Chapter 181 Registration at Medical University

The midnight snack had come to an end; neither the steamed buns nor the noodles were left. The roast duck in the kitchen remained untouched and was saved.

The hour was late. Zhong Yuxiu saw Yan Ruhai off, washed her hair and took a bath, and dried her hair. She sat on the edge of the bed for a while before lying down. The room was warm, so the dampness in her hair would soon evaporate.

The next day.

The trio packed up and sat at the dining table, just about to have breakfast, when unexpectedly, Yan Rushan arrived.

"Brother Yan, aren't you very busy? How do you have time to come over?" Zhong Yuxiu put down her chopsticks.

Yan Rushan walked toward the sound into the dining room and took a seat beside her. "I'm mostly done. I was delayed returning last night and couldn't deliver the roast duck to you personally, so I had to ask Ruhai to help."

"Thank you, Brother Yan." Zhong Yuxiu smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "I haven't eaten the roast duck yet. Gou Dan can heat it up at noon. Will you come back to eat as well?"

"Alright. I'll drive you to the medical university later."

Zhong Yuxiu nodded slightly. "Did you come back specially to take me to the medical university?"

"Mm." He had finished clearing up his paperwork late last night and arranged the necessary tasks, returning very late. In order to accompany her to register at the medical university, he had gotten up early and hurried over.

A warm current flowed through her heart, comforting and soothing. With joy dancing in her eyes, Zhong Yuxiu raised her voice and called out, "Gou Dan, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks. Brother Yan is here."

"Beep, beep, beep."

The response drew closer and closer, and Gou Dan soon arrived at the dining table, placing the tableware before Yan Rushan.

Yan Rushan looked up and said, "Thank you, Gou Dan."

Gou Dan acted as if he hadn't heard, his footsteps returning to the kitchen as usual.

After finishing breakfast, the group stepped outside. The cold wind was biting. Yan Rushan led her toward the Yan family residence, outside of which a car was parked. Seeing this, Zhong Yuxiu understood instantly.

"Brother Yan, are you going to drive us there?"

"Mm. I agreed with Grandpa a few days ago. The medical university is farther than Peking University, and walking would take too long." The main point was that it was exceptionally cold today.

Zhong Yuxiu smiled. "Did Grandpa Yan go to work?"

"He did. He left early. Yesterday was the Lantern Festival, and today Grandpa has to go to work. There are many matters to attend to, so he left early." Yan Rushan responded patiently, taking her hand and guiding her to the front passenger seat, opening the door and tucking her inside.

Zhong Yuxiu nodded gently. She had intended to pay her respects to the elder, but since he wasn't here, she would have to wait for another time.

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo blocked the car door.

"Comrade Zhong, Comrade Yan, I will drive. The two of you please sit in the back," Tian Shangguo said.

Hao Nan added, "The front is not suitable for the two of you."

Should any accident occur, the occupants in the front row would suffer the brunt of it, whereas the back row offered a better chance of a buffer.

"Alright then." Zhong Yuxiu stepped out of the front passenger seat.

Hearing this, Yan Rushan handed the car keys to Tian Shangguo, pulled open the rear passenger door himself, and took a seat beside her.

Hao Nan got into the front passenger seat, and Tian Shangguo took the driver's seat and drove away.

Leaving the residential compound, the car picked up speed and smoothly arrived at the medical university, coming to a gentle halt outside the main gates, where a steady stream of people came and went.

Yan Rushan got out first, then helped Zhong Yuxiu step down.

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo disembarked shortly after, and Tian Shangguo returned the car keys to him. "Comrade Yan, thank you."

"No need to thank me. I did it for Yuxiu."

"Regardless, we still must thank you," Hao Nan said sincerely.

Zhong Yuxiu smiled lightly from the side. "Stop thanking each other back and forth. I need to go inside and register first. Brother Yan, go take care of your matters. Comrade Hao and Tian Shangguo, are you coming in with me or waiting outside?"

"We'll wait outside for you." Hao Nan originally wanted to say he would follow her inside, but Tian Shangguo stopped him.

"Very well, I'm going in then."

Zhong Yuxiu waved her hand and hurried into the medical university.

Yan Rushan withdrew his gaze. "Comrade Hao, Comrade Tian, I'm leaving as well. I'll have to trouble you both with Yuxiu."

"It's what we should do. Have a safe trip."

Yan Rushan drove away. Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo did not immediately conceal themselves; instead, they first observed the layout around the entrance, then separated and headed in opposite directions.

The medical university was exceptionally lively, filled with a cacophony of bustling noises.

After finding the registration desk, Zhong Yuxiu slowed her pace. A row of registration tables stood beneath the teaching building not far ahead, and one of them bore a sign reading "Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation Class," surrounded by a dense crowd of people.

Glancing over, she spotted many familiar faces from her class. Zhong Yuxiu stepped forward and squeezed into the crowd.

"Everyone arrived so early! It's barely nine o'clock, isn't it? You're all here."

"Oh, it's Comrade Zhong! Hello, and Happy New Year."

"Comrade Zhong, Happy New Year."

Her classmates greeted her one after another, and Zhong Yuxiu responded with a smile. "Happy New Year to all of you as well. Did you arrive today, or did you get here yesterday?"

"I got off the train this morning and came straight to school."

"I arrived yesterday and spent the night outside."

"I got here yesterday too."

"You came really early as well."

The classmates were enthusiastic, and Zhong Yuxiu smiled as she answered them one by one, creating a lively atmosphere. The person handling the registration was a class officer of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation Class.

"Wait everyone, please pause for a moment."

The chatter ceased, falling abruptly quiet as pairs of eyes turned toward the class monitor who was handling the registrations.

"Don't look at me like that. Register first, and you can catch up after you're done, alright?" the monitor asked with a smile.

As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling person. The students felt a twinge of shame, and any annoyance at being interrupted vanished.

"The monitor is right. Let's register first."

"Once we're registered, we can go to the classroom to talk."

"That won't do. I still need to settle in; I haven't even put my luggage away yet."

"I haven't put mine away either, and my bed isn't even made. I was just too excited to see my classmates."

"Then why weren't you excited to see me? Why are you so excited to see Comrade Zhong?"

"Are you forsaking righteousness for beauty?"

"Pfft, I can't be bothered arguing with you."

Zhong Yuxiu smiled helplessly and handed her household registration paper to the monitor. "Please help me register."

"Alright." The monitor quickly finished the registration, put a checkmark next to Zhong Yuxiu's name on the roster to prove her arrival, and had her sign at the bottom before letting her step aside.

The students registered and signed in one by one. Some went to the dormitories to drop off their belongings, while others carried their luggage straight to the classroom.

Having been empty for nearly a month, the classroom had accumulated a layer of dust. At this moment, no one cared to sit down and chat; some grabbed rags, others took up brooms, washing and wiping. With many hands making light work, the classroom was completely transformed in less than half an hour.

"We're finally done cleaning. Now I understand why those who said they were going to settle in earlier didn't come over."

"What are you talking about?" A female classmate patted the girl who spoke. "The classroom is this dirty, so can the dorms be any better? The ones who went ahead still had to clean. We're just cleaning the classroom, while they're cleaning the dorms."

"That's true."

The desks and benches were now clean, and everyone gathered around to chat. Though these people had already met and talked previously, Zhong Yuxiu had just arrived, so they had endless questions for her.

"Comrade Zhong, how was your New Year? You're from Beijing—is the New Year lively here? Are you allowed to set off firecrackers? My relatives told me that in some places, setting off firecrackers is forbidden."