Xia Enruo's enthusiastic promotion was indeed effective. She wasn't afraid of losing face, and after meeting Zhang Guohong, she was even less afraid. If you want to see her fall from grace, you can dream on.

In just two hours that afternoon, Xia Enruo packed 13 pairs of pants, 5 sweaters, and 3 dresses, a total of 21 pieces of clothing. When she left school, her package was completely full, and the clothes were much heavier than cotton.

The last time I went to the market with Ge Qiuqin to buy cotton, two whole bags of cotton didn't weigh as much as these clothes now.

As she walked out carrying her package, she ran into Mao Xiangling, who was leaving get out of class.

"Sis, you're here to collect the laundry again?"

She greeted Xia Enruo.

"Xiangling, did you just get out of class with your books in your hand?"

Mao Xiangling approached with a smile. She was indeed quite beautiful in the sunlight, especially the dimples that appeared on her face when she smiled, which added to her cheerful appearance.

"Yes, sis. I just got out of class and saw you from afar. Looks like you collected a lot more laundry this afternoon than this morning."

"Hey girl, I washed your shirt a while ago. If I had known I'd run into you this afternoon, I would have brought it over. I was thinking of making plans with you for tomorrow, so it was just sitting at home."

"Sis, I'm not in a hurry. We agreed on a time when we didn't need to be there so early. You're carrying such heavy packages, don't you have a cart? How about I help you carry them to the school gate?"

Mao Xiangling was a kind-hearted person. When she saw Xia Enruo like this, she wanted to lend a hand. Although it was only the second time the two had met, Xia Enruo gave her the feeling of being positive and optimistic. Perhaps she had been in the oppressive atmosphere of the dormitory for too long and desperately needed this spiritual remedy.

"Girl, thank you, I can do it."

But Mao Xiangling refused and insisted on helping Xia Enruo carry the bag to the door.

Xia Enruo found the girl pleasing to the eye and readily agreed. The two could chat and talk along the way, so he wouldn't feel lonely.

"Xiangling, how old are you this year?"

Xia Enruo asked:

"Sister, I'm 21 years old."

"21 is good, I'm already 25."

"But sister, you don't look older than me at all. I always thought we were the same age."

When Mao Xiangling first saw Xia Enruo, she thought she was a college student of the same age, but she didn't expect that she was 4 years older than her.

"It's probably because you've been using oil recently, otherwise you used to be as dark as a potato."

Xia Enruo's words made the two of them grin.

"Xiangling, didn't you get a boyfriend in college?"

"Sister, I don't have that thought right now. I just want to finish my studies, find a good job, earn money, and take good care of my mother. It's really not easy for her to raise me alone."

Mao Xiangling is such a filial child; Xia Enruo felt warmed by her words.

"Xiangling. Completing your studies and dating are not mutually exclusive. I didn't date when I was in college, so I regret it."

"Sis, did you go to university? Where did you go?"

Xia Enruo was in a daze and blurted out her past life. What should she do now?

"My sister went there. It wasn't a famous school, just a local vocational school."

"A vocational school diploma is fine. Vocational school graduates can also be assigned jobs, but why did you choose this path, sister?"

Xia Enruo's mind raced. What was she going to do? The more she talked, the more confused she became. She had forgotten that in this era, vocational school graduates were guaranteed job placement.

"Ah... that's a long story, let's not talk about my business now, I'll tell you later. By the way, Xiangling, I want to ask you something?"

Xia Enruo tried to evade the question.

"Ask me any questions you have, and I promise to answer them to the best of my knowledge."

Have you ever eaten at the boxed lunches outside your school? How did they taste? Did you think the price was reasonable? What kinds of dishes do your classmates like to eat?

Xia Enruo threw out four questions in a row, leaving Mao Xiangling dizzy.

"Sis, why are you asking about this? Are you also thinking of buying a takeout meal to eat at home?"

Xia Enruo told Mao Xiangling about her idea of ​​making boxed lunches, and to her surprise, Mao Xiangling was very supportive.

“Sister Enruo, there are 3 or 4 stalls selling boxed lunches at the gate of our school. At most, there are 7 vendors selling together. As for the taste, some stalls are delicious and some are just so-so. But after eating in the cafeteria for a long time, it’s okay to go out and change things up. Their prices are slightly more expensive than the school cafeteria.”

In the cafeteria, a vegetarian dish with some rice and steamed buns costs only 20 cents, but they'll sell it for 3.5 or 30 cents. Meat dishes cost 3.5 or 40 cents in the cafeteria, but they'll sell them for 60 or 70 cents.

However, we can accept it occasionally for a change of pace. There are many students at our school, so you'll see crowds of people surrounding the stalls every day.

"Sis, if you're going to sell boxed lunches, I'll be the first to support you."

Seeing Mao Xiangling's support, Xia Enruo was full of confidence.

"By the way, you haven't told us what kind of food your classmates like to eat. Do they prefer steamed buns or rice? Or whole grains?"

Hearing Xia Enruo say that, Mao Xiangling covered her mouth and laughed.

"Sister, are you out of touch with reality? These days, rice and steamed buns are good things, and of course everyone loves to eat them. But some students are short of money and can't afford to eat them every day, so they can only eat more coarse grains and occasionally have white flour and steamed buns."

Xia Enruo was careless. She forgot that this was in the 1980s. In her previous life, resources were abundant and people's living standards were much better. Everyone was suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. They longed to switch to whole grains to lower their blood lipids and blood sugar. In this era, families were not well-off, and they had no choice but to eat whole grains to fill their stomachs.

"Yes. I suddenly forgot."

The two carried the package to the door. Xia Enruo was about to express her gratitude when Yuan Qiang pulled up in his military-plated vehicle.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"

Yuan Qiang is truly a living god; I was getting a little tired from carrying my clothes when he suddenly appeared here.

"I run a laundry shop and I'm here to collect some clothes from the school. Could you help me carry them back to the compound?"

Yuan Qiang opened the car door and ran out. Xia Enruo and Mao Xiangling put the clothes and bundles in the car.

What brings you here today?

Xia En asked Yuan Qiang.

"I had just finished dropping Lu Tuan off at home after get off work and was passing by here."

"It's good that someone was passing by; they gave me a ride, saving me the trouble of carrying it two times."

Xia Enruo greeted Mao Xiangling and got into the car, but after waiting for a while, the car still hadn't started moving.

Yuan Qiang looked out the car window at Mao Xiangling's receding figure.

"Yuan Qiang, what are you looking at? Are you just staring blankly?"

Xia Enruo nudged him with her arm.

Yuan Qiang was a little shy, his face turned slightly red, and he even stuttered when he spoke.

"N-nothing...nothing."

Xia Enruo suppressed a laugh; Yuan Qiang had actually taken a liking to Mao Xiangling.

"So? Isn't she pretty? Do you like her?"

Yuan Qiang's eyes widened at the question. He was too embarrassed to say it, but Mao Xiangling was truly a breath of fresh air. She had just touched his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before, an indescribable flutter.