Chapter 65: Pig Trotter Rice

“Er, she should be home by now, probably already at that heartwarming stage of having dinner with her family.”

Yang Shuli looked at the pile of snacks covering her entire desk, and without realizing it, started to feel a bit bored.

Even the beef jerky in her hand seemed to have lost its flavor at this moment.

On the bed, Ye Qingchang still had a book covering her face.

“Probably not. Judging by the eating and sleeping habits of the four of us in the dorm, when her parents have breakfast, Er must still be asleep. When her parents have lunch, Er probably hasn’t woken up. When her parents have dinner, Er probably isn’t even hungry yet.”

Yang Shuli opened her mouth, then after a while, gave a big thumbs up. “Brilliant.”

After tomorrow, Liu Xie would finally return in triumph, but for these two days, the two of them would have to endure their loneliness and become mature empty nesters.

With just Zhu Niao missing from the four-person dorm, it already felt a bit empty, and now with Liu Xie gone too, it was even more so.

“Didn’t she say she was going back to watch her brother’s blind date?” Yang Shuli seemed to remember something and turned to Ye Qingchang.

Ye Qingchang had told her that just yesterday.

“That’s what she said, but I don’t think that girl would just sit and watch.” Ye Qingchang, always sensitive about matters of the heart, pulled the book off her face and set it beside her pillow.

Yes, Ye Qingchang was so well-behaved in her sleep that there was enough space on her bed to line up a row of books—so that’s exactly what she did.

“If she’s not watching, what else is she supposed to do at a blind date?” Yang Shuli chewed on her beef jerky, looking up in confusion. “Isn’t it already pretty good to just be an audience?”

“I feel like her brother is a bit too complicated, especially with the change in his attitude lately…” Ye Qingchang rubbed her temples. “And Er isn’t acting quite right either. Anyway, ah, I can’t explain it…”

Yang Shuli was good at extracting the main point and the conclusion, but she hadn’t gotten any useful information from Ye Qingchang’s scattered words just now.

So, after thinking it over, Yang Shuli, pinching her chin, said, “If you don’t get it, you just don’t get it. You’re not any better than me, stop pretending…”

Then, an empty water bottle thrown from Ye Qingchang’s bed hit her right on the head.

“This week it’s Er’s turn to take out the trash. Since she’s not here, the two of us will take turns.” Ye Qingchang pointed at the trash can that was just filled to the brim. “You take it out today, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

The dorm leader was always thinking of the dorm.

Of course, it could also be because most of the trash in the can was the wrappers from Yang Shuli’s snacks. In any case, Yang Shuli obediently grabbed the trash bag and headed downstairs.

“Oh, right, my pig trotter rice delivery just arrived. When you go down to take out the trash, help me bring it up.”

Ye Qingchang’s tone softened again.

When Yang Shuli frowned at her, she even pressed her palms together, “Please, please!”

“Can’t be helped.” Tiny Yang Shuli put her hands on her hips, looking smug. “Who told me I’m the dorm leader of the whole room?”

Then she scampered downstairs to take out the trash and pick up Ye Qingchang’s delivery, making Ye Qingchang, who was sitting on the bed, feel a little guilty for a moment.

Forget it, better check if her digital pet had replied to her message, and see if Xiao Yi’an had really learned anything from her.

Hugging her phone, Ye Qingchang lay back on the bed once again.

*****

On the other side, Yang Shuli was humming a little tune as she went downstairs, holding the trash bag in her hand.

She hopped all the way to the bottom of the dorm building, then suddenly stopped as if she’d remembered something.

She was supposed to pick up San’s delivery.

So, she dragged the trash bag over to get Ye Qingchang’s pig trotter rice first, then headed toward the big trash bins at the bottom of the dorm.

Without thinking, she tossed all the bags in both hands—including everything inside—straight into the big trash can.

She even clapped her hands, as if congratulating herself on a job well done.

As soon as she turned around, a familiar figure caught her eye.

Xu Nian was wearing a plain white T-shirt with a lightweight white jacket with three-quarter sleeves, and carrying a basket of fruit.

“Hey, Old Xu.” Yang Shuli waved with a grin, then walked over and saw that Xu Nian was carrying a basket of oranges. “You heading out to sell oranges or something?”

“I saw an old granny selling oranges while I was out, and I really liked this bamboo basket, so I just bought the whole lot and brought it back.”

Xu Nian still had that gentle smile in his eyes. “I haven’t decided who to share them with yet. Want some?”

Just in time, just in time. Yang Shuli always felt there were a lot of things that were “just in time” between them.

But all these coincidences only proved how unbreakable their friendship was.

No wonder he was her best bro; even fate synced up so well with her.

“I’ll have a taste.” Yang Shuli reached out and grabbed a few oranges, stuffing them into her pocket without the slightest hesitation.

While she was stuffing her pockets, Xu Nian was peeling an orange right in front of her.

“By the way, how come I see you downstairs during the break? Someone asked you out?” Xu Nian still had that gentle tone.

But he seemed to really care about the answer.

“I came down to throw out the trash, and to pick up San’s pig trotter rice.” Yang Shuli said, still cramming oranges into her pocket.

But the shallow pocket seemed like it couldn’t hold any more.

Xu Nian didn’t say anything. When Yang Shuli looked up, she noticed Xu Nian was staring at her hands.

“Did I take too many?”

“No, you could take them all and it wouldn’t matter.” Xu Nian paused. “But where’s the pig trotter rice you were supposed to pick up?”

Yang Shuli looked down at her hands.

Wait, where’s the delivery?

Suddenly, she spun around to look at the big trash bins, where students were still tossing in garbage.

“Old Xu, we’ve got a problem, a big problem!”

“Don’t panic. Try this orange first and see if it’s sweet. We’ll deal with it slowly.” Xu Nian held out a peeled orange to Yang Shuli’s mouth.

“This is not the time for that.” Yang Shuli still opened her mouth for a bite. “Hey, you know, it’s actually pretty sweet.”

“Pig trotter rice, right? We’ll just go buy another one for her.” Xu Nian reached out and ruffled the hair of the tiny girl.

“Eh?”

Yang Shuli seemed surprised by this solution. “Isn’t it too late for that?”

“There’s still time.”

Xu Nian grabbed Yang Shuli by the wrist. “Just come with me.”

Up until now, Yang Shuli had no idea Xu Nian even had a motorcycle parked right outside the school. Seeing the stunned look on her little face, she couldn’t tell if it was Xu Nian who changed her stereotype about motorcycles, or if her image of Xu Nian changed the stereotype about motorcycles.

It was white—Yang Shuli didn’t know anything about motorcycles, so she couldn’t say if it was good or bad.

“Chunfeng 450sr.” Xu Nian explained to Yang Shuli, then put a helmet on her head.

There were two helmets, and Yang Shuli’s was just the right size.

She just didn’t notice.

Then, he reached both arms under Yang Shuli’s armpits, lifted the loli dorm leader up, and set her on the front seat.

But shouldn’t she be sitting in the back?

Like this, she really did look like a little pet.

“You hold on to me, I won’t be at ease otherwise.” Xu Nian wrapped his arms around tiny Yang Shuli, hands on the handlebars, locking her completely in his embrace. “Only then can I be at ease.”