In the distance, snow-capped peaks; nearby, a cedar forest; several houses nestled amongst the tinted layers of trees; a small bridge over a stream; the morning mist embracing all the scenery within its hold—the little mountain village was picturesque.
Within this picturesque scenery stood two figures, one old and the other young.
Luo Ziling, with a travel bag on his back, was speaking to Luo Liansheng, who stood under the bridge at the entrance of the village.
"Grandpa, I'm leaving. You must take care of yourself," Luo Ziling said, his face full of reluctance.
"Go ahead," Luo Liansheng watched his grandson affectionately, smiling with a hint of sorrow.
Seeing the loving smile on his grandfather's face, Luo Ziling felt a wave of emotion but mustered a forced smile, "I'll come back to see you during the winter break, to spend the New Year with you. I'll show you the photos I took at school, tell you about university life, and bring you some specialties from Yanjing."
"During the winter break, you don't have to come back." Luo Liansheng's smile had a tinge of sadness, "By then, the paths will already be sealed off by heavy snow."
"No, I will definitely come back to spend the New Year with you."
"Ah!" Luo Liansheng patted Luo Ziling's shoulder heavily, said nothing more, and turned to walk back to his house.
Only after watching the old man enter his house and disappear from view did Luo Ziling turn around and stride away.
Upon crossing the bridge and exiting the valley, facing the vast grassland, Luo Ziling stopped in his tracks and looked back at the beautiful mountain village where he had lived for nearly twenty years.
He took out a slightly yellowed photograph from his pocket and stared at it with a complex expression, the astonishingly beautiful woman in it causing him to mutter somberly, "After all these years, why haven't you come to see me?"
No matter how many unspoken hardships you have, but having abandoned me twenty years ago and never coming to see me, at least for now, I cannot forgive you—as for later, we'll see!
"I'm going to study in Yanjing; will you come to see me? If someday, you unintentionally appear outside my classroom, how will I feel? Will I cry or smile, or would I not want to acknowledge you?"
He glanced at the photograph silently a few more times, carefully put it away, and then shouldered his travel bag properly before walking on without looking back.
After two hours of walking across the grassland beyond the valley, Luo Ziling reached the nearest small town to their village.
This town, represented by merely a dot on the provincial map, was the liveliest spot for miles around.
He caught the daily bus that only went one way to the county town, had lunch there, and then took the afternoon train heading to the provincial capital, Wushi.
The plane he was to catch was departing at ten o'clock the following morning.
After a grueling train journey lasting more than ten hours, Luo Ziling finally arrived in Wushi.
This was Luo Ziling's first time flying, and he had no idea how to proceed with the boarding formalities.
As Luo Ziling was about to ask at the information counter, he accidentally bumped into a pretty woman with a suitcase.
The woman with the suitcase walked quickly with her head down, while Luo Ziling was looking around; thus, their collision was entirely unintended.
"Sorry," almost knocking the woman over, Luo Ziling quickly apologized.
"It's okay, I wasn't careful," the mature and attractive woman, who looked to be in her thirties, examined Luo Ziling closely before breaking into a brilliant smile, "Handsome boy, did I hurt you?"
Relieved by the woman's friendly reaction, Luo Ziling quickly shook his head, "No!"
As they spoke he became somewhat shy, his expressions always revealing his discomfort under the gaze of a beautiful woman.
The woman did not leave immediately but looked Luo Ziling over and continued to chat, "Handsome boy, are you in a rush to board your plane? What time is your flight? Have you checked in yet?"
"My flight is at ten o'clock," Luo Ziling said, growing even more embarrassed, "I haven't checked in yet."
"What a coincidence?" The beautiful woman asked with curiosity, "My flight is also at ten o'clock. Which flight are you on?"
After checking his ticket, Luo Ziling replied, "CZ6901."
"That's such a coincidence, I'm on the same flight," the beautiful woman laughed joyfully, "How about we go check in together?"
Luo Ziling, unsure of how to check in, was instantly delighted and quickly agreed.
Following the beautiful woman, Luo Ziling quickly completed his boarding procedures.
The beautiful woman helped him pick a seat, and their seats were next to each other.
During the boarding process, Luo Ziling also learned that the beautiful woman's name was Li Jing, a Yanjing native, on a business trip to Wushi.
He was very glad that the accidental bump had saved him a lot of trouble.
Li Jing was very enthusiastic, taking care of all the procedures for him, and it was she who led Luo Ziling onto the plane.
During the flight, she helped Luo Ziling get a meal and drinks, chatted with him all the way, and told him about Yanjing.
Li Jing's warmth eliminated Luo Ziling's caution and led him to share his purpose for going to Yanjing with her.
After Li Jing found out he was going to school, she told him many interesting stories about Yanjing University and things to pay attention to while studying.
Luo Ziling was even more grateful.
Having an enthusiastic beauty for company, the hours-long flight journey went by in a flash.
After getting off the plane, it was again Li Jing who led him to pick up his luggage.
After leaving the airport, Li Jing did not say goodbye to Luo Ziling, but took the same subway with him.
"I live near Yan University, we're on the same route," Li Jing said with a smile to Luo Ziling, "It seems I'm really destined to meet this handsome young man."
These words made Luo Ziling blush, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.
Being unfamiliar with everything, he was very glad to have met someone as enthusiastic as Li Jing; otherwise, he would have faced many more difficulties.
He was extremely thankful to Li Jing.
Lacking a mother's love since childhood, in just a few hours of contact, he had developed a deep attachment to Li Jing.
He couldn't help but wonder if that woman would also have been this good to him if she were by his side.
Thinking about this, a sour feeling involuntarily rose in his heart.
Li Jing and Luo Ziling exited the subway station, accompanied him to the gate of Yan University's campus, and took a few photos of him with her phone.
"Once you've bought a phone, I'll send you the photos!" On the plane, Li Jing had already learned that Luo Ziling didn't have a phone. She gave him her phone number and made him promise to notify her once he bought a phone.
Luo Ziling naturally agreed.
When saying goodbye to Li Jing, Luo Ziling sincerely said thank you, "Mrs. Li, I'm very thankful for your help."
"Meeting is destiny, and who knows, we may meet again," Li Jing said, smiling and waving goodbye to him.
After watching Luo Ziling enter the campus, she finally took a long breath, took out her phone, and dialed a number.
The call connected immediately.
"Hello," a rather magnetic female voice came from the other end of the phone, "Li Jing, have you arrived in the Capital?"
"Miss, it's me," Li Jing's face showed respectful deference, "We've arrived, and I've safely brought him to the campus of Yanjing University."
The woman on the phone was silent for a moment and then, trying to suppress the excitement in her heart, said softly, "You've worked hard!"
"Miss, I've taken some photos of him, I'll bring them to..."
Li Jing was interrupted before she could finish her sentence: "Send them to me now, immediately!"
"Yes, Miss!"
On Registration Day, the campus bustled with excitement as newcomers dragged their luggage, either alone or accompanied by their parents, to their respective department's registration points.
Luo Ziling, who had never set foot on the campus before, found everything unfamiliar. Surrounded by the lively scene and the youthful faces of the bustling students, he stared for a long time, unsure of what to do.
"Hey, are you here to register as well?" a rough voice called out from behind Luo Ziling.
Turning around, Luo Ziling saw a tall figure riddled with acne.
Based on the luggage in the stranger's hand, Luo Ziling came to the realisation that he must be a new student who had just arrived for registration.
"Yes, are you a new student just starting out too?" Luo Ziling replied with a hint of excitement, as if finding a kindred spirit.
"I'm a freshman in clinical medicine. My name is Cao Jianhui," said the youth, putting down his luggage and extending his hand to Luo Ziling, "Seeing you standing there so handsomely and elegantly, I couldn't help but want to make your acquaintance. Would you be willing to be friends with me?"
This made Luo Ziling want to both laugh and cry, but after shaking hands with the acne-ridden young man who introduced himself as Cao Jianhui, he also introduced himself.
"So, you're also a freshman in clinical medicine. We might actually be classmates, wow ka-ka," Cao Jianhui beamed with surprise and burst into laughter before gesturing grandly, "Come on, let's go register together."
Luo Ziling, who had no idea how to proceed with the registration, happily followed Cao Jianhui towards the newcomers' registration area.
Cao Jianhui was a lively person, and to Luo Ziling, who was generally reserved, Cao Jianhui seemed like someone who could talk his way out of anything.
Fortunately, with Cao Jianhui there, Luo Ziling managed to complete the registration process quickly and got the keys to the dormitory.
As luck would have it, they were not only in the same class but also assigned to the same dorm room.
"Haha, we must be destined! No wonder we hit it off right when we entered the school," Cao Jianhui said, enthusiastically slapping Luo Ziling's shoulder and laughing in a way that was both exuberant and a bit sleazy, "From now on, I've got your back. Just consider me your boss, and no one will dare to mess with you."
Luo Ziling immediately felt goosebumps and pondered if this guy had any peculiar habits.
If that were the case, he resolved to keep his distance in the future.
Carrying their luggage to the dorm, they discovered the well-cleaned room was still vacant; they were the first to arrive.
It was a four-person room with quite good amenities, including a private bathroom, a water heater, and air conditioning.
"Looks like the facilities at prestigious universities really are better than those at average ones, wahahaha," Cao Jianhui couldn't help but laugh loudly again.
His face full of acne trembled with his laughter, causing Luo Ziling to feel goosebumps once more.
After Cao Jianhui threw his luggage onto a lower bunk bed with a thud and released a torrent in the bathroom, he came out and asked Luo Ziling, who was still taking in the room, "I've picked a lower bunk. Which bed do you want?"
"I don't like sleeping on the top," said Luo Ziling, also choosing a lower bunk.
As they were busy making their beds, Luo Ziling asked Cao Jianhui, "Why do you have so many pimples? Is it a hormonal imbalance?"
"Adolescence is defined by acne—it's the mark of youth," Cao Jianhui said with smug satisfaction before gazing at Luo Ziling's smooth, blemish-free and particularly handsome face. He couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Classmate Luo, how come you don't get acne?"
"I can prescribe you a couple of remedies that will guarantee you acne-free results," Luo Ziling actually had a pretty good impression of Cao Jianhui. Although he hadn't experienced much in his past twenty years, he could sense the guy's straightforwardness from his hearty smile and generous demeanor. Consequently, he took the initiative to offer kindness and was willing to help Cao Jianhui treat his acne.
"Ah? Really?" Cao Jianhui immediately became excited, but as he lifted his head in excitement, he banged it hard against the upper bunk's bedboard, wailing in pain. Yet, he still bore the pain, rubbed the sore spot, and ran over to Luo Ziling, his face full of surprise as he said, "Do you really have a secret recipe for getting rid of acne?"
"I wouldn't lie to you, you'd be a little dog!"
"That's great, give me the prescription quick," Cao Jianhui was so excited that he lost his composure a bit, rubbing his hands together and saying with a flushed face, "If you can cure the acne on my face, I will cover your living expenses for the semester!"
"Really?" Luo Ziling also got excited. It seemed that Classmate Cao Jianhui was a rich guy—the kind with more money than sense.
"Of course it's true," Cao Jianhui banged on his chest making a loud thump, "When Cao Jianhui gives his word, it's as good as gold. I never go back on my word."
Luo Ziling didn't say anything else, took out paper and pen, quickly wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Cao Jianhui, "Follow this prescription for two weeks, and the acne will clear up quickly. At most, in half a year, all the scars on your face will disappear."
Cao Jianhui snatched the prescription and looked it over carefully twice. Treating it like a treasure, he solemnly placed it into his inner jacket pocket. Then he asked in puzzlement, "Classmate Luo, did you study medicine?"
"My grandfather is a famous traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and I studied medicine with him since I was young," Luo Ziling didn't hide it and told the truth.
"Then why did you come to study Western medicine?" Cao Jianhui was utterly baffled, "If you've studied Chinese medicine for many years and you're good at it, you could make a living off it for life. It couldn't be that you don't like studying Chinese medicine, so you decided to come to Medical University, could it?"
"Combining Chinese and Western medicine will further improve medical skills," Luo Ziling said with a smile, "If I master Chinese medicine and also do really well in Western medicine, wouldn't I become a legendary doctor?"
"That makes some sense," although Cao Jianhui still felt like there was something off about Luo Ziling's words, he couldn't figure out what it was and could only nod in agreement, "Since you already understand medicine, it looks like you'll be able to show off in front of your classmates quite often."
"I'm not one to show off!"
"You're already doing it," Cao Jianhui shot Luo Ziling an annoyed glance and started to arrange his bed.
By the time they finished arranging their beds, two other new students in the same dormitory also entered with their luggage.
Since the two bottom beds had been taken by Luo Ziling and Cao Jianhui, both had to occupy the top bunks.
All four dormitory members were present, and everyone introduced themselves to one another.
The two newcomers were named Li Fuming and Wu Longjiang. Li Fuming, thin and somewhat monkey-like from Min Province in the south, and the rather handsome Wu Longjiang from the watery region of Jiangzhe Province in the South.
Cao Jianhui hailed from near Yanjing in Ji Province, while Luo Ziling came from the Northwest. The four hailed from homes that could be described as the four corners of the country.
There wasn't much barrier between these young people, and Cao Jianhui was very outgoing. After introducing themselves and with Cao Jianhui's constant loud chatter and laughter, they all got to know each other. They also shared their ages, and it turned out that Luo Ziling was the eldest, earning him the title of Boss among the four. Cao Jianhui was second in line, Wu Longjiang was third, and Li Fuming was the youngest.
As their beds and desks needed tidying, after putting down their luggage, all four of them got busy.
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