"Yes," Jian Zhiqing placed the bag on his lap, then opened it and took out a very large thermos, pouring a cup of hot water for Qin Xiangnuan.
Qin Xiangnuan took it, the water in the cup was still hot, very hot, scalding hot.
She carefully blew on the cup before gradually sipping from it in small sips.
"Is Brother Jian going to play Doraemon again?" Qin Xiangnuan teased Jian Zhiqing, wondering how he always has whatever is needed, able to accomplish anything upon request, really just like Doraemon, who just has to take things out of his pocket.
Qin Xiangnuan’s eyes kept staring at the large bag Jian Zhiqing was holding, quite curious.
However, Jian Zhiqing casually placed the bag on the ground, clearly not intending to let Qin Xiangnuan take a look.
Qin Xiangnuan pouted, he was really stingy.
After finishing the water, she placed the cup on the thermos, waiting for people to arrive.
The gathering couldn’t possibly take too long. If it was scheduled to start at nine, then it would start at nine. Around eight something, all the leaders had already arrived: teachers from Kyoto University, city leaders of Kyoto, and some minor leaders, from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, the Publicity Department, as well as several celebrities who had already arrived by this time.
This time, Jing University really splurged by inviting so many people. Now Qin Xiangnuan understood where Jian Zhiqing got his invitation; the school’s anniversary celebration was Jing University’s celebration. Many people were also alumni of Jing University, and no matter what, they had to give face to their alma mater. As the reputation of the alma mater rises, their status shines as well. Although Jian Zhiqing was not a student at Jing University, he was an official in his own right.
Qin Xiangnuan was now truly grateful they came early. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to find good seating since the number of attendees was overwhelming, not only from Jing University but also from other universities within Kyoto. She regretted not contacting Li Li and Mao Xiaomei earlier, but perhaps they had indeed come. She looked around, wondering if she could find a few familiar faces, and eventually, she really did spot one.
A face heavily painted with makeup, so much powder on her face it almost turned pale green, with dark shadows around the eyes. Speaking kindly, this is called smoky makeup, but bluntly put, Qin Xiangnuan felt like someone got beat up. The level of make-up skills nowadays is just like that, and regarding the current aesthetic standards, she didn’t go into detail. After all, each era has its own understanding of beauty. Like now, it’s fashionable to have badly dyed hair like instant noodles, men like wearing skinny jeans, and listening to a radio is considered trendy.
She automatically ignored Qin Xiangmei’s garish, painted face, took the cup to pour herself some water, turned away, and sipped. Qin Xiangmei couldn’t gain any advantage from her, as if hitting cotton with a punch, Qin Xiangnuan munched on her melon seeds.
Soon after, the auditorium was almost full. There really were a lot of people today since several schools’ teachers and students came, and many parents who lived nearby also came along to check in on their children.
First, the leaders gave their speeches, one after another. Qin Xiangnuan listened, yawning continuously, wiping away the tears that slipped out while yawning.
Of course, the tears were not because of being moved or crying, but because of sheer boredom.
Finally, after who knows how many leaders had spoken, it was time for the actual performances to begin. The first one was a big chorus from the school, quite striking indeed, singing "Yellow River". Qin Xiangnuan really liked this performance. As the event progressed, the performances became more and more bizarre. Therefore, the chorus was quite standard and positively charged.
The performances went on, some good, some nausea-inducing. The quality of university students’ performances was naturally higher than that of middle and elementary school students, but none particularly stood out. Some had been learning to dance since childhood, and while their dancing felt professional, it also felt laid-back; others had been learning musical instruments since an early age, playing the erhu competently, genuinely appreciated as part of their student life, which was interesting. The doors of the auditorium were closed, with only a few windows that were currently shut tight, and the lights were not on. The weather was not very warm, and although it was not noticeable when moving around, sitting on cold benches for a long time combined with not moving at all made Qin Xiangnuan start to feel the cold creep up, growing colder the longer she sat.
She turned back to look at Jian Zhiqing, seeing that he was wearing a thick coat, looking quite warm.
The weather today had been nice, so most people dressed lightly when they came out, with some even shed their coats, wearing only a thin sweater. Outside it was fine, but it was a pity for those who had to sit inside for several hours.
Qin Xiangnuan recalled that morning; she had made fun of Jian Zhiqing for wearing so much, asking if he was trying to give himself a heat rash. Now, it turns out that Jian Zhiqing didn’t get a heat rash, but instead, she was nearly freezing to death.
Luckily, she had water.
She picked up the large thermos again; about half of the water inside was still there, enough for her drinking needs.
After pouring another cup of water, she casually looked around the audience. Many people had gone to their dormitories to fetch clothes, presumably because they could no longer bear the cold. Students from their own school had it better, but outsiders had no choice but to endure.
Qin Xiangnuan didn’t have a dorm to retreat to. Even though her home wasn’t far, going back and forth would take at least half an hour. In half an hour, who knows how many acts would be missed; she was actually quite eager to watch, and most importantly, if she went home, she probably would not want to come back.
"Here you go," Jian Zhiqing placed the backpack he brought with him on Qin Xiangnuan’s lap.
"What’s this?" Qin Xiangnuan handed the cup to Jian Zhiqing, then picked up and inspected the crescent-shaped bag, immediately finding her thick coat.
"Thank you, Brother Jian," she happily took out her clothes from the bag and put them on, immediately feeling warm, ready to enjoy the show comfortably. Additionally, there were many goodies in the backpack, like her favorite milk candy, rice crusts, bread, and other snacks, but there were no beverages.
"Why are there no drinks?"
She took out a package of bread, tossed the bag back to Jian Zhiqing, then opened the packaging and took out the bread, splitting it in half—one part for Jian Zhiqing and the other for herself.
"Why are there no drinks?"
Qin Xiangnuan repeated the question.
Now she was thinking of coke and Sprite, actually preferring Fanta for its apple flavor.