Chapter 12

Before reaching the educated youth dormitory, Lu Lanlan already caught a whiff of the rich aroma of meat, making her swallow involuntarily.

She hadn’t had a proper meal in days, let alone meat.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Fu Chunian walking out of the kitchen.

“You’re back just in time. The food is ready—wash your hands and eat,” Fu Chunian said.

Lu Lanlan smiled. “Okay.”

She realized that pretending to be his girlfriend had its perks—after working all morning, she didn’t have to cook for herself.

Careful to avoid her blisters, she washed her hands and went to the kitchen to help carry the bowls.

When she got closer, she noticed that the delicious meat aroma was coming from her own pot.

“I made braised pork—taste it and see if the seasoning is right,” Fu Chunian said with a smile, scooping a piece onto the spatula for her.

Lu Lanlan took her chopsticks, picked up the piece of meat, and popped it into her mouth. After chewing twice, she gave him a thumbs-up. “It’s good.”

She hadn’t expected Fu Chunian to be so extravagant—actually buying meat to make braised pork.

In this day and age, people barely had meat in their dishes. Usually, a tiny piece of meat was mixed into a huge pot of vegetables. Only Fu Chunian would cook an entire dish of pure meat without any vegetables.

The other educated youths nearby were staring at the food, swallowing hard.

Seeing her approval, Fu Chunian smiled even more. He picked up a large bowl and served the meat.

Handing the bowl to Lu Lanlan, he said, “You go ahead and eat first. I’ll just finish making a couple of pancakes.”

“Okay,” Lu Lanlan accepted the bowl, then grabbed another empty one, took it to Fu Chunian’s room, and covered the meat. She would wait for him to finish before eating together.

“Fu Chunian, you’re really good to Lu Lanlan,” a female educated youth said enviously.

The male educated youths, who had initially been unhappy about Fu Chunian being Lu Lanlan’s boyfriend, no longer felt that way. They wouldn’t even think of making braised pork for her, let alone letting her eat first while they cooked.

Fu Chunian simply smiled and said nothing.

Once he finished making the pancakes, he carried them back to the room.

Inside, Lu Lanlan was reading a book. When she saw him enter, she closed it.

Fu Chunian didn’t ask why she hadn’t started eating. The moment he saw the empty bowl she had prepared, he already knew she had been waiting for him.

“This afternoon, I’m planning to plant some vegetables. Do you know how to steam buns?” he asked.

Lu Lanlan nodded. “Yes.”

“Then don’t go to the fields this afternoon. Just stay home and steam some buns—I don’t know how to do it,” Fu Chunian said.

“That might not work,” Lu Lanlan stretched out her hands. “My hands are injured. I can’t knead the dough.”

A trace of concern flashed in Fu Chunian’s eyes. “That’s fine. You just tell me how, and I’ll do it.”

“Alright. After we eat, I’ll explain, and you can take notes. That way, I won’t lose my work points for the afternoon,” Lu Lanlan said as she took a bite of the pancake, not noticing the displeasure in Fu Chunian’s eyes.

“I’m covering all your expenses. Why are you still working so hard for work points?” Fu Chunian asked.

“I’m saving up. You’re not going to support me forever,” Lu Lanlan said with a grin.

Fu Chunian opened his mouth to say something but hesitated before replying, “Still, you don’t have to rush for just one afternoon.”

Lu Lanlan sensed something was off. After thinking about it, she realized that Fu Chunian would be busy planting vegetables and steaming buns, so she should at least help with tasks like adding firewood or watering the plants.

He was already providing her food—it wouldn’t be right to let him do all the work.

“I’ll stay home this afternoon and help you with the vegetables.”

Home?

Fu Chunian’s lips curled into a slight smile. “You don’t need to do anything. Just sit and watch.”

“That won’t do. We’re both eating the vegetables—how can I let you do all the work?” Lu Lanlan paused, realizing this contradicted what she had said earlier about going to the fields. She explained, “I thought I couldn’t be of any help at home, so I said I’d go work in the fields. But now I see that even if I can’t knead dough, I can still do other things.”

“I’m not stopping you from going to the fields just to make you stay home and work,” Fu Chunian’s expression darkened again.

“Then why?” Lu Lanlan looked up at him in confusion.

Seeing his unhappy expression, she quickly asked, “Did I say something wrong? Or do something wrong?”

Looking at Lu Lanlan’s puzzled expression, Fu Chunian sighed internally. “No. Just eat—your food will get cold.”

“Oh.” Seeing that he had calmed down, Lu Lanlan lowered her gaze.

Why was he so moody? Such a bad temper.

Suddenly, the braised pork in her mouth didn’t taste as good anymore.

Seeing that she only ate two pieces before stopping, Fu Chunian decided never to discuss serious matters while eating again.

After putting away the leftovers, Fu Chunian washed the dishes and kneaded the dough according to her instructions, leaving it to rise.

“Here’s the list of things you wanted to buy,” he handed her the items she had written down.

“And this—I was out buying shirts and saw this dress. I thought it looked nice, so I got it for you,” Fu Chunian said, passing her a bag. “See if you like it.”

“You bought me clothes?” Lu Lanlan’s eyes widened.

Isn’t this a bit too much?

Seeing her reaction, Fu Chunian said, “I just thought it looked nice and suited you. It wasn’t expensive anyway. Since you’re my girlfriend in name, it’s normal for me to buy you something. We have to make this act convincing.”

Lu Lanlan gave him a skeptical look before taking the bag and peeking inside.

“This dress wasn’t expensive?” She whispered urgently, “Fu Chunian, no matter how rich you are, you shouldn’t waste money like this. This is a Bragi dress!”

“As long as you like it, that’s all that matters. Try it on and see if it fits,” Fu Chunian said.

Lu Lanlan shoved the dress back at him. “No way, I can’t accept this.”

Fu Chunian glanced at the dress in her hands and frowned. “Then just throw it away.”

“Fu Chunian!” Lu Lanlan lowered her voice. “Are you crazy? This dress costs more than ten yuan!”

“I don’t need you to save money for me,” Fu Chunian said before walking out.

“This guy…” Lu Lanlan muttered under her breath.

At the same time, she started feeling uneasy.

Fu Chunian was treating her way too well.

Braised pork, an expensive dress…

Even covering all her expenses wasn’t supposed to include things like this.

She put the dress on the bed and glanced at Fu Chunian’s new shirt. She reached out to touch it—smooth and soft. Her uncle had a similar one, bought by his wife when they got a new house. He had treasured it so much that he only planned to wear it at their children’s weddings.

That shirt had cost her aunt an entire month’s salary.

Looking at the Bragi dress again, Lu Lanlan suddenly had a realization.

Maybe she had been overthinking.

What seemed like luxuries to her might just be everyday things for Fu Chunian.