Chapter 162 The Cafeteria
But as soon as you come back to your senses from the afterglow of that so-called meditation, the smell of blood still lingers on your nose, and you can still feel the pressure from the sticky passage in your chest.
The moment you hear the word "cafeteria," your face turns pale.
You were just struggling in your dream, amidst the blood-red, greasy aroma and the illusion of humans and animals being turned upside down. Now you're about to walk into the cafeteria in reality?
You really want to say "no," but your stomach keeps growling loudly.
...I have PE class in the afternoon, so skipping lunch is practically impossible. What if afternoon PE involves running laps? What if something is chasing me from behind?
Ptooey!
For the first time, you realize how annoying this extraordinary associative ability, which usually allows you to quickly find clues, and your ability to foresee terrible events are. What if it really comes true?!
Your face turned even greener. You seem to have a real premonition...
The way you struggled and hesitated here seemed to be misunderstood by Meiling as shyness.
She patted her chest, then slapped you on the back, and said with a grin, "Don't be afraid! I'll order for you. I'll choose what you want to eat. Don't be nervous. We're good friends now, leave the Cantonese to me!"
Huimin nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, it's just eating at school, there's nothing to worry about. If the aunties dare to give you less food just because you can't speak Cantonese, we'll argue with them for you."
Well, at least you've made two good friends...
That's what everyone says. The number one thing young girls think about relationships is, "They've already vouched for you, so don't be so hesitant and act like you don't trust them." You can only grit your teeth and reach out to them.
The three of them walked hand in hand, side by side. Meiling on your left and Huimin on your right both squeezed into you in the middle. This childish way of expressing affection made you both laugh and cry. You could only squeeze back every now and then. The three of you walked towards the cafeteria like an eel, twisting and turning.
The warmth of their hands offered some reassurance, but the images from your dream and the teacher's ambiguous words still lingered in your mind.
What does that mean exactly?
Step into the cafeteria—it's exactly the same as the one in your dreams.
The first thing that hits you is the same humid and hot smell and the mixed fragrance.
Similar to the high school cafeteria in Huaguo, this place doesn't just have a single serving window, but rather a relatively spacious hall with stalls on all four sides. Each stall has a brightly colored sign with the names of the dishes written in Thai, and underneath are already prepared foods—mostly the same ones you see the aunties preparing on your way to school in the morning: curry pots bubbling away, and golden, crispy semi-finished fried chicken fried again to make it even more fragrant.
For main dishes and snacks, it's not just the little bit you see in the morning; there's freshly steamed glutinous rice, freshly stir-fried rice noodles, and tom yum soup.
The stall owners no longer had the serious expressions they had when looking through the glass. The plump aunties and uncles, wearing aprons and holding spoons, would greet the students with smiles as they approached.
Here, you can order food separately. For example, you can buy a dish from one stall and then get a soup from another stall. The process is basically the same as in China, but the flexibility in arrangement and combination is slightly greater.
Meiling and Huimin chattered away as they introduced the products to you. To be honest, the price wasn't expensive, but the portions were quite large.
The most popular stalls had long queues; these were all stalls selling large pieces of meat.
In the center of the cafeteria, rows of long tables were set up, and students sat together in twos and threes, creating a noisy and lively atmosphere.
You stand in the crowd, but your heart is racing.
Every pot of bubbling broth, every plate of glistening meat, echoes the green and red scene in your dream. You stare at one pot; it's just ordinary red curry, but to you, its color is like boiling blood. The golden-brown fried chicken wings contort into mangled limbs in your mind. The vendor smiles as he scoops up food with a spoon, his movements as swift as a frog handing you a plate of food...
Is that so? Was the series of words spoken by the Buddhist teacher implying that your dream was a premonition?
Thinking about it this way... you buried the frog, showing it respect for life. Even in ghost stories, this kind of behavior could be considered a get-out-of-jail-free card. So, was that dream the frog telling you that some things in the cafeteria are inedible?
If I had to say what it is, it would only be meat!
Your silence particularly caught Meiling's attention. This girl initially wanted to bully you, but after you subdued her, she treated you with genuine sincerity.
She leaned close to your ear and whispered, "Really, don't worry. The food here might be different from what you get in Korea, but it's pretty good. Any stall will do. Do you like it spicy? Or would you prefer something milder?" As she spoke, she pushed you forward a step and led you to a curry rice stall.
The stall owner smiled and asked, "O'Aradika?" (What would you like?)
Huimin chimed in, "She doesn't speak Taman yet, so I'll order for her." She turned to you, smiling, and asked, "Would you like to try the red curry chicken? Or the green curry beef?"
Chicken, beef, and meat.
These words struck your mind like a hammer blow. The moment you slashed open the doll's belly in your dream flashed before your eyes. It was clearly cotton wool back then, but blood gushed out in your memory at this moment, and your fingers were covered with warm, fishy blood.
You snapped back to reality, your hand instinctively gripping Meiling's tightly, your voice more urgent than you expected: "No! I want to be a vegetarian!"
Meiling was startled by your reaction and froze, turning to look at you with surprise in her eyes. Huimin also stopped what she was doing, the coin in her hand still unhanded over.
You stared at them, your voice low but firm: "I'm serious. I'm a vegetarian. Meat... you'd better not eat it either."
They treat you sincerely, and you feel you should lend them a hand—even if they are not outsiders like you.
But you already had a vague feeling during the last instance that easing the conflict between outsiders and locals might bring you unexpected benefits.
The two exchanged a glance, clearly puzzled as to why you were suddenly so resolute. Meiling scratched her cheek in confusion, said something sweetly to the stall owner in Cantonese, then switched back to Huayu and pulled you away, saying, "Okay, it's not a big problem. There are many vegetarians in our country, and plenty of vegetarian stalls, so let's go eat something vegetarian."
Huimin nodded: "Yes, there are quite a few vegetarians here, and the vegetarian food is very delicious."
They half-dragged, half-pulled you toward the vegetarian food stall.
As you pass by those meat pots, you can't help but turn your head, each glance feeling like a repetition of the judgment in your dream—perhaps the pale, doll-like creature is the chicken, and the curry soup is the river of blood punishing the hungry ghosts.
The general rule is that meat has different grades. But who says human flesh isn't meat? The cafeteria is hell for humans.
Thankfully, the vegetarian food here is genuinely made with religious considerations in mind and absolutely does not use lard for stir-frying. You can still manage to eat the food here, albeit with some difficulty.
However, in such an environment, you still find it difficult to eat.
This instance has been giving you a very strange feeling so far; it feels like you've been constantly soaking in a thick, sticky slime.
My brain seems to be constantly in a state of exhaustion from overthinking: even though there's very little information around me, it feels like there's information everywhere I look that I can use. I can't take a moment's rest; I have to be constantly vigilant and observe everything around me.
In the distance, you catch a glimpse of a boy in the front row, munching on red curry chicken. He suddenly chokes, his face turning bright red, his throat bulging.
At first, he just coughed violently, but the next second, he opened his mouth and spat out strands of white stuff.
Those were thin, long strands of meat, constantly being dragged out of his throat, stretching longer and longer. His eyes were red, as if they were about to burst. The students around him, however, just kept their heads down and ate, as if nothing had happened.
Your eyelid twitched.
"Did you see that?" you still want to ask, even if perhaps the two girls beside you are just as oblivious as the others.
They both turned around and glanced back, their faces turning pale with fright. They looked at you in panic, not daring to speak.
"Stop staring at others, let's just eat our own food." Meiling grabbed your hand and lowered her head to eat.
This is getting interesting.
Is this the first time something like this has happened in the cafeteria? If not, haven't they seen it before? If so, why today?
Does it have anything to do with you?
You look away and see a girl at another table holding a plate of spicy stir-fried pork. She eats quickly, her movements almost mechanical. You notice the skin on her wrist is red, and a moment later, several thin cuts appear. Blood drips down, mingling with the chili sauce, before she spoons it into her own mouth.
She chatted and laughed with the people around her, completely unaware of what was happening. She continued to stuff meat into her mouth, bite by bite.
And then there were those gnawing on fried chicken wings. Their greasy hands gripped the chicken meat that just wouldn't cook through under the crispy skin, and as they ate, they talked to others with their mouths wide open, revealing teeth stained brown with dark, glistening blood.
That's enough. You can't stand it anymore.
You and Meiling and Huimin quickly finished eating the remaining food, put the plates in the kitchenware recycling area, and then you practically ran out of the cafeteria.
"What just happened?" Meiling asked, still shaken.
“I don’t know, but I suspect there’s some terrible secret going on in the kitchen,” you analyzed, looking at the two girls who were waiting for you to give them a reassuring solution. “Let’s not delve too deeply into this for now; we’ll talk about it this afternoon.”
Huimin was still shaken: "But... what about all the food we ate before?" The more she thought about it, the uglier her face became.
"Don't worry about it so much. There's an old saying in Huaguo—'Since you're here, make the best of it.'" Meiling had calmed down. "Thinking about it this way, our school really has a problem. Think about it, how can the teachers be so calm about Jinglian's death!"
These words made you glance at Meiling a few more times. She continued, "There are so many things here that we thought were normal, but upon closer inspection, they're completely illogical. My God, what kind of school are we in?!"
"Can we continue our studies here?" Huimin asked.
They might be able to transfer schools, but you think you're unlikely to succeed—of course, you're just silently complaining to yourself.
“Transferring schools might not be the solution,” Meiling said, suddenly grabbing your hand. “I have a feeling that even if we leave here, these strange beings will still trap us—maybe, maybe we won’t even realize it then! But you—” Meiling looked at you, her eyes bright, “I always feel that if we’re with you, we can stay clear-headed.”
It feels good to be trusted, especially since you never wanted to go it alone, but this also adds some pressure. Nevertheless, you carefully choose your words and promise them, "I'll try my best."
This is how a small alliance is formed, even if you don't know what to do next.
You sat diagonally across from the cafeteria, observing the students walking out. They all looked unchanged, radiating youthful cheerfulness and sunshine.
You also saw the same students who collapsed during the Buddhist studies class here. Combined with the principal's specific emphasis on not being allowed to stay at school at night, it means that the school is ultimately safe during the day.
No matter how bizarre the events that occurred during the day, they did not seem to have any real impact on the locals' deaths.
But you are the only "outsider" here. It's obvious that if you were the one who encountered the same thing, you would be truly doomed.
Thinking about it this way actually lessens the sense of absurdity in your heart: This is more like it, this is what a dungeon should feel like. If locals and outsiders suffer the same crisis equally, it will make you feel a lot more real about the situation here.
It's as if you are a person in this dangerous world.
You can't think like that.
You composed yourself and asked Meiling about the physical education class.
"Hmm, it's just warm-up first, then running laps, and then practicing sepak takraw." Meiling's eyes widened alertly. "And even if you don't know how to play PE..."
"I don't know," you said, "but could you teach me how to play this sepak takraw?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: *After much deliberation, I've decided not to write any more. I'll be rethinking the next chapter.
I'm hesitating about whether to combine this chapter with the next one... This chapter feels a bit short, but the next one will be much longer... However, I might decide to keep the next chapter shorter after some thought... Oh well, I'll think about it tomorrow! Love!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
