jdhmnovel Chapter 308 The First Day of University Life
Chapter 308 The First Day of University Life
On September 7, 1995, the morning sunlight filtered through the ancient plane trees of Kyoto University, casting dappled shadows on the stone path.
Yuan Bao stood at the school gate, looking up at the gilded school name plaque, and took a deep breath.
Today she wore a neat ponytail, a light blue polyester shirt, and black trousers, and carried a faded canvas backpack.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Bao Guo, the older brother, patted her shoulder. He was a head taller than Yuan Bao, wearing the latest plaid shirt and jeans, and dragging two large suitcases. "Hurry up, go register at your department first."
Yuan Bao snapped out of his daze and jogged to catch up with his older brother.
The campus was bustling with activity, filled with new students and their parents who had come to register.
The roadsides were lined with welcome booths from various departments, where upperclassmen warmly greeted the new students.
“Traditional Chinese Medicine College…Traditional Chinese Medicine College…” Yuan Bao stood on tiptoe, peering through the crowd.
“There!” Bao Guo pointed to a stall under an ancient locust tree not far away.
A red banner read "Welcome to the Class of '95, College of Traditional Chinese Medicine," and several senior students in white coats sat at a table.
As Yuan Bao approached the stall, he noticed a girl wearing round-framed glasses organizing a roster.
Several pens were tucked into the pocket of her white coat, and there were traces of medicinal herbs on her cuffs.
"Hello, I'm Yuan Bao, a freshman majoring in Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy." Yuan Bao handed over his admission notice, his voice trembling slightly with nervousness.
The girl with glasses adjusted her glasses, found Yuan Bao's name on the roster, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "You're Yuan Bao, the one who got in at 15? The youngest student in our department this year?"
Several senior students around looked over curiously upon hearing this, and Yuan Bao blushed immediately, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
“My sister has been smart since she was little.” Bao Guo proudly put his arm around Yuan Bao’s shoulder and turned to her, saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to your dorm first.”
As Yuan Bao walked along the tree-lined path toward the girls' dormitory, she was captivated by the scenery on campus.
The old-fashioned teaching building is covered with ivy, and the herb garden is planted with various Chinese medicinal herbs, with a faint medicinal fragrance in the air.
“Building 7, Room 308…” Bao Guo stopped in front of a red brick building, referring to the dormitory assignment sheet.
He helped Yuan Bao carry her luggage to the third floor and stopped at the door: "I'll stop here. You can go in by yourself. I'll come find you for dinner at six tonight."
Yuan Bao nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the dormitory door.
Two girls were already making their beds in the dormitory.
The girl in the lower bunk by the window, with braided pigtails, was putting up celebrity posters on the wall; the girl in the upper bunk had short hair that reached her ears and was wearing headphones, nodding and swaying her head.
"Hello, I'm Yuan Bao," she greeted softly.
The girl with braided pigtails turned around, revealing a bright smile: "Hello! My name is Lin Xiaoxiao, from Jiangnan." She pointed to the upper bunk, "That's Su Le, a local from Beijing."
Su Le took off her headphones and nodded to Yuan Bao: "You're the last one in our dorm. Your bed is over there." She pointed to the upper bunk near the door.
Just as Yuan Bao had finished putting his luggage away, the dormitory door was pushed open again, and a girl in a fashionable dress walked in, followed by two aunties carrying large and small bags.
"Ugh, this dorm room is so small!" The girl frowned, looking around. "There isn't even a private bathroom?"
Lin Xiaoxiao and Su Le exchanged a glance.
Yuan Bao silently climbed out of bed and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, I'm Yuan Bao."
The girl glanced at her and shook her hand perfunctorily: "Li Yuanyuan." After saying that, she directed the two aunties to start arranging her bed and push the other people's things aside.
Yuan Bao pursed her lips, turned around and tidied her things.
She carefully took out a small wooden box from her schoolbag, inside which were several commonly used medicinal herbs neatly arranged.
"What is this?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked curiously as she leaned closer.
"I made this calming incense myself." Yuan Bao opened the box, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out. "Lighting one at night can help me sleep."
"Wow! You know traditional Chinese medicine?" Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up.
Yuan Bao nodded generously: "Yes, I met an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor by chance in my hometown, and I learned a bit from him. He said I had a lot of talent and gave me some books. I also really like traditional Chinese medicine, so I enrolled in this major."
Li Yuanyuan scoffed at this, "Who uses these folk remedies anymore? Everyone just takes Western medicine."
Yuan Bao didn't reply, but silently put the wooden box into the small cabinet by the bedside.
At 3 PM, the new students gathered for their class meeting.
Yuan Bao and his classmates sat in the classroom, waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive.
The classroom door was pushed open, and an elderly man in his sixties walked in. His hair was gray, but he was in good spirits.
"Hello students, I'm your class teacher, surnamed Chen, and I teach Traditional Chinese Medicine." Professor Chen's voice was loud and clear. "Before we begin, I'd like to ask a question: Why did you choose Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy as your major?"
The students answered in turn. When it was Yuan Bao's turn, she stood up and said softly, "Because traditional Chinese medicine is the wisdom flowing in our blood."
Professor Chen's eyes lit up, and he looked at her a few more times.
After the class meeting, Yuan Bao wandered around the campus alone.
As the sun set, she unknowingly walked to the vicinity of the herb garden.
Various medicinal herbs are grown here, and each area has a small wooden sign indicating its name and characteristics.
Yuan Bao squatted down and gently stroked a thriving Scutellaria baicalensis plant.
Suddenly, she noticed something unusual about the soil at the edge of the herb garden—several medicinal herbs that should have been thriving were withered in an unnatural way.
“Strange…” She leaned closer to examine it and discovered that the soil around the withered roots of the medicinal herbs had an eerie dark red color.
On instinct, she dipped her finger in the soil, brought it to her nose, and immediately frowned—the smell was off; it didn't seem like a common pest or disease.
"Student, please do not touch the herb garden."
A cold voice came from behind.
Yuan Bao turned around and saw a tall boy in a white coat standing behind him, with a name tag that read "Medicinal Herb Garden Administrator" pinned to his chest.
"I'm sorry, I just found these medicinal herbs..." Yuan Bao was about to explain when she suddenly noticed that the boy's eyes had a faint golden halo in the sunset, exactly the same as when she used the Eye of Truth.
The boy's expression changed slightly, then returned to calm: "Are you a freshman? Which class are you in?"
"Yuan Bao, Class One, Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacy."
“Zhou Hongyuan, a graduate student, is in charge of managing the medicinal herb garden.” He handed her a tissue to wipe her hands. “Don’t touch these herbs carelessly in the future; some of them have been treated with pesticides.”
Yuan Bao nodded, but she was already suspicious—the withered medicinal herbs and the golden light in Zhou Hongyuan's eyes both seemed unusual to her.
It was already dark when we left the herb garden.
Yuan Bao hurried to the school gate to meet her older brother, but her mind kept replaying the details of the day: the strange soil, Zhou Hongyuan's eyes, and... She touched her pocket, where a small amount of dark red soil sample was hidden.
The first day of university life seemed to be much more complicated than she had imagined.