Inside a stationery store.
“It’s a total of 173.5 yuan. Will you pay by cash or phone?”
“Phone.”
“Then scan this code.”
Shen Xingruo scanned the code and entered the payment amount, but her hands and feet were cold, and her fingerprints were not responsive during verification.
After lingering at the cashier for a while, she finished the payment and pushed open the glass door.
The wind rushed into her collar, making her wet and cold.
The figure under the tree was gone.
The sentence kept swirling in her mind like a mantra, and even now, she couldn’t concentrate.
Distractedly dragging her suitcase, she walked towards Shuxiang Road where Mingli was located.
Shuxiang Road was a narrow and long one-way street, lined with evergreen camphor trees on both sides. On the right side of the road was the Mingli campus, and through the gaps in the fence, the school playground and basketball court could be seen. On the left were some shops and Mingli’s dormitories.
Shen Xingruo also found out when she got closer that the Mingli dormitory building was not on campus, but across the street from the school.
With the help of Lu Shan, the transfer process was not complicated.
In the political group office of the second year of high school, Shen Xingruo met the new homeroom teacher.
The new homeroom teacher was named Wang Youfu, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, not very tall, and had a chubby and amiable appearance.
He moved slowly and took five minutes to find the form.
He also spoke slowly, holding onto the insulated tea pot, “Don’t worry, Mingli school is not worse than Huize No.1 Middle School.”
Shen Xingruo flipped through the stationery she had just bought.
… Why were they all pencils?
“I graduated from Nancheng Normal University back then, you know, during the time of job allocation. I went to Huize first after graduation. Huize No.1 Middle School was a school for children of migrant workers at that time. The teacher resources and teaching standards were relatively ordinary, and the salary was low. It was only in the last twenty or thirty years that Huize developed rapidly with government support.”
Shen Xingruo looked for a black water-based pen on the desk and began filling out the form.
“I’m very familiar with Huize No.1 Middle School. Your principal now, Shen Zhibo, was assigned to Huize No.1 Middle School with me. We used to live in staff dormitories together, and he was next door to me. Can you believe he became the principal with his poor abilities…”
Shen Xingruo: “…”
“Mingli is different. It has some heritage. It was founded during the Republic of China and was then called the Provincial Higher Normal School. Over the years, it has produced many academicians and leaders.”
She filled out the form while making a few “mm” sounds.
Wang Youfu didn’t know what he had missed and held his insulated cup while thinking for a while before adding, “The salary is also high.”
Shen Xingruo’s hand holding the pen paused.
After filling out the form, Wang Youfu took Shen Xingruo to the academic affairs office at the west end of the hallway.
After completing the procedures, she received an application form for admission.
Wang Youfu seemed idle and even acted as if he wanted to take her to collect her school uniform and dormitory supplies.
Shen Xingruo politely declined that letting the homeroom teacher lead the way, because she didn’t know whether she would be able to have dinner tonight if the teacher help her.
After leaving the academic affairs office, Shen Xingruo went to the library to collect her school uniform and then went to the dormitory.
Mingli’s dormitory area includes a U-shaped structure of connected male and female dormitory buildings, a row of faculty dormitories, and a cafeteria.
When Shen Xingruo arrived at room 403 on the fourth floor, the dormitory door was wide open.
“Jingjing, wait for me! I’ll be done copying in a minute!” A girl wearing a smoke-colored hoodie was leaning over her desk, writing quickly.
“I’m just wearing a coat, take your time. It’s okay,” someone responded, and their voice seemed to come from the bathroom.
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