After Wang Qiqi finished the last drop of hot water in her teacup, she stood up, planning to rinse it before heading home; getting home in half an hour would be perfect, and she hadn't exercised today because she was making sushi.

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

While packing, Zhu Lina wondered if she should ask about tomorrow. If she didn't come, there were still so many things she wouldn't understand. Did she have to go early Monday morning to copy notes? While she could borrow notebooks, Zhu Lina really wanted to figure out why the problems were solved the way they were. But after thinking it over and over, she couldn't find the right way to ask.

Wang Qiqi washed her cup and put it in her bag. "Let's go. Let's meet here at the usual time tomorrow." Although she didn't know Zhu Lina deeply, her performance today was good. Forget it, she had to avoid her aunt and the others anyway, so she might as well play nice. Besides, going to Shi Man’s house was something Wang Qiqi was a little reluctant about.

Upon hearing they would come again tomorrow, Zhu Lina looked up in surprise. "Really? Can I come too?"

Shi Man glanced at the idiotic look on Zhu Lina's face and snorted. "If we told you not to come, would you actually stay away?" She was incredibly dense. Besides, if she didn't want to see her, there was no need to say that. "I don't want to see any other boring people besides you."

Zhu Lina certainly knew that. She nodded. "I know, I know. I'll bring some delicious pastries tomorrow." Through chats during their midday break, Zhu Lina knew that to save time, even if she offered to treat them out for a meal, Wang Qiqi and the others wouldn't agree to go out to eat. Plus, they didn't want to be seen by classmates at school; she heard that Gao Kai’s group occasionally came here to study too.

Zhu Lina knew the relationship between Wang Qiqi and Gao Kai. What she couldn't figure out was why Qiqi's relationship with Gao Kai hadn't been as good since she returned to school after taking a half-month leave. Even when Gao Kai shamelessly came to Qiqi's desk in class, she acted as if she didn't see him. This genuinely confused her. It wasn't that no one suggested perhaps they had taken their relationship "underground"; she had thought so too. But now it seemed everyone's guesses were wrong; Qiqi must truly not be on good terms with Gao Kai.

"Fine, bring lots of good stuff tomorrow. Forget those chocolates; bring more fruit. As for me, I'm just here to eat free food; don't expect me to bring anything," Shi Man said bluntly. Of course, she could only say this to Wang Qiqi; if it were Zhu Lina, she wouldn't have the standing to speak like that, or Shi Man wouldn't be so polite.

Wang Qiqi looked at the utterly unapologetic Shi Man and couldn't be bothered with certain people. "I seem to recall someone brought something smelly but delicious. Why are you suddenly unwilling to share?"

Shi Man heard this and thought, Oh, right, I brought durian. Of course, she wouldn't admit she was hoping if nobody brought it up, she could take it home to eat slowly. Even though the smell was truly awful, it tasted good! "Qiqi, you really won't eat it? Don't you eat stinky tofu?"

Shi Man pulled out a lunchbox from her bag. The moment the lid opened, the few boys sitting slowly near the three of them immediately scurried away. They didn't forget to pinch their noses as they peeked at what was in the box—how could something smell so lethal?

Wang Qiqi watched the boys flash past and secretly laughed, wishing she had brought out the durian sooner if she’d known it was so powerful.

Shi Man didn't care about the reactions of those around her; the delicacy was right there. "Lina, try some, it's really good."

Zhu Lina was equally unrestrained and took a piece immediately. "Not bad, quite good. I think I have another durian at home; I'll bring some tomorrow." She hadn't known Shi Man liked this before; otherwise, she would have brought it sooner to share. It was a shame Wang Qiqi didn't like it, but that was fine—she also liked stinky tofu. "Qiqi, I know a place with really good stinky tofu, especially the sauce, it’s absolutely amazing."

Zhu Lina loved durian, so Wang Qiqi was sure she'd like stinky tofu, and it seemed her hunch was correct. "Great, is it the stall run by that middle-aged couple in the small alley?"

Zhu Lina was surprised that Wang Qiqi even knew that place. She had only found out about it by chance one time when passing by. "Yes, that’s the one! Qiqi, you've had it before?"

Wang Qiqi nodded, excitedly telling Zhu Lina how delicious the stinky tofu from that stall was. Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, then at Zhu Lina, feeling a bit unhappy, sensing that the two of them seemed to be excluding her. "Qiqi, why didn't I know about that stinky tofu stand?" She liked it too; why had Qiqi never taken her? That was too much.

Wang Qiqi was momentarily speechless. She had forgotten that she only got to know about that stinky tofu stand in their third year of high school, a time when her relationship with Shi Man wasn't as close as it was now. "I stumbled upon it by chance too. I was going to take you, but unfortunately, I ran into my parents’ accident..."

Shi Man, who had been unhappy that Wang Qiqi hadn't brought her along for something good, immediately stopped feeling upset upon hearing the reason why she hadn't been taken. She quickly said, "It's fine, it's fine. Let's go eat it when we have time later. How about we go today?" The weather was nice today, perfect for eating out. Besides, they had studied diligently in the library all day, so they had more than exceeded their goals; going out for a snack was deserved.

Eat today? As a foodie, Zhu Lina naturally agreed. To be honest, she hadn't been there in a while either, but she knew they needed Wang Qiqi’s approval.

Wang Qiqi was on her own; no one would question when she went home. Moreover, she wasn't particularly craving stinky tofu, but after the detailed descriptions, the craving had definitely been awakened in her stomach. "Alright, but it seems a bit far. How about we just have dinner out instead?" If they went all the way there just for stinky tofu, it would be past 6:30 by the time they ambled home. It was better to make it livelier and eat dinner together. "Xiao Man, Lina, are you two okay with that?"

Zhu Lina was fine with anything; her parents were rarely home anyway. "I’ll just call back to let them know."

Good, one settled. The remaining one was whether Shi Man had time. It wasn't that the Shi family parents were overly strict with Shi Man, but they were usually busy with work, so they hoped for everyone to be present when they had time for a family meal.

Shi Man nodded. "I was planning to sort out my own food today; there's no meal for me at home." She was supposed to eat with her family today, but they had a last-minute engagement and needed to entertain guests. They had initially wanted to bring Shi Man along to meet some elders, but Shi Man politely declined, citing her need to review her studies.

"Perfect. Our little trio of foodies is officially formed. Let's move out," Wang Qiqi declared, making a grand gesture like a seasoned pro.

"Yes! Let’s try a bunch of stalls today!" Shi Man had long wanted to eat more street snacks outside but never found the opportunity. Today, she would seize the chance to eat more. With three people, they could order one of everything and try even more dishes.

"Deal! We have to eat until we burst today," Shi Man declared with great ambition.

Zhu Lina kept listing the snacks she considered delicious, making Shi Man drool and even making Wang Qiqi slightly hungry. However, she was surprised that Zhu Lina knew so many specialty snacks—even ones in super obscure corners. It would be a waste if this girl didn't become a culinary expert later on. Moreover, it wasn't as easy to know about these places now as it would be in later generations with developed internet and transportation. This showed how much time the girl had dedicated to this pursuit.

Shi Man looked at Zhu Lina with great envy, then sighed after a while. "I’m so jealous. Your parents are so nice; they don't constantly force you to study hard." Her own parents often frowned when looking at her grades, saying they weren't good enough. While they were kind and gave her plenty of money, the key issue was that she hadn't had such a leisurely time going out just to eat something good in a long time.

Wang Qiqi also nodded. "Zhu Lina, your family treats you so well."

Zhu Lina smiled. "It's alright." They were very good to her; they gave her whatever she liked and took her traveling. But they were truly too busy. "Okay, should we take a cab or walk over?"

"Take a cab," Shi Man cut in quickly. She remembered the place with the stinky tofu seemed quite far from here. How long would it take to walk there?

Wang Qiqi didn't agree. "I remember several places Lina just mentioned are on the route to the stinky tofu place. Why don't we walk and eat along the way?" That way, they could get some exercise and eat delicious things.

Shi Man wasn't too happy hearing about walking; it meant covering a lot of ground, and the unexercised one might not be able to handle it.

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

Shi Man looked at Wang Qiqi, then at the slightly chubby Zhu Lina, thinking she couldn't possibly lose a walk to someone who was overweight. "Fine. But I must eat tons and tons of good stuff."

Wang Qiqi made an OK gesture. Today, she also intended to let loose. Ever since she was reborn, Wang Qiqi had been constantly tense. If Shi Man hadn't occasionally lightened the mood with her playful banter, she might have forgotten her own age.

"Don't worry. Actually, there are a few more nice little shops and some foreign trade stores along this route, which have some very interesting things," Zhu Lina added, happy to share her little secrets with Wang Qiqi and the others.