Having finished the last sip of hot water in her teacup, Wang Qiqi stood up, intending to wash the cup and then head home; walking would take half an hour, which was perfect, especially since she hadn't exercised today because of making sushi.

Shi Man also packed up her schoolbag. Most of today's tasks were complete; as for the remaining problems, they would have to wait until tomorrow, though whether she’d come tomorrow was still up in the air.

While packing, Zhu Lina considered whether she should just ask about tomorrow. If she didn't come, there would still be so many things she wouldn't understand. Would she really have to wait until Monday morning to rush to school to copy notes? Although she could borrow someone’s notebook, Zhu Lina really wanted to figure out the reasoning behind the problems herself. But no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure out how to bring it up.

After washing the cup and putting it into her bag, Wang Qiqi said, "Let's go. We'll meet here at the usual time tomorrow." Although she wasn't deeply familiar with Zhu Lina, her performance today was good. Fine, since she needed to avoid her aunt and the others anyway, she might as well be nice to her; going to Shi Man’s house was something Wang Qiqi was rather reluctant about.

Upon hearing they would come again tomorrow, Zhu Lina looked up in delight, "Really? May I come too?"

Shi Man glanced at the somewhat clueless look on Zhu Lina’s face and scoffed, "If we didn't let you come, would you stay away?" She was ridiculously slow. Besides, if she truly didn't want to see her, there would have been no need to say anything, "I don't want to see any boring people other than you."

Zhu Lina certainly knew that. She nodded, "I know, I know. I’ll bring some delicious pastries tomorrow." From chatting during their lunch break, Zhu Lina understood that to save time, Wang Qiqi and Shi Man wouldn't agree to go out to eat even if she offered to treat them. Also, they didn't want to be seen by classmates at school; she knew that Gao Kai’s group occasionally came to this place to review their lessons too.

Zhu Lina was aware of the relationship between Wang Qiqi and Gao Kai, but she couldn't figure out why Qiqi’s relationship with him hadn’t been as good since she returned to school after taking a two-week leave. Even when Gao Kai humbled himself to approach Qiqi in class, she acted as if she didn't see him. This thoroughly confused Zhu Lina. It wasn't that no one suggested perhaps they had moved their relationship to a lower gear—she had thought so too—but now it seemed everyone’s guesses were wrong; Qiqi must genuinely not be on good terms with Gao Kai.

"Deal. Bring more nice snacks tomorrow. Skip the chocolates, bring more fruit. As for me, I’m just here for the free food; don't expect me to bring anything," Shi Man stated unapologetically. Of course, only she had the standing to speak like that; if it were Zhu Lina, she wouldn't have the nerve to say it, or Shi Man wouldn't be so polite.

Wang Qiqi looked at the utterly unrestrained Shi Man and felt speechless, not wanting to engage with her. "I recall someone brought something stinky but delicious, why are you suddenly unwilling to share now?"

Shi Man heard this and remembered—oh yes, she had brought durian. Of course, she wouldn’t admit that she was thinking of taking it home to slowly eat if nobody remembered it. Even though the smell was truly awful, it was delicious enough. "Qiqi, you really won't eat any? Don't you eat stinky tofu?"

Shi Man pulled a lunchbox from her bag. The moment the box was opened, the few boys sitting leisurely nearby immediately scooted away, not forgetting to pinch their noses as they glanced at what was inside—how could something smell so potent?

Wang Qiqi watched the boys quickly retreating to the side and laughed inwardly. If she had known durian was this effective, she would have brought it out sooner.

Shi Man was focused on the delicacy before her and didn't care what others thought. "Lina, have some. It's really good."

Zhu Lina was equally unreserved, picking up a piece and eating it. "Not bad, quite good. I think I have another durian at home; I’ll bring some tomorrow." She hadn't known Shi Man liked eating this before, or she would have brought some earlier to share. Too bad Wang Qiqi didn't like it, but it didn't matter; she liked stinky tofu too. "Qiqi, I know a place that has excellent stinky tofu, especially the sauce—it’s absolutely delicious."

Zhu Lina’s love for durian suggested to Wang Qiqi that she had a high probability of enjoying stinky tofu as well. Now it seemed her intuition was correct. "Great! Is it that stall run by the middle-aged couple in the small alley?"

Zhu Lina was surprised that Wang Qiqi also knew about that place; she had only found it by chance one time when passing by. "That's the one. Qiqi, you've eaten it too?"

Wang Qiqi nodded, excitedly describing to Zhu Lina how delicious the stinky tofu from that particular stall was. Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, then at Zhu Lina, feeling a little upset, as if the two of them were somehow excluding her. "Qiqi, how come I never knew about that stinky tofu stall?" She clearly enjoyed it too; why hadn't Qiqi ever taken her to try it? That was too much.

Wang Qiqi was momentarily speechless. She forgot that she had only gotten to know that stinky tofu stall during her third year of high school, a time when her relationship with Shi Man wasn't as close. "I came across it by chance. I intended to take you, but unfortunately, that’s when my parents had their accident..."

Shi Man, who had been unhappy about Wang Qiqi not involving her in good things, immediately forgot her displeasure upon realizing the circumstances that kept her away. She stopped eating and quickly said, "It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll go eat it when we have time later. How about we go today?" The weather was nice today, truly suitable for eating out, and besides, they had spent the entire day diligently studying in the library—they had certainly exceeded their goals; going out for a snack was deserved.

Going today? As a fellow foodie, Zhu Lina naturally agreed. Truthfully, she hadn't been there in a while either, but she knew it depended on Wang Qiqi's approval.

Wang Qiqi was on her own; no one would question when she went home, and she wasn't particularly craving stinky tofu. However, after the detailed descriptions, the craving bug had certainly been stirred up. "Deal, but it seems a bit far. How about we just have dinner out instead?" By the time they went there for stinky tofu and strolled home, it would be past 6:30. It was better to make it livelier and eat dinner together. "Xiao Man, Lina, are you both okay with that?"

Zhu Lina didn't mind; her parents rarely came home anyway. "I'll just call back and let them know."

Good, one settled. The remaining person was someone whose availability was uncertain. It wasn't that the Shi family parents were overly strict with Shi Man; rather, they were busy with work and hoped for everyone to be present when they did have time for a family meal.

Shi Man nodded. "I was planning to handle my own food today anyway; there’s no meal for me at home." She was supposed to have dinner with her family today, but a last-minute dinner engagement came up, and her parents had to go out to entertain guests. They had intended to bring Shi Man along, saying she could meet some elders, but Shi Man politely declined, citing her need to study.

"Perfect, our little trio of foodies is officially formed. Let’s go," Wang Qiqi declared in a very manly gesture, waving her hand.

"Great, let's eat at several spots today." Shi Man had long wanted to try more delicious street snacks but had never found the opportunity. Today was the chance to indulge, and with three people, they could order one of everything and sample more items.

"Yes, we must eat until we burst this time," Shi Man declared with great ambition.

Zhu Lina kept listing the snacks she considered delicious, making Shi Man drool and even making Wang Qiqi feel a bit hungry. She hadn't expected Zhu Lina to know so many specialty snacks, even knowing about good eats in super remote corners. It would be a waste if this girl didn't become a culinary expert in the future. Moreover, unlike the current era with developed networks and transportation, knowing about these places now was not easy; it showed how much time this girl had invested in this pursuit.

Shi Man looked at Zhu Lina with great envy. After a long pause, she sighed, "I’m so jealous. Your parents are wonderful; they don't constantly pressure you to study hard." Her own parents often frowned and said her grades weren't good enough, even though they treated her well and gave her plenty of money. The key issue was that she hadn't had such a leisurely outing just for the sake of eating in a long time.

Wang Qiqi also nodded. "Zhu Lina, your family is really good to you."

Zhu Lina smiled faintly. "It’s alright, I guess." They were very good to her; they would give her whatever she liked and take her traveling. But they were too busy. "Okay, should we take a taxi or walk over?"

"Taxi," Shi Man quickly interjected. She remembered that the place with the stinky tofu seemed quite far from here; how long would it take to walk there?

Wang Qiqi disagreed. "I remember several places Lina mentioned are along the route to the stinky tofu spot. Why don't we walk and eat along the way?" That way, they could get some exercise and eat good food simultaneously.

Shi Man wasn't too happy hearing they had to walk, knowing it meant covering a long distance, which someone lacking exercise might not handle well.

"Let's go. You’ll get to try lots of good food. Didn't you hear what Lina just said?" Wang Qiqi prodded Shi Man again.

Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, then at the slightly plump Zhu Lina, thinking she shouldn't even lose to a chubby person in a walk. "Fine. But I absolutely must eat tons and tons of delicious things."

Wang Qiqi gave an 'OK' gesture. Today, she also planned to let loose. Since coming back to life, Wang Qiqi had been constantly tense. If Shi Man hadn't occasionally injected some lighthearted banter, she would have forgotten her own age.

"Don't worry, there are actually a few nice little bakeries along the way, and a few thrift shops with some very interesting items," Zhu Lina said, delighted to share some of her little secrets with Wang Qiqi and Shi Man.