Chapter 307: “No Silver Here”—A Classic Case of Overcompensation
After leaving the clinic, Ning Xiyue sprinted toward the cafeteria with all her energy, as if nothing—even the heavenly king himself—could stop her from getting her meal.
She ran so fast that when she arrived, there were only a few people, leaving the counters open for her to choose freely.
Before she could pick, she noticed Aunt Liu waving at her from the second counter.
“Xiyue, over here! No one is at my counter.”
Hearing Aunt Liu call her, Ning Xiyue didn’t hesitate and walked straight over. She handed over two meal tickets to the clerk and gave Aunt Liu two lunch boxes.
After scooping the food, Aunt Liu cheerfully asked, “Xiyue, which dishes would you like? I’ll serve them for you.”
Ning Xiyue pointed to the two dishes she wanted, and Aunt Liu didn’t hesitate, scooping generous portions, especially from the meatiest parts.
The lunch boxes were full—not just of food, but of Aunt Liu’s care.
Her second brother’s lunch box was also generously packed, with extra rice pressed down to fit more in.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
Ning Xiyue beamed. It was her first time truly feeling the cafeteria aunties’ love, even if it was helped by an old friend.
Aunt Liu waved her spoon happily. “Next time, come to my counter again, okay?”
“Definitely!”
From then on, Ning Xiyue decided Aunt Liu’s counter would be her permanent choice.
Arriving early meant that for dinner, only the two siblings sat together.
During the meal, Ning Xiyue shared stories about her work and Bai Yu’s second identity.
Ning Qingyuan only said one thing:
“I’m proud of you for your work. As for Bai Yu, do what you feel is right—don’t wrong yourself.”
“I know.”
After eating, Ning Xiyue handed her kettle to Qingyuan to carry back while she went to practice winemaking.
Every afternoon, she spent one or two hours learning winemaking. Today’s session was shorter than yesterday’s. After practicing hands-on with the old master, he left more time to randomly check how well she had absorbed his notes.
By the afternoon, she had reviewed all of the master’s notes, nearly memorizing everything, including all the wine recipes.
Now the master conducted an oral examination, questioning Ning Xiyue and Zhang Jianguo according to their learning progress.
Ning Xiyue answered almost everything correctly, quickly and accurately.
With Ning Xiyue joining, Zhang Jianguo also committed to serious study and performed well, earning the master’s satisfaction.
To prevent him from getting overconfident, the master deliberately asked a few difficult questions at the end that Zhang Jianguo hadn’t yet learned, so he couldn’t answer.
Ning Xiyue silently answered them in her mind. She had already seen this material, so she could easily find the answers.
All the master’s questions could be found in her notebook.
She didn’t return the notebook immediately. At her writing speed, it would take at least three days to copy it down and return it—assuming she had ample free time. She decided to return it in five days.
When the master asked how far she had gotten, she intentionally hid half of it. Even so, he praised her talent and rapid learning, using the opportunity to verbally supervise his grandson.
“Zhang Jianguo, see this? Learn from your sister Yue. Your chicken-pecking style of learning is far from success. When there’s a book, read it properly—don’t slack off. Be serious.”
Though he said this, the master was very pleased with his grandson.
Zhang Jianguo didn’t feel criticized; instead, he was happy. “Yes, yes. I’ll study seriously and follow Sister Yue’s steps.”
Their progress looked promising, so today’s lesson ended early, finishing half an hour before yesterday.
At this rate, Ning Xiyue believed she could graduate faster. Her exceptional memory made learning far more efficient.
Winemaking wasn’t as difficult as she imagined—the challenge was making a truly good batch. For now, she only needed to know the process; refining skills could wait for practice at the future brewing workshop.
With today’s task complete, Ning Xiyue left promptly.
On the way out, Zhang Jianguo excitedly said,
“Sister Yue, I’ve got the books ready—all high school books bought from the scrap station. I even read some this morning.”
Ning Xiyue was momentarily surprised. She hadn’t expected him to be so proactive—what he mentioned last night, he had already acted on today. A dutiful little brother indeed.
She decided it was time to fulfill her promise.
Since the old master had been diligent in teaching her winemaking, she would seriously teach Zhang Jianguo in return.
Most importantly, people who can’t lead others will always overwork themselves. She didn’t want to exhaust herself—developing a compliant junior was necessary.
“All right, get the first-semester first-year Chinese textbook and a pencil.”
“Yes!”
Zhang Jianguo ran happily to fetch the book and pencil.
Ning Xiyue began marking key phrases and words. Afterward, she handed the book back and assigned a task:
“Start reading Chinese tonight. Memorize three articles, circle unfamiliar words, and complete the questions at the end of each. I’ll check tomorrow.”
“Understood, Sister Yue! I promise to finish it.” Zhang Jianguo stood at attention and saluted her.
Ning Xiyue nodded. He seemed like a decent kid, and she had high hopes. Before leaving, she added:
“More importantly, learn on your own. I’ll mark it for you this time, but next time, do it yourself. You can only rely on yourself to learn well.”
Zhang Jianguo nodded resolutely, veins on his forehead visible with effort. “I understand! I’ll follow your steps, study hard, and improve myself.”
“All right, go study. I’m leaving.”
Ning Xiyue waved and, while it was still light, quickened her pace toward the youth dormitory.
First thing she did upon returning was check on the watermelon seeds.
Ning Qingyuan had already boiled the foot-bathing water; the stove was no longer cold.
After testing the temperature, Ning Xiyue moved the bowl slightly to avoid overheat, finding a spot with the right warmth.
Seeing his sister tending the seeds, Ning Qingyuan asked curiously, “Little sister, what seeds are those in your bowl? They look precious.”
“Watermelon seeds, swapped from Wang Jiandong. See if they’ll grow—then we’ll have watermelons in summer. Brother, watch them carefully so they don’t get too hot.”
Ning Xiyue was very attentive—only ten seeds, and if they spoiled, that was it.
“Got it.” Qingyuan nodded, pointing to the hot water in the pot. “Wash up and sleep early. It’s been a long day. I’ve filled the hot water bottle for you.”
“Mm.”
After washing up and fetching water, Ning Xiyue noticed two people standing outside Chen Yechu’s kitchen—Chen Yechu and Yu Zhiyu.
Yu Zhiyu, smiling, carefully handed something to Chen Yechu.
Chen Yechu coolly took a piece and ate it.
Yu Zhiyu smiled all the while. After seeing Chen Yechu eat one candy, he happily took the rest of the pack from his hands.
Chen Yechu, however, showed little expression—Ning Xiyue could tell she was suppressing a smile.
Hilarious. Was Yechu deliberately maintaining a cold demeanor—high-cold but secretly smiling? Quite funny.
Curious, Ning Xiyue accidentally stepped outside and poured water into the drain, drawing their attention.
Yu Zhiyu, not wanting to ruin Chen Yechu’s image, glanced at Ning Xiyue and subtly stepped back to give her space.
Chen Yechu’s mouth twitched slightly—classic “hiding silver in a place already suspicious” behavior, adorably foolish.
Turning, she smiled, “Xiyue, you’re back.”
“Back. What are you two standing here for? Why not come inside?”
Ning Xiyue deliberately glanced back and forth between Yu Zhiyu and Chen Yechu.
Yu Zhiyu, feeling watched, quickly said, “Nothing. I was just helping Yechu carry the water. I’ll go now.”
He pointed at a wooden bucket two meters away and left hurriedly.
Chen Yechu watched his flustered retreat, amused. Anyone seeing that would immediately suspect something—it was too obvious.
She chuckled helplessly. “Sorry for the scene.”
Seeing him leave in a panic, Ning Xiyue shrugged and whispered to Chen Yechu, “Does he not realize I know his intention?”
“He really doesn’t. I’ll explain inside,” Chen Yechu laughed, covering her mouth.
“Okay, let’s go inside and talk.”
Ning Xiyue, smiling, returned to the kitchen.
Ning Qingyuan, soaking his feet, whispered, gossiping, “So? How did it go with those two?”
Ning Xiyue shook her head. “Judging by Yu Zhiyu’s expression, probably not yet. I’ll check inside. Close the door after washing your feet.”
“Okay. I’ll go check his room later too.”
After a quick look outside, Ning Qingyuan wiped his feet and followed instructions.
Ning Xiyue happily carried her hot water bottle and foot bath toward the front yard—the time had come for some sweet CP moments.
