Sun Rongfang told her daughter, “Regardless, it’s peaceful here.”
Xie Wanying nodded in agreement.
When the door was opened, they saw that there were two upper bunks and two lower bunks in the dorm. It had sufficient space for four individuals to live peacefully. But they didn’t see anyone inside, which made them wonder if they were too early or if her roommates hadn’t arrived yet.
Someone should have been sleeping on a bunk bed fitted with a mosquito net. Xie Wanying chose the upper bunk out of the remaining two beds since it was quieter and allowed her to study.
Together, she and her mother made the bed and arranged the pillows.
Buckets and basins could only be purchased from the university commissary.
When the mother and daughter duo went to the school canteen for a meal, they decided to stop by the school commissary later to get the other supplies.
Because it took them a while to find the dorm, the mother and daughter walked to the canteen and found that almost everyone had eaten and there were only leftovers left.
“See, I told you, if this happens again, go outside and get a small meal, got it?” Sun Rongfang told her daughter once more not to let her school work affect her health. This time, Xie Wanying agreed with her mother’s advice and nodded.
After a simple meal, they went to the school’s commissary to buy supplies. Learning that the university’s commissary was more expensive, they decided to purchase at the off-campus supermarket.
After helping her daughter with all her daily needs, Sun Rongfang felt that the task of accompanying her daughter on this trip had been completed.
She didn’t have anything else to do here. Her daughter’s teachers were not bad. So, Sun Rongfang would take the train home the next day as planned.
Her younger son didn’t do well in school, and she couldn’t count on her husband. She had no choice but to go back home quickly.
“I can stay with you for a few more days if your father lets me worry a little.” When Sun Rongfang told her daughter this, her tone conveyed a deep sense of guilt.
She knew that her daughter would feel lonely and helpless for a few days because this was the first time she had lived far away from home and attended university by herself.
Having loved ones around her would help her a lot during this time. But she couldn’t do anything about her unreliable husband and son.
“Mom, it’s okay, I can handle it on my own. You can go back.” Upon saying this, Xie Wanying hugged and held her mother’s hand as if she were a child.
“Okay, we still have one more night together.”
Sun Rongfang comforted her daughter by stroking the back of her hand.
Together, the mother and daughter walked back to the hostel. After tonight, Xie Wanying would not be able to see her mother for an extended period of time. This could occur frequently in the future. Because she must spend a total of eight years in school to become a doctor. For this reason, her heart felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Sun Rongfang wanted to do as much as she could for her daughter before she left, so she cleaned her shoes after supper with a brush.
“Mom, I’ll do it myself.”
“You take a seat. I’ll be uncomfortable if I don’t do this.” Sun Rongfang rushed her daughter back to her seat and worked hard.
Doing something productive may have been the only way she could forget that her child had grown up without her company. As a mother, Sun Rongfang is well aware that her children would one day grow up and leave her. It was an affliction that she, as a mother, had to bear it bravely.
Xie Wanying knelt down to pack her mother’s luggage and stuffed several bags of instant noodles into her mother’s duffel bag while her mother was busy. The cups and bowls have been vigorously brushed, and the towels and tissues have been safely stored. To sum up, the mother and daughter were preparing items for each other one night, but time flew by.