Chi Chan slowly returned to her seat and sat down. After opening the insulated lunchbox, she realized how much her mother had prepared for her. No wonder it was so heavy!
The five-layer insulated lunchbox was packed full of food. On the bottom layer of tightly packed white rice was a braised chicken leg. The dark brown braising sauce soaked into the plump, glistening rice, making it look especially delicious.
Chi Chan laughed; her mother really treated her like a pig.
She reached into the drawer of the desk and found an empty plastic lunchbox. There had been an apple in it that morning, but she had eaten it by noon, so the box was empty now.
She brought this from far away from home because she always brought her own lunchbox to eat in the school cafeteria during junior high, and she assumed it would be the same in high school. Only after bringing it did she realize the school cafeteria had trays, so she used those trays instead, and used this lunchbox to hold fruit.
Now is just right.
Chi Chan used clean chopsticks to take out the large chicken leg and put it in the lunchbox. She also took out half of each of the four dishes and a large portion of the rice.
After he finished doing all that, he found that his deskmate had returned.
It's not National Day yet, and there's still lunch break. After lunch, students go back to their dormitories for a nap. Day students either rest in the classroom or play outside, so there are relatively few people in the classrooms since it's still lunchtime.
Only Linda usually doesn't go back to the dormitory at noon; she stays in the classroom to study.
After Chi Chan became his deskmate, she studied in the classroom just like him. Studying together and discussing problems was great.
By now, Linda had finished eating and returned to the classroom.
As soon as I sat down, I noticed my deskmate pushing a lunchbox towards me.
"My mom prepared so much food for me, I can't possibly finish it all by myself, so I shared some with you. Don't mind, the chopsticks and lunchbox are clean!"
Chi Chan used the spoon that came with the lunchbox. She had used this spoon before, so it was inconvenient for her to give it to Lin Da.
"No, no—I just finished eating—you—you can keep it for yourself and eat slowly!"
When Lin Da heard Chi Chan say that all of this was for him, his face turned red, and he quickly pushed it back. He had never received so much food from a classmate before, and he felt embarrassed.
"Eat up, don't be so polite with me. My mom started selling boxed lunches outside the school today. We don't have much of anything at home, but we have plenty of food!"
Chi Chan pushed it over again: "I should thank you for helping me solve these problems, otherwise it would have been a waste!"
Lin Da waved his hands repeatedly, sitting far away from the lunchbox, his body pressed against the wall, afraid that if he touched the lunchbox, Chi Chan would make him responsible for it.
This time, Chi Chan directly opened the lid of the lunchbox, pushed it in front of him, and shoved the chopsticks into his hand.
"Eat up, I've already opened the lid, it'll be a waste if you don't eat it!"
After finishing her sentence, Chi Chan ignored Lin Da and sat down at her seat to eat.
"Thanks!"
After a long while, a sentence came from the seat next to her. If Chi Chan hadn't been listening intently, she might not have heard it.
"That's right! Every grain of rice is hard-earned, we can't waste any. Remember to wash my lunchbox after you're done eating!"
Chi Chan smiled.
With her mouth full of rice, Linda could only nod emphatically in response to Chi Chan.
Unlike the bland boiled cabbage in the cafeteria, the rice with its rich braised aroma, paired with the salty and spicy pork belly with its savory sauce, and then a bite of eggplant with minced meat, is absolutely delicious.
Linda felt she couldn't eat as quickly as she usually did in the cafeteria, gulping down her food before she could even taste it. This time, she wanted to eat slowly and savor the food.
The last time I had such delicious food was the day before school started.
Chi Chan knew that Lin Da's family must be very poor. Last time, she saw Lin Da eating alone in a corner of the cafeteria, with only a limp boiled cabbage on her plate.
Chi Chan didn't go over at the time, but she remembered it in her heart.
Now that her family has the means, she is willing to repay Linda.
Linda is such a good deskmate. Whether in this life or the last, no matter how simple her questions are, he answers them with great patience.
After eating and drinking her fill, Chi Chan put the insulated lunchbox away under the table. She planned to wash it when she got home, since she didn't have dish soap and it wouldn't get clean. She would bring a bottle of dish soap tomorrow.
Just as she finished tidying up, Linda placed the clean lunchbox in front of Chi Chan. It was wiped dry and looked brand new.
"Thanks!"
Chi Chan took the lunchbox and teased him, "You've said those two words eight hundred times already. I've said we're friends, no need to thank me. You're helping me save money."
"Anyway, thank you!"
Lin Da squeezed out another sentence: the two usually exchanged learning experiences. Chi Chan was now realizing for the first time that her deskmate was not only exceptionally polite but also exceptionally stupid.
"So, next time I ask you a question, do I have to say thank you every time?"
Chi Chan countered with a question.
"Of course not, it's just discussing a question, it's what classmates and friends should do!"
Under Chi Chan's gaze, Lin Da, unusually quick-witted, changed "classmate" to "friend."
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chi Chan's satisfied smile.
friend.
Linda silently repeated those two words in her mind, and she felt pretty good. It seemed that from childhood to adulthood, no one had ever claimed to be her friend.
His father fell seriously ill and passed away when he was five years old. Less than a month after his father's death, his mother returned to her parents' home, and six months later, news came that she had remarried.
Linda was old enough to remember things by then. He didn't understand what the grandmothers and aunts in the village meant by "dead" or "remarried," but he could clearly feel the way they looked at him, and that look made him very uncomfortable.
When he grew up, he learned that that look was called "pity".
But he didn't care, and he didn't have time to care.
My grandmother lives alone. She works hard in the fields every day, and during the off-season, she has to go around collecting recyclables to sell for money.
After school, he would rush home to help his grandmother with chores.
Grandma always told him not to do it and to go study instead.
After the high school entrance exam, he achieved excellent results, becoming the top scorer in the county. His classmates said that his score was among the best in the city as well.
He didn't care at the time; he just went to whichever high school he got into!
He was just a little worried because high school was no longer part of compulsory education, and he had heard that the tuition was very expensive.
Grandma told him not to worry, saying that she had been saving up his tuition fees since he was a child, and that she had saved up a lot of money, enough for him to go to school!
When his homeroom teacher brought teachers from the county's No. 1 Middle School and the city's No. 1 Middle School to his home, he was helping his grandmother dig soil in the field.
Grandma quickly took him home to see his teacher.
The teacher at the county's No. 1 High School said that Lin Da's tuition could be waived, and she would also receive a scholarship of 3,000 yuan per semester.
The teacher from the No. 1 Middle School said that Lin Da's tuition could be waived, but her living expenses would not be.
Linda stood behind his grandmother, a head taller than her, and tugged hard at the hem of her clothes.
Grandma Lin understood what he meant. Lin Da wanted to go to the county's No. 1 High School, where tuition was waived and a scholarship of 3,000 yuan would be provided, which would be equivalent to not spending any money and even saving some money.
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