Chapter 31: Chef Song Was Very Satisfied

“Stop laughing…”

Song Wenwei took out the food box and placed it on the dark green table. She closed her eyes, utterly embarrassed. “Is it that funny?”

Lu Nan nodded. “I don’t know why, but I just really want to laugh.”

“Stop laughing and eat.”

Song Wenwei suddenly felt that Lu Nan was better when she kept a straight face, terse with words and not one to smile easily. If she kept laughing, Song Wenwei was going to die of shame.

Song Wenwei handed the chopsticks to Lu Nan and playfully swung a loose fist at her, the force as light as a tickle.

“Thank you.” Lu Nan took them with both hands.

“What are you doing here?” Song Wenwei opened the food box, and a rich aroma of food instantly filled the air, the scent of rice wafting everywhere.

Seeing the instant change in Lu Nan’s expression, Chef Song’s mouth curved up more stubbornly than an AK. Every cook hoped to see this look on the face of the person eating their food.

She was hooked by the smell, wasn’t she? Absolutely dazed by the aroma!

“I’m working here, recording book checkouts and returns, then organizing shelves and sorting.”

“Oh, oh.” Song Wenwei nodded thoughtfully. She pushed the box with the rice toward Lu Nan. “Smells good, right? I didn’t know what dishes you like, so I just made whatever. Make do with it.”

Make do…

Lu Nan stared in astonishment at the food box in front of her. The books were right—color, aroma, and taste all perfect. Just like this, even though she hadn’t tasted it yet.

Before, she had always gone to her big brother’s house or Li Erning’s to mooch meals. After starting high school, she ate lunch at school. In the evenings, if Li Erning was home, she’d call her to eat together; if not, Lu Nan ate instant noodles. On weekends, she looked for jobs that included free food.

All this was because there were no pots or pans at home, and she couldn’t afford a gas canister or groceries anyway. Her time was mostly spent studying and working.

Lu Nan truly admired people who could cook.

“It smells amazing. This is no ‘make do’—this is state banquet level.”

Song Wenwei noticed that although Lu Nan spoke concisely, she answered every question in a single sentence.

If calling it a state banquet was flattery, Song Wenwei admitted it hit just right. She loved it.

“Eat, eat, eat!” Song Wenwei picked up a piece of lotus root and placed it in Lu Nan’s bowl. Lu Nan held her bowl and thanked her.

The two dug in heartily, and before long, they had polished off everything.

Song Wenwei was very satisfied. No cook disliked seeing an empty plate.

She thought: Next time, make more. Fatten Lu Nan up a bit—she’s so skinny, it’s not healthy at all.

Lu Nan pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket and handed it over, then naturally began clearing the table. She picked up the bowls and chopsticks and headed to the back.

“Where are you going? Are you going to wash the dishes? I can take them home and wash…” Song Wenwei tried to stop her.

Lu Nan strode toward the back of the library. “There’s a water tank and dish soap here. I’ll wash them.”

Freeloading a meal meant doing some work, just like when she mooched at others’ homes—she’d wash the dishes and tidy up while at it. It was like an unspoken agreement of give and take, and it applied here too.

Hearing that Lu Nan was really going to wash the dishes, Song Wenwei shot to her feet. Her Ge You slump straightened instantly. She looked around but didn’t see Lu Nan.

She shouted, “I’ll do it!”

She had cooked precisely because Lu Nan’s hand was injured and she might not be able to. What kind of sense did it make to have her wash dishes now?

It wasn’t that she couldn’t move, but Song Wenwei still vividly remembered the day her wound split open. If it happened again, would she even survive?

“I…” Song Wenwei panted as she caught up.

She had just eaten her fill, and this run made her stomach churn. She nearly couldn’t catch her breath. How did Lu Nan walk faster than she ran?

Lu Nan held up the bowls in front of her. Her gauze-wrapped hands were covered in suds, shaking them up and down. Song Wenwei’s heart skipped beats in fear.

But Lu Nan acted like it was nothing, saying leisurely, “You’re here. I’m almost done washing.”

The late-arriving Song Wenwei: “…”

The next day, Song Wenwei promptly asked Lu Nan what she wanted to eat today.

She hadn’t gone to the market to buy ingredients yet, so she figured she’d let Lu Nan decide.

[One-Armed Hero: Thank you, but I’m not at the library today. I have something to do outside. No avoiding you—I really went out.]

This message dispelled all of Song Wenwei’s suspicions.

[Ant: Then I’ll bring you food next week~~]

[One-Armed Hero: Mm, see you Monday.]

—

On Monday morning, Song Wenwei finally understood where Lu Nan had gone that day.

Tang Jiu pulled her aside after class to gossip.

“You know what? Lu Nan’s biological parents came looking for her!”

Song Wenwei was stunned, then reacted. “Isn’t that good?”

She didn’t know much about Lu Nan’s family situation, but in her view, this should be a good thing—especially after so many years apart.

If she could, Song Wenwei wanted to see her own mother too.

“Good my ass!”

“That damn nerve! Lu Nan’s biological parents find her, and instead of reuniting, taking her home, and bonding, the first thing they do is ask her for money! As if a student has money to give them!”

Song Wenwei’s heart sank like ice. Where would Lu Nan get spare cash to pay their debts?

Her money was part scholarship, part from her own work—not much, probably just enough for living expenses. Of course, this was all according to the know-it-all Tang Jiu.

Mi Da chimed in from the side, sneering. “They’re shameless, demanding money from a daughter they abandoned years ago.”

What?! Abandoned…

Song Wenwei finally understood why Lu Nan’s home address had felt off that day. That area was full of unfinished buildings, so no precise address.

She felt irritated inside and asked seriously, “And then?”

“On Sunday, her parents hypocritically took her home for a meal. Right at the table, they brought it up: ‘The family owes debts and needs money—whatever you have, use it to pay off the debt.’ They wanted Lu Nan to give them the money.”

Tang Jiu paused, then continued. “That couple are no good. They even wanted Braid Sis to drop out and work to pay their debts!!!”

“???”

“Are they insane???”

“Did Lu Nan give them the money?” Song Wenwei asked.

She desperately wanted to know. If she had, Song Wenwei would chew her out, then bring her meals every day.

Tang Jiu raised an eyebrow. “As if! With my little Braid Sis’s temper, she wasn’t having it. Right in the middle of the meal, she slammed her chopsticks down, flipped the table whoosh, and smashed pots and bowls all over the floor.”

“On her way out, she cursed them out as retards and smashed the jar they’d had at their door for over forty years.”

Mi Da slapped the desk hard. “Epic!”

“As expected of my Braid Sis—ruthless and few words!”

The female classmate nearby pouted. “Why does my cute Lu Nan baby have to suffer like this?”

“Don’t you worry—Braid Sis has her girlfriend squad to comfort her~”