At 11:20, Qin Yue entered dormitory 441. The two girls were still facing each other in silence. Although she wasn't sure what had happened, she had heard that the janitor assigned for maintenance had suddenly fallen ill and been hospitalized. Seeing their faces so grim, she vaguely suspected something strange was going on. Of course, she wouldn't ask, nor did she want to delve into the details. After all, there were many mysteries in this world that couldn't be explained by current science, and she was just an ordinary medical teacher. Right now, she just wanted to lighten the gloomy atmosphere.
"Hey, you two beautiful ladies, why are you standing there like an idiot? Did you see a handsome guy?" Qin Yue's smile was truly endearing. She was just that kind of person, fresh and lively, easily connecting with the female students. In fact, she wasn't much older than the female students, and she looked at them like her own sisters.
"Teacher Qin..." Xu Zhaodi glanced at Fang Yuan and stopped talking.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"No, nothing," Fang Yuan answered quickly. Even if she explained this to Teacher Qin, she couldn't explain it clearly. Xu Zhaodi saw a man, and she saw a woman. Who should Teacher Qin believe? And there was clearly no one else present besides the two of them. Should she explain to Teacher Qin that it was all an illusion? Or that she saw a ghost? Both explanations were unconvincing.
"I'm glad you're okay. You must be hungry. Come on, we've been tired all morning. I'll treat you to dinner!"
"How could that be? Teacher Qin, we'll go to the cafeteria to eat. You don't have to worry about us," Xu Zhaodi objected hastily.
"Yes, Teacher Qin, go ahead and get busy. We're all grown-ups, we can take care of ourselves." Fang Yuan didn't want Qin Yue to spend money.
"What are you busy about? I didn't expect you to be embarrassed. I'm alone, living in the school teachers' dormitory. It's so quiet and lonely, and I'm too lazy to go out and buy groceries. You're unlucky today. I caught you two on the run. Let's go, or I'll be furious." Qin Yue was determined to achieve her goal. Unable to say anything more, the two accompanied Qin Yue downstairs to eat.
These days, everything is market-oriented, and Nanjiang Medical College is no exception. Several cafeterias have been contracted out to individuals by the school's logistics department. The benefits are obvious: the school earns a healthy annual income. Of course, there are also some drawbacks, and the university students complain bitterly about this.
In a market economy, effort is rewarded, and as a result, the cafeteria's contractor is particularly stingy. The average vegetarian dish lacks any oil, and the few better dishes are limited in quantity. If you arrive too late, they're gone, leaving you with leftover specialties like stir-fried green worms, stewed beef with earthenware, tomato and fly soup, and Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. The cafeteria is a mess, like a market, and every time dinnertime rolls around, university students rush in. Of course, the cafeteria isn't entirely without merit. At least they offer free radish and pork rib soup, though there's barely any radish in the soup, and the several oversized pork ribs are said to be from veteran employees who've served for years. So, when Nanjiang Medical College's BBS survey asked what they most wanted to do after leaving school, the top choice was to blow up this shabby cafeteria, and the second was to become a distinguished doctor at a prestigious hospital. This shows how important the Nanjiang Medical College cafeteria is to these college students.
Qin Yue had already experienced the quality of the Nanjiang Medical College cafeteria, having graduated from the same school. So, she didn't plan to take the two of them to the cafeteria for dinner. Instead, she prepared a meal for them at a small restaurant on campus. While it was a bit pricey, it was worth it; the food was worlds apart from the cafeteria.
The owner of the small restaurant greeted Qin Yue from a distance: "Teacher Qin, you're here again, treating your students to dinner again?"
"Yes, what are your specialties today?"
"Tea Tree Mushroom Braised Pork Knuckle, Clay Pot Cuttlefish Soup, Lotus Blood Duck, Lushan Stonefish Scrambled Eggs, Poyang Lake Lion's Head…"
"Come on, stop bragging. I don't know you well enough. Lotus Blood Duck has been served at state banquets, and you dare to impersonate it with your duck? And Lushan Stonefish, is your stonefish from Lushan? It doesn't look like anything I can say. As for the Poyang Lake Lion's Head, forget it. I've had it several times in Nanjiang City, and every time it's been more authentic than yours."
The restaurant owner was a portly, middle-aged man with a thick face and a thick skin. "Teacher Qin, you're the only one who's serious. These days, everyone's selling dog meat under the guise of mutton. I'm still selling mutton under the guise of mutton, but as for the fact that the mutton isn't cooked well enough, You have to forgive me. If I had that kind of talent, how could I be so confined to such a small business like this?
Qin Yue surrendered: "Well, I don't have time for that kind of nonsense. Let's have some braised pork knuckle with tea tree mushrooms, and some squid soup in a clay pot. Hey, what would you two ladies like to eat?"
Xu Zhaodi waved her hands repeatedly: "We don't need so many dishes. We'll just have something simple."
Fang Yuan also advised: "Yes, Teacher Qin, we're not picky. Home-cooked meals will do."
"What's the big deal? If you didn't come, I'd have to eat by myself. I don't cook easily. Women who spend too much time in the kitchen age quickly."
As the three of them were chatting, a woman walked in from outside the small restaurant. She had an oval face, thin eyebrows, tightly pursed lips, and long flowing hair. She was graceful and elegant. She wore a fruit green dress, which, paired with her jade-like skin, was stunning.
The girl walked up to Qin Yue and asked, "Are you Teacher Qin Yue from the 2004 Clinical Medicine (1) class?"
"Yes."
The girl's face was calm: "I'm here to register. My name is Su Ya. I'm a little late. Sorry."
"It's okay. Have you eaten? Come and eat with us."
"No, I'm used to eating alone. Take your time. I'll call someone else."
None of the three expected that Su Ya would reject Qin Yue. She was her homeroom teacher.
At this time, a boy in jeans walked in. He had bright black eyes and a short, neat hairstyle that was clearly well-maintained. He exuded a sense of cleverness. The boy was carrying a large suitcase in one hand. He was sweating and panting from exhaustion. He sat down next to Su Ya and smiled at her. The boy said to Su Ya, "Those two suitcases of yours are so heavy! Why did you bring so much stuff? What's in them?"
Qin Yue knew this boy. He was a famous playboy at the medical school. He relied on his Nanjiang origins, good looks, a well-off family, and his eloquence to have numerous relationships throughout the school. He called them relationships, but in reality, they were just a pretext for toying with women's feelings. However, in those days, no one cared about such things, and the school couldn't do anything about him. Had he set his sights on Su Ya the moment she arrived?
Sure enough, Su Ya smiled at the boy, a smile as brilliant as a sky full of cherry blossoms, stunning him.
Then, Su Ya said to the boy, word by word, "Now, you can get out of here!"