"Jiayi, you misunderstood." Xu Nianhua explained, "Yicheng and I..." really aren’t dating.
Fei Jiayi deliberately made her voice tender and soft as she called out these two words, mysteriously making Xu Nianhua’s skin crawl.
"Alright, alright, I know you’re shy. I won’t talk about it anymore." Fei Jiayi acted as if she knew a great secret, completely ignoring Xu Nianhua’s explanation, and ran off happily into the dormitory.
Watching her busy dorm mates, she was dying to blurt out the secret she had just learned. But on second thought, she sealed her lips. The chief party hadn’t spoken; better to keep her mouth shut. She didn’t want to be labeled a gossip.
"Nianhua, you’re back!"
Chang Hui had just applied hand cream. Normally, as the weather started to get colder, her hands would begin to dry and peel, and as it got colder, they would even freeze and turn red. But this year, after using the hand cream that Xu Nianhua had given her, her hands stayed as soft as they were in summer, without a sign of peeling.
"I brought you some delicious peanut butter rolls." Xu Nianhua lifted the bag in her hand; she had bought them especially for them, and each person got a share.
Since she couldn’t stay, Xu Nianhua only bought five portions and didn’t count Liao Jinling, who was currently in the hospital.
"Thank you, Nianhua." Ding Guo took the peanut butter roll and kept praising, "I feel like coming to Beining University was so worth it. I often get to eat delicious food that you guys bring."
"So you think it’s worth coming to Beining University just for some good food? Are you even here to study?" Fei Jiayi teased, her eyes crinkling with mirth. She looked at the peanut butter rolls and wanted to ask if they were bought by Pei Yicheng, but seeing Xu Nianhua’s calm demeanor, she swallowed her question.
"Thanks." Chang Hui felt a bit sheepish, as they always shared delicious food or items like hand cream. Chang Hui, who couldn’t afford these luxuries, could only give away some home-dried tea leaves to everyone.
Fortunately, no one despised her gifts; in fact, they liked them, which gradually eased Chang Hui’s mind.
"You’re welcome, I’ve also tried the tea leaves your mother made. They’re really good, and I like them a lot," Xu Nianhua said with a smile.
The top bunk was nice, but Xu Nianhua found climbing up there a bit troublesome.
"Nianhua, where did you buy this hand cream? How much for one? I want to buy some for my parents." Chang Hui explained awkwardly; in the winter, her family’s hands tended to get frostbitten easily. If this hand cream was so good, it would protect her parents’ hands if she sent it home.
"This is..." a gift from Yicheng.
Xu Nianhua didn’t finish what she was going to say, as she caught sight of Fei Jiayi’s overly curious face. She had just gone out for a meal and Fei Jiayi had already let her imagination run wild. If she mentioned that the cream was a gift from Yicheng, wouldn’t that further confirm their rumored relationship?
"It was given by a friend, not expensive, just three yuan a stick, but very effective," Xu Nianhua did not mention Pei Yicheng, adding, "This hand cream has just been produced and should be available at the supply and marketing cooperative soon."
Chang Hui thought about it, and if she economized, she could afford two sticks. She suddenly regretted using the one she had; she could have just bought a new one to send home for her parents to use.
"I’ll go buy some when I’m done using this," Ding Guo said immediately. She loved the hand cream; it smelled nice and made her hands soft.