Chapter 27 — The Unattainable Goddesses
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
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The No. 1 Middle School cafeteria was enormous — three whole floors. The ground floor was the general dining hall, much like a fast-food restaurant, ringed all around by small stalls selling every kind of dish, with rows of tables and chairs filling the center.
The second floor was given over to private rooms, suited to the wealthier students who could order dishes a la carte; though students whose families were not so well off would also come up here for a birthday dinner or the like. The food on the second floor was plainly a cut above the ground floor — they had their own specially hired chefs.
The third floor was reserved for faculty and staff. The food was much the same as the student cafeteria below, though the setting was a good deal more refined; naturally, students were not permitted to dine up there.
Wei Zhao followed Kang Xiaofeng into the cafeteria, and Kang Xiaofeng pointed toward an office on the right. "That's where you get your meal card," he said.
"Oh, I'll go get one now." Wei Zhao nodded. Gu Pengzhan and Qing Bo had not given him a school meal card or library card or anything of the sort, but clearly such things could be arranged at any time on campus, so long as one showed a student ID.
"What, you think I can't afford it?" Kang Xiaofeng looked a little put out at Wei Zhao's move to get a card. "First day we've met, and you're on my turf — naturally it's my treat."
Seeing him put it that way, Wei Zhao abandoned the notion of getting a card right away. "All right then, we'll do it after we eat."
"Good — I'll go with you when we're done." Kang Xiaofeng agreed cheerfully, leading Wei Zhao through the cafeteria's various little windows.
The dishes on offer at the various stalls were genuinely plentiful — vegetarian and meat dishes alike, several kinds of staples, and things like steamed buns, dumplings, and stuffed pancakes. Wei Zhao asked for alfalfa with tomato and some rice; Kang Xiaofeng ordered a plate of fish-fragrant shredded pork and a couple of steamed buns. Altogether it came to eleven yuan — neither much nor little, squarely in the middle range of spending.
Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng found seats and set the two dishes down together, so the two of them could swap bites back and forth.
Once seated, Wei Zhao swiftly scanned the whole cafeteria. Shen Yushu and Gu Mengyao were not there — clearly they had likely gone up to the private rooms on the second floor.
"What are you looking at? Checking out the beauties?" Kang Xiaofeng laughed. "Shen Yushu and Gu Mengyao are both upstairs. They'd never eat with the likes of us. Though if you're lucky, you might run into Tang Zhi."
"Is that so?" What Wei Zhao cared about was where Gu Mengyao was; he had no interest in whether this Tang Zhi would show up here.
"Though Tang Zhi's family seems to be in rather poor straits — most days she brings her own lunch." Kang Xiaofeng sighed. "Honestly, with looks like hers, she could say one word and countless boys would fight to buy her a meal. Even eating in a second-floor private room every day wouldn't be out of the question."
"Hah. A girl with spirit wouldn't care about any of that," Wei Zhao said mildly.
"You're right about that. Tang Zhi has never cared about such things — a girl like that is truly rare." Kang Xiaofeng spoke as though thoroughly convinced. "But the more she's like that, the more boys fall for her. A girl who doesn't chase after money and status — that's exactly what we students adore."
Unfortunately, Tang Zhi never appeared, not even by the end of lunch. Wei Zhao did not much mind, but Kang Xiaofeng was faintly disappointed. Many students were like him, coming here every day to eat in hopes of seeing Tang Zhi — it had become a kind of expectation.