1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 156 The Ugly Duckling Turns into a Swan: A Wonderful Story Unfolds
Li Qing's parents helped change the bed and left after expressing their gratitude profusely.

Li Qing developed a strong liking for Lin Xiyu because she gave up her lower bunk.

Lin Xiyu harbored her own ulterior motives and deliberately tried to coax her.

Two girls of similar age, after a brief incident involving changing beds, unknowingly became close.

"Does your family run a clothing business?"

While having dinner with Li Qing in the cafeteria that afternoon, Lin Xiyu deliberately steered the conversation toward business cards.

"Yes."

Without much thought, Li Qing said with considerable pride, "My mother is a fashion designer who has won many awards. My father started a company in my mother's name, doing foreign trade clothing import and export business."

"Your parents are amazing."

Lin Xiyu smiled and flattered, "You design and make your own clothes, and you can even sell them overseas."

"Mmm, I think so too."

Li Qing raised her eyebrows smugly, a little smug, as she listened to her praise her parents.

"Your family owns a company and does big business."

Lin Xiyu was eager to flatter her, saying very nicely, "As the daughter of a famous designer, you should also know a lot about the fashion industry."

"Of course."

Li Qing was delighted by her flattery and became even more proud: "There's no famous clothing brand in Shanghai that I don't know. I can tell how much a piece of clothing is just by touching it."

"That's awesome."

Lin Xiyu gave a thumbs-up to express her admiration: "With your talent, it's a pity you didn't study fashion design. You were born to be a designer."

“My dad wouldn’t let me study design; he insisted that I study a foreign language.”

Li Qing shrugged helplessly: "He said that less commonly spoken languages ​​are in high demand now, and he wants me to study German as my second foreign language so that I can do business with Germans in the future."

Lin Xiyu's eyes lit up with surprise: "You're also taking German? Me too."

"I don't actually want to learn German."

Li Qing glanced at her and smiled awkwardly: "It's popular to learn Japanese in Shanghai now. Many schools offer Japanese as a second foreign language. I also have several friends who went to Japan to study, saying they plan to settle there in the future."

Why do you want to settle in Japan?

Lin Xiyu couldn't understand: "Isn't it good to stay in China? When you go abroad, you're unfamiliar with the place and can't speak the language. What's so good about that?"

"Japan is a developed country, and the standard of living is much higher than in China."

Li Qing said matter-of-factly, "Many Shanghainese go to Japan to work, and they earn many times more money there than they do in China."

"Oh oh."

Lin Xiyu had little concept of developed countries and subconsciously didn't want to have anything to do with the Japanese, so she didn't take her words to heart.

"There's more."

Li Qing got carried away with her story and covered her mouth to laugh, "There's a joke going around in Shanghai right now, it's really funny."

"What joke?"

Lin Xiyu smiled and chimed in, "Tell me about it, so I can have a laugh too."

"Export husband".

Li Qing did not disappoint her, uttering surprising words.

"what?"

Lin Xiyu looked bewildered and couldn't quite keep up with her pace.

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't understand what I meant."

Li Qing couldn't stop smiling as she looked at her slightly dazed expression.

Lin Xiyu sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me already."

"The husband who exports, that is to say..."

Li Qing stopped laughing, thinking she had thoughtfully satisfied her gossip cravings: "Because of their work, many Shanghai men have settled in Japan and married Japanese women."

"Japanese men are chauvinistic and not as considerate and gentle as Shanghai men. As a result, a trend has emerged in which Japanese women like to marry Shanghai men, and Shanghai men are also keen to marry Japanese women. With such a large number of people, the saying 'exporting husbands' has come about."

-

"Oh, that's it."

Lin Xiyu suddenly realized, and looking at her mischievous little expression, a bit of curiosity arose again: "But even if Japanese women like to marry Shanghai men, you don't need to smile so ambiguously, do you? Is there something interesting you haven't told me?"

"Haha, I haven't told my joke yet!"

Li Qing couldn't help but laugh as soon as she thought of the jokes about husbands who were selling goods in the streets. Before she could even say anything, she laughed to herself.

"Hurry up and tell me."

"I told you, you have to hold back, don't laugh too hard and spray me in the face."

"Is it that funny?"

Seeing her laughing non-stop, Lin Xiyu's curiosity was piqued as well.

If you don't laugh when you hear this, I'll eat my words.

Li Qing was full of confidence.

"All ears."

Lin Xiyu straightened her back and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

"As for why Japanese women are so fond of marrying Shanghai men, here are their reasons."

Li Qing was satisfied and enjoyed watching her expression: "Shanghai men are gentle and considerate, capable in both the living room and the kitchen, good at laundry and cooking, and they even take care of leftovers."

"puff."

Lin Xiyu couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of soup.

"Hahaha, isn't that funny?"

Li Qing saw the effect she had predicted and smiled even more happily.

Lin Xiyu: "."

She is simply ignorant.

The humor of Shanghainese people truly reflects the characteristics of southerners.

The tough guys from the North wouldn't understand.

-

For college students who pursue their ideals, want to reach higher levels, and want to get into graduate school, college life is far less colorful than they imagined. They spend their days going back and forth between their dormitories, teaching buildings, and libraries, with no change in their routine, which is boring and tedious.

From the first day of entering university, Lin Xiyu set a goal for herself: to be admitted to Fudan University for graduate studies, to study at the same school as the person she liked, and to become his classmate through her own efforts.

With a clear goal in mind, she gained the motivation to study. After the military training ended, she plunged into the library and studied diligently, hoping to achieve good grades and a higher ranking in order to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination.

However, ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

Students qualified to be admitted to East China Normal University are all top students from all over the country, and there are countless students with excellent grades.

It is incredibly difficult to stand out in a school teeming with top students, especially since she gained admission to her dream school by being the child of a martyr, which gave her an extra 20 points.

Less than a month after starting formal classes, she realized the real gap between herself and the top students, which was a huge blow and almost made her lose confidence.

-

"We can't compete, we really can't compete."

"Those people are terrifying. They have such good grades, yet they work so hard. I'm so sleepy I can barely keep my eyes open, but they're still studying. They won't leave until the library lights are turned off."

"I can't talk anymore. I still have questions to do and haven't practiced my English speaking. I really can't talk anymore. Let's talk about it next time." Gu Bin is studying law and computer science at Fudan University. His studies are very demanding. Even so, he still calls his dorm room from time to time to check on his fiancée.

He heard the same things every time they talked on the phone. After a while, he realized something was wrong and decided to go to her school to talk to her in person.

So, on a weekend in mid-October, a beautiful day with exceptionally blue skies, exceptionally white clouds, and exceptionally crisp autumn air, a wonderful story unfolded on the campus of East China Normal University.

-

Lin Xiyu has been studying diligently since the start of the course, and has never participated in any of the various social activities organized by the school.

Unfortunately, on the very day Gu Bin arrived, a senior from Shandong came to see her and earnestly invited her to attend a fellow Shandong native's association gathering.

Lin Xiyu reluctantly agreed because the woman was a senior in the English department and the vice president of the student union, and she didn't want to offend her.

She thought that a hometown association gathering was just a chance to meet, chat, get to know each other, and become familiar with each other.

Unexpectedly, when I arrived at the venue, I found that all the fellow villagers were dressed up in their finest attire. The men wore shirts and ties, and the women wore high heels, dresses, and light makeup. They were all dressed up as if they were going on a blind date, and it was incredibly formal.

Upon entering the venue and inquiring, she suddenly realized that the so-called hometown association gathering involved ballroom dancing.

"Xi Yu, why are you dressed like this?"

The English major senior student frowned slightly, looking displeased that she was wearing a bare face, an oversized T-shirt and jeans, and completely out of place with the atmosphere of the social gathering.

"I can't ballroom dance, so I guess I'll pass and not participate."

Lin Xiyu wanted to decline, but her senior insisted on not agreeing. Helpless, she could only go back to her dormitory and change into the white dress with orchids that she had kept at the bottom of her trunk. She borrowed Li Qing's cosmetics and applied some lipstick.

The girl was naturally fair-skinned and beautiful, with a graceful demeanor.

This embellishment is like a pearl duster, dazzling and eye-catching.

"Wow, Xiyu, you look like a completely different person after changing your clothes."

Li Qing stared wide-eyed, her face filled with disbelief: "Hurry up and throw away those tattered clothes you usually wear, it's such a waste of resources."

"Don't throw it away."

Lin Xiyu sighed sadly, "Wearing this to grab a seat in the library is too conspicuous. It's much more convenient to wear a T-shirt and jeans."

"I'm really impressed by you."

Li Qing was speechless, utterly dumbfounded.

"I'm leaving now. I need to go to the library after the social gathering."

Lin Xiyu's mind was no longer on the social gathering; she just wanted to make an appearance and then slip away.

"I'll go with you."

Looking at the radiant beauty, Li Qing suddenly became interested and affectionately took her arm.

"What are you, a Shanghainese, doing at a gathering of people from Shandong?"

Lin Xiyu glanced at her with considerable surprise, her instinctive reaction being that this girl had ulterior motives and probably harbored some hidden agenda.

"I'm practically half a Shandong native, too."

Sure enough, Li Qing's next words confirmed her guess: "Besides, you're dressed so beautifully, I'm worried about you. I have to be your protector, otherwise those hormone-fueled suitors will fight over a pretty girl."

"Stop!"

Lin Xiyu couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted her daydreaming: "Just say you want to see a joke, no need to make excuses."

"hey-hey."

Li Qing did not deny it, but squinted her eyes and smiled like a cunning fox.

-

Just as Li Qing had predicted, a beautiful woman appeared, dazzling many people.

When Lin Xiyu returned to the social event wearing a white dress with orchid patterns, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone watched in disbelief as the ugly duckling transformed into a swan.

"That's more like it, you look so beautiful dressed like this."

A look of amazement flashed in the eyes of the senior student from the English Department. She raised her arm in a rather exaggerated manner and announced to everyone: "Now I would like to introduce to you our junior from the English Department of Class of '93, Lin Xiyu, the tourism ambassador of Jinan, Shandong, and the pride of our Shandong students."

"Is she Lin Xiyu, the high school student who made the documentary?"

"Oh, it's her! I was wondering why she looked so familiar."

"She really came to our school? I thought the documentary interview was just a gimmick, like acting, deliberately made to attract attention."

"A documentary can't be fake, right? It's a record of the real lives of ordinary people living in courtyard houses."

"I didn't expect there to be a celebrity among our fellow townsmen this year. Wow, he's really low-key. I wouldn't have known if my senior hadn't told me."

"What celebrity? Her family looks quite poor; they live in an old courtyard house with only two rooms for their whole family."

"Not exactly poor, just not wealthy. To support a college student, you definitely need some family wealth, otherwise you couldn't afford it."

"Hey, you're already speaking up for them, even though they haven't even taken a liking to you yet."

"I'm just telling the truth, I don't mean anything by it."

"I didn't mean anything by it, why are you stuttering? If you're so capable, don't be shy."

"Hahaha"

-

The beauty's true identity caused an uproar, with envy and jealousy mixed in.

"Xi Yu, you're so unfair!"

Li Qing was both surprised and delighted to hear about the documentary, and looked at her with particularly fervent eyes: "You didn't even tell me that you made a documentary about a big star who was my classmate. I can brag about this for years to come."

"Stop bragging, I'm not a celebrity."

Lin Xiyu smiled modestly: "You haven't seen it? That shows that the documentary's publicity efforts are not enough and it has not achieved the expected results."

"You're being a bit too modest."

Li Qing rolled her eyes and pretended to be unhappy: "We're good friends, why are you playing these games with me? All your fellow villagers have seen the documentary, which shows how influential it is. It's only a matter of time before it spreads to Shanghai."

"I hope so."

As a native of Jinan, Lin Xiyu sincerely hopes that more people can see the beauty of her hometown.

Even though I have left my hometown to study in Shanghai, I still feel genuinely happy whenever I hear someone praise my hometown.

"Excuse me, may I have this dance?"

The beautiful woman was stunning and attracted everyone's attention. A boy who considered himself handsome couldn't contain his excitement and rushed over to invite her to dance.

"Sorry, I can't dance."

Lin Xiyu had no interest in dancing and politely declined with a smile.

"Hahaha"

"They don't even like you."

The hall was filled with laughter, and the boys who were looking for fun cheered loudly.

"I can teach you."

The boy was unwilling to give up, his gaze burning.

Lin Xiyu didn't give him a chance: "I have no musical talent and can't keep up with your rhythm."

"If they don't want to, stop standing there and come back."

"Next, who else wants to ask a pretty girl to dance? Hurry up, don't waste time."

"Let me see who the lucky one is tonight, the one who will win the heart of this beauty."

The beauty's rejection did not dampen the suitors' enthusiasm; on the contrary, it fueled their excitement even more.