Chapter 244
It was just that Dahlia and Morwenna weren’t quite at that level of friendship yet.
Dahlia was reserved, so even giving Morwenna a heads–up was the best she could do. There was no way she’d go out of her way to offer
help.
Morwenna remembered it but didn’t stress too much about the situation. She always believed in the power of reason.
Before long, Lorna returned, drenched in sweat from playing basketball, and headed to the shower after a brief huff upon seeing the two chatting.
Meanwhile, Dahlia lay down to scroll through her phone.
The dorm grew quiet.
It was about Morwenna’s bedtime, but she pulled out a book instead..
Morwenna wasn’t one for phones or video games. Most of her time was for work, and she spent it reading.
Growing up in the mountains, Morwenna cherished even the most tattered books. Upon arriving in Rosefrost Hollow, she found the prices at the local bookstore too expensive. She couldn’t justify buying many, but thankfully, the university library was free, a small slice of heaven for her.
She often thought of Melvin and wondered how thrilled he would have been to know she had access to an endless supply of books.
After reading quietly for a while, Morwenna glanced at the clock. It was 11 PM. She yawned, fought the urge to continue reading, and put the book down..
But she wasn’t ready for bed yet. She took out some cashmere yarn and knitting needles instead. She had promised to knit a sweater for Stuart before the weather turned chilly, and she dedicated an hour each day to the task.
An hour later, Morwenna decided it was time to sleep after rubbing her sore neck. Any later, and she’d be groggy for classes the next day.
Glancing around the dorm, Dahlia was still on her phone, and Lorna seemed to be gaming on her laptop. Both of them appeared wide
awake.
Morwenna drew her bed curtains closed and tried to sleep. As she lay there, she pondered whether to ask Stuart for help with a problem an upperclassman had approached her about. Stuart was well–connected in Rosefrost Hollow, and she was confident he could find the right person for the job.
With that thought, Morwenna drifted off to sleep.
Morwenna was up at 6 AM the next day, trying not to disturb her still–sleeping roommates as usual. She knew their habits well by then. They’d skip breakfast and sleep in if they had no morning classes. And then, they would stay up late at night.
She tiptoed out and headed for the cafeteria, where the food was incredibly affordable. Breakfast was two pancakes and a cup of milk for just three dollars, an absolute bargain.
After eating, Morwenna found a quiet corner and pulled out a language book, practicing her heavily accented, somewhat awkward spoken French.
Her French was weak. Back in the hills, her school had no foreign teacher, and it wasn’t until high school in town that she began learning the language. Her high school teacher had a thick local accent, which didn’t help much. Despite her efforts, without access to videos, audio learning, or conversation practice, she could only rely on rote memorization from textbooks. It resulted in a poor showing in French on her college entrance exams, especially in speaking, which was her weakest point.
So, she made it a point to practice speaking French aloud in a quiet corner every morning, following the advice that speaking was the key to learning a language.
Her practice was abruptly interrupted by snickers from nearby.
“Listen to that accent. It’s like she’s straight out of the countryside,” one voice jeered.
“With that kind of French, she’d be a laughingstock anywhere she went. And to think she was chosen as the representative,” another interrupted mockingly.