Chapter 20
Gu Tang made two trips to carry all his packages back to the dormitory.
After all, it was university, and Gu Tang wanted a fresh start, completely different from his past.
So, he didn’t bring any of the clothes or shoes he had at home when he was studying before. The quilts, blankets, and other things were all new, bought online and sent over early to be aired out while the weather was good.
As for the bedding at the Siheyuan, it didn’t match the narrow dormitory beds.
While Gu Tang was unpacking, Ling Fengli was still negotiating with someone. Jiang Huaisheng had gone somewhere, and the room was quiet, with no one else there.
He could still hear voices from other dormitories in the hallway, probably other senior students returning to their rooms.
Gu Tang quickly made his bed. Jiang Huaisheng, who had been at the teaching building, slowly walked back to the dormitory, carrying several stacked lunch boxes.
The Siheyuan kitchen had prepared the food, and the housekeeper personally delivered it.
The housekeeper delivered it to the downstairs of their dormitory building. Since there were many students ordering takeout at the school, Jiang Huaisheng carrying “takeout” wasn’t conspicuous.
The food in B University’s cafeteria was actually quite good, with a variety of options and affordable prices, but Jiang Huaisheng was fragile in every aspect and generally didn’t eat outside food.
The young master didn’t go over to help Gu Tang unpack his packages, but simply placed the lunch boxes on the table. He didn’t put them down heavily, but the heavy lunch boxes still made a muffled sound when they landed on the table: “Come and eat.”
Gu Tang glanced up: “Eat it yourself.”
Jiang Huaisheng said: “The housekeeper made enough for two. If you don’t eat, I’ll throw it away.”
Gu Tang put down his things, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, and then came back to eat. He knew Jiang Huaisheng meant what he said, and Gu Tang was taught from a young age not to waste food.
He always finished everything in his bowl at every meal. Even after moving to City A, in that extravagant environment, for a while, the prevailing social etiquette was: No matter what you eat, your plate shouldn’t be empty, otherwise, it would appear that you were too greedy and petty.
But even though Wen Xinyi had nagged him several times, Gu Tang always insisted on finishing his food. On the one hand, he genuinely cherished food, and on the other hand, he was using this to resist the environment and defy Ms. Wen Xinyi.
The sentimental Gu Tang was stubborn in some aspects, so Ms. Wen Xinyi would also say that he was as stubborn as his father, impossible to change.
Later, the environment improved, and the media advocated saving food, saying that finishing one’s plate wasn’t shameful. Gu Tang’s actions were no longer criticized, but praised instead. But he had never actually changed.
While eating, Gu Tang still didn’t see Ling Fengli and casually asked: “His motorcycle was confiscated, did you report him?”
Jiang Huaisheng smiled faintly: “Why, are you going to stand up for him?”
“Of course not,” Gu Tang said, “I just want to say, well done.”
It was rare for Young Master Jiang to do something that made him happy.
He arranged the lunch boxes one by one. The food prepared by the housekeeper was especially rich and plentiful. It was enough for not only two people, but even three.
The housekeeper had prepared several sets of tableware, paying attention to detail. Not only were there disposable tablecloths and disinfected chopsticks, knives, spoons, and forks, but also disposable gloves.
However, judging from the dishes, they were more to Jiang Huaisheng’s taste: Four Happiness Tofu, Stir-fried Shrimp with Scallions and Ginger, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Oyster Sauce Lettuce, and Yan Du Xian soup. A total of four dishes and one soup, each dish with a large portion, and three types of staple food.
Besides the crystal-clear rice, there were also thumb-sized Sheng Jian Mantou and scallion pancakes. The small Sheng Jian Mantou came in two flavors: pork and crab roe soup filling.
After the main course, there were fruits and dessert, Tiramisu.
Gu Tang took out a jar of spicy sauce from his hometown from his desk, which he had bought from a shop back home and had now been mailed over.
Jiang Huaisheng frowned when he saw Gu Tang pouring the spicy sauce onto the Sheng Jian Mantou.
“Do you want to try some?” Gu Tang scooped a small spoonful of chili sauce onto the lid.
He wasn’t possessive of his food and was willing to share.
Jiang Huaisheng picked up a Sheng Jian Mantou, dipped it in a little bit of chili sauce, and took a bite. His thin lips were stained with the bright red of the chili sauce, and then his whole face turned slightly red.
Clearly, the chili sauce from Gu Tang’s hometown was too much for someone who never ate spicy food.
Seeing this, Gu Tang immediately took the lid back. He had only prepared a little, considering this situation, but he didn’t intend to waste the rest.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it.” Jiang Huaisheng’s fingers covered Gu Tang’s hand on the lid, pulling it back.
He ate a little bit of spicy food, then ate something sweet or took a sip of soup to neutralize it.
This spicy feeling was subtle, just like his current relationship with Gu Tang. Spicy was a pain sensation, it brought a stimulating feeling, making him want to push it away, but with a little sweetness, he could tolerate it.
They finished the meal in a somewhat silent atmosphere. Gu Tang packed everything up and cleared out many cardboard boxes from the packages.
He asked for a phone number from the senior sister group chat for someone who collected cardboard boxes, and these boxes were eventually exchanged for a twenty-yuan bill.
It was a small amount of money, but Gu Tang never wasted small amounts. He carried the marks of ten years spent with the Jiang family and in City A, but some of the things from the first eight years of his life had never been erased.
For example, doing his own things, saving food, and not wasting resources.
He was very efficient. Tasks that might take others a whole day to slowly complete, Gu Tang finished in just three hours. His body was exhausted, so he took off his shoes and climbed onto his narrow little bed to rest.
Perhaps because he had seen Ling Fengli today, during this short nap, Gu Tang dreamed of his childhood again, the first year he transferred schools.
Although he appeared strong at school, after school, he couldn’t take it anymore and cried to his mother: “Mom, I don’t want to study here, I want to go home!”
No matter how much he remembered his father’s teachings, he was only an eight-year-old boy at that time.
Ms. Wen Xinyi’s face appeared very cold in the dream. Gu Tang only remembered her wearing a beautiful floral dress, with delicate makeup and red lips, opening and closing like a man-eating female ghost from a TV show: “Do you know how difficult it is to get into this school? This school has a very high rate of students going to good universities. By studying in this elementary school, you’ve already got half a foot in Q University and B University. I won’t let you transfer.”
The young Gu Tang sobbed, remembering his time with his father, he asked: “Then what about Dad, where’s my dad? I don’t want Jiang He to be my dad, I want my own dad.”
The woman coldly told him: “Your dad is already dead.”
The great mountain in his heart collapsed with these words, and Gu Tang burst into tears.
Ms. Wen squatted down, wiped his tears with a handkerchief, and said gently: “Mom knows you’re a smart child. They bully you because they don’t know how smart you are. When your grades improve, they won’t say those mean things anymore. Work hard, study hard, and continue to be the child that makes Mom proud. Your dad was always happy every time you got first place in exams.”
Gu Tang heard his younger self ask: “Really? If my grades improve, will Dad be proud?”
The woman said: “Yes, when has Mom ever lied to you?”
The adult Gu Tang twitched the corners of his mouth, thinking sarcastically, don’t listen to her, she’s a big liar. Later, his grades improved, and his younger brother was born. Whether his grades were good or bad, Ms. Wen Xinyi didn’t care so much about him anymore. She cared about other things, things that were determined from the moment Gu Tang was born.
It was also after realizing that his mother was full of lies that Gu Tang learned to resist. Anyone who dared to insult him or call him fatherless, if they went too far, he would punch them.
His father had once said: “Don’t bully others, don’t be a bad person who bullies the weak, but don’t be afraid of being bullied either. If someone bullies you, fight back.”
If he was in the right, if it was the other person who started it, then Gu Tang wouldn’t be scolded when the parents were called.
The first time he hit someone, Gu Tang’s parents were called, of course. Although Ms. Wen Xinyi looked weak and fragile, she didn’t back down in front of those parents with good backgrounds and didn’t let Gu Tang suffer any losses.
This was also why it was difficult for Gu Tang to let go of this family affection. Before his younger brother was born, Ms. Wen Xinyi would still stand up for him. But after having his younger brother, she would say to him: “Mom is very tired, don’t cause me any trouble.”
Even if others scolded him, even if it was someone else’s fault, and he was just retaliating, it was still causing her trouble.
After that, he learned to ambush people without any guidance, not letting others catch any evidence of him hitting people.
And later, without Ms. Wen Xinyi having to spend extra money on him, Gu Tang was able to get into the best junior high school in the city with his own grades.
There were too many unpleasant things in this past, so the tone of the dream was gray, all the memory fragments were depressing and heavy.
Gu Tang’s chest heaved, and he opened his eyes with difficulty, discovering the culprit that made him feel suffocated.
Young Master Jiang didn’t know when he had gotten onto the bed, not onto his own bed next to him, but straddling him, like a weight of over a hundred pounds. Wasn’t that heavy?
Before Gu Tang could speak, the third person in the dormitory came in with a sullen face. He widened his eyes, looking incredulous: “What are you two doing?”
