Chapter 120

After getting Shen Cui’s approval, Mu Er Pang told Wei Shu and the others about his affinity with Cui Fei and invited him to dinner at home.

Although the three of them had not met Cui Fei before, they figured if he got along well with Mu Er Pang, they wouldn’t miss out.

Especially since Mei Ruochu had experienced some cold treatment from classmates earlier, she could empathize more, so they all agreed.

However, in the next few days, they still didn’t see Cui Fei at the prefectural school, so they didn’t arrange the dinner.

It wasn’t until the end of the morning class on this day, when the instructor left the classroom, that they heard someone laughing and saying that someone was blocking the door.

Following the sound, they saw the large figure of Cui Fei.

Cui Fei realized he was blocking the door only after someone pointed it out. He quickly shrunk back and stood aside to let others pass.

Wei Shu and the others deliberately slowed down their pace. After everyone else had left, the three of them stood up, and Wei Shu asked if Cui Fei was looking for them.

After all, the morning classes were over, so if Cui Fei had come to study, he should have arrived earlier.

The blush on Cui Fei’s face from being teased hadn’t faded yet. He tugged at his clothes and hesitated for a while before saying, “Hanshan… the one he mentioned before…”

The more he spoke, the softer his voice became.

Just a few days ago, he had met Mu Er Pang for the first time. Privately, he thought that outstanding individuals like the Mu brothers were few and far between.

Even in the prefectural school, most people were just ordinary folks with a bit more scholarly air.

Who knew that after returning from Cuiwei, he inquired and found out that the “other brothers in the academy” mentioned by Mu Er Pang were all outstanding individuals.

Previously, he had only met Mu Yunchuan by accident, and their acquaintance was the result of a series of unexpected events, or you could say he was carried forward by accidental occurrences.

Now he felt pressured to establish a relationship with Wei Shu and the others. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he stayed at home for several days. A voice inside him said that Mu Er Pang wouldn’t deceive him, and the people at Cuiwei wouldn’t look down on him.

But another voice said that not everyone in the world would accept him without prejudice. Over the years, he had encountered a few such people. Should he expect everyone at Cuiwei Academy to be the same? If they did look down on him later, but he couldn’t refuse them because of Mu Er Pang’s face, then he would be caught in a dilemma.

After wrestling with himself for several days, he finally came over with trepidation.

As Cui Fei finished speaking, his voice trailed off like a hum, and Mei Ruochu smiled and added, “Hanshan has already mentioned it to us. Last time when the academy hosted a banquet, we hadn’t met yet, so today is a good opportunity to get acquainted.”

After their introductions, Cui Fei hesitantly bowed and addressed each of them as “brother.”

Even though they had just started talking, the three of them from Cuiwei Academy noticed that although Cui Fei was not younger than them in age, he seemed several years younger in terms of temperament, perhaps not as mature as Mu Er Pang.

It was no wonder Mu Er Pang had mentioned Cui Fei to them before, implying that they should take care of him more in the prefectural school.

Facing someone with such pure intentions, Wei Shu and the others didn’t feel any animosity.

Wei Shu, being the most outgoing, finished the introductions and walked over to Cui Fei, saying, “Let’s go.”

Cui Fei was taken aback for a moment and then asked awkwardly, “Are we going back to Cuiwei now?”

The lunch break at the prefectural school was only half an hour, which was not enough time to go back to Cuiwei for a meal and then return.

Wei Shu said, “No, we’re going to the cafeteria for lunch. What’s the rush, Brother Cui? Won’t you join us for a meal?”

Worried that Wei Shu’s familiarity might intimidate Cui Fei, who seemed timid like a child, Wei Xi added, “Brother Cui, do you have something else to attend to?”

“No, no, nothing at home,” Cui Fei replied.

Since his Sister took charge of the household affairs in the Cui family, there was hardly anything for others to worry about.

Today, she had practically “kicked” him out, saying, “You were just talking about changing yourself. Now that Mu Yunchuan has left, you’re not going to the prefectural school anymore and just staying at home all day? I know what you’re worried about, but you already know the character of Shen Cuihua and her son. Can the students from their academy be any worse? Stop worrying at home. Go meet them yourself!”

Even though Cui Fei had little interaction with outsiders, he could tell when someone was being kind to him. So the four of them went to the cafeteria together.

The cafeteria at the prefectural school, like the one at Qingzhu Academy, operated on a buffet system, but being a public place, it was much larger in scale. They hired chefs specialized in cooking both traditional and made-to-order dishes.

While there were pre-prepared dishes, one could also request the chefs to prepare stir-fried dishes on the spot for an additional cost, allowing the chefs to earn some extra income.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Cui Fei felt it was important not to let them take care of him alone. He also needed to show his willingness to make friends. So, he enthusiastically introduced, “Master Zhang, who cooks the lion’s head on the red counter, is excellent. He selects meat that is seven parts lean and three parts fat, making it juicy but not greasy. It’s slightly inferior to the crab meat lion’s head at Zhenbao Building. Then there’s his braised diced meat, cut into uniform pieces and soaked in soup, which goes perfectly with rice. Master Wang, who cooks on the white counter, makes excellent porridge, although they only serve plain porridge here on regular days. But on Laba Festival, Master Wang makes Laba porridge, which tastes even better than the ones bought elsewhere…”

As Cui Fei went on with his introduction, the two chefs responsible for serving food nearby smiled at him and said, “Cui Fei, you’re here today! Quick, there are still several lion’s heads left.”

Cui Fei smiled and replied, then began searching for his meal ticket.

To his dismay, he realized he had forgotten to bring it.

However, someone like Cui Fei wouldn’t go out without carrying some money.

The process of exchanging the meal ticket wasn’t troublesome, but what was challenging was that apart from the students, everyone else at the prefectural school ate government-provided meals. The person responsible for exchanging the meal tickets might not be on duty at noon.

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Wei Shu stopped him and then opened his purse, saying, “I’ll take care of it.”

Cui Fei had never been treated by someone before, given that before meeting Mu Yunchuan, he had some so-called “friends” who only approached him for their own benefit.

After his mother noticed, she forbade him from associating with those people.

Mu Yunchuan hadn’t taken advantage of him, but he also hadn’t had the spare money to treat Cui Fei to a meal. So they each took care of their own expenses.

Seeing the three of them dividing their tasks, selecting dishes and fetching food, Cui Fei quickly whispered, “I’ll pay you back later…”

“No need, my brother has money, so it’s fine.” Wei Xi chuckled, “He received this purse from Shen Cui before leaving. He usually carries it with him, but since it’s so big, he couldn’t just carry an empty bag, right? So he exchanged it for quite a few meal tickets.”

Mei Ruochu also chuckled, “Wei brother is really generous. He even pays for my meals. I’ve been here at the prefectural school for so long, and I’ve never exchanged a single meal ticket.”

Hearing their “fabricated” story, Wei Shu turned around and joked, “Let’s forget about Wei Xi, but does Mei brother also feel embarrassed? If we really calculated, Mei brother topped the examination in our class and almost tutors me every day, pointing out every detail of my studies. How much should I pay you? Come on, let’s settle the bill properly later. I must make up for that ‘bundled repair’ for you!”

Mei Ruochu surrendered, saying, “I’m really hungry today. Let’s buy a few more dishes to make up for the ‘bundled repair.’ But please don’t bring up this embarrassing topic again!”

Their banter quickly put Cui Fei at ease. He even knew that Mei Ruochu’s suggestion to buy extra dishes was to accommodate him.

Soon, they got their food ready. Wei Shu asked them to find a seat while he stayed behind to order stir-fried dishes. Mei Ruochu led Cui Fei and Wei Xi to find a spot. Just as they settled down, someone nearby remarked, “Brother Cui has a good appetite, huh? So generous as soon as he arrives.”

Cui Fei didn’t feel surprised by the comment. Even when he used to attend classes at the prefectural school, he avoided going to the cafeteria. People would often think, “No wonder he’s so fat, he eats so much!”

When he ate less, people would wonder how such a fat person could eat so little. Either way, there was always something to criticize.

He didn’t mind the teasing and simply explained, “I didn’t buy it, Wei bought it and treated me to it.”

The person who spoke continued to laugh, and someone eating with them pushed him, saying, “Zhang, why do you care about that? How much ‘fattening’ he eats is none of your business.”

Although it seemed like he was trying to advise the person to stop, he used Cui Fei’s nickname, clearly joining in on the mockery.

Mei Ruochu, who had just placed the food on the table, turned calmly, looked at the person, and asked, “What did you call him?”

He usually had a gentle smile and a polite demeanor, different from Mu Yunchuan, the top scholar of the previous year, who had a bit of coldness and aloofness. Mei Ruochu was more like someone who had experienced many hardships, displaying a clear and gentle demeanor.

When the three of them from Cuiwei first arrived at the prefectural school, some of the “old-timers” thought Mei Ruochu was the easiest to get along with. He didn’t have the airs of a wealthy young master like Wei Shu, nor was he as taciturn as Wei Xi.

If classmates had academic problems, they could ask him without hesitation, and he would help without reservation.

Now, this usually gentle person had a serious expression, causing the two who had been joking earlier to freeze.

“It was just a joke,” Zhang, who had provoked earlier, said awkwardly.

“Is it funny?” Mei Ruochu’s gaze swept over their faces, his serious expression unchanged.

Back in Hongle, his classmates had given him a nickname, which made him uncomfortable, but he had no choice because his physique sometimes affected others.

However, those people didn’t dare to call him that directly, because the old headmaster would speak up for him.

But what about Cui Fei? He hadn’t done anything wrong. Just because he was a bit overweight, did he deserve this treatment? Not to mention being called such a derogatory nickname in public, which clearly meant deliberate humiliation.

Cui Fei hesitated, wanting to persuade Mei Ruochu to let it go. There was no need to pick a fight with these people because of him.

Before he could speak, Wei Xi, who had been silent, gently pulled him and then stepped forward, standing in front of him.

Seeing the situation turning sour, the person who called Cui Fei a nickname laughed awkwardly and explained, “I was talking with food in my mouth, so my words were muddled. I misspoke. Sorry, Cui brother, I won’t say it again!” Then, he pulled Zhang away and left.