Chapter 238
As soon as the lunch bell rang, the students in the classroom instantly breathed a sigh of relief. They eagerly closed their textbooks, packed up the notebooks and stationery on their desks, and surged toward the cafeteria.
This was exactly when the benefits of sitting in the front row became apparent. Shen Nanchu and Pei Yunzhou were out of the classroom in no time.
Pei Yunzhou walked briskly, a bounce in his step.
"Sister-in-law, I heard they have braised pork for lunch today, stewed in soy sauce. It's incredibly fragrant! If we're late, it'll definitely be gone. I'll go line up first!"
Shen Nanchu nodded.
"Alright, run fast."
She wasn't very fond of waiting in line.
Leaving this sort of thing to Pei Yunzhou was perfect.
By the time Shen Nanchu reached the cafeteria entrance, she could smell the rich aroma of food before even stepping inside.
The cafeteria was already packed with people; the buzzing of conversations and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks filled the air.
Long lines had already formed in front of the serving windows.
With his long legs and fast pace, Pei Yunzhou was already near the front of a window. Seeing Shen Nanchu, he quickly waved.
"Sister-in-law, over here!"
That loud "Sister-in-law" drew the attention of quite a few people.
However, neither Shen Nanchu nor Pei Yunzhou paid them any mind.
"You decide what to get, I'll go find us a seat."
Shen Nanchu pointed at the serving window, then at the nearby tables.
Even over the noise, Pei Yunzhou easily understood what his sister-in-law meant.
Soon, Pei Yunzhou returned with the food.
Two portions of braised pork, one portion of stir-fried potatoes, one portion of greens, a bowl of rice, and two steamed white buns.
Shen Nanchu had the rice, while Pei Yunzhou ate the buns.
Shen Nanchu didn't have a big appetite; she even scooped half of her rice into Pei Yunzhou's bowl.
Once Shen Nanchu was full, Pei Yunzhou happily polished off all the remaining dishes.
Patting his round, full stomach, Pei Yunzhou let out a satisfied sigh.
"That was so delicious. I'm finally stuffed!"
It was only after they finished eating that they noticed their classmates from the Archaeology Department standing in twos and threes in the long lines at the serving windows.
Pei Yunzhou gave Shen Nanchu a thumbs-up.
"Sister-in-law, you definitely had the foresight."
"Of course."
After lunch, Pei Yunzhou and Shen Nanchu went to the parking lot together to grab her luggage.
That morning, Pei Zhengnian had already helped carry the bags containing her quilts to the dorms.
However, there were still some toiletries left in the car.
Pei Yunzhou helped carry Shen Nanchu's suitcase to the entrance of the girls' dormitory before turning back to head to his own boys' dorm.
As soon as Pei Yunzhou walked into the hallway of the boys' dormitory, he heard lively chatter coming from inside.
His dorm was a six-person room, and all his roommates were fellow archaeology students.
Pushing the door open, he saw Zhang Qiang and Li Zhe chatting on their respective beds. Seeing Pei Yunzhou enter, Zhang Qiang's eyes instantly lit up.
Tall, sturdy, and exceptionally enthusiastic, Zhang Qiang immediately jumped off his bed, strode over to Pei Yunzhou, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Pei, you're finally back! You sat with Shen Nanchu during class this morning. Do you two know each other?"
The moment he said this, the other roommates who had been busy with their own tasks all looked over, their eyes brimming with curiosity.
Pei Yunzhou nodded, tossing his backpack onto his bed. "We know each other. She's my sister-in-law."
"Sister-in-law?" Zhang Qiang's eyes widened further, his voice rising in pitch. "Does that mean Shen Nanchu is already married?"
His face was full of shock, clearly unable to believe the news.
In Zhang Qiang's eyes, Shen Nanchu was so beautiful and such a good student; she didn't look like someone who was married at all.
Li Zhe, who had been lying on his bed reading, immediately put his book down, propped himself up, and perked up his ears to listen, his gaze full of intrigue.
The other students in the dorm also stopped what they were doing and crowded around, bombarding him with questions.
"Are you serious? Shen Nanchu is actually married?"
"My god, I thought she was single. How is she married so soon?"
"Who is her husband? What kind of guy could manage to marry someone as amazing as her?"
Looking at everyone's inquisitive faces, Pei Yunzhou smiled and continued,
"Yeah, she's been married to my older brother for over a year now. His name is Pei Zhengnian, and he's a military officer."
At these words, the dorm fell silent for a few seconds before erupting into a collective groan of despair.
"Oh my god! Such a beautiful goddess got married so young?" Zhang Qiang looked devastated, slapping his thigh. "I thought I might have a chance, but she's already taken."
"Yeah, what a shame," another student wearing glasses sighed. "Not only is Shen Nanchu gorgeous, but she's also so smart. She's practically a perfect goddess. I can't believe she's married."
Li Zhe pushed up his glasses and asked curiously, "Your brother is in the military? What's his rank? What kind of guy is he?"
He was extremely curious about Shen Nanchu's husband; anyone who could marry a goddess like her definitely had to be exceptional.
When mentioning Pei Zhengnian, Pei Yunzhou's face filled with pride.
"My brother is a regiment commander now. He treats my sister-in-law incredibly well and caters to her every whim."
"If my sister-in-law says go east, my second brother wouldn't dare go west."
...
"Sigh, such a great guy and such a great woman, they really are a match made in heaven. It's just too bad for us bachelors; we don't have a chance anymore,"
Zhang Qiang said with a look of regret. The other students nodded in agreement, their hearts filled with disappointment.
Their unrequited crushes had been snuffed out before they could even bloom.
...
Meanwhile, when Shen Nanchu returned to the girls' dorm, everyone was inside.
Zhao Xiaomei, Li Juan, and Wang Fang were sitting on their respective beds organizing their belongings, while Qin Rong stood in the middle of the room, talking to them about something.
Seeing Shen Nanchu walk in, Zhao Xiaomei was the first to greet her.
"You must be Shen Nanchu, right? Hello."
Li Juan and Wang Fang followed suit.
"Hello, Shen."
"Hi."
Qin Rong's face immediately broke into a smile, though her eyes subconsciously looked Shen Nanchu up and down.
Shen Nanchu nodded at them in greeting.
She walked straight to her bed and opened her suitcase.
She took out a set of light blue silk pajamas and a pair of soft-soled white slippers, setting them aside.
Then, she grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, and enamel mug from a small pouch, turning to head to the communal washbasins by the dorm entrance.
She filled her mug with water, carefully brushed her teeth, and rinsed her mouth before returning to her bed to change her clothes.
The silk pajamas were soft to the touch, clinging to her body and tracing her slender figure, looking exceptionally comfortable. Her soft-soled slippers made no sound as she stepped on the floor.