Chapter 76
◎Dormitory Relationships◎
At the corner of the stairs, Tangtang couldn’t help but take out the Xuehuatang pearl cream from her bag. After unscrewing the cap, a light, elegant fragrance wafted into her nose.
She scooped out a small amount of the pearl cream and spread it on her hand. The color was like jade. With a light touch, the cream melted along the lines of her skin. It was not as greasy as ordinary vanishing cream, but delicate, dense, and had a moisturizing feel. It smelled very fresh and elegant.
When Tangtang returned to the dormitory, a few of her roommates had already turned off the lights and gone to bed. She casually stuffed the two bottles of pearl cream into her drawer.
…
Time quickly passed to March. Tangtang and the others had been in school for about a month. There was going to be a pop quiz in basic chemistry. This quiz came suddenly, and they hadn’t expected it at all. Many people complained endlessly.
It had just rained, and the classroom was a bit hot and stuffy. Chen Xiaohui was chewing on her pen, frowning and thinking hard, racking her brains to answer the questions.
After handing in their papers and coming out of the classroom, the few people in Tangtang’s dormitory all had pained expressions. Even the usually calmest Liang Cuixia couldn’t help but say, “The reactants in that deduction question looked familiar, but I just couldn’t remember the reaction conditions. This question is too tricky!”
“That’s right. It’s not a pop quiz at all. It’s clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult. I think Professor Wang just wants us to know that university life is not that easy.”
“I thought getting into university was a once-and-for-all thing. I didn’t expect there to be such a big hardship waiting for us.”
Dong Shuqing also sighed. “Don’t say anymore. Let’s just finish our meal and go to the library to get a seat. There’s another quiz next week. Who knows what more perverted questions are waiting for us!”
The few of them went to the canteen. After everyone got their food, no one was in the mood to use their chopsticks. Only Tangtang was eating a steamed bun while stuffing the cold salad with three kinds of shredded vegetables into her mouth.
Liang Cuixia looked at Tangtang, who was the only one not participating in their complaints, and couldn’t help but sigh. “Among us, Tangtang has the best mentality.”
“Who says she doesn’t?” Pan Yanmei took a bite of her steamed bun, her expression envious.
“Tangtang finished all the questions. When she handed in her paper, Professor Wang even nodded at her.” During the quiz, Dong Shuqing was sitting behind Tangtang.
Hearing this, Chen Xiaohui’s chopsticks slammed on the rim of her enamel lunchbox. The splashed soup stained her sleeve. She raised her voice. “Tangtang, did you answer all the questions on your paper?!”
“Mhm, I don’t know if what I wrote is right or wrong. Anyway, I just wrote it down randomly. I can’t just leave it blank, right?” Tangtang shrugged.
Pan Yanmei sighed. “That’s great. I also wanted to write something randomly, but I didn’t even understand the questions, let alone what answers to write.”
Tangtang took the initiative to comfort everyone. “It’s okay. It’s just a pop quiz. There will be many more chances to do well next time.”
The test results came out the next day. As expected, they were too terrible to look at. Chen Xiaohui looked at the “56” written in red pen on her paper, and then at the 98 on Tangtang’s paper next to her.
Professor Wang took a sip of water from his thermos to soothe his throat. His gaze swept over the dejected students below the stage. “Our test scores this time are generally not ideal. But classmate Su Xintang is very worthy of praise. She is the only one in the class who got all the deduction questions right.”
A “wow” sound erupted in the classroom. The other people in the classroom looked at Tangtang, their eyes filled with admiration and envy.
Chen Xiaohui’s lowered eyes were a little dark. She clenched her palm and crumpled the paper in her hand into a wrinkled ball.
Her father was a teacher at a regional normal college, and her mother was also a teacher at a provincial middle school. It could be said that she was from a scholarly family. It would have been fine if she couldn’t compare to others, but to be unable to compare to a country girl from a remote rural area was the biggest humiliation for her.
After lunch, Tangtang studied in the self-study room for a while before returning to the dormitory.
The dormitory was completely different from when the school year had just begun.
The thermoses, washbasins, and enamel mugs in the corner were neatly arranged. The bare walls were covered with various colored stickers. There were colorful floral bedsheets and quilt covers, and white or pink mosquito nets were hung. The colorful colors made the whole room look vibrant.
Chen Xiaohui was sitting at the desk, chewing on her pen and reading a book. Hearing the chattering in the dormitory, she couldn’t help but frown.
Dong Shuqing was holding an enamel washbasin with a towel and soap in it. “Tangtang, I’m out of shampoo. Can I borrow yours?”
Tangtang was eating a piece of osmanthus cake she had bought from the canteen. She turned a page of the magazine she had borrowed from the library. Hearing this, she didn’t think much of it. “It’s in the drawer. You can take it.”
Dong Shuqing’s eyes widened. “Oh my, isn’t this the Xuehuatang pearl cream we saw on the counter at the department store the other day? Tangtang, so you bought it. And you bought two bottles.”
Dong Shuqing’s words attracted the attention of the other people in the dormitory. “What pearl cream?”
“It’s this, Xuehuatang’s pearl cream. It’s said to cost three yuan a bottle, and you also need an industrial coupon.”
Pan Yanmei clicked her tongue. “Such a small bottle costs three yuan.”
“The difficult part is getting the industrial coupon.”
Hearing Dong Shuqing’s voice, Tangtang finally remembered the pearl cream. “I forgot. When I came back a few days ago, everyone was already asleep, so I didn’t take it out. My big brother bought it for me. This thing is very moisturizing. You should all try it.”
Worried that it would cause unnecessary trouble, Tangtang directly replaced Zhou Shunian with her big brother, Su Juesheng.
As she spoke, Tangtang opened the lid of the pearl cream and let them all try it.
Hearing this, everyone became interested. “Alright, alright, let me try it too. I’ve never used such an expensive face cream before.”
After all, this was Tangtang’s thing, so everyone was very restrained in using it. And they didn’t take the initiative to reach into the bottle to scoop it out, but let Tangtang scoop it out and put it on their hands.
“Tangtang, your big brother is so good to you. He even buys you face cream. I’m so envious. Why are other people’s older brothers so good?”
“This fragrance is so nice. It’s like the fragrance of magnolia, very fresh and elegant.” Dong Shuqing dipped her fingertip in it and spread it on her face, her eyes wide. “It melts as soon as you put it on. It feels like sheep fat. My face is much more moisturized after putting it on.”
Pan Yanmei quickly stretched out her hand. “Put some on me too. I’ve been working hard these past few nights, and I feel like my eye wrinkles have deepened.”
“After putting on a layer, I feel like the wrinkles on my face have faded.”
After Liang Cuixia finished putting it on her face, there was still some left on her hands. She simply used the remaining pearl cream to moisturize her hands as well. “This cream looks so precious. You all shouldn’t use too much.”
She sniffed her hand, which had a light fragrance of magnolia, and smiled. “It’s really moisturizing, much better than the clam oil we usually use.”
“Next time, if I can get an industrial coupon, I’ll go and buy two bottles to use.”
Chen Xiaohui watched as the group of people chattered about this pearl cream and couldn’t help but bite her lower lip.
If this pearl cream were hers, she would definitely be reluctant to let others use it.
Tangtang glanced at Chen Xiaohui, who was still sitting at the desk, and walked over. “Xiaohui, didn’t you want to use this pearl cream before?”
“I don’t need it. You can use it yourself.” Chen Xiaohui squeezed out a sentence, pulled the mosquito net with a cold face, and automatically isolated them all.
She hadn’t even been able to buy the pearl cream, and Su Xintang had actually bought it?
If she had bought this pearl cream, she would have wanted to put it on her face all the time. But Su Xintang had actually forgotten about it? Thinking of the pearl cream she had been longing for for so long, this country roommate from a remote rural area didn’t care about it at all. It really made her look ridiculous.
Chen Xiaohui’s sudden coldness made the other few people look at each other. But it was soon time for the dormitory’s lunch break. In the afternoon, there was a calculus class. They had to take a nap at noon to have the energy for the class in the afternoon. Everyone looked at each other and didn’t say anything more.
Liang Cuixia pulled her mosquito net and reminded in a low voice, “Hurry up and sleep. There’s a calculus class in the afternoon.”
Hearing this, Tangtang and the others all went back to their own beds and lay down.
This week, Professor Wang held another pop quiz. The last quiz had caught them off guard. This time, everyone had prepared in advance, and they all did much better.
Liang Cuixia had gotten 72 points last time, and this time she got 88. Dong Shuqing had gotten 70 points last time, and this time she got 80. Pan Yanmei had gotten 67 last time, and this time she got 76. Tangtang had gotten 98 last time, and this time she got a perfect score.
Chen Xiaohui had gotten 58 points last time, and this time she had only improved by two points, to 60.
Although she had passed, her improvement was too small compared to everyone else’s.
She didn’t know what was wrong with her recently. She felt that her studies were becoming more and more difficult. Sometimes, when she was reading a book, the words in front of her would become blurry.
Chen Xiaohui used to think that her conditions were very, very good. But after coming to Capital University, she realized that there were always people better than her. Her family background, which she was proud of, was surpassed by others here. Her academic performance was so outstanding before, but here, anyone she found would have better grades than her.
Anxiety and frustration accumulated in her heart.
Sometimes she even doubted herself. Was she really suitable for studying chemistry?
“Tangtang, here!” Dong Shuqing had saved a seat in advance and was waving at Tangtang, who was in the queue.
Usually, in the dormitory, Tangtang, Dong Shuqing, and Chen Xiaohui were of a similar age, so they would walk together more often. But since the results of the first basic chemistry quiz came out, Tangtang could clearly feel that Chen Xiaohui had distanced herself from her. She no longer ate with her, nor did she queue up with her to take a bath or go to the library.
Tangtang could roughly guess the reason. Chen Xiaohui’s family background was very good. Her father was a teacher at a regional normal college, and her mother was an experienced teacher. Such conditions were quite excellent. But Capital University was a bigger environment. When a person moved from an environment where they were a leader to a bigger environment, there would inevitably be a natural sense of disparity.
“You said her family’s conditions are so good. How come she can’t study as well as us?” Dong Shuqing muttered while eating her rice.
Dong Shuqing also knew that Chen Xiaohui usually looked down on her. On the first day of school, she had given all the other roommates some houttuynia and homemade sausages. The others had all happily accepted them. Only Chen Xiaohui had covered her nose in disgust and would always say things that implied that she was from the countryside.
So, seeing her fall, Dong Shuqing felt a faint sense of pleasure in her heart.
Tangtang covered her mouth. “Shh! Don’t say that anymore. It will easily affect the harmony in the dormitory.”