Chapter 103 Roommates

  Ji Xin'an's subordinate was the daughter of the chief of staff, and a family of three stood by watching as the orderly quickly made her bed.

  "Little classmate, why did you come alone?" The principal saw Ji Xianan arranging her own things on the table and looked around, it seemed that the other parents didn't have any relationship with her either.

  "My classmate was taking the exam at this school, so we came together. We didn't let our family members come with us." Ji Xin'an raised his head and saw that he was talking to himself, so he repeated what he had just said to Luo Min again.

  Upon hearing this, a middle-aged school principal looked at them with eyes full of appreciation. "Is your family from this city?"

  "No, I'm from Q City." Ji Xin'an replied with a light smile, although not trying to curry favor with the senior officer, but still showing due respect.

  "That would require sitting on a train for over twenty hours, would your family be at ease with that?" The colonel was even more astonished.

  "There are also some who are worried, but it's not like I'm coming alone, there are classmates accompanying me, they only agreed not to send me off." Ji Xin'an replied simply, her hands not idle.

  "Your parents are really something, such a far place, the child goes to school and doesn't even come to send you off, is your family also from the military?" The woman asked tentatively, she saw that Ji Xin'an's clothes and belongings were not cheap, and her temperament was special, so she wanted to pry into the conversation, if she was the daughter of some leader, it would be good for her own daughter to make friends with her.

  "No, I was born here, my parents are ordinary people." Ji Xin'an replied casually.

  "Oh, so what's the point of attending a military academy? What kind of development can you get from that? It's not even as good as going to a university in our hometown." The woman immediately showed a disdainful expression after hearing this. A child from an ordinary family who attends a military academy, what can they possibly achieve? Her previous enthusiasm instantly disappeared.

  The principal heard her words, slightly furrowed his brow, wanting to say something, but considering the occasion, he endured and turned back, while the girl didn't even lift her head, and sat down on one side, taking out a PSP and starting to play.

  Ji Xin'an also understood what she had just asked herself. But only smiled and didn't say anything else, continuing to pack her luggage.

  At this time, the diligent soldier had already tidied up, the bed was neatly laid out, the military quilt was stacked into a real tofu block, and other things were also placed in their proper positions.

  "It's time to go home. Let's go out for dinner, and after dinner, we should head back." The woman said with a smile as she looked at her daughter who was still playing.

  Luo Jia put away his PSP and stood up to walk with them.

  Ji Xin'an didn't rush even after they left. Zou Ze and the others were still in the past, so it might take a while to finish cleaning up. She slowly organized her things, putting away clothes she wouldn't use into the closet. The school-issued items were arranged according to the position of the duty soldier who had just put them there. As for the quilt, although it wasn't perfectly square, it was still tidy enough. After all, in her previous life, that school was also semi-militarized, so she wasn't unfamiliar with this either.

  Luó Mǐn found Ji Xīn'ān's neat and organized arrangement of things to be quite impressive. Although she didn't know much about her other qualities, at this moment, she saw that Ji Xīn'ān was capable of taking care of herself and was willing to observe carefully, both of which were commendable traits.

  "Captain Luo, is there nothing else today?" Ji Xin'an put down the things she had picked up from the bed and walked to Luo Min's front.

  "There's nothing else for today, gather at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, don't be late, and lights out at 10 o'clock tonight. Don't come back too late." Luo Min had a good impression of this self-reliant girl.

  "Thank you, Captain Luo, I'll take my leave then." Ji Xin'an smiled and nodded in gratitude before also leaving.

  Ji Xin'an arrived downstairs and saw Zou Ze and others already waiting there.

  "How did you get here so quickly?" Ji Xin'an didn't expect to see the two of them in an instant.

  "You said you were hungry, let's just throw our stuff down and come over." Zou Ze smiled slightly before asking again, "Where do we go to eat? How about we check out the school cafeteria, anyway the meal cards have been issued."

  "Never mind, you'll be eating at the cafeteria every day from now on, and you're worried about not having enough to eat? Take advantage of it being easy for new students to go out and try some of the local specialty dishes." Ji Xin'an immediately vetoed his suggestion.

  "Alright, let's go off-campus and try some good dishes. Maybe in the future we'll have to eat at the cafeteria every day again." Zou Ze heard this and thought it was reasonable too, thinking that after a few days when he puts on his military uniform, he won't be able to come out anymore.

  The three of them walked past the gate without being stopped. Several people knew that in a few days, they wouldn't have such an opportunity again.

  Since getting off the car, I haven't eaten anything yet, but I've been busy and didn't feel hungry. Now that I'm at the restaurant, I just realized my stomach is empty. I quickly ordered food and urged the waiter to serve it fast.

  "An An, do you think that girl over there might also be a freshman at our school?" During the wait for their food, the three of them chatted, and Yao Wen Hua noticed behind Ji Xin An's back, a table where several people were eating, including a girl who looked to be around their age.

  Ji Xin'an turned around and saw that it was indeed the family she had met when she got out of bed, unexpectedly running into them again here. "Must be."

  "How did you know? Maybe it's a farewell party." Zou Ze also looked over, four people at the table, the waiter was busy back and forth, this layout wasn't ordinary.

  "Or we make a bet?" Ji Xin'an smiled at him.

  "I won't get involved, you seem confident enough, so what's it like, have you seen her?" Zou Ze hastily shook his head after hearing this.

  "She was in our class and also my roommate, looks like it's a big deal." Ji Xin'an didn't keep pretending anymore.

  "What a coincidence!" Yao Wen-hao exclaimed in surprise, then looked at the table and carefully examined the girl. She wasn't as beautiful as Ji Xin-an, of course, in his heart, Ji Xin-an was the most beautiful. Her attire and demeanor seemed decent enough, and when he saw the big school logo next to her, he agreed with what Ji Xin-an had said - she didn't come from a humble background.

  "It's said that there are few female students in military schools, how come we can run into one just by eating a meal?" Zou Ze also found it quite coincidental.

  "This shows that you two have a good relationship with girls, look at that is the daughter of the big school, if you can get her, then you will be 20 years less struggling." Ji Xin'an said with a teasing tone, although she knew that they were not so utilitarian now, so they wouldn't care whether the other was the daughter of the big school or the general's daughter.

  "What's the use of being the principal's daughter? If I were to chase you, I wouldn't have to struggle anymore. I could just lie at home and eat bird's nest every day." Zou Ze retorted without giving in.

  "You're really hopeless." Ji Xin'an rolled her eyes at him.

  Yao Wenhao listened to the two of them and knew that there might be something he didn't know, so he wanted to ask, but thinking that he could just sit and chat with Ji Xin'an like this, he didn't want to overstep. When she wants to tell him herself, she'll say it naturally.

  Just then the dishes arrived, and they stopped talking about others. The three empty-bellied people started eating.

  And on the other side of the room, another table of people also saw Ji Xin'an and his friends, "Jia Yi, isn't that your roommate?"

  The girl didn't even lift her head, "Whatever."

  "Look at others. She came all the way here to study alone, without anyone sending her off. Now look at yourself, not only did your parents come, but you also had to get Zhao to help you with your luggage." The principal turned around and saw that it was indeed Lu Jia-yi, the little girl who had come by herself.

  "It was you who came here by yourselves, not because I invited you. Besides, it's just a sendoff, not like you're staying with me forever. What's the big deal? If you really have what it takes, then stay and don't leave." The girl looked even more nonchalant.

  "Lu Jia-yi, how dare you speak to me like that! Is that the tone you use with your own father?" The general slammed his chopsticks on the table and glared at Lu Jia-yi, his eyes almost bulging out.

  "Alright, alright, let's just say a few less words. Jia Yi is about to go to school soon. You're still scolding her." Ruo Jia Yi's mother began to reprimand him as soon as she saw him.

  Luo Jia seemed to ignore it and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

  The principal glared at her. "In the future, get along well with your classmates, especially Ji Xin'an. A local student who can achieve such grades and choose a military school, and even take the train all by herself to report to the military school, when I talked to her, she was neither arrogant nor humble. This little girl is not simple, such a friend is worth making."

  "It's probably because we're poor at home, and they didn't charge tuition fees for military school, so he came. He's just a child from an ordinary family, what's not simple about that?" Lu Jia-yi lowered her head to eat, without even looking up, while Mrs. Lu said with dissatisfaction.

  "You only know how to look at family background, but have you seen how many people with good family backgrounds are truly excellent themselves? And another thing, don't you see that the clothes and things that girl wears and uses are not like those of someone who is trying to save money on tuition?" Luochuan stared, still unaware of who she was.

  Luo Mu actually didn't know, she had already seen that Ji Xin An's clothes were not so luxurious, but the workmanship was exquisite and the style was unique. At a glance, it wasn't those mass-produced goods that everyone on the street wore. And looking at the dishes the three of them ordered, they should be people who could eat whatever they wanted, not people who worried about living expenses.

  But she just didn't think it was right for a child from a commoner's family like Luochuan to be friends with her own excellent daughter, who came from a good family.

  "What's so great about having money?" Mrs. Luo said discontentedly.

  Having money is nothing special, but since her family conditions are so good, she herself studied hard and scored high marks, and could have chosen to be a soldier, not like others who were spoiled by their seven aunts and eight uncles. This shows that this girl is quite good. You say such a friend is not worth befriending? Just now I was dissatisfied with her probing into Xin An's family situation. If the daughter is as utilitarian as she is, no matter what she does, first looking at the other person's family background, it would be really ruined.

  Fortunately, Ruo Jia Yi is not like her, but she doesn't think about him either. Her own daughter is also too aloof, not caring about anything, and it seems that this personality can't be changed by herself. It looks like the only hope is for the army to change her in this big melting pot.

  Ji Xin'an finished dinner and didn't forget to call home to report safety, then strolled around the school with two people to take a look at the place where they would live in the future before heading back.

  There were eight beds in the dormitory, but only seven had names on them. During the day, she counted that only five people came, and when they returned at night, the other two beds were still empty, and she couldn't help but take a second look.

  "Have these two people not arrived yet?" Ji Xin'an saw that there was nothing extra on the table, so it should be that no one had come.

  "She didn't come and I don't know if she will or not, but if she doesn't report today, it's considered an automatic withdrawal." Another girl said regretfully after hearing Ji Xinan's words.

  Ji Xin'an also felt some pity for them after hearing this.

  "Never mind them, you're Ji Xin'an, right? I saw you on your bed. My name is Yan Tingting, from City B." The girl who just answered her smiled and said.

  Ji Xin'an sized up the girl in front of him, her big eyes sparkled when she smiled and a dimple appeared on her face, a very cute girl. He also smiled and greeted her, "Hello, I'm from Q City. It seems that we'll be together day and night from now on."

  "It's not just classes, even sleep together." Yan Tingting also smiled and pulled another girl. "This is Zhang Xiaoxue, the one opposite your lower bunk."

  The girl who was pulled over by her. A bit shy, with a dark face from being sunburned, one look at her clothes and it's clear she's a country girl. Ji Xin An has some impression of her because she is the only other girl besides herself who just reported for duty and arranged her own accommodations.

  "Hello, my name is Zhang Xiaoxue. My hometown is in H Province, but it's not in any city, it's in a place called Zhangjiacun Village." Although Zhang Xiaoxue was a bit introverted, she didn't seem to have the same inferiority complex as some people from rural areas.

  "How can rural areas be like this, we who have been pushing forward for three generations are all from rural areas?" Yan Tingting didn't like hearing that. It seems she still has a sense of justice and is really suitable to be a soldier.

  While they were talking, the other two people lay motionless in bed.

  Ji Xin'an glanced at the nameplate on the bed. It was clear that Luo Jia-yi had such a personality, somewhat aloof and not wanting to communicate with them, while another Lu Zi-yan seemed to be in a bad mood, "Yan Ting-ting, what's wrong with her?"

  "She's not even willing to swap beds with us, saying she's never slept that high at home. Honestly, neither have we! But then she pulls out money and throws it at Xiaoxue, as if no one has ever seen money before. I was so angry that I said a few words to her, and now she's getting upset. Such a spoiled brat!" Jian Tingting whispered to Ji Xin'an, but the room was small and everyone heard them anyway.

  "Who's being unreasonable, it's just a matter of swapping beds with you, if you don't want to swap then that's fine, but why won't you let others swap with me? What do you mean by this? I've never slept on such a narrow and high bed at home before, I'm just afraid of falling off!" As she spoke, she actually started crying, and anyone who didn't know the situation would think she had suffered some great injustice.

  Yan Tingting saw her crying and didn't know what to do, "Don't cry, I didn't say anything."

  Lu Ziyan also ignored her, crying more and more sorrowfully, "I don't want to stay here, I miss mom, I want to go home."

  "What to do?" Yan Tingting saw that her few words had actually made her cry, and she couldn't comfort her well, so she could only seek help from Ji Xinan.

  "I don't know either, why don't you just swap beds with her, it's just a bed, what's the big deal?" Ji Xin'an saw that she wasn't actually crying because of this matter, maybe she was just feeling uncomfortable after leaving home and felt like she had been wronged.

  "It's actually nothing, I just couldn't stand her arrogant attitude at the time, who knew she was so fragile." Yan Tingting said and walked over to step on her own bed, leaning on Lu Ziyuan's bed railing, "Don't cry, can't we swap?"

  "Who would exchange you? I won't exchange anymore. If it falls, then let it fall." It seems that Lu Ziyuan's big sister temper has come up again.

  "Lu Ziyan, stop crying, if you cry again your eyes will be swollen and won't look good. Quickly clean up and change, it's almost time for lights out, or else you'll really have to sleep on the wet spot." Ji Xin'an knew that Yan Tingting's consolation wouldn't work, so she came over to help too.

  Lu Ziyan heard that she might be really afraid to sleep on top, so she slowly stopped crying and started rolling up the quilt on her bed.

  Three people also came over to help. In a short while, the bed was changed, and Lu Ziyuan sat on the lower bunk with tears still streaming down her face.

  "You're happy now, aren't you?" said Yan Tingting with a bad tone.

  "Hmm, this time it's not me who wants to change, but you're taking the initiative." Lu Ziyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud despite her tears still flowing.

  "Look at you, crying and laughing at the same time, what a childish temper." Ji Xin'an also sat over, thinking she was quite cute too, everything was written on her face, she wouldn't hide it. She's just a spoiled child.

  "It's not because of this that I'm crying, I just miss home." Lu Ziyuan heard her mention it and not only did she start crying again, but Yan Tingting and Zhang Xiaoxue's expressions also fell.

  "What's the use of missing home, since you're already here. No matter how much you cry, you can't go back, so just stay here peacefully. But if you get eliminated and sent back, you'll be able to return home immediately." Ruo Jia-yi, who had been watching with a cold eye, surprisingly helped Lu Zi-yan by handing her the handkerchief.

  Ji Xin'an had to admit that although her words were unpleasant to hear, they were also the truth, but she could have put it more tactfully.

  "Who got eliminated. You will, I've come all the way here and I must persist until the end. Otherwise, it would be a waste of my hard work for three years to get good grades in the college entrance exam." Lu Ziyuan heard her words, wiped her face hard, although angry but finally stopped crying.

  Yan Tingting saw that she had finally stopped crying and also let out a sigh of relief. At this time, the door was suddenly opened, and Luo Min walked in, followed by several people, including two girls who were twins.

  "What's going on here?" Luo Min asked as soon as she came in, seeing Lu Ziyan who had just stopped crying and still had red eyes. This new student was really trouble-prone.

  "It's nothing. I just miss home a bit." Lu Ziyuan didn't expect Luo Min to come in, and immediately wiped away the tears on her face again, forcing a smile.

  Her words immediately won the favor of several others. Although a bit spoiled, with a big sister temperament, at least she wouldn't tattle, especially to Yan Tingting, who no longer felt as repelled by her as before.

  Luó Mǐn listened and didn't say anything else, then pointed to the two girls behind her, "These are Hé Yǐ Xuān and Hé Yǐ Méi, also from our team. Our team has many boys, but only seven girls, so unless someone leaves, it's impossible for you to change dormitories. That means you'll be living together for four years, I hope you can get along well."

  A few people knew that there were fewer girls in the military school, but they didn't expect it to be like this. In a class of only seven girls, they looked at each other and nodded, except for Luo Jia-yi, who still had a cold expression, probably thinking that being with anyone was all the same to her.

  "You two are the ones on these two beds, put things down quickly and tidy up, parents can go back, we will turn off the lights in a while." Luo Min turned around to look at a family behind her.

  "Captain Luo, thank you so much. Fortunately, you were still here so late, or the two of them would have wasted all their hard work over the past few years." Captain Luo's father smiled and thanked her. They had been delayed on the road due to a broken-down car, and had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, Captain Luo was waiting for them at the gate and helped them complete the admission procedures directly.

  "Don't be polite, you didn't exceed the deadline either. Everything I did was within the rules. If it really passes today, then I won't be able to help you." Luo Min still had a stiff face and no expression in front of their gratitude.

  Before they could say anything polite, he immediately said, "Alright, don't say any more polite words, hurry up and pack, let's head back."

  "Alright, you're busy, we'll leave now." Mr. He saw that she was serious and didn't say anything else.

  After Luo Min left, the twins didn't rush to pack their things, but instead looked at their parents, and their eyes turned red.

  "You two are already big girls, and you're not ashamed of this behavior. In school, listen to your teachers and team leaders, get along well with your classmates, and don't act like you do at home anymore." He Mu looked at them with a pang of heartache.

  "This is better left unsaid, but as soon as they said it, both of them burst into tears at the same time. 'Mom, we're not going to school anymore, we'll go home with you.'"

  "Foolish child, what foolish words are you speaking?" Madam He couldn't help but burst into tears upon hearing this.

  Several people in the room, including Ji Xin'an, had red eyes, and Lu Ziyuan even started crying again.

  "You see, you've made someone else's child cry." Mr. He said softly to them.

  "It's okay, uncle, we just saw you miss your parents and it will be fine after a while." Ji Xin'an said with a smile. Everyone has been through this, and there is nothing to laugh about. Others also nodded in agreement.

  "You are all good kids, with them two being with you, I can rest assured." He said, looking at the time again, "Let's go, it's almost ten o'clock."

  Luomin was about to leave with them, turned around and reminded again, "You all rest early too, don't be late for tomorrow's gathering."

  After their parents left, the twins quietly picked up in silence while tears streaming down.