Chapter 518: Care from a Sister-in-law
Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Care from a Sister-in-law
Ye Ling attended the best high school in Shencheng. He boarded at the school, where eight students shared a dorm room with bunk beds.
He had one day off a week and ate his meals in the school cafeteria.
School food, after all, could never compare to home cooking.
Every time Han Xiaorui went into the city, she would have Sister Lian prepare some good dishes, pack them in a thermal container, and bring them to the school to give to Ye Ling personally.
Not only that, but she would also buy freshly baked pastries from Granny Cai’s dessert shop.
Ye Ling was a teenager going through a growth spurt, so he was often hungry even before mealtimes.
This was especially true at 9:30 p.m. after his evening study session. His 5:30 dinner would be long gone, leaving his stomach growling.
Many students would go to the tuck shop for snacks, not because they loved junk food, but because they were genuinely hungry.
That evening, Han Xiaorui called Ye Ling’s homeroom teacher and asked him to have Ye Ling come to the main school gate after the second evening study session.
Because Han Xiaorui was a significant donor to the education department, she had been recognized at a meeting at the Bureau of Education, where she and the outstanding Teacher Xu had hit it off immediately.
Therefore, when it came time to place Ye Ling in a class, she had him assigned directly to Teacher Xu’s.
Ye Ling didn’t have any trouble adjusting after transferring from Beijing to Shencheng.
Whether in Beijing or Shencheng, both were excellent high schools with very strict rules.
There was a bit of cliquishness at first, but they were all sixteen and seventeen-year-olds—lively, cheerful, and full of energy.
He quickly became friends with his deskmate, Li Jing, who told him all about Shencheng.
In return, Ye Ling would tell Li Jing about Beijing. They both spoke Mandarin, so communication was no problem at all.
That day, after the second evening study session ended, Teacher Xu called Ye Ling out of the classroom.
"Your sister-in-law wants you to go to the main gate after this session. She’s probably bringing you something. Don’t forget!"
Ye Ling smiled. "Thank you, Teacher Xu!"
"You’re welcome!" Teacher Xu smiled back. "We have a placement test this weekend. Are you confident?"
Ye Ling replied with a grin, "I am! I’ve already adjusted to the pace of the classes here. Besides, I just transferred schools, it’s not like I moved to another country. For me, studying is the same no matter where I am."
Teacher Xu nodded, very satisfied. "That’s good to hear! Let me know right away if you run into any problems!"
"Okay!" Ye Ling nodded, thanking him again.
When he returned to the classroom, Li Jing immediately asked, "Ye Ling, what did Teacher Xu want?"
Ye Ling didn’t hide it. "My sister-in-law called our homeroom teacher. She’s bringing me something! Come with me when class is over!"
Li Jing’s eyes lit up when he heard that. "Is she bringing food?"
His own parents would occasionally bring him things during the evening study sessions too.
Ye Ling shook his head. "I’m not sure. Teacher Xu didn’t say."
Ye Ling focused on his practice problems until the bell rang, then he and Li Jing sprinted towards the school’s main gate.
Luckily, the high school wasn’t very large, and they quickly ran downstairs and reached the gate.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing here so late?" Ye Ling asked with a warm smile, happy to see her.
Han Xiaorui got out of her car, opened the trunk, and pulled out two large bags.
"It’s just some pastries, beef jerky, and shredded squid! For when you get hungry at night. Share them with your classmates."
At the mention of food, Ye Ling’s stomach rumbled. He really was hungry.
He’d been getting incredibly hungry lately. Even though he ate a lot for dinner, by the time the evening study session was over, he was often so starved his stomach felt like it was caving in.
If he weren’t so exhausted from classes every day, he probably would have been too hungry to sleep at night.
"Thanks, Sister-in-law!" Ye Ling took the two large bags.
Li Jing was also starving. His eyes were fixed on the bags as he rushed over to help carry one. "You’re the best! I’m Ye Ling’s best friend, can I have some too?"
Han Xiaorui smiled at his words. "Of course. I brought so much, he can’t possibly finish it all himself. It’s for everyone to share!"
"From now on, whenever I come to the city, I’ll bring you guys food every week! By the way, Ye Ling, do you have enough spending money?"
Ye Ling nodded repeatedly. "I have enough! You don’t need to give me money, Sister-in-law!"
Han Xiaorui nodded. "Alright, then! If anything comes up, call home right away! If it’s an emergency, tell your teacher! Okay, you two should hurry back now! The bell for class is probably about to ring!"
"Goodbye, Sister-in-law!" Ye Ling and Li Jing each grabbed a large bag and ran back toward their classroom.
Just as they reached the stairs, they heard the bell ring.
The two lanky young men dashed up the stairs with their long legs, arriving at their second-floor classroom.
They were both quite tall, so their seats were near the back, and they slipped in through the rear door.
After the bell rang, the classroom gradually quieted down.
Ye Ling stashed the two bags under his desk and prepared to get back to his work.
Li Jing stared expectantly at Ye Ling, then glanced back at the pastry box, swallowing hard.
RUMBLE... Li Jing’s stomach growled again. Hearing it, Ye Ling couldn’t focus on his problems anymore either.
Ye Ling propped an open textbook upright on his desk, then pulled a box of pastries out of the bag.
He opened the box, popped one into his own mouth, and passed the box to Li Jing.
Li Jing didn’t hold back. He quickly took one and put it in his mouth, mimicking Ye Ling by propping up his own textbook.
The two of them were like little hamsters, secretly nibbling on the pastries, which were fragrant and delicious.
Students all around them not only smelled the aroma but also saw them eating.
In high school, the girls were generally shorter and sat at the front.
The back of the class was filled with boys, all going through growth spurts, all craning their necks with hunger.
Their metabolisms were incredibly fast, and of course, they wanted some too. They couldn’t stop swallowing as they smelled the fragrance.
The student behind him reached out and poked Ye Ling, staring with pleading eyes.
So, Ye Ling passed the pastry box back to them and let them take one.
And just like that, everyone around them got to eat a pastry.
Even if it was just a single bite, when you were that hungry, it tasted like the most exquisite delicacy in the world.
Just as everyone was enjoying their snack, Teacher Xu arrived and caught them red-handed.
"No eating during the evening study session."
Teacher Xu knew the food was from Han Xiaorui, so he just gave a general reminder without calling anyone out by name.
The students who had eaten the pastries were left wanting more.
’These pastries are so good!’
’It’s just a simple crab roe pastry, so why does this one taste so much better than any we’ve had before?’
They couldn’t quite figure it out and finally concluded it must be because they were just that hungry at school.
When the session finally ended, everyone crowded around Ye Ling’s desk.
Having no other choice, Ye Ling handed out the pastries, giving one to each classmate.
Worried that Ye Ling would be too generous and give all the food away, Li Jing quickly grabbed the other large bag and ran back to the dorm.
After returning to the dorm, Ye Ling was treated like a king.
Aside from having to pee by himself, his classmates did everything else for him—fetching hot water, getting his water for washing his face, and even preparing water for him to wash his feet.
After lights out, nobody could sleep.
Ye Ling asked, "Is everyone still hungry?"
The response was the sound of several stomachs growling in the dark.
So, Ye Ling took out the shredded squid from his locker and gave everyone a pack.