Chapter 68: Yan Ziyue Catches Zhang Qingqing Flirting with a Man

The enticing aroma had several classmates' stomachs rumbling audibly. They swallowed hard, their eyes fixed on the dishes inside the bamboo basket.

"Oh, there's food! Yan Ziyue, is this food for sale too?"

"There really is! Earlier I only noticed the meat pies, but these meat pies smell so good."

Yan Ziyue pulled Miao Lanlan close and said to her classmates, "Look, everyone, isn't my sister Lanlan clean?"

"She pays special attention to cleanliness and hygiene when cooking, and whatever she makes for you is prepared separately, unlike how she cooks at home."

Miao Lanlan held up her clean hands for the classmates to see, beaming with a bright smile. "Before I cook for you, I always wash my hands with soap, and I wear a hat and a face mask to ensure there won't be even the slightest issue."

The hat and mask were her children's father's suggestion, as he said it would be much better that way.

Seeing her impeccably clean hands with neatly trimmed fingernails, the classmates were even more pleased. After all, anything meant for eating was better off being clean.

"Sister Lanlan, we're going back to the classroom first. Tonight when I get back, I'll let you know what dishes to make tomorrow." With that, Yan Ziyue waved goodbye to Miao Lanlan and returned to the classroom with her classmates.

As soon as they entered the room, quite a few students crowded around.

"I smelled the aroma of meat! Yan Ziyue, where's my meat pie? My meat pie!"

"I bought the steamed pork with rice flour!"

Amidst this cheerful and harmonious atmosphere, an unharmonious female voice rang out.

"Are you all reincarnated starving ghosts? It's not even anything that special."

Yan Ziyue and the others all turned to look at Nie Cair'er, who had spoken those words.

"We are different from Nie Cair'er. She comes from a wealthy family and has eaten all sorts of delicacies, so she naturally disdains eating things like this," Yan Ziyue said with a half-smile.

Xu Yuanjie chimed in, exaggerating, "I heard that Nie Cair'er's family has eight hot dishes and four cold dishes every meal, complete with desserts afterwards."

"If her family can't finish it all, they just throw it straight in the trash rather than giving it to anyone else."

The classmates looked at Nie Cair'er with a mixture of envy and jealousy.

"Nie Cair'er's family is way too rich. They eat so many dishes every meal; my family doesn't even have that much money during the New Year."

"That's not right. Nie Cair'er's family isn't that rich; they couldn't possibly afford so many dishes."

"She's just jealous that we get to have delicious food during our lunch break and that everyone is gathered around Yan Ziyue instead of paying attention to her—the perpetual runner-up—which ruined her chance to show off and gloat."

"I've disliked Nie Cair'er for a long time. Just because she's good at studying, she looks down on those of us who aren't, and she always puts on this superior airs."

Yan Ziyue smiled brightly and said, "Alright, alright, it's time to divide the food."

"Those who bought meat pies, stand on this side. Those who bought steamed pork with rice flour, stand on that side... Since this is our first time doing business, everyone gets a complimentary small bowl of white rice!"

"Just return the empty bowls to me after you finish eating."

As she spoke, she handed out the meat pies and other dishes one by one, making sure everyone also received a small bowl of white rice.

Those who had purchased dishes felt they had gotten a great deal. "I actually get a free small bowl of white rice! If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to the cafeteria for lunch; this alone is more than enough for me."

The students who hadn't bought any food either had family financial constraints, felt it was unnecessary, or simply didn't want to.

Now, with a group of people gathered there and the mouth-watering aroma of meat constantly drifting out, more and more students were tempted to buy.

Even students from the two adjacent classes were drawn over.

"What are you guys eating in your class? Our class could smell the aroma of meat all the way over there."

"Meat pies? Steamed pork with rice flour? Where did you buy those?"

Xu Yuanjie hopped forward, his face wreathed in smiles. "We have people here specially selling meat pies, steamed pork with rice flour, and things like that, at fair and affordable prices."

"Would you like to buy some?"

"They're freshly made every day and delivered to the school at noon. You can have them right after eating at the cafeteria."

With quite a few students in the classroom already enjoying their meat pies and steamed pork, the fragrance grew even thicker.

The mouth-watering scent caused a crowd of students to salivate. The meat pies smelled so good, and the steamed pork looked simply delicious.

They wanted some!

"How much are the meat pies?" a student from the neighboring class asked, swallowing hard.

Xu Yuanjie held up six fingers. "Six cents each, and the portions are extremely generous."

He took a meat pie handed over by Yan Ziyue and broke it apart to show the students. "Look at how much meat there is, and how much oil!"

"Just eating the school cafeteria food at noon isn't enough for us; by mid-afternoon, we usually get hungry. Having a meat pie to stave off the hunger makes a huge difference, doesn't it?"

The meat pies were packed with meat and oil, turning the surrounding students' eyes green with envy.

"Come, come, try a bite and see if this meat pie is good," Xu Yuanjie said, dividing a meat pie into tiny pieces for the students present to sample.

A tiny piece of meat pie was far from enough, but it only made the hungry worms in the students' stomachs rumble even more fiercely.

"I want a meat pie! I want two!" a student raised a hand. "I'll save them to eat in the mid-afternoon."

"Several times my stomach has hurt from hunger by mid-afternoon. I really need to buy some food to keep on hand."

Once the first person placed an order, a second and a third quickly followed.

Quite a few students began discussing purchases, while others asked if other items were sold.

"Do you have steamed eggs? I want steamed eggs with sesame oil."

"I want huajuan and meat buns. The cafeteria stops serving food after noon, and we can't leave the school to buy anything in the mid-afternoon. If we have huajuan and meat buns, we won't have to worry."

Xu Yuanjie patted his chest and assured them they had everything. He fetched a pencil and a notebook. "Come, come, come register your names. Tomorrow, come to Yan Ziyue to collect your food and pay for it then."

Many students crowded around to register, calling out what they wanted.

Seeing this unfold, Yan Ziyue decided to present a few packs of good cigarettes to the cafeteria manager and have a word with the principal, which would eliminate a lot of potential trouble.

That very day, Yan Ziyue bought two cartons of fine cigarettes and gave them to the cafeteria manager, explaining that she wouldn't be competing with the cafeteria's business, but only selling some snacks to tide the students over during the mid-afternoon slump.

Afterward, she went straight to the principal's office to report the matter to the principal as well.

With all of this settled, she slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, walked out of the school gates, and headed towards the bus stop.

As she walked, she heard a familiar female voice.

"You're so annoying!"

Following the sound, Yan Ziyue looked over to her front-left and spotted Zhang Qingqing walking hand-in-hand with a rather plump man, talking and laughing merrily.

The corners of her eyes ticked upward. Had Zhang Qingqing managed to hook a man right here in town?

Noticing several middle-aged women pointing and gossiping about Zhang Qingqing nearby, she walked over to inquire.

"Older sisters, what's going on with that woman?" she asked with an inquisitive expression.

The older women took one look at her schoolbag and formed a very favorable first impression.

"Being a mistress, what else? That man is a worker at a factory in our town, and he has a wife and children at home. Just a few days ago, he hooked up with this woman."

"I heard this woman actively threw herself at him, and afterwards even went to flaunt it right in front of his wife, making the poor wife so angry she fell sick in bed."

"I also heard this woman has some money and bought the man quite a few nice things, claiming she wants to become a city resident and land a good job."

Yan Ziyue's mind stirred slightly, and she asked in feigned surprise, "Doesn't the factory where this man works care about this kind of behavior?"