At first, Honey and Yunshu felt a little restrained.
Honey was actually very lively with more people around, but now her language was limited, which affected her performance.
Fortunately, as Xiaoqi initially felt, Honey was very talented in language. Although she spoke haltingly and clumsily, she soon chatted with Garen very fluently. It seemed even better than what Xiaoqi said. She was more generous and lively, laughing more openly. Her language and actions worked well together.
Yunshu's English was still decent. Her mother had specially hired a private tutor for her to take extra lessons when she was in high school. But she was a little unsociable. However, she looked gentle and sweet. Someone took the initiative to chat with her soon, the Korean tutor. When Yunshu heard her speak, she was also shocked. Yunshu had thought she was a boy, with short hair and wearing a shirt and shorts, giving a completely masculine feeling. But she turned out to be a Korean girl...
Wei Cheng had originally thought she would be the most embarrassed. She couldn't speak well either, and didn't look good. She was also restrained, shrinking back. Unexpectedly, there were many tutors who wanted to chat with her. They all complimented her on being beautiful, unless she felt the tutors had no reason to joke with her. They seemed very sincere. She would have thought they were mocking her.
Among the roommates, Wei Cheng felt she could never be the prettiest.
Then a tutor took out a photo of who he thought was the most beautiful model for her to see. When Wei Cheng saw the photo of Lvyan...
Aesthetics were very unique. Lvyan in the photo was quite beautiful, holding a white goose, with a lot of freckles on her face, also having a wide face and small eyes, but still very good-looking. However, it was really not the same type as the traditional aesthetic and the default definition of beauty in China.
Only then did Wei Cheng realize that her face was actually considered very beautiful in the eyes of foreign teachers, and she gained some confidence.
She studied very hard. Although she didn't have special family tutors like Yunshu, or dared to speak like Honey, she still had vocabulary and such. She was just timid and had no chance to speak.
Now relaxed, she found that people paid quite a bit of attention to her. She also tried hard to communicate boldly with others. It felt really good.
Compared to the tutors, Xiaoqi and her roommates were still innocent young girls. Young people always radiated a lovely aroma of youth. And they were all good-looking in their own way, so despite the language barrier, everyone chatted very happily.
When Xiaoqi finished preparing the food and appeared with Grace, Grace gave everyone a formal introduction to today's chef, Su.
Some had already recognized Xiaoqi as the singing girl in the video and were very surprised.
Just now when Xiaoqi was cooking together, the two were still quite solemn, wearing chef hats and aprons. Grace had said earlier that she would invite a chef to come, and they did not expect it to be the singing girl.
Wearing a white chef's hat, Xiaoqi had not taken off her hat and apron yet when people pulled her to take many photos together.
Turned out foreigners also liked posting on social media... or it wasn't called social media, they most commonly used Facebook and Instagram to post photos and record their lives.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so they also posted.
With the food ready, Xiaoqi took off her chef's hat and apron to go wash up a bit in the bathroom.
Cooking really easily got you covered in oil fumes, making your face very oily.
It was better for foreigners when cooking, either baking or making cold salads, because Xiaoqi had fried shredded potatoes together with Grace, so Grace also went to freshen up with Xiaoqi.
She had a large bathroom downstairs, with two sinks and a whole wall of mirrors.
Seeing Grace had everything, Xiaoqi simply found makeup remover products and took off her makeup. Otherwise it would be too oily, then she just patted on some lotion and milk.
Grace also washed her face. Seeing Xiaoqi's skin without a single pore, she envied her very much. It was like her skin at six or seven years old. Now she didn't even dare go out with just lotion and milk.
Xiaoqi saw Grace's skin was still quite good, though there were visible pores. Their faces really relied on makeup.
She hadn't tried doing makeup for a foreigner before, so she asked Grace if she wanted her to do her makeup.
Grace readily agreed.
When Xiaoqi finished, looking in the mirror she was stunned by her own beauty.
"Su, is there anything you can't do? I'm too beautiful today. I don't want to wash my face tonight."
She hugged Xiaoqi and spun her around again. This time she really got kissed on the cheek...
The two appeared together again. Grace felt like she had made a bosom friend in this female student she met at the English corner. Not only was her English good, she could sing, cook delicious food, and most importantly, had magical makeup skills.
Grace had never felt so beautiful before. Now she felt like the goddess in Lord of the Rings, too beautiful.
Su actually said she looked so beautiful in her eyes. Su seemed a bit more shy about complimenting people, but when she did praise you, Grace was totally defenseless against it.
Now even when she saw her reflection in the window glass she would indulge in it for a moment, too beautiful.
Sure enough, when Grace appeared again, she had changed into a pink silk dress. Everyone gathered around to compliment her.
"Grace, you're so beautiful today!"
"Grace, I'm in love with you!"
"Grace, you're simply a goddess. What's your secret to becoming so beautiful, it's magical."
Grace opened her mouth wide and laughed exaggeratedly, which ruined her goddess image a bit, but still mysteriously shook her head. She wouldn't readily share the secret weapon Su.
She introduced Xiaoqi to everyone again.
With makeup, Grace's elven looks were exquisite and beautiful, stunning from every angle.
But standing next to her, Xiaoqi did not appear lacking at all.
Originally, the facial features of Asians compared to the chiseled features of Westerners could seem more plain.
But the young girl in the black dress had fair skin, extremely charming eyes, yet a very clear gaze. Her short hair was casually tied up, a bit like a very handsome little boy, and also very beautiful.
Very pretty.
Although their traditional aesthetic for Asians might be single eyelids, big wide faces, the appreciation for beauty was the same.
Garen laughed and said, "Grace, you are a goddess today, and Su is an angel."
With Grace's arrival, the party officially started.
Everyone went to find food with plates in hand. As expected, the shredded potatoes and beef stew were the most popular. Almost everyone scooped a large spoonful from the black pot into their plates. Dipping it with toasted bread, they were all amazed, calling it miraculous Oriental cuisine. Because it was so delicious, afterwards whenever they saw this kind of black pot, they felt there must be extraordinary delicacies inside.
The shredded sweet potatoes and bananas were also praised as miraculous desserts.
It was also the first time Xiaoqi's roommates tasted the food she made, and they were truly shocked, because not only did these tutors who hadn't eaten Eastern delicacies before find it delicious, they all found it very tasty too.
The texture was perfect, the degree the meat was cooked just right, with the right chewiness without being too hard. The potatoes on the outside had all turned into potato paste, while the soup was thick and creamy, yet still sandy inside, like eating sweet chestnuts.
The beef soup was slightly spicy and a little sweet, a very pleasant combination of sweet and salty. Wei Cheng felt it was too bad there was no rice. Otherwise she could have eaten two bowls of rice with each spoonful of beef.
And Yunshu, who normally loved eating fruit and rarely touched meat, couldn't help using two pieces of bread to eat the beef.
Honey was even more exaggerated. As she ate, she murmured to herself, and after finishing declared she would have to go on a diet now.
It was so delicious she cried. This flavor was very suitable for the native Chen Honey from Qinjiang. She felt like she was tasting the flavor of home. The usual bland food at school, not spicy or salty at all, had made her mouth dull. She could take this chance to diet too. It wasn't that she didn't love eating, the food was truly hard for her to get used to.
They were chatting while eating at first, but today the food was clearly more important. Everyone ate first before chatting.
It wasn't until the Korean girl scooped the last spoonful of soup from the pot into her plate that everyone finally set their plates down.
The suspected Korean boy named Jin Zaiyan turned out to be a Korean girl. She was also a tutor, teaching finance at the new campus.
She had just arrived this semester, and was not yet accustomed to the local cuisine here. If it wasn't for the kimchi she brought with her, which sustained her for a while, she might have become even more slender than she already was. She was 175cm tall and weighed just over 90 pounds.
She wasn't very fond of the flavors of the meat dishes here. The local fare tended toward sweetness, with even the meat imparting a sugary taste. Everything had a sweetness to it.
Such were the culinary habits of Meng City. Local dishes were quite sweet.
Jin Zaiyan loved to eat meat, but the sweet meat was hard for her to swallow. She could handle it for one or two meals, but by the third, just looking at the meat made her think of that cloying flavor. To improve her diet, she went to Book Bar, a foreigner hangout, and ate steak. The steak wasn't sweet at least, though it was rather bland. Eating it daily was out of the question.
Plus the foreigners had too many fried foods, also not to her Korean taste.
She hadn't expected to find such tasty beef today. It was delicious.
She practically scraped the bottom of the hot pot clean with her spoon. Afterwards, washing up was easy.
Luckily Grace's home had a dishwasher. Otherwise after the party there would have been a huge pile of dishes to contend with, and Xiaqi disliked washing dishes. Back when she lived with her auntie, her aunt would wash the dishes after Xiaqi cooked.
After eating their fill, the crowd clearly became more intimate. Even the most aloof people's temperaments would become more relaxed and languid after a good meal.
Together they watched the sunset and moonrise from the balcony, the vast heavens filled with stars. It really was beautiful.
Enhua University was situated in wonderful natural surroundings. Just looking up, you could see so many stars.
Listening to the sound of lapping water hitting the lakeshore. Splash, splash.
Xiaqi had also eaten a lot. She quite enjoyed the feeling of a party like this, everyone chatting together, hearing English in different accents. Turns out foreigners also had many accents, plus customs distinct to their various home countries. It was quite eye-opening.
Around 9pm, Xiaqi and her dormmates finally said their goodbyes.
They had all added each other on WeChat and started a group chat.
When it was over, the Korean Jin Zaiyan clung closely to Xiaqi, an odd look in her eyes that made Xiaqi feel strange inside. People said foreigners were quite open—could she be interested in girls?
At first, Honey and Yunshu felt a little restrained.
Honey was actually very lively with more people around, but now her language was limited, which affected her performance.
Fortunately, as Xiaoqi initially felt, Honey was very talented in language. Although she spoke haltingly and clumsily, she soon chatted with Garen very fluently. It seemed even better than what Xiaoqi said. She was more generous and lively, laughing more openly. Her language and actions worked well together.
Yunshu's English was still decent. Her mother had specially hired a private tutor for her to take extra lessons when she was in high school. But she was a little unsociable. However, she looked gentle and sweet. Someone took the initiative to chat with her soon, the Korean tutor. When Yunshu heard her speak, she was also shocked. Yunshu had thought she was a boy, with short hair and wearing a shirt and shorts, giving a completely masculine feeling. But she turned out to be a Korean girl...
Wei Cheng had originally thought she would be the most embarrassed. She couldn't speak well either, and didn't look good. She was also restrained, shrinking back. Unexpectedly, there were many tutors who wanted to chat with her. They all complimented her on being beautiful, unless she felt the tutors had no reason to joke with her. They seemed very sincere. She would have thought they were mocking her.
Among the roommates, Wei Cheng felt she could never be the prettiest.
Then a tutor took out a photo of who he thought was the most beautiful model for her to see. When Wei Cheng saw the photo of Lvyan...
Aesthetics were very unique. Lvyan in the photo was quite beautiful, holding a white goose, with a lot of freckles on her face, also having a wide face and small eyes, but still very good-looking. However, it was really not the same type as the traditional aesthetic and the default definition of beauty in China.
Only then did Wei Cheng realize that her face was actually considered very beautiful in the eyes of foreign teachers, and she gained some confidence.
She studied very hard. Although she didn't have special family tutors like Yunshu, or dared to speak like Honey, she still had vocabulary and such. She was just timid and had no chance to speak.
Now relaxed, she found that people paid quite a bit of attention to her. She also tried hard to communicate boldly with others. It felt really good.
Compared to the tutors, Xiaoqi and her roommates were still innocent young girls. Young people always radiated a lovely aroma of youth. And they were all good-looking in their own way, so despite the language barrier, everyone chatted very happily.
When Xiaoqi finished preparing the food and appeared with Grace, Grace gave everyone a formal introduction to today's chef, Su.
Some had already recognized Xiaoqi as the singing girl in the video and were very surprised.
Just now when Xiaoqi was cooking together, the two were still quite solemn, wearing chef hats and aprons. Grace had said earlier that she would invite a chef to come, and they did not expect it to be the singing girl.
Wearing a white chef's hat, Xiaoqi had not taken off her hat and apron yet when people pulled her to take many photos together.
Turned out foreigners also liked posting on social media... or it wasn't called social media, they most commonly used Facebook and Instagram to post photos and record their lives.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, so they also posted.
With the food ready, Xiaoqi took off her chef's hat and apron to go wash up a bit in the bathroom.
Cooking really easily got you covered in oil fumes, making your face very oily.
It was better for foreigners when cooking, either baking or making cold salads, because Xiaoqi had fried shredded potatoes together with Grace, so Grace also went to freshen up with Xiaoqi.
She had a large bathroom downstairs, with two sinks and a whole wall of mirrors.
Seeing Grace had everything, Xiaoqi simply found makeup remover products and took off her makeup. Otherwise it would be too oily, then she just patted on some lotion and milk.
Grace also washed her face. Seeing Xiaoqi's skin without a single pore, she envied her very much. It was like her skin at six or seven years old. Now she didn't even dare go out with just lotion and milk.
Xiaoqi saw Grace's skin was still quite good, though there were visible pores. Their faces really relied on makeup.
She hadn't tried doing makeup for a foreigner before, so she asked Grace if she wanted her to do her makeup.
Grace readily agreed.
When Xiaoqi finished, looking in the mirror she was stunned by her own beauty.
"Su, is there anything you can't do? I'm too beautiful today. I don't want to wash my face tonight."
She hugged Xiaoqi and spun her around again. This time she really got kissed on the cheek...
The two appeared together again. Grace felt like she had made a bosom friend in this female student she met at the English corner. Not only was her English good, she could sing, cook delicious food, and most importantly, had magical makeup skills.
Grace had never felt so beautiful before. Now she felt like the goddess in Lord of the Rings, too beautiful.
Su actually said she looked so beautiful in her eyes. Su seemed a bit more shy about complimenting people, but when she did praise you, Grace was totally defenseless against it.
Now even when she saw her reflection in the window glass she would indulge in it for a moment, too beautiful.
Sure enough, when Grace appeared again, she had changed into a pink silk dress. Everyone gathered around to compliment her.
"Grace, you're so beautiful today!"
"Grace, I'm in love with you!"
"Grace, you're simply a goddess. What's your secret to becoming so beautiful, it's magical."
Grace opened her mouth wide and laughed exaggeratedly, which ruined her goddess image a bit, but still mysteriously shook her head. She wouldn't readily share the secret weapon Su.
She introduced Xiaoqi to everyone again.
With makeup, Grace's elven looks were exquisite and beautiful, stunning from every angle.
But standing next to her, Xiaoqi did not appear lacking at all.
Originally, the facial features of Asians compared to the chiseled features of Westerners could seem more plain.
But the young girl in the black dress had fair skin, extremely charming eyes, yet a very clear gaze. Her short hair was casually tied up, a bit like a very handsome little boy, and also very beautiful.
Very pretty.
Although their traditional aesthetic for Asians might be single eyelids, big wide faces, the appreciation for beauty was the same.
Garen laughed and said, "Grace, you are a goddess today, and Su is an angel."
With Grace's arrival, the party officially started.
Everyone went to find food with plates in hand. As expected, the shredded potatoes and beef stew were the most popular. Almost everyone scooped a large spoonful from the black pot into their plates. Dipping it with toasted bread, they were all amazed, calling it miraculous Oriental cuisine. Because it was so delicious, afterwards whenever they saw this kind of black pot, they felt there must be extraordinary delicacies inside.
The shredded sweet potatoes and bananas were also praised as miraculous desserts.
It was also the first time Xiaoqi's roommates tasted the food she made, and they were truly shocked, because not only did these tutors who hadn't eaten Eastern delicacies before find it delicious, they all found it very tasty too.
The texture was perfect, the degree the meat was cooked just right, with the right chewiness without being too hard. The potatoes on the outside had all turned into potato paste, while the soup was thick and creamy, yet still sandy inside, like eating sweet chestnuts.
The beef soup was slightly spicy and a little sweet, a very pleasant combination of sweet and salty. Wei Cheng felt it was too bad there was no rice. Otherwise she could have eaten two bowls of rice with each spoonful of beef.
And Yunshu, who normally loved eating fruit and rarely touched meat, couldn't help using two pieces of bread to eat the beef.
Honey was even more exaggerated. As she ate, she murmured to herself, and after finishing declared she would have to go on a diet now.
It was so delicious she cried. This flavor was very suitable for the native Chen Honey from Qinjiang. She felt like she was tasting the flavor of home. The usual bland food at school, not spicy or salty at all, had made her mouth dull. She could take this chance to diet too. It wasn't that she didn't love eating, the food was truly hard for her to get used to.
They were chatting while eating at first, but today the food was clearly more important. Everyone ate first before chatting.
It wasn't until the Korean girl scooped the last spoonful of soup from the pot into her plate that everyone finally set their plates down.
The suspected Korean boy named Jin Zaiyan turned out to be a Korean girl. She was also a tutor, teaching finance at the new campus.
She had just arrived this semester, and was not yet accustomed to the local cuisine here. If it wasn't for the kimchi she brought with her, which sustained her for a while, she might have become even more slender than she already was. She was 175cm tall and weighed just over 90 pounds.
She wasn't very fond of the flavors of the meat dishes here. The local fare tended toward sweetness, with even the meat imparting a sugary taste. Everything had a sweetness to it.
Such were the culinary habits of Meng City. Local dishes were quite sweet.
Jin Zaiyan loved to eat meat, but the sweet meat was hard for her to swallow. She could handle it for one or two meals, but by the third, just looking at the meat made her think of that cloying flavor. To improve her diet, she went to Book Bar, a foreigner hangout, and ate steak. The steak wasn't sweet at least, though it was rather bland. Eating it daily was out of the question.
Plus the foreigners had too many fried foods, also not to her Korean taste.
She hadn't expected to find such tasty beef today. It was delicious.
She practically scraped the bottom of the hot pot clean with her spoon. Afterwards, washing up was easy.
Luckily Grace's home had a dishwasher. Otherwise after the party there would have been a huge pile of dishes to contend with, and Xiaqi disliked washing dishes. Back when she lived with her auntie, her aunt would wash the dishes after Xiaqi cooked.
After eating their fill, the crowd clearly became more intimate. Even the most aloof people's temperaments would become more relaxed and languid after a good meal.
Together they watched the sunset and moonrise from the balcony, the vast heavens filled with stars. It really was beautiful.
Enhua University was situated in wonderful natural surroundings. Just looking up, you could see so many stars.
Listening to the sound of lapping water hitting the lakeshore. Splash, splash.
Xiaqi had also eaten a lot. She quite enjoyed the feeling of a party like this, everyone chatting together, hearing English in different accents. Turns out foreigners also had many accents, plus customs distinct to their various home countries. It was quite eye-opening.
Around 9pm, Xiaqi and her dormmates finally said their goodbyes.
They had all added each other on WeChat and started a group chat.
When it was over, the Korean Jin Zaiyan clung closely to Xiaqi, an odd look in her eyes that made Xiaqi feel strange inside. People said foreigners were quite open—could she be interested in girls?
