Chapter 23: Her Friends

There were several of them, and the waiter led them to a private booth with a large table.

The boys sat in the outer row, while the girls sat along the wall. Jiang Mingzhi’s opposite was Guan Jingxu.

Each person ordered two dishes they wanted to eat. Jiang Mingzhi asked the waiter to recommend a few signature meats, considering the boys ate a lot, and they also made sure to get other cooked dishes.

The food came quickly, and the waiter helped with grilling the meat, so they didn’t have to do it themselves.

Lin Wan picked up a piece of spicy squid tentacle with her chopsticks. “When there are more people, it’s great—there are more types to eat.”

Everything tastes better when there’s more to share, especially grilled meat. As soon as the waiter grilled a batch of meat, it was quickly devoured by everyone.

Eating the meat wrapped in lettuce was pure satisfaction.

Jiang Mingzhi was quite happy. This time, she had truly made friends.

In the past, due to class changes and her relationship with Pei Jinyang, she hadn’t really made any true friends.

She had always tried to fit into his small circle and hadn’t made an effort to form new friendships. After entering university, she was focused on her relationship, and she didn’t get close to her roommates either. She had always felt somewhat distant from the center of things.

This time, maybe she could cultivate some healthy friendships.

Friendships that were hers alone, not related to Pei Jinyang.

As the evening deepened, the lights of the barbecue restaurant still burned brightly. Everyone was full and satisfied. Meng Yuanyuan rubbed her stomach and put down her chopsticks.

“I can’t eat anymore; I feel like I’ve gained a few pounds today.”

Jiang Mingzhi pinched her arm. It was soft and pleasant to the touch.

“Only after eating enough can you have the energy to study.”

If high school students were trying to lose weight, they wouldn’t have the energy to focus on their studies.

Meng Yuanyuan pouted, feeling annoyed. “Yeah, my mom always tells me to eat more at home.”

Jiang Mingzhi said, “That’s normal. I eat a late-night snack every night. Studying uses up brainpower, so you need to replenish it.”

Lin Wan asked, “But how do you not gain weight?”

“I have gained weight,” Jiang Mingzhi replied. “I’ve gained a few pounds since I first came to Beijing.”

With her new mindset and the daily late-night snacks, it seemed that gaining weight had become easy.

Now, her weight was even higher than when she was in her first year of high school.

Meng Yuanyuan said enviously, “But you look just right now, really balanced.”

The girls chatted about their own topics, while the two boys huddled together, researching a fighter jet game on their phones.

It was a strangely harmonious scene.

After clearing all the food they ordered, Jiang Mingzhi took care of the bill while the others transferred their share of the cost to her.

She had originally planned to treat everyone, but to her surprise, Guan Jingxu insisted on splitting the bill with her, so they decided to go with the AA system.

After leaving the barbecue restaurant, they reached the point where everyone was heading home. They all asked each other how they were getting home, and everyone agreed to take the subway.

So, they all headed together to the subway station. On the way, Meng Yuanyuan pointed at a sign and said, “DIY pottery studio! I’ve always wanted to make my own cup.”

“Do you want to go now? It’s still early.”

It was only 19:24 when they left the restaurant, still early.

Meng Yuanyuan asked, “Huh? You want to DIY too?”

“Yeah.”

It had just come to her as a sudden idea. Pei Uncle’s birthday was coming up soon, and she needed to prepare a gift.

Before, Qiu Tang had helped her pick out some small things like ties, but this time, she wanted to give something more meaningful.

She turned to Lin Wan and asked, “Are you going home or coming with us?”

Lin Wan thought for a moment. “Let’s go together. I’ve never done this before.”

Jiang Mingzhi turned to the two boys following them and asked, “We’re going to do pottery. You guys can head off first if you want.”

Subconsciously, she thought the boys wouldn’t be interested in these kinds of crafts.

To her surprise, Guan Jingxu asked, “What can we make?”

“Generally, it’s things like cups, plates, and vases. But if you have any other creative ideas, you can make those too.”

Zhuang Heyang said, “Let’s go take a look together. Since we’re here.”

Jiang Mingzhi smiled and said, “Alright, let’s go together.”

Following the sign, they went upstairs to the second floor. Under the owner’s explanation and recommendations, Jiang Mingzhi put on an apron, rolled up her sleeves, and began working with clay.

Zhuang Heyang and Guan Jingxu were looking at other customers’ works, still undecided about what they wanted to make.

Meng Yuanyuan and Lin Wan were searching for designs they liked online, preparing to recreate one.

The clay was wet and soft, and touching it was a strange feeling on the skin.

Jiang Mingzhi had experience with pottery, so she picked it up quickly. With the help of the staff, she made a shallow dish.

Guan Jingxu stood next to her, watching and learning.

He asked, “Is this all done?”

Under the bright white incandescent lights, the girl looked serious, with her sleeves rolled up, exposing her porcelain-white wrists. The lifeless clay shifted in her hands, spinning like waves in the sea.

“Yeah.”

Guan Jingxu looked at it, “…”

It looked rough and careless.

Could it be said it looked like something someone had carelessly thrown together?

Jiang Mingzhi explained, “This is just the base. I’m going to make a bowl-like shape, and when the two pieces come together, it will be a cake.”

Guan Jingxu suddenly understood, “That’s quite creative.”

Zhuang Heyang, showing a lack of tact, called out to him, “Stop watching. The boss said this takes at least an hour, and it could go longer.”

Earlier, the boss had mentioned that some customers had come at 10 am and wouldn’t finish until 5 pm.

Lin Wan seemed a bit frightened and asked the staff to help her mold the clay.

Actually, she didn’t really like the feel of wet clay—it always felt sticky, and she was worried it wouldn’t wash off easily afterward.

Half an hour later, Jiang Mingzhi had finished shaping her dish, and the boss was drying it.

With nothing else to do, she went to see what everyone else was making.

Lin Wan made a cup, with a cat on the cup’s body, and its tail extended into the handle.

Meng Yuanyuan made a small dog cup, but she didn’t know how to shape a dog, so she had the staff help her.

Guan Jingxu made a dog bowl. He said he had a gray teddy bear dog at home, and last time he accidentally kicked and broke the dog’s bowl. This time, he was making a new one, hoping the dog wouldn’t give him a disapproving look again.

As for Zhuang Heyang, he was holding something that looked like a lump of clay. He said it was a Cassifa, but Jiang Mingzhi couldn’t tell what it was.

After finishing the shaping, it was time to paint. Jiang Mingzhi’s dish had a white base color with three-dimensional smoke patterns on top. The bowl was light blue, and the bottom had four blueberries. When flipped over, it looked like a blueberry cake with a topping.

The painting wasn’t difficult, but the staff had mentioned that the colors would appear much darker after firing, so they couldn’t use colors that were too dark.

Jiang Mingzhi used blue, yellow, red, and chrysanthemum colors to paint the smoke patterns.

She even had some extra time and helped Guan Jingxu add a bone to the edge of his dog bowl.

“You need to add some water to stick it on, or it will fall off.”

The girl’s wet fingertip brushed over the boy’s thumb, causing a tingling sensation.

“Should I write the dog’s name on the bone?”