Chapter 105

Jiang Hehua suddenly saw Jiang Ning and was stunned for a moment. After Jiang Ning nodded to her, she also nodded. Then she saw that Jiang Ning also saw Song Peifeng, and she and Song Peifeng also smiled and nodded.

The smile on her face that had not yet shown a happy look froze in an instant. She looked at Jiang Ning, and then at Song Peifeng.

Do Jiang Ning and Song Peifeng know each other? Why are you greeting him alone?

Seeing Jiang Ning smiling and nodding at him naturally like an old acquaintance, Song Peifeng also smiled slightly.

Jiang Ning didn't know the other people in Wuzhong, but everyone else in Wuzhong knew her. After all, she was the one who beat Song Peifeng from their class by one point in the joint entrance exam. Before, they had only heard of her name but never seen her. But ever since her speech on Qingming Festival, they all remembered her: the girl who not only beat Song Peifeng by one point in grades, but whose aura when speaking on stage was no less powerful than Song Peifeng from their school.

Seeing her up close now, everyone stared at her curiously.

After observing her so closely, they discovered that not only was her academic performance comparable to Song Peifeng's, but her appearance and demeanor were also not inferior to Song Peifeng in any way.

Song Peifeng is not only from the provincial capital, but also has a family background of learning since childhood. The education, knowledge, growth environment and a series of other innate environmental influences have cultivated his current outstanding temperament that is completely different from their small town. But why is this country girl, who is from the same small town as them, Wucheng, so that she can have a temperament that is equally matched with Song Peifeng?

They looked at Jiang Ning, then at Song Peifeng. For some reason, they could see an indescribable yet faint aura in them, as if they were of the same kind.

Jiang Hehua naturally saw it as well. For some reason, she suddenly felt very bad. It was as if she had a treasure but it was desecrated. She felt very upset.

She is a person who easily shows a sullen face. Once she is in a bad mood, her face becomes very serious and her brows are tightly furrowed.

Ruan Hong beside her was startled, poked her arm gently with her elbow, and asked her: "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Jiang Hehua finally came to her senses and shook her head, saying, "I suddenly remembered that I made a mistake on a question in today's test. Oh, did you calculate the answer to the second-to-last question?" She suddenly turned to Song Peifeng and asked him, "Song Peifeng, what was your answer to the second-to-last question in the math test? I want to see if my answer is the same as yours."

Everyone's eyes were focused on Jiang Hehua. Even though Jiang Hehua tried to remain calm, her skin was too white and her shyness made her face look just like her name, white with a hint of pink.

The reason why they all looked at Jiang Hehua was simple. Jiang Hehua was not from the competition class. She asked Song Peifeng the answer to the second to last math question. To be honest, they doubted whether she had actually done the second to last question.

Although they are all innocent high school students and may be admitted to the best class of the best high school in Wucheng, none of these boys and girls, even if they are immature, are stupid. When they look at the pink on Jiang Hehua's face, what else don't they understand? Almost all of them immediately showed a teasing smile of understanding, and some even lowered their heads to drink water with a subtle smile, leaving the answer to Song Peifeng.

Song Peifeng's face remained lightly smiling as he gave his answer, then asked the others, "What about you?"

Speaking of comparing answers in the exam, everyone had something to talk about, so everyone started comparing answers with Song Peifeng.

When they heard the answers, Jiang Ning and Xu Xiuli realized that Wuzhong and No. 1 Middle School used the same set of test papers.

Father Xu was wiping the small round table next to them. When he saw them come in, he handed them the menu: "I just ordered braised crucian carp and pork with preserved vegetables. Take a look at what dishes you like and order yourselves."

Mother Xu was afraid that they were too shy to order, so she ordered boiled shrimp and fried snails with sauce, then handed the menu to Jiang Ning: "Auntie doesn't know what you like to eat, so I'll order a few dishes that Lili likes first, and you can order a few dishes that you like."

Jiang Ning ordered some scrambled eggs with tomatoes and asked He Xiaofang what she wanted to eat.

He Xiaofang waved her hands repeatedly: "Enough, enough, enough, I can do anything, just order."

Seeing that she didn't order, Xu Xiuli took the menu herself and added some minced meat and eggplant and rice crust with egg yolk, both of which are local home-cooked dishes.

After the dishes were ordered, the teenagers at the two tables next to them were noisily comparing notes. No one at this table was talking. He Xiaofang was so embarrassed that she didn't know where to put her hands. Seeing that Mother Xu had brought boiling water to scald the tableware, she quickly took it over: "I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll do it."

She listened to the answer comparison next door. Since she did not participate in the school competition selection test, she also asked Jiang Ning and Xu Xiuli curiously: "Ningning, Xiuli, how was your exam today?"

She actually asked in a low voice, but she was born with a loud voice, so what she thought was a low voice was actually not that low. People at the two tables next to her heard it and looked at them curiously.

Jiang Hehua saw that everyone's attention was suddenly focused on the three girls from the No. 1 Middle School opposite, actually on Jiang Ning and Xu Xiuli, and she couldn't help but bite her lower lip; it was obvious that Jiang Ning and Xu Xiuli, like them, participated in today's school competition selection exam.

At this time, they didn't know that Wuzhong and No. 1 Middle School were using the same set of test papers.

When Xu Xiuli heard He Xiaofang's question, she showed a lingering fear on her face, frowned her delicate eyebrows dejectedly, and pouted her lips: "Don't mention it, you shouldn't call me for this kind of exam."

She was just an ordinary high school student in a parallel class. What did this kind of thing of bringing glory to the school have to do with her?

Seeing her daughter's hurt expression, Mother Xu touched her back distressedly and poured her a glass of water: "My daughter Lili has worked so hard in her studies. When you get home tonight, I will make you your favorite stewed pig's trotters with soybeans."

Seeing her mother's heartache, Xu Xiuli also showed an expression of "I'm so tired" and nodded vigorously: "I also want to eat sweet and sour spare ribs and steamed egg with shrimp."

Mother Xu stroked her back up and down: "Come on, come on, I'll make it for you when I get home. Tonight, ask your father to go to Shuigen's house to buy a pound of braised beef and a roast duck to nourish you." She pushed Xu Xiuli's bangs behind her ears with a look of heartache, sighed and said: "Studying in high school is really too hard. My daughter Lili is so tired that she hasn't grown any taller."

Jiang Hehua, who is also not very tall: ...

Jiang Hehua is not only short, but she also tends to grow sideways.

In fact, she is not fat, probably about the same size as He Xiaofang, but He Xiaofang looks strong and plump because she is tall, while on Jiang Hehua, who is short and a little chubby, she looks stout.

Xu Xiuli looked at her mother with her big eyes, then at her father, and burst out laughing, thinking, am I short because I’m tired from studying? She clearly takes after her father!

He Xiaofang had never seen the way Xu Xiuli and her mother got along with each other like this. Her parents always asked them to give in to their younger brother. All the delicious food at home belonged to her younger brother. Her parents' caring eyes were always on her younger brother, as if her younger brother was everything to them.

In the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Xu, Xu Xiuli is all there is.

She looked at them with envy and curiosity.

The students from Wuzhong were also attracted by Xu Xiuli and her daughter.

Song Peifeng and Jiang Ning were like two outsiders. When everyone was looking at Xu Xiuli and her daughter, their eyes met in the air, and Jiang Ning smiled at him almost reflexively.

She was drinking tea from a cup, so she raised the cup and gestured to him from a distance.

When Song Peifeng saw this, he smiled, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, as if he was returning the favor.

The students from Wuzhong arrived first, so the dishes were served to them first, but Jiang Ning's table was not idle either. After two dishes were served there and they started eating first, the proprietress brought them the stir-fried snails with sauce, asked them to eat the snails first, and asked them if they wanted rice first.

He Xiaofang only had a steamed bun for breakfast. She had been waiting for them to finish their exams so that they could eat together. She was already hungry and wanted to nod and ask for food, but she was too embarrassed to say it. Jiang Ning smiled and said to the proprietress, "Give us a Yipin pot."

Yipintang is a dish in some places, but here it is a huge bowl of rice for multiple people to eat.

He Xiaofang had never eaten at a restaurant before and had no idea what Yipintang meant. When the big bowl of rice came up, her eyes were glued to the rice.

That’s a lot of rice!

She can eat her fill today!

Just like Jiang Ning in her previous life, she had never been completely full for such a long time.

The time she could truly be said to have eaten her fill was when Jiang Ning treated her to braised pork for the first time. She gave her a lot of rice and a lot of braised pork. That was the time she ate her fillest, felt her most satisfied, and slept the best that night.

But since others didn't move their chopsticks, she didn't dare to move either.

Jiang Ning politely asked Mr. Xu, Mrs. Xu and Xu Xiuli if they wanted more rice. Mr. Xu served himself a bowl and then helped Jiang Ning and He Xiaofang serve rice.

He Xiaofang and Jiang Ning were both wearing the summer uniforms of No. 1 Middle School, but seeing He Xiaofang staring at the rice and swallowing silently, he knew that they were probably hungry, so he politely served them both rice, smiled kindly and said, "Eat a few bites first, the dishes should be here soon." Then he called the proprietress of the small restaurant, "Madam, can you serve us the egg yolk rice crust first?"

Although the egg yolk rice crust is called rice crust, in fact, the soup made from diced tomatoes and peas is poured on the fried pot-shaped rice crust which is inverted on a large plate. The rice crust with tomato soup is crispy and fragrant.

The lady boss quickly brought them a plate of fried eggplant with sauce and said with a smile, "It's almost here, it will be here soon!"

The place where they cook is outside the store. Her husband and son are cooking. There is a row of prepared dishes in bowls and plates on the big table at the door. Customers can order whatever dish they want at the restaurant entrance. If they are worried that the store owner will not have enough or fresh dishes he prepares later, they can give the owner the dishes that have been prepared on the plates and let him cook for them on the spot.

Jiang Hehua, who had been eating with her head down, suddenly looked up and shouted with an unpleasant expression, "Madam Boss, we were here first, right? There are so many people waiting here, and we have to go back to school for exams after we finish eating. Can we have our food faster?"

The lady boss also smiled and said, "Okay, okay, it will be ready soon. My family and my son are both suffering from fever. I will ask my family to serve you first!"

She went out for a while and quickly brought up two small plates of salted edamame, one plate for each of the two tables in Wuzhong. She smiled and said, "This is for you. Eat first, the food will be ready soon." Then she went out and brought a small plate of salted edamame to Jiang Ning's table.

He Xiaofang had never eaten so full before. She ate until the end, her stomach was so full that she couldn't eat any more. She put down her chopsticks and looked at the leftovers on the table reluctantly.

Jiang Ning asked the proprietress for a take-away lunch box and packed up the last bit of leftover food and took it back to the dormitory.

Xu Xiuli's parents are both very particular people. They don't have the habit of using chopsticks to pick up food when eating. They just eat whatever they pick up. The same goes for Jiang Ning and Xu Xiuli. He Xiaofang didn't feel comfortable picking up food from beginning to end. She only ate the salted edamame that was closest to her. It was Xu's mother who saw that she didn't pick up food and took the initiative to pick up meat and fish for her.

The remaining dishes were basically not touched by chopsticks.

Several students from Wuzhong were embarrassed to pack up the leftovers. After all, there were so many girls around. They were at an age where they had to save face. They had planned to leave after eating, but when they saw Jiang Ning packing up the leftovers so calmly, they quickly called the proprietress, "Give us two take-out boxes, too."

Today’s take-away boxes are still the earliest white foam take-away boxes. Jiang Ning packed up not only the dishes, but also the greasy soup from the braised pork with preserved vegetables, and then carried the dishes back to the dormitory.

After the exam in the afternoon, Xu Xiuli went home with her father and mother, leaving Jiang Ning and He Xiaofang alone in the dormitory.

Seeing that there was nothing to do in the dormitory, Jiang Ning wanted to go to the store to write "White Snake Cultivation", so he said to He Xiaofang: "Xiaofang, I'm going to the store. I guess my grandfather and I will have dinner in the store tonight. You can have dinner by yourself, don't wait for me."

He Xiaofang thought of the big box of food she packed for lunch, hesitated for a moment, and said, "How about I get some food and go to your store with you?"

There were so many dishes, including plump and juicy pork with preserved vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and several shrimps. If Ningning didn't come back to eat, she would feel embarrassed to eat so many dishes by herself.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with eating leftovers. During weddings and funerals in the countryside, the leftover dishes would be sorted and mixed together, and ordinary people would not be able to get a share. Only close relatives or people who helped in the kitchen could get a big bowl and take it home happily.

The leftovers from their lunch were all packed up by Jiang Ning. There was meat, shrimp, and eggs. If Jiang Ning didn't eat them, how could she feel comfortable eating them alone?

Jiang Ning looked up at He Xiaofang, who was lying on the upper straw mat, and said with a smile, "If you want to go to the store with me, that's fine, but my grandfather needs to take care of his health, and the doctor said it's best not to let him eat leftovers. My second brother will definitely go to the cafeteria to get food tonight, so you can come with us."

When He Xiaofang heard this, she thought, doesn't that mean she would just go to her place and have a free meal? She hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I'll just eat in my dorm."

In the evening, she got two taels of rice from the canteen. Facing a full lunch box of braised pork with preserved vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a few shrimps, she felt as happy as a little hamster that had fallen into a rice jar.

Oh my God, the food she had today was really sumptuous, wasn’t it?