(1)
Drawer Wonton is a type of small food stall run from a tricycle.
A folding table or two would be set up in front of the stall. If you wanted to eat there, you simply picked a small plastic stool and sat down.
It was still early, and there was no one at the stall. The old woman who made the wontons was unhurriedly wrapping them — her movements were very nimble. With a light scoop of her chopsticks and a gentle squeeze of her other hand holding the wrapper, a small wonton was finished. Once a drawer was full, she would slide it back in and pull out an empty one.
“Ma’am!” Zhu Ying raised her arm, extending two fingers from the hand tucked inside her sleeve to meet the cool morning breeze. “Two bowls of small wontons, please. Extra green onions!”
“Alright.”
The owner stopped what she was doing and used a large slotted spoon to scoop two servings of small wontons into the simmering pot of soup. Next, she placed plastic bags over two foam bowls and sprinkled in seasonings like dried seaweed, MSG, and green onions. Once the wontons were cooked, she poured them in and added some broth.
Finally, she used her chopsticks to break up some meat filling in the pot and blanched it for a moment. Once it was cooked, she scooped it out and poured it over the wontons.
The speed was incredible, ensuring a growling stomach wouldn’t have to wait for long.
“A light breakfast really is better the morning after staying up late… This broth is delicious.”
“Every time I eat these wontons, the minced meat on top is actually my favorite part.”
“Ah, that’s the essence of it. You might not find wontons like this outside of Z Province.”
“Yeah, the wontons I see on TV or in novels are always served in clear water, with maybe some green onions and seaweed at most.”
Anjing scooped up a spoonful of soup with minced meat using a small plastic spoon, blew on it gently, and then stuffed it into her mouth with a look of immense satisfaction. “Mmm… having something warm in your stomach at a time like this feels so wonderful.”
“Why don’t you sleep for a bit before class starts?”
“No need, I’m not sleepy at all right now.” Anjing widened her eyes. “I feel pretty energetic, actually. How strange…”
(2)
The long break after the second period of the morning.
Even though the teacher had already left the classroom, Anjing remained sitting bolt upright in her seat. However, anyone looking at her from the front would see that her eyes were tightly shut.
Her head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking at grain. Finally, unable to support her body any longer, she collapsed onto the desk.
“Still feeling energetic?” Zhu Ying couldn’t help but snicker.
“Sleepy,” Anjing mumbled, burying her head in the crook of her arm.
“Take a good nap during this 20-minute break.”
“Why isn’t it noon yet? I want my lunch break.”
“It’s not that fast.”
“Yo, Anjing, what were you doing last night? Sneaking around playing games in the middle of the night, weren’t you?” Sun Wei called out with a deliberate, mocking tone. “Or was it not games, but watching something ‘good’? You didn’t even bring your bro along for the good stuff…”
“Shut up,” Anjing interrupted his long-winded teasing. “You’re making my head hurt…”
“Why didn’t Wangwang come today?” Zhou Chao, who had almost been late that morning, didn’t know about her situation.
Fang Qiang explained for Anjing, “She went to get an IV drip last night, so she has to rest at home today.”
“Oh, she went by herself in the middle of the night?”
Hearing Zhou Chao’s question, Zhu Ying didn’t answer but instead tilted her head to look at Anjing.
Anjing only let out a few incoherent mumbles and said nothing more.
“Oh…” Zhou Chao suddenly realized something. “No wonder she called me in the middle of the night.”
“What call?”
“You don’t need to know that much.” Zhou Chao glanced at Sun Wei. “Lest a big mouth like yours starts making trouble.”
“Damn it, when have I ever been a big mouth? My lips are sealed!”
“Give me a break.”
“So what the hell is the secret? Let me in on it.”
“No secret.” Zhou Chao spread his hands and looked at Zhu Ying, who was pursing her lips. “It’s just that Wangwang called me last night to ask for help, but my phone was off. She must have taken a taxi herself afterward.”
“I see. Wangwang grew up with us, so it’s normal for her to ask you for help.” Fang Qiang slapped his forehead hard. “But why didn’t she call me? My damn phone wasn’t even off last night!”
“What use would you be? You can’t even carry a person on that bike of yours.”
“Shit, true…”
Zhou Chao shook his head and laughed, then opened his phone to check his call logs — at midnight, there was only a missed call from Anjing, not Wang Xinru.
(3)
Luckily, it was Tuesday. Both the third and fourth periods of the morning were taught by the slow-speaking Chinese Teacher. This portly, middle-aged man had a voice with a magical, hypnotic quality.
Anjing, already exhausted, couldn’t hold out and slept through both periods.
Fortunately, this teacher had a very good temperament. Unless students were being noisy, he wouldn’t get angry and would simply continue his lecture — though from a certain perspective, he wasn’t particularly responsible.
At lunchtime, the boys tasked with carrying the food crates rushed out and quickly returned. Under Zhang Qiqi’s direction, they distributed the boxes to each group.
“Quiet down, Sun Wei. Your side is the loudest.”
“Holy crap, I’m just moving my desk.”
“You’re still the loudest.”
“Fine, fine, fine.”
“Alright, the third group can come get their food.”
“Dammit!”
“If you keep talking, your whole group is going to go hungry along with you, you know?”
“Shut up, Sun Wei.”
“Psycho.”
“Exactly, what’s wrong with you?”
Several boys and girls began to complain. Fortunately, Sun Wei was thick-skinned. “Whoa, don’t do that. What’s the big deal? I just want to eat, I’m starving.”
“Alright, alright, second group, come get your food.”
“Hehe, it’s just eating a bit later, it’s all the same.” Sun Wei squinted at Zhang Qiqi. “Besides, you’re definitely targeting me, aren’t you?”
“What, you got a problem with that?”
“Screw you!” Sun Wei flipped her off with one finger. Zhang Qiqi didn’t get angry and flipped him off with two.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ying sat down with her paper lunch box. She pressed the box filled with warm rice against Anjing’s small face. “Jing, it’s time to eat. Are you hungry?”
“Totally… no appetite.” Anjing lifted her head dizzily, the red marks from the desk prominent on her forehead. “So sleepy…”
“Sleeping for two periods still wasn’t enough?”
“Mm…”
“You should at least eat a little for lunch.”
“Sigh… I’ll eat a bit.”
“Do you want me to feed you?”
Anjing glanced at her. “Sure.”
“Come on, open wide. Take a bite of white rice first!”
“Ah… you’re really feeding me…”
“Hurry up. I’m feeding you, are you really not going to eat?”
“Ahem… I’ll do it myself…”
“No, I want to feed you.”
Anjing helplessly opened her small mouth. Under the envious and jealous gazes of her classmates, she chewed a few mouthfuls of rice and swallowed. Then, two pieces of oily, glistening purple eggplant were brought to her lips.
“Goddammit.”
“Is Wei jealous?” Zhou Chao’s tone was teasing.
“I’m freaking envious, okay? When will I ever have…?”
“How about ‘Sister Feng’ from the next class?”
“Damn, she’s even uglier than the real Sister Feng.”
“You aren’t much to look at yourself, are you?”
“At the very least, I need a face that doesn’t make me lose my appetite.”
“To put it bluntly, you just want someone pretty.”
“Duh. There’s no damn romance if they aren’t good-looking.”
“Now you know why you don’t have any romance.”
“Your sister…”
(4)
“You’re only eating that much?”
“I can’t eat anymore…”
“Alright, then rest for a bit.”
“I can’t. I can’t lie down right now.” Anjing’s limbs shivered. “My hands and feet are numb.”
“Let me see.” Zhu Ying cupped one of Anjing’s small hands in both of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Hmm… it’s ice cold.”
“Phew…”
“Eww — what’s with that face?”
“Huh?”
“You look like you’re in pure bliss.”
“Hey, can those kinds of crude words really come out of your mouth?”
“That’s not exactly swearing, is it?”
“Ugh…”
“Should I rub it more?”
“Mmm… that feels much better.”
On the other side, Sun Wei tossed his empty lunch box into the recycling bin and couldn’t help but steal a few glances. “Zhou Chao, do you think Anjing’s hands are as soft as a girl’s?”
“Wei, I think you’re really getting desperate if you’re not even sparing your own brother.”
“Dammit, I was just saying!”
“Go squeeze Qiang’s. They might be even softer than a girl’s.”
“Ugh, that’s disgusting.”
“Then how about squeezing Yang Lingfei’s?”
“That’s actually worth considering…”
“Are you really that desperate?”
“Don’t knock it. If Yang Lingfei wore a dress and some makeup, he might actually look pretty good!”
“I suggest you stop looking at weird things.”
“What the hell have I been looking at?”
“Last time you sent me a picture of some Japanese cross-dresser.”
“Shit, that was just for curiosity’s sake, okay?”
“Is that so? Really? I don’t believe you.”
“Screw you!”
(5)
“Sister Hui, sorry for the trouble today…” Wang Xinru sat up slightly and spoke softly as she watched Yu Minghui help tidy up the cups and medicine on the table.
“It’s no trouble. Even though you’re still a middle schooler, you already feel like an adult.”
“Mmm…”
“Jing still sees you as a very good friend.”
“I know…”
“Do you feel better?”
“Much better. Why don’t you head back first, Sister Hui? You look tired.”
“Yeah, I have to go back and cook for Feifei. If I don’t cook for two days straight, she’ll start complaining.”
“Alright… An’an will be going back to eat too, right?”
“Her? She’ll most likely come to see you.”
“And she probably won’t be alone. Her other friends will come too.” Yu Minghui gently touched Wang Xinru’s forehead with the back of her hand. “Hmm, the fever is gone. It’s going to get lively soon, but you still need to be careful and not catch a cold. Don’t go joining in on the chaos.”
“If that many people come to see me… I’ll be a bit embarrassed…”
“This is what friendship is. And it’s… the most sincere kind of friendship, one that doesn’t count the cost.” Yu Minghui walked to the door and turned her head slightly with a smile. “These are very precious things. You must cherish them. In the future… you might not have them anymore.”
“Okay.”
“I’m leaving. Call me if anything happens.”
“Okay… thank you for your hard work, Sister Hui.”
“No need to be so polite. In my memory, you’re still that tiny little crybaby who gets hurt easily!”
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