Returning to the dormitory, the tension that had gripped her nerves while being with Jian Shen in the car finally began to ease. Lin Wanwan was both starving and exhausted. Although she had understood what the other two in the dorm had said earlier, she lacked the energy to argue back.
She should have been angry—at Jian Ming, at everything that had happened today. During the time she had endured the cold, waiting alone in the car, she had initially thought a lot, unable to make sense of it all, until she gradually grew numb.
“Xiaomin, do you have anything to eat?” Lin Wanwan slumped onto her friend’s shoulder, hanging onto her neck, her breath weak as she immediately asked for food.
From the moment she got into Jian Ming’s car after class during the day until now, she hadn’t had a single drop of water or bite to eat. She was so hungry that she couldn’t even muster the slightest bit of anger or resentment anymore. All she wanted was to eat something warm and filling and then quickly fall asleep.
“Yes, yes, yes! I was just about to make lotus root starch. Do you want some?” Mao Xiaomin pulled out a jar of homemade ground lotus root starch from a box under her bed. It was something her mother had prepared for her, and she had grown accustomed to having a little before bed each night.
“Yes! I’ll go get my cup.”
Lotus root starch requires boiling water to dissolve properly. Coincidentally, Lin Wanwan’s thermos hadn’t been refilled with hot water that day. She took off the eye-catching military coat, temporarily locked it away deep in her closet, and then picked up both her own and Mao Xiaomin’s thermoses. The two of them headed out together to fetch hot water.
Only after leaving the dorm did Lin Wanwan begin to tell Mao Xiaomin about what had happened that day.
“He just left you stranded halfway? And he hasn’t come back even this late? Is he out of his mind? Does he even know who his girlfriend is?”
Three consecutive questions made it clear that Mao Xiaomin was also furious. Lin Wanwan leaned against her, listless and weak. “Keep your voice down… Do you want everyone to hear? It’s too embarrassing.”
“Sorry, Wanwan. You must be really upset. Jian Ming has gone too far.” Mao Xiaomin was holding the lotus root starch jar and a lunchbox, unable to free her hands. Otherwise, she would have hugged Lin Wanwan to offer some comfort.
Upset?
For a moment, Lin Wanwan looked confused. Yes, she should have been upset.
During the time she had been dating Jian Ming, aside from the initial vanity, she had genuinely grown to like him. She had invested her emotions and time into being with him. It was only after Mao Xiaomin’s reminder that she belatedly realized just how hurt and sad she truly felt.
Her eyes grew hot, and Lin Wanwan quickly lowered her head. The hot water room was bustling with people coming and going, and she didn’t want anyone to see her crying.
The universities in Jingshi offered relatively good benefits for students, providing free hot water during three time slots each day—morning, noon, and evening—when students could fetch it. Lin Wanwan placed her thermos under the empty cast-iron faucet, turned on the somewhat stiff switch, and instantly, steaming hot water gushed out with a cloud of white vapor.
As the hot water faucet opened, a scalding stream rushed into the thermos. The flow grew stronger, and the sound became increasingly robust, bubbling and churning inside the thermos with a “gurgling” noise.
It masked the faint sound of Lin Wanwan discreetly sniffing back tears.
The boiler room was constantly heating water, making the temperature inside relatively high. Many people stood in the corners of the boiler room to chat and warm themselves. After Lin Wanwan and Mao Xiaomin filled their thermoses with hot water, they found a spot, took out the lotus root starch, poured it into the lunchbox, and mixed it with the hot water.
The spoon stirred continuously in a clockwise motion as the white lotus root starch gradually thickened into a sticky, translucent paste, releasing a faint, delicate sweetness.
When hunger struck fiercely, eating this warm, sweet lotus root starch, combined with the constant warmth in the hot water room, finally allowed the heart that had been on edge all day to settle into the stomach along with this comforting warmth. It was deeply satisfying.
“Mmm, your mom’s lotus root starch is really delicious.”
Mao Xiaomin wore a proud expression. “Right? I was a bit hesitant to offer it to you before because I noticed you usually don’t snack on things like this. My mom also packed me some sesame walnut powder—I’ll share some with you too, hehe.”
Being friends with Lin Wanwan, Mao Xiaomin rarely had the chance to treat her to anything. Wanwan often brought her delicious food, and Xiaomin had always wanted to return the favor. After all, friendship is about give and take. Unfortunately, she discovered that Lin Wanwan was quite picky about food and strictly controlled her diet to maintain her weight, so the opportunity never arose.
“Thank you, Xiaomin. If it weren’t for you, I’d have gone hungry tonight, wuwu.”
The cafeteria had long since closed. University cafeterias back then didn’t offer late-night snacks, and Lin Wanwan was never the type to stock up on pastries or biscuits in her dorm.
The two girls crouched in a corner of the hot water room, sharing a large lunchbox of lotus root starch. Heads close together, they whispered plenty of complaints about Jian Ming, calling him heartless and irresponsible. Whatever Lin Wanwan criticized, Mao Xiaomin echoed.
After venting like this, Lin Wanwan felt her mood lighten considerably.
“By the way, since Jian Ming left you alone before you even reached his home, what about the military coat you wore back?”
When Lin Wanwan was complaining to Mao Xiaomin earlier, she hadn’t thought to mention anything about Jian Shen. She felt he was someone unrelated to her future life and, aside from returning the coat, wouldn’t be involved again. As for an unfamiliar man, she didn’t see the need to discuss him further.
“It was Jian Ming’s older brother. He lent it to me when he brought me back. I’ll find an opportunity to return it to him next time.”
Mao Xiaomin let out a long “Oh—” and grabbed Lin Wanwan’s hand, wearing an expression that said her words were important. “Listen, you absolutely must not take the initiative to find Jian Ming to return the coat. You have to wait for him to come to you and apologize first, understand?”
Lin Wanwan knew Mao Xiaomin was genuinely on her side, considering her feelings. “Got it, got it. I won’t go looking for him on my own. As for the coat, I found out which unit his brother works at. On a day off, I’ll go to his workplace, leave it at the Security Section, and send a message. That should work.”
“Alright, I’ll go with you.”
There was something else Lin Wanwan didn’t voice aloud: she wanted to break up with Jian Ming and never see him again.
But Lin Wanwan didn’t say it outright. While her friend’s companionship and support were warm, she also wanted some time alone to sort through her feelings. That, she felt, was the respectful way to handle both herself and the end of this relationship.
She had always been stubborn. Once she decided to take the college entrance exam after arriving here, she was determined to aim for Jingshi, even though her pre-retake scores were already good enough to get into a university in her hometown.
On such an important day of meeting the parents, Jian Ming did not prioritize their relationship. Thinking pessimistically, given Jian Ming’s personality, he would definitely come to apologize and reconcile, buying gifts to cheer her up, and simply let the matter pass. If that were the case, then in the future, when living together and encountering any sudden emergencies, Jian Ming would still not place her at the forefront of his heart.
Lin Wanwan could not accept such a relationship.