Chapter 35 Student Loans and Summer Vacation

In mid-June, the temperature in Oxford Town rose to over thirty degrees, and the scorching sun baked the town's two-block-long main street.

Students began to leave the school one after another.

Mu Xin stood in front of the window on the third floor of the Morris Building, watching the young people pulling their suitcases toward the school gate, his expression more solemn than usual.

Jessica pushed the door open, holding a stack of printed documents in her hand.

"This is the quarterly report for the Water Plant that Tobias just sent over." She placed the documents on the table.

"The Water Plant's revenue is stable, income and expenses are basically balanced, and there is a small surplus on the books."

"Richard's campaign team is also mostly assembled, and Michael OBrien has sent over the preliminary voter analysis report."

"Also, there is some good news: Jimmy's case has been officially accepted by the state prosecutor."

"The legal team Richard hired has already started organizing evidence, preparing to submit it to the court."

Mu Xin nodded without turning around.

Jessica sensed that something was wrong with him, walked to the window, and followed his gaze down.

Those students dragging their suitcases were in twos and threes; some were hugging and saying goodbye, some were calling Ubers on their phones, and some were already waiting on the roadside for the shuttle to the Cincinnati airport.

"Summer vacation has started." Jessica said softly, "It's like this every year."

"I know." Mu Xin's voice was very calm, "But I cannot let it stay like this forever."

He glanced at the system panel.

[Current population of Oxford Town: 22,971]

[USD issued today: 22,971,000]

[Note: USD can only be used in Oxford Town]

The population was nearly a hundred people less than at the peak.

Those students who left were counted once in the system; once they left, the population decreased, and the daily USD income decreased accordingly.

Although a change of a few million dollars meant nothing to Mu Xin, it was a signal.

A dangerous signal.

The reason Oxford Town had a population of over 20,000 was not because of any industry or attraction, but because Miami University was here.

When students come, the population rises.

When students leave, the population falls.

Every summer, Oxford Town seemed to be emptied out; there were two-thirds fewer pedestrians on the street, business at restaurants and bars plummeted, and even the town forum became deserted.

Mu Xin sat in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desktop.

"Jessica, how much do you know about student loans for American college students?"

Jessica was taken aback, not expecting Mu Xin to suddenly ask this question.

"I know a little." She sat in the chair opposite him and thought for a moment.

"When I was in law school at Columbia, I had a full scholarship and didn't have any student loans."

"But many of my classmates did. Some had tens of thousands, others had over a hundred thousand, or even two hundred thousand."

"Do you know the current average data?" Mu Xin asked.

Jessica shook her head, took out her phone to ask GPT, and her brows gradually furrowed.

"According to the latest data from the Federal Reserve Bank, the total student loan debt in the United States has reached 1.84 trillion dollars." She read the numbers on the screen.

"The average federal student loan balance per borrower exceeds thirty-nine thousand dollars, close to forty thousand dollars."

"Forty thousand?" Mu Xin's eyebrows raised slightly.

"And that's just the average." Jessica continued scrolling down.

"Tuition for some majors and schools is more expensive, and it's not rare for graduates of medical schools and law schools to carry two hundred thousand dollars in debt."

"More importantly, in 2025, over 25% of student loan borrowers are delinquent, which means one in four people cannot pay back the money."

"And student loans are something that you basically cannot get rid of even if you file for bankruptcy; the debt will follow you for the rest of your life. Many people are still paying off the student loans they took out at twenty when they are in their forties."

She put down her phone and looked at Mu Xin: "Why are you asking about this?"

Mu Xin didn't answer directly but stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote down a set of data:

Total US student loans: 1.84 trillion dollars

Average debt per borrower: approximately 40,000 dollars

Delinquency rate: 25%

Annual interest rate: 4% to 8%

"These students come to college carrying loans ranging from ten or twenty thousand to over a hundred thousand, or even a million."

Mu Xin turned around, looking at the numbers on the whiteboard, "It's not even certain whether they can find a job after graduation, let alone pay back the loans."

"Many students start working part-time from their freshman year. Waiting tables, delivering food, tutoring, working as cashiers—they do everything."

"Summer vacation is the best time for them to make money. Two months of time, no classes, they can work full-time; some people even work two or three jobs."

"However," Mu Xin paused, "there are too few summer jobs available for them in Oxford Town."

"Restaurants, bars, and supermarkets in town, their turnover drops by at least half once summer vacation starts, so they don't need extra hands at all."

"So they can only go to other places. Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, or even further away."

Jessica finally understood what Mu Xin meant.

"You want to create job opportunities for them in Oxford Town?" Her eyes lit up, "During summer vacation and winter break?"

"Not just during summer vacation." Mu Xin shook his head, "But starting from summer vacation."

"If they can earn enough money in Oxford Town, why would they go to other places?"

"Work locally, consume locally, live locally."

"As long as they stay, even if it's just for one or two months longer, the population of Oxford Town won't plummet like it does now."

Jessica was silent for a few seconds, then asked: "What kind of jobs do you plan to provide them?"

Mu Xin walked to the desk, took a map out of the drawer, and spread it out on the desktop.

It was a map of southwestern Ohio, and Oxford Town was circled in red.

To the northeast of Oxford Town, about five miles away, there was an area marked in green.

"What is this?" Jessica leaned over to look.

"Hueston Woods State Park." Mu Xin tapped his finger on the green area, "Hueston Woods State Park."

Jessica was stunned for a moment.

"I know this place." She said, "My dad took me boating there when I was a kid."

"There is a large artificial lake, hiking trails, a small golf course, and a hotel."

"Exactly." Mu Xin nodded, "But the park is far from fully developed."

"The current hotel only has ninety-six rooms, the facilities are old, the service is average, and it remains half-idle for most of the year."

"I want to build a brand-new luxury resort hotel there."

Jessica's eyes widened suddenly.

"A luxury resort hotel? Built next to Oxford Town?"