Chen Jingle didn’t leave the Teacher College immediately after escaping the sports field.
It was breakfast time, and it wasn’t like there was no food on campus. Why bother going outside to buy some? He planned to experience the breakfast at the Teacher College’s cafeteria. He had noticed the cafeteria’s location when he passed by earlier. Currently, it seemed only one cafeteria was fully renovated and open for business.
He decisively headed over.
Upon entering, he was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, the environment is pretty nice. I just wonder how the food is."
Despite its ordinary exterior, the interior was quite impressive. The decor’s style could almost rival that of some star-rated hotel restaurants. The seating arrangement was also quite interesting. There were traditional rectangular tables for four, large round tables for groups, and even single bar stools.
He thought, "Truly not bad. It’s much better than the cafeteria from when I was a student, which was filled entirely with stainless steel seats."
Another commendable aspect was the open kitchen design. Students could clearly see the kitchen staff’s cooking process. Even the steamed buns were freshly made and steamed on the spot.
It was just that there was still a construction wheelbarrow in the corner... EMMM...
Chen Jingle stared at the menu boards for quite a while before deciding what he wanted to eat.
He didn’t have a meal card? What kind of problem was that? He would just randomly grab a passing male college student for help!
"Hello there, Junior. I forgot my meal card. Could you help me swipe yours? I’ll transfer the money to you on WeChat." Chen Jingle smiled and blocked a male student’s path.
Finding someone to help also required skill. Those with darker skin, carrying a backpack, and walking briskly were obviously honest kids at first glance—exactly like he was back in college.
Sure enough, the student was stunned for a moment before immediately agreeing, "Sure, no problem."
"Thanks!"
See, there were still many kind-hearted people these days.
After using the meal card and transferring the money, Chen Jingle handed over a box of breakfast milk. "I bought an extra bottle just now. You wouldn’t mind helping me share the burden, right?"
"Ah?! No need, no need..." The male student quickly waved his hands.
"Just take it. I can’t drink that much, and there’s no reason in the world to help someone for free." Chen Jingle chuckled and stuffed the milk into the other’s hands.
Alas, the guy was too thin-skinned. It was one thing not to know how to refuse others, but to help someone without accepting a reward? Wasn’t that just pure free labor? He would definitely suffer a big loss once he entered society in the future.
"Thank you, Senior!" The male student was a bit embarrassed but still accepted it.
Chen Jingle noticed that this student’s breakfast consisted of one meat bun and one plain mantou. He hadn’t bought soy milk, and there was a plastic water bottle in the side pocket of his backpack. By the looks of it, he clearly didn’t plan on eating in the cafeteria. A young man around twenty eating so little would definitely be hungry before ten o’clock.
As for Chen Jingle himself, he got two meat buns, a bowl of beef brisket rice noodles, and a box of yogurt. Considering he was covered in smelly sweat from his run, he decisively found a secluded corner to sit so he wouldn’t affect the other students’ appetites. This story is hosted at g.com.
The breakfast tasted average, but its saving grace was that it was piping hot. Taking a bite of the bun followed by a chopstick full of noodles, he finished everything, including the soup. He felt his body had recovered more than half of its energy.
He had to admit, the energy consumption from running was indeed higher than simply doing push-ups, squats, and jump rope at home.
"Let’s go! Time to head home."
He had originally wanted to stroll around the campus a few more times, but he was out of time. Next time, then. From the looks of it so far, this new Teacher College campus was pretty good.
However, just as his electric scooter exited the school gates, he bumped into Chen Xiuyun.
It was Chen Xiuyun who spotted Chen Jingle first. She had just arrived at the school gate on her electric scooter and was about to enter when she unexpectedly saw Chen Jingle riding out on his. She paused in surprise for a moment before exclaiming, "Chen Jingle?! Why are you here?"
Before her words even faded, she had already burst out laughing with a loud HAHA. She really loved to laugh, constantly breaking into a HAHA at the drop of a hat.
Chen Jingle only noticed Chen Xiuyun when he heard someone call his name. He was also taken aback for a second before grinning. "I came to borrow your school’s sports field for a run."
"You? Running?" Chen Xiuyun was stunned.
The sun really had risen from the west today. Was this still the Chen Jingle she knew? He didn’t have to work, and instead of sleeping in until noon at home, why was he out running so early? He clearly had too much time on his hands!
However, looking at the sweat that had soaked a large patch of his shirt, he probably wasn’t lying.
Chen Jingle wore a helpless expression. "Isn’t it normal to exercise occasionally?"
"EWW!" Chen Xiuyun looked at him with disgust. "You’re already this skinny, and you’re still running? Shouldn’t you do anaerobic exercises to build muscle first?"
"I’m doing that too."
"That’s more like it. Have you had breakfast?"
"I’ve eaten. I just had it at your school’s cafeteria—buns and beef brisket rice noodles."
Chen Xiuyun’s eyes widened. "Where did you get a meal card?"
"I borrowed one from a student at your school and transferred the money to him. To be honest though, the food at the cafeteria is pretty average." Chen Jingle moved his electric scooter to the side so as not to block anyone’s way.
"Duh, how good can a school cafeteria be? It’s not like you haven’t been to college; it’s all about affordability. If you want a proper meal, there’s a Hong Kong-style roast meat place that tastes decent. The portions are generous, the price isn’t expensive, and a two-meat combo is only twelve yuan."
"Ah, I can’t talk anymore, I’m going to be late! Message me on WeChat if you need anything. Gotta go, bye-bye!" Chen Xiuyun glanced at her watch and panicked. She hurriedly waved her hand before speeding off on her electric scooter.
"Yeah, bye."
Chen Jingle chuckled involuntarily. With such a flighty personality, when would she ever become a bit more steady?
Chen Xiuyun drove her electric scooter at top speed all the way. After parking, she jogged into the academic building and finally managed to clock in right before the bell rang.
She let out a long breath. She didn’t dare stay up late binge-watching shows anymore; it was too easy to get hooked and impossible to wake up in the morning.
During the few seconds she stood still in front of the punch clock, passing students occasionally greeted her.
"Good morning, Teacher Chen."
"Good morning, Sister Xiuyun."
Chen Xiuyun smiled and nodded in response to all of them. Wiping away nonexistent sweat, she quickly slipped into the adjacent counselors’ office.
By this time, the other teachers in the office had already arrived. After greeting everyone with a smile, Chen Xiuyun sat down at her desk. She casually fiddled with the California Gold bougainvillea sitting beside her.
It was the same pot she had taken from Chen Jingle’s house earlier. She had brought it to the school and even swapped it into a new, prettier pot. It was now a beautiful piece of scenery in the office.
Li Zhenhuai, the counselor for the sophomores and the college’s Youth League branch secretary, laughed and said, "Nowadays, when Teacher Xiuyun enters the office, she can put everything else aside, but the very first thing she has to do is look at her flower."
His words drew the attention of the others.
Sitting opposite her, Liu Wei, the counselor for the juniors, chuckled. "It’s normal for someone who graduated with a degree in landscape architecture to like flowers and plants. Say what you will, but when it comes to raising flowers, she’s definitely better than the rest of us."
Liang Fei, the deputy Youth League branch secretary and counselor for the seniors, spoke up in standard Cantonese-accented Mandarin. "Xiuyun’s flower pot is indeed quite beautiful. It’s so bright and golden; of course it deserves to be well taken care of."
"..."
The office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Faced with such teasing, Chen Xiuyun wasn’t annoyed at all. Instead, she felt quite proud. After all, when she had brought it in on the first day, the flower had been surrounded by everyone. It was incredibly popular, so much so that even many students in their college knew about it.