35 Little New Year
◎The All-Around Master Lin◎
His liver-colored face wavered, looking extremely awkward and caught between a rock and a hard place.
Xu Huaihuai easily took Song Shiying's phone back from his hand. She said firmly, "Your smoking disturbed other people's dining first, and then you bullied others with your words and actions. The guests, staff and surveillance cameras here have seen everything you said and did. If anyone should apologize, it should be you."
"Brother Hai, look how arrogant this woman is..." Someone in their group was about to shout, and the other diners had already heard the commotion. As soon as one table of guests stood up, another table of guests would follow.
"You were the ones smoking in the restaurant, and there were signs on the wall next to your seats saying 'No Smoking, Please Behave Civilly'."
"Of course! These grown men have the nerve to bully a young girl. They're a disgrace to men."
"When I was young, I also loved to smoke, but I knew to go to a secluded place to smoke. A bunch of grown men like you are really shameless."
"You guys are having a blast, while the other diners have to put up with your disgusting smoke! It's so unfair!"
The group of five was rendered speechless and dared not utter a sound by the onlookers' comments, their heads bowed as if they wanted to bury themselves in the pot.
Finally, under the supervision of the store manager who arrived after hearing the news, the group obediently bowed and apologized to Song Shiying.
They felt embarrassed to linger at the restaurant, so they paid their bill and left sheepishly. Song Shiying and the other diners were finally free from the smoky, unpleasant atmosphere of their meal.
Xu Huaihuai chatted with the shop owner for a few minutes and casually asked how the owner knew what had happened at the shop. The shop owner wasn't in the shop today; she saw the owner return from outside.
The shop owner pointed to a waiter, who was the same waiter who had delivered food to Xu Huaihuai earlier.
“He’s only been here for three months, but he always says he’s just an employee. But when something happens, he’s quick-witted and always has to call me down from upstairs.”
Xu Huaihuai thanked him, and the shop owner waved his hand, said "Eat well and use well," and then drifted away.
Xu Huaihuai scanned the QR code to tip the shop assistant and selected the largest tip amount.
Song Shiying wanted to invite Xu Huaihuai to have hot pot together. Xu Huaihuai helped her get her phone back and spoke up for her, so she should treat him to a meal to express her gratitude.
But seeing the packaged dessert still in Xu Huaihuai's hand, Song Shiying realized that Xu Huaihuai must have already eaten, and she felt a little disappointed. "Sister Xu, you must have already eaten, right? Then I'll treat you to a meal next time. If you have something to do, you can go ahead..."
Song Shiying came alone. Xu Huaihuai didn't leave and sat down opposite her. "I'm fine, I'll eat with you."
"You're so kind!" Song Shiying's eyes lit up. She poured Xu Huaihuai a glass of juice. "Cheers! Thank you, Sister Xu, for now and for just now."
"You're welcome. Those people went too far."
"Sigh, I really hate the smell of secondhand smoke, especially when I'm eating." Song Shiying said angrily. "The idea that smoking is harmful to health? Ha, to be honest, I don't care about smokers' health at all. They deserve to get lung cancer or die from smoking, but why should non-smokers have to bear the harm of their secondhand smoke?"
"Some people just won't have this awareness."
Xu Huaihuai helped Song Shiying cook shrimp paste. Song Shiying swallowed the beef ball in her mouth, wiped her mouth and said, "I have a roommate who is also very good at cooking shrimp paste. Unfortunately, we had agreed to have a celebratory dinner together after the final exams in the week of finals, but all three of my roommates have fevers."
"All three of them have fevers? Have they been to the hospital?"
"Yes, all three of my roommates have fevers. They went to the school hospital and got some medicine, but it shouldn't be the flu. I live with them and I didn't get infected. It's probably because the temperature dropped recently and I caught a chill."
"That's good. But if their fever doesn't go down, it's best to take them to the city hospital for a checkup."
"Definitely, hehe. Speaking of which, my roommates are having a tough time. In this season when it's best to eat to their heart's content, they have to watch what they eat. If I go back with the smell of hot pot, they'll be drooling."
"Shi Ying, you're so naughty."
"Hahahaha..."
After finishing their hotpot, Xu Huaihuai took Shi Ying back to school. Before parting, Song Shi Ying tiptoed and whispered to Xu Huaihuai, "Didn't I talk about a dark past before? I had almost forgotten about him after we broke up, but recently I heard some gossip about him. It's said that he was slept with by his business partner, and supposedly it was the bottom one. Tsk tsk tsk, oh my god, I'm so glad I broke up with him quickly."
Oh no. I really got my educational background checked by someone of the same sex.
Xu Huaihuai was both surprised and unsurprised by this; after all, evil people have their own evil backers.
Song Shiying returned to school wearing a fluffy winter hat, and Xu Huaihuai also drove home.
During her chat, Song Shiying mentioned that her roommates all had fevers. As the weather gets colder, it's common to catch a cold and get a fever. It's not uncommon for people living in the same dormitory to infect each other and get a fever together.
At first, Xu Huaihuai didn't take it seriously, until the company's HR reported that several colleagues had taken leave due to fever that month, and then Xu Huaihuai felt that something seemed wrong.
She searched through recent news but couldn't find any reports about the flu. She then carefully inquired with HR to find out if the colleague who had taken leave had any other symptoms besides fever.
The HR department compiled and sent her the medical records of all the colleagues who had recently taken sick leave due to fever. Most of the hospital diagnoses for these colleagues who took sick leave due to fever only stated unexplained fever, without mentioning other symptoms such as sore throat, cough, or runny nose.
Without exhibiting a complex symptom cluster, isolated fever can be more severe than that of a cold or chill.
The cause of the fever is unknown, and the route of transmission is also unknown. This is very strange.
A group of company employees fell ill with fevers, recovered after taking medicine and injections, and returned to work, only to have another group of employees fall ill with fevers.
This situation is not accidental. Although there are still no reports of mass fever outbreaks and online discussions about fever are scarce, more and more pedestrians on the streets are wearing masks and hurrying along, avoiding contact with others. Pharmacies are almost sold out of fever reducers, and sales of thermometers on shopping platforms are constantly increasing.
The collective fever persisted for a long time, from the end of the year to the new year, and it did not stop. Under such circumstances, everyone in Xinxinyan Company took their annual leave early.
On the day before the Lunar New Year, Xu Huaihuai and Lin Xu went to the supermarket together to choose ingredients for their New Year's Eve dinner. The fresh food supermarket had added many service robots, and the sales staff were all wearing masks, which had become the norm.
But is wearing a mask really effective? Is this "fever" really transmitted through the air? Neither she nor anyone she knows has a fever, but it's impossible to completely avoid contact with people who have fevers, nor is it possible to completely isolate oneself from environments where people with fevers are present.
If masks can prevent this sudden, unexplained fever, how come so many people are developing fevers one after another?
As Xu Huaihuai strolled from the vegetable section to the seafood section, she kept thinking about the collective fever. Lin Xu pushed a half-full cart and stopped in the seafood section.
Xu Huaihuai subconsciously stopped as well. She put her hand on Lin Xu's back, but stared blankly at the shopping cart.
Lin Xu noticed she was lost in thought and asked, "Steamed sea bass or turbot?"
Xu Huaihuai then looked up at the fish bubbling in the aquatic tank, "That flat and ugly one, it's probably a sea bass."
"Okay, then let's have the sea bass."
"But that flat thing looks quite charming when it swims."
"It has a unique flavor when it's cooked. Would you like some?"
"How about one? Wouldn't it be a bit extravagant for just a few people to share two fish?"
"It's alright, we can finish it. May you have abundance every year. Two fish aren't much." Lin Xu took the fish that the salesperson had prepared and put it into the trolley.
"We have the fish, but what about the soup? Chicken soup? Duck soup? Pig's trotter soup? I want chicken soup, but I also want to eat pig's trotters." Xu Huaihuai's true nature as a gluttonous girl was revealed.
"How about yam and chicken soup, with a side of sweet vinegar pig's feet and ginger?"
Eating sweet vinegar pig's feet with ginger will warm you up from head to toe, making it perfect for winter. The sweet and sour taste of the vinegar completely neutralizes the spiciness of the ginger, making it one of the few foods that Xu Huaihuai can accept with a lot of ginger.
"Then, I'll peel the eggs for you! How about that? Aren't I really nice?"
"Yes, it's really good."
The Lunar New Year's Eve dinner was a meal at Lin Xu's house for Xu Huaihuai, Zhong Xuelu and Lin Xu, and their aunt Zhong Qinyu. The siblings' parents had gone on holiday at the end of the year and had not returned.
Grandma Zhong and her niece Zhong Xuelu were watching a melodramatic fantasy drama together in the living room. The two of them would burst into laughter one moment and then curse the screenwriter for being inhuman the next.
Xu Huaihuai was helping peel eggs in the kitchen. After rinsing the boiled eggs in cold water, they were easy to peel when they were lukewarm. Lin Xu was on the other side, scalding pig's trotters to remove the gamey smell.
Xu Huaihuai packed the peeled eggs and placed them on the preparation table. "Master Lin, the eggs are peeled."
Lin Xu finished slicing the fruit platter, and the pig's trotters in the pot were also cooked. He casually skimmed off the foam in the pot, looked at the peeled eggs, and praised them without reservation: "Great job, you peeled them so quickly and well."
"Is there anything else I can help you with, Master Lin?"
"Take the fruit platter out. Leave the rest of the kitchen to me. You can relax and watch the show with your aunt and Sister Lu."
As soon as she saw Xu Huaihuai come out of the kitchen, Zhong Xuelu waved to him, "Come sit down! Come sit down!"
"Sit over here with your aunt!" Zhong Qinyu argued with her niece. "You can't even see them kissing on the screen from that angle!"
Zhong Xuelu was lounging lazily on the side of the sofa when she heard this, and she jumped up in a flash. "Hey, Auntie, from my angle I can see if they're kissing in the kitchen!"
"...Then how about I sit here?" Xu Huaihuai put down the fruit plate and sat at the other end of the sofa. "What show are you watching?"
Zhong Xuelu straightened up and forked a piece of melon. "It's some kind of fantasy drama called 'A Hundred Lifetimes of Falling,' so melodramatic."
Zhong Qinyu meticulously corrected Zhong Xuelu, "It should be called 'A Hundred Lifetimes of Sinking and A Hundred Lifetimes of Joy'."
"This name sounds like a forbidden love story that might not pass censorship."
"That's true. In short, the mortal female disciple fell in love with her immortal master."
"Xiao Lu, that's precisely why they were able to break through societal norms and be together, making it all the more precious." Although she and her niece had thoroughly criticized the screenwriter, Zhong Qinyu still defended this super-long, melodramatic fantasy drama.
"Auntie, they haven't even gotten together yet. The show has only just reached the point where the female lead is undergoing tribulations in the mortal realm. Because she has forgotten her past life, she can't even summon her own magical artifacts. The forgotten artifacts are about to lose their original form. The female lead's tribulations are just the beginning. She's still a long way from being with the male lead."
[Author's Note]
The original plan was to finish it in around 150,000 words, but there's not much left. [Pity]
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