Lu Nan ate her hamburger, and the two no longer talked, making the atmosphere slightly taciturn. She was not feeling the slightest bit of joy over the new phone. She hadn't even glanced at it, knowing that just looking at it would prick at her conscience.
"Sigh! I'm not saying that you can't date. Dating in college is very normal, but girl, you're too easily swayed. You can't blame your brother for worrying about you. I'm afraid you'll be deceived. Don't you hear what they say on the college news? Protect yourselves against fire, theft, and seniors. It means nothing good ever comes from involving seniors!"
"Mm..."
Lu Nan merely acknowledged Lu Ze with her mouth closed, still not speaking. He could only sigh in response and waited for her to finish eating. Then, carrying her school bag on his shoulders and pulling the trunk, the two-headed to the college bus.
"Is this the one? Let me see… Beijing Law University. Alright, this is the one. Don't make such a face; it's like someone owes you money. Cheer up a bit! Don't be such a buzzkill before your classmates once we get up in a moment."
Lu Ze circled the big bus, eventually seeing the college sign on the windscreen. A college student was sitting before a desk outside the bus's gate.
"Hello friend, my sister is a new student here. Here is the admission letter, have a look."
This student was male. One look at Lu Nan, and his gaze never left her, clearly a sucker. He was just one step short of drooling from his mouth. Accepting the letter from Lu Ze, he opened the letter and inspected it for a moment before revealing a brilliant smile.
"Junior Lu Nan, welcome to the big law family of ours. Come on up. And, you're her elder brother? You can leave that luggage for me, and I'll take care of it."
Lu Ze felt embarrassed as well. The two fought a war of polite attrition until the luggage was loaded,
"Lu Nan, why haven't you thanked your senior yet?"
Lu Ze sent Lu Nan a glare and poked her back waist, as if questioning, 'What did I tell you just now!'
"Thank you, senior!"
"No problem, no problem, no need to be polite. Come inside. There's AC. It's too hot outside."
Lu Nan entered the bus and instantly attracted everybody's attention. Since Lu Nan was four to five years older, the elders of the village had been boasting that she had a kind of magical aura. To this moment, this aura had not disappeared but turned more prominent. This aura was different from appearance and even more conspicuous than that.
Even the older student sitting at the bus's entrance had not been able to resist her charm, much less to speak of these bunch of little kids who had just graduated from high school. Even some girls could not help but reveal envy on their faces.
"Just sit here and lean on the window. Don't end up feeling carsick."
Many people who came from villages quickly got carsick. It had nothing to do with them not having experience. Instead, it happened because they were used to breathing the clean mountain air. When they inhaled various emissions, they would feel some discomfort and dizziness. Walking in the city was still tolerable, but sitting in a packed bus with closed windows made all the people from the village feel a bit dizzy.
"I'm fine."
Lu Nan's spirits were still down in the gutters. She leaned against the window, looking outside.
A dozen minutes later, a group of older students entered the bus and took a gander. Seeing that the bus was almost full, they informed the driver to start the bus. It was three in the afternoon, which meant no crazy traffic in the capital.
That older student picked up the bus's microphone and began to introduce the teaching force of the college and the environment. He also mentioned a few of the college's famous people while encouraging the sitting students. Constant waves of laughter erupted on the bus, and every student was dreaming about their beautiful college life for the next four years.
"I keep telling you, can you cheer up a bit? If you pull this pouty face again, I'll buy a mask for you. Are you Sun Wukong or Zhu Bajie?"
Taking Lu Ze's words as teasing, Lu Nan rolled her eyes and said in a hushed voice, "Can you stop bothering me?"
"If I bother you even more, you'll have to endure. I understand that you've just turned eighteen and don't understand social norms, but don't you have at least some understanding of the ways of the world? For whom are you pulling this face for? It'll only make others feel like your upbringing is lacking, and you don't know how to appreciate kindness. It's college, not that high school of yours, with two sections for every year. Nobody is going to care about attitude. In fact, nobody owes nobody, and nobody likes to look at your crying face! Although the eight generations of the Lu Family had been peasants, we still care about our face. You don't want to lose the face of our Lu Family, right?"
It was outside, so Lu Ze left some face for Lu Nan. If this had been home, he would have already grabbed her hair and given her a beating.
"I know, sigh! I am not pulling this face for anybody. I'm just… not in a good mood. I don't want to talk right now. I surely won't be like this before my classmates. I'll surely make a lot of friends."
Lu Ze knew in his heart why she was down. He stroked her head and replied, "How old are you to think so much? You're a child, just study well. There are so many families with situations much worse than yours, but aren't they all trying to study with all they have? At least we have mom and dad. Besides, your big brother also has some use. You don't need to worry about family right now."
"But… I owe you all too much. It heavily presses on my heart. I... can't bear to..." Lu Nan pouted and extended her hand to wipe her eyes as her small voice slightly trembled.
"Hey, you don't have to think like that. Your brother will probably be like this for the rest of his life. In the future, I'll have to rely on you to bring glory to the Lu Family ancestors. At that time, I, mom, and dad will bask in your glory. If you study well and become a judge or grand justice and establish your footing in the capital, then all of this would be worth it and more. At that time, you might be covering for me, your big brother, no?"
"Yeah… big brother! I'll study well for sure and buy a big house in the capital for you, mom, and dad."
"Alright then. Just like you said, you'll have to buy me, your big brother, a big house. If it's one inch shorter than a hundred and twenty square meters, I won't accept it. Don't you say you're pretty enough to attract everybody? Look, all your classmates are looking at you. Cheer up, it's the first day of college, alright?"
Lu Nan finally revealed a smile, resuming her previous cheerful and natural demeanor, and began to chat with her classmates. Contemporaries merely needed company. Soon, everybody began to laugh heartily and forgot their worries.
About forty minutes later, the bus entered the college campus, pulling every new student's gaze. The bus passed through the park, sports ground, artificial lake, and spent around five minutes within the university. One could imagine how big the campus was!
Festive, welcoming banners were hoisted everywhere on the campus. "A warm welcome to the batch newcomers of 2016."
Lu Nan had, in fact, not seen too much of the world outside. Witnessing this scene, she was somewhat stupefied, in disbelief of the fact that she would be studying and living here for the next four years! How much bigger and more beautiful was this compared to her high school, which was a mere construct on a field.
"Your college is gorgeous. In the future, stroll here with your classmates frequently. Don't spend every day cooped up in your room or one corner of the college. After all, you're in the capital. Go with your friends to see the flag hoisting, climb the Great Wall, and roam the streets. Don't overthink about spending money. The more you see the world, the better it'll be for your future. Understand?"
"Yeah…" Lu Nan's gaze was somewhat blank. It was unknown if she had heard Lu Ze's words.
The bus stopped, and Lu Ze walked to the registration site while dragging the trunk. Upon handing the admission letter and bank receipts of fees and other expenses to a supervising official, a student union member gave them Lu Nan's beddings. Subsequently, the two arrived at her room.
Lu Nan's luck was pretty good. The recently cleaned four-person dormitory had new tiles. Moreover, the bed, tables, and chairs were all new.
Lu Nan's roommates had all arrived as well. It seemed like their familys' financial situation was pretty good. Lu Nan currently could not see through these details, but Lu Ze could immediately tell.
Previously from the college student simulation course, he knew that if the roommates' financial strength were not comparable, they would not be hanging as a group despite living together. Moreover, he recognized that this might be even more prevalent amongst girls. At this moment, Lu Ze felt somewhat heavily burdened and saw a long road ahead of him.
Although these roommates' families were affluent, they were not that good-looking. Lu Nan, standing amongst them, stood out like a crane among a flock of chicken, looking extremely eye-catching. In this era, good looks were a superiority, but in many cases, it could also be a detriment. At this moment, the roommates were quite amiable to Lu Nan, but who knew what would happen in the future!
Running around buying water kettle, washbowl, and other hygiene products for Lu Nan, Lu Ze felt quite tired. Moreover, the capital was sweltering during this time of the year. After he bought all the essential products of daily life, he was drenched in sweat.
Since washing his face in the girls' bathroom was not too bright of an idea, he casually wiped his face a few times and sat down to rest.
Lu Ze's appearance was not lacking either. Toward these young chicks, who were basically at the age of going through their first love, its destructive power was quite strong. One of the roommates suddenly handed him a water bottle with a red face.
The supervising official told the girls to collect their military uniforms. After accompanying them, Lu Ze looked at the time. It was already four. He had bought tickets for the train at 7:50 a.m., and it was time for him to leave.
Lu Ze requested Lu Nan's roommates to get along well before she accompanied him to the entrance.
"After I leave, go buy two bottles of sunscreen lotion and remember to share with your roommates. If you haggle over petty matters, you'll only come off as annoying. There is no issue in buying popsicles and stuff for everybody. Even if you lack money, make sure to make good friends in college, understand?"
"I know, big brother!"
"Also, going out for dinner in college is normal, but don't drink alcohol. If I find out, see how I put you in place! No friendship or crap like that. No drinking means no drinking! And don't let that bunch of brats take advantage of you. You've heard the news about big brothers stabbing the guy bullying their little sisters and ending up serving a life sentence, right? If you don't want such an ending for your big brother, be mindful! Lastly, you remember that senior on the bus, that kid carrying our luggage, and that student union's guy? Those fellows are no good, so make sure to keep your distance from them. Your big brother has roamed the streets for so long. I can immediately tell what crap people like these try to pull off. You better keep your distance from them. If there is nothing else, I'm heading off."
Upon saying his piece, Lu Ze turned out and leisurely walked away without turning around like a true man. However, in reality, he was still quite worried about this little sister of his. After all, she had been the apple of his eye from childhood. Lu Nan herself did not feel too good either. Upon returning to her room, she found her roommates giddily chatting about today's events and even blurted out that Lu Ze was handsome.
Lu Nan's spirits were in the gutters. Seeing a few of her trousers sprawled out on the bed, she curled her lips. Why would her brother throw out her pants? She had just sorted them out. While folding the second trouser, she felt its pockets somewhat bulging. Bewildered, she pulled the pockets out and discovered a bunch of money and a note,
"Don't save, spend without worries! This family still has me."