526. Counselor’s Dormitory【11/40】
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In Lin Nan’s hometown, there are three kinds of zongzi.
One is the sweet zongzi with peanuts and dates, another is the savory zongzi with meat, and the last one is the plain white zongzi.
Lin Nan had eaten the white zongzi as a child, dipped in sugar. The memory of its taste is still pleasant, but back then her family was poor, and she was happy to eat boiled rice with sugar.
Now, she’s a staunch savory zongzi supporter.
In this city, zongzi also comes in sweet and savory varieties, and it seems every household makes their own. The sweet and savory factions co-exist quite harmoniously, unlike those southern sweet, northern salty, and spicy from Sichuan conversations that get people squabbling every year.
Thinking there might be classmates who like sweet zongzi, Lin Nan decided to buy half the ingredients for each kind, letting her classmates add whatever they want.
After shopping, Lin Nan held the zongzi leaves, while Zheng Qian carried the bag filled with meat and sweet dates, and Tu Junhui, with a distressed face and sweat dripping like a leaky faucet, was dragging fifty pounds of sticky rice, going one step at a time.
It’s not that he couldn’t carry the rice; the real problem was the one-kilometer trek from the market to school.
Lin Nan was quite cautious on this trip, occasionally glancing around, but she still hadn’t spotted those interdimensional guests.
Logically speaking, shouldn’t they be searching high and low for the witch after seeing her? But days have gone by, and she hasn’t seen a single one of them.
“Let’s put the stuff in my dorm first. My dorm’s spacious and has a fridge.” As they reached the school gate, Zheng Qian led the way toward the graduate dormitory, saying, “I see you know a thing or two about zongzi, so how about this? Tomorrow at noon, come to the classroom, and you’ll be in charge of soaking the rice and marinating the meat.”
Lin Nan blinked, then immediately refused, “Nope, I don’t know anything.”
Zheng Qian turned back, threatening, “Don’t think I don’t know who caused all that commotion at the tourist spot a few days ago!”
She pointed dramatically at Tu Junhui behind her, looking all innocent, “He did it!”
“I advised him back then! But he insisted! He had to take the classmates bungee jumping! I was worried about their safety, so I tagged along!” She sounded so righteous.
Right, originally she just wanted to gather everyone for a “palace coup”!
“So you went bungee jumping too?”
“Of course! Since I was there, I might as well take the plunge!”
Zheng Qian looked into Lin Nan’s wide, sincere, innocent eyes, and she spoke her lies without even blinking. With her sweet and harmless appearance, he almost bought it.
Truly, beneath that exterior, ladies can be quite wicked.
It’s still better to deal with the guys.
Zheng Qian couldn’t win against Lin Nan, mainly because her sweet facade made everything she said sound genuine. He decided not to engage with her and turned around, continuing toward his dorm.
The graduate dormitory lay behind the teaching building.
Walking straight through the small garden behind the teaching building, it resembled a normal hostel without much difference.
This was Lin Nan’s first time here. Filled with curiosity, she followed Zheng Qian through the dorm entrance but suddenly stopped and took a few cautious steps back.
Could Zheng Qian be trying to lure her into his dorm for some nefarious purpose?
He certainly showed a great deal of interest in her because of magic.
“What’s up?” Zheng Qian noticed the silence behind him and turned to see Lin Nan standing hesitantly outside the dormitory door, “Hurry up!”
Her suspicion deepened as she took two steps back, “I’m just waiting for Tu Tu to come. Don’t want him to get lost!”
Dumbfounded, Zheng Qian recognized her wary expression and headed into his room.
Lin Nan waited for over ten minutes before Tu Junhui finally huffed and puffed his way to the door, drenched in sweat.
For a chubby guy, carrying this much weight suddenly was quite a workout.
Once a sturdy chubby guy back in freshman year with some gym time, he had turned into a fluffy couch potato after a year of lazing about. He dragged the fifty pounds of sticky rice like it was a curse from the underworld, his arms on fire.
“Go to his dorm—you lead the way.” Lin Nan quickly sidled behind Tu Junhui as soon as he appeared, then followed him inside.
The layout inside was no different from a regular student dorm, but it seemed mixed-gender, so the dorm supervisor didn’t protest her entry.
After walking a few steps down the corridor, Lin Nan spotted Zheng Qian waiting outside his dorm.
“Move it! Haven’t you eaten?! It’s just a few pounds of rice, and you’re already this tired?!”
“I HAVEN’T eaten, you big fat j*rk!” Tu Junhui spilled his guts, “Fifty pounds of rice! If you tried dragging it, you’d realize how hard it is, Mr. Stand-and-Talk!”
Lin Nan, holding the zongzi leaves, showed zero interest in helping and gleefully added fuel to the fire, “Exactly!”
“You’re just a leg!” Tu Junhui shot back, glaring at her.
“Well, I’m just a delicate lady; what do you expect from me?” Lin Nan replied innocently as she handed the zongzi leaves to Zheng Qian, standing aside, gloating over Tu Junhui’s plight.
Though she could have easily lifted that sticky rice with her magical hand.
Tu Junhui dragged the rice bag into the room while Lin Nan peeked inside.
The dorm didn’t look any different in area from a typical student dorm, but being a single room, it only housed a single bed, a small fridge, a microwave, and other furniture—it felt pretty luxurious for one person.
She heard some schools had master suites for their graduate students.
Lin Nan looked around the room and sniffed, mumbling, “The room is tidy and odor-free…”
So that Yaoyao must be a boy, right?
She curiously turned to Zheng Qian, “Yaoyao is a guy?”
Zheng Qian’s expression darkened, arms crossed, changing the subject, “Tomorrow you gather a few people and come by at eleven to handle the stuff and move it to the classroom.”
Soaking sticky rice takes just a few hours, but they still had to manage the raw meat and zongzi leaves.
They would need to wash the leaves and steam them for disinfection; it was going to be a hassle.
Back during the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin Nan would always take the time off to return home and help her grandfather wrap zongzi, so she was somewhat familiar with the process.
“Alright.” Lin Nan sighed, feeling a bit headache coming on.
Who knows how many helpers she would find by noon tomorrow?
Chen Yao was a possibility, while she wasn’t sure if Lin Kexin would come. Tu Junhui and Xiong Da would likely just cause chaos.
While she pondered, a clattering sound echoed outside, and she looked up to see Chen Yao approaching with two bags of pots and pans.
Students cooking in the boys’ dorm were quite rare, and after searching for a bit, Chen Yao found only two electric stoves. He had been chatting with classmates along the way and had just arrived now.
After putting down his things, he smiled and ruffled Lin Nan’s cheeks, “Let’s go, it’s time for dinner.”
“Okay!” Lin Nan completely ignored the still-standing Zheng Qian and Tu Junhui, beaming as she grabbed Chen Yao’s arm and dragged him away, continuing to stir the pot of gossip, “I suspect Zheng Qian’s girlfriend is a guy; when I asked him, he changed the subject!”
“Should I spread the word in the class group?” Chen Yao chuckled, ready to help fuel the rumors.
Their loud banter caught Zheng Qian’s attention, and with a dark look on his face, he kicked Tu Junhui in the rear as a way to vent.
