Quick Transmigration: The Pregnant Little Fairy is Pampered by the Heirless Boss

Chapter 323 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 27

On the day of registration in March, the thin mist had not yet dissipated on the campus of Kyoto University.

Ji Xiaosong stood in front of the girls' dormitory building, holding Zhigang's hand with her left hand and Nian'an in her right arm. Behind her was Ji Dan, who was carrying two large bundles on his back, while Zhitie was tightly clutching Ji Dan's clothes.

She was wearing a faded navy blue Lenin suit with a small red star badge pinned to the collar, which Xu Weidong had personally polished from scraps of special steel.

"Room 302 is over here."

Aunt Wang, the dormitory supervisor, adjusted her reading glasses and lingered on the three children for a moment. "School rules state that children are not allowed to stay in the dormitory."

Ji Xiaosong was prepared and took out a brown paper envelope from her bundle: "Aunt Wang, this is my application for off-campus accommodation. The neighborhood committee has already stamped it."

Tucked inside the envelope was a piece of cured meat wrapped in oiled paper, emitting the aroma of pine smoke.

Aunt Wang's nostrils twitched slightly, and her serious expression softened a bit: "From the Northeast forest farm?"

“My wife works at a steel factory, and this photo was taken during a joint event between their factory and a forest farm in Northeast China.”

Ji Xiaosong smiled and took out another small cloth bag. "When I came over just now, I overheard that your grandson has been coughing recently. These are loquat leaves picked from the mountains back home. Stewing them with rock sugar and drinking the water is the most effective way to treat it."

Aunt Wang finally smiled: "302 is at the very back, you can put your luggage up there first."

Pushing open the wooden door to room 302, a faint scent of ink wafted out.

Among the four bunk beds, a short-haired girl sat on the lower bunk by the window, wearing a faded military green top, intently repairing an old-fashioned radio.

The screwdriver spun nimbly between her calloused fingers, making a soft clicking sound.

"New roommate?" the girl asked without looking up, her voice crisp and clear.

"Ji Xiaosong, Physics Department."

Ji Xiaosong handed Nian'an to Ji Dan and took out three oil paper packets from his bundle. "These are local specialties I brought from my hometown. They're just a small token of my appreciation."

Suddenly, the blue-printed cotton quilt on the upper bunk was lifted, revealing a round, oval face: "Oh! It's a new classmate! I'm Su Xiaomei, from the Chinese Literature Department."

The girl with two braids jumped off the bed nimbly, took the oil paper package, and squeezed it. "This is..."

“Our steel mill makes its own hawthorn cake,” Ji Xiaosong explained, “using special steel molds to press it, making it more delicate than the ones on the market.”

The mosquito net on the innermost bed swayed slightly. A girl wearing gold-rimmed glasses closed her English copy of "Molecular Biology" and nodded indifferently: "Zhou Yawen, Biology Department."

Ji Xiaosong took out another bamboo tube from her bundle: "Is Zhou studying microorganisms? This is wild kombucha from Wuyi Mountain, which may be helpful for the experiment."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Yawen's eyes behind her glasses. She took the bamboo tube and sniffed it lightly: "The strain is very pure."

At this moment, Nian'an suddenly started crying, and Ji Xiaosong quickly comforted her.

The girl who repaired the radio put down her screwdriver and pulled a wooden box out from under the bed: "Shen Hongying, Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering."

She pulled out a delicate little brass rattle. "My grandfather bought it from outside years ago. Let the child play with it."

Ji Xiaosong noticed that Shen Hongying's military uniform cuffs were neatly patched where they were worn out, indicating that she was a capable person.

Ji Dan then handed over a cloth bag: "A return gift."

Inside the cloth bag was a set of miniature tools made of fine steel, each piece gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

Shen Hongying picked up a miniature file, twirled it between her fingertips, and her eyes immediately lit up: "This precision..."

“Scrap materials from the steel mill’s laboratory,” Ji Xiaosong said casually. “I thought they were quite exquisite, so I picked up some scraps.”

Su Xiaomei watched longingly, and Ji Dan immediately took out a silk purse embroidered with intertwined branches: "Judging from Su's accent, you're from Suzhou? This is the work of a Suzhou embroiderer."

"My God!"

Su Xiaomei held the purse, her fingers gently tracing the lifelike floral and bird patterns on it. "These stitches are at least the work of a master craftsman!"

Zhou Yawen suddenly asked, "Your husband... works at the steel factory?"

"A level eight technician," Ji Xiaosong said proudly, "is now in charge of the 'Great Wall' special steel project."

The three roommates exchanged a glance.

In that era of technological worship, the status of an eighth-grade skilled worker was no less than that of a university professor.

Shen Hongying glanced at the three children and Ji Dan, and casually asked about the accommodation.

"Since you're new here, have you found a suitable place to live?"

The dormitory is so small, it's obvious they can't fit in.

Ji Xiaosong smiled and said, "I was just about to go look for it. Until I find it, I'll let them stay at the guesthouse first."

Shen Hongying didn't say anything more, but went out for a while.

When she returned in the afternoon, she saw the three children fast asleep. She lowered her voice and said to Ji Xiaosong, "My uncle works at the housing management bureau. He found you a bungalow in the alley behind the school."

Ji Xiaosong's eyes welled up with tears: "This is too much trouble..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Shen Hongying slammed the keys on the table. "The rent is eight yuan a month. I'll take you to see the landlord tomorrow."

*

The small courtyard with blue bricks in the alley was more spacious than I had imagined.

There are two rooms in the north-facing house, a kitchen on the east side, and an old jujube tree in the yard.

The landlord, an elderly man with only one arm, suddenly brightened his cloudy eyes when he saw Nian'an in Ji Dan's arms: "If my grandson were alive, he should be getting married by now..."

He waved his one arm and said, "The rent is paid monthly, and you can pick the dates in the yard as you like."

Nian'an suddenly giggled in Ji Dan's arms and reached out her little hand to touch the old man's white beard.

Zhigang and Zhitie had already circled the jujube tree several times, their little faces flushed. "Grandpa!"

Zhitie suddenly ran back, looked up at him, and asked, "Picking dates?"

The old man rubbed his eyes with his one arm, his voice trembling slightly: "Okay, okay..."

Ji Xiaosong quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, turned to Ji Dan and said, "Go and get the sausages we brought. We'll invite the old man to dinner tonight."

Zhigang, already quite sensible, brought over a small stool: "Grandpa, sit down!"

Under the sunlight, the shadows of an elderly person and three children stretched long on the blue brick ground, like a heartwarming silhouette.

As Ji Xiaosong stood at the kitchen doorway, looking at this scene, the sadness of parting in her heart suddenly faded.

*

On her first night after settling in, Ji Xiaosong wrote a letter to Xu Weidong under the light of a kerosene lamp.

Zhigang and Zhitie were drawing on the ground, using crayons given to them by Su Xiaomei.

Nian'an's little cradle was an old rattan basket that Shen Hongying had found somewhere, lined with a lab coat given to her by Zhou Yawen.

I remember her serious face as she said "absolutely sterile"—what an adorable girl.

Wei Dong:

We've settled in. The house faces south, so the sunlight is great. Today I went to register at the Physics Department, and after the department head learned about my situation, he made a special exception and allowed me to study at home in the evenings..."

As I wrote this, my pen suddenly stopped.

She looked up at the window; the moonlight illuminated the faded slogans on the courtyard wall.

"Unite as one and build the Four Modernizations."

Ji Dan appeared silently: "Xiao Song, do you need me to simulate the content of Comrade Xu Weidong's reply?"

"Need not."

Ji Xiaosong folded the letter into a square knot, saying, "Some longings can never be calculated by a machine."