Dormitories

Dai Mubai led the newly minted "little monsters" toward the so-called dormitory area. The farther they walked, the more remote the path became, and the shabbier the houses looked. By the time they arrived, even the ever-optimistic Xiao Wu could no longer smile.

Before them stood only a few crooked wooden huts. Most of the plaster had peeled off the walls, and the sparse thatch on the roofs shed debris whenever the wind blew. Few windows were intact; some had been nailed shut with broken boards, while others were simply dark holes.

"Here we are." Dai Mubai gestured with his chin. "The two rooms on the left are empty. I'm in the one on the right. You know the rules—boys and girls separate." After saying that, he yawned, pushed open the door to the room on the right, and went inside, leaving the group standing there.

Ning Rongrong was the first to lose it. Looking at her delicate skirt and the ruin before her, her eyes reddened again. "H-How can anyone live here?" Her voice carried a sob.

Xiao Wu was far more easygoing. She leaned toward a broken window and peered inside before turning around. "Looks like... there are two plank beds? They're just a little dusty."

Oscar let out a mournful sigh and dropped onto an overturned, broken barrel nearby. "A hundred Gold Soul Coins, and we get to live in a place like this? Dean Flender is way too stingy!"

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing. With a cold expression, she walked to the door of the second room on the left and gave it a push. The wooden door let out a miserable creak and swung open unsteadily. She glanced inside, her brow furrowing even deeper, but she still silently walked in.

Tang San swept his gaze over the area, looking calm, as if he had expected this all along. He looked at Xiao Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wu. "Let's get it cleaned up enough to live in first."

Xiao Xiaoxiao nodded and sighed inwardly. The conditions here were even worse than Granny Wang's home in Holy Spirit Village. She took Ning Rongrong's hand, while the latter was still pouting. "Come on, let's go see our 'boudoir.'"

When they pushed open the door to the first room on the left, a stale smell of mold mixed with dust rushed at them. The room was completely bare, with only two naked wooden plank beds and not even a mattress. Thick dust covered the floor, and cobwebs hung in the corners. The window paper had almost entirely rotted away, and cold wind howled inside.

Ning Rongrong stood at the doorway, unwilling to go in, tears dripping down her face.

"Oh, what are you crying for?" Xiao Wu bounced inside and wiped a hand across one of the plank beds, leaving five clear finger marks. "See? Just wipe it down and it'll be fine! We're Soul Masters. Are we really going to be stumped by something this small?"

Xiao Xiaoxiao rolled up her sleeves as well. "Xiao Wu's right. Rongrong, rest outside for a while. We'll clean up a little."

She walked to the window and looked at the gaping holes, frowning. "We can't let it draft like this at night. We need to find something to block them."

At some point, Tang San had come over, holding some dry thatch and several relatively intact old boards. "We'll make do with these for now. Tomorrow, I'll go into the village and see if I can find some tools and materials to fix it up."

Oscar also came over and pulled several thick hemp ropes from his Soul Tool. "Hehe, I've got some rope here too. We can use it to secure the boards."

The boys helped temporarily block up the worst windows and gave the room's dust a basic cleaning. Xiao Xiaoxiao tore apart an old piece of clothing she had brought and barely managed to use it as a rag to wipe down the plank beds.

After all that fuss, the place was finally somewhat presentable, though it was still pitifully bare.

Seeing everyone working so hard for her, Ning Rongrong was too embarrassed to keep crying. She softly said, "Thank you," and placed her small bundle on one of the cleaned plank beds.

The boys' room was in much the same condition. Oscar sighed and complained that the bed boards were too hard and painful to lie on. Tang San had already silently begun planning how to repair the broken door that would not close properly.

By evening, smoke curled up from cooking fires throughout the village, but Shrek Academy was cold and quiet. Flender had not mentioned food at all.

Dai Mubai emerged from his little hut with several dry flatbreads in hand and handed them out. "Make do with these. I bought them from Aunt Li in the village. If you want good food, earn some Gold Soul Coins and go eat at a restaurant in Suotuo City."

Xiao Wu took a flatbread and bit into it. It was so hard that it nearly chipped her teeth. "Boss Dai, the academy doesn't provide meals?"

Dai Mubai snorted. "In your dreams. You're responsible for your own food. Either make it yourself or buy it. As for money, figure it out yourselves."

Xiao Xiaoxiao silently gnawed on the dry, hard flatbread, washing it down with cold water from her waterskin. This life really was strange enough for 'monsters.' She secretly glanced at Tang San beside her. He ate calmly, as though the hard flatbread in his hand were some exquisite delicacy.

Late that night, the temperature dropped sharply. The cold wind slipped through the poorly sealed window cracks, making mournful whistling sounds.

Xiao Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wu squeezed together on one plank bed, covered with the thin quilts they had brought, yet they still shivered from the cold. Ning Rongrong curled up on the other bed, wrapping herself into a ball. Now and then, they could still hear her sniffling.

The boys' dorm next door was no better. They could hear Oscar tossing and turning, along with the faint sounds of Tang San occasionally getting up to inspect the doors and windows.

Xiao Xiaoxiao lay awake, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, her heart filled with mixed feelings. This was the Shrek Academy she had dreamed of? It was dilapidated and harsh, far beyond anything she had imagined.

But... when she turned her head, she could hear Xiao Wu's breathing gradually steady beside her. She could imagine that lean figure next door still studying by moonlight how to repair the doors and windows.

It was bitter and exhausting, but all seven of them were together. And she was so close to him.

A strange sense of security and inexplicable anticipation quietly replaced her initial disappointment and chill. She pulled the blanket tighter and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow would definitely be better. She believed it.