157 Table Manners
Li Wei never attends evening self-study sessions at school, not because she is a day student; many day students are also required to attend evening self-study sessions before going home.
At the beginning of her high school years, Li Wei asked her aunt to speak with the teacher, saying that her child was weak and not suitable for traveling back and forth... Anyway, it was agreed that Li Wei would not have to attend evening self-study sessions. It was really too much for her to sit on that bench all day and then have to sit for half a day in the evening.
Li Lianhui and Li Lin were considered joint beneficiaries. Although Li Wei's reasons did not apply to them, they were among the top students in their respective classes, so the teacher did not make things difficult for them.
But today, the results for the last subject were released this afternoon, and the test papers were reviewed. It was already the last class. Li Wei thought about the work she still had to do for the teacher. Did she have to use her evening self-study time to work overtime?
And that's exactly what happened. It seems that Teacher Cao thought it was easy for students to do some writing and calculation work, so as usual, he asked Li Wei to hand in all the statistics sheets tonight. If she was in a hurry to go home, she could ask two more people to help her.
Li Wei glanced around the classroom. Who did the teacher think she was, that her words carried so much weight? In the end, she had no choice but to grab Lin Xiao and Cai Lianhua, two strong men, and with Gong Jianzheng, the four of them should be much faster now.
Although Li Wei had made what she thought was a reasonable division of labor, even the fastest work takes time. Seeing that the other students who were going to the cafeteria for dinner were about to arrive, the four of them had only finished a little over half of the work. Li Wei felt bad and, while listening to Cai Lianhua read out the scores and copying them, she took a moment to say, "I'll treat you to dinner when we're done. Just tell me what you want to eat."
Lin Xiao: "I'd like to eat hot pot with mutton. It's so cold, it would be perfect, but it's a bit far from the school."
Li Wei kept writing: "It's okay, we'll take a taxi. Anyway, there's nothing to do during evening self-study. If you want to go, we'll ask for leave."
Cai Lianhua, on the other hand, was dictating to Gong Jianzheng: "I think it's a good idea. Anyway, most of us are day students, so we can go home right after we eat. It's settled then. By the way, Gong Jianzheng, do you have any objections?"
The only boy present hasn't said a word yet.
Gong Jianzheng didn't even look up: "I have no objection."
The atmosphere among the group became quite lively. They no longer found the work boring or tedious.
Li Wei was also looking forward to the steaming hot pot later. Luo Da and Li Lianhui arrived. They saw Li Wei and several classmates busily working in the back corner of the classroom. Li Lianhui, on the other hand, was decisive. He put down the buns in his plastic bag and left.
Li Wei said a little guiltily, "Um... I forgot to call home to let them know. I was planning to go home soon, so..."
Luo Da glanced at the group of people. He recognized them all. He greeted Gong Jianzheng, then turned to Li Wei and said, "No need to explain. Just don't get lost. Aunt Gao steamed the buns tonight. Eat them while they're hot."
Li Wei glanced at them. There were four or five. She then said, "Let's each have one. Let's have something to eat first. We'll go out to eat after we finish our work."
Luo Da: "Going out again? It's already dark."
While distributing steamed buns to everyone, Li Wei said, "It's not far. Let's go eat hot pot. Do you want to come with us? By the way, don't you have Sixth Senior Brother's class tonight?" This guy has more classes than they do every week.
Luo Da: "No, do you need my help?"
Li Wei quickly shook her head. Was there no one else in their class? Bringing in an outside helper seemed inappropriate. She then asked, "Are you coming to eat with us or not? We're almost done, you don't need to bother."
Luo Da nodded: "I'll be in my classroom. Just call me when you leave."
Li Wei and her siblings' evening self-study sessions were the result of their parents' intervention. As for Luo Da, he was somewhere between attending and not attending; no one knew how he managed it, as his teacher was notoriously difficult.
Sometimes Li Wei felt that these few people were there specifically to disrupt the teaching order at No. 1 High School. Li Wei conservatively estimated that the number of first-year students who didn't attend evening self-study sessions could be counted on one hand, and this small group made up three of them. This trend really couldn't continue. If the weather gradually warms up next semester, they should consider having evening self-study sessions again.
The four of them quickly finished their work. Li Wei gathered the materials together, glanced at them, and saw that it was mostly done. The other three also curiously looked at the overall score list and the subject-specific lists. Actually, this job wasn't without its advantages; it allowed them to know immediately the scores of anyone they wanted to know.
So Lin Xiao and Cai Lianhua, who had never done this before, still found it quite interesting.
Among the group, besides Li Wei, who is well-known as the first place winner, Gong Jianzheng ranked sixth, Lin Xiao ranked fifteenth, and Cai Lianhua ranked eighteenth.
Li Wei disliked Gao Yue, who was twenty-one, and Qin Ling, who was twenty-seven. Unlike other classmates who would occasionally come to their little corner to check on the grades of the classmates they cared about, the two of them acted as if nothing was wrong, always seemingly quite serious about reading or chatting and laughing with their deskmate, with an air of nonchalance.
For the last two exams, Gao Yue didn't borrow Li Wei's test papers for review anymore, because the second time Li Wei retorted, neither softly nor harshly, "What's so interesting about it? Didn't the teacher announce the standard answers? Didn't you hear that?"
Don't think she didn't know. The so-called "borrowing" of the test paper was just to see if she had copied or if the teacher was blind and didn't notice Li Wei's mistake, which allowed Li Wei to slip through the net and get a high score. She's got a dark side.
Li Wei and Lin Xiao took the test papers and reports they had made to the teacher, and then went out with Luo Da, Cai Lianhua, and Gong Jianzheng.
Discipline is generally lax at the end of the semester. Most day students in the city go home, and those who don't go home do other things in the classroom. There aren't many people who are really studying seriously.
The school isn't so unreasonable. Just look at the bright lights on in the second and third years of high school. After the first year, they'll be very busy, especially the third-year students, who are working day and night. By then, the school and teachers won't need to say anything. Given the current situation, it won't be easy for you to slack off.
Li Wei and her five friends took a taxi to the hot pot restaurant that Luo Da had taken them to last time. It was peak dining time and the place was packed. They waited for more than 20 minutes before they could find a seat.
As soon as Li Wei sat down, she ordered a large bottle of juice: "I'm so thirsty! You guys must be thirsty too, probably because of Baozi." Li Wei said to everyone as she took off her coat and draped it over the back of the chair.
The other four also took off their coats. Lin Xiao, who was quick to speak, chimed in, "The buns were a bit too salty, but they were still pretty good. They were just a little small, not even enough to fill my teeth. I was starving."
Li Wei laughed and said, "Then you should eat more. I'm starving and I don't have a deskmate anymore, haha."
A waiter came over and put covers over everyone's coats on the backs of their chairs to prevent the passing waiters from spilling oil or soup on them.
Luo Da's big cotton-padded coat was a bit too big, and when he put it on, it looked bulky and comfortable to lean against. Li Wei looked on with envy and wanted to switch seats with Luo Da.
Luo Da sat on the outside, right next to the aisle. He glanced at Li Wei, then moved the two chairs to different positions. He sat down again.
Li Wei happily sat down and leaned back; it was indeed comfortable, like a small sofa. She couldn't help but smile broadly.
Cai Lianhua had been with Li Wei at the martial arts school for so long that she knew Li Wei had a good relationship with Luo Jianhua and the others. Seeing Li Wei's childish behavior, she teased, "Do you want us to put your jackets on you and stuff a bean inside? Let's see if you can feel the discomfort."
Li Wei didn't mince words: "Sure, it'd be better to stuff it with a golden bean, forget about peas, I'd rather have something more practical. Let's be the Golden Bean Princess, peas are practically worthless, hehe."
"You wish! I'd keep the golden beans to myself, haha..." Cai Lianhua sometimes felt that talking to Li Wei was easy, at least she knew what you were saying. Even though they were all high school students, not many of her classmates knew who the princess and the pea was, so there was no point in saying it.
Girls can chat enthusiastically and excitedly about anything, while boys are much more low-key.
Luo Da and Gong Jianzheng were sitting opposite each other. They knew each other; they often played basketball together during breaks or after school. They were both among the most athletic people in the class, and they would always run into each other on the basketball court. Over time, they got to know each other.
Although Luo Da's academic reputation isn't as outstanding as Li Wei's, he's incredibly well-known among the boys for his exceptional athletic abilities, including those in the junior and senior high school classes. He's even participated in several games against other high schools. Rumor has it that some people have been injured after being knocked down while trying to stop him from going for a layup—and not just one. His reputation has spread far and wide beyond the school; even Li Lin has heard about him.
Otherwise, Li Lin's two classmates wouldn't have been so excited and thrilled to see Luo Da get beaten up by the sixth senior brother. This finally gave them a glimmer of hope. It turns out that as long as you go through this guy's hellish training, you can become a beast. Ugh!
However, they clearly didn't consider whether their small bodies could withstand the torment of their sixth senior brother, and more importantly, whether their sixth senior brother would even look at them.
Sixth Senior Brother's main mission here is to bring Luo Da back to the sect a year later so that the master can check if he's up to standard. If not, he'll have to go back for retraining. Time is tight and the task is urgent; there's no time to waste with others. He'll be lucky if he can find the time to lead a class of students.
Of course, they weren't at the same level as Sixth Senior Brother. Little Black Hand Meng Shaodong was waiting for them. Let's get past that hurdle first.
The five of them were eating around a steaming hot pot. Li Wei and the other two girls were all close friends, and the two boys also appreciated each other, so the atmosphere was very harmonious.
The only discordant note was that Luo Da, having already eaten dinner, wasn't very hungry and kept scooping mutton, tofu, and vermicelli into Li Wei's dish...
The other three kept glancing at her, and Li Wei said, "I can do it myself, you eat yours, it's not like I don't have arms." Honestly, she usually just stuffs herself with food, never this considerate. Didn't she see her classmates looking at her with prejudice?
Seeing that Li Wei's plate was indeed piled high with food, Luo Da began to eat slowly and methodically.
Throughout the meal, Li Wei barely had a chance to reach into the pot with her chopsticks; she was busy working on her own plate the whole time.
Lin Xiao and Li Wei were relatively close. After watching Luo Da scoop up a piece of tender tofu and give it to Li Wei, Li Wei disdainfully threw it back to Luo Jianhua. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "Hey, Luo Jianhua, do you think we're all severely nearsighted? You can't do this to us." It looks so tempting!
Li Wei nudged Luo Da: "I'm talking to you. Stop busying yourself, I'll eat by myself, otherwise it'll cause a public outcry, haha..."
Cai Lianhua chimed in, "That's right, don't make us lonely souls shivering in the cold wind angry, keep it low-key..."
Li Wei —
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