Non-bird carrying flowers
Hu Tong ate sweet fermented rice with egg again a week later.
After military training ended, they took a group photo with their instructors, took off their grass-green camouflage uniforms, changed into regular clothes, and officially began their university life.
The college's external relations department and science and technology department jointly booked a large private room at a small restaurant near the school so that new and old students could gather together for a lively meal and get to know each other.
Hu Tong went alone. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a burst of laughter and cheerful voices. She was stunned for a moment before she saw Jiao Yuhong sitting at the round table in the Science and Technology Department, playing with her fingers with an indifferent expression.
"Hu Tong is here!" The male minister at the mahogany round table waved to her. "Here, I've saved a seat for you."
Hu Tong glanced around but didn't go over. Instead, he sat down next to a girl with a broad forehead and a prominent nose.
"I'll sit here," Hu Tong said, introducing himself in a low voice, "Hu Tong."
The girl responded somewhat nervously, "Tong Shu."
The moment those words, barely audible, were spoken, Jiao Yuhong from the next table slammed the door and left, startling Tong Shu so much that her wine trembled as well.
"Going to the toilet, I'm going to the toilet." Someone at the next table explained, "The door is broken, it won't close unless you pull hard."
“Tong Shu?” Hu Tong smiled and said, “Hu Tong, Tong Shu, our names sound like ‘pingzhen’ (a homophone for ‘repeatedly’).”
Tong Shu looked at Hu Tong and smiled slightly.
At this moment, someone handed over a glass, and someone tilted the wine bottle in their hand.
Hu Tong covered the rim of the glass with his hand and said with a smile, "I don't want to drink alcohol. Isn't there free plum juice? I'll just drink that."
The newcomer gave Hu Tong a reproachful look: "What kind of gathering doesn't involve drinking? Don't tell anyone you're from our External Relations Department when you go out."
The person reached out to pull, but Hu Tong stubbornly held onto the water glass, his anger rising, and his expression became less than pleasant.
Under the bright lights, the atmosphere became somewhat strange.
Tong Shu mustered her courage to come to Hu Tong's rescue: "Hu Tong must not be feeling well. There was a sudden downpour during military training yesterday, and many people caught a cold."
The man chuckled and put away the bottle: "Fine, cephalosporin with alcohol, let's go."
"I don't feel unwell."
Hu Tong poured himself a glass of plum juice, biting the straw as he watched the little bubbles he blew burst on the light brown surface of the water. The pent-up frustration in his heart was released. "Does not drinking really require a life-or-death reason?"
She laughed again, a normal laugh as if introducing herself, but to onlookers it seemed somewhat defiant: "I just don't want to drink."
"OK."
The man's cheek muscles twitched slightly, and he scoffed at himself for meddling, before being pulled back by the male minister.
The male minister's surname was Guo, and his given name was Lin, apparently because his father's surname was Guo and his mother's surname was Lin. He chuckled and said, "Oh, as long as everyone's happy, let's drink! Let's open two more cases!"
"Wait a minute. I remember we split the bill for the meal, right, senior?"
Holding a glass of plum juice, Hu Tong spoke up again, "The drinks at this restaurant aren't free, and they're quite expensive. I don't drink, so am I supposed to split the bill with you guys?"
Guo Lin's smile froze for a moment. Under the influence of alcohol, the capillaries on his face dilated rapidly, and a horrifying red flush covered his features, blurring his vision.
"I'll treat you, okay?" Guo Lin chuckled. "If you're so good at calculations, why don't you go study accounting?"
Hu Tong put down his water glass and felt Tong Shu gently tug at his sleeve.
Tong Shu's blinking eyes might have conveyed comfort or pleading, but Hu Tong only read encouragement in them.
She shrugged and said lightly, "Anyone who can do numbers can figure this out."
Guo Lin smiled kindly as always.
"You know what, Hu Tong? On the day of the interview, I knew you had a temper, but I still gave you the highest score. Do you know why?"
Guo Lin believed himself to be the kindest man. He treated all women, beautiful or not, gentle or not, intelligent or not, with courtesy and observed their every word and action with appreciative eyes.
Even if he is occasionally verbally offended, he doesn't get angry. Instead, he feels a slight pleasure, like being scratched by a kitten while playing or being scratched by a thorn while pruning a potted plant. It's harmless and he just finds it cute.
Guo Lin poured some wine into his glass and said to himself, "Women are like cups. Some are disposable paper cups, some are glass cups, which are pretty but can easily break and hurt your hands. Some, like Xiao Tong, are plastic cups, which are simple and durable but lack a certain flavor. Which type do you think you are?"
"Me?"
Hu Tong pointed at herself and laughed, "Is my senior asking me what kind of water bottle I have?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Tong Shu trembled uncomfortably.
Guo Lin looked at her and slowly nodded, like a patient teacher encouraging a student to give the answer. His eyes, reddened by alcohol, were filled with expectation and relief.
So cute.
Hu Tong is so cute. The way she blows bubbles while biting a straw is like a bird carrying a dewy flower in its beak, and her wide-eyed look is like a puppy whose bone has been stolen, so watery and glistening.
Hu Tong smiled, pushed himself up with his legs, and stood up, the chair making a screeching sound as it slid backward.
"You're asking what kind of water cup it is? I am—"
Hu Tong looked down at Guo Lin, spilling the plum juice from his cup, which spread across Guo Lin's bright red, oily, and chubby skin.
"Damn it."
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