The very next morning, Shi Man dragged Julina to a nearby wet market to buy a mountain of groceries. Watching Shi Man aggressively haggle over chicken feet while clutching chicken wings and drumsticks, Julina asked, "There are only four of us eating; do we really need this much?"

"Did I say we have to finish it all today?" Shi Man retorted. "We go back to school the day after tomorrow. I plan to take some back with me." Even just as snacks in the dorm would be fine. Shi Man turned and went back to grabbing chicken feet after saying this. She had it all planned: letting Qiqi slow-braise them all day in the marinade today, and they'd be perfectly ready to pack up and take back tomorrow afternoon.

Take them back to school? Julina looked at what she was holding; buying this much didn't seem like a lot. "Buy more chicken feet. I love chicken feet."

"I know. Qiqi likes chicken feet too." Shi Man managed to secure four or five jin of chicken feet. She knew that if she wanted to find out if Qiqi would finally agree to do some work, she had to present Qiqi with her favorite thing—only then would she be motivated to act.

"Oh, while we're here, let's see if they have any chicken livers. Qiqi can make that too," Julina suddenly remembered. That was another good item.

The two of them shopped as if the goods were free, grabbing and grabbing. When they finally finished their spree and stood at the entrance of the market, they stared blankly, looking at each other. "With all this stuff, how are we getting back?"

Taking a taxi was out of the question. The distance home wasn't that far. For one, who would even agree to take them? Even if they found a car, what would the neighbors, especially the old professors from school, think if they saw them?

"Lina, I regret this. We should have called Qiqi," Shi Man said, looking worriedly at the large bags piled at her feet. "Should I call Qiqi?"

Wang Qiqi lay in bed. Although she was awake, she still didn't want to get up, just staring out the window, lost in thought. Just then, the house phone rang. Wang Qiqi initially assumed someone else would answer, but the phone kept ringing insistently.

Helpless, Wang Qiqi finally dragged herself up to answer the call, a call she immediately regretted. She expected some kind of emergency, but when she heard it was Shi Man and Julina—they’d bought too many groceries and couldn't carry them, needing her help—Wang Qiqi found it strange. It was only for four people; how much food could they possibly buy?

Even with her doubts, Wang Qiqi had no choice but to get up, quickly wash up, and hurry to the wet market. When she was still fifty or sixty meters from the agreed-upon spot, Wang Qiqi spotted the two beauties resting a few large bags down. "Heavens, are they planning a huge feast?"

Wang Qiqi mumbled to herself as she walked over. Shi Man and Julina were acting like carefree students, sipping soy milk while munching on steamed buns, just about to wonder why Qiqi hadn't arrived yet, when Wang Qiqi appeared. "Why did you buy so much food? You aren't planning on inviting your roommates over, are you?"

Shi Man shook her head, scoffing at the idea. Why invite them over? What if they decided to shower or stay the night? "It's all for what we're eating today, of course. And I specifically bought extra so we can eat it when we go back to school tomorrow, including some for Han Tao."

Julina, smiling, handed the still-warm buns and soy milk to Wang Qiqi. You had to feed the person you were about to put to work, after all; otherwise, how could she carry anything? Wang Qiqi looked at the bun Julina offered, feeling a surge of excitement inside her. Before she could even utter a word of thanks, she heard Julina chime in from the side, "Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, we can start carrying things back."

Well, Wang Qiqi looked at the bun and soy milk in her hands. If she didn't understand the situation now, she’d be a complete idiot. "Just for this little bit of food, you're sending me off?" That was too cheap.

"Be grateful you're getting anything at all. We bought plenty of delicious things; it will be enough for lunch and dinner," Shi Man said, swallowing the last bite of her bun. She patted her stomach, which wasn't very full, then looked at the bun in Wang Qiqi’s hand. After a moment’s thought, she decided not to eat any more. She knew there were better things planned for lunch, and she didn't want to miss out on such a lavish meal.

Wang Qiqi watched Shi Man withdraw her gaze, then noticed her hand resting protectively over her stomach. "Buy two more buns, then," she requested. Eat more now; that meant an easier time later at noon.

Shi Man gave Wang Qiqi a weary look. "Hurry up and eat; we’re leaving."

The three of them walked home slowly, lugging all those large bags. By the time they reached the apartment, deep red indentations had been carved into all three of their palms by the handles. "I'm exhausted. Qiqi, we bought all this stuff; are we eating it for lunch?"

"Noodles," Wang Qiqi yawned, cutting off Shi Man's impending complaint before it started. "Save some room for the good stuff tonight. I’ll put the chicken feet and livers into the marinade right now, and we can eat them by the afternoon."

Shi Man was initially dissatisfied, but upon hearing Wang Qiqi's plan, how could she possibly object? "Great, great! I bought chicken wings too." Chicken wings were one of Shi Man's favorite chicken parts.

"I know. I'll even prepare some of the drumsticks," Wang Qiqi suddenly remembered that she could make a dessert. "I'll go back to the supermarket in the afternoon and buy some mangoes."

It was a shame there was no oven here. Otherwise, Wang Qiqi felt she could occasionally whip up some cakes. But now, if people wanted cake, they were accustomed to buying it from a shop rather than baking it themselves. Of course, modern vendors probably weren't so unscrupulous as to use bad ingredients, but Wang Qiqi, having often baked cakes and bread in her previous life, found it reassuring to make her own, and it saved money. She could share it with colleagues, fostering relationships without paying exorbitant prices for store-bought pastries. Truthfully, since her rebirth, Wang Qiqi had been too busy securing her family fortune, then cramming for the Gaokao, and next figuring out how to expand her assets. She hadn't truly dwelled on the small details of cooking. Now that she had some free time, Wang Qiqi felt it was necessary to sharpen her culinary skills.

"Buy mangoes?" Shi Man said thoughtfully. "See if they have any oranges and apples too." They could make some fruit for the evening. "Get some salad dressing while you're at it; I'll make a dish too." Shi Man figured that was the only thing she knew how to cook. The main appeal was that the dish was simple, quick, and it avoided the oily smoke that Shi Man detested the most.

"Okay, I got it. Shall we go together in the afternoon?" Wang Qiqi nodded, signaling she understood. However, with this itinerary, she realized she might need an assistant.

"I'm going to take a nap. I woke up early, and you know I’ve been liking my afternoon naps lately," Shi Man declared her afternoon schedule first, making it clear she was unavailable to go out.

"We can wait until you wake up." Wang Qiqi was determined to make Shi Man go out and shop. Hmph, if Shi Man hadn't instigated Julina and her to go out this early, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have been forced to act as manual labor, nor would she have this pile of ingredients waiting for her to process. Although the work itself was simple—setting up the marinade and dropping in the ingredients, waiting a few hours for the final product—the issue was that Wang Qiqi was used to making small batches previously. Tackling this large volume of marinated goods would require her to repeat the process countless times just to get it done.

The thought of being busy with these things for the entire afternoon, or maybe even the evening, made Wang Qiqi want to vomit. While she did enjoy eating marinated goods, she certainly didn't want to become someone whose sole business was making them. "How about I just buy the mangoes then? But if you guys are willing to help me run errands this afternoon, I can make something delicious later." Wang Qiqi murmured suggestively.

"Something delicious?" Shi Man pondered for a moment. "Does that mean if I don't go shopping, there won't be anything good to eat?" Shi Man thought she could probably still eat well even if she skipped buying fruit, but she asked anyway, worried about whether Qiqi had all the necessary ingredients for the dish she was planning.

"Yes." Wang Qiqi picked up a piece of paper, thought for a moment, and listed the ingredients she needed. "If you don't go, the gourmet food will have to wait until I’m in a better mood next time."

To make something delicious, Wang Qiqi always felt she needed the right inspiration. If she hadn't suddenly thought today about making a mango-based dessert—which was relatively easy—she wouldn't know when she’d attempt this particular dessert again if she missed this chance.

Shi Man became anxious when she heard this. "Next time I'm in a better mood"? She knew Wang Qiqi was often in a good mood, but when it involved getting her to exert herself, it was rare. Still, Qiqi was usually willing to make stews. "I'll go, I'll go buy them!" Shi Man wasn't worried Wang Qiqi was trying to trick them. "Will it be good?"

"Delicious. It will include your favorite fruit, and no, it won't be fruit stewed in water," Wang Qiqi knew Shi Man wouldn't approve of fruit stewed in plain water.

Shi Man's eyes lit up at the mention of a fruit dessert. Connecting it to Wang Qiqi’s earlier comment about buying mangoes, she asked, "Is it something related to mangoes?"

Wang Qiqi nodded. "Yes. It's really good. I tried it a few times when my parents and I traveled to Guangzhou, and my mom made it a few times too." Wang Qiqi offered a silent apology to her mother in her heart; there was no other plausible excuse for why she knew how to make it.

Shi Man accepted this easily. Qiqi often traveled with her parents during school breaks, and given Uncle Wang's job, he frequently traveled for business, often taking Qiqi along during holidays. "It must be delicious then."

Wang Qiqi nodded again. "Don't worry; it will definitely be delicious." She had made it once or twice before (in her previous life), and the flavor was quite good. "Relax. Even if this first attempt isn't perfect, I’ll make it delicious in the future."

Shi Man finally understood. "So, this is the first time you’re making it?" Shi Man felt she should reconsider, but then she thought that if Qiqi herself vouched for it, she really shouldn't miss out. Besides, if this one wasn't great, she could just make it a few more times until it was perfected. "Fine, but you have to take it seriously!"