Qin Guan planned to buy a Shenzhou mobile phone number from a small shop downstairs. When he asked at the shop, he remembered that it was an era when the business of selling mobile phone numbers had not yet been opened.
If he wanted to buy a mobile phone number, he had to go to the office of the mobile company. He could only sigh helplessly.
As a rich man, Liu Xiaoyang thought he was a failure. How could he forget to sell such a convenient thing as a mobile phone?
Qin Guan had to call his parents from a public phone, telling them that everything was settled and not to worry. He would stay in the dormitory that day and go to the hotel the next morning.
By the time he finished his call, his roommates had already decided where they would go for dinner. There were many food stalls on the street diagonally opposite the university, which were suitable for eating.
They arrived at the street, where the stalls had just been set up. There were barbecue skewers, cold noodles, braised pork, and beef noodles. There were a lot of different kinds of food.
They went to a barbecue stall and ordered 100 skewers and five glasses of beer. Liu Xiaoyang was not allowed to drink. As a minor who couldn't even get an ID card, he was not qualified to drink.
Liu Xiaoyang wanted to have a sip, but he was too weak to protest. His roommates suppressed him.
When the skewers were served, Ye Dong and Mu Lejiang took out two packs of cigarettes from their pockets and handed them to the other three.
Liu Xiaoyang was ignored again. He was so angry that he shouted, "Why can't I get anything?" Ye Dong looked at him contemptuously out of the corner of his eye. "Let's talk about it when your hair grows out!"
Qin Guan spat out the beer. What a character! I like it! Qin Guan and Wang Lei refused the cigarettes, but Li Jie took one with two fingers.
Ye Dong took a deep drag on the cigarette. Something had stirred him up. "It must be hard for you to know that I was actually a bad student. I didn't study hard in junior high school, but got into fights instead. Everyone in the underworld smoked a few puffs. I couldn't even get into high school. My father begged his primary school classmate, my former principal, with two bottles of beer. He wanted me to go to high school, no matter what.
"I cried when I came back, motherf * cker! My father has never begged anyone in his life, and he has lowered himself for me. At that time, I thought that I had to make a name for myself in this life so that my father wouldn't have to beg anyone again. "Ye Dong took another puff and blew out the smoke ring.
"When I got into this school, the corners of my dad's eyes were wet. To be able to see my dad so happy, I feel that the three years I spent in high school weren't wasted. It was worth it."
None of them spoke again, their hearts heavy. The waiter brought the skewers to the table. Ye Dong pounded the table and said, "Let's not talk about this. Dinner is more important."
They didn't stand on ceremony and grabbed a handful each.
Qin Guan took a bite of the meat. It was delicious. The roasted lamb kidney was a specialty in the capital.
A whole lamb kidney was cut in the middle with a cross, and both sides were roasted to a golden brown. The fat lamb fat was wrapped around the kidneys. One bite, and there was only one word to describe it: delicious.
The few of them didn't even have time to talk as they ate. More than 100 skewers were gobbled up in a short while.
Qin Guan found it strange that Li Jian, a thin young man from the south, smoked like a pipe addict. While chatting with Li Jian, Qin Guan asked him about it.
Li Jie didn't take it seriously. He answered, "Of course. My family runs a small shop. I've always been the caretaker of the shop. When there's business, it's necessary to smoke."
His roommates were troubled by Li Jie's Mandarin, but southerners didn't know how to use their tongues. Everyone in Guang Pu could only make do and listen to him.
After going around in circles, they were most interested in Qin Guan. The main thing was that this fellow was simply too deceptive. He sat there without saying a word, which made him look like a young master of an aristocratic family.
However, whenever he moved or opened his mouth, he would act like an idiot, which made him look cute in a strange way.
This was the third time Qin Guan had explained to his roommates that he was definitely his biological father and that it was impossible for him to have been abandoned by an aristocratic family. Qin Guan was defeated by his roommates' wild imagination.
Dinner was the best way to improve relationships. After one meal, they started calling each other brothers. For the convenience of greeting each other in the future, they lined up according to their ages.
Ye Dong, the eldest, was a savage from the old forest in the northeast. He looked like a bandit and had the temperament of a leader.
Surprisingly, Qin Guan was the second eldest. Although he didn't like the word "second", he was too old to be second.
Mu Lejiang, the third eldest, was a rough man from the northwest. As soon as he arrived at the dormitory, he refuted the rumor that they didn't ride camels to school.
Wang Lei, the fourth eldest, was a scholar from the south of the Yangtze River. Qin Guan found him the least talkative, but he was always incisive. Black-bellied was the best way to describe him.
Li Jie, the fifth eldest, was a shrewd businessman from the Guangdong Province. His ultimate goal was to succeed in his studies and expand his family's small shop into a public company.
Liu Xiaoyang, the sixth eldest, was the youngest. He was a local tycoon, but he was awkward and arrogant. His status in the dormitory would be as low as his ranking.
After drinking, they returned to the dormitory. After a simple wash, they turned off the lights and went to bed.
Lying on the bed, Qin Guan's thoughts drifted back to his previous life. At that time, he had received the admission letter from the Polytechnic Institute.
Because of his rough appearance, his roommates thought he was an uncle who had re-studied for many years. Most of the students in the science and engineering major were male. They were silent and immersed in their own world. They had been in the same dormitory for four years, but they hadn't talked much.
Qin Guan had chosen a top school in the finance and economics major. Students who majored in finance, regardless of whether they were born with it or not, would gradually become eloquent. Qin Guan got along well with his roommates. He thought it was a good start.
The next morning, Qin Guan got up early according to his usual schedule. He took a towel and a toothcup and went to the washroom.
Yes, it was the washroom. At that time, there hadn't been independent bathrooms in the dormitory. There had been public washrooms on every floor.
There were rows of public taps and long washbasins. No matter how one looked at it, it was quite a spectacular sight.
Qin Guan squeezed the toothpaste and brushed his teeth in front of the sink, thinking about that day's schedule. The next day would be the official start of the semester. His parents would only be able to stay in the capital for a short time.
His schedule during the day was quite tight. Thinking of this, Qin Guan spat out the foam in his mouth. I have to go to my parents' place as soon as possible.
When Qin Guan came out of the washroom, the dormitory was still quiet. Everyone was still sound asleep. He put away his toiletries quietly and closed the door carefully. Then he went downstairs and turned left towards the cafeteria.
College cafeterias in 1998 were cheap. Qin Guan arrived very early. As soon as the cafeteria chefs opened the window, Qin Guan handed them his meal ticket.
The second cafeteria was large. There were two iron buckets in the hall. When the chefs opened the lids, a gust of hot air floated up from the buckets.
It was a free soup in the cafeteria. Students could have a spoonful of soup after they finished their meals. Qin Guan bought a standard breakfast for three people, which consisted of soybean milk, youtiao tea and leaf eggs.
The breakfast for three people cost only 3.60 yuan. It came with a plastic bag. With a bag of breakfast in his hand, he strolled to the hotel where his parents were staying.
The four-star hotel next to the University of Finance and Economics hadn't been built yet, so the area was still filled with small bungalows. His parents were staying in a private hotel closest to the university. It was simple but clean.
After breakfast, Qin Guan took his parents to the West Z Gate as planned. This was their first stop of the day. It was only two or three kilometers away from the university, on the edge of the capital's Second Ring Road.
There weren't many cars on the dusty street. Yellow cars were shuttling back and forth. No matter how far they took you, they only charged 10 yuan.
There were no tall buildings on either side of the street. Residential areas with six floors were the same height. Qin Guan led his parents to the sales offices on both sides of the West X Gate with ease.
At that time, the West X Gate was in the era of the development of the capital. The population of the capital hadn't skyrocketed yet, and the migrant workers hadn't started pouring in either.
At that time, people could still get houses from their units. For them, commercial housing was a distant concept. For the people of the capital, they could live in a free house. Why would they buy one?
Qin Guan's parents didn't hesitate to buy a house. Maybe because they weren't from the capital and didn't own a house there, they didn't object to Qin Guan's idea of buying a house near the university.
The three of them looked at all the houses in the area that had been put up for sale. High-end apartments were ruled out. High-rise buildings were ruled out.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
