In their past lives, Jiang Xia and Wang Ming would occasionally get together for a few drinks after graduating from university.
Looking back on their high school days, the only thing that left a deep impression on the two down-on-their-luck individuals, besides frequently sneaking out to play online games, was probably the cafeteria with its completely random food—sometimes terrible, sometimes incredibly delicious.
Amidst the heavy academic workload, guessing whether the cafeteria food will be good that day has become a source of enjoyment for many students.
Whenever the two talked about this, they would agree to go back to the old school cafeteria sometime to taste the flavors of yesteryear. However, after Wang Ming's drunk driving accident, this promise became a regret in Jiang Xia's heart.
Unexpectedly, after being reborn, I was able to make up for this regret so easily. It's truly a twist of fate.
"Old Wang, what do you think will be the dishes today?"
"Anything is fine, as long as it's not apple stir-fried with pear, I can swallow it no matter how bad it tastes."
Wang Ming continued with a dark expression, "I really don't know what these chefs were thinking. In our great China, with its eight major cuisines, it's unbelievable that they could make such culinary atrocities. Wouldn't it be better as dessert? Why waste food?"
"Ha ha……"
Jiang Xia laughed and followed the crowd into the cafeteria. Although long lines had already formed at each food serving window, he felt incredibly at ease being able to return here.
"Same as always, you go save a seat, I'll get the food," Wang Ming said, glancing at the overcrowded cafeteria.
Jiang Xia smiled, thinking of their promise from their past lives, and said, "This time, it's my turn to queue."
"Alright."
Holding two rice bowls, he waited in line for about five minutes before it was finally his turn.
Upon seeing the first dish in the window—stir-fried oranges with millet peppers, the second dish—stir-fried eggs with mint, and the third dish—braised pork ribs with sugarcane—and the other dishes also “each with its own unique characteristics,” Jiang Xia was immediately dismayed.
Even though I had already seen what the dishes looked like from other classmates, I always had a little bit of anticipation until it was my turn. Now, all that anticipation has been dashed.
After swiping his meal card and ordering a few dishes that looked reasonably edible, Jiang Xia began searching for Wang Ming in the lobby.
Not long after, he saw Wang Ming stand up and wave at him from the middle of the inner part of the room. He walked over with a smile, but the next second his body froze.
Lin Yanwan was waving at a girl when she suddenly saw Jiang Xia, and her breath caught in her throat.
The once-crowded cafeteria hall suddenly felt like it only had two people left.
If their previous encounters were merely accidents that made them unable to believe that the other had also been reborn, this moment of eye contact was a definitive confirmation.
The two of them stared at each other blankly, hesitating whether to speak first. Just as Jiang Xia was extremely conflicted, his best friend's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Hey, Lao Jiang, over here! Over here!"
His eye twitched slightly, his gaze shifted, and he steeled himself and walked towards Lin Yanwan. The two were seated next to each other, separated only by a narrow aisle.
Wang Ming really knows how to find a good spot. Was it really not intentional? Otherwise, how could such a coincidence happen?
Shen Ying sat down before Jiang Xia. Seeing that Lin Yanwan seemed a little absent-minded, she asked with concern, "Yanwan, what happened just now?"
"It's nothing, eat." She shook her head, gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and withdrew her gaze from Jiang Xia out of the corner of her eye, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Although they were reborn, the two had been husband and wife for a lifetime. Even if they thought they would no longer have any contact with Jiang Xia, could they really sever all ties?
When it comes to feelings, it's hard to tell. At least as long as Jiang Xia is in her sight, she can't calm herself down.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia pretended to be calm and sat down next to Wang Ming, while inwardly giving his good brother a thorough dressing-down.
He handed her the rice bowl impatiently: "Eat up. You said yourself that as long as it's not apple stir-fried with pear, you can swallow it no matter how bad it tastes."
Wang Ming glanced at the food reflexively, and his nose twitched with anger.
"Stir-fried oranges with millet peppers and braised pork belly, is this even edible? It's sour, sweet, and spicy all at once, isn't it? Can't this lousy cafeteria just fire these cooks and hire a few more reliable ones?"
"There's still apple, green pepper and shredded pork, why can't we eat it?" Jiang Xia picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The taste was indeed a bit strange, but it was alright, it tasted like it did back then.
"..."
Wang Ming glanced at him speechlessly, then looked at the orange covered in millet peppers. He wondered if the taste would be a mix of sweet and spicy, sour and spicy, or perhaps all three.
He moved his lips, unable to bring himself to eat, and threw down his chopsticks, cursing, "I'm not eating anymore, I'm going to eat instant noodles, with two sausages added, I can't stand this. Old Jiang, are you coming or not?"
Jiang Xia silently shook his head. Regardless of whether the meal was good or not, he would just treat it as a reminder of the bitter past and the sweet present.
So Wang Ming took his rice bowl and left, dumping it all into the leftover rice bin in one go.
Then, a girl's soft laughter came from next door.
"I can't eat anymore, the food today is really awful. How about we eat instant noodles? Bread is fine too."
If Jiang Xia wasn't mistaken, the girl speaking should be named Shen Ying, whom he had seen in Lin Yanwan's WeChat Moments before. Shen Ying didn't attend their wedding, but she sent her blessings to her wife via WeChat.
However, Shen Yao looked like an adult back then, with makeup on her face and a very fashionable outfit, unlike her youthful and lively appearance now.
As for Wang Ming, Lin Yanwan should know him, so why is she sitting here... Never mind, that's not important.
He was confused, thinking that Lin Yanwan would agree to avoid the awkwardness of being alone with him, when he heard her refuse.
"Yingying, you go ahead, I... I won't go." She lowered her head and ate her food in small bites with a spoon, her bangs covering her cheeks, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"Alright then... don't steal my instant noodles later!"
The little girl turned and left, dumping all the food into the leftover bin without reservation. Seeing this similar scene, Jiang Xia almost carelessly thought that these two were wingmen specially prepared by God to reunite this couple.
That's absolutely outrageous.
In an instant, of the four people sitting at the two tables across the aisle, only two remained.
The bustling noise in the cafeteria hall seemed to have vanished, and the air became completely quiet.
Both of them kept their heads down and silently ate the food in their bowls, neither of them intending to speak. It seemed that as long as they didn't reveal their relationship, they could maintain their current attitude and treat each other as strangers they had known before.
Just like two parallel lines that never intersect.
...
(I need to do a nucleic acid test tomorrow morning, so any updates will be moved to the afternoon.)
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