Chinese people had an obsession with property ownership.

Xia Xiaolan was no exception.

Whether for living or investment, when she had a similar sum of money in hand, and Beijing’s houses were as cheap as cabbages, crying out to be snatched up at bargain prices – Xia Xiaolan couldn’t remain unmoved.

The red leaves at Xiangshan were beautiful.

She felt she had completed her sketching homework well, but her thoughts drifted to buying a house in Beijing.

It was only four o’clock when they returned from Xiangshan, and Xia Xiaolan cycled to the bank branch where she kept her money.

“Miss Xia!”

Teller Ma greeted her enthusiastically.

Xia Xiaolan guessed Teller Ma’s connections weren’t sufficient, so she bypassed him and went straight to Director Wu. She ignored Teller Ma’s disappointment – she wasn’t here to chat or seek flattery, she was here to get things done, so naturally she needed to find the capable Director Wu.

Director Wu thought she was here to ask about that batch of books.

Books worth 15,000 yuan – she should have come to inquire. Director Wu had expected Xia Xiaolan earlier, but wealthy young ladies could be patient. A week had passed since National Day.

Truthfully, he found Xia Xiaolan’s face familiar.

But he couldn’t keep staring at a young lady.

“Miss Xia, the Xinhua Bookstore said your requested books have been gathered from Yunan and are ready to be sent to Anqing… Do you have any requirements about how to deliver them?”

They’d prepared all the books so quickly?

Director Wu was efficient – Xia Xiaolan felt increasingly certain that asking him to help find housing was correct!

How to deliver the books?

Just transport them to Anqing County First High School by truck.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“About the book donation – Xinhua Bookstore can arrange a donation ceremony with you. Though you’re studying in Beijing, they’ll ensure the books are delivered to Anqing County First High School with proper fanfare!”

Donating over ten thousand yuan worth of books, spending money freely – those who don’t care about money usually want recognition.

Thinking of the client’s interests, Director Wu was meticulous. He was familiar with such ceremonies and could easily outline a plan that left Xia Xiaolan stunned. Smart people existed in every era. Xia Xiaolan felt no shame in taking the ordinary path, and now she could better appreciate the benefits of building connections – without money to buy government bonds, why would a busy person like Director Wu waste time chatting with her?

“No need for a donation ceremony. Can you confirm the books can be delivered today? May I use the bank’s phone to notify Anqing? They just need to arrange for someone to receive them.”

A reasonable small request.

Here was a student spending money without seeking recognition – Director Wu’s eyes showed kindness: such an ideologically advanced student was the perfect target customer for government bonds.

The phone call was transferred to multiple levels before reaching Anqing First High School. It took half an hour before Principal Sun got to the phone.

Principal Sun was out of breath from running; his heavy breathing was audible through the receiver.

Xia Xiaolan wanted to laugh:

“Principal, you’ve troubled yourself answering this call.”

…

“No trouble at all! We’re all delighted you called!”

Principal Sun wasn’t lying.

He was indeed surrounded by people.

He had been called to answer the phone, but since most Anqing County First High School teachers lived in the same building as Principal Sun, when they heard Xia Xiaolan was calling from Beijing, several teachers rushed to the office with him.

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t a leader or important figure – she was just a student from Anqing.

But she kept bringing surprises and making the First High School teachers proud!

Though several days had passed, the teachers hadn’t gotten over their excitement and wanted to ask about the Tiananmen celebration. Xia Xiaolan explained about completing military training and being selected for Huaqing’s honor guard but said the positioning and close-up shots were coincidental… Principal Sun didn’t quite believe this, exchanging glances with the surrounding teachers: Xiaolan had always been this modest.

Principal Sun asked various questions for quite a while. Hearing that Xia Xiaolan was doing well at Huaqing, actively participating in activities, getting along with teachers and classmates, experiencing high-quality teaching, and gradually appreciating the charm of architecture as a major, he felt even more gratified.

Until Xia Xiaolan mentioned she was calling to remind the school about receiving the books she had arranged to send.

“You’ve been thinking about this? The library is still under renovation, so there’s no rush… Oh, good, good, the books will arrive today? I’ll have someone check them in.”

A few dozen books weren’t most important – what mattered was that a student they all believed in still cared about the school’s development. Principal Sun was deeply moved and, after giving Xia Xiaolan some advice, reluctantly hung up.

“These few dozen donated books must have come from Xiaolan’s living expenses. This gesture is more precious than the books themselves!”

Though knowing Xia Xiaolan wasn’t as poor as everyone thought, how much could a self-employed female student under 20 earn? Principal Sun didn’t imagine she could be a “ten-thousand-yuan household” – that was unrealistic!

When Xia Xiaolan said “a batch of books,” he estimated a few dozen.

Considering each book costs several yuan, even at their cheapest, several dozen books would cost two or three hundred yuan. In these times, who had money to spare? It must have come from Xiaolan’s careful savings.

The teachers unanimously agreed with Principal Sun’s assessment.

Everyone had wanted to talk with Xia Xiaolan earlier, but Principal Sun monopolized the receiver. Long-distance calls from Beijing to Anqing weren’t cheap, so everyone held back. Having assumed “a batch of books” meant just dozens, when Xinhua Bookstore’s staff delivered the books for Principal Sun’s signature – he couldn’t even hold his pen steady.

“Comrade, could you please repeat that? How many books in total?”

“4,362 books.”

How could there be over 4,000 books?

“Are they all new?”

The bookstore staff was more excited than Principal Sun. “All brand new, gathered one by one from our warehouses according to the list. None have been displayed on shelves or browsed. How could they not be new? To collect this batch, all our branches in Yunan Province searched their warehouses, and dozens were even transferred from other regions…”

Which one wasn’t new?

When orders came from above, people ran their legs off, yet still faced doubt. Can’t get angry – who knows the background of the book donor? Can’t get angry with this high school principal. Deep breath, stay calm!

The typical attitude of Xinhua Bookstore staff was well-known – just look at department store clerks and state-owned restaurant servers from the same period.

Principal Sun, who often went to bookstores to read books, understood this particularly well.

What he thought would be dozens of books suddenly became over four thousand. He had to call for help to verify each book against the list.

But how could Xiaolan donate so many books?

How much money did this cost?!

…

Principal Sun was caught between sweet confusion and burden.

In Beijing, Director Wu shared similar feelings.

His wealthy and ideologically conscious Miss Xia made an irrefutable request after hanging up the phone.

“Director Wu, I’d like to buy another 3,000 yuan worth of government bonds.”

Director Wu had never heard someone voluntarily ask to buy government bonds. The request was like heavenly music, leaving him unsure he’d heard correctly, but his mouth moved faster than his brain, completely beyond his control:

“…Miss Xia, what assistance can we provide you?”