Chapter 21: Enrollment

During lunchtime, Qin Zhao was about to take his bowl and chopsticks to the cafeteria when someone blocked his way.

“I’m not a pity bug,” Qi Qige said, having endured the whole morning just to find an opportunity to confront him.

“Who are you?” Qin Zhao asked, his eyes filled with confusion.

Qi Qige was shocked. “You don’t remember me? At the gate of the academy,” he said, realizing that in just one morning, Qin Zhao had forgotten him. Could he really be that foolish?

“I don’t remember,” Qin Zhao said, sidestepping him and heading straight for the cafeteria. Cao Xi was waiting for him, and he was already hungry.

Qi Qige felt ignored by Qin Zhao. He couldn’t believe it; who in the academy didn’t fear him? It seemed like this newcomer wasn’t afraid of tigers at all. He should let him know who the real boss was.

“Stop right there!” Qi Qige felt offended and quickly followed after him with his utensils in hand.

Running behind Qin Zhao, Qi Qige panted, “I’m following you. I’m not a pity bug, you’re the one who’s clueless!”

Qin Zhao suddenly stopped, turned around to face Qi Qige, his gaze sharp and cold. Qi Qige instinctively took half a step back, feeling a bit intimidated, but then he straightened up and stepped forward, staring directly at Qin Zhao.

The two of them locked eyes, neither willing to be the first to look away.

As more and more people entered the cafeteria, Qin Zhao realized he was wasting time competing with this foolish boy and would probably miss lunch. He shifted to the left and quickly made his way to the cafeteria.

Seeing Qin Zhao retreat, Qi Qige turned his head away, hmpf! He underestimated his own strength. He strode confidently into the cafeteria, where today’s food smelled particularly delicious.

Qi Qige raised his utensils and called out to the cafeteria lady, “Give me an extra chicken leg!”

“Sure,” the lady replied, not even giving him a glance.

Since Qi Qige was late, he ended up with two servings of vegetarian dishes. When Qin Zhao arrived, he noticed Qi Qige waving a chicken leg around, seemingly unaware of where he was.

“Hmph! Clueless, you don’t even know how to eat a chicken leg,” Qi Qige said, turning to sit in a nearby spot. He took a bite of the vegetarian dish, which was truly terrible, but he didn’t want Qin Zhao to see him struggling, so he forced himself to eat.

As Qin Zhao washed his utensils, he noticed that Qi Qige was indeed a spoiled brat, always having someone deliver his meals. Even if he didn’t have them delivered, he would have the servants clean up for him. It was rare to see someone like him doing it himself.

The afternoon class was arithmetic. While he had to focus entirely on the morning’s lessons, the afternoon class felt like a fish in water.

Qi Qige noticed this because he usually excelled in arithmetic, but this time he only managed to come in second place, with the first being that clueless newcomer. It seemed that entering Qing Song Academy required some real talent.

In the afternoon, Cao Xi arrived early at the academy to pick up Qin Zhao. Leaning in a shady spot, he was preparing to make some knife-cut noodles while waiting for the delicious oden to finish cooking.

Carriages and horses began arriving one after another at the academy gate, and it was clear that most of them belonged to wealthy families, with only a few like Cao Xi’s coming from humble backgrounds. As more and more students were released from the academy, Cao Xi squeezed through the crowd, tiptoeing to look around, but he still couldn’t spot Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao was walking out with his new uniform when he finally saw Cao Xi, who was leaning against the academy doorframe, suppressing his excitement. The moment he saw Cao Xi, he burst out.

“Why are you running so fast?” Although Cao Xi complained, he was clearly very eager.

Qin Zhao, out of breath, handed his uniform to Cao Xi. “This is the uniform from the academy.”

Cao Xi wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “Wait until we get back; you have to try it on for me.”

“Okay,” Qin Zhao replied with a silly smile.

Cao Xi asked, “Did anyone bully you at the academy today?”

Qin Zhao: “It’s hot, I really don’t want to go to the academy,” he didn’t plan to tell Cao Xi about the friction he felt, knowing it would only worry her.

Cao Xi: “If someone bullies you, you must tell me, don’t be afraid.”

Qin Zhao: “Got it.” Qin Zhao looked up at Cao Xi, the excitement in his eyes still hadn’t faded.

As they walked, Qin Zhao realized this wasn’t the way back. “Where are we going?”

Cao Xi: “We’re going to the vegetable market first to buy some groceries. I left some food for you at home, and I’ll cook for you when we get back.”

“Okay!” Qin Zhao slung his backpack over his shoulder and happily followed Cao Xi to the market.

Since it was after the market had closed, the prices were cheaper than in the morning. Cao Xi bought a lot of the vegetables she hadn’t purchased earlier, and only when Qin Zhao was loaded down with bags did she stop.

“Cao Xi, did you buy too much?” Qin Zhao lifted the heavy basket of vegetables, twisting the two radishes hanging around his neck, thinking his new clothes were ruined.

Cao Xi: “Tomorrow, I’m going to set up a stall with Li Feng.”

“Is that what we discussed yesterday?” Qin Zhao asked, puzzled.

Cao Xi: “Yes, we’re making oden, and I’ll cook it for you when we get back.”

Qin Zhao’s eyes darted around, wondering what kind of ingredients they were buying.

…………………………

As soon as Qin Zhao entered the house, he rushed to the kitchen to put down the vegetables, then ran back to his bedroom, bustling around without knowing what to do. Cao Xi put the vegetables away and placed the fish in a basin.

“Do you need me to do anything, Cao Xi?”

Cao Xi turned around and noticed that Qin Zhao had already changed from his new clothes into old ones; he was quite particular about keeping his clothes clean.

Cao Xi: “Did you leave any homework?”

Qin Zhao: “I left a passage to copy from the Analects.”

Cao Xi: “You should finish your homework first. After you’re done, review what we learned today. The light is good now; if you wait too long, it will hurt your eyes.”

Qin Zhao: “Okay, I’ll finish it quickly.”

Qin Zhao went back to his room to study, while Cao Xi cooked dinner in the kitchen, stewing a sweet and sour fish and reheating the oden from earlier.

Cao Xi set the table under the jujube tree, arranged the dishes, and knocked on Qin Zhao’s door.

“Qin Zhao, dinner’s ready.” Cao Xi gently pushed the door open and saw Qin Zhao sitting upright at his desk, writing.

“Just a moment,” he said, carefully placing his pen on the holder before stepping out of the room.

The table was filled with a spicy red oil pot, and Qin Zhao wondered, “Is this oden?”

“Yes, try it,” Cao Xi said, handing him a skewer of wood ear mushrooms.

Qin Zhao was hesitant to try it, but he accepted the skewer from Cao Xi and dryly remarked, “This way of eating is quite novel.”

Seeing that Qin Zhao was taking too long to eat, Cao Xi realized that he didn’t like spicy food.

He had always avoided spicy peppers during meals.

“Don’t eat it if you can’t handle it. I’ll make you a non-spicy version,” Cao Xi quickly took the skewer from Qin Zhao’s hand.

Qin Zhao raised his hand to dodge. “No, it’s fine.”

He took a bite of the wood ear mushroom, and his face instantly turned red from the spice; his tongue felt numb, and he couldn’t taste anything. Cao Xi hurried to the kitchen to pour him a bowl of water.

Cao Xi was anxious, worried that Qin Zhao would be hurt by the spice. “If you can’t eat it, don’t force yourself. I won’t blame you.”

Qin Zhao: “I can eat it.” His tongue was tingling, and his speech was slurred.

Cao Xi brought the spicy oil pot from the kitchen and rinsed the skewers in hot water until the spiciness faded before serving them at the table.

“Why go through all this trouble?” Qin Zhao complained, but he was secretly pleased.

He liked that Cao Xi made him anything; in this moment, he truly felt her care.

Cao Xi handed Qin Zhao a fish ball. “It’s not troublesome at all; you’re my brother, so you should try it.”

This time, the spice level was just right, a bit numbing, and it was very tasty. Qin Zhao ate several skewers in a row, forgetting to ask if he could have more; he just enjoyed the food.

Cao Xi: “Eat the fish in the kitchen.

A lamp was lit in the dim kitchen, the light so faint that it was hard to see the food clearly, and a weak figure kept repeating a certain action. In the silent kitchen, the sound of something being smashed could be heard, continuously echoing towards Qin Zhao.

Qin Zhao walked into the kitchen and sat down beside the stove. “Cao Xi, let me help you with the fire.”

Cao Xi lowered her head and replied to Qin Zhao, “I finished reading.”

Qin Zhao said, “Hmm, you finished. I read it again this morning and yesterday.” He lowered his head to add firewood, his voice sounding low and heavy.

Cao Xi asked, “What’s wrong? Why do you seem so down?” It shouldn’t be like this; during mealtime, he was usually cheerful. Was he having difficulties with his studies?

“Cao Xi, I feel really bad.” Qin Zhao looked up and deeply gazed at Cao Xi.

Cao Xi replied, “What are you being silly about?” It was a casual remark.

“it was nothing”

The fish and meat were being smashed, and Cao Xi added fish balls one by one into the pot, while Qin Zhao quietly added firewood to the stove. Soon, a bowl of fish balls was ready.

After finishing their tasks in the evening, Cao Xi cleaned up the kitchen and took Qin Zhao to the well to wash up briefly.

After washing, Qin Zhao still stood aside, lost in thought. Cao Xi nudged him, “Go wait on the bed for me; I’ll be there soon.”

“Got it.” Qin Zhao felt a bit embarrassed from the push and obediently returned to his room to wait.

He liked listening to stories, but more importantly, he enjoyed the feeling of being with Cao Xi.

After Cao Xi finished tidying up, she changed into her clothes and slipped into Qin Zhao’s room, lifting the blanket to squeeze in beside him.

“Where did we leave off last time?” Cao Xi tucked the blanket and asked Qin Zhao while lying on her side.

Qin Zhao replied, “We were at the part about going up the mountain to seek the immortal.”

“Okay, let’s continue,” Cao Xi’s voice was soft and immersive, and Qin Zhao quickly became engrossed in the story. However, her voice gradually became softer, and when Qin Zhao looked up, he saw that Cao Xi had already fallen asleep.

Looking at Cao Xi’s sleeping face, he felt like Sun Wukong showing off his knowledge, being scolded by his master in a drama. As sleepiness overtook him, he snuggled closer to Cao Xi, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.