Chapter 57

From late March, Bian Xuedao started calling his parents every day, constantly instilling in them the idea that the current epidemic was very serious. He told them to stay away from crowded places, pay attention to personal hygiene, and eat more foods that boost the immune system.

He did the same for the people around him, constantly picking out various pieces of information from the internet to read to Li Yu and Shan Rao, and subtly hinting to Shan Rao to find an opportunity to pass on the message about personal hygiene to the student leaders in her department.

Bian Xuedao also called his senior, Wen Shige, but the latter, who was having a good run of luck, didn't take it to heart. Bian Xuedao thought that since Wen Shige ran a studio that didn't see much light, and not a crowded internet cafe, there shouldn't be much danger.

At this time, Bian Xuedao was most worried about Yang Hao. This guy still insisted on going to the train station and underground passages to practice his public speaking. Yang Hao was very determined, and no one could stop him. Bian Xuedao estimated that among all the students at Dongsen University, Yang Hao might be one of the most likely to get infected. Bian Xuedao moved a box of Isatis Root to dorm 909 and told everyone to make sure Yang Hao drank it every day, and not to let him leave if he didn't.

On April 15, Bian Xuedao went to Gongda to find Wen Shige, collected a sum of money, and deposited it in the bank. He noticed that Guan Shunan, who received him, looked at him strangely, but Bian Xuedao didn't want to stay in the bank for a minute longer, so he didn't investigate further.

Since discovering that Bian Xuedao's home was stocked with a lot of delicious food, Shan Rao's gluttonous nature was triggered. Every time she visited, she would help Bian Xuedao organize the supplies, claiming to check the expiration dates.

As a married man, Bian Xuedao had many ways to deal with a young girl like Shan Rao. He bought a foot-operated scale and placed it at the door.

Shan Rao, upon seeing the scale, reacted as if she had encountered a natural enemy.

No matter how fragrant the food Bian Xuedao cooked, Shan Rao only ate half a bowl of rice. Unfortunately, Shan Rao only managed to stick to this for three days. On the fourth day, she hid the scale behind the sofa when Bian Xuedao wasn't paying attention, then followed him around the house pretending to look for the scale.

By mid-April, the supply of Isatis Root in Songjiang City began to run short.

On April 20, banners against SARS started appearing on campus, and notices about ventilation and handwashing were posted on bulletin boards and at dorm entrances.

On April 25, the school notified all faculty and students that to prevent SARS from entering the campus, Dongsen University would be closed from April 28. During the closure, no one could leave the campus without approval from the school's SARS prevention leadership group, except for essential procurement personnel and those in special positions.

On the day the notice was issued, some female students rushed to all the major supermarkets near the school to stock up on supplies.

On April 26, the school added inspection posts at all entrances and exits and set up zigzag channels between the campus and the residential areas.

On April 27, Chen Jian collected the identity blue cards for all the students from his counselor and informed everyone that they must show these cards to enter any teaching or dormitory building.

On April 28, the school closure began.

Yang Hao couldn't leave, and Bian Xuedao finally felt relieved.

The school leadership began to worry. Keeping so many young students on campus without letting them out required a lot of effort to keep them occupied and prevent chaos. The school and various student organizations came up with many ideas.

While the school was still planning various activities, Bian Xuedao's "Honesty Bicycles" were already a huge hit. From dawn to lights out, these 48 bicycles were constantly in use.

Chen Jian was a good class leader. Knowing that the school would be closed, he used the money in the collection box to buy various sports equipment for the class, including basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, badminton rackets, tennis rackets, jump ropes, shuttlecocks, and even two ropes for tug-of-war.

In the first week of the closure, everyone didn't feel too uncomfortable, but after a week, some people couldn't take it anymore.

Some people tried to find ways to leave the school, but it wasn't easy to avoid the security guards and patrol teams around the school walls.

If caught, the punishment would be at least a public reprimand if they hadn't left the school. If they left and were caught upon returning, the punishment would be a warning and isolation for observation.

The changes brought by the school closure were significant and obvious.

The school canteens became crowded, especially the fourth canteen, which served stir-fried dishes. If you wanted to add a dish at lunchtime, it was best to queue up by 10 a.m.

The soccer field was still manageable, but on the basketball court, unless it was a formal match, at least four basketballs would be vying for a single hoop.

The library was another story. Tong Chao said that one day he went to the college computer lab early in the morning to surf the internet. On average, he opened a webpage every five minutes. The lab, which was usually deserted, was so crowded that when the door opened, Tong Chao almost got trampled.

The only Snow Peak cold drink hall on campus was packed from morning to night. Many girls went there in groups to eat cold drinks, attracting many single male students who had nothing better to do.

With no way to leave the school, the radius of activity for couples shrank dramatically. As soon as it got dark, all the corners and nooks of the campus were filled with couples hugging or sitting together. The wooden chairs behind the main building and the round wooden chairs by the grass were hard to get if a couple left, especially for those with weaker constitutions.

Bian Xuedao's home in the Red Mansion was one of the few family buildings within the campus.

Before the closure, Bian Xuedao had replaced his home theater system, bought a dance mat, and two PS2 consoles. After the closure, his home, with food and entertainment, quickly became a paradise for the boys in dorm 909 and a few family girls.

In 2003, the connection between dorm 909 and dorm 603 had become a bit weaker. The girls in dorm 603 who hadn't paired up with the boys in 909 had all found boyfriends and were less likely to come out to eat with 909, especially after the incident where Zhang Meng stole Li Youcheng's suitor. Dorm 603 was no longer as united as it was in their first year.

However, in the dorm, Nan Jiao, Su Yi, and Li Xun, the three girls from 909, still maintained their status as the first group. There was no way around it; their boyfriends were much more impressive than those of the other girls. Chen Jian was handsome and capable, Li Yu was sunny and wealthy, Ai Feng was ordinary but academically excellent, and 909 had Bian Xuedao, who could fight four people in public and not get punished, and was now dating a senior minister's sister.

Zhang Meng's rich second-generation boyfriend, though indeed quite wealthy, didn't have the confidence or the need to compete with Su Yi and the others, and the influence of 909 behind them.

To keep the students occupied, the school organized a cultural evening with the help of several colleges, providing full support in terms of venue, funding, equipment, and manpower.

As the female minister of the Media College and a recognized cultural leader, Shan Rao was naturally one of the organizers of the evening. For several days, she was so busy that she only managed to call Bian Xuedao a few times and didn't even see him.

One day, Shan Rao didn't call Bian Xuedao at all. When he called her, it went straight to voicemail.

The next day, Shan Rao came to find Bian Xuedao, saying her phone had been lost somewhere. Unable to leave the school to buy a new one and with the evening's preparations in the final stages, Shan Rao immediately thought of borrowing Bian Xuedao's phone.

Bian Xuedao needed his phone to stay in touch with his parents, Wen Shige, and Fan Hongbing, so he couldn't lend it to Shan Rao. After some hesitation, he remembered the Nokia 7650 he had bought for Xu Shangxiu but returned.

Since he brought it back, it had been sitting in a cabinet. Bian Xuedao himself didn't like slide phones, and from his 2014 perspective, he didn't think much of the then-stylish Nokia 7650, so he had forgotten about it.

Seeing Shan Rao's helpless look, Bian Xuedao struggled for a moment but decided to let her use the 7650.

Shan Rao was sitting on the sofa, trying to figure out what to do. When she saw Bian Xuedao come out of the room with a paper bag and hand it to her, and opened it to find the 7650 she had seen in TV commercials, she felt that Bian Xuedao was like Doraemon, who could pull anything out of his pocket.

Even in May 2003, the 7650 with its color screen, slide design, and built-in camera was still a stylish phone. Seeing Shan Rao's enthusiasm for the device, Bian Xuedao said, "Take it and use it."

Shan Rao asked, "Are you lending it to me or giving it to me?"

Bian Xuedao replied, "If you don't like it, give it back. If you do, I'll give it to you."

Shan Rao jumped up, grabbed Bian Xuedao, and said, "Let's go to the service center and pick a new number."

When the police station called, Bian Xuedao was having a hot pot with a group of friends at home.

A man who introduced himself as Officer Hong asked if Bian Xuedao knew Wen Congqian and then told him that Wen Congqian had been involved in a fight at a bar the night before and asked him to come to the Nan Guang police station.