Chapter 512: Xiaodong'er: I Never Check How Much Money Is in My Card, Anyway, I Can Never Spend It A

Chapter 512: Xiaodong'er: I Never Check How Much Money Is in My Card, Anyway, I Can Never Spend It All!

At the foot of a female dormitory building in Peking University.

Xiaodong'er, accompanied by her five dorm mates, walked out of the dormitory building. They were already used to seeing dozens of boys waiting in front of the dormitory, so they continued walking towards the school gate without stopping.

However, they hadn't taken a few steps when someone blocked their path.

The person blocking their way was an ordinary-looking boy, the kind who would blend into a crowd and be impossible to find. He stood in front of the six girls, looking at Xiaodong'er, and flashed a confident smile he had practiced in front of the mirror dozens of times. He greeted her with a gentle voice, "Minister Deng!"

"Fk, who is this guy?"

"This dude is really brave, looking like that and still daring to chat up the school beauty?"

"He's called Wu Hai, the minister of the External Affairs Department, and one of the school beauty's admirers."

"Oh, so it's him. I heard his family has a lot of background, I wonder if it's true?"

"It's probably true. If he didn't have a background, he wouldn't even be qualified to pursue the school beauty, right?"

"True enough..."

As Wu Hai stepped out to greet Xiaodong'er, the boys behind him started murmuring and gossiping.

Li Fu, with a look of frustration, stared at Wu Hai, who had beaten him to it. He had been secretly in love with the school beauty for three years, though he had never confessed. He had investigated every formidable rival.

Wu Hai, the minister of the External Affairs Department, was a known admirer of the school beauty, and Li Fu had naturally investigated him as well.

Today, he had finally mustered the courage to ask the school beauty to dinner, but now Wu Hai had beaten him to it. Whether Wu Hai could get the school beauty to agree or not, Li Fu had to change his plans, which left him seething with anger.

All this happened in an instant.

"Minister Wu!"

Xiaodong'er politely greeted him and then asked, "Do you need something from me?"

Wu Hai smiled broadly and said, "Minister Deng, I'd like to invite you to dinner to discuss some arrangements for the Hong Kong Return 5th Anniversary Cultural Evening. Is it convenient for you?"

Xiaodong'er replied, "No need for dinner. We sisters have plans. As for the Hong Kong Return 5th Anniversary Cultural Evening, you shouldn't be talking to me. Our Publicity Department is only responsible for promotion. For the event's organization, you should talk to the Cultural Department."

Wu Hai's smile didn't waver. "Minister Deng, I think you should host this cultural evening. Your appearance and demeanor are perfect. If you host it, there won't be a need for much promotion; all the students will be drawn to it."

Xiaodong'er politely smiled and firmly declined, "I'll pass on hosting. Professional matters should be left to professionals. Nothing else, I'll go have dinner with my sisters. Excuse me, thank you!"

Hearing her response, Wu Hai understood that he wouldn't get anywhere today. He wasn't discouraged, though, as this wasn't the first time he had failed. In fact, no boy in the school had ever had the luck to have a private dinner with the school beauty, so his failure wasn't surprising.

Therefore, Wu Hai quickly accepted the result, said a few polite words, and then turned to leave.

Seeing this, the boys present felt a mix of relief and satisfaction.

Though most of the boys knew that the school beauty was out of their reach, they were still happy to see other boys fail in front of her.

Li Fu, however, felt a mix of joy, worry, and anger. He was glad that the school beauty had firmly rejected the other boy, but he was worried that he might also become one of those who failed. He was angry that Wu Hai had disrupted his plans, forcing him to abandon his attempt.

In fact, Li Fu wasn't the only one to abandon his plans. Several other boys who had intended to approach Tang Yun, Liu Jingjing, Jiang Mo, Yang Huijuan, and Chu Junyao were also forced to back off.

After all, the school beauty had clearly stated that the six sisters had plans to eat together, and anyone who approached them now would likely be rejected.

As the six girls walked away, Li Fu squeezed the two movie tickets for "See You Yesterday" in his pocket and decided to give them to his roommate, so he could take his girlfriend to the movie!

...

Xiaodong'er didn't take this minor incident to heart. Since she entered Peking University three years ago, she had encountered countless similar approaches. She could see through their intentions at a glance, but she pretended not to notice.

She always refused any public confessions.

She never gave a chance to those who tried to confess indirectly, and for those who secretly admired her, she acted as if she didn't know unless they said something.

Not only did Xiaodong'er herself not take it seriously, but Tang Yun and the others were also used to it. Over the past three years, they had received even more confessions, and they had become adept at handling such situations.

Half an hour later.

Xiaodong'er and her friends arrived at the nearest Spicy Girl Hotpot restaurant near Peking University. They had been here before, and this hotpot restaurant was their favorite for dormitory gatherings. They were all familiar with the place.

They found a seat, ordered a spicy base, and each chose their favorite ingredients. Liu Jingjing was responsible for paying the bill.

Over the past three years, the six sisters had developed a system of taking turns to pay for their outings.

They never used the AA system, even though it was common among students. They felt it was too impersonal. Instead, they chose to take turns paying, which was similar to the AA system but felt more personal.

After all, in any relationship, the key is reciprocity. Only by giving and receiving can a relationship last. One-sided giving might be fine in the short term, but over time, it would definitely lead to problems.

As they started eating, Liu Jingjing savored the authentic Sichuan-style spicy pot, her face beaming with satisfaction. She said, "The best thing about coming to Beijing for school is being able to enjoy Sichuan-style hotpot at Spicy Girl. It's really so relaxing!"

Tang Yun smiled and said, "Jingjing, I have to say, Sichuan cuisine is just delicious. Both Lili and I love it!"

Jiang Mo swallowed a piece of fragrant lamb and chimed in, "It's indeed great. I really enjoy it too. We should come here more often for our gatherings."

Yang Huijuan suddenly sighed with a hint of sadness. "This semester is almost over, and then we'll be in our senior year. If we subtract the time for internships, the opportunities for us sisters to gather like this will probably become fewer and fewer. After graduation, it might be really hard to even see each other again!"

The other girls fell silent at her words. Apart from Xiaodong'er and Tang Yun, who were from Guangxi, the others were from different provinces and cities.

Once they graduated, if they worked in the same city, they could still meet up from time to time. But if they worked in different cities, it would be much harder to see each other.

Seeing the girls' spirits dampen, Xiaodong'er said with a relaxed expression, "Don't worry, everyone. Transportation in our country is getting more convenient. Even if we don't work in the same city, it won't be hard to meet up."

Yang Huijuan, who had just been feeling sentimental, didn't want to dampen the mood. She smiled and agreed, "Lili is right. Transportation is getting more convenient. More cities are getting air routes, and trains have undergone four major speed increases in just a few years. Traveling will be much easier in the future. If we don't work in the same city, we can just have regular gatherings!"

"Sisters," Chu Junyao looked at her good friends and said, "After graduation, I think our families will likely have plans for where we'll work, or we might already have our own plans. Although we've never talked about our family backgrounds in the past three years, from my observations, none of our families are in bad shape."

Liu Jingjing quickly waved her hands. "Yao, my family is quite ordinary. I can't compare to you all."

"Jingjing, there's no need to be so modest in front of us sisters," Chu Junyao said as she skillfully cooked a piece of lamb. "I've never asked you, but from what I've observed, your family must give you at least a thousand yuan a month for living expenses, right?"

"Yao, I didn't realize you were so observant!" Liu Jingjing looked at the usually carefree Beijing girl with surprise. She hadn't expected her to be so perceptive. She nodded and said, "You're pretty accurate. My family gives me exactly a thousand yuan a month. But I wasn't lying before. Compared to you all, my living expenses are indeed less."

Jiang Mo couldn't help but chime in, "Jingjing, I'm about the same. My family gives me twelve hundred yuan a month."

Tang Yun swallowed a piece of tripe and said, "I get fifteen hundred."

Yang Huijuan quickly followed, "I get two thousand."

Chu Junyao smiled, "I get a bit more, three thousand a month."

Then, the five of them looked at Xiaodong'er in unison.

Xiaodong'er blinked and feigned ignorance, "What are you all looking at me for?"

"You know what for," Chu Junyao looked at her beautiful and graceful friend with keen eyes. "Among all the sisters in our dormitory, I can guess the backgrounds of the others to some extent, but I can't figure out Lili's at all. I know your family background is the best among the six of us, but I can't guess how well-off you really are."

Yang Huijuan, Jiang Mo, and Liu Jingjing also looked at Lili with curiosity. They were all top students who had made it into Peking University, so their intelligence was beyond doubt. Over the past three years, they had naturally noticed that Lili's family background was the best among the sisters.

As for how well-off she was, they were just as clueless as Chu Junyao.

Among the group, only Tang Yun knew Lili better.

After all, they had been best friends in high school, and Lili's treatment at school had been something Tang Yun had experienced alongside her.

Especially in their second year of high school, during the school's centennial celebration, a shocking piece of news was revealed: the new teacher's dormitory building was donated by Lili's family.

When the news spread, their class erupted in excitement!

So, among the sisters, Tang Yun's understanding of Lili was indeed unmatched.

Seeing the "hungry" looks from her sisters, Xiaodong'er knew she couldn't avoid revealing something. She sidestepped the question and said, "Well, my family doesn't give me a fixed amount each month. They just deposit it directly into my card, and I never check how much money is in my card. Anyway, I can never spend it all.

Actually, isn't it the same for you? As long as you don't spend extravagantly, the living expenses your families give you are more than enough."

This was true. It was 2002, and if you worked in Shenzhen, many factories paid only four to five hundred yuan a month.

(Back then, in a factory in Longgang, Shenzhen, Er She worked for a month with room and board provided, earning 450 yuan. The work hours were twelve to thirteen hours a day. Out of the seven or eight friends from the same village who joined the factory, few could endure it. They all quit within a week, one after another.

)

Within half a month, including Er She, only three people remained.

Er She had held on for over twenty days but couldn't keep it up any longer. It was his first time working away from home, and he didn't understand anything. He skipped work for three days straight, and then it was over. He signed some documents without knowing what they were, and ended up not getting a single cent of his wages.

Fortunately, there were still two fellow villagers with him, or else Er She wouldn't have even had the money to go home...

Even in factories with relatively good treatment, ordinary workers' wages rarely exceeded 800 yuan.

Now, in their dormitory, even the one with the least living expenses, Liu Jingjing, received 1,000 yuan a month. As long as she didn't spend extravagantly, this money was more than enough.

Not to mention Yang Huijuan and Chu JunyAO, who received 2,000 yuan a month. Even if they had hotpot gatherings every day, they wouldn't be able to spend it all.

Although Xiaodong'er's words didn't reveal much, the others were all highly intelligent and could infer some things from her words.

Chu Jun YAO didn't intend to press the issue further and instead returned to the topic everyone cared about, saying, "Let's all talk about our plans after graduation!"

Liu Jingjing said, "Let me start. My family hopes I will enter politics. If nothing unexpected happens, I will likely return to our hometown in Sichuan."

Jiang Mo said, "My family lets me make my own decisions. I haven't decided yet, but I'll think about it as graduation approaches!"

Tang Yun said, "I'll first help out at my family's factory. After gaining some work experience, I'll prepare to start my own business."

Yang Hui Juan added, "I'm similar to Tang Tang. I'll work at my father's company for a while before starting my own business."

Chu Jun YAO asked, "Sisters, have any of you considered pursuing a master's degree?"

Xiaodong'er responded, "If you want to pursue academic research, you definitely need to continue your studies. But if you just want to inherit the family business or start your own, a bachelor's degree is more than enough.

Jun YAO, are you considering pursuing a master's degree?"

Chu Jun YAO nodded, "Indeed, I have this idea. Although a bachelor's degree is enough for most industries, having a higher degree always gives you an advantage.

Lili, with your excellent grades, haven't you thought about pursuing a master's degree?"

Xiaodong'er said, "I definitely plan to continue my studies, but I will likely choose the part-time master's program."

Jiang Mo couldn't help but frown and said, "Lili, the part-time master's program is generally considered less prestigious than the full-time program. Isn't it a bit of a waste with your grades to choose the part-time program?"

Xiaodong'er laughed, "Mo Mo, you're probably referring to the part-time master's program through the same level of examination. That's indeed less prestigious, but the part-time professional master's program is just as prestigious as the full-time program, and it's recognized by the state.

Both programs have the same entrance exams and the same difficulty levels.

Of course, some companies in society might differentiate between the two, believing the full-time program to be more prestigious. But since I won't be working for those companies, it doesn't matter to me whether they recognize the degree or not."

Jiang Mo was surprised, "So there are actually two types of part-time master's programs. I haven't specifically looked into this before."

Liu Jingjing picked up another piece of mao du and laughed, "We still have a year before graduation, and none of us had considered pursuing a master's degree, so it's normal that we haven't looked into it. I similarly didn't know about this until just now, listening to Lili."

Jiang Mo was intrigued, "Does this mean we can also consider the part-time master's program?"

The other sisters were also interested upon hearing this.

Chu Jun YAO couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Sisters, I have thought about the part-time master's program and discussed it with my family. However, except for Lili, I don't recommend the part-time master's program for the others.

After all, balancing work and studies is extremely challenging. If you need a master's degree, it's better to stay in school for a few more years and get the degree before entering the workforce."

Xiaodong'er laughed, "This depends on individual needs. For example, if Jingjing plans to enter politics, she can consider the part-time master's program. The political world is different from the business world. In business, promotions are straightforward; if you have the ability, the boss can directly make you a general manager.

However, in politics, promotions have time requirements. Therefore, starting work earlier does have its benefits. Balancing studies and work is definitely more stressful than a full-time program, but it's just a few years of hard work, and after that, the sky is the limit."

In this regard, Xiaodong'er had real authority. After all, her second uncle, third uncle, and third aunt all pursued part-time master's programs.

Now, her second uncle, third uncle, and third aunt have all obtained their part-time doctorates. Including her full uncle, their family has produced four doctors.

Chu Jun YAO agreed, "That's true. If Jingjing wants to enter politics, she can indeed consider this path."

Liu Jingjing nodded repeatedly. Lili's suggestion made a lot of sense. This part-time master's program was something she should strive for.

...

PS: Dear relatives, there's still about 400,000 to 500,000 words left. It won't be over so quickly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end