Chapter 202: The Girls’ Dorm Life Begins

August 19th.

Sunday.

Temperature: 26–37°C.

Today was the first day of school registration for Jiang Ning’s second year of high school.

Just past noon, her mom was already bustling around the house, packing up.

Bedsheets, blankets, pillows, towels—everything was stuffed into a giant bag.

Jiang Ning even saw her mom toss in a washbasin and—wait!

“Mom! That’s a pot!”

“Why are you packing the steamer?!”

At the sound of her voice, her mom paused, then casually pulled the steamer back out.

“Oh,” she said. “I was thinking you might need it for a field trip or something.”

“I’ve never brought a pot on a field trip!”

Jiang Ning’s muttering earned her a sharp side-eye.

“Your mom’s packing for you and you’ve got so much to say.”

“Go pack your clothes yourself!”

“Okay~” Miss Jiang grumbled, grabbed a large tote bag, and headed into her room.

Five short-sleeved shirts.

Two pairs of long pants.

Three pairs of socks.

Underwear.

Jiang Ning looked at the meager three sets in her drawer, thought for a moment, then pulled out two, packed them into a small pouch, and stuffed it into her tote.

Before long, she emerged from her room, bag packed to the brim.

By then, her mom had already finished packing the bulky items, splitting them into two smaller bags and placing them by the door.

When she saw Jiang Ning’s tote, she took it, opened it, and rummaged through it with a soft snort. Then, without a word, she turned and walked into Jiang Ning’s room.

Moments later, she came back out holding a small bundle and handed it to Miss Jiang.

“What’s this?”

Jiang Ning opened it.

Pajamas.

And a leak-proof blanket.

Alright then.

Miss Jiang silently packed them into her bag.

A little while later, mother and daughter headed out.

Since she’d be boarding for the week, Jiang Ning didn’t bother riding her own bike. Instead, she squeezed onto the back of her mom’s.

Watching her mom pedal with effort, Miss Jiang couldn’t help but ask why she didn’t just take the electric bicycle.

Her mom brushed it off, saying she wasn’t used to it.

But Jiang Ning knew the truth—just a few days ago, her mom had heard some rumor somewhere that electric bikes “drain electricity,” and now she was too spooked to ride it.

Speaking of that rumor, Jiang Ning had looked into it.

It all traced back to a few motorcycle dealerships spreading nonsense, claiming electric bikes secretly siphoned electricity from homes while charging, and that their overall cost was no better than a gas-powered motorcycle.

At first, Miss Jiang had considered clapping back somehow.

But then she thought—motorcycle bans were only going to get stricter in the next couple of years. So what if they got to jump around for a bit longer?

As long as her family’s electric bike business didn’t suffer any real losses, Jiang Ning couldn’t be bothered to deal with such baseless gossip.

Half an hour later, under the blazing sun, the mother-daughter duo arrived at the gates of Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School.

Since it was registration day, the entrance was crowded with parked cars.

But a closer look revealed that not many students were carrying daily necessities.

Clearly, the percentage of boarding students was still low.

But that was just for now.

From what Jiang Ning remembered, by the second semester of sophomore year, more than half the students would be boarding.

“Hey, are you Jiang Ning’s mom? You look so young!”

“Oh no, not at all, not at all…”

…

“Hello, Jiang Ning’s mom! Want me to help carry something?”

“Oh no, no, thank you, thank you…”

…

“Jiang Ning’s mom, I’m so jealous you have a daughter.”

“She’s alright. You can always try for another one yourself.”

Her mom was like a celebrity, getting stopped and chatted up the whole way.

By the time they finished paying fees and handling all the paperwork, nearly half an hour had passed.

At the dormitory entrance, people were coming and going.

Miss Jiang stood at the door, holding the school-issued washbasin, staring at the two six-story buildings before her.

Memories began to flood her mind.

She remembered that the dorms shared a single main entrance. Once inside, the hallway split in two.

The boys’ dormitory was to the left, the girls’ dormitory stretched all the way down the right corridor.

In the middle sat the dorm supervisor’s office.

Back in the day, when Jiang Ning boarded, she’d always turned left upon entering.

But now…

“Ning Ning, why are you just standing there?”

“Come in!”

“Oh… coming.”

Miss Jiang responded and stepped into this strange, familiar place, washbasin in hand.

Inside, the peeling walls, wooden stair railings, yellowed light fixtures stuck to the hallway ceiling—it all looked exactly like the boys’ dorm from her memories.

Only now, everything felt like a mirrored version of that.

In that moment, Jiang Ning finally felt it—truly felt it.

The feeling of being reborn.

Walking the same paths, attending the same school.

Only this time, instead of heading into the boys’ dormitory, she was entering the girls’ dorm.

She let out a sigh.

Shaking off the wave of nostalgia, she followed her mom, step by step, up the stairs.

“Ning Ning,” her mom called.

“Dorm life is different from being at home.”

“Make sure to take care of your personal hygiene.”

“You’re growing up now—learn to take care of yourself.”

“Be independent… Oh, hello, hello—”

Even as Mom nagged on, she still managed to greet other parents with a smile.

Before long, the mother and daughter pair arrived on the fourth floor, where Miss Jiang’s dorm was located.

The hallway was fairly empty at this hour.

As they walked past the other rooms, it was clear not many people had arrived yet.

They must’ve come early.

Jiang Ning looked at the number on the door—207—and gently pushed it open.

The moment the door swung inward, her eyes landed on bed number 7, which already had sheets neatly laid out.

Beside the bed stood a middle-aged woman, busy hanging up a mosquito net.

“Hello, hello!” Jiang Ning’s mom, who stepped in first, greeted the woman warmly.

Jiang Ning followed behind, her eyes sweeping across the entire dorm.

Inside, there were eight beds.

Four bunks on each side, upper and lower.

At the moment, only two had been made.

One was bed 7—the one with the woman hanging the mosquito net.

The other was bed 1, the lower bunk on the left-hand side.

Since the beds were assigned ahead of time, all she had to do was find her name.

After a quick search, she found hers on bed 2—upper bunk, left side, right above bed 1.

This spot had a nickname back in the day.

The Keeper of the Light.

Heh.

Girls, from now on, your light is in my hands!

Just then, a sweet-looking girl stepped out of the bathroom.

She wore a round-neck printed T-shirt and a straight-cut denim skirt.

Fresh droplets of water clung to her delicate features.

When her bright eyes landed on the graceful figure of Miss Jiang, they curved into cheerful crescents.

“Jiang Jiang~”

Qi Wen beamed as she walked over.

“You’re here!”

Then, spotting Jiang Ning’s mother behind her, she greeted her sweetly.

“Hello, Auntie~”

Maybe it was because no one at home ever addressed her so gently, but Jiang Ning’s mom was delighted.

“What a lovely girl. So pretty and charming.”

She even reached out to pat Qi Wen’s head.

“You’re staying in this dorm too?”

“Which bed is yours?”

Qi Wen smiled and pointed to the bed right beneath Jiang Ning’s.

Perfect.

Boy on top, girl below.

Every day’s a happy day.

After a few more pleasantries, Jiang Ning pulled Qi Wen aside, and the two started whispering to each other.

From Qi Wen, she learned that Luo Shanshan and the others had all opted to commute.

Zhu Hui often went to the studio to paint, so living on campus wasn’t convenient for her.

As for Sun Qian and Luo Shanshan—

Sun Qian had gotten into that tutoring program that required an interview.

She passed, and now she had to attend three to four times a week.

Word was, the place was super strict.

They even hit your palms with a ruler.

As for Luo Shanshan, apparently her family didn’t approve of her staying on campus.

Why? Qi Wen wasn’t too sure either.

Well, that’ll be a mystery for another time.

Miss Jiang could dig into it later when she had the chance.

After all, their classrooms weren’t far apart.

The conversation soon shifted to their other roommates.

The dorm housed eight girls, but only five had moved in so far.

They were: Qi Wen on bed 1, Jiang Ning on bed 2, Yuan Lu on bed 4, Mai Wanting on bed 5, and Yang Ke on bed 7.

Yuan Lu had been the Class Monitor of Class 2 next door back in their first year.

Qi Wen knew her well—they got along fine.

She was said to be the straightforward type.

Shouldn’t be hard to get along with.

Yang Ke, on bed 7, had been in Class 9 last year—the same class as Xia Zhi and the others.

She’d served as the Study Committee Member.

They’d seen each other before, though hadn’t interacted much.

Still, she always wore a warm smile.

Seemed like someone with a good temper.

As for Mai Wanting on bed 5—

She’d been in Class 13 during their first year.

Rumor had it she was extremely low-key.

How low-key?

So quiet that if she didn’t speak, you wouldn’t even know she was in the room.

And just like that, once all the parents had left—

Miss Jiang’s girls’ dorm life officially began.

(End of Chapter)