Bai Xiao carried her luggage and asked several classmates before she found the dormitory building. The dormitory auntie downstairs checked her admission documents, took a bunch of keys from the cabinet on the wall, unhooked one, and handed it to her, "You’re late, there’s only one dormitory left. You should have come earlier to check in. Go on now."
After thanking her, Bai Xiao found her room. Just as she got to the door, she heard laughter coming from inside, so she gently knocked on the door, and a brisk voice came from within, "Come in."
Upon entering, Bai Xiao saw three people already sitting around a table, chatting. She said with a smile, "Hello, everyone. My name is Bai Xiao. I just arrived this afternoon and have been assigned to this dormitory."
Welcome! Just as Bai Xiao finished speaking, a sturdy girl with dark skin stood up laughing and said, "My name is Ma Yao, specializing in pediatric clinical practice." Judging from the voice, the earlier "Come in" had also come from her.
As she spoke, Ma Yao reached out to take the suitcase from Bai Xiao’s hand, "Here, let me put this away for you."
"No need, no need. I can do it myself." Bai Xiao was a bit embarrassed by Ma Yao’s enthusiasm. This girl obviously had a cheerful personality and seemed easy to get along with.
"Don’t be so polite! Just carrying the suitcase up to the fourth floor from downstairs must have been tiring." Without waiting for a reply, Ma Yao took the suitcase from Bai Xiao’s hand and placed it next to the empty bed at the entrance, "I’m really sorry; this is the last bed left. Please make do."
"It’s fine, it’s quite nice," Bai Xiao said with a smile. "Thank you!"
"I’ve said there’s no need to be polite— we’ll be classmates and roommates from now on!" Ma Yao patted Bai Xiao’s shoulder with a boyish bravado and turned to the other two, "You two should introduce yourselves too."
The slim, tall girl opposite, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, elegantly raised her hand to push up her glasses, "I’m He Juan, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology."
The short, chubby girl with long hair next to her said shyly, "My name is Lin Xiang. I’m in pediatrics too. What about you? What’s your major?"
Bai Xiao shook her head with a smile, "I’m here for further studies, probably in Traditional Chinese Medicine! Actually, I don’t know for sure. The teachers didn’t tell me when I registered." She really was unaware of her specific major.
As soon as Ma Yao heard this, she shook her head in disagreement, "You’d better go ask later, or how will you know what classes to attend tomorrow? Besides, you also need to collect your textbooks. If you don’t know your subject, how can you get them?"
The girl was indeed warm-hearted.
"All right! I’ll go ask in a bit," Bai Xiao started to arrange her bed.
When she opened her suitcase, Ma Yao, He Juan, and Lin Xiang watched as Bai Xiao pulled out item after item like magic; the small suitcase was like a treasure box.
Soon, one bed became elegantly arranged, causing the three others to feel somewhat sheepish.
They all had their parents to help them out; none of them managed everything on their own like Bai Xiao did.
"Bai Xiao, where are you from?" Ma Yao asked curiously.
"I’m from a certain province, but I came here from Yun Province," Bai Xiao dusted her hands, having finished tidying up.
It went just as she had planned, but she still needed to buy toiletries—at the very least, things like a washbasin and a tooth mug.
After discussing it together, everyone agreed to accompany Bai Xiao to a nearby department store to make her purchases.