Chapter 1281: Chapter 851: The Shallow Grass Grows Without Hoofprints

"Then what else is there to say?"

Jiang Nian wasn’t a hesitant person; he agreed right away and took Xu Shuang back to the dorm.

Just as he was about to leave, he was called back.

"Wait for me a moment."

Xu Shuang hurried upstairs with a bunch of packages and came back down after a while with a paper bag.

"This is for you, thank you."

The thanks were for taking the deliveries.

Jiang Nian glanced inside the paper bag and found some low-fat snacks and small cans of tea leaves.

"You’re welcome."

He didn’t refuse, took the bag, and left.

Back at the dorm.

Jiang Nian shared out the snacks, keeping one or two packets for himself. He casually boiled some water and brewed the tea leaves.

"Where are we eating tonight?"

"Let’s go to Shao Garden, my treat," Da Chao stood up, "Guys, I’ve got something to announce."

No one looked over.

Brother Bao Song was watching a livestream, Jiang Nian was sipping tea and looking at data, and Yang Jingfan was wearing headphones, watching a calculus course.

"Speak."

"Or keep it to yourself."

"Whatever."

The three had three different attitudes, leaving Da Chao baffled. This atmosphere wasn’t what he imagined a college dorm to be.

In reality, the dormmates were indeed a bit distant.

Other boys’ dorms in the class might be a bit better, but even those only appeared lively on the surface.

One reason was individuality, and another was that everyone had their own things to do.

"Forget it, I’ve decided not to pursue the senior anymore," Da Chao said, "Just gonna settle down with old friends."

"Congratulations."

"Indeed, not a bad decision."

"Congratulations."

Da Chao: "....."

At night, they went out for dinner together. On the way, Da Chao shared his confusion.

Brother Bao Song glanced at him, "Why are you acting like a woman? Don’t you have things you enjoy doing?"

Yang Jingfan thought for a moment and followed the lead of the others, though his wording was a bit softer.

"I want to stay in Beijing and become a civil servant, or go out of town and get a high-paying job."

"In this competitive world, if you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind."

Jiang Nian, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone, sighed deeply and said in a heavy tone.

"What’s the meaning of life, really?"

"Damn, you’re quite the philosopher," Da Chao couldn’t hold back, "Why did you choose our obscure major?"

"It’s easygoing."

"Don’t listen to his nonsense," Brother Bao Song said, "This guy Jiang Nian probably has some business outside."

"In our dorm, he’s currently the richest."

"No way!" Da Chao was shocked, "Really? I was wondering why Jiang Nian is never in the dorm."

Awkward silence.

Jiang Nian was also speechless, "I come from a small county town; where would I get money from a mountain village?"

"Then you....." Da Chao asked.

"Went to sell blood," Jiang Nian said casually, "There are six people in my family, all saving up for a wedding gift."

"How much have you saved?"

"About one percent."

After a while, as they sat together waiting for food to be served, feeling bored, they started talking about clubs.

"Jiang Nian, why haven’t you joined a single club?"

"Forgot."

"Damn, there’s no truth in your words!!" Da Chao said, checking the menu again.

Stir-fried pig liver, ginger duck, and a few other dishes. The four of them spent over two hundred, not too expensive.

"What about your hometown friends?" Da Chao asked, "Haven’t seen you having meals with them lately?"

"Too busy usually," he said casually.

College is different, connections with roommates aren’t close. Unlike high school where you had to be together every day.

If you don’t want to meet, just nodding as acquaintances is enough.

In the cafeteria, it’s more common to eat alone—not necessarily because you enjoy it, but often because there aren’t enough seats.

Jiang Nian felt his roommates were alright, got along comfortably, but didn’t have the intention to make friends anymore.

Too busy.

....

Time passed day by day, and Jiang Nian became busier. Half a month later, he saw Li Qingrong again.

"Wanna take a walk?"

"Where to?" Li Qingrong asked.

"Let’s go to the East District, just wander around," Jiang Nian said, "Whether there’s something or not, you’ll know when we get there."

Li Qingrong didn’t mind and didn’t ask further.

"Then let’s go."

In the afternoon, with the gentle sunshine, they left the campus. After reaching their destination, they wandered around slowly until evening.

Beijing is quite bustling, but this hustle feels distant.

Li Qingrong walked beside him, watching the surging crowd. Under the wooden bridge, dry ice was thrown in, causing fog to rise.

A group of people was taking pictures there, surrounding to watch the excitement.

Jiang Nian watched with interest too, but soon found the person beside him turning to face him, staring for a moment.

"What’s up?"

"Did you finish your campus run?"

"Oh crap!" Jiang Nian suddenly snapped back to reality, "No worries, I’ll make time to finish it."

"Should I run it for you?"

"No need." Li Qingrong tilted her head, thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes when I have free time, I feel like running."

"Now you..." Jiang Nian glanced at Qingqing, "Joined the professor’s project group or....."

"Sort of," Li Qingrong said, "It’s quite boring, you wouldn’t be interested, but that’s okay."

"How so?" Jiang Nian raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn’t affect our relationship," she said, "However, if having children, we need to plan ahead."

Jiang Nian: "...."

Quite direct there, but that’s understandable. Beijing University itself is a giant information gap, attracting all kinds of people.

Some people excel, some take it easy.

Most are still doing sit-ups in confusion, not knowing which direction to take, feeling stuck.

Besides cramming in the library, they have no idea where to go.

Especially in social sciences, it’s like being set free. Course design and reality are disconnected, with limited advancement opportunities.

However, none of this had anything to do with Jiang Nian.

"No such plans for now," Jiang Nian said, "Got a lot on my plate, and haven’t made any money either."

He murmured a few words and then immediately stopped.

"Your materials department is doing well."

"Hmm?" Li Qingrong heard this and looked at him questioningly, "In what way?"