Bai Jiaojiao was simply not familiar with Hou Zhilin and felt embarrassed to trouble him.
Hou Zhilin's words made her really embarrassed.
After climbing for so long, only Shu Manling among the female classmates remained calm and composed: "Jiaojiao, give me your bag. I can't boast about anything else, but back in the countryside, our production team's cornfields were on the mountain. I could carry two buckets of water and walk up the mountain path with ease. I was even stronger than most of the male students in our class. Don't be shy, give it to me."
After saying that, she snatched the bag from Bai Jiaojiao's body as if she were stealing it.
"Thank you, it definitely feels much lighter."
"You're just lucky. Even if you were born in the countryside, your parents wouldn't have let you do any work, would they?" Shu Manling teased.
"I am indeed the youngest in my family..."
The two started chatting, and Hou Zhilin had no choice but to step aside.
Bai Jiaojiao unknowingly fell to the back of the line. The early spring weather was still a bit chilly, but she was sweating profusely.
"Jiaojiao, your physical condition is really bad. Do you not exercise much?" Shu Manling took the initiative to help Bai Jiaojiao. Thanks to her, otherwise Bai Jiaojiao really wouldn't have been able to climb up.
Bai Jiaojiao didn't even have the strength to speak: "Sister, there are still two steps left, let's climb up and talk about it!"
Just as she said, Shu Manling helped Bai Jiaojiao without blushing or skipping a beat, and her physical strength was even better than some of the male classmates who came from the city.
Once they had all reached the top of the mountain, they gathered in small groups to rest.
They had been dawdling along the way, and it was already past eleven o'clock. The Youth League Secretary told everyone to eat first, and then organize some group games after the meal.
Xu Yue, clutching the lunchbox, grinned like a little monkey who had stolen a peach: "Then I'll open it!"
Bai Jiaojiao nodded: "Let's go."
Xu Yue and Shu Manling opened their lunchboxes together. When Xu Yue saw the shrimp dumplings inside, she exclaimed in surprise, "Shrimp dumplings!"
This was the first time Shu Manling had ever seen such exquisite food. It was so beautiful that she felt that such things should never be a part of her life.
"What is this?" Shu Manling asked, seeing that Xu Yue recognized the object.
"These are shrimp dumplings. I thought you northerners didn't eat them!"
Xu Yue immediately ate one, while Bai Jiaojiao said, "I heard it from someone else, but I don't know if it tastes the same."
"Delicious! Bai Jiaojiao, I'm so touched!" Xu Yue ate two in a row and leaned against Bai Jiaojiao: "I'm starting to miss home."
"Shumanling, you should try some too."
Bai Jiaojiao patted Xu Yue's curly hair, gesturing for Shu Manling to eat quickly.
After biting into the dumpling wrapper, Shu Manling discovered that the pinkish stuff inside was actually shrimp. She said, "These shrimp must be expensive."
"It's alright. I didn't buy much. I mainly bought it because I used to live by the sea and I'm used to eating these kinds of things. Xu Yue's family probably eats these things often too, so I just bought some. I'm glad you like it."
Upon hearing this, Shu Manling thought, "How could I not like it? These shrimp are much fresher and more tender than the river shrimp we used to catch in the river."
Besides six shrimp dumplings per person, Bai Jiaojiao was also given a generous amount of stir-fried bok choy and rice. If you rummage through the food with your chopsticks, you could even find a braised chicken wing.
"These chicken drumsticks were cooked twice; I made them last night, otherwise I wouldn't have had time this morning."
"Bai Jiaojiao, you're so kind! Can I come to your house for dinner when your boyfriend isn't home? I'll bring my own meal tickets!" Xu Yue said, expressing that after so long, she was finally able to eat a meal cooked by a human.
If Bai Jiaojiao can make such delicious stir-fried lettuce, then the same amount of meat and fish must be more cost-effective than a state-run restaurant.
"Then you'll be disappointed. He's usually at home and has even fewer classes than us."
Shen Heng is also a gifted student; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to learn in a year what others have learned in over ten years. The current coursework at the business school is just a matter of moving his fingers for him.
Xu Yue felt inexplicably afraid of Shen Heng, and after hearing Bai Jiaojiao's words, she felt embarrassed to say anything more.
Xu Yue focused on eating what she liked, and finished the six shrimp dumplings in no time.
Seeing her longing look, Shu Manling, though reluctant to eat herself, still picked out two of her own for her, and then Xu Yue smiled broadly at her.
To Bai Jiaojiao and Shu Manling, Xu Yue was like a little sister, and they usually gave in to her.
"Shu Manling, what is this? Is it tasty?"
Zhang Mai had come over at some point, her eyes fixed on the two shrimp dumplings that were still left in Shu Manling's lunchbox.
"These are small dumplings that Jiaojiao made with shrimp. They're quite delicious." Shu Manling, who was used to a life of hardship, wouldn't let Zhang Mai try one just because she couldn't refuse.
"Shrimp dumplings, it's shrimp dumplings, right?" One of the boys in the class, whose hometown was quite far south, got excited when he heard the name and came over to look: "It really is shrimp dumplings! Bai Jiaojiao, are you from the south too?"
"No, it wasn't me. Xu Yue was. She said she wanted to eat the bread I made for her."
"I want some too! Could you make some for me? I'll give you money and meal tickets! I'll go buy the ingredients too!"
"What are shrimp dumplings? Are they delicious?"
"It's so delicious, I'm telling you! You can't just eat to fill your stomach. Look at this, it's a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yue immediately agreed wholeheartedly: "Yes! Fellow villagers really know their stuff!"
Everyone crowded around. Since it was from the female classmate's bowl, no one dared to ask for it, but they all gathered together and listened to the male classmate from the south brag about how delicious the shrimp dumplings were.
"What's so delicious about it? You're so ignorant!"
Chen Meizhen, standing to the side, disrupted the atmosphere of the discussion. She held a piece of bread in her hand and slowly spread jam on it with a metal knife.
Toast is a common food, but most people don't eat it with jam. Most people don't have that kind of fancy stomach! Plus, she brought her jam-spreading knife and spread it on the spot.
It did attract a lot of attention at first, but who knew that Bai Jiaojiao would ruin it again.
Chen Meizhen was so angry she was practically fuming.
Bai Jiaojiao found it somewhat interesting to watch Chen Meizhen elegantly spreading jam on bread on the barren mountain.
“Class monitor, you’re not right about that. How about this, you talk to Bai Jiaojiao and ask if she can make more so you can try some too. Once you’ve had some, you won’t say that anymore.”
Everyone in the class now knows about Chen Meizhen's family background, and no one dares to contradict her.
The male classmate was honest and even happily wanted to recruit Chen Meizhen to join him.
Hou Zhilin then said, "Bai Jiaojiao, look how curious everyone is. Could you get us some to try? We can help you out! You're all classmates, so you can't be stingy."
Bai Jiaojiao stared at Hou Zhilin, thinking that this man really knew how to put her in an awkward situation.
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