Aizhen regarded the Shaoxiancao with a hint of resemblance to the magical potions in Harry Potter, all dark and mysterious...
Beside it were milk, honey, raisins, and nuts, which one could add according to their preference.
Aizhen, who usually only drank a glass of milk a day, didn't add any milk this time. The drink looked dark and smelled like medicine. She thought it might be some kind of Oriental herbal concoction, which would surely be bitter. So, Aizhen added a generous amount of honey.
After adding the honey, she didn't really have the desire to eat it, after all, it looked so dark.
Xiao Qi poured everything into her own cup and demonstrated by scooping a large spoonful and eating it directly. After finishing, she said to Aizhen, "This is a bit like the Andalusian cold soup, which is a must-have for people in Meng City during the summer. It's a sweet dessert that helps cool down the body. Our traditional Chinese medicine believes that there is 'fire' in the human body that needs to be lowered with medicine, somewhat like lowering the temperature."
Aizhen didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine either, but she had heard her elders say such things when she was young. Xiao Qi's explanation sounded strange, and she even laughed at herself towards the end.
However, Aizhen always ate her food with satisfaction and seriousness since she grew up in a family with limited resources. Even though her parents doted on her, they wouldn't allow any wastage.
She ate with a full belly, taking big mouthfuls.
Coupled with her increased daily exercise, her eating habits had become solid. When she said she would eat, she truly ate, and she ate with great relish.
Seeing Su's smile and how she enjoyed the food, Aizhen inexplicably felt an appetite herself.
Aizhen closed her eyes, gathered her courage, and decided to give it a taste. She finally had a slight desire to eat. As the food approached her mouth, her stomach didn't revolt or give her the urge to vomit. She scooped a spoonful into her mouth. It was a bit bitter, indeed resembling the mystical Oriental herbs as described. It had a slight bitterness, and even a hint of astringency on her tongue. But this bitter and astringent taste was quickly enveloped by the sweetness of the honey. Surprisingly, bitterness and sweetness could go well together in a meal. Then she felt the food rolling into her stomach, slowly. A minute passed, and she didn't vomit...
She was utterly amazed. She had actually eaten something, and at such a late hour. Previously, she had been paranoid about not eating after noon and refrained from eating anything in the afternoon, even if she felt dizzy from hunger. But now, it was past ten o'clock, and she had taken a bite of food.
Her stomach didn't ache; Aizhen was delighted.
However, she didn't dare to eat much. With Xiao Qi's guidance, she tasted a small bite of multigrain pancake. It had to be eaten while hot, with spicy sauce, vegetable fritters, and crispy dried bean curd skin wrapped in the pancake. It gave a sense of being a staple food, with both a filling and a fragrant sensation.
Aizhen was worried that her stomach couldn't handle it, so she took a small bite and indeed found it somewhat hard and ended up spitting it out.
But the salad bun, a round bun with a sweet and greasy salad dressing in the middle, made of very delicate bread that resembled cake, was very fluffy. Aizhen actually finished a whole one, tearing it apart bit by bit.
Aizhen had consumed one-third of the Shaoxiancao.
It was already a remarkable beginning, and Aizhen herself was pleasantly surprised.
Can my anorexia be cured?
It's simply miraculous.
She happily packed the remaining Shaoxiancao and salad buns, bidding farewell to Xiao Qi and Li Weijin.
The mechanical sound in Xiao Qi's mind started playing as Teacher Aizhen left, saying, "The host's serious attitude towards food has had a positive impact on anorexia patients, effectively alleviating their suffering. Reward: +1 vision for the host."
The world before her eyes seemed to suddenly remove a layer of filter, becoming clearer and more refined.
Xiao Qi: ... It feels like the system has become a bit casual.
Even advising Teacher Aizhen to eat comes with a reward.
And the way she teaches the students at night, talking about exquisite cuisine, portraying Teacher Aizhen as someone so moving and beautiful, yet she's an anorexia patient.
The adult world seems somewhat complex.
Xiao Qi really likes Teacher Aizhen, who teaches Spanish. She considers her elegant, refined, and with a particularly good temperament, never expecting her to be an anorexia patient.
With this realization, it seems that the foreign teachers at Enhua are not the impressive and formidable individuals they appeared to be. Instead, they seem to have gathered here with various different problems.
The Japanese teacher, Yamamoto, who taught Japanese before, seemed like a stubborn and solitary old man.
Teacher Aizhen is an anorexia patient.
Jin Zaiyan from Korea, Xiao Qi feels like she is completely gender-neutral, too masculine, and she doesn't seem happy when talking about her experiences in Korea.
And there's Garen, the old man who said his dream was to be an animal caretaker, but there were no applicants for caretaker positions to become their teachers...
When it comes to teaching languages, it should be sufficient. It's normal to think about it. Enhua is not a prestigious school; it's just a privately funded university that is just getting started.
Private universities aren't popular in China, and being in a small town in the League City, those foreign teachers who can come and are willing to stay and work here are probably the ones who have already gone through a round of competition in big cities.
But for Xiao Qi, they teach enough.
Your teachers may not be the best, but you can learn from the best parts of them.
Teacher Aizhen left, leaving only Li Weijin and Xiao Qi.
The two walked towards the dormitory area together.
Li Weijin unconsciously followed Xiao Qi towards the girls' dormitory area.
"Are you going to see me off?" Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow.
Li Weijin shook his head firmly and said, "How could it be? It's just on the way. I have something to do."
Xiao Qi didn't say anything. It wasn't her home's way, so she couldn't stop him.
But this way, after evening self-study ended, they stayed and lingered on the student street, and now it was late, so most of the people walking slowly on the road were a boy and a girl like them, walking side by side, close together, under the dim streetlights. They probably weren't holding hands, and Xiao Qi didn't know if their hands touched.
Because Enhua doesn't allow university students to date, if caught holding hands, they have to write a self-criticism. But walking together isn't a problem.
Xiao Qi felt a bit awkward. She didn't pay attention to it while running usually, but now she realized that in the evening, this road leading to the girls' dormitory was filled with the sour aroma of romance.
Perhaps because the scent of love was so strong, Li Weijin couldn't help but complain sourly, "Did you have a good time playing with the neighbor's brother this afternoon?"
"Happy." Xiao Qi replied cheerfully.
Li Weijin: ...felt like an arrow had struck his chest.
"It turns out that the older brother of your neighbor is studying at Qingmeng University and he's quite outstanding." Li Weijin continued.
"Yes, he's super talented. He's only a freshman and he has already secured over ten million yuan in venture capital funding by himself." Xiao Qi truly admired his abilities. Such self-made success was beyond what any wealthy second-generation could compare to.
Li Weijin: ...felt like multiple arrows had simultaneously hit his chest.
He fell silent.
Venture capital? Should he ask his father to invest in him? No, that wouldn't be classy! He couldn't rely on his father.
Rely on himself? Li Weijin had a bit of self-awareness. He didn't know anything and money didn't come easily to him.
"I'm almost at the dormitory. What are you coming over for?" Xiao Qi couldn't help but ask as she noticed that Young Master suddenly became silent and had been silent for quite a while.
"You'll find out soon enough." Li Weijin puffed up his cheeks, looking like a goldfish.
With Xiao Qi's enhanced vision, she saw him like that, with no visible pores on his fair and flawless face. It was so attractive that she blushed uncontrollably.
Damn...he was like a moving hormone. So good-looking.
Xiao Qi turned her head away, walked all the way to the dormitory entrance, and saw Li Weijin's butler standing there with a large box by his feet.
"I bought a box of fruits for your roommate to express my gratitude for helping me with my questions this afternoon." Li Weijin said in a solemn tone.
The butler stood there, chatting with the dormitory supervisor auntie as though they were long-lost companions. The dormitory supervisor auntie made an exception and allowed him to go in and deliver the package.
If it was for herself, Xiao Qi would have declined, but she couldn't refuse on behalf of her roommate when it was about expressing gratitude for their help.
However, seeing the butler...she felt a pang of jealousy. Worried that she might say something unintentionally during the walk, she blurted out everything about herself.
"No need, I can carry it." Xiao Qi said and effortlessly lifted the large box with one hand.
It was very light!
Li Weijin: ...
Butler: ...
Dormitory supervisor auntie: ...
Xiao Qi carried the box of sturdy fruits to the dormitory and explained its origin. She curiously asked, "What did you ask them that made you grateful? Who did they say you're with?"
She originally thought that Li Weijin had asked them about their studies because he would also come to ask her. Unexpectedly, Wei Cheng honestly replied, "He asked me who you're with."
Xiao Qi: ...
Seeing a box of beautiful fruits, Honey couldn't resist and decided to eat first before saying anything.
She bit into a fist-sized peach and exclaimed, "Damn, why is it so sour? My teeth are about to fall out!"
Lady Yunsu elegantly peeled and sliced the peach, placed a slice in her mouth, and then her eyebrows furrowed in sourness, making her look like an old lady... "Ah!"
Wei Cheng held a starfruit in her mouth, her body trembling, unsure whether to spit it out or not. It would be a waste to spit it out, but if she didn't, it felt like her cheeks would fall off.
Xiao Qi found them all looking strange as they each ate a piece of fruit. Was it really necessary to make such exaggerated expressions over eating fruit?
She took a big, red apple in her hand and took a bite. In an instant, an extremely sour sensation exploded in her mouth. Her sense of taste was more sensitive than the average person's, and this level of sourness was even more overwhelming, causing tears to well up in her eyes...
What on earth? Where did Li Weijin find such good-looking and sour fruits?
Aizhen regarded the Shaoxiancao with a hint of resemblance to the magical potions in Harry Potter, all dark and mysterious...
Beside it were milk, honey, raisins, and nuts, which one could add according to their preference.
Aizhen, who usually only drank a glass of milk a day, didn't add any milk this time. The drink looked dark and smelled like medicine. She thought it might be some kind of Oriental herbal concoction, which would surely be bitter. So, Aizhen added a generous amount of honey.
After adding the honey, she didn't really have the desire to eat it, after all, it looked so dark.
Xiao Qi poured everything into her own cup and demonstrated by scooping a large spoonful and eating it directly. After finishing, she said to Aizhen, "This is a bit like the Andalusian cold soup, which is a must-have for people in Meng City during the summer. It's a sweet dessert that helps cool down the body. Our traditional Chinese medicine believes that there is 'fire' in the human body that needs to be lowered with medicine, somewhat like lowering the temperature."
Aizhen didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine either, but she had heard her elders say such things when she was young. Xiao Qi's explanation sounded strange, and she even laughed at herself towards the end.
However, Aizhen always ate her food with satisfaction and seriousness since she grew up in a family with limited resources. Even though her parents doted on her, they wouldn't allow any wastage.
She ate with a full belly, taking big mouthfuls.
Coupled with her increased daily exercise, her eating habits had become solid. When she said she would eat, she truly ate, and she ate with great relish.
Seeing Su's smile and how she enjoyed the food, Aizhen inexplicably felt an appetite herself.
Aizhen closed her eyes, gathered her courage, and decided to give it a taste. She finally had a slight desire to eat. As the food approached her mouth, her stomach didn't revolt or give her the urge to vomit. She scooped a spoonful into her mouth. It was a bit bitter, indeed resembling the mystical Oriental herbs as described. It had a slight bitterness, and even a hint of astringency on her tongue. But this bitter and astringent taste was quickly enveloped by the sweetness of the honey. Surprisingly, bitterness and sweetness could go well together in a meal. Then she felt the food rolling into her stomach, slowly. A minute passed, and she didn't vomit...
She was utterly amazed. She had actually eaten something, and at such a late hour. Previously, she had been paranoid about not eating after noon and refrained from eating anything in the afternoon, even if she felt dizzy from hunger. But now, it was past ten o'clock, and she had taken a bite of food.
Her stomach didn't ache; Aizhen was delighted.
However, she didn't dare to eat much. With Xiao Qi's guidance, she tasted a small bite of multigrain pancake. It had to be eaten while hot, with spicy sauce, vegetable fritters, and crispy dried bean curd skin wrapped in the pancake. It gave a sense of being a staple food, with both a filling and a fragrant sensation.
Aizhen was worried that her stomach couldn't handle it, so she took a small bite and indeed found it somewhat hard and ended up spitting it out.
But the salad bun, a round bun with a sweet and greasy salad dressing in the middle, made of very delicate bread that resembled cake, was very fluffy. Aizhen actually finished a whole one, tearing it apart bit by bit.
Aizhen had consumed one-third of the Shaoxiancao.
It was already a remarkable beginning, and Aizhen herself was pleasantly surprised.
Can my anorexia be cured?
It's simply miraculous.
She happily packed the remaining Shaoxiancao and salad buns, bidding farewell to Xiao Qi and Li Weijin.
The mechanical sound in Xiao Qi's mind started playing as Teacher Aizhen left, saying, "The host's serious attitude towards food has had a positive impact on anorexia patients, effectively alleviating their suffering. Reward: +1 vision for the host."
The world before her eyes seemed to suddenly remove a layer of filter, becoming clearer and more refined.
Xiao Qi: ... It feels like the system has become a bit casual.
Even advising Teacher Aizhen to eat comes with a reward.
And the way she teaches the students at night, talking about exquisite cuisine, portraying Teacher Aizhen as someone so moving and beautiful, yet she's an anorexia patient.
The adult world seems somewhat complex.
Xiao Qi really likes Teacher Aizhen, who teaches Spanish. She considers her elegant, refined, and with a particularly good temperament, never expecting her to be an anorexia patient.
With this realization, it seems that the foreign teachers at Enhua are not the impressive and formidable individuals they appeared to be. Instead, they seem to have gathered here with various different problems.
The Japanese teacher, Yamamoto, who taught Japanese before, seemed like a stubborn and solitary old man.
Teacher Aizhen is an anorexia patient.
Jin Zaiyan from Korea, Xiao Qi feels like she is completely gender-neutral, too masculine, and she doesn't seem happy when talking about her experiences in Korea.
And there's Garen, the old man who said his dream was to be an animal caretaker, but there were no applicants for caretaker positions to become their teachers...
When it comes to teaching languages, it should be sufficient. It's normal to think about it. Enhua is not a prestigious school; it's just a privately funded university that is just getting started.
Private universities aren't popular in China, and being in a small town in the League City, those foreign teachers who can come and are willing to stay and work here are probably the ones who have already gone through a round of competition in big cities.
But for Xiao Qi, they teach enough.
Your teachers may not be the best, but you can learn from the best parts of them.
Teacher Aizhen left, leaving only Li Weijin and Xiao Qi.
The two walked towards the dormitory area together.
Li Weijin unconsciously followed Xiao Qi towards the girls' dormitory area.
"Are you going to see me off?" Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow.
Li Weijin shook his head firmly and said, "How could it be? It's just on the way. I have something to do."
Xiao Qi didn't say anything. It wasn't her home's way, so she couldn't stop him.
But this way, after evening self-study ended, they stayed and lingered on the student street, and now it was late, so most of the people walking slowly on the road were a boy and a girl like them, walking side by side, close together, under the dim streetlights. They probably weren't holding hands, and Xiao Qi didn't know if their hands touched.
Because Enhua doesn't allow university students to date, if caught holding hands, they have to write a self-criticism. But walking together isn't a problem.
Xiao Qi felt a bit awkward. She didn't pay attention to it while running usually, but now she realized that in the evening, this road leading to the girls' dormitory was filled with the sour aroma of romance.
Perhaps because the scent of love was so strong, Li Weijin couldn't help but complain sourly, "Did you have a good time playing with the neighbor's brother this afternoon?"
"Happy." Xiao Qi replied cheerfully.
Li Weijin: ...felt like an arrow had struck his chest.
"It turns out that the older brother of your neighbor is studying at Qingmeng University and he's quite outstanding." Li Weijin continued.
"Yes, he's super talented. He's only a freshman and he has already secured over ten million yuan in venture capital funding by himself." Xiao Qi truly admired his abilities. Such self-made success was beyond what any wealthy second-generation could compare to.
Li Weijin: ...felt like multiple arrows had simultaneously hit his chest.
He fell silent.
Venture capital? Should he ask his father to invest in him? No, that wouldn't be classy! He couldn't rely on his father.
Rely on himself? Li Weijin had a bit of self-awareness. He didn't know anything and money didn't come easily to him.
"I'm almost at the dormitory. What are you coming over for?" Xiao Qi couldn't help but ask as she noticed that Young Master suddenly became silent and had been silent for quite a while.
"You'll find out soon enough." Li Weijin puffed up his cheeks, looking like a goldfish.
With Xiao Qi's enhanced vision, she saw him like that, with no visible pores on his fair and flawless face. It was so attractive that she blushed uncontrollably.
Damn...he was like a moving hormone. So good-looking.
Xiao Qi turned her head away, walked all the way to the dormitory entrance, and saw Li Weijin's butler standing there with a large box by his feet.
"I bought a box of fruits for your roommate to express my gratitude for helping me with my questions this afternoon." Li Weijin said in a solemn tone.
The butler stood there, chatting with the dormitory supervisor auntie as though they were long-lost companions. The dormitory supervisor auntie made an exception and allowed him to go in and deliver the package.
If it was for herself, Xiao Qi would have declined, but she couldn't refuse on behalf of her roommate when it was about expressing gratitude for their help.
However, seeing the butler...she felt a pang of jealousy. Worried that she might say something unintentionally during the walk, she blurted out everything about herself.
"No need, I can carry it." Xiao Qi said and effortlessly lifted the large box with one hand.
It was very light!
Li Weijin: ...
Butler: ...
Dormitory supervisor auntie: ...
Xiao Qi carried the box of sturdy fruits to the dormitory and explained its origin. She curiously asked, "What did you ask them that made you grateful? Who did they say you're with?"
She originally thought that Li Weijin had asked them about their studies because he would also come to ask her. Unexpectedly, Wei Cheng honestly replied, "He asked me who you're with."
Xiao Qi: ...
Seeing a box of beautiful fruits, Honey couldn't resist and decided to eat first before saying anything.
She bit into a fist-sized peach and exclaimed, "Damn, why is it so sour? My teeth are about to fall out!"
Lady Yunsu elegantly peeled and sliced the peach, placed a slice in her mouth, and then her eyebrows furrowed in sourness, making her look like an old lady... "Ah!"
Wei Cheng held a starfruit in her mouth, her body trembling, unsure whether to spit it out or not. It would be a waste to spit it out, but if she didn't, it felt like her cheeks would fall off.
Xiao Qi found them all looking strange as they each ate a piece of fruit. Was it really necessary to make such exaggerated expressions over eating fruit?
She took a big, red apple in her hand and took a bite. In an instant, an extremely sour sensation exploded in her mouth. Her sense of taste was more sensitive than the average person's, and this level of sourness was even more overwhelming, causing tears to well up in her eyes...
What on earth? Where did Li Weijin find such good-looking and sour fruits?
