Chapter 199: Red Bean Glutinous Rice Balls
Wei Xiao swore that since the day he was born, he had never done such heavy manual labor.
Those three “human dog dens” looked fluffy and soft, but in reality they were heavy and extremely difficult to move.
The moment he showed any intention of dragging them, Gu Qinghuan shot him a disappointed look.
“That will wear down the bottom, and it’ll get dirty too. Can you think of another way?”
Wei Xiao had no choice but to figure something out. After searching around, he found a trolley in the student council storage room, lined it with newspapers, and with great effort lifted the sofas onto it. Then he pushed them outside, found a suitable step, and leaned them against it to sun.
After moving all three, even though it was still February, he was drenched in sweat. He had already taken off his school jacket.
Once he finished the last one, he completely gave up on maintaining his usual image. He sat down by the steps, panting heavily.
Just as he was thinking about how to get back at Gu Qinghuan for today’s suffering, a shadow fell over him.
Gu Qinghuan handed him a bottle of mineral water—the same leftover from the student council interview—and said sincerely:
“Thanks for your hard work.”
Under normal circumstances, Wei Xiao wouldn’t even glance at such water. But now he was hot and thirsty, so he took it without thinking, twisted the cap open, and drank.
The cool water slid down his throat, and he immediately felt much better. Even his irritation toward Gu Qinghuan eased a little.
A student council member passing by greeted Gu Qinghuan:
“Qinghuan, airing out your ‘nests’ again?”
Those three sofas in her office were quite famous in the student council. Many people had even come to check them out and ended up buying their own.
“Yeah, taking advantage of the good weather,” Gu Qinghuan replied casually.
And once the greetings started, they didn’t stop.
At noon, people were constantly coming and going. Almost every student council member who passed by greeted her. Those with time chatted for a bit; those in a hurry still waved or nodded with a smile.
Wei Xiao’s eyes widened.
When there was finally no one around, he asked in disbelief:
“You’re this popular in the student council?”
“Not really. We just all know each other. Isn’t it normal to say hello?” Gu Qinghuan replied lightly.
Normal?
To Wei Xiao, this was anything but normal.
In his worldview, if there was no benefit, he would never bother interacting with someone like Gu Qinghuan.
But he approached her for the student council list—so what were these people getting out of it? It was completely beyond his understanding.
Still, it made him more cautious in how he treated her.
The noon session passed like that.
After school, Gu Qinghuan even went to Class Two to remind him to help move the sofas back.
The “capybaras” of Class Two were completely confused:
Wait—wasn’t Wei Xiao the one asking Qinghuan for help? Why was he the one doing the heavy lifting? Wasn’t the logic reversed?
Wei Xiao felt his blood boil, but in front of so many classmates, he couldn’t just walk away without damaging his image. So he went back and moved all three sofas again.
This time, Gu Qinghuan helped a little.
To be fair, it did make things easier for him.
He even began to think—
Maybe Gu Qinghuan really was just simple-minded. Straightforward. That stunt at the classroom door earlier might not have been intentional.
And perhaps the student council liked that kind of personality too. After all, wasn’t it said that the more scheming someone was, the more they preferred being around people without ulterior motives? It was easier, less exhausting.
But after a whole day of suffering, Wei Xiao had had enough.
Before getting into his car, he said:
“I have something else to do tomorrow, so I won’t come find you. I’ll contact you when I have time.”
Without waiting for her reply, he rolled up the window and left.
Gu Qinghuan stood there and clicked her tongue.
She hadn’t expected that on just the first day, he would already give up. She had even been thinking about what tasks to assign him tomorrow.
Still, this was fine.
Why waste effort on Wei Xiao? With that time, she could do something more worthwhile.
On the bus home, she posted about the day’s events in their small group chat.
Jiang Chuchu sent several thumbs-up emojis:
[Well done.]
Gu Qinghuan replied:
[Our “nests” are much fluffier now. Since Wei Xiao won’t come tomorrow, come rest at my place at noon!]
Yu Xin was about to reply when the car stopped. The driver opened the door, so she had to put her phone away and get out together with Yu Yuan.
Since the start of this semester, they had been commuting together in the same car.
Although the driver was present and they couldn’t act too close, they could still chat normally.
After all, the driver was paid by Yu Wenli and Cui Wanning—Yu Xin couldn’t be sure whether he would report their interactions, so it was better to be cautious.
The two entered the house side by side.
Yu Wenxiu, who was waiting at the door, took their schoolbags and said to Yu Yuan:
“The red bean glutinous rice balls I promised yesterday are ready. Would you like some now?”
Yu Yuan’s eyes lit up immediately, and she nodded.
She had gotten her period two days ago. Although she didn’t have cramps, she had always been somewhat deficient in qi and blood, so she lacked energy during this time.
Seeing her pale complexion, Yu Wenxiu had been worried sick.
Yu Yuan, touched but not wanting to trouble her, had simply said she wanted something sweet—so today, Yu Wenxiu prepared this for her.
Yu Xin planned to have a bowl later after finishing her homework.
Yu Yuan, however, happily took a bowl at just the right temperature and sat on the sofa, scooping a spoonful into her mouth.
The red beans, cooked until soft and broken down, were both sandy and sticky, melting with a gentle press of the tongue.
Though a slightly grainy texture remained, the added lotus root starch wrapped it all together, making it go down smoothly—like melted jelly.
The white glutinous rice balls, soaked in the red bean soup, were tinged with a faint red hue. Soft yet chewy, they carried a subtle sweetness distinct from the beans.
After finishing the warm bowl, Yu Yuan’s complexion visibly improved.
Yu Wenxiu had only given her a small portion, worried she might not be used to it. But Yu Yuan wanted more.
Just as she handed the bowl back, before she could speak—
Cui Wanning’s voice rang out:
“Yu Yuan, what did you just eat?”
Before she could answer, Cui Wanning had already walked over. Seeing the red bean paste left on the bowl, she frowned.
“Didn’t I tell you to eat less sweets?” her tone was stern. “They make you gain weight and get acne. No one will like you like that.”
Yu Wenxiu tightened her grip on the bowl.
“Madam Cui, she only had a small bowl, and she’s still growing—”
Cui Wanning shot her a cold glance.
“This isn’t your place to speak.”
Yu Yuan clenched her palms and said softly:
“I understand, Mom. It was my fault. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Cui Wanning nodded in satisfaction.
“You need to pay attention to your image. It determines people’s first impression of you.”
“Mm,” Yu Yuan responded.
But first impressions don’t last forever.
And impressions based on appearance are influenced by personal bias.
Like someone afraid of snakes—even the most beautifully patterned one would still be avoided.
She wanted to say these things.
But she couldn’t.
What Cui Wanning wanted was not explanation or argument—but obedience.
She had known this for a long time.
All she could hope was that after admitting fault, the topic would end—and that Yu Wenxiu wouldn’t be blamed.
Later, when they were alone, she would quietly tell her:
The red bean glutinous rice balls were really delicious.
She liked them very much.
