Chapter 32 Aunt Qiu in the Canteen

The classroom quieted down a bit, with only the sound of Shen Xuewei reciting her lessons audible.

He recited it in one go, without any pauses, and memorized it completely.

Teacher Yan nodded approvingly, her tone gratified: "Good, you were able to memorize it so quickly. It seems you've been listening attentively in class and haven't forgotten to review it afterward. Very good."

He glanced at everyone and said, "From now on, you all need to learn from Chen, understand?"

Everyone said in unison, "Understood."

He pulled his foot back from the doorway. "Alright, now that you've memorized it, you can go ahead. Go on, there aren't many people in the cafeteria yet."

Shen Xuewei said "Thank you, teacher," then returned to her seat, packed her schoolbag, and left the classroom.

Before leaving the classroom, she felt several resentful glances from behind.

She smiled, but after seeing that several students from other classes had already gone to the cafeteria, she quickly ran downstairs.

After writing their names on their thermos bottles, she and Wu Yuhong placed them under the table in the corner of the canteen kitchen, while their lunchboxes were placed inside the table.

Students are not allowed to leave lunchboxes and thermos flasks here, but Shen Xuewei pretended to be well-behaved and clever for the past two months, and made a point of getting on good terms with the canteen aunties, and successfully infiltrated the canteen.

Thanks to her relationship with the cafeteria lady, she could leave her lunchbox and thermos here without anyone saying anything.

As soon as Aunt Qiu from the cafeteria saw Shen Xuewei arrive, she greeted her, "Weiwei, why did you get out of class so early today?"

Shen Xuewei smiled and replied, "Hello, Sister Qiu! Today, the teacher asked us to recite the text. If we could recite it first, we could leave get out of class early. I was the first one to recite it. Aren't you amazing?"

Aunt Qiu, who was in her forties, was all smiles when she was called "Sister Qiu".

She gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "That's really amazing!"

Seeing Shen Xuewei reach for the thermos, she quickly said, "The hot water isn't ready yet; it'll probably take another ten minutes or so. But the food is already prepared. Would you like me to get you some food in advance so you don't have to wait in line later..."

Shen Xuewei smiled happily, "Yes, can I help my three friends play too?"

Aunt Qiu said casually, "What's wrong with that? There's nobody around right now anyway."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Qiu. I'll wash their lunchboxes and be right back."

She carried the lunchboxes of several people and ran to the tap outside, quickly returning with the clean lunchboxes.

I counted out four meal tickets and gave them to Aunt Qiu.

Aunt Qiu filled the container with rice and then with vegetables.

Because there was no one around, she made an extra call than usual.

Shen Xuewei lifted the lid and took a look, then thanked Aunt Qiu, "Thank you, Sister Qiu!"

"No need to thank me, it was just a small favor."

She looked at Shen Xuewei and sighed, "I wish I could have a granddaughter like you who is so smart and has such good grades in the future."

Shen Xuewei said politely, "With a role model like you, Sister Qiu, your granddaughter will definitely be many times better than me in the future."

Aunt Qiu was pleased by her coaxing. "You little rascal, you're so good at talking at such a young age. From now on, you won't have to rush to line up for water. I'll just fill it up for you when the water is boiled."

Shen Xuewei was overjoyed: "Thank you, Sister Qiu! You are such a kind and beautiful person!"

After everyone finished reciting their lessons, they were finally able to leave the classroom, only to find the cafeteria already packed with people.

As Ye Meiling ran, she muttered, "They're so disloyal! They memorized it so quickly and then left me behind..."

Of the four, Shen Xuewei and two others were among the top ten students in the class, while Shen Xuewei was the only one who had no interest in studying and was always among the bottom ten in the class.

She tried her best to memorize the text, but she was still the last one to come out among the four.

Just as she was about to go to the kitchen to get her lunchbox, she heard someone calling her from upstairs.

Zhong Shiqi poked her head out and called to her, shaking her lunchbox in her hand.

Ye Meiling paused for a moment, then skipped the canteen and strode upstairs, quickly arriving at the dormitory entrance.

Zhong Shiqi shoved the lunchbox into her arms. "Eat up. Weiwei got our food a while ago, and it's still warm. She also got us some hot water, which I brought up for you. Remember to give Weiwei a meal ticket later."

Holding the lunchbox, Ye Meiling cheerfully said, "Hello, Weiwei..." She glanced at Zhong Shiqi and said with a grin, "Hello, Shiqi too."

While she was eating outside the dormitory, Shen Xuewei finished showering, washed her clothes with the remaining water, and was carrying the clothes over in a basin to hang them up to dry.

Seeing this, Ye Meiling, holding the lunchbox in her hand, took out a clothes fork from the dormitory and gave it to Shen Xuewei.

He also whispered in Shen Xuewei's ear, "Thank you, Weiwei."

She tapped the lunchbox in her hand.

Shen Xuewei glanced at her and said, "Why are you being so polite? You've helped me a lot in the past, so it's only right that we help each other."

She wasn't as fast as Wu Yuhong and the other two, and they often helped her with getting meals and waiting in line for hot water.

She was happy to be able to help them this time.

After hanging the clothes up to dry, she looked around and gestured for Ye Meiling to come closer.

Ye Meiling leaned closer, full of doubt, and heard Shen Xuewei whisper, "We don't need to queue for hot water anymore. Remember to put the thermos in the usual spot at noon, and Sister Qiu will get hot water for us."

Seeing that Ye Meiling was about to shout with surprise, she quickly shushed her.

"We can't tell anyone, otherwise if others find out, Sister Qiu won't be able to help us."

Ye Meiling nodded repeatedly and said in a low voice, "I understand. I will definitely not tell anyone. Only the four of us know."

Such a good thing, of course, cannot be told to others.

Once other classmates find out, this convenience will be gone.

Although she's easygoing, she's always reliable when it comes to these kinds of things.

Someone will help fetch hot water every day, so I don't have to take cold showers.

She remembered the cold shower she had taken last week.

That one time, I caught a cold and it lasted for several days. My nose still runs from time to time.

Mentioning snot instantly brings back the sensation in my nose.

She sniffed, wiping back the snot that was about to spill out, and patted her chest as she assured Shen Xuewei, "Okay, Weiwei, from now on I'll get your meals for you!"

Shen Xuewei didn't stand on ceremony with her, "Okay, then I'll thank you in advance."

Ye Meiling then lowered her voice and said, "Also, in the future, remember not to block your test paper during exams, so I can copy it!"

Shen Xuewei was both amused and exasperated, but she still nodded in response to Shen Xuewei's expectant gaze.

"I'll deliberately leave some of the completed test papers out there, let's see how much you can copy. But Meiling, you can't keep doing this, you still need to study hard, otherwise how will you get into a good school?"

Ye Meiling shrugged. "What else can I do? I'll copy if I can, and if I can't, then so be it. Anyway, I don't like reading, and I don't understand it. That's just how my brain is."

Shen Xuewei sighed, but did not try to persuade her further.

Aunt Qiu brought a lot of food for Shen Xuewei this time, and Shen Xuewei couldn't finish it all, leaving a small portion uneaten.

After her stomach had digested a bit, she finished the rest of the food before evening self-study.

After washing the lunchboxes, I placed them on a table next to me through the kitchen window.