Shi Man stood in the courtyard, looking at the already prepared barbecue tools, and more importantly, the meat, vegetables, and mushrooms waiting beside them. She could only feel her stomach sounding an alarm. "Oh, why haven't Wang Qiqi and the others come back yet?" It must be nearly five o'clock. Even if they were shopping, they would have returned by now, especially since Qiqi wasn't that enthusiastic about shopping. As for other places, Shi Man mused that for a homebody like her, those were daunting tasks.

After dismissing the possibility of shopping, or shopping this late, a thought struck her. "Could they have not left the house all day?" This possibility wasn't zero; people who haven't seen each other in a long time could certainly be overly enthusiastic.

Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong didn't know how to answer this topic, so they wisely kept quiet. Shi Hongrui chimed in from the side, "I think so too, but the problem is, even if they aren't back, they should at least call us," telling everyone not to wait for them. As for how they handled lunch and dinner, sorry, that wasn't their concern. Furthermore, if they had money, that was even less of an issue; there were restaurants and fast-food places, absolutely enough choices. Of course, it was also possible they were so engrossed in each other that they skipped meals entirely.

Shi Man and Shi Hongrui shared the same view, and their conversation grew livelier. Moreover, since their backs were to the road, they couldn't see Wang Qiqi and Han Tao approaching.

Wang Qiqi, standing at the courtyard gate, overheard what Shi Man was saying. Although it was in Chinese and wouldn't be understood by passing foreigners, hearing the way they spoke, Wang Qiqi felt that if she didn't appear soon, her reputation...

"Ahem, ahem." Wang Qiqi coughed a few times to signal her arrival. Han Tao behind her showed no signs of blushing. To him, what Shi Man and the others were saying were just speculations, with no basis in fact. Of course, he secretly wished things had gone as Shi Man described, but the problem was, the other party wasn't cooperating; he couldn't manage it alone.

Actually, Shi Man and Shi Hongrui hadn't said anything serious, just briefly discussed why Qiqi and the others were late, perhaps due to that kind of activity. They never expected that their conversation would be overheard by Qiqi from behind them. Shi Man had only one thought: caught again. Sigh, she felt she wasn't just unlucky lately; she was exceedingly unlucky.

"Qiqi, you're here! We've got everything ready; we can start barbecuing." Shi Man nimbly grabbed the already skewered meat and began grilling. "You two must be tired today; I'll handle the barbecue." Since they were caught red-handed anyway, Shi Man still wanted to know why they were late.

"We went to tour the school we’ll be attending. The highlight was checking out the cafeteria. Then, a half-day bus tour." Wang Qiqi dutifully recounted their day's itinerary.

Shi Man and the others stopped grilling when they heard Qiqi say they visited the school and even ate there, turning to look at Wang Qiqi. They desperately wanted to know about the food quality, as this concerned everyone's welfare for the coming year! If the food was good and reasonably priced, it would certainly boost their motivation to study.

"There was a lot of food in the cafeteria. As for my review, I think you'll have to taste it yourselves to know if it’s good or bad." Wang Qiqi truly found it hard to judge this matter. In short, she decided that if time permitted, she would rather bring her own lunch. It wasn't necessarily about saving money but about her stomach. As for how others felt, Wang Qiqi wouldn't pry; it would be best if the rest of them ate at school.

Shi Man hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to eat school food, but it probably wasn't very good. Otherwise, Qiqi would have surely said the taste was excellent instead of telling them to judge for themselves. "Oh, we'll know after trying a meal tomorrow." Still, she had already made up her mind: she'd follow Qiqi’s lead when the time came. Following Qiqi always meant good food—that's what Song Yao told her, and she'd confirmed it through practice. "Right, you said a half-day bus tour, so why did you dawdle until now?" Shi Man asked curiously. Even if Qiqi didn't know the way and got lost, Han Tao was right there. He couldn't possibly lose track of time, could he? In Shi Man's mind, it still sounded like Wang Qiqi and the others slept in late, perhaps not getting up until past noon, then grabbed lunch at the school before touring it—that fit all the conjectures.

Wang Qiqi knew Shi Man would ask this. Annoyed, she pulled out her digital camera. "These are photos I took today; you can check the timestamps." She was thankful she had brought the camera. Originally, Wang Qiqi had planned to take more photos with Han Tao, but in the end, it ended up being mostly scenery and architecture. According to her preference, her presence in photos ruined the beauty of the real thing. To avoid spoiling such lovely scenery, Qiqi decided against taking commemorative photos, but now it seemed she made the right choice.

Seeing how calm Wang Qiqi looked, Shi Man wondered if they had genuinely woken up early. Thinking of this, she felt awkward about taking the camera. "Oh, never mind, I won't look! What if there are some eye-popping photos in there? I’d certainly cry my eyes out."

Since the person didn't want to see the photos, Wang Qiqi certainly wouldn't insist. "You're the one who won't look." Wang Qiqi put the digital camera away and immediately snatched a chicken wing from Shi Man's hand to give to Han Tao. "Hey, we worked hard all day; shouldn't we eat first?" Wang Qiqi really didn't want to recall the taste of lunch. Having low standards was one thing, but she had compared the prices to the food quality and genuinely found it outrageous.

Shi Man was speechless at the near-robbery-like action.

"Han Tao, look at your wife, what has she become? Not ladylike at all. I think you should enroll your wife in a finishing school. Since she’s studying in the UK anyway, she could take an extra two years and turn into a proper lady."

A finishing school? Wang Qiqi shivered. "Forget it. I’m a long way from being a lady. Besides, if I had to take that kind of finishing course, I’d probably turn into a mannequin, where every move had to conform to rules..." Wang Qiqi felt a chill just thinking about becoming someone wearing a mask. Although she wore a metaphorical mask now, it was far better than that; her expression control wasn't perfect either. "Han Tao, you wouldn't want me to be like that, would you?"

Han Tao shivered, his expression oddly strained. "I prefer Qiqi just the way you are now—real." Han Tao recalled a scene he witnessed while having dinner with colleagues the other day, and the thought of Qiqi being in a similar situation in the future terrified him. "Besides, how many women nowadays are true ladies? We aren't from a super-wealthy family. Knowing etiquette is enough." Han Tao thought that the more Qiqi learned, the more attention she would attract, and he didn't want to invite unnecessary admirers. Maintaining her current state was better.

Both Shi Man and Wang Qiqi noticed that Han Tao had looked strange for a brief moment. Shi Man shot Wang Qiqi a look, signaling her to ask him later. His reaction was a bit off; it certainly wasn't the kind of reaction expected when discussing a finishing school for Qiqi.

"The other day I was out for dinner with colleagues, and I saw one..." Han Tao, wanting to put a stop to Qiqi's potential bad suggestions, recounted what he had encountered. Then he lowered his voice. "That's why I fear the so-called 'lady.' Everything you eat has a proper way of being eaten."

Wang Qiqi felt a cramp just thinking about having to be so careful while eating. "Come on, I bet my stomach would cramp up after one meal like that." While it might look elegant, was eating like that enjoyable? As long as she was comfortable and happy, that was enough. Being overly ladylike was mostly for show.

Shi Man also felt a cramp hearing this. She hadn't realized that being a lady required learning so many things, even having specific rules for eating. "Let's stay common folk."

Wang Qiqi looked at Shi Man's hearty eating posture. "I think you should learn a little bit of the basics, at least stop being so rough when you eat." Wang Qiqi said kindly, as Shi Man’s table manners were quite alarming.

Me, learn that ladylike routine? Shi Man glared at Wang Qiqi. "If we learn, we learn together!" Hmph. "I was starving waiting for you guys! You should know, we haven't eaten lunch today just to wait for you for the barbecue." We only had some pastries and a few chicken wings I marinated and baked in the oven. That small amount had to be shared among four people. It was impressive we lasted this long.

Didn't eat lunch? Wang Qiqi didn't believe that for a second. If it were someone else, she might have believed it; people did all sorts of things for weight loss, but the person in question once loudly claimed she was dieting, yet when did that diet ever involve actually abstaining from food? She always ate and drank what she wanted. "Did you only eat cake?" Wang Qiqi asked doubtfully. "Or did you grill some chicken wings?" Wang Qiqi glanced over and noticed many chicken wings clearly hadn't been marinated. She remembered the person bought and marinated wings yesterday, and since they weren't visible now, it meant the others might have already had a small barbecue at noon. Wang Qiqi admired them—having a BBQ at noon and still having room for more at night. As for barbecue, Wang Qiqi wasn't a huge fan.

Shi Man knew she couldn't hide it from Qiqi, noticing Qiqi constantly glancing toward where the barbecue ingredients were stored. "Let's eat, let's eat! I'm never going to become a lady," Shi Man declared boldly. "Oh right, we have a train at nine-something tomorrow morning, don't forget." Shi Man reminded Wang Qiqi. The others had been eagerly anticipating the journey; they might even be too excited to sleep tonight. But Qiqi was different; those two were likely to sleep in late. So, Shi Man reminded her again.

"Why don't you guys stay here tonight, and we can all leave together tomorrow?" Zhao Rongrong suggested, as it was bad to leave anyone behind.

Wang Qiqi waved her hand. "No problem, we'll wake up early tomorrow." Staying here was inconvenient, wasn't it? They wouldn't feel free. Even though she had a floor to herself, she didn't want to provoke them. "Right, I'll make some bread and pastries to eat on the train later." Although they could grab supplies during stops, making their own food was best.

Shi Man had been worrying about what to eat on the journey. They had mentioned getting off at stations with long stops to buy things, but those were likely just fast-food options. Bringing their own food in this heat wouldn't last long. Hearing Qiqi offer to make pastries, while not entirely satisfactory, was a nice change of flavor. "Do you want to go prepare now?" Shi Man checked the time; it was already approaching six. Everyone eating, drinking, and making noise—who knew when they would finish? Preparations needed to start first.

Wang Qiqi was so annoyed by Shi Man’s words she almost spat blood. "I've only just started eating!" Hmph. Wang Qiqi had reason to believe that by the time she went to the kitchen to prepare the cake ingredients, finished everything, and came out, the good stuff would be gone, perhaps only vegetables left for her. "At least let me eat my fill first."

Shi Man had secretly hoped that with one less person competing for food, she could eat more, but she was immediately exposed by Qiqi. She chuckled dryly. "Isn't Han Tao here? We might forget you, but he won't. He can save some dishes for you."

Wang Qiqi gave Han Tao a sidelong glance. Although Han Tao would help save food, would he dare take from a group of women? Perhaps he hadn't eaten enough himself, or maybe he'd save the best bits for her—a woman had to favor her own man. Thinking this, Wang Qiqi shook her head. "It’s fine. Eat the barbecue first, then I'll get the ingredients sorted. You guys can continue grilling yourselves." She could just have them stand guard then.

What else could Shi Man say? Insisting Qiqi go prepare bread ingredients now would make her a wicked person. "Deal. Tell us the time, and we'll stand guard. Though maybe the result won't be as good as you guarding it yourself."

Wang Qiqi wasn't worried about that. "If you take the pastries out at the time I specify, there won't be any problems." Besides, if there were issues, it would just be minor scrutiny. Wang Qiqi trusted Shi Man to handle this assistant job well. "Have some confidence in yourself. Your cooking skills aren't bad either."

"Sigh, taking the train is cheaper, but it really wastes so much time," Shi Man said, sitting cross-legged on her seat, looking wistfully at the scenery outside the window. Although the view was nice—they would see the sea for a stretch—taking the train to Germany took three days. For the return trip, they were flying; otherwise, Shi Man felt she might actually die on the train.

"Looking at the scenery along the way is nice too," Wang Qiqi said, sitting comfortably in her carriage. Since the start of the school term was approaching, there weren't many people on this tourist train; otherwise, booking tickets last minute might have been impossible. "If we see a nice place, we can get off and explore; we can change the ticket anyway." Wang Qiqi loved this aspect. Since the five of them couldn't agree on a single destination, they could only visit places that interested everyone. Therefore, despite their general dissatisfaction with train travel, they all agreed to it in the end.

Shi Man got up from her seat, massaging her numb hips, and gently shook her legs. "If it weren't for this, would I have agreed to take the train?" But the scenery truly was good: mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Traveling this route in summer was quite a good choice, though winter would probably be miserable.

The six of them traveled from England to Germany, stopping and starting along the way. Because they stopped frequently, they had no real plan. If they saw beautiful scenery or heard someone mention good food at the next stop, they would hop off to make a quick purchase. So, even though they were traveling by train, they certainly didn't shortchange themselves on food and drink. By the time they leisurely reached Germany, Shi Man exclaimed, "Ah, I was planning to visit Neuschwanstein Castle!" She had meant to mail postcards from there, but plans couldn't keep up with reality. School started in less than two days.

"Ahhh, I told you we should have taken a plane!" Otherwise, how could they miss such wonderful scenery? Shi Man wouldn't be this agitated if they weren't so close to Neuschwanstein Castle now, yet they couldn't go! What a tragedy she couldn't accept! Shi Man kept staring in the direction of the castle, wishing she could sprout wings and fly there instantly. Unfortunately, she wasn't the Monkey King and didn't possess peerless lightness skill.

Wang Qiqi had regrets too, but what could she say? They had wasted too much time earlier, mainly due to Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong. They spent time taking photos and learning about the local situation. While they felt they were still rushing, for Qiqi and the others, it had been a significant delay. However, after this trip, Wang Qiqi felt the five of them naturally divided into two factions. It wasn't that Zhang Yan and the others were problematic, but they were focused on writing articles and making money through travelogues, which conflicted with Qiqi's group. For Qiqi and her friends, it was a leisurely vacation—stopping to walk around and see nice sights, without focusing too much on specific attractions, purely a relaxing holiday.

Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong also felt a bit regretful. A major focus of this trip was Neuschwanstein Castle, and they hadn't expected to miss it. They knew it was their fault for causing delays earlier; otherwise, they definitely could have visited the castle. Who knew when they would get another chance to come here? Maybe during the Christmas break. "We'll come back during the holiday, and I'll treat everyone to something delicious."

"I'll buy everyone drinks," Zhao Rongrong added in support.

Wang Qiqi and the others knew this was their way of apologizing, but truthfully, they had enjoyed the previous few days quite a bit. "Treat us? Even though we missed the castle this time, we visited so many other places." Shi Man reflected with satisfaction. "Even if some places weren't famous, the scenery was nice, the people were good, and the food was great too."

Shi Hongrui nodded vigorously beside her. "Exactly, exactly! We found a lot of inexpensive and delicious things, and we even found some nice handmade crafts." Although everyone thought it was great, honestly, for their findings to be truly worthwhile, there needed to be a market. If they could sell these items, the trip would be a huge success. As for the missed castle, in the face of cash, it was mere fluff. Would they never get another chance to visit a castle?

Wang Qiqi realized, listening to the two of them, that they were just being coy. Good food was secondary; finding good items was the main point. "Actually, if we calculate properly, you two should be the ones treating us."

"Us treating you?" Shi Man and Shi Hongrui were surprised. "Why would we treat you?" Hmph, it wasn't their fault they didn't get to see the castle; they had been very well-behaved.

"Well, didn't you purchase some great items? I estimate mailing those things back home will be profitable." Although they looked a bit rough, the craftsmanship was genuinely good. Handmade items, unlike mass-produced goods, rarely turn out identical, even when made by the same person, due to mood and other factors. For wealthy people who didn't want to buy the same trinkets as everyone else, these were prime choices. And Manman and Ruirui had good taste; they selected items with real character.

Shi Man and the others understood they were expected to treat them because of the purchases. Hmph, trying to pull them into a business venture—it was just about treating them to a meal then. "Speaking of which, the happiest person on this trip was Qiqi, that sweetness!" Shi Man drew out the 'ah' sound significantly, hmph. Those two were so sweet throughout the journey. If their sweetness was confined to their room, they could pretend not to see it. But those two were genuinely so sweet! At meals, they had to feed each other, completely ignoring the feelings of those around them. Hmph, only Han Tao could tolerate Qiqi. If it were her, she wouldn't dare provoke her single friends so openly; that was asking for someone to put a curse on them, or at least get killed by their glares.

Wang Qiqi had expected them to keep enduring it, but she was surprised by the sudden outburst. "I can't help it. Someone said my man wasn't romantic, so I have to try to be a little expressive." Alright, Wang Qiqi admitted she did it on purpose, just to needle someone. "Don't forget how often you used to talk about you and Old Feng!" Haha, Wang Qiqi was thrilled.

Shi Man was stunned. She couldn't believe this woman, Wang Qiqi, was so petty. She tried hard to recall when she had last said Han Tao wasn't romantic.

Zhang Yan and the other two were utterly speechless. They had only one thought: we are innocent, okay? It's clearly Shi Man's fault, why should we have to face this scene? "We're going for a walk nearby," Shi Hongrui's eyes darted around, and she immediately had an idea. "They have pork knuckle over there; let's go claim a spot first." Legend had it that German pork knuckle was quite famous, especially paired with beer—it was the ultimate feeling of drinking heartily and eating meat in large chunks, like martial arts heroes. Of course, at that moment, Shi Hongrui and the others just wanted to leave quickly and let those two discuss the topic.

"Three, then," Shi Man declared immediately upon hearing they were going to fight for a table to eat pork knuckle. Although she didn't know if the knuckle at the place they were headed to was truly delicious, the sheer number of people there, many opting for the beer and pork knuckle set meal, suggested it couldn't be terrible. Even though the knuckle was large, there were six of them; QiQi and Han Tao, that pair, could certainly manage one knuckle between them, so three seemed like the appropriate quantity.

"Two might be better," Wang QiQi thought, wondering if they intended to settle lunch right then and there. "We still have other places to go." The mere thought of pork knuckle made Wang QiQi recall how incredibly fatty it was; she estimated that halfway through one, she’d need a solid two hours of strenuous activity just to compensate.

"But this is their specialty dish. Besides, indulging just once won't hurt," Shi Man gazed mournfully at Wang QiQi. "You can just work out a bit longer tonight, that's all." Pfft, someone who exercises both day and night hardly seemed like a candidate for weight gain, yet she acted as if eating it would instantly cause a disaster. This naturally annoyed Shi Man, who hadn't eaten proper meat in ages. Old Feng was supposed to join this outing too, but something urgent came up, sighing—how could Shi Man not feel a pang of regret? Still, there was good news: a certain someone would arrive before she started school and would escort her to the campus, which was a small comfort. RP