He called himself "Guai Guai," but we all called him "Guai Guai" for a different reason

Guaguai was my roommate.

He liked to call himself guai guai—something like "the well-behaved one"—but everyone around him ended up calling him guai guai in the other sense: a little odd, a little funny, and completely unforgettable.

Last night was one of the most comfortable sleeps I’ve had in a while. It was warm, which matters a lot in the middle of winter. When we first entered university, the school issued each of us one mattress pad and two quilts. That might have seemed enough at the time, but winter is winter. By morning, the heat inside the bedding is long gone, and getting out of bed feels brutal.

That is why the three of us remaining in the dorm are especially grateful to our classmate Guaguai. The reason we were able to divide up his three quilts among ourselves is simple: he left school to join the army.

The signs were there, but we didn’t understand them at first

At the start of the 2008 school year, Guaguai showed up without his glasses. He had gotten laser eye surgery, and when he came back he was wearing big dark sunglasses.

Then in November, he took leave to go home. At first, we thought he had gone back for some kind of blind date rumor—later we learned that was just nonsense passed around by other people. He went home twice, and we still didn’t realize what was actually happening.

One night, all four of us were lying in our beds in the dorm, talking as usual, when Guaguai suddenly said that he was going to suspend his studies and enlist. Only then did everything make sense. Those trips home hadn’t been for family matchmaking at all—he had gone back for the military physical and enlistment procedures.

He told us he would be leaving the very next day. He said he didn’t want to disappear without us knowing.

The four of us stayed in the dorm talking for a long time that night.

The next day, he was gone

When he left, all of us felt reluctant to see him go. After all, we had already lived together for more than two years.

Later on, he came back twice, and one of those times he even stayed the night in the dorm again. A few days before he officially departed, he returned wearing a blue military uniform. He handed each of us a cigarette from a pack of Zhonghua.

For the rest of our university years, he probably won’t have many chances to come back.

To be honest, he looked great in uniform. He’s over 185 cm tall, and the whole look suited him well. It’s a pity we didn’t take a photo at the time. That really was a missed opportunity.

Why we ended up with his quilts

When Guaguai left, he only took some of his clothes with him. Most of his other things stayed behind, and that is how the story of the three of us splitting up his quilts began.

So yes, with winter in full force, we accepted his quilts without much ceremony.

Thank you, Guaguai. We’ll make good use of them.

He joined the navy

Guaguai enlisted in the navy. At the moment, he is training in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and after that he may be sent to Chongming Island in Shanghai.

I hope he can withstand the tests of military life, become an excellent serviceman, and do something meaningful for the country.