The girl lost her spirits and lowered her head to look at the names on the bed railing.
Sitting on her made-up bed, Lu Ni looked out the window at a large banyan tree. There wasn't a breath of wind, and cicadas were chirping incessantly. The entire dormitory building was still bustling with activity; the freshmen were excitedly getting ready, most accompanied by parents, siblings, or relatives. Lu Ni sat alone on her bed, avoiding eye contact with the ever-growing number of vibrant green military uniforms. From the moment she entered the university, she disliked her new classmates. In truth, she had always been a loner. She realized that university wouldn't seem to bring any significant changes, including her solitary nature, and she didn't want to change any of that.
Military training is a great opportunity for freshmen to get to know each other. It's also a good opportunity to judge who the most beautiful girl in the school, department, and class is.
Lu Ni maintained a cold expression, not wanting to talk to anyone.
Everyone noticed Hu Ni's "strangeness" and started to give up on associating with her. There were so many other people out there who didn't care about just one person.
Among girls wearing green military uniforms, it's still easy to distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Girls who rely on clothing to look good are completely submerged in the green uniforms and can't be found at all. Lu Ni, however, is a beautiful young woman. She possesses the beautiful curves of a woman, a beauty that even the green uniform can't conceal, and an innate noble air like her mother's. Her beautiful, delicate face is framed by her long, white neck. She has ivory-white, delicate skin, deep, dark eyes that seem unfathomable, a slender oval face, a small, straight nose, and well-defined lips. Standing amidst the green, Lu Ni stands out. Lu Ni has been voted the school beauty, department beauty, and class beauty in amateur competitions, though she herself is unaware of it.
Lu Ni had no interest in many things. She constantly rejected people's advances, regardless of gender, which ruined her reputation. She was inevitably criticized for being arrogant and haughty, and she also had to face people's scorn. Then she was given a name that wasn't too vulgar, like "Thorn Bird".
It doesn't matter; Lu Ni has never cared about what some people say since she was a child.
The Hungry University (Part Two)
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In fact, Lu Ni's life began in college.
When Lu Ni was little, she always had food to eat. She never worried about making ends meet, and she ate whatever she wanted without hesitation. Even at her uncle's house, she wasn't worried about food, though she felt like a dependent and didn't always feel entitled to it. But things are different now. Her uncle and aunt both lost their jobs. Before boarding the train, her uncle gave Lu Ni a bag containing two thousand yuan. He said it was most of their savings and they wouldn't be able to support her anymore. Lu Ni understood. They only had a small amount of money each month for basic living expenses, and they also had to support Lian Qing; they had already done their best. From now on, Lu Ni had to plan for her own life.
After paying the tuition and fees, there was hardly any money left of the two thousand yuan.
University wasn't what Hu Ni had envisioned; it was a complete turning point in her life. Perhaps it truly was a turning point, but more importantly, it was about how to navigate this process. Survival had undeniably become the top priority.
Life became quite serious, even heavy.
Lu Ni meticulously planned her daily food expenses, calculating every penny carefully. Then, she pondered how to earn money without missing classes. At that time, the word "working" was on everyone's lips all the time, and Lu Ni really wanted to find a job.
The quick-thinking girls in the dorm were already paired with their boyfriends, and Lu Ni also had a boy pursuing her ardently. But Lu Ni had no interest in him. Faced with her passionate suitors, Lu Ni was unusually indifferent, unwilling to even answer "why." It wasn't that Lu Ni wasn't tempted at all. When the girls in the dorm talked about Ling Feng, the tall and handsome boy from the year above, Lu Ni's heart stirred painfully. She wasn't saddened by Ling Feng, but by herself. She suddenly realized that even in college, her life couldn't completely start anew. She felt ashamed to be in a relationship; it was shameful for someone about to starve to be in a relationship, it was shameful for someone with too many sad memories to be in a relationship. When Ling Feng stood before her, looking into Lu Ni's honest eyes, Lu Ni's heart skipped a beat. She remembered the man covered in blood, her mother's collapsed body, that desolate winter, and the handsome boy standing on that desolate mountaintop.
It is painful to reject the beautiful feelings you want, but Lu Ni has no other choice.
After several inexplicable failures, Ling Feng, like other failed suitors, chose to leave, and soon found himself with a clingy little bird by his side. No one has the patience to wait for a peach that may never ripen; the garden is full of ripe fruits of all kinds, each with its own unique flavor, the important thing is to "eat" them. Lu Ni's loneliness was inevitable.
Hungry University (Part 3)
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Lu Ni studied diligently; it was her habit. But after getting into university, she lost her motivation to study. Many students had already given up, enjoying the leisurely life that university offered: romantic walks, outings, hiking, developing friendly dorm relationships with students of the opposite sex from different universities, and then social events…
Lu Ni couldn't. In her spare time, Lu Ni only thought about one thing: how to solve her livelihood problem.
On Sunday, Lu Ni went out to the street, hoping to find some solutions or small shops that needed hourly workers.
In a bustling area, Lu Ni was drawn to a row of people. They all looked very simple, some even resembling migrant workers. In front of them were rows of playing cards, which at first glance looked like "complaint cards" used by beggars. Upon closer inspection, however, they introduced their majors, the schools they attended, and each card had two large characters: "tutor."
Tutoring—Lu Ni was excited. It was a job she could absolutely handle, and it was also quite respectable.
Unable to wait to go back, she asked for a piece of cardboard and a pen at a nearby shop and wrote down everything she wanted to write; her major was Chinese literature.
Under the still scorching October sun, Lu Ni stood all day, unable to sell herself. Chongqing summers are utterly windless; the entire city felt like a sauna. Lu Ni eventually sat down on the ground. None of the students in her row had been hired yet. Many people had inquired, but nothing substantial had been achieved. She'd heard there were many laid-off workers in Chongqing. Moreover, the young housewives looked at Lu Ni with wary eyes; in a time when no one felt secure, everyone was cautious. Women, of course, would be wary of young and beautiful women—it was perfectly normal logic.
As evening approached, a round-faced girl wearing glasses was told she was hired after a verbal exam and some haggling. The girl happily accepted the job offer and walked away with the young couple. A line of people watched her go, their envy evident.
It took Lu Ni a while to turn her head back from looking around, which gave her hope again.
She waited until eight o'clock before slowly getting up. A little disappointed, yet full of determination, she left. She had found a way out, a glimmer of hope.
University life is rich and colorful.
Various social events, weekend dances, holiday performances, dating, breakups, resolving friends' relationship problems, and then jumping into another relationship… the students were all busy and having a great time. None of this concerned Lu Ni. Besides studying, Lu Ni's life revolved around figuring out how to solve her basic needs. Money—just the word "money" was enough to make her weary. Watching her food coupons dwindle, she still had no way to replenish them. Tired, she silently toiled away for money, leaving Lu Ni utterly exhausted.
Every Saturday and Sunday, she still stubbornly went to the street, like a woman selling herself to bury her father, placing a card in front of her, waiting for someone to come and take it away.
Two more weeks have passed, and there are still no results.
Lu Ni stopped going to the cafeteria for lunch. She'd bought an extra steamed bun in the morning and carried it in her bag. After everyone left at noon, she took the now cold and hard bun out of her bag and ate it in a few bites. Her stomach, long deprived of nutrition, was already signaling that one bun wasn't enough, but Lu Ni could only afford one. She didn't know how long her meager meal tickets would last. She went to the cafeteria again in the evening to get another steamed bun, very late at night. Hunger overwhelmed Lu Ni. In an era when a classmate's birthday celebration cost over a hundred yuan, hunger was Lu Ni's biggest problem. The school had a subsidy program for impoverished students, but Lu Ni hesitated and ultimately didn't finish filling out the form. It detailed her parents' situation and required everyone's approval.
We need to think of another way.
Lu Ni went to several restaurants; she thought she was qualified to be a waitress. She put away her pride once more and stood before the female boss, meeting her critical gaze. But it turned out that no one wanted a part-time worker. With so many laid-off workers available for full-time work and low wages, the boss had no need for a part-time worker.
As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Just when Lu Ni was about to despair, a restaurant owner agreed to hire her as a waitress. She would work three hours each night, eight hours on Saturdays and Sundays, for a monthly salary of 120 yuan. The short, stout owner, dressed in an expensive suit that looked like cheap knock-offs, squinted at Lu Ni and said, "If you do a good job, I'll raise your salary!"
Lu Ni couldn't wait to start work that day.
Every day was stressful. After class in the afternoon, I would go to the restaurant, change into my smelly and dirty work clothes: a red suit made of cheap fabric, and then start running around the hall non-stop. Lu Ni was very serious; seriousness was in her nature.
That day, Lu Ni asked the foreman for her wages for the previous ten days or so, because she had run out of food coupons.
The foreman glanced at the pretty female college student in front of him and said, "This requires the boss's approval."
Lu Ni hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and knocked on the boss's office door. Face, after all, was no match for hunger.
The boss's cloudy little eyes lit up, and he stood up, smiling as he asked Lu Ni what was wrong. Lu Ni explained her purpose with great difficulty.
"Sit down!" The boss gestured solicitously to the sofa next to him, then came out from behind his large desk, opened a bottle of mineral water for Lu Ni, and sat down next to her.
Lu Ni had a vague sense of danger.
The boss smiled kindly: "Tell me if you have any difficulties. It's just a few dollars, no big deal." The boss's short, fat hand, adorned with a large gold ring, tentatively rested on Lu Ni's thigh. He narrowed his small eyes and leaned in slowly, saying, "As long as you agree, anything is possible..." Men in a fit of rage can easily lose themselves, easily believe that the whole world belongs to them, including a poor woman, of course.
Lu Ni's patience had reached its limit; the stench emanating from her boss's mouth made her stomach cramp uncontrollably. Lu Ni abruptly pushed her boss's hand away, stood up, and tried to ask for her wages again, but before she could say anything, she ran out.
Feeling wronged, yet helpless.
Lu Ni misses her mother dearly; she can still remember her mother's scent, warm and comforting, as if she were right beside her. She also longs for the handsome young man on the mountaintop who would take her to that warm place.
Lu Ni cried all night.
The next evening, she went to the restaurant again. Work was so important to her that she only ate one steamed bun that day.
The foreman saw her and told her she didn't need to come again, then took out twenty yuan from his pocket and handed it to Lu Ni.
Lu Ni looked at the two banknotes in front of her and asked, "Why?" Actually, she knew why, but she still wanted to explain.
The foreman said expressionlessly, "We've hired one full-time worker, so we don't need hourly workers anymore."
The reason was perfectly valid. Lu Ni took the money, feeling a sense of relief; it was enough to last her ten days. With this sense of security, Lu Ni returned to the chaotic streets.
Hungry University (Part 4)
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On a weekend afternoon, sitting on her bed, using a thin mosquito net to isolate herself from the noisy world outside, Lu Ni looked out the window at the small courtyard, which was just as lively as the dormitory. There were mostly "princes" waiting for their "princess," including young and impetuous classmates in their early twenties, as well as "bosses" who were old enough to be her father, dressed in suits, with mobile phones on their waists and driving various cars.
With so much excitement outside, things were bustling about inside as well. Everyone in the dorm except Lu Ni was busy picking out clothes, trying on different outfits in just their underwear and bras. Some were even discussing swapping clothes—what can you do, they're students. Then came the meticulous makeup: foundation, mascara, lipstick, concealer, powder, eyeshadow… a whole bunch of stuff flying around. The messy dorm had thus created several exquisite beauties. Those with boyfriends went to meet them, and those without dated their equally single girlfriends. This was a time when loneliness was unacceptable.
They all ignored Lu Ni's existence. At first, they deliberately tried to isolate her because she was too aloof and unapproachable, and she would often give them the cold shoulder. But later they realized that isolating Lu Ni was pointless; she had no intention of joining anyone's life, and their attempts to harm her failed.
The surroundings quieted down, but Lu Ni was still thinking. She had never been so troubled before. The first thing she thought of when she opened her eyes was money. She even dreamed that she had no money left. She was tired, exhausted.
Lu Ni thought of submitting articles to the newspaper to earn money. Her short essays were excellent, flowing smoothly and uniquely. She even tried writing a short story, and sent them out after receiving the twenty yuan. But she hasn't heard back yet.
Lu Ni exchanged the money in her pocket for meal tickets, and still had a few yuan left. A few days ago, she also bought two yuan worth of toilet paper. Her classmates all used sanitary napkins, but she couldn't use them because they were too expensive.
Lu Ni got out of bed. She had given up on finding a tutoring job and a temporary job at a restaurant; those would take time. She needed to find another way. As soon as possible.
At the small shop near the school gate, Lu Ni exchanged her vegetable coupons, which were valid throughout the street, for two yuan. Now she had even fewer coupons left, so she had no choice but to take a gamble.
She boarded a minibus heading to the downtown area, having decided that it would be best to go a little further away from the school.
Lu Ni looked out the window, her expression melancholic and desolate. The night, bathed in neon lights, was eerie and terrifying, but Lu Ni was determined to step inside, without hesitation. Now, only money could save Lu Ni. Money could buy her food and clothing, money could buy her dignity and freedom, money could bring her everything, as long as she earned it herself.
Under the dim lighting, Lu Ni was being assessed by a woman in her thirties.
The woman wore a black halter-neck bodycon dress, with a loosely draped black silk shawl over her shoulders, giving her a very worldly and alluring appearance. Her face should have been beautiful, but it had been ravaged by smoking, drinking, staying up late, and excessive indulgence; her pores were large, her skin sagging, truly resembling a withered flower, a faded bloom.
"How old are you?" the woman asked slowly.
"Twenty-two." Lu Ni consciously added two years to her age.
"What kind of work do you do?" There was a hint of a smile in the woman's eyes; she probably wasn't a difficult person to get along with.
Lu Ni swallowed and said, "Worker."
"Laid off?" the woman asked, still in that inquiring tone.
Lu Ni nodded. Then, in an unquestionable tone, Lu Ni said, "I only work as a hostess; I don't accompany guests outside."
The woman smiled slightly and nodded tolerantly. Many women make the same request when they first arrive here, but they forget what kind of place this is. This is a place where money and sex are exchanged, nakedly and without any shame. See how balanced you feel when you see others counting piles of money.
Lu Ni insisted on starting work that day; she was taking a gamble and needed to earn money as quickly as possible.
The woman glanced at her clothes, then asked a girl to lend Lu Ni a set of clothes and do some makeup for her.
A few minutes later, the girl handed Lu Ni a black tight-fitting sundress and a large bag of cosmetics.
Lu Ni glanced at the several women walking around her; they were all very alluring and seductive.
Hiding in the bathroom to change her clothes, Lu Ni suppressed her trembling hands and maliciously applied heavy makeup to herself, making the woman in the mirror look vulgar.
Lu Ni's heart and hands were trembling, her whole body was shaking. She wanted to tear off her clothes and run out of the door, but the thought of the suffocating "money" was enough to make her give up on running away.
Beside the dim ceiling light in the bathroom, a black butterfly that had flown in and couldn't find its way out was frantically crashing around, unable to escape.
Lu Ni took a few deep breaths, then opened the door and went out.
Lu Ni was led to a small, semi-open room next to the lobby, where the lights were brighter than outside, so that customers could better select "goods".
It was still early, and the "ladies" began to arrive one after another, dressed in their finest attire. Lu Ni sat in the corner, trembling violently.
Then she saw a familiar figure—Li Zhu, a girl from her former dorm who had recently moved out and rented her own room. She was wearing a white dress and looked pure and lovely. Lu Ni instinctively lowered her head.
"Mei Luni!" the girl exclaimed in surprise. Her usual indifference vanished, and the shared circumstances suddenly made her feel much more favorably towards Luni.
Lu Ni straightened her back, smiled slightly at her, but only her lips moved slightly before she stopped looking at her.
The girl curled her lip dismissively and muttered, "What's so great about that! They've even made it this far!"
Lu Ni remained sitting there with her back straight, staring blankly ahead.
Customers began to arrive, a large group of men in their thirties and forties, each carrying a briefcase. They kept shouting, "College students, there are college students here... Look, it's that one in the white dress." As they spoke, they called out to Lizhu, "Xue'er! Come here!"
The spider named Xue'er smiled, stood up, and walked gracefully forward.
"Really?" his companion asked.
Sister Hong smiled sincerely and said, "Really! Really! Absolutely genuine! And from XX University!"
"Alright! Count me in!"
Lu Ni lowered her head, overwhelmed by tension and fear like termites.
She knew someone was already standing in front of her, and she couldn't keep her head down. "I came here voluntarily. It's no big deal. You entertain me, I make money off you. We each get what we need, and we owe each other nothing," Lu Ni told herself. Then Lu Ni straightened her back, raised her head slightly, and revealed a stunning face enhanced by heavy makeup.