Pinky promise

The line moved slowly through the muggy air.

With someone to talk to, the long wait felt a little less unbearable.

At last, Wen Zhixia reached the serving window she had been waiting for.

Holding her meal card in her little hand, she leaned forward slightly to order. Her big eyes scanned the dishes without blinking, then she stretched out a slender, pale finger and quickly pointed out her choices-

"Ma'am, I don't need that much rice. Then I'll have this, and this, and this! ...That's enough. Thank you!"

The girl clearly had a taste for spicy food. All three dishes she chose were spicy: sliced pork in chili broth, spicy tofu, and hand-torn cabbage.

The contractor running Cafeteria No. 2 came from Principal Lin's hometown, as did the cafeteria workers, cleaners, and security guards. It was hardly a secret at school... People even joked that if the school allowed dogs, Principal Lin would probably bring every dog in his hometown over to serve as school dogs.

No one minded, partly because Yunqi No. 1 High School was a semi-private school, with Principal Lin himself serving as its director, and partly because these "hometown folks" of his were conscientious and responsible in their work. In fact, they had earned him a reputation for loyalty and kindness.

Apparently, when Principal Lin had gotten into college years ago but couldn't afford tuition, those same neighbors had scraped together five or ten yuan apiece to send him.

Cafeteria No. 2 mainly served local dishes. Its head cook had once catered village banquets, and with the school's oversight and subsidies, meals were cheaper than at many other high schools.

For instance, Wen Zhixia's three dishes cost 3.5 yuan for the pork in chili broth, 1.5 yuan for the spicy tofu, and 1 yuan for the hand-torn cabbage. Rice was a flat half-yuan, bringing the total to just 6.5 yuan.

Perhaps the girl's sweetness and good manners had won over the serving lady, because all three compartments of her stainless-steel tray were filled to the brim.

Wen Zhixia tapped her meal card against the reader. It looked different from Chen Shi'an's: pink, with lots of cute little cats on it. Only later did Chen Shi'an learn that the cat was called [Hello Kitty], and that she had put those stickers on herself.

"I'll go get chopsticks over there and wait for you."

"Okay."

Wen Zhixia carried her tray away first, and Chen Shi'an stepped up to the window to order his own food.

He was wearing his school uniform today and had gotten a haircut, so yesterday's serving lady didn't recognize him. Still, finding the young man pleasant-looking, she gave him two extra pieces of meat, just as she had yesterday...

By the time Chen Shi'an emerged from the line with his tray, Wen Zhixia had already collected chopsticks and spoons for both of them. She was bending over, ladling soup from a bucket.

"Let me."

"It's fine! I've already filled them. Here, this one's for you."

The soup was a little hot. Keeping her eyes on the bowl, she carefully set one serving on Chen Shi'an's tray, then placed the other on her own.

"Huh? Where are the chopsticks and spoons I just got?"

"I have them. Come on. Where do you want to sit?"

"Let's sit at the back!"

Carrying their trays, they walked one behind the other toward the back of the cafeteria, where they found seats in a less crowded area.

"What did you get...?"

Wen Zhixia sat across from Chen Shi'an. The instant she set down her tray, she peered curiously at his food.

"Braised pork with potatoes, stuffed eggplant with garlic sauce, and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. What do you say? Want some?"

"No, no. Do you want to try mine?"

"Sure."

She had only been making a polite offer, yet this rotten Taoist actually had the nerve to reach over with his spoon and help himself to her tofu!

Amused by her stunned expression, Chen Shi'an added, "Hurry up and take whatever you want."

Wen Zhixia finally stopped standing on ceremony and reached over with her spoon, scooping up some of his tomatoes and eggs.

Eating like this really was more fun. If they kept being overly polite, the meal would be so dull.

"Want some pork and potatoes?"

"Nope~ I need to eat less meat. I'm trying to lose weight."

That was what she said, but Chen Shi'an distinctly noticed that the dish her chopsticks visited most often was her pork in chili broth.

"Lose weight? You're not fat. Why would you need to?"

"Anyway... I just want to get slimmer!"

"..."

Chen Shi'an looked her over as he ate. With her figure, she was definitely nowhere near fat. If the part she wanted to "get slimmer" was that rather ample chest of hers...

What quack has been misleading this clueless girl?!

"Relax and eat. Studying takes so much energy. How can you manage without eating enough? If you want to stay healthy and get in shape, I do have a set of techniques that would suit daily practice."

"You know about that stuff too!"

"A little."

"How do I do it? Tell me!"

At his words, Wen Zhixia perked up. What girl didn't want to look her best?

"The meridians are the channels through which qi and blood circulate. When they're blocked, qi and blood stagnate. So if you want to lose weight, dieting alone won't do. You need to get your qi and blood moving."

"But we have classes all day. Where would I find time to exercise...?"

"I'll teach you a few simple movements. Practice them before bed each day. I can't promise dramatic results, but they'll at least help you sleep."

"Oh, right! Yesterday you said I had excess internal heat. I haven't been sleeping very well lately, either. What should I do?"

Chen Shi'an then demonstrated a few simple health exercises for her, such as combing the scalp, rubbing the abdomen, and massaging the spleen and stomach meridians.

Although she didn't have magical power and true qi like he did to bring out their full effects, keeping at them would still benefit her health.

"Do they really work...?"

"If your cultivation were as advanced as mine, the results would be very obvious. Unfortunately, you don't have any, so the effects will be better than nothing. But small gains add up. Stick with it, and you'll definitely see results."

His solemn expression made her laugh. "I don't believe you. Is your cultivation in fooling people?"

"Then how do my qi and blood look to you?"

"Hmm..."

Wen Zhixia kept looking at him as she ate. She had no idea how to judge "qi and blood," but Chen Shi'an really was good-looking. There was something distinctly different about him compared with other people; he seemed full of energy.

As she looked, her attention accidentally wandered, and all she focused on was

his face...

Coming back to her senses, the girl blushed faintly and gave an evasive answer. "Pretty good!"

"Then that means they work, right? I've been practicing these since I was little."

"..."

Wen Zhixia blinked, looking half-convinced. Still, the movements he had taught her weren't difficult. She would give them a try sometime!

Moving on from that topic, Wen Zhixia brought up their classes that day.

"Oh! Teacher Ye gave you a reading pen?"

"Yeah. Does Teacher Ye teach your class too?"

"She does. She teaches our class and yours."

"I see."

"How's the reading pen?"

"Pretty good. Now I can find out how those words are pronounced and what they mean."

"Then read a sentence for me?"

"How do you greet people?"

The moment those English words left his mouth, Chen Shi'an froze. They sounded far too stiff, and his pronunciation was way off.

Even though his memory far surpassed an ordinary person's, allowing him to clearly remember every word's meaning, spelling, and pronunciation, his tongue still felt tied in knots when he tried to speak. It was painfully awkward.

Before Wen Zhixia could comment, Chen Shi'an shook his head. "No good. I'll have to practice my pronunciation some more."

"That was pretty good!"

Wen Zhixia encouraged him instead. "You've never studied English before. Being able to say a whole sentence is already impressive! You can't learn speaking and listening just by reading books. You need practice. If you want to practice English, I can teach you. We're study buddies, after all. My grades are only so-so... but I should still be able to teach you."

Seeing that little glimmer of pride in her eyes, Chen Shi'an smiled. "You ranked first in the humanities track and got 146 in English, the highest score in the entire grade. You call that so-so?"

"How did you know!"

"I saw the Honor Roll. Yours was the first name in the humanities rankings. It was hard to miss."

"~~~"

The girl blushed and couldn't help giggling.

Wen Zhixia had never thought much of the Honor Roll before. Only when Chen Shi'an brought it up like this did she truly feel honored.

"So do you still want to be my study buddy?"

"Of course. We already agreed, didn't we? When should we study together?"

Wen Zhixia thought for a moment. "How about on our way to and from school each day? I can help you practice speaking and listening. I can teach you during meals too. We're already meal buddies and walking buddies, anyway!"

"Sure." Chen Shi'an nodded.

"What's your WeChat? Let's add each other."

Wen Zhixia stole a look around, took her phone out of her pocket, and added Chen Shi'an on WeChat.

Chen Shi'an accepted her friend request. A user with a cute cartoon kitten avatar and the nickname [Zhizhi] appeared in his contacts, becoming his second WeChat friend.

"It's hard to message during class, so why don't we work out a simple arrangement?" Wen Zhixia said.

"What arrangement?"

"Hmm, I'm on the fourth floor, and you're on the second... How about this? If you want to wait for me so we can eat or go home together, wait in the first-floor hallway. If you have something else to do, just leave. If you're not there, I'll know. Or if you've waited ten minutes and I still haven't come down, I probably have something to do too, so you can go ahead. And on the way to school, it'll be my turn to wait for you at the intersection!"

"Okay."

Chen Shi'an nodded. There was something rather nostalgic about an arrangement like that.

When he looked up again, the girl had extended her right hand toward him. Her other four fingers were loosely curled, leaving only her delicate little pinky hooked upward, with a touch of soft, endearing innocence.

"What is it?"

"Let's pinky promise."

Chen Shi'an blinked.

With great solemnity, he set down his chopsticks before extending his own little finger and hooking it around hers.

"Okay. Pinky promise."

His voice had the clear brightness unique to a teenage boy, like a pebble steeped in a stream.

She had been the one to suggest the pinky promise, yet when their fingers actually linked, Wen Zhixia inexplicably felt her heart skip a beat.

The instant their little fingers hooked together, a faint tingle crept up her finger. His fingertip held a warmth like sunshine, a little warmer than hers. As it brushed her soft skin, it felt like a feather lightly sweeping across her heart.

Their grip was gentle, just firm enough for each to feel the shape of the other's finger.

The girl's heart sped up, and a blush quietly spread across her cheeks.

After their pinkies parted, she quickly withdrew her hand and picked up the chopsticks on her tray...

"Let's eat, let's eat!"