterly, "But they both pretended not to know I was bringing you to register today. Actually, Uncle Xu told them."

Liu Jingtang suddenly understood. It was a common story of rich relatives avoiding poor relatives.

"Back in high school, they were all my followers," Liu's father looked into the distance and sighed deeply.

Liu Jingtang said, "Being a teacher is a noble profession, but I don't think you are any less than them."

Liu's father ignored his son's comfort and looked at the scenery below for a while. He originally wanted to say something profound to match the moment, like in "The Lion King," but then thought that his son probably already knew all the principles. After thinking for a long time, he simply said, "Study hard. When you stand here in three years, you can be happier."

...

When they returned to the dormitory, Liu Jingtang saw that the remaining empty bed had been taken. A simply dressed, dark-skinned young man and a slightly lighter but still dark and simple young boy were sitting on the bed. Although both of their faces were dark, their worries were still clearly visible.

Before entering the room, Liu Jingtang vaguely heard phrases like "30,000, 20,000," and from the atmosphere, it was clear they were not talking about mahjong.

Liu's father took the initiative to offer a cigarette to the parent, who quickly got up to accept it and started chatting with Liu's father. Liu Jingtang smiled and asked the boy, "I'm Liu Jingtang from Class 2. Are you Sun Xinyang from Class 1?"

Sun Xinyang smiled slightly and nodded. He seemed a bit shy when talking to strangers, probably due to his extensive reading.

Liu Jingtang took two apples from his bag and placed them on Sun Xinyang's desk without allowing any refusal. Sun Xinyang did not deliberately refuse and smiled warmly at Liu Jingtang.

For some reason, Liu Jingtang felt a strange respect and affection for such a loyal and simple person. From the moment he entered the room, he could tell that the other person was facing some difficult problems, likely related to money. However, if his scores could place him in the top five of the Rocket Class, his tuition and textbook fees should be waived. So what was he worried about?

...

At 2 PM, the freshmen orientation ceremony began, which was mostly formalities. One of the items was the announcement of scholarship recipients. Liu Jingtang indeed heard Sun Xinyang's name, who was awarded first prize, with full tuition and textbook fees waived for three years, plus a 3,000 yuan bonus.

Liu Jingtang received third prize, with one year of tuition waived.

After the orientation ceremony, there was a class meeting, where students introduced themselves and elected class officers. Liu Jingtang, due to his exceptionally high score in the high school entrance exam English test, was appointed as the English class representative. An unexpected situation occurred at the end of the class meeting when someone passed a note to him. The note read, "I will take the position of English class representative back within a semester."

Liu Jingtang found it very amusing and thought, "Don't be so violent. If you just talk to the homeroom teacher, I'll give it to you in a minute. I don't really consider the class representative a position of authority."

In the evening, the 302 dormitory had a bedtime chat, where they got to know each other better, discussing things like where they were from and what they liked. Meanwhile, Liu Jingtang opened his laptop, created a new document, and named it "The White-Haired Demoness."

[As the sword comes from the west, a thousand arches line up, and the demon's shadow moves about. Is the mirror not a platform, and the bodhi not a tree? The realm arises from the mind, can it be clearly distinguished?

Is it a demon or not a demon? Is it not a demon or is it a demon? Let the future generations of the world judge! For now, let's gather and talk about the children of the heroic pile, and first narrate the idle emotions.

The wind and thunder are full of spirit, and the cold frost is gently brushed away, revealing a charming beauty. Sighing at the unparalleled beauty, her white hair has not aged, and a hundred-year promise has not been broken. Short planting of flowers, long poetry to accompany wine, year after year, always remembering you. On the Tian Shan, watching the dragon and snake brush move, the ink splashes over the South China Sea.]

In an ordinary night, in an ordinary student dormitory, the story of the incomparably beautiful white-haired woman quietly began.

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