The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: Envied by the Girls, Adored by the Boys

East China Normal University.

Her dorm-mate, Sun Dandan, was overjoyed after getting a phone call.

”Han Xiaoqing invited us to her house! She’s going to take us to the beach to watch the tide,” Sun Dandan said with a smile. For the past two days, they had already explored the bustling parts of Shencheng.

Especially the malls—everything inside was so expensive.

Wu Yunqian paused. ”If we’re going to Xiao Jing’s house, should we bring a gift?”

Dai Wencui thought for a moment before saying, ”Let’s buy some fruit or candy.”

Sun Dandan nodded. ”We can pool our money. I doubt she’ll mind if our gift is a little modest. After all, we’re all just poor students.”

Dai Wencui, who was closest to Han Xiaoqing, said with a smile, ”Xiao Jing wouldn’t be like that. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have invited us over in the first place.”

Han Xiaoqing’s clothes weren’t brand new. They were hand-me-downs from her older sister, but they still looked great.

The things she used were also the nicest in the dorm, and her demeanor was always calm and composed.

They were all curious about what kind of upbringing could have cultivated a personality like Han Xiaoqing’s.

「The next morning, they set out.」

At the university, they ran into some classmates who were also heading to the seaside, specifically to Jinshan Bay.

So they all decided to go together. Their original group of three swelled to a party of ten, a mix of men and women.

Dai Wencui scratched her head, worried that Han Xiaoqing would be unhappy with so many people tagging along.

But these people were also going to watch the tide, and they were all on the same bus. If they didn’t go together, they’d have to wait half an hour for the next one, which would be a waste of time.

Wu Yunqian whispered, ”Will Xiao Jing think we brought too many people?”

Sun Dandan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ”We didn’t expect this either. We’ll just have to explain it to Xiao Jing when we get there.”

After an hour and a half on the bus, they finally arrived at Jinshan Bay.

Han Xiaoqing was wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, a khaki trench coat, blue jeans, and a pair of simple white sneakers.

Her long hair was done up in two pigtail braids.

The wind was strong by the sea. If you didn’t tie your hair up, you’d end up looking like a madwoman.

Han Xiaoqing was quite tall, and she cut a graceful and elegant figure as she stood at the bus stop.

Sun Dandan pointed at Han Xiaoqing. ”Wow, Xiao Jing is so beautiful. She’s prettier than the posters of Hong Kong starlets I bought.”

Wu Yunqian nodded. ”Compared to Han Xiaoqing, we’re just a couple of country girls.”

Wu Yunqian, who was from Nanjing, actually came from a fairly well-off family, but there was still a noticeable gap when compared to Han Xiaoqing.

Sun Dandan sighed. ”I’m from a working-class family; I’m lucky just to have decent clothes to wear. When I saw Xiao Jing and her sister at the start of the semester, I felt like I was looking at young ladies from the great, historic families of Old Shencheng City.”

Thanks to all the time she spent with Han Xiaorui, Han Xiaoqing had cultivated a very unique aura of her own.

It wasn’t that Han Xiaoqing was extravagant. She simply had a sister who loved to shop.

The entire outfit she was wearing today consisted of clothes her sister no longer wore and had given to her.

She had a huge trunk full of them at home. There was no need for her to buy any clothes at all.

Her sister loved to shop, and she now had a fiancé who was about to become her brother-in-law and spoiled her rotten. As soon as autumn arrived, he went out and bought over a dozen fall outfits from the mall that he thought would suit her.

Complete outfits, from head to toe, none of them the same.

When her sister offered to buy her clothes, Han Xiaoqing immediately refused. She was determined to maintain a similar figure to her sister’s so she could get all of her hand-me-downs and not be wasteful.

”Xiao Jing!” Sun Dandan waved enthusiastically. The bus window was open, and they could see Han Xiaoqing.

Han Xiaoqing smiled and waved back at them.

When they got off the bus, she was surprised to see it wasn’t just her three dorm-mates.

Dai Wencui looked embarrassed and quickly explained, ”On our way here, we were waiting for the bus at the university gate and ran into some classmates who were also coming to watch the tide, so...”

Han Xiaoqing understood and smiled. ”It’s no problem. The more, the merrier! Welcome, everyone. Come on, let’s go to my place first for a drink of water, and then I’ll take you all out.”

Hearing that Han Xiaoqing wasn’t angry, the three girls breathed a sigh of relief.

A guest shouldn’t bring another guest; that was the rule.

It had just been too much of a coincidence.

Luckily, Han Xiaoqing was gracious about it. Anyone else might have gotten angry.

A tall male student stepped forward. ”Hello, my name is Yun Shan. I’m from the Northeast. Sorry for intruding like this!”

Han Xiaoqing smiled. ”Don’t worry about it. All are welcome. I’ll take you all to see the tide and forage on the tidal flats in a bit.”

Another male student said with a friendly laugh, ”Hello, Han Xiaoqing. I’m Zhao Guangxing, from Yunnan. It’s great to meet you.”

Han Xiaoqing smiled. ”Hello, everyone. We’re all fellow students, so there’s no need to be so formal. Follow me. We just have to cut through the village to get there.”

Sun Dandan was curious and kept asking questions.

Han Xiaoqing answered them one by one.

Sun Dandan sighed in admiration. ”Great Shencheng City really lives up to its reputation for being wealthy. Even in your village, though not every family has a modern, multi-story home, at least half of them do.”

Dai Wencui nodded in agreement. ”Back in my hometown, you’re considered well-off if you have a tile-roofed house. Goodness, a modern house like these... I couldn’t even dream of it.”

Wu Yunqian smiled. ”There are quite a few back in my hometown, but not nearly as many as in Shencheng.”

Han Xiaoqing explained, ”Actually, not everywhere in Shencheng is this well-off. Jinshan Bay is right by the sea, and in the old days, nearly every family here owned a fishing boat.”

”After the economy opened up, seafood could be sold on the free market, so everyone started earning more. When they made money, they wanted to build houses and buy land. Since buying land isn’t permitted, they just focused on building bigger houses.”

The male students were also looking around, unable to take it all in.

One student, who had come all the way from Qinghai for university, was filled with envy.

Han Xiaorui was playing a game with Pingping and An’an. Seeing her younger sister arrive with so many classmates, she paused in surprise. ”Hello, everyone. I’m Han Xiaoqing’s older sister, Han Xiaorui. Welcome to Jinshan Bay to watch the tide.”

They had thought Han Xiaoqing was beautiful, but seeing Han Xiaorui left them utterly spellbound by her heavenly beauty.

”Hello,” Sun Dandan said politely. ”Sorry to intrude. We bought some White Rabbit candies for you. It’s just a small gift, but we hope you’ll accept it.”

Han Xiaorui smiled and accepted the gift. ”You’re all too kind. Pingping, An’an, say thank you to the aunties and uncles.”

”Thank you,” Pingping and An’an said, a little shy with so many strangers in their home.

Han Xiaoqing, shouldering her bag, said, ”Sis, I’m taking my classmates out.”

”Go ahead, I’ve already made all the arrangements. You can go watch the tide first, and later you can take a boat out fishing or go foraging on the small island.” Han Xiaorui nodded. ”If you get on the boat, you must wear life jackets. Don’t forget.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”Got it.”

With so many people, it would be difficult to host them all at the house.

Besides, Ye Feng was bringing his family over later, so it wouldn’t be convenient to host so many students anyway.

”Oh, right,” Han Xiaorui added, ”I already spoke to the people at the ornamental fish farm. For lunch, take your classmates there to eat. They’ll have more than enough seafood for everyone.” The cafeteria there was large, making it the most suitable place to host them.

Han Xiaoqing smiled. ”I know, Sis.”

”Thank you, Sister Han!” The students thanked her profusely, amazed at how wealthy Han Xiaoqing’s family was.

’She’s rich, beautiful, and a diligent student at the university... she’s just too perfect.’

The female students were filled with envy, while the male students were already starting to develop crushes on her.

After watching Han Xiaoqing lead her classmates away, Han Xiaorui immediately made a call to the ornamental fish farm.

Liu Xiangnan answered the phone. ”Sister Han, what can I do for you?”