Chapter Six: This is an iPhone!

… Mr. Chen’s class was Industrial Drawing. He stood at the blackboard, wielding a giant compass and a huge set square, sketching points and lines with practiced precision. This was the subject Dong Yanyan excelled at—so much so that she had never scored below ninety on a test, and many of her classmates even managed perfect scores.

The teacher’s voice was as clear and melodious as ever. The students occasionally bowed their heads, diligently taking notes. Dong Yanyan stared at his square-jawed face but found her mind wandering uncontrollably to thoughts of cream cakes and seafood pizza. Even a steamed bun would do—she hadn’t eaten lunch, and her stomach was painfully empty.

But then she reminded herself: it hadn’t been easy to return here. Every minute and second was precious—she couldn’t let them slip away in vain; even God wouldn’t allow that! So she mustered every ounce of her energy to focus on the lesson.

One advantage of hunger was that it kept drowsiness at bay. Halfway through class, many of her classmates were already nodding off, but she remained alert, eagerly responding to the teacher’s questions. After all, teaching was like performing—a responsive audience made all the difference. Gradually, Mr. Chen’s gaze lingered on the thin, petite girl in the front row, whose mind was quick and reactions sharp. A faint smile of approval touched his lips.

Dong Yanyan realized, too, that she was picking this subject back up with hardly any effort; it seemed her memory for diagrams was deeper than for anything else. Perhaps she could afford to spend less energy here, saving it for mathematics and English instead.

After class, most students crowded around the teacher, but Dong Yanyan dashed back to the first floor dormitory, hoping to find something—anything—to fill her stomach. She’d barely had a drop to eat or drink all day—how could her seventy-some pounds of body take it?

She rummaged through her bed for ages but couldn’t even find a bag of chips. With a sigh, she realized she’d never been in the habit of snacking before.

Her gaze drifted to Gu Xiaohan, the “Sixth Sister,” on the lower bunk, munching an apple. Gu Xiaohan was the most free-spending of them all—well-off, pretty, though a bit short and slightly plump.

“Sixth Sister, give me an apple, will you? I’m starving!” she called down from the upper bunk with a smile.

“There’s only one left, and I’ve already taken a bite. Do you still want it?” Gu Xiaohan replied, blinking her big eyes with a playful smile.

“I want it! It’s an iPhone—my favorite! I’ve missed two meals already—I’m about to die of hunger!” Dong Yanyan took the apple without hesitation and devoured it ravenously.

In the corner by the wardrobe, Liu Ying was changing clothes. She laughed softly, “Fifth Sister, you’ll even eat someone’s leftovers?”

Gu Xiaohan pouted at this and turned away, flipping through a magazine by her bed.

Dong Yanyan suddenly remembered: when she’d lived in the dorm before, the eight girls had always maintained delicate, almost wary relationships. There was little warmth or sharing. The reason was simple: except for Fourth Sister Leng Yue, none of the others had particularly good tempers—each had her quirks; and since most came from ordinary families, they clung to their pride when faced with someone from a wealthier background. They were never like other dorms, as close as sisters. She herself had been willful—at the slightest upset, she’d sulk and quarrel. Looking back, those petty squabbles weren’t worth mentioning.

“This apple is so sweet—where’d you buy it? I’ll get some later!” Dong Yanyan jumped down from her bunk, wrapping an arm around Gu Xiaohan’s shoulder with a grin.

“Right at the school gate. I’ll take you!” Gu Xiaohan replied enthusiastically, slipping on her shoes, preening in the mirror, then proudly linking arms with Dong Yanyan as they headed out. At the door, she even raised her chin and gave Liu Ying a dismissive snort.

Liu Ying said nothing, pretending not to notice.

Dong Yanyan sighed inwardly: she didn’t want the group splitting into cliques so soon after school began. Wasn’t it better for everyone to be happy together?

A new goal took root in her heart: over these four years, she would do her best to make their dormitory a warm, welcoming home. When she looked back one day, she wanted no regrets.

The two of them bought apples at the gate, plus three yuan’s worth of sunflower seeds, and returned laden with their spoils. Back in the dorm, everyone was there, getting ready to head to the cafeteria for dinner.

“Ladies, we brought sunflower seeds!” Dong Yanyan burst in, beaming.

“Give me some!” Big Sister Li Hui came over and grabbed a big handful. The others all gathered round, laughing and sharing. Only Liu Ying stayed on her upper bunk, folding clothes and pretending not to see. Dong Yanyan knew she was still upset and nudged Gu Xiaohan, who tossed her short hair and, on tiptoe, shook Liu Ying’s arm, pleading, “Third Sister, dear Third Sister—”

“My goosebumps!” Dong Yanyan wrapped her arms around herself, shivering dramatically on Leng Yue’s bed.

Gu Xiaohan looked at her innocently, “Fifth Sister, you’re the one who told me to coax her!”

“That’s not how you do it! You should—” Dong Yanyan stood up, pushed Gu Xiaohan aside, stretched out her arm, hooked a finger at Liu Ying, and with a sly look, teased, “Beautiful lady, are you really waiting for me to feed you personally?”

“Fifth Sister, you’re shameless!” Across from her, Lu Tian spat out a seed shell, mimicked Dong Yanyan’s gesture, and called flirtatiously, “Beautiful lady, come here, come here!”

“You’re all terrible!” Liu Ying, unable to keep a straight face even if she wanted to, laughed and hurled a pillow at them. Teenage girls’ moods were like the wind and rain—never lasting long. Once a spat was past, it was forgotten.

When dinner time came, a crowd was already pressed at the cafeteria doors. The school’s tradition for meals was rather brutal—those who rushed ahead got the best dishes, those who lagged behind had to take whatever was left. So when the doors opened, everyone surged forward en masse—a spectacle as grand as a thousand troops racing over a single-plank bridge.

Many of the boys at the front were holding multiple mess tins—most on behalf of their girlfriends and their friends. By the time Dong Yanyan and her group arrived, three of the windows already had long lines. She didn’t bother hurrying—she just held her tin and looked around. Outside, dusk was falling; the lights were already on in the cafeteria. From the glass windows, you couldn’t see out—only your own reflection. No, this was no time for feeling sorry for herself or indulging in loneliness. She needed to calculate this month’s expenses.

She had thirty yuan left in meal tickets, and fifteen hundred in the bank. This fifteen hundred was her living allowance for the next three months—about four hundred per month. Back then, her monthly spending averaged three hundred fifty to four hundred, and she’d even saved up to buy her sister some clothes and snacks when she went home for holidays.

Cafeteria dishes were cheap—most under three yuan. Vegetarian options like tofu or bean sprouts were just eighty cents. Rice was a dime per tael, steamed buns twenty cents each, and porridge also twenty cents a serving. She’d usually have three taels of rice per meal, two buns for breakfast, plus two side dishes. The bare minimum was five yuan per day—no wonder she was so small and underdeveloped, always skimping on food. This time, she decided to raise her minimum—at least six yuan a day! That extra yuan meant an extra dish. She missed the days at home with several dishes and a soup—nutritious and tasty, even if not lavish. At least she could eat what she liked.

That meant nearly two hundred yuan a month just for meals; add fruit and snacks, and food alone would cost three hundred. Less than a hundred yuan left—what could she do with that? Clothes! The seasons were changing; she’d need a couple of decent outfits. She couldn’t go around half-naked, could she? She giggled to herself, sticking out her tongue.

A few more people hurried over and lined up behind her.

Someone tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, little one, why are you standing at the very back?”