The Two Words "Thank You"

At a busy intersection, while waiting for the red light, Li Na glanced through the rearview mirror at Mo Jingchun in the back seat, holding the child.

Jing University, one of the country's top institutions, had certainly admitted orphaned students before. Over the years, there had been quite a few.

But a student whose parents had both died, bringing along a baby under one year old—this was Jing University's first time dealing with such a case.

After the school's Academic Affairs Office received Mo Jingchun's call and learned the details from his high school, the school and faculty leaders held an overnight meeting.

Given Mo Jingchun's circumstances, the faculty had initially planned to provide him with a single dorm room. After all, the other students might not be willing to share a four-person room, and the baby was a girl, so living together would not have been appropriate.

"Let Mo Jingchun and his younger sister stay in the apartment the school assigned me. I hardly stay there anyway."

The moment Li Na said that in the Meeting Room, the entire room fell so silent that a pin could have been heard dropping.

"I think that'll work."

"Makes sense."

What else could they say? She was a little rich lady. During her first year at the university, she had bought a more than 160-square-meter apartment in the residential complex across from campus.

The trip from the station to the university was only a little over twenty kilometers, but Li Na drove stop-and-go for more than an hour.

She occasionally took this route herself. Under normal circumstances, fifty minutes would have been the absolute maximum.

Looking through the window, Mo Jingchun noticed that there were already many people on campus.

"Your seniors started returning to campus bit by bit a week ago. And during summer break, many students choose to stay at school. Once you've been here for a while, you'll understand."

Mo Jingchun nodded. Unless something unexpected happened, he would not be going back during future summer breaks either. He would probably only return home during winter break for the New Year.

No matter what, he still had to go back for the New Year.

Li Na parked outside the Apartment Building. After engaging the parking brake, she turned back with a smile. "We're here. Get out."

Mo Jingchun had just gotten out and walked around to the back when he saw Li Na, his counselor, effortlessly lift the suitcase—which felt extremely heavy to him—out of the trunk with one hand. Then she took out the Baby Carriage.

Li Na flicked her hair and saw Mo Jingchun standing there dumbfounded. She laughed foolishly. "I'm a regular at the gym. If you keep working out, this much weight will be nothing to you. Even if you don't work out, in another year or two, it still won't be much to you."

"Come on. The dorm is on the sixth floor."

After following his counselor into the Apartment Building, Mo Jingchun felt that something was off.

When he saw the elevator, he froze for a moment. Did all Jing University dormitories have elevators? Why had no one mentioned that when he searched online?

It was not until his counselor opened the door that Mo Jingchun was completely stunned. He finally understood why he had felt something was wrong downstairs.

First, despite all the students moving around campus, he had not seen a single person in this apartment building. Second, it was quiet—far too quiet.

"Come in!"

Mo Jingchun replied awkwardly.

"Teacher, this isn't a student dormitory, is it? I read online that Jing University dorms are four-person rooms with bunk beds."

"Oh, you did your homework, huh?" Li Na teased.

"Alright, come in. This really isn't an undergraduate four-person dormitory. This is the Teacher Apartment Building, and I'm currently using it."

After closing the door, Li Na led Mo Jingchun to the room on the right side of the entrance. "You and your younger sister will live in this room from now on. I'll be in the room next door, but I won't be staying here most of the time. I might only stay three or four days a month."

"Oh, right. Aside from my room, which you're not allowed to enter, I don't have any other requirements. You can use the kitchen too."

"But... you need to keep the apartment clean, alright? Otherwise, I'll get angry. And when I get angry, the consequences are serious."

"In a few days, there'll be a half-month New Student Military Training. I suggest you participate." Li Na paused before adding, "I'll watch your younger sister for you then. As for your decision, just let me know before the fifth."

"You can bring your younger sister to class with you normally. I've already spoken with all the instructors teaching this semester, and they have no problem with it. Of course, even though they agreed, you still need to be careful. Well, the condition is that she can't cry or fuss during class."

"Oh, and you'll need to pay the water, electricity, and winter heating bills here yourself. I'll send you the account information later."

Resting her chin on her hand, Li Na tried to remember. "Let me think if there's anything else I haven't mentioned."

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to think. I'll tell you when I remember something." She rolled her neck. "Go tidy up your room. Your freshman package is in the big blue bag in the Living Room. The bedding and everything else are inside. I'll go get you some food from the cafeteria."

Mo Jingchun held his younger sister, Candy, and listened to his counselor talk for a long time without showing the slightest impatience.

Just as Li Na turned to leave for the cafeteria and pick up some food, Mo Jingchun spoke.

"Teacher."

"Mm?"

"Thank you."

Li Na waved her hand. "It's nothing. I haven't really done much. But if you truly want to thank me, study hard. If one day your teacher can be proud of you, that'll be the greatest thanks you can give me."

"Still, I do like hearing that."

After Li Na left, the room became quiet again. Mo Jingchun did not immediately start tidying up. Instead, he stood there in a daze for a while.

In less than two months, he seemed to have said thank you more times than he had in all the previous dozen-plus years.

After placing the reluctant Candy into the Baby Carriage, Mo Jingchun began tidying up.

Inside the green bag were two quilts, a mattress pad, pillows, pillowcases, and more. It basically covered all the necessary daily supplies.

"Yah yah yah~"

Candy bounced around in the Baby Carriage, babbling away.

Mo Jingchun glanced at her. As he continued making the bed, he smiled and said, "Brother."

"Yah yah yah~"

"Brother."

"Yah yah yah~"

"Brother."

Mo Jingchun patiently taught Candy to speak over and over again.

The moment Li Na returned from the cafeteria and entered, she heard the two of them repeating the same exchange. The smile on her face slowly faded, replaced by a trace of heartache.

When other children learned their first words, wasn't it always Father or Mother? But for this Little One, it had become Brother.

Knock knock knock~

Hearing the knocking, Mo Jingchun turned around and saw his counselor standing in the doorway.

"Eat first. You can finish tidying up after you eat." Li Na raised the food in her hand.

Mo Jingchun nodded. "Alright, Teacher."

After handing the food to Mo Jingchun, Li Na said:

"I'll be going now. Call me if you need anything."

A few minutes later, Li Na returned. "I forgot to give you the keys."