A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1438 Choosing Architecture and Studying Feng Shui! (Please Subscribe!)
PS: Ugh, I'm stuck on this again. I sat in front of the computer at 8 pm last night and it's been almost 10 hours since I started writing this chapter. I don't know if it's because I haven't cleared up the flu virus. These past two days, my head feels foggy whenever I try to think, I have a hard time concentrating, and I'm sweating all over.

Hua Shier decided to study architecture at Tongji University almost without hesitation.

Yes, he wanted to choose the same school and the same major as Zhuang Tunan. This was not only due to the deep friendship between the two, but also because of his sincere love for architecture. Moreover, Tongji University's architecture department is one of the top architecture departments in China.

Okay, all of the above are just excuses.

The real reason is that this guy already studied architecture in the previous world, so in this world he just needs to find a familiar major to get a degree. What he wants is to have plenty of time to relax and enjoy every day of university life.

Of course, there is another reason, which is that he wants to study the topic of combining modern architecture with traditional feng shui in this world, explore how to integrate the long-standing wisdom of feng shui into contemporary design concepts, and put it into practice.

Back in the real world, he had heard the legend of the Shanghai Military Knife Building and the urban legend of the Nine Chrysanthemums School of Feng Shui battles on the internet.

As an immortal, Hua Shier naturally believed that feng shui could influence the fortunes of a region or even a country.

So he didn't care whether those legends were true or false.

If that's true, then he'll retaliate in kind.

Of course, if he wanted to, he could slap it down, and the world map would lose an island chain. And, well, that would definitely attract the censorship of the "river god" (a term used to describe someone who censors or criticizes others).
Hua Shier felt that he couldn't control things in reality, but in the world of the story, he could make bold attempts. For example, he could launch this feng shui war, and the target would inevitably be the opposite of reality. This is called using their own methods against them.

In short, this is a very good research direction.

Well, that's still an excuse, because this research seems too easy for him. He can get good results without much effort, so in the end it's just laziness.

Wu Shanshan decided to follow her husband's lead and also applied to the architecture department of Tongji University. Her goal was simple: to have common ground with him in both their careers and life.

Hua Shier felt this was a typical case of her being blinded by love, so she offered a few words of advice:
"Shanshan, you don't need to do this. You can choose your school and major according to your own preferences. Tsinghua and Peking Universities in Beijing, Nankai University in Tianjin, and the top universities in Shanghai are all first-class universities. You can consider them all. You are so outstanding. You are not anyone's appendage. You are you!"

Unexpectedly, Wu Shanshan smiled and said:
"I chose my major based on my own preferences, and my preferences are you. Wherever you go, I'll go. You think you can get rid of me? No way!"

What else is there to say about Hua Shier? All I can say is that Wu Shanshan, who wasn't affected or traumatized by her family of origin, has a truly bright and lovely personality.

He laughed and said, "What a coincidence! My preference is also for women!"

Wu Shanshan smiled upon hearing this, and a minute later she asked uncertainly, "Say it again, what are your preferences?"

Hua Shier chuckled: "Oh dear, you made me say such cheesy things twice, have you no shame!"

Wu Shanshan blushed to her ears, so embarrassed that she reached out to hit him, while Hua Shier ran away.

In late August in Suzhou, the summer heat had not yet subsided when the postman delivered Hua Shier and Wu Shanshan's admission notices. Like two pebbles thrown into a calm alley, the ripples they created lingered for a long time.

On the Wu family's side, Wu Jianguo was all smiles, walking with a brisk pace even when he went out to buy groceries. When he met acquaintances, no matter what they said, he would just say:
How did you know my daughter got into Tongji University?

Zhang Amei's attitude towards Wu Shanshan took a complete 180-degree turn.

On the very day the notification arrived, Zhang Amei held Wu Shanshan's hand and staged a scene of 'mother-daughter affection':

"Shanshan, it was all my fault before. I was short-sighted. But I truly treated you and Xiaojun like my own children. Now that you've been admitted to university, if you become successful in the future, don't forget your younger brother and sister. We're all family!"

Wu Shanshan just chuckled and told Zhang Amei to figure it out herself.

On the Zhuang family's side, Huang Ling and Zhuang Chaoying were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling for several days.

When the neighbors came to congratulate Zhuang, Song Ying said enviously:

“Our alley has become a phoenix nest. After Tu Nan, now two golden phoenixes, you and Shan Shan, have flown out.”

As she spoke, she glanced at her son, feigning concern, and sighed:
"It's a pity that our little rascal is so disappointing. We live in a small courtyard, so he's not even a peacock, let alone a phoenix. Oh, right, you can't say that. He can do peacock displays, dancing, singing, playing ping-pong, he's got a whole bunch of tricks up his sleeve."

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Lin Dongzhe felt embarrassed by his mother's teasing. Looking at Hua Shier and Wu Shanshan, who were the center of attention, and Zhuang Xiaoting, who looked on with envy, he felt a concrete and subtle longing for the idea of ​​'going to university' for the first time.

To celebrate their son's admission to university, Zhuang Hualin and Xiang Dong made a special trip back from Tianjin to host a banquet at Songhelou Restaurant for their relatives and friends.

Although the couple had always heard Zhuang Chaoying talk about how good and outstanding their son's grades were, they still found it hard to believe when they saw the admission notice with their own eyes, and they were so excited that tears came out.

Zhuang Hualin pinched Xiang Dong hard, using her husband's grimacing face to confirm that this wasn't a dream that would make her laugh in her sleep.

The couple set up five tables at Songhelou Restaurant, mainly to entertain the Zhuang family's relatives and friends, as well as the neighbors in the alley, to thank Hua Shier for the care and support he received from his relatives and neighbors during his years of studying and living in Suzhou.

Grandpa Zhuang, Grandma Zhuang, and Zhuang Ganmei's family were also invited by Zhuang Hualin to the banquet.

Since the people were invited by Zhuang Hualin and Xiang Dong, Hua Shier didn't say anything.

This time, the family didn't cause any trouble and sat obediently at the table with Zhuang Chaoying and Zhuang Hualin.

Once the seats were full, they gestured to the east for the waiter to bring out the dishes: Squirrel Fish, Braised Eel in Hot Oil, Stir-fried Shrimp, Crab Roe Tofu, and other signature dishes of Songhelou were served. These delicious dishes, with their perfect color, aroma, and taste, made the guests' mouths water.

At the invitation of Xiang Dong and Zhuang Hualin, everyone clinked glasses and started eating.

After eating for a while, Grandma Zhuang finally couldn't help but lecture Zhuang Hualin and Xiang Dong:
"Why are you two setting up this storefront? When I hosted a banquet for Tu Nan's college entrance, it was just a bowl of noodles or wontons for each person!"

Grandpa Zhuang ate his vegetables heartily, saying, "The poorer you are, the more you love to save face; you suffer for the sake of saving face."

As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent.

Huang Ling chuckled and said, "Mom and Dad, please don't say that. This is a banquet hosted by Xiang Dong; it didn't cost you a penny."

Grandpa Zhuang disliked his eldest daughter-in-law and said coldly:

"Your mother and I are only doing this for their own good. With their meager salaries, they don't even have a proper job. Once their status is gone, they'll be eating porridge back home!"

Zhuang Hualin quickly smiled and said, "Mom and Dad, Xiangdong and I are doing very well in Tianjin. Xiangdong is highly regarded by his superiors, and his salary is even higher than before!"

Grandma Zhuang perked up immediately upon hearing this:
“Even so, you can’t spend like this. Ganmei can’t pay salaries right now and is very short of money. You have money for a banquet, so why not help Ganmei out? Zhendong and Zhenbei are still growing, and you, as their aunt, can’t just ignore them!”

Grandpa Zhuang also said, "Your mother is right. It's not really good if one person is good, but it's really good if the whole family is good!"

Everyone around was speechless. They were celebrating a feast, and you came here begging for food? Did you come to congratulate them or to cause them trouble?

Xiang Dong and Zhuang Hualin's expressions also turned ugly.

Zhuang Chaoying felt that her parents were going too far: "Mom and Dad, let's talk about this when we get home!"

Hua Shier smiled and put down his chopsticks, about to speak, when Huang Ling quickly tugged at his sleeve and whispered:

"Today is your graduation celebration, so don't do anything reckless and make a fool of yourself in front of outsiders. It won't look good for your parents either!"

Hua Shier also whispered, "Don't worry, Aunt, I know what I'm doing!"

After he finished speaking, he called out directly to Wu Jianguo at another table:
"Uncle Wu!"

Wu Jianguo now considers Hua Shier his son-in-law, but because of what happened before, he feels guilty and doesn't usually speak much. However, now that his son-in-law is calling out to him, he immediately responds.
"Eh!"

Hua Shier asked loudly, "Uncle Wu, if I remember correctly, many workers in your cotton mill are not getting paid. Are you one of them?"

Wu Jianguo's face darkened: "You brat, can you not bring this up? Yes, I've been given a holiday, but I haven't been idle. I'm doing carpentry work for someone now, and on good days it's no worse than having a regular job!"

Hua Twelve then called out to Wang Yong, "Uncle Wang, I've noticed you've been selling tea eggs lately. How's business?"

Wang Yong had lost his former arrogance and said with a wry smile, "It's not bad. It's all thanks to the help of my neighbors that I can make a living!"

As he spoke, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to those around him, eliciting a burst of good-natured laughter from the crowd.

"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Zhao, you've both been given a holiday, right? What are you busy with now?"

The people he named were all neighbors in the alley, and they all described their situations: one was a tricycle driver, and the other was a bricklayer.

After asking around, Hua Shier finally spread his hands towards the bewildered Zhuang family member and said:

“You see, my second uncle isn’t the only one who can’t get paid, but they all work hard and find their own way to make a living and support their families.”

“I heard that my second uncle has been staying at home during this period of being laid off from the factory, and he hasn’t gone out to look for work. If he doesn’t work hard himself, how can you expect others to help him!”

After Hua Shier finished speaking, Zhuang Ganmei was already blushing and felt extremely embarrassed.

Grandpa Zhuang and Grandma Zhuang were furious. The former pointed at Hua Shier and said to Zhuang Hualin, "Look, this is your son!"

This time, however, Zhuang Hualin sided with his son:

"Dad, Mom, tell me, which sentence Pengfei said was wrong? I think the fact that he understands these principles proves that his education wasn't in vain!"

Grandpa Zhuang wanted to say something more, but Zhuang Chaoying quickly stopped him. As the eldest son of the Zhuang family, he mediated the situation. The Zhuang family members probably sensed the strange looks from those around them, so they went along with it and didn't cause any trouble with Hua Shier.

At this moment, Wu Jianguo, the father-in-law whom Hua Shier had first mentioned, was the first to clap his hands and say:

"Pengfei is right, we are exactly what they call self-reliant or something."

Wang Yong usually felt a little ashamed selling tea eggs, but today he felt incredibly proud, adding, "Strive for self-improvement!"

"Yes, self-improvement is key! Look how well Pengfei put it!"

Everyone agreed, while Grandpa Zhuang's family was utterly humiliated.

The Zhuang family didn't cause any more trouble, nor did they leave in a huff. After all, such a feast was a rare occurrence, and eating and drinking well was more important than anything else. So, apart from Zhuang Zhendong and Zhuang Zhenbei, who still had some sense of shame and felt embarrassed, the rest of the Zhuang family ate with complete peace of mind.

After the banquet, Grandpa Zhuang and his family left without even giving a red envelope. When Hua Shier returned to the courtyard, Xiang Dong looked rather unhappy, but as the son-in-law, he couldn't say anything at his brother-in-law's house.

Zhuang Hualin ignored that and angrily said to his brother and sister-in-law:

"My parents are becoming increasingly biased towards the American family, and it's getting more and more outrageous. Unless it's something really important, we should try to avoid seeing them as much as possible!"

Huang Ling didn't hold back either:

"Back then, they only asked you and Chaoying to sacrifice your interests, but now they're eyeing the next generation. Last time they even tried to cut off Pengfei and Xiaoting's milk supply, which almost made me furious!"

Zhuang Chaoying wanted to offer some advice, but he was also extremely disappointed in his parents' behavior. He couldn't even convince himself, so how could he possibly advise others?

By the start of the school year in 86, Xiang Dong and Zhuang Hualin had already returned to Tianjin.

Huang Ling packed her nephew's luggage, and amidst everyone's farewell, Hua Shier and Wu Shanshan boarded the train to Shanghai with Zhuang Tunan.

"Tunan, you're too kind. Let's go back, we can go by ourselves!"

After getting on the bus, Hua Shier smiled and said to Zhuang Tunan.

Zhuang Tunan rolled his eyes at Hua Shier, annoyed: "Junior, I want to go back to school too, okay!"

Hua Shier raised an eyebrow: "What junior? Call me brother!"

Zhuang Tunan smiled provocatively: "You entered school later than me, you should call me senior brother!"

He clearly wanted to get back at the game he lost as a child.

"Hello, Second Senior Brother! You're right, Second Senior Brother!"

With the hit TV series "Journey to the West" this year, the "Second Senior Brother" meme has become widely known. Zhuang Tunan was speechless and never mentioned the "Senior Brother" again.

Wu Shanshan was amused by their conversation and kept laughing.

On the day of registration for new students at Tongji University, the atmosphere was filled with fresh energy. New students carrying their luggage, parents offering words of advice in their local dialects, and senior students holding up department signs to welcome the new students all came together to create a lively and bustling scene of enrollment.

Brightly colored banners lined the sycamore-lined avenue, with one reading "Welcome New Students" fluttering gently in the early autumn breeze.

With Zhuang Tunan's help, Hua Shier and Wu Shanshan quickly completed the formalities.

Both of them were assigned to the freshman class of the architecture department, but their dormitories were not in the same building. The boys' dormitory was near the famous Chifeng Road in the southwest corner, while the girls' dormitory was close to the library.

Hua Shier handed his luggage to Zhuang Tunan to watch over, and he helped Wu Shanshan carry her suitcase up to the third floor.

The dormitory was a four-person room. A quiet and pretty girl wearing glasses, named Su He, had already arrived. She was from Hangzhou, and Wu Shanshan quickly struck up a conversation with her.

After settling Wu Shanshan in, Hua Shier returned to the boys' dormitory.

His dormitory was on the second floor, facing south, with good lighting. When he arrived, it was already bustling with activity.

A boy over 1.8 meters tall with a somewhat large head and a loud laugh was making the bed. Seeing Hua Twelve enter, he greeted him with a smile:

"You're from our dorm, right? Hurry up, you're the only one missing. My name is Lu Ming, I'm from Northeast China. From now on, we're brothers, so let me know if you need anything!"

Besides Lu Ming, there were two other boys, one of whom was named Chen Xin, a local from Shanghai, who greeted Hua Shier in Mandarin with a Shanghai accent.

The other one was a Cantonese named Zou Yu, who seemed very introverted when he introduced himself.

After Hua Shier introduced himself, Lu Ming suggested:
"I've noticed that other dorm rooms have a designated leader or second leader, should we do that too?"

Hua Shier is actually from Northeast China. Hearing the local accent made him feel a sense of familiarity, so he smiled and asked:

"So you'd rather people call you 'Second Brother'?"

Lu Ming shook his big head: "No, I don't want to!"

Hua Shier chuckled and said, "Then what nonsense are you spouting!"

Lu Ming's eyes lit up: "Aren't you from Suzhou? Why are you speaking our dialect?"

Zou Yu and Chen Xin also asked curiously, and Hua Twelve smiled meaningfully:
"That's nothing! In less than six months, you two will both be talking like that!"

　Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)