"It’s precisely because the farewell is imminent that we treasure the time we have together even more,"
Xu Nianhua said with a smile, feeling that it had been a very long time since she last stayed in the dorm.
Pei Yining, who was helping with carrying things, walked back to the dorm with Xu Nianhua. Along the way, they didn’t run into any of Xu Nianhua’s roommates. Pei Yining spared no effort to say, "Nianhua, it looks like your roommates don’t welcome you either. Otherwise, you might as well come and live with me."
Pei Yining, holding Xu Nianhua’s hand, said this, almost dragging Xu Nianhua back with her.
"Maybe they have classes," Xu Nianhua replied, not minding and saying, "Moving back into the dorm, it’s such a small matter, there’s no need for a deliberate welcome. I wouldn’t want to interrupt their classes either."
Pei Yining pouted. If it were her, she would definitely have made an effort to welcome her.
The two chatted all the way to the dormitory. Just as Xu Nianhua was about to open the door, she found that it wasn’t locked. She pushed it gently.
"Welcome back, Nianhua!"
The loud welcome startled Xu Nianhua.
As soon as the door opened, Fei Jiayi and the other five people inside were standing in the dormitory, each holding a balloon in their hands. The dormitory, specially tidied up, looked festive and joyful.
"Nianhua, I ordered this egg cake especially for you. Take a sniff, doesn’t it smell good?" Fei Jiayi said, proudly presenting her specially ordered egg cake.
Liao Jinling was not to be outdone, saying, "This is the fruit I bought; the oranges are really sweet, you know."
Zhou Wanwan brought a book and some notes with her elegant handwriting. The notes she had given before were all written by Zhou Wanwan.
Ding Guo’s gift was candy, the delicious White Rabbit Creamy Candy and some new candies she particularly liked.
"Nianhua, I knitted this cozy for the hot water bottle myself. With it on, the bottle won’t be too hot to hold," said Chang Hui, somewhat shyly handing over the cozy. This item was practical for Xu Nianhua and, for Chang Hui, it was something she could afford.
Xu Nianhua and the others had helped her sell a lot of tea, but she sent all the money home, keeping very little for herself. Last time, when everyone in the dorm chipped in to get Xu Nianhua some fruit and gifts, Chang Hui didn’t have much money left.
The cozy she knitted for the hot water bottle, compared to the other gifts, made her offering seem insignificant.
"Thank you all," Xu Nianhua said, accepting a series of gifts—food, books, and the practical hot water bottle cozy, all of which made her feel cared for.
Especially this cozy for the hot water bottle, as her feet had been particularly cold since her injury. The bare hot water bottle, after pouring in boiling water, was too hot to touch, and without it, she felt cold.
Pei Yining couldn’t persuade her to flee back to her home, and seeing how caring her dorm mates were, could only sigh and go home.
The day Xu Nianhua was discharged was also a great piece of news for Xu Nian’an. Since then, Xu Nian’an set aside two hours each day to sell hair clips and scarves, and he would take care of Xu Nianhua on weekends.
His little stall became more and more familiar, and when he returned from Xu Nianhua’s place on weekends, he would stop by the market to stock up on a large batch of goods, storing them in a big box. His roommates only knew that Xu Nian’an frequently carried the large box back and forth, but they didn’t know what exactly he was doing with it.
As time passed, the numbers in Xu Nian’an’s savings book grew, and he believed that he would certainly be able to save a thousand yuan before going home.
"Big brother, everyone in our dormitory really likes the gifts you sent. These fruits were specially bought for you by them," Xu Nianhua said with a beaming smile, offering the oranges and saying, "These oranges are really sweet, not sour at all."