"Yuwei, are you sure you gave me a laxative and not something else?" Sun Ling glared at her, then quietly asked Jiang Yuwei.
"When my sister gave it to me, she specifically told me to eat less. It shouldn't be wrong, right?" Seeing that Chen Lishu still hadn't reacted, Jiang Yuwei also began to feel uncertain.
"Classmate, may I have this dance?"
This table, with the presence of two beauties, Chen Lishu and Jiang Yuwei, had already attracted many gazes. As soon as the announcement for dancing was made, a crowd quickly gathered.
Sun Ling, seeing that all these people were flocking towards Jiang Yuwei and Chen Lishu, and not a single one had asked her to dance, felt uncomfortable. Her stomach also began to ache faintly.
Before long, the pain grew more intense, and Sun Ling's entire face turned somewhat pale.
"Sorry, I don't dance. You should ask someone else," Chen Lishu politely declined with a smile.
Jiang Yuwei, on the other hand, remained cold throughout, not even lifting her head once.
"Classmate, may I have this dance?" Seeing that they couldn't get the two girls to dance, some boys, taking the next best option, started inviting Zhang Xue and Sun Ling.
Sun Ling saw the student union president, whom she had always admired, standing before her, inviting her to dance. She suppressed her discomfort and happily nodded, "Okay."
However, as she stood up, her stomach let out a series of rumbling sounds. Immediately after, her intestines seemed to twist, and an intense urge struck her. Unable to think of anything else, Sun Ling forcefully pushed Li Zhiwei, "Get up quickly."
"Is it that urgent just to dance with a boy?" Li Zhiwei deliberately went against her, remaining firmly seated.
"Get out of the way, I, I don't feel well, I need to use the restroom." Sun Ling clutched her stomach, feeling like it was about to erupt at any moment. She was both angry and anxious, her eyes close to tears.
Li Zhiwei gave her a suspicious glance. Seeing her genuinely urgent expression, he said to Feng Pangzi next to him, "Fatty, give way."
"Oh." Feng Pangzi threw away the sunflower seed shells in his hand and tried to get up. However, given his size, it was already a struggle for him to stand. With several boys standing nearby, by the time he managed to move, Sun Ling's face had already turned as pale as paper from the pain.
Struggling to lean on the table, Sun Ling moved outwards. She felt as though she might collapse from weakness at any moment. Every step felt like walking on cotton, and she was dizzy and lightheaded.
"Pfft pfft—"
With a series of loud farting sounds, Sun Ling froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. Her eyes were blank, and her face was ashen.
The air around them was silent for a moment. Li Zhiwei opened his mouth, then decided it was best not to say anything at this time, swallowing the words he was about to utter.
"Sun Ling?" Jiang Yuwei called out softly. Sun Ling finally snapped out of her daze and burst into tears, "Wah!" Covering her face with her hands, she fled as if pursued.
"Sun Ling was too wicked! If we hadn't known in advance, you would have been the one embarrassed at that moment." Even now, Zhang Xue felt lingering fear when she recalled the scene.
Judging by Sun Ling's reaction, the medicine's effects were definitely not mild. She had never seen anyone so malicious.
"After what happened today, she'll probably be quiet for a while." After all, in front of so many people, even with a thick skin, she would be more restrained in the future.
The two returned to their dormitory. Finding that Sun Ling and Jiang Yuwei were not there, they exchanged a look, neither saying anything.
"Why are you two back alone? Jiang Yuwei rushed back earlier to get some clothes and then left again. She looked quite anxious; did something happen?" Li He asked curiously, sitting up on the bed.
"She and Sun Ling left first. We really don't know what happened," Chen Lishu replied with a smile, bending down to retrieve a washbasin from under the bed to wash up.
Hearing her words, Li He pouted unbelievingly. If Chen Lishu didn't say anything, she would find out sooner or later anyway.
Jiang Yuwei and Sun Ling did not return all night. Since both were locals, Chen Lishu guessed they might have gone home overnight.
The next morning, Chen Lishu packed away the out-of-season thick cotton clothes. Before going home, she first bought some vegetables and some vegetable seeds. Seeing that April was approaching, it was time to turn over the vegetable patch at home and plant the vegetables.
Upon arriving home and opening the door, she found that 'Da Wang' was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that the weather was warm and it had gone out to roam again, she didn't pay it much mind. After storing the cotton clothes, Chen Lishu began tidying up the house.
First, she changed and washed the bedsheets and duvet covers, as well as Gu Xingdong's dirty clothes that he had taken off but hadn't had time to wash. Once everything was tidied, Chen Lishu started kneading dough, planning to make dumplings that evening.
After the Spring Equinox, the days began to gradually lengthen. Gu Xingdong returned before it was dark. From a distance, he saw the bedsheets and duvet covers hanging to dry in front of their window. Knowing that Chen Lishu was back, a smile flashed in his eyes.
He hadn't expected her to return this week, especially since she hadn't come back on Saturday.
"You two go ahead, I'm heading back."
Seeing his movement, Wu Zheng instinctively glanced towards his home's window and immediately understood.
"Old Gu and his wife have such a good relationship," Zhou Liang remarked enviously.
Not so long ago, he too would rush home as soon as work was over. But somewhere along the line, he started to feel that home was less comfortable than staying at the camp.
When Gu Xingdong reached the bottom of the building, 'Da Wang' emerged from some hidden corner and looked up at him, meowing twice.
Gu Xingdong whistled, signaling it to hurry home.
"Why are you two returning together?" Chen Lishu asked, smiling, as she carried dumplings out and saw one person and one cat entering.
"This little rascal is very clever. It doesn't stay put when you're not home. It went out early this morning and waited for me tonight to come back together," Gu Xingdong said with a laugh, stepping into the bathroom to wash his hands.
After parting ways with Wu Zheng, Zhou Liang went upstairs. Just as he took out his key to open the door, he heard movement inside the room. His expression shifted slightly. Upon opening the door, he indeed saw Zhao Jing.
"Why do you have time to come back today?"
"I just finished a performance. The troupe specifically gave everyone two days off. I'm back to get a couple of outfits."
"Are you leaving tonight?"
"I'll leave tomorrow morning."
"Have you eaten?"
"No."
"You wait, I'll go make dinner." Zhou Liang took off his outer jacket, washed his hands first, and then went into the kitchen to cook.
Normally, when he was home alone, he would do whatever was easiest. Now that Zhao Jing was back, he specifically made two dishes. Knowing she liked soup, he also specially brewed some.
"Why are you only eating so little?" Zhou Liang asked when he saw her put down her chopsticks after only a few bites.
"There's an important performance next month, so I have to control my diet."
Zhou Liang opened his mouth, then changed the subject and asked, "Zhao Jing, do you think we should have a child?"
Most children his age in the courtyard could already help with errands, and some older ones were even in primary school.
Zhao Jing frowned, "I haven't considered this issue yet."