Heart Flutter

Chapter 9

On the first day of the new semester, and for many days afterward, everyone in the dorm went through a period of adjusting to one another. Being assigned as roommates by the school was a kind of fate in its own right. However, because of their arrival order, the last two girls who moved in ended up becoming closer, and it was only natural that Xia Zihan drew closer to Tang Yan.

It had already been three days since she arrived in Huadu, yet her uncle’s family had not called once. It seemed they truly did not care about her at all. Whenever she thought about it, she felt a bit pathetic. After all, her mother’s family home was not truly her home, so her uncle’s home felt even less like it. Late that night, after taking a shower, Tang Yan lay on her small bed and wrote in her diary about the events of the day.

Xia Zihan came out with her freshly washed hair wrapped in a towel and happened to glance over curiously. “What are you doing?”

Tang Yan answered with a faint smile, “I’m writing a diary.”

Xia Zihan responded with a simple “Oh” and then sat on a chair to continue watching her TV series. Sometimes she laughed out loud; other times she grew so tense that she pressed her fingers together and stopped speaking. All around the room, everyone was busy with their own tasks—one person was gaming at her computer, another was wearing headphones while talking at length with her boyfriend on the phone.

When Tang Yan finished writing, she tucked her diary away under her pillow. She lay on her side, checked her phone, and saw that it was already 9:30 p.m. Since she needed to wake up at six in the morning for military training, she had to get to sleep early. After setting her alarm, she put her phone by her pillow and shut her eyes.

Half asleep, she noticed that the dorm lights stayed on for a very long time. She heard footsteps, talking, and the sound of people snacking. Even with her eyes tightly closed, she could hear everything quite clearly. She could not tell if she was really asleep or just hovering on the edge of wakefulness.

“Hey, Tang Yan went to bed so early,” Xia Zihan, who was below Tang Yan’s bunk, said as she popped another potato chip into her mouth, the crunch ringing out crisply. “That is such a healthy schedule.”

“Seems like people from the countryside do go to bed earlier,” said one of the roommates near the door, who was applying a face mask. “Early to bed, early to rise—they are used to that routine.” Although it was just an offhand remark, it still sounded a bit off-putting.

“Hey, you can’t say stuff like that,” Xia Zihan protested, sounding indignant. “That sounds like prejudice.”

“It was just a joke. Don’t mind it,” the other roommate said with a slight laugh, waving her hand dismissively.

Tang Yan had never hidden the fact that she was from the countryside. Even when she learned that the other three roommates were all from the city, she still told them the truth during their introductions.

Looking down at the half-eaten bag of chips in her hands, Xia Zihan lost her appetite and tossed them into the trash can. “We have training early tomorrow, so we should get to sleep.”

Another roommate must have checked the time and discovered it was almost midnight. She hastily ended her phone call with her boyfriend, jumped out of bed, and rushed to wash her face and brush her teeth.

It was not until late in the night that the dorm finally settled down. Only then did Tang Yan manage to sleep more soundly.

She seemed to have been awakened by the sound of rain. Jolting upright, she realized it was already light outside. She grabbed her phone, saw that it was exactly 5:59 a.m., and quickly turned off the alarm before it could ring. Moving quietly so as not to disturb anyone else, she got out of bed and went to the balcony. The rain pounded hard outside, and she wondered whether they could still go ahead with military training as planned.

Tang Yan did not want to interrupt her roommates’ rest, so she sat alone on the chair under her bunk, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around her legs, staring into space. She kept an eye on the class group chat in case of any new announcements.

They had created this class group chat the day before, right after signing up for classes. Tang Yan was the last to join; the others had joined before the semester started and were already chatting enthusiastically.

As expected, at 6:10 a.m., the counselor posted a message in the group:

“Because of the rain, today’s military training is canceled. You can arrange your time freely, but please do not leave the campus without permission.”

Tang Yan did not know whether to feel happy or even happier. Once she got the definite news, she immediately climbed back into bed and fell into a strange dream. When she woke up, she could not recall the dream’s contents at all.

“Tang Yan, Tang Yan, wake up. Wake up!” someone called out, pulling her from her slumber. Opening her eyes, she saw Xia Zihan standing by her bedside, staring intently at her. It startled Tang Yan a bit, so she quickly propped herself up and rubbed her eyes.

Before she could ask what was going on, Xia Zihan urged her, “How can you sleep so soundly? It’s already noon. Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria.”

Apparently, she had slept a long time and quite deeply.

After lunch, they returned to the dorm. The other two roommates had apparently gone to the campus store and come back with bags of snacks. With nothing better to do, Tang Yan sat at her desk, scrolling through her phone and flipping through some books. One of the roommates, Han Shuang, passed by while carrying some freshly washed clothes and said almost absentmindedly, “Tang Yan, you do not have a computer?”

Tang Yan froze for a moment. Feeling awkward, she turned around and replied, “No, not yet.”

“Sigh… If I had known, I could have brought my extra laptop from home for you. It is just collecting dust anyway.” Han Shuang walked onto the balcony to hang her clothes. Then she added pointedly, “You are a computer science major, right? If you do not even have a computer, what are you going to study here?”

For a moment, Tang Yan felt embarrassed. A basic computer cost several thousand yuan, so she had not dared to ask her family for one. She had planned to use the campus computer lab for now and buy her own once she saved up enough money.

Sensing Tang Yan’s discomfort, Xia Zihan turned around in her chair and whispered, “Tang Yan, do not worry. You can use my computer for class projects.”

“Thank you.”

Because of the rain, no one in the dorm really went out much that day, Tang Yan included.

“Excuse me, is Tang Yan here?” came a familiar voice from the doorway. The roommate nearest the door seemed surprised and pointed inside. Tang Yan looked over and was astonished to see Aunt Ji standing there, holding a bag in each hand—one filled with fresh fruit, the other wrapped in black packaging she could not identify.

“Aunt Ji, what are you doing here?” Tang Yan murmured softly, trying to contain her surprise. She had received no warning that her aunt would visit.

“I wanted to surprise you,” replied Ji Yuqing, smiling as warmly as ever. She set the bag of fruit on Tang Yan’s desk. “I did not know what you like to eat, so I bought a bit of everything. Feel free to share with your roommates.”

Then she handed the black-wrapped package to Tang Yan. “Open it and take a look.”

Tang Yan did as she was told, unwrapping it in front of her roommates. Inside was a brand-new laptop. “This…”

“I had hoped you would bring it on your first day, but the shipping was delayed. It is only one day late, so I hope it did not inconvenience you too much,” Ji Yuqing explained.

Tang Yan shook her head, clutching the computer to her chest, biting her lower lip, feeling a sudden sting in her nose.

“Tang Yan, is this the aunt you mentioned before?” Xia Zihan asked, immediately catching on.

Tang Yan nodded.

Xia Zihan glanced curiously at the laptop. Anyone who knew about computers could tell it was not cheap. Tang Yan’s aunt was really good to her.

“All right, I will not keep you any longer. I have to get back to work,” said Ji Yuqing, adding a self-deprecating joke about her busy schedule.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Tang Yan could not hide her reluctance. “I will walk you out.”

“Sure,” her aunt replied.

Tang Yan carefully placed the new computer on the desk, grabbed an umbrella, and walked out of the dorm with Aunt Ji. On their way downstairs, Aunt Ji asked, “Are you getting used to college life?”

Tang Yan nodded. “So far, everything is going fine.”

“If you need anything, just let me know. Do not treat me like a stranger.”

Tang Yan trailed behind her, feeling her ears grow hot at that statement. Aunt Ji’s style of dress that day was still very elegant, reflecting a calm, understated fashion sense.

The rain had not let up all day, making the walkways slippery. Tang Yan held the umbrella, following behind her aunt. She blurted out, “Careful,” when she saw that her aunt nearly slipped.

Even though Ji Yuqing was already cautious while wearing high heels, she almost fell. Tang Yan managed to catch her by the arm and help her regain her balance.

Surprised by how strong this slender girl was, Aunt Ji straightened herself and thanked Tang Yan.

“Not at all,” Tang Yan said quietly, bowing her head a little as she felt her cheeks grow warm.

Not far ahead, they saw Aunt Ji’s car. Tang Yan realized that this was where they would soon part, and she felt a wave of reluctance wash over her.

As the rain pattered down, washing over everything, the scent of camphor leaves from the trees along the road mingled with a hint of damp earth, creating a fresh, comforting smell that seemed to sharpen her senses.

“By the way,” Aunt Ji said as she opened the car door, “you should be going home this weekend, right? I will come pick you up. Take good care of yourself at school, and call me if you need anything.” She paused, as if she still had more to say, but decided that was enough.

It was such a simple show of concern, yet it felt like a blazing flame crashing into a glacier—overwhelming and impossible to ignore.

After seeing her aunt off, Tang Yan stood in place under her umbrella, watching the car turn around and drive away. She kept her gaze on the gradually disappearing white sedan until it finally vanished at the curve.

The rain kept falling, creating a hazy mist of water around her feet and soaking her sandals. Her hand tightened on the umbrella handle.

So she thought, let the weekend come sooner.