Chapter 25

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Even if Han Li hadn't specifically said that, Cheng Zijian would absolutely never dare to imitate him.

Cursing people also requires talent.

If you curse poorly and miss the mark, you won't gain any reputation, and you'll easily bring trouble upon yourself.

Cheng Zijian considered himself just an ordinary person, only suited to walking his ordinary path honestly.

But this didn't stop him from feeling admiration for Han Li.

After receiving his graded essay and hearing much guidance from the other party, Cheng Zijian was too embarrassed to keep delaying.

When leaving, he hesitated for a moment, but still pointed to the food box he had placed to one side and said, "Brother Han, besides the glutinous rice, there are also freshly made shaomai, paired with pork rib clear soup..."

Speaking to this point, he felt saliva already secreting in his mouth, and luckily he paid attention when speaking, so as not to let it flow out in front of him.

"It's best... it's best to eat while hot, don't forget because you're busy."

Han Li was about to nod, but suddenly froze and asked, "Isn't it mutton buns?"

After saying this, he seemed to feel he had misspoken, and added, "Thank you for specially bringing me so much breakfast, but next time there's no need for such trouble—I have my own food."

But Cheng Zijian had also eaten those mutton buns, so how could he not know which of the other's words were sincere and which were polite? He hurriedly said, "Those shaomai also have green onion mutton and green onion pork fillings, not inferior to mutton buns at all—those buns yesterday were specially made by the kitchen, not available normally, I've already told her, next time if she makes them again, she must save some for me, and then I'll bring them to Brother Han."

He added, "Brother Han can eat that porridge normally anyway, I'm not here all the time, a bit of food is just to change the taste, it's nothing."

Han Li frowned, opened his mouth several times, but after a long while still didn't speak words of refusal. He only reached his hand into the book niche under the desk, clanking and rattling as he pulled out a string of coins, and handed them to Cheng Zijian, saying, "It's not right to eat your food for nothing—don't decline, you only get a few coins of subsidy a month."

He put on a stern face, and Cheng Zijian no longer dared to refuse, honestly taking the money, already feeling tears welling up in his heart—taking money doesn't that make it a transaction?

He still wanted to use delivering breakfast in the future to get closer, so he could pull strings!

I don't know if it was because he saw him with a woebegone face, but Han Li also pointed to a cloth bag in the corner and said, "You bring things here every day, it's not right to always return empty-handed. There are some pomelos there; I find peeling and seeding them too troublesome and don't want to eat them. Take some with you, they'll spoil if left longer."

Cheng Zijian went over to look, and indeed that large cloth bag was leaning against the wall corner, its mouth wide open, revealing round, yellow pomelos inside, at least ten or twenty.

Fuzhou also produces pomelos; though they can't compare to the fame of Guizhou Shatian pomelos, the taste is not bad.

Cheng Zijian's home had a pomelo tree; he had eaten many since childhood and was not unfamiliar with this fruit. He knew that once spring began, pomelos wouldn't keep. Given Han Li's lazy temperament about eating them, they might really spoil, so he didn't dilly-dally, took a rope bag from the side and filled two bags, one bag holding five or six, hung them in his hand, then took the empty food box from last time, and finally bade farewell and left.

Back at the study hall, he first cut open a pomelo to try; besides the thick rind, the flesh was crisp, sweet, and delicious, the taste was quite good, so he specially found a clean cloth bag and packed six of them separately.

On the other hand, He Qi had already returned to Guozixue carrying a small basket.

He ran all the way there, and walked very hurriedly on the return, already thirsty. As soon as he entered the study hall, he didn't care about anything else, casually put down the basket, and first opened the bamboo tube to drink the soup.

But Song Miao's soup pot had been kept warm by a pad all the way, so it was scalding hot. He Qi ran fast, and the soup in the bamboo tube hadn't cooled much. At this moment, off guard, he took a big gulp and was directly scalded into a "Hiss!" cry, with soup all over his face and half his collar.

His tongue hurt from the scald, and he also felt dirty on his body. Since there was no one in the room and no clean water, he had to hurry out to find a water source.

After holding some cold water in his mouth and wiping the dirt from his front collar, He Qi still felt uncomfortable all over, but he was thinking only of those shaomai, so he had to hurry back to the study hall first, planning to eat the hard-won breakfast, then ask someone to help him change clothes.

But just as he pushed the door open this time, He Qi discovered something was not right.

How fragrant it is!

It seems... to be the smell of green onion mutton...

But his basket was clearly covered!

When he hurried forward, he indeed saw someone standing at the table where he had placed his basket, holding the glutinous rice in his hands, taking bite after bite, eating with great relish.

Wang Geng!!!

He Qi's heart was practically in his throat, and he rushed over almost as if running.

The one he called Wang Geng was a boy of fifteen or sixteen, wearing a brocade robe. Originally sleepy-eyed, hearing this shout, he almost couldn't hold the lotus leaf wrap steady. He hurriedly looked back and said, "Early in the morning, why are you shouting so loud? You scared me half to death, and the teacher hasn't even come yet!"

Saying this, he lifted the glutinous rice in his hand and said, "This is the Song Ji glutinous rice they spread as divine? Indeed, their Taixue students haven't eaten anything good. I tasted it and it's just so-so. Although the taste is not bad, there's nothing special about it."

He then pointed to the open basket and said, "But those mutton pockets with scallions, and the vegetarian pockets with dried tofu, are quite tasty—where did you get them? It's rare that you thought of me."

He Qi had originally held a thread of hope, but when he walked closer and saw the basket lid open, his heart sank completely. It could rival the ice on the surface of the Bian River in the morning for coldness. Hearing Wang Geng critique the shaomai, he felt utterly crushed.

He gritted his teeth and said, "What pockets? This is the shaomai and glutinous rice I got with great difficulty!! I queued for two days!! Surname Wang, do you know what it means that taking without asking is theft?!"

He shouted while feeling wronged to the point his eyes turned red, and soon tears were practically about to fall.

Speaking of He Qi, he was originally the youngest in age at Guozixue, and his elders at home often spoiled him, causing him to develop a temper that couldn't be provoked.

The people in the study hall knew his temper, and besides, this person was usually carefree, loved to play and make trouble. Once the trouble was over, he didn't hold grudges, so his popularity was actually not bad.

Seeing this, Wang Geng was truly scared out of his wits, and said with his mouth, "I saw you put it on my table, thought you specially brought it for me..."

He added, "Usually we also eat casually, and I didn't see you mind..."

He was speaking, but seeing He Qi glare at him, how could he dare to explain further? He hurriedly handed the basket over and said carefully, "Also, there's still one, it seems to be pork filling..."

Because he disliked pork as cheap, not as fragrant as mutton, he hadn't eaten it. At this moment he didn't dare say this reason, and added, "Whose is it? I'll have someone go buy a hundred or eighty of them back right now, and definitely arrange a group to secretly keep watch for you, so your family won't know you're sneaking food outside..."

"Buy your fart, that stall owner has closed his stall today!" He Qi couldn't help but curse.

"Ah..." Wang Geng racked his brains, and hurriedly added, "It's just a few shaomai, isn't there only one family that can make them? I'll arrange for someone to make them fresh at home and deliver them today. Today I'll definitely let you eat some!"

He Qi threw a tantrum for a while, also felt embarrassed, knowing it was his own fault for putting the basket in the wrong place, and couldn't blame others. But that uncomfortable feeling just wouldn't go away.

Fortunately, he still thought of the shaomai in his heart. Although only one was left, he was still worried it would lose flavor after cooling, so he had no time to care about other things. He hurriedly brought the basket in front of him.

Because tears were salty and bitter, and connected to the nasal cavity and mouth, he was deeply afraid it would affect the taste. He hurriedly wiped his tears dry, drank a few mouthfuls of water to rinse his mouth, let out a "Hmph," but his anger was still there in the end. He said, "Am I someone who hasn't eaten anything? If it weren't for that stall owner... Forget it, I won't argue with you. You don't understand a damn thing."

After cursing, he carefully held the last shaomai and put it into his mouth.