Old Ma's Wonton Shop.

Brother Nan ordered a bowl of Sichuan wontons from Old Ma, large-sized, and buried her head in it, eating vigorously. Her lips had already turned a dark, purplish-red, but she refused to stop.

Zhou Li sat opposite her, holding a cup of preserved egg and lean pork congee, watching her expressionlessly.

He had a tooth pulled today.

And, following the Old monster's advice, he'd had all four pulled out at once.

Now he could only eat liquid food.

After watching for a long time, he finally couldn't resist asking, "Tasty?"

"PHEW..."

Brother Nan let out a long breath, looked up at him, and nodded. "Tasty! This place is awesome! So numbing! My mouth is completely numb, like ten thousand ants are crawling all over it..."

Having said that, she blinked at Zhou Li. "Want to try? I'll share one with you!"

"I'm a patient."

"You're a patient just from having a tooth pulled?"

"I don't like to court disaster."

"Didn't Huai Xu say you're super resilient? What are you afraid of this stuff for!" Brother Nan didn't understand. If it were her, the more a doctor advised against spicy and cold foods, the more she'd want to try them and see what happened.

"Try one? It tastes really good," she said again.

"My congee is also quite delicious," Zhou Li replied stubbornly.

"TSK!"

Brother Nan continued to bury her head and eat intensely, occasionally stopping to catch her breath and let her lips rest.

After finishing the meal, while walking on the street, she even bought some grilled meat skewers covered in chili, flaunting them in front of Zhou Li, eating until the corners of her mouth were dripping with red oil.

"So delicious!"

Her tone and expression were utterly provoking.

Zhou Li silently endured, only asking, "Is my face swollen?"

"Not really swollen."

Brother Nan quickly glanced at his face, then exclaimed in surprise, "Really! Why isn't your face swollen?"

"It's good that it isn't swollen."

"What, afraid it'll ruin your handsome and glorious image in the eyes of the female classmates?" Brother Nan glanced at him sideways. "Didn't you know to wear a mask?"

"No need to wear one since it's not swollen."

"Vain!"

Brother Nan had long seen through him—despite his reserved exterior, deep down, he was quite vain.

Next, they had to pick up their books, and there was a class meeting in the evening.

Frowning, Brother Nan held up a fiery red grilled skewer to Zhou Li's mouth. "Try a bite and see if your face swells."

"No need."

"Fine then! I'll eat it myself! Mmm! So delicious!" Brother Nan murmured, as if to herself.

"Childish."

"Who are you calling childish?"

"You."

"You're the childish one!"

...

This is getting more childish.

Zhou Li usually only used these kinds of phrases when talking to Tuanzi.

「That evening.」

Brother Nan ate spicy shrimp, while Zhou Li drank congee.

Clearly just to tease Zhou Li, on the way to the class meeting, she even bought two ice creams and ate them by herself.

Zhou Li remained unmoved.

They arrived neither too early nor too late. The classroom was already filled with many students, and the atmosphere was boisterous. Students sat together, chatting about the changes over the summer. When they saw Zhou Li and Brother Nan, they greeted them with smiles.

Mianmian and Qian Qian were still dressed in sailor suits and Hanfu, but they had changed into new outfits, firmly capturing their classmates' attention.

Next to them, Little Cousin wore a faded plaid shirt, a laptop in front of her, laboriously editing photos.

Zhou Li's dorm mates were playing a game together on their phones.

"Let's sit in the back!"

"Okay."

"Don't sit in the very last row!"

"Okay."

Zhou Li followed Brother Nan towards the back, settling in a seat in the middle rows, and began to look around.

By the second year, relationships among classmates had noticeably changed. Those who got along well had become good friends, while those who didn't quite click barely interacted outside of class.

You could tell just by looking at the seating arrangements.

Some students, not even from the same dorms or classes, clumped together, laughing and joking around.

The classmates greeted Zhou Qianqian as she entered, and the room quickly quieted down.

Carrying her child, Zhou Qianqian looked up, her gaze sweeping over everyone. With a grin, she said, "It seems like everyone's changed a lot, huh? Many of the guys have gotten tanner, and lots of the girls have put on weight. Looks like our image is deteriorating."

Then she directly targeted the back row, still smiling, and beckoned. "Come on, students in the back row, move to the first row!"

A moan of despair rose from the last row, but no one dared to defy her.

Brother Nan leaned in and whispered into Zhou Li's ear with a suppressed laugh, "Told you so!"

Zhou Li stayed silent.

Once the students from the last row had filled the first one, Zhou Qianqian looked straight at Zhou Li and Brother Nan. "Zhou Li, come here and hold my child for me!"

Zhou Li, speechless, walked forward and took her child from her.

Only then did Zhou Qianqian continue, "Due to the pandemic, didn't last academic year feel like it just passed in a blur?"

"Yes..."

The responses were a jumble.

Zhou Qianqian flashed a wide, strained smile that wasn't very pleasant to look at.

After chatting with everyone for a while, she began to speak about important matters. "I'll skip the long-winded talk. With so many people gathered, it's not good to stay long. It's better to finish up and go home to play games. So, I'll just point out a few things: First, continue to be vigilant about pandemic control to prevent a rebound; second, matters concerning scholarships and financial aid; and third, the election of class officers."

"The campus gates are open this semester, and student movement has increased. This is actually a bit risky, so everyone must not be complacent."

"Try to stay in your dorm room and sit apart in class as much as possible..."

"Keep wearing masks and washing hands frequently..."

"Now, regarding scholarships and financial aid."

Zhou Qianqian's speech was as brief as always, as if she were more eager to leave than everyone else. "There's not much to say about scholarships. The very name 'scholarship' means those with poor grades and performance shouldn't even think about trying to fool their way into getting this money. In principle, we select based on scores and quantifiable metrics, with a seventy-thirty split."

Little Cousin immediately perked up, her eyes shining as she fixed her gaze on Zhou Qianqian, a clear display of her desire for money.

Unfortunately, Zhou Qianqian did not elaborate.

"Financial aid—"

"In principle, it's for families with financial difficulties. If any of you are from such families, come talk to me privately."

"However, nowadays most people are fairly well-off, so there might be spare slots available. Others from families that aren't so well-off can also apply. But if you're using high-end phones and high-performance computers, or wearing brand-name clothes, don't bother. The amount isn't much, so it's better to leave it for others."

"Also, except for those truly in poverty, you generally cannot reapply every year."

"And for those who are genuinely struggling, don't be shy. It's not my money; it's the state's. You might as well take it!"

...

Brother Nan lay on the table, nearly asleep. Zhou Li quietly talked to Zhou Qianqian's son while sneaking glances at her face.

Scholarships were out of reach, and financial aid had nothing to do with them either... Thinking this, Zhou Li started to blame Brother Nan again. He felt he should have been able to get a scholarship.

Next came the election for class representatives.

According to Zhou Qianqian's usual practice, class representatives didn't necessarily have to change, but the class president definitely did. So both Brother Nan and Zhong Xin, from Zhou Li's class, were stepping down.

However, there were relatively fewer responsibilities in the second year compared to the first, so the class president's presence was less prominent. As a result, many people, after graduating from college, remembered their first-year class president the most. Plus, the second-year class president wouldn't join the secretariat, so the perks and benefits were relatively fewer. For instance, Zhong Xin had now successfully been elected the new director of the student union secretariat. It was said that at least half of all past student union presidents had previously served as secretariat director—a benefit the second-year class president didn't have.

Zhou Li idly played with Zhou Qianqian's son.

This little guy was very mischievous, with an IQ even lower than Tuanzi's and not as cute. He still preferred playing with Lord Dumpling.

Brother Nan still lay sleeping, her eyelids not fully closed, leaving a slit, as if she were watching Zhou Li play with the child, or maybe she just slept like that.

Anything happening in the classroom didn't concern them.

"Zhou Li!"

"Zhou Li!"

"Two students in your class have already run for class president. Aren't you going to come up and say a few words?"

"Zhou Li!"

"Hey! Are you deaf?"

"Will you die if you become the class president?"

"Come up here!"

Zhou Qianqian's voice kept ringing out. Zhou Li ignored her.

Brother Nan, however, frowned, opened her eyes, glanced at Zhou Qianqian on the podium, then at her son, and quietly urged, "Tell her to shut up... Join me in chanting—shut—up—"

"Shut~~ up!"

The crisp voice echoed through the classroom.

Zhou Qianqian was speechless.

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