The two were waiting in line for food when they happened to run into Song Yuluo.

He called out to Jiang Lin, telling her she didn’t need to wait in line.

Jiang Lin naturally refused, so Song Yuluo came over to talk to her.

“I haven’t seen your husband today,” he said with a smile.

Jiang Lin smiled back, “He’s at work.”

She introduced Yang Lu to Song Yuluo.

Yang Lu, however, was wary and said, “Our Jiang Lin is married.”

Song Yuluo felt a bit awkward. “I know. I’ve met her husband and had a meal with him.”

Yang Lu continued to speak, which made Song Yuluo even more uncomfortable.

Not knowing what to do, he just stood behind Jiang Lin and looked down at her shoes.

Jiang Lin was wearing black strap shoes with round toes, white socks with a little floral embroidery on the edges.

Her pants were quite short, probably because there wasn’t enough fabric, revealing a small part of her slender, fair ankle, which looked very graceful.

Finally, it was their turn to get food.

Yang Lu stopped talking and turned to get her meal. “Can you give me two more pieces of meat, please?” she asked the cook as she handed over her meal ticket and bought a bun.

The cook scooped a spoonful of onion and potato slices into her food box.

Yang Lu said, “Can you give me two more pieces of meat?”

She always liked to ask for a bit more when buying things, feeling better even if it was just a small extra.

But now, everything was limited, and it was a seller’s market—who cared?

The cook’s face turned dark. “Next!”

“Sir, you…” Yang Lu continued to ask.

The cook roughly pushed her aside and shouted at Jiang Lin, “Next!”

Jiang Lin quickly handed over her ticket and food box, bought a bun, and got a portion of vegetables.

The cook scooped a big ladle of vegetables into her box, clearly giving her more than he had given Yang Lu, even adding several pieces of meat that had been at the edge of the large bowl.

Yang Lu said, “…Sir, this isn’t fair…”

Jiang Lin quickly signaled Yang Lu to leave after picking up her lunch box.

They were from the same dormitory and class, and it would be embarrassing to make a scene over two pieces of meat.

She even heard the server clearly grunt, probably because he didn’t like being told to add more.

“Jiang Lin, Yang Lu, over here!” Su Xingyun, who had arrived early with a group of people, called them over.

They had been chatting and eating slowly.

Song Yuluo, who hadn’t arrived with anyone else, also followed them.

“Wow, Jiang Lin, you have so much food!” Zhu Caiping remarked, noticing Jiang Lin’s lunch box had more food than theirs.

Yao Zhenxia laughed, “The server must have given more to the pretty students.”

Jiang Lin replied, “If anyone doesn’t have enough, I’ll share with you.”

“No, we’re fine. We’re all full,” Su Xingyun said, urging them to start eating so others wouldn’t feel comfortable asking for more.

As Jiang Lin sat down to eat, she noticed that Song Yuluo and Su Xingyun seemed to know each other.

While she was eating, Yang Lu suddenly leaned over and took a piece of meat from Jiang Lin’s lunch box, startling her.

Yang Lu smiled at her and said, “You have so much meat in your lunch box. The server probably gave you the pieces from the edges.”

She had been eyeing the meat at the edge of the serving dish, asking the server for extra pieces, but the server had ignored her!

Jiang Lin was a bit embarrassed but was already full from the bread she had eaten, so she put down her chopsticks.

Since she wasn’t doing physical work and had good food at home, she wasn’t very hungry.

Seeing some leftovers in Jiang Lin’s lunch box, Yang Lu said, “Aren’t you going to eat these? It’s such a waste.”

Before Jiang Lin could respond, Yang Lu took the food and poured it into her own lunch box.

The reactions around the table were mixed; some were accustomed to it, while others were surprised.

Su Xingyun asked Jiang Lin, “We’ll be selecting class officers in the afternoon. Do you have any thoughts on what you’d like to do?”

Jiang Lin smiled and replied, “Isn’t it a selection? If no one votes for me, it doesn’t matter if I want to be class president.”

Zhu Caiping said, “You’re so beautiful, you’ll definitely be chosen. I pick you!”

Yao Zhenxia giggled, “Sister Jiang Lin, I choose you too.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Please don’t joke around with me. I’m married with children and don’t have the energy to be class monitor. You young people are single and full of energy; you’re more suitable for the role.”

Yang Lu said, “That’s not necessarily true. I think I’d be a good fit too. After graduating high school, I was invited to teach students and have a lot of experience. If I were the class monitor, I would…”

She continued eating while giving a lengthy campaign speech.

Su Xingyun signaled to Jiang Lin, “Why don’t we head to the classroom first?”

Just as Jiang Lin was about to stand up, Yang Lu called out, “Jiang Lin, wait a moment. Let’s go together.”

She smiled at Jiang Lin, “Let’s not mix with those unmarried young people. You all go ahead!” She waved to Su Xingyun and the others.

Su Xingyun felt a bit awkward.

They had only just met, so why did Yang Lu seem to be monopolizing Jiang Lin? It looked like they were very close already.

Though Jiang Lin was straightforward in the countryside, she usually didn’t fuss over small matters unless they were as extreme as Ma Kaihua or Liu Honghua.

However, Yang Lu made her feel uncomfortable.

From dragging her to the dorm before dinner to the little actions at the food line, and now forcing her to stay, Jiang Lin felt as if she was being pressured into something.

Although it seemed reasonable to go back with Yang Lu since they came together, Yang Lu’s attitude of dismissing her as married and not fitting in with the younger crowd left Jiang Lin feeling uneasy.

Jiang Lin said, “I need to find a friend. I’ll see you in the classroom later.”

Yang Lu responded, “Wait a moment. I’ll finish eating quickly and go with you.”

She quickly finished her meal, wiped her mouth, and smiled at Jiang Lin, “In our class, there are only four female students. Two are unmarried and two are married, so we should stick together, right?”

Seeing that Yang Lu seemed intent on sticking with her, Jiang Lin hurriedly said, “I really have something to do.”

She quickly washed her lunchbox and left the cafeteria, heading towards the College of Arts.

After taking a brief detour, she felt enough time had passed and went back to her own classroom.

As soon as she entered the classroom, Jiang Lin sensed a somewhat subtle atmosphere.

Yao Zhenxia was already waving at her, “Jiang Lin, over here!”

It seemed natural for the four female classmates to sit together, as they were the only ones.

Yang Lu looked at Jiang Lin and asked, “What’s your friend’s major? Did you find them?”

Jiang Lin replied, “One is from the College of Arts, and the other is from the Mechanical Engineering Department.”

Yang Lu gave her a quick glance but didn’t say anything further.

At this moment, the homeroom teacher entered and said, “Everyone, we’ve all introduced ourselves, so you should know each other by now. Let’s start selecting class officers.”

Positions like class monitor, deputy class monitor, league secretary, study committee member, life committee member, cultural committee member, and sports committee member were up for grabs.

You could either self-nominate or be nominated by others.

Some students stepped up to self-nominate, giving brief speeches.

Given the short preparation time, the speeches mostly consisted of simple self-introductions, mentioning personal strengths and characteristics, and expressing a willingness to serve the class.

Students generally voted based on first impressions, with those who were more pleasant-looking, articulate, and poised being more likely to be elected.

Yang Lu went up to campaign for class monitor.

However, because she had to repeat her resume, the response from the classmates was lukewarm.

She was a bit unhappy and came down, urging Jiang Lin to run for a position.

Jiang Lin explained that she needed to go home often and might not have enough time to handle class duties, so it would be better for someone more capable to take on the role.

In the end, the teacher discussed with the top candidates and those with special skills.

It was tentatively decided that Su Xingyun would be the class president, with Yao Zhenxia and another male student as vice-presidents.

Other class officers were also chosen, with Yang Lu and Zhu Caiping taking on the roles of life committee members, and Jiang Lin being appointed as the cultural and arts committee member.

Jiang Lin thought the role of cultural and arts committee was easy.

Since everyone was just starting college and focused on their studies, there wasn’t much time for arts and culture.

At this point, the most demanding roles were likely the class president, study committee member, and life committee members.

Arts and sports were not highly emphasized.

Although Jiang Lin didn’t know how to dance, she was confident in singing and hosting programs, so she was quite composed about her new role.

After the elections, the class leader was pleased and encouraged everyone to speak freely, creating a lively atmosphere.

Su Xingyun said with a smile, “Why don’t the cultural and arts committee member perform a song for us?”

Jiang Lin was taken aback, “Thanks a lot!”

She stood up confidently and smiled, “Classmates, we’ve worked hard for so many years to finally get into college. Let’s fully enjoy ourselves and not hold back. If anyone can sing, play the accordion, flute, or dance, let me know. We’ll have programs in the future, and everyone should participate. Each person will have a chance to show themselves.”

Instead of singing, she told a story, recalling the episodes of “Journey to the West” she had listened to with Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and Wen Sheng.

The story was well-received.

After she finished, she received enthusiastic applause.

Yang Lu said, “I’ll perform a song and dance for everyone.”

She started performing a “Loyalty Dance,” singing and dancing at the same time. The classroom fell silent for a moment.

The Loyalty Dance had indeed been very popular a few years ago, performed from schools to performing arts troupes to rural fields.

However, the movements were monotonous and rigid, lacking beauty. Unless required by tasks, it was rarely performed anymore.

Even rural villagers, who had limited entertainment, had lost interest in watching it.

After she finished a short segment and was about to continue, Liu Jianwu immediately said, “Let’s give a round of applause. That was very good! Now, let’s give other classmates a chance to perform.”

Other students, who had originally been reluctant, immediately raised their hands and went up to perform.

After a few performances, Su Xingyun smiled and said, “For the cultural committee, I suggest that we hold a class social event every Saturday evening. How about that?”

Jiang Lin thought to herself that the cultural committee must have the least work, so why was there a social event every Saturday?

She smiled and said, “Every Saturday might be too frequent since everyone needs to study. Maybe we could do it once a month…”

“Every half month is better!” the homeroom teacher decided.

In fact, starting from the year before last, there had already been social events on campus every Saturday.

Some trendy teachers would host dance parties there, and many students attended.

However, these were mostly organized by the College of Arts, and the science and engineering departments had fewer such events.

If successful, this would be the first social event organized by the College of Engineering! Other students and teachers from different colleges would also come to attend.

Liu Jianwu felt that having a beautiful female student in their class made him proud, allowing him to hold his head high across all departments.

It might sound amusing, but it was true! Other teachers envied them, especially the ones in classes without any females.

The class schedule and classrooms were then announced.

Small specialized courses would be held in their own classrooms, with five or six people in each group, making it easier to do homework and discuss together.

As the excitement wound down, it was time to go home.

Except for those who lived close to the provincial capital, most students stayed on campus.

Jiang Lin naturally had to go back to the courtyard.

“Oh, who is that man bringing a child to school? How handsome!” Yao Zhenxia was tidying up her stationery by the window and happened to see him downstairs.

They were on the second floor, so they could see clearly.

Zhu Caiping hurried over to take a look and said, “I don’t recognize him.”

Yang Lu also came over and noticed that a man with two children was wandering around the area, checking each building.

After asking a passerby, they arrived at their building, looking up.

Yao Zhenxia remarked, “Wow, how can there be such a handsome person?”

At that moment, a clear child’s voice called out, “Lin Lin—” Jiang Lin, who was heading home with her schoolbag, paused.

Was she hearing things?

Yao Zhenxia asked, “Lin Lin, were you called?”

Jiang Lin quickly ran over to check, and indeed, Wen Sheng was there with Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

Downstairs, Da Bao and Xiao Bao were holding Wen Sheng’s hands.

Da Bao asked nervously, “Should we really be here?”

Wen Sheng replied, “We’re here to pick up Mom from school.”

Da Bao looked around anxiously and said, “Wen Sheng, don’t call her ‘Mom’ here.”

Wen Sheng agreed, “Okay.”

Xiao Bao wasn’t sure which window was theirs.

He had asked earlier, and someone said this was where Mom was having class, so he called out and looked up.

When Jiang Lin’s face appeared at the window, the three of them happily waved, “Lin Lin, Lin Lin, we’re here to pick you up!”

Some classmates, more enthusiastic than Jiang Lin, rushed outside to see the man and children.

Except for Su Xingyun, no one in the class had met Cheng Rushan and assumed it was Jiang Lin’s partner bringing the kids to pick her up.

Someone commented sourly, “Oh, is the cultural and arts committee member afraid of being abducted or something? They’re really keeping a close watch.”

Jiang Lin didn’t bother to explain much.

She greeted them and headed downstairs.

As soon as she reached the bottom, Xiao Bao rushed over to take her hand, quickly explaining, “Lin Lin, please don’t be mad that we came. We followed to the theater to watch a play. It’s not far from here, so we came to pick you up.”

Jiang Lin smiled and asked, “What if I had left already?”

“If you had left, we would have gone back to the theater. Grandpa and Grandma are still there.”

He didn’t mention that Da Bao was worried.

Da Bao was concerned that since Dad was away, and Mom was at school, someone might bully or abduct her.

They had to go and check it out!

So the three of them came to check.

Hehe.