After transferring once more in Zhuzhou, Zhu Siqi finally walked out of Nanchang Railway Station the next morning.
Upon arriving at the school, Deng Haihua first took Zhu Siqi to pay the fees and collect the dormitory key. After bringing him to the dorm, Deng Haihua left. Zhu Siqi returned to the room, chose a lower bunk by the window, and placed his luggage on it. Each dormitory room had four bunk beds—two on each side against the walls. In the middle were four desks with double drawers, apparently one for each person. Above them was just a wire stretched across—there was nothing else. The setup was extremely simple. The toilets and washrooms were communal, with two on each floor.
At that moment, there were already two other students in the room, each occupying an upper bunk by the window. Seeing Zhu Siqi busy below, they greeted him.
"Hi, classmate. My name is Wei Li, from Jiujiang, Jiangxi. Nice to meet you."
"Hello, I'm Zhu Siqi, from Hunan," Zhu Siqi replied politely.
The other one spoke up as well. "My name is Qian Yong, from Yingtan, Jiangxi. We'll be roommates from now on—please take care of me."
While they were talking, Zhu Siqi finished arranging the two quilts he had brought—one for padding, one for covering, and a blanket used as a bedsheet. Originally, Zhu Siqi hadn't wanted to bring any luggage, but his mother insisted, saying that things from home were better. Buying them outside would be expensive and uncomfortable. With no choice, he had brought them along.
After finishing his bed, Zhu Siqi decided to take a look around the campus. After all, he would be spending the next two years here. He also planned to deposit the extra money he had on him. This time, Zhu Kun had given him twenty thousand yuan, knowing he was studying computer science and would need to buy a computer. After paying three thousand in tuition, he still had over ten thousand left. He had seen a savings office on the way in, so he had brought the money with him.
He went downstairs and first went to the savings office to open a passbook. He had already gotten his ID card when he returned home, so the process went quickly. After keeping a few hundred yuan for daily use, he deposited the rest.
Strolling slowly around the campus, Zhu Siqi realized that the school was actually quite small. There were only four teaching buildings, six dormitory buildings, two cafeterias, and one comprehensive building, all very close to each other. There wasn't much open space left—aside from about a dozen basketball courts, there was only one soccer field. Small trees were planted around the edges, looking like they had only been there a few years. Thinking of the school's grand name and comparing it to what he saw, Zhu Siqi found it a bit amusing. The school was called Southeast College—a very impressive name—but in reality, it looked more like a high school, or even worse than some high schools. What Zhu Siqi didn't know was that among private colleges, having this scale and owning all its facilities was already quite decent.
After one round, seeing nothing particularly interesting, he went to the school store to buy daily necessities and returned to the dorm. When he entered, two more students had arrived. After being introduced by Qian Yong, he learned that one was named Zhao Jian, from Pingxiang, and the other Hu Wei, from Yichun.
Zhao Jian was of average height, thin, and fair-skinned, looking like someone who had never done much physical labor. Hu Wei, on the other hand, was short but sturdy. Zhu Siqi guessed he was probably from the countryside like himself. After asking, he found that Zhao Jian was from Pingxiang City, while Hu Wei was indeed from a rural area under Yichun.
As noon approached, Qian Yong suggested they go out to eat together to bond, offering to treat everyone. Since they were all young, no one objected.
Outside the school was a small street lined with restaurants and shops selling student supplies, clearly catering to students. They chose a relatively clean-looking restaurant and went in.
They casually ordered a few stir-fried dishes and five bottles of beer—one for each person—and soon began chatting freely. Except for Zhu Siqi, the others had all come because their college entrance exam scores were unsatisfactory. They talked about their high school experiences. Zhu Siqi stayed quiet, listening attentively. Among the five, only Qian Yong and Zhao Jian had drunk alcohol before; the other three were drinking for the first time. Zhu Siqi was fine, but Wei Li and Hu Wei turned bright red after just one bottle.
Still, they were too embarrassed to refuse in front of new classmates. By the time they left the restaurant, Wei Li and Hu Wei were already dizzy and unsteady. Zhu Siqi and Qian Yong had to support one each to get back to the dorm.
When they arrived, the other three new roommates had also returned. After helping Wei Li and Hu Wei onto their beds to rest, everyone began introductions. These three were also from Jiangxi: one named Huang Shangzhong, one Huang Jinwan, and the last He Guiqiu. Zhu Siqi found it strange that they were all from Jiangxi. When he asked, they explained that most of them had learned about the school through television and newspapers. The school had no score requirements and still offered higher education, so regardless of the conditions, they came. Very few people from other provinces knew about it, so students from Jiangxi made up about ninety percent of the school.
Early the next morning, everyone went to the teaching building where the computer department was located. That day was for class assignments. At the entrance, there was a class list posted. Everyone found their respective classes. Zhu Siqi, Wei Li, Qian Yong, Zhao Jian, and Hu Wei were assigned to the 1994 Spring Class One. Huang Shangzhong, He Guiqiu, and Huang Jinwan were in Spring Class Two. The entire computer department had recruited fewer than two hundred students in the spring intake, divided into three classes.
When they found their classroom, many students were already inside. There was also a woman teacher in her fifties. After asking around, they learned she was the class advisor for Spring Class Two, responsible mainly for management and guidance rather than teaching.
Once most students had arrived, the teacher stood at the podium and clapped her hands.
"Please be quiet and listen to me."
When the room quieted down, she continued, "My surname is Peng. My name is Peng Ling." She wrote her name on the blackboard.
"I am your class advisor. In the future, if you have any issues with study or daily life, you can come to me. You come from all over the country, and many of you are away from home for the first time. If you're not used to life here, help each other. From now on, you are part of one class."
After a pause, she went on, "Today's main tasks are to distribute textbooks, have each student come up to introduce themselves so everyone can get to know each other, and finally select class officers."
She then had students come up one by one to introduce themselves. Those who wanted to be class officers spoke in more detail; the shy ones just said their names and ran back down. When it was Zhu Siqi's turn, he spoke simply: "My name is Zhu Siqi. I'm from Hunan. Please take care of me in the future." He wrote his name on the blackboard and stepped down.
In the end, based on everyone's performance, Advisor Peng formed a temporary class committee. They would hold proper elections once everyone became more familiar with each other. She then announced another important matter.
"You all know that you came here to take the self-study exams. There will be one in April this year. The registration period has technically already passed, but after the education authorities learned about our situation, they issued a notice allowing this year's new students to register late. Time is very tight—only a little over two months. You should think carefully about how many subjects to register for. If you register for too many, you may not have enough energy and might fail; if you register for too few, it will take longer to obtain your diploma. Tomorrow, come to my office to look at this year's self-study exam guide. Don't delay—registration must be completed by the day after tomorrow at the latest, or you'll have to wait until July."
After that, she dismissed the class, and formal lessons would begin the next day.
Carrying his textbooks, Zhu Siqi returned to the dorm. There were only a few books: Advanced Mathematics, College English, BASIC Programming, Analog Circuits, Assembly Language, Computer Operations Basics, and a book on Computer Principles.
He flipped through College English briefly and ignored Advanced Mathematics entirely—his father had already made him read college-level math books at home, and Zhu Kun only had math-related university books. Zhu Siqi picked up Computer Principles and started reading.
The book introduced the history of computer development, basic computer structure, and the working principles of various hardware components. He read with great interest and finished it by lunchtime. He went to the cafeteria, ate a simple meal, and returned to the dorm, which was empty at the time.
With a basic understanding of computers now, he picked up Computer Operations. The first part covered basic finger positioning and Wubi typing practice; later chapters introduced some DOS commands and WPS operations. He read eagerly and soon finished it, then picked up the remaining computer books. By the end of the afternoon, he had basically finished all of them, yet still felt unsatisfied. It was like martial arts training—if someone taught him only the first move and merely showed the starting forms of the second and third, how could that be enough? He had to understand everything thoroughly.
"Computer" was a broad term. Truly understanding it wasn't possible with just one or two books. Without reading hundreds of books, one could at best grasp basic operations and simple assembly.
He wanted to find more books, but the school didn't even have a library. At that moment, Zhu Siqi finally realized the advantages of prestigious universities—at least you could read to your heart's content.
Seeing that his roommates still hadn't returned and not wanting to sit alone, he left the dorm and walked outside the campus.
In the evening, the area outside the school was very lively. Every restaurant on both sides of the street was doing brisk business, some even had students waiting outside. Walking further along, Zhu Siqi spotted a computer room. Inside, computers lined the walls, and everyone was doing roughly the same thing—finger practice and Wubi typing. He wanted to try as well, but when he asked the owner, he was told there wouldn't be an available machine for several hours. The owner pointed inside and said, "See? Everyone else is waiting too. You'd better come back later."
Zhu Siqi didn't mind. He walked on and soon saw all seven of his dorm mates ahead. Walking closer, he realized they were playing billiards. Zhu Siqi had seen others play billiards back in Chaoyang, but had never tried it himself.
At that moment, Zhao Jian and He Guiqiu were playing.
"Who's better?" Zhu Siqi asked.
"If I don't play, they're about the same," Qian Yong replied from the side.
"You got beaten by me the moment you played," Zhao Jian retorted, annoyed at Qian Yong's bragging.
They were playing eight-ball. Zhu Siqi knew the rules: balls one through seven formed one group, nine through fifteen another. Whoever pocketed a ball first claimed that group, and after clearing all balls in the group, sinking the black eight meant victory.
Seeing an empty table nearby, Zhu Siqi called out, "Qian Yong, let's play a round."
Qian Yong immediately accepted, picked a cue, and had the owner rack the balls.
At first, Zhu Siqi was clumsy and lost several games in a row. Qian Yong shouted smugly, "Zhao Jian, you didn't believe me—come see for yourself! I cleared the table and beat him by five balls!"
Zhu Siqi didn't argue. After a couple of rounds, he gradually got the hang of it. He could hit coins and pebbles exactly where he wanted—billiards was no challenge. Once he found the right feel, Qian Yong couldn't believe his eyes. Sometimes, after the break, Zhu Siqi would clear the table in one run.
Zhao Jian came over to watch and said smugly, "Qian Yong, this is your skill level? I told you you were bad, and you didn't believe me. Now you've seen it yourself—what do you have to say?"
Angered, Qian Yong retorted, "Zhao Jian, how about you come on? Let's play—loser buys dinner tonight."
Zhao Jian readily accepted. Seeing them get into it, Zhu Siqi handed the cue to Zhao Jian.
After five games, Zhao Jian won narrowly. Qian Yong had nothing to say. "I'm not in good form today. Let's play again tomorrow night."
"Fine, we'll continue tomorrow," Zhao Jian agreed. "But shouldn't we go eat now?"
"Sure. A bet's a bet. I'll win it back tomorrow."
They called the others over and returned to the same restaurant as before. This time, Wei Li and Hu Wei refused to drink no matter what—they had slept the entire afternoon the day before and still had headaches. Since classes would officially begin the next day, no one forced them.