The classroom erupted in chaos as soon as the Du brothers left.
"Hey, did you guys hear that? Du Haifeng called that woman 'sister.' His sister is really pretty."
“Being pretty has nothing to do with you. Didn’t you hear Du Haichao calling out ‘sister’ and ‘brother-in-law’ just now? His sister must be married. Look at how nicely dressed his sister and brother-in-law are. It seems their family is well-off.”
"Maybe it's because his sister married into a well-off family, not because Du Haifeng's family is well-off. Their family is from a rural area."
Some people felt sorry for Du Haifeng and his brother, saying, "So what if they're from the countryside? You're just jealous that they're better at studying than you. Just by looking at his brother-in-law, you can tell he's not an ordinary person. He'll definitely protect his brother-in-law. You'd better stop picking on them. Be careful, or his brother-in-law will get back at you."
In the classroom, some students were on good terms with Du Haifeng and his brother, while others were not. At that moment, everyone was talking about Du Haifeng's sister and brother-in-law.
Those at school who had just seen He Yuhan and Han Yixian were also talking about them. Mainly, it was because He Yuhan's appearance was stunning. They had never seen such a beautiful woman before.
He Yuhan and Han Yixian were unaware that they had become the talk of the school. The two followed the Du Haifeng brothers to a quiet, shady spot. The dormitory was too hot and poorly ventilated; it was much cooler under the trees.
He Yuhan handed the newspapers she had brought to her younger brother so that they could spread them on the ground so that everyone could sit down.
After Du Haifeng and his brother laid out the newspaper, He Yuhan placed several lunchboxes on the newspaper. The food inside the lunchboxes was still warm when she opened the lids.
Upon seeing the braised pork in the lunchbox, Du Haichao exclaimed, "Braised pork is great! Thank you, sister and brother-in-law!"
He Yuhan took out the steamed buns wrapped in a cloth and handed the chopsticks she had brought to her two younger brothers, saying, "Eat quickly, these dishes are all for you two, eat them all, don't leave any."
Du Haifeng said, "Sister, brother-in-law, have you eaten? Come and eat with us."
He Yuhan said, "Eat your food, there's more at home. Our meals at home are much better than yours at school. Now is a time when you need to use your brains, so eat more. Look how thin you two have become."
Han Yixian said, "You are at the age when you are growing and studying is so stressful, so you should eat more nutritious food. Eat all of these and don't let your sister worry."
Du Haifeng and his brother knew that their sister and brother-in-law weren't just being polite, so they stopped being so reserved and started wolfing down their food.
He Yuhan also brought them some cooled mung bean soup, which she put in a water bottle so that the two children wouldn't get thirsty from just eating steamed buns and vegetables.
The braised pork belly is stewed until tender and flavorful, fragrant but not greasy. Stir-fried pork with celery and stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms are dishes that Du Haifeng and his brother love to eat.
The lunchbox was devoured in a flash; every last bit of food was eaten, and even the broth was eaten with steamed buns. According to Du Haichao, the broth was full of oil and therefore nutritious.
He Yuhan could tell from her two younger brothers' expressions how much they had been deprived of food, and she felt bad for them. She decided that once they finished their exams, she would definitely let them stay at home for a few days to properly nourish their bodies.
He Yuhan said, "Doesn't the school cafeteria also sell vegetables? You two shouldn't be too frugal. You should eat when you need to; your health is important."
Du Haichao took a big gulp of mung bean soup and said, "Sister, we're already considered lucky. You don't know, there are many people who are having a much harder time than us. Some classmates only eat two cornbread buns a day and drink plain water, their stomachs are growling all day long. Some have even fainted from hunger."
Du Haifeng said, "Sister, don't worry about us. At least we're not starving. You bring us food every week, and we can eat our fill every day by buying food from the cafeteria."
Du Haichao whispered, "My brother says we shouldn't flaunt our wealth, so we can't be too ostentatious at school. That's why we secretly eat the food we bring from home in secluded places. When we buy food at the cafeteria, we're just like everyone else. If we act too superior, we'll be seen as out of place."
We come from the countryside, so we definitely need to get along with classmates from the countryside. Many of our city classmates look down on those from the countryside and aren't on our side. If we don't fit in with those from the countryside, we'll be isolated.
He Yuhan laughed and said, "Oh, you even use psychological tactics. You've thought of everything."
Du Haichao chuckled and said, "I learned this from you, sister and brother-in-law. We're among the top students in school, and several people from the city are jealous of us. But we country folk stick together, so they don't dare to do anything."
Besides, there are two of us, my older brother and I, and we know kung fu. Last time, someone who was causing trouble for us was intimidated by my strength and became much more obedient.
Du Haifeng rolled her eyes at her younger brother and said, "Trying to show off to your sister, huh? You've grown some guts now? Didn't I tell you not to get into conflicts with people so easily?"
Du Haichao said, "That's because he's too bullying. He looks down on us country folk just because he's from the city. But he can't bully us like that. We won't bully others, but we can't be afraid of trouble either."
Du Haifeng said, "Who said I'm afraid of trouble? We're all classmates, and there's no major conflict between us. There's no need to make things unpleasant. If I hadn't stopped you, would you have gotten into a fight last time?"
Du Haichao said, "I was just trying to scare him, how could we possibly fight? I don't want to get punished."
Du Haifeng snorted and said, "So you're not so bad after all."
Han Yixian said, "You don't need to be afraid of trouble. If anyone bullies you, fight back. Your brother-in-law will take care of everything. But those who can use their brains don't need to use force; only brutes love to use force."
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