Xing Miao didn't understand plants but found Su Xiaocai kind of cute at the moment, and laughed, "You're pretty carefree, so many people are watching you." She pointed to the back.
Su Xiaocai turned her head in the direction of the finger and silently counted, one, two, three, four... twelve people, all staring at her.
Liu Xun said awkwardly, "Wouldn't it be better to buy inside? If someone sees this, what will they say?"
"Uh, say what? Don't you think these discarded flowers and potted plants are pitifully wasteful? Why care about others? The government is promoting environmental protection starting with us, and I'm just responding to the call. But we shouldn't collect too excessively; the recyclers are surely watching here too. You can pick some too, take a few pots back to the balcony, they're free, it would be a waste not to take them."
Originally thinking Su Xiaocai was embarrassing, her classmates blushed, realizing she had a point.
Su Xiaocai only did what she thought was right, and she continued her treasure hunt, ignoring others.
Xing Miao picked up a bouquet voluntarily, "These flowers smell nice. Do any of you have a vase? If not, we can buy a couple later, putting them in the dorm would look great."
"No need to buy, I have loads of vases and pots, all made from clay I played with before."
With that, Feng Wansha also joined the garbage collection brigade, and Hu Ping laughed heartily, "Interesting, it's my first time picking free stuff, I'll pick a few pots too."
"You can pick this one, it's a strong mosquito repellent plant."
Other people took Su Xiaocai's advice and grabbed the mosquito repellent plants first.
When two people joined, others didn't feel embarrassed anymore and unabashedly searched for what they wanted.
Upon finding a box of fruit, they all exclaimed whether the person who threw it out had made a mistake.
Su Xiaocai said, "These fruits are hard to store; if they're not sold today, they'll go bad. Storing them again in the cold room costs a lot, and if there's not much left, the merchants will throw them away. Even if they're a bit shriveled, they can still be eaten; they just don't look good."
Students who picked up a box of expensive fruit were very pleased, realizing the benefits of garbage picking.
All the students carried big and small boxes, returning fully loaded.
What they didn't know was that someone had posted their garbage-picking video online.
When they got back to campus, the video had spread to many social circles within the school.
As soon as they entered the school, the security uncle laughed and said, "Well, young ladies and gentlemen, picking garbage now?"
Su Xiaocai, naturally friendly, probed for information, "Uncle, how did you know?"
The security uncle chuckled, "Someone put it online, I even saw it while browsing videos."
The ten or so people listening felt embarrassed, their eyes dodging, regretting having followed Su Xiaocai's foolish idea.
Su Xiaocai didn't care about others' opinions, "Uncle, have you had dinner yet? I saw instant noodles on your desk, they're not nutritious, let me offer you some fruit."
"Hey, you really picked up such good fruit? Next time I have a day off, take me along, I'll join the picking too."
It turned out the security uncle wasn't making fun of them but wanted to join in.
Those who felt embarrassed just now suddenly realized they were too easily influenced by others.
"Sure!" Su Xiaocai agreed readily.
"Alright, alright," the security uncle's wrinkles formed a happy crease; it's rare to meet such delightful students, "Uncle will wait for you to take me along."
Su Xiaocai exchanged contact info with him and gave him two pieces of fruit, "We've agreed, remember to tell me when you have a day off, it's best when the market is open."
The trade market doesn't open every day; it only opens twice a week. Those with shops rarely throw away such treasures, only the stall owners are unwilling to keep unsold goods, as taking them back involves transport costs and they might spoil.
Su Xiaocai walked back to the dorm with her head held high, exuding a confident glory in collecting garbage.
Inside the dorm, she immediately opened her smart device, her fingers flying over the projected keyboard, operating it skillfully.
Xing Miao saw her watching the recently recorded garbage-picking video, "I thought you didn't care before."
Su Xiaocai replied, "I don't care, but I want to know the thoughts of the person who took the video. You know, the cost of spreading rumors is pretty low. If the person unintentionally filmed it, I wouldn't care. If intentional, of course, I'll stop them from getting away with it."
Su Xiaocai guessed right; beneath the source video, every comment was a harsh critique.
It was very targeted, with someone sparing no expense to smear her.
"Aren't these students? So poor, resorting to rummaging through trash when the market is for buying stuff."
"Incredible, a once-in-a-lifetime sight. As students, they ought to maintain their dignity, absolutely shameful."
"Maybe only trash would pick trash."
"The shortest one looks so skilled, surely picked a lot of garbage."
"I could almost smell the stench."
Wu Qingqing and Feng Wansha crowded over to look, their faces alternating between red and white.