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A group of people arrived at the cafeteria for a meal.
It was still early, and the cafeteria wasn’t particularly crowded.
From a distance, Bai Sha spotted Lily eating alone.
“Hey! Lily,” Bai Sha called out, waving to her.
Lily seemed surprised to see them.
“Sister Bai Sha! What brings you all to the cafeteria?”
Noticing she was alone, Li Qingyu asked out of curiosity,
“Sister-in-law, where’s my elder brother? Why isn’t he with you?”
Lily smiled.
“He went to see if he could find some tutoring work; he’ll be here shortly.”
Zhou Haochen led Bai Sha and the others to get their food.
Gazing at the generous portions heaped onto her plate, Bai Sha remarked,
“The aunties here don’t have shaky hands! I’ve seen videos online where the aunties serving food look like they have Parkinson’s.”
Zhou Haochen clarified,
“It depends on the person; some aunties do shake a bit.”
“Daddy, I want braised pork! And a big chicken drumstick!” the little one exclaimed, unable to reach the serving window herself and relying on Zhou Haochen for help.
“All right, Daddy will get it for you.”
Under the auntie’s astonished gaze, Zhou Haochen calmly stated,
“One serving of braised pork, and two chicken drumsticks, please.”
“Why is it all meat?” Bai Sha commented, glancing at the plate.
“Auntie, could you please add a serving of vegetables as well?”
The three of them returned with their plates, while Li Qingyu had gone to another counter to buy a bowl of Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles (TL Note: A specialty rice noodle soup from Yunnan cuisine).
“Xiao Yu, how much New Year’s money (TL Note: ‘Yasuiqian’, a monetary gift given to children during Chinese New Year) did you receive this year?” Li Qingyu asked.
The little one looked at her mother.
“Mommy said she’d help me save it, so I don’t know exactly how much there is, but it’s a lot, a whole lot!”
Upon hearing this, both Lily and Li Qingyu cast sympathetic glances at the little one.
‘Oh, child,’ they seemed to think, ‘you might never see that money again!’
Bai Sha rolled her eyes.
“What kind of look is that? Am I that type of parent? I’ve deposited the little one’s New Year’s money into a bank card, okay? She’ll naturally get it later.”
Zhou Haochen nodded in agreement.
While taking a child’s New Year’s money was something almost every parent did, Bai Sha genuinely hadn’t; she was truly a good mother.
Zhou Haochen patted Li Qingyu on the shoulder.
“How much did you get?”
“Not much, not much, just a little over three thousand.”
This was the most he had received in a single year recently.
“Oh, that’s not even as much as my girl’s pocket change.”
With a soft ‘clink,’ it felt as though something had shattered.
Li Qingyu lowered his head, fiddling with his bowl.
“I hate rich people… why am I not rich?”
The dining table instantly filled with a joyous atmosphere.
****
Before long, Sun Weijie hurried over, closely followed by Wu Di, who had just returned to school.
“Yo! Everyone’s here!”
“Long time no see!” they chorused.
Wu Di, seemingly not having returned to his dorm yet, arrived with his bag still on his back and a dumbbell in his hand.
“Second Brother, Fourth Brother, and both sisters-in-law, long time no see, long time no see!”
“Since you’re already here, sit down and eat something with us before heading to your dorm.”
The small table was now packed with people.
In the somewhat empty cafeteria, their corner was the only lively spot.
The grown men continued to amuse the little one, embodying the sentiment of ‘a tiger in the heart, yet delicately sniffing a rose’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning a tough exterior masking a gentle inner nature).
Bai Sha and Lily sat together.
Having learned some makeup tips and watched a few TV dramas, Bai Sha could now manage a decent conversation with Lily.
However, at this moment, they undoubtedly had other topics to discuss.
“So, both of you are going to be tutors?”
“Yes, it pays well.”
“Why don’t you two elope? That would be much easier,” Bai Sha suggested, thinking her idea was quite brilliant.
“Elope? Forget it. We’ll have to buy a house sooner or later anyway.”
After all, not everyone was like Bai Sha.
“Then you’ll have to work hard for many years; the pressure must be immense!”
Lily smiled.
“Isn’t that just how life is? At least we’ll be working hard together, which is quite romantic, isn’t it?”
****
After lunch, the group dispersed.
Just like their previous gathering, Zhou Haochen’s family of three walked hand-in-hand, Sun Weijie and Lily strolled shoulder-to-shoulder, while the two ‘single dogs’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term for single people, often used humorously to describe lonely individuals) walked arm-in-arm back to their dorm.
As soon as they arrived home, the little one yawned, ready for her afternoon nap, and trotted off to her room to sleep.
Bai Sha held her phone, reviewing the year’s competitions.
She possessed official secondary commentary rights, meaning she still had to put in some work.
Putting her phone away, Bai Sha noticed Zhou Haochen sitting cross-legged on the sofa, engrossed in his own phone.
She leaned closer and asked, “What are you up to?”
“Li Qingyu wants to challenge me to a duel, a ‘father-son match’ (TL Note: A slang term in gaming where the loser must acknowledge the winner as their ‘father’ as a sign of submission).”
“Why the sudden challenge?” Bai Sha asked, bewildered.
‘Didn’t they just part ways? What’s with the ‘father-son match’ immediately after all that joking around?’ she wondered.
“Perhaps he’s been single for too long, and his brain has connected to the ‘Golem Network’ (TL Note: A humorous way to say someone’s brain has turned to stone or they’re acting foolishly, possibly implying loneliness has made him a bit irrational).”
In the dorm, Li Qingyu was the best at gaming; aside from him, the others didn’t really play, but Zhou Haochen had also started.
He probably wanted to show off his gaming skills, crush Zhou Haochen, and stir up some trouble.
“Need my help?”
“No need, I refused,” Zhou Haochen said, muffling a laugh with his hand as he muted his WeChat.
“If I have time to duel him, wouldn’t it be better spent with you?”
“Mhm, mhm! But you’re heading back to school soon, the only university student in the family.” Bai Sha gently stroked his hair.
“It’s truly a pity I never went to high school; I never got to experience campus life.”
Zhou Haochen fell silent, knowing that everyone tended to romanticize paths they hadn’t taken.
“What campus life? You should watch fewer idol dramas.”
For Zhou Haochen, he had only attended high school for two years before being fast-tracked to university.
During those two years, all he did was attend classes and sleep.
He often wondered how the protagonists in idol dramas managed to cram so much drama into a mere seven-minute break between classes.
Without a second thought, Bai Sha snuggled back into his embrace.
Curiously, she asked, “I’ve never asked, what exactly does your company do?”
“Artificial intelligence.”
“Are you short on funds then? I could invest.”
“The boss is wealthy, so we’re not short on funds for now, my little rich woman.”
Bai Sha swung her legs, pondering aloud, “Some clubs have approached me to be a coach. The salary is quite good; what do you think, should I go?”
“If you want to go, then go. The little one will be starting kindergarten in the latter half of the year, so you’ll have plenty of time.”
Zhou Haochen, not being involved in the esports scene, found it difficult to offer Bai Sha much advice.
“Why aren’t you asking me why I want to work?”
“My dear sister, why do you want to work?”
Bai Sha sat up from Zhou Haochen’s lap, sweeping her hand dramatically through the air.
“I! Want! To! Buy! A! Huge! Villa!”
Zhou Haochen paused, then asked curiously, “Why do you want to buy a huge villa?”
Bai Sha’s body stiffened.
She stammered for a long time, unable to articulate a clear reason.
“Does that even need a reason?”
Zhou Haochen chuckled helplessly.
“No, it doesn’t. Let’s wait a couple of years. Once I earn some money, I can help you with that.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to buy it right now; I’m still thinking about it. But earning more money is always good. Look at Lily and her partner; they’re under so much pressure precisely because they don’t have much money.”
Bai Sha pondered for a moment, then slapped Zhou Haochen’s arm.
“Looking at it this way, did I give myself away for free?”
Zhou Haochen nodded, acknowledging the truth in her words.
Given her uncle’s stance, there wouldn’t be any mention of a bride price (TL Note: ‘Caili’, a traditional monetary gift from the groom’s family to the bride’s family in a Chinese marriage).
Bai Sha herself detested such customs, so she certainly wouldn’t ask for one.
“If you want it, I can also give it to you.”
“Then I don’t want much, just a little bit.”
“Tell me what you want.”
“I want… never mind.”
‘It felt a little too cheesy to say aloud: ‘I want you to love me.”