Hua Tong looked exasperated. “What do you mean, ’come on’?”
Lin Zixuan pointed at the thermos beside her. ”Drink your medicine!”
Hua Tong looked at the thermos, then at her brother. Can someone please take me away? I don’t want to drink the medicine.
She looked at her brother with a pained expression. ”Ge, I’m already better. Can I skip the medicine?”
Lin Zixuan refused righteously. “No way. Sis, if you don’t drink it, I’m the one who’ll suffer when we get home.”
Seeing that refusal wasn’t working, Hua Tong tried another excuse. “Ge, this medicine has been sitting here all morning. It must be cold. Can’t drink it.”
Lin Zixuan opened the thermos and set it in front of her. Steam was still rising from it.
Hua Tong gave up on excuses, wearing an expression that said, I’m just not drinking it, what are you going to do about it? as she stared at Lin Zixuan.
Lin Zixuan immediately switched into coaxing mode. ”Tongtong, just drink it, please. If you don’t, your auntie really will kill me.”
Jiang Xianshu and Wen Yan watched the siblings nearly come to blows over medicine, both wondering—could it really be that bitter?
After all, neither of them had ever taken traditional Chinese medicine, so they had no idea how powerful it was.
Jiang Xianshu tried to help Lin Zixuan persuade her too. “That’s right, little sister. When you’re sick, you have to take your medicine. Drink it like a good girl and you’ll get better.”
Hua Tong looked at the two of them ganging up on her and got a little annoyed. “Do you have any idea how bitter this medicine is? Bitterer than goldthread, you know that?”
The two shook their heads. “No idea.” They’d never eaten goldthread, so how would they know whether it was bitter or not?
Hua Tong took two pairs of clean chopsticks, dipped each one just a tiny bit—just a tiny bit—into the thermos, then handed them over with a challenging look. “Do you two dare to taste it?”
Lin Zixuan snatched the chopsticks right away, boasting shamelessly. “Taste it? Fine, let’s see just how bitter it is.”
Lin Zixuan and Jiang Xianshu exchanged a glance, put the chopsticks in their mouths, and the next second, both wore masks of agony, immediately throwing the chopsticks away.
“Bitter—so bitter!” Lin Zixuan grabbed some water and started chugging.
Jiang Xianshu followed suit.
Three minutes later, the two wiped their mouths and shoved the thermos far away, their eyes full of terror. It really was bitter! So bitter it made them question their very existence.
Lin Zixuan wailed, “Sis, you’ve suffered so much. How did you ever drink all that medicine before?”
“I just downed it in one go.”
Jiang Xianshu still hadn’t recovered, muttering, “Terrifying. Chinese medicine is terrifying. I’m never drinking it again.”
Wen Yan watched the three of them staring fixedly at that little thermos as if they wished it would vanish, and he grew a bit skeptical. Could it really be that bitter?
So Wen Yan also took a chopstick, dipped it, and put it in his mouth. The next second, his expression completely fell apart. Bitter as hell!
Hua Tong quickly poured him a glass of water. Wen Yan downed it in one gulp, and the bitterness was finally washed down.
Wen Yan had been raised in luxury since childhood, the young master of the Wen family—he had never known hardship. Who would have thought his first taste of bitterness would be the bitterness of Chinese medicine?
Watching the three grown men eyeing the thermos in terror, Hua Tong couldn’t help bursting out laughing.
All right, the teasing was done, but the medicine still had to be drunk—after all, her auntie had prepared it all so carefully for her.
Hua Tong picked up the thermos and turned to Lin Zixuan. “Ge, start recording.”
Lin Zixuan hurriedly pulled out his phone and started recording.
She took a deep breath and downed it all in one go.
“Water, water,” Hua Tong said with a pained expression, reaching out for water.
Wen Yan immediately brought the prepared water to her lips. Hua Tong gripped his sleeve, took a sip, and came back to life.
Once she recovered, Hua Tong patted her pockets and realized she hadn’t brought any candy—she must have left in too much of a hurry that morning and forgotten it.
She sighed. Looks like her mouth would have to suffer this afternoon.
Wen Yan noticed this and quietly made a mental note.
After lunch, Wen Yan took Lin Zixuan away, while Jiang Xianshu and Hua Tong headed back to the classroom.
At the entrance of the teaching building, Hua Tong glanced up at the fourth floor and tactfully said to Jiang Xianshu beside her, “Xianshu-ge, you go on up first. I might be a bit slow.”
Jiang Xianshu didn’t think much of it. He knew girls didn’t have much stamina and climbed stairs slowly—but how slow could she possibly be? Five minutes at most. He assumed Hua Tong was just worried about holding him up, which was why she’d said that.
He waved his hand. “It’s fine, little sis. I’ll go with you. I can wait.”
Seeing how he wasn’t taking it seriously, Hua Tong could only let it go. She’d already warned him, after all.
Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Xianshu stared at Hua Tong in disbelief. So she really was that slow! He’d thought she was just being polite.
Hua Tong met his incredulous gaze. She had told him she was slow—he just hadn’t believed her. Not her fault.
After the two returned to the classroom, Jiang Xianshu sent Wen Yan a message: “Yan, your married life might involve a bit of suffering.”
After sending it, Jiang Xianshu glanced at Hua Tong sitting up front and shook his head. With stamina like hers, could she really keep up with Yan? Yan looked like he’d have plenty of energy. He was going to have a rough time.
School Supermarket
Wen Yan read Jiang Xianshu’s message, and his face instantly darkened. His married life would absolutely not be lacking.
He turned off his phone and looked at the wide variety of candy in front of him, then turned to Lin Zixuan. “Lin Zixuan, which kind of candy does your sister like?”
Lin Zixuan was puzzled at first—Yan-ge didn’t like sweets, so why was he buying candy? Oh, so it was for Tongtong!
He looked around and pointed out the candy his sister liked to Wen Yan.
Wen Yan immediately grabbed it, took several packs, and went to the checkout counter to pay.