It was the height of the lunch rush.
The cafeteria was packed.
So Song Ning and Han Xiao attracted no attention when they walked in.
Zhang Mingtao insisted that Han Xiao not exchange any meal tickets and bought their food with his own.
The three of them ordered two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a large bowl of soup.
It cost two yuan and ten fen.
That was extravagant for a cafeteria meal.
"You really shouldn't have! We've made you spend so much," Han Xiao said.
Zhang Mingtao waved his hands repeatedly. "It's only right! You came to visit me! I couldn't be happier! Besides..."
He glanced shyly at Song Ning. "Song Ning spent so much time helping me study before!"
Song Ning simply ate in silence, her eyes on the numbers on the enamel bowls and the tables and chairs.
Even the numbers above the serving windows...
Anywhere there were numbers.
But she found nothing that gave her a pleasant surprise.
After they finished eating, Zhang Mingtao rubbed the back of his head and thought for a moment. "How about I show you around campus? It probably isn't as big as yours..."
"Sure! Sorry for the trouble!" Song Ning readily agreed.
Delighted, Zhang Mingtao quickly looked around and found a classmate he knew to take his lunchbox back for him.
Then he led the two of them out of the cafeteria.
As they walked around campus, Song Ning discovered that the school had more buildings than she had imagined.
She pointed to several tall, spacious, factory-like buildings up ahead on the left. "Do those buildings belong to your school too?"
Zhang Mingtao looked over.
"Oh! That's a school-run factory!"
"A school-run factory?" Han Xiao asked. "Your school runs a factory too?"
Zhang Mingtao shook his head. "The school