After quickly tidying up the stove upon returning home, Wang Qiqi set about preparing the curry, beef, and potatoes she had bought from the supermarket, cooking them with swift efficiency.

Shi Man, standing by, considered advising Qiqi. She thought that even without sausage, they had cured meat sticks, which, mixed with diced carrots and beef, could make a colorful and appealing dish—simple and convenient enough. Although she was genuinely looking forward to Qiqi’s promised curry rice, this was Qiqi's first time making it, and Shi Man felt deeply uneasy. She hadn't expected Qiqi to be so quick; the moment they got back from shopping, the cooking process began.

Once Qiqi added everything to the pot and turned the heat high to bring it to a boil before simmering on low, she didn’t waste a second, immediately starting to wash rice for dinner. Seeing Shi Man perched nearby, perfectly still, Qiqi called out, "What's with you? Why aren't you cleaning? Are you just going to stick next to me? Go wash the dishes." Qiqi commanded without reserve. Hmph, you little thing, don't think I don't know what you're planning. You just want me to make vegetable rice, right? Too bad, today I'm forcing you all to practice.

Shi Man felt even more aggrieved; not only was she the guinea pig, but she was also expected to do chores. "Qi Qi, are you seriously planning to make this? You don't look very practiced. If it tastes awful, won't it be a waste? We should stick to what you’re good at." Shi Man felt that since Qiqi was already starting the curry, they could easily make a batch of vegetable rice too, so if the curry failed, no one would starve. "We haven't tasted your cooking in ages. Do you really want us to leave unsatisfied?"

"Make an extra batch of vegetable rice?" Wang Qiqi nearly fainted. "Don't worry, the curry rice will be fine." Qiqi thought, at worst, maybe a little too much or too little curry, how bad can it taste? "I've been cooking for years; have some faith in me. If you're truly worried, you can make the vegetable rice yourself." In short, making two separate meals was out of the question for her.

Seeing Qiqi refusing to cooperate, Shi Man really wanted to retort that vegetable rice was simple enough for her to make alone. But as her lips moved, no sound came out. She worried that if the vegetable rice she made ended up tasting worse than Qiqi's curry rice, she would be truly miserable.

Noticing Shi Man's utterly miserable expression, Wang Qiqi sighed. "I ate at the school during a visit the other day, and the food wasn't good at all. I thought about packing lunches, maybe sandwiches, but eating those every day gets tedious." Qiqi truly couldn't stand Shi Man’s perpetually sour face; it was such a mood killer.

Shi Man definitely agreed the school cafeteria food was bad. "You're not planning to alternate between vegetable rice, curry rice, and sandwiches from now on, are you?" If that was the case, she supposed she should let Qiqi experiment. For the sake of future lunch benefits, this was something she needed to endure.

In fact, it wasn't just about lunch; Wang Qiqi was thinking that if their studies got heavy later, simmering a big pot of curry could cover several meals. When Shi Man heard Qiqi's plan, "Hmm, that’s not bad. If our coursework piles up after the semester starts, cooking will be a real problem. Oh, and your driver's license?" Compared to food, the license was a bigger immediate concern.

"I just contacted my instructor; I can start driving tomorrow," Wang Qiqi said excitedly. She had managed to pass the written test in her free time. Although she possessed a domestic license, the driving direction was different here, so Wang Qiqi planned to relearn everything to properly adapt to the local traffic rules.

After putting the rice in the microwave and setting the timer, Wang Qiqi noticed the curry had boiled. She quickly turned the heat down. "I'm going upstairs to clean the room now. Just let the curry simmer." The longer it simmered, the better the flavor would be, though she had to watch for scorching. Qiqi planned to check it again in about twenty minutes. "Stir it occasionally if you have time; be careful not to let it burn." Qiqi gave Shi Man a few last-minute instructions so she wouldn't have to keep running downstairs to stir it. Qiqi washed her hands and prepared to leave. Since she hadn't been back in a while, the floors and tables needed wiping. Thankfully, she had covered the bedsheets with plastic before leaving; only those needed washing.

"Hey!" Seeing Wang Qiqi preparing to leave so casually, Shi Man decided she wasn't staying put either. If Qiqi was going to clean the house, wasn't she supposed to clean too? "I need to sleep tonight, too. You wouldn't expect me to still be cleaning in the middle of the night, would you?" Alas, there were five of them; the other three were cleaning their own rooms upstairs. Shi Man regretted not trusting the dinner plans and insisting on watching Qiqi cook. If she couldn't change Qiqi's mind anyway, she should have stayed upstairs cleaning. Now, she hadn't achieved her goal and was stuck here guarding the pot.

Seeing the slightly pitiful look on Shi Man's face, Wang Qiqi paused, realizing she might have pushed it too far. "My room is bigger; you can sleep on the floor." As for the bed, Qiqi didn't want to share with Shi Man; sleeping alone was much better. Besides, Shi Man had been rowdy last night, insisting on visiting bars until late, and had been exhausted returning today. Qiqi worried about her sleeping habits tonight, so for safety, even if Shi Man insisted on staying in her room, the floor would have to do.

Sleep on the floor? Shi Man snorted. "Should I thank you?" What incredible kindness, offering her the floor. "I prefer my own bed."

"Well, I'm going to clean first. Don't worry, I'll be quick." Wang Qiqi was worried Shi Man would leave first and immediately bolted, fearing that if she wasn't fast enough, Shi Man would beat her to it.

Shi Man actually had intended to bolt ahead, but she hadn't expected Qiqi to give her no chance at all. "Hey, why run so fast?" Wasn't that just pure bullying? "Actually, Qi Qi, you can sleep in my bed." Hmph. Compared to making her sleep on the floor, Shi Man thought she was being quite generous. Too bad no one acknowledged her kind offer.

Zhang Yan and the others quickly finished cleaning their rooms and brought the sheets and laundry downstairs, preparing to wash them sequentially. There was too much laundry for one machine, so they had to do separate loads. Zhang Yan tossed the sheets into the washing machine and then headed toward the living room to clean.

"Manman, are you cooking?" As Zhang Yan passed the kitchen, she smelled curry. She looked in and saw Shi Man alone in the kitchen; Wang Qiqi was nowhere in sight. But hadn't Qiqi been the one making dinner? "Curry rice today?"

Shi Man saw Zhang Yan and immediately waved her over. "Help me watch the pot; I need to go clean." Shi Man thought this wasn't a huge task for Zhang Yan—just stirring the pot occasionally to prevent scorching—it seemed pretty easy.

Zhang Yan looked at the constantly bubbling pot. Although she knew the task wasn't heavy, she worried, "How long until it’s done?" Zhang Yan was nervous about missing the right moment to turn off the heat; that responsibility felt weighty.

Qiqi hadn't told Shi Man about the exact timing. Qiqi thought for a moment; Qiqi had said twenty minutes earlier, so she’d add a little more time. "It should be done in about another twenty minutes." She calculated that Qiqi had already been upstairs for seven or eight minutes. "Come back and stir it every three minutes."

Zhang Yan diligently noted down the instructions Shi Man gave her. "Don't worry, I'll finish the task seriously." Zhang Yan had eaten curry before, but she had never seen such a massive pot of it, especially with such a deep color. "Isn't this batch a bit too much?" How could five people eat all that, even if curry was appetizing?

"Today's meal is just curry rice—pouring the curry potatoes and beef over the rice," Shi Man kindly explained. "So we need a lot." She had noticed Qiqi hadn't washed any other vegetables, nor had she asked her to, meaning Qiqi hadn't planned any other side dishes. But wait, where was the soup? Shi Man was accustomed to having soup before a meal.

So it was going to be a rice bowl topping? Zhang Yan was slightly disappointed but knew that even though they looked relaxed these past few days, they hadn't had it easy, often spending nights on trains. Even with berths, it wasn't as comfortable as a proper hotel. "Why don't you simmer some pork rib soup, Manman? That shouldn't be too hard, right? You know how to make it."

Shi Man certainly knew how to make pork rib soup, but "Wouldn't plain pork ribs be a bit greasy?" Even though finished rib soup wasn't overly oily, for Shi Man, it still felt a bit much. "Ah, I really wish I could have lotus root and pork rib soup."

Shi Man sighed, knowing she was just dreaming. First, it wasn't the season for lotus root, and even if it were, she wasn't sure if they could buy it here. She decided to wait until they went back for Christmas.

Zhang Yan’s stomach started protesting from hearing all this. Before, she had been slightly hungry but could manage. Hearing Shi Man talk about delicious food, coupled with the smell of curry, made it impossible for her stomach to stay quiet. "Enough, enough, I'm starving."

Shi Man watched Zhang Yan rubbing her belly and inwardly chuckled. She herself had been constantly swallowing her saliva earlier. She wondered how Zhang Yan would fare later, surrounded by the smells of both ribs and curry—she would probably be ravenously hungry. "I'll go simmer the ribs."

Shi Man retrieved the beef ribs she hadn't eaten before leaving, washed them, added water, and started the simmering process. "I'll leave the rest to Yan Yan," Shi Man said with a mysterious smile before heading upstairs.

Shi Hongrui and Zhao Rongrong found the cleaning in the living room unbearable. "Wow, the curry smells so good." Shi Hongrui kept walking to the kitchen to check if the curry was ready. Although dinner sounded simple today, she was still looking forward to it. The only drawback was how long it was taking to cook, making her wait. "I'm getting hungry."

Zhang Yan happened to come in to stir the pot and saw Shi Hongrui constantly rubbing her stomach and swallowing. She gave a knowing smile. Shi Hongrui noticed Zhang Yan looking at her hands and laughed self-consciously. I'm so embarrassing. It's not a banquet; why am I acting so hungry? "That smell is really fragrant."

Zhang Yan hummed in agreement. "The potatoes are stewed until they’re almost invisible." This made the sauce thicker and stickier. If she hadn't been stirring constantly, it might have burned. Even though the time Shi Man specified hadn't fully passed, if the potatoes were breaking down like this, the beef should be tender too. She decided to turn off the heat. Besides, if Qiqi came down later and found the beef undercooked, they could always turn the heat back on to simmer more.

Wang Qiqi had expected cleaning to take about half an hour—wiping floors and tables was quick. But she had ended up spending the full thirty minutes. Just as she finished and was about to rest, she realized over half an hour had passed. Qiqi jumped up from the floor in a fright.

"Ah, Manman must have told me!" She had told her it would be ready in twenty minutes, but now she had wasted twice that time. If she didn't hurry downstairs, someone was going to throw a fit.

Wang Qiqi rushed downstairs. When she got there, she found soup simmering on the stove, but Shi Man was nowhere in the kitchen or living room. She thought, What if Shi Man waited until the curry was done before going upstairs? She realized this was bad; a major issue was brewing.

"Manman went to clean her room," Zhang Yan said, seeing Qiqi looking around as if searching for someone. She knew Qiqi must be looking for Shi Man, and Zhang Yan let out a breath of relief. "Qi Qi, come check if the curry is ready. Also, Qi Qi, this is the rib soup Shi Man started; taste it and see how it is. Shi Man didn't add any seasoning yet." Although Qiqi usually insisted on plain flavors, she couldn't possibly mean absolutely no seasoning at all, right?

Wang Qiqi picked up a spoon, scooped some into a bowl, and took a sip. For her, adding a little salt would suffice. However, Zhao Rongrong, Shi Man, and even Zhang Yan preferred stronger flavors, so everyone usually compromised. "Yan Yan, taste this and tell me what you think."

Zhang Yan took the bowl Qiqi offered and tasted it. It felt a bit bland, but she knew too much salt wasn't healthy. Qiqi and Shi Man had very light preferences, and while she knew it was better for them, she really wasn't used to it. Sigh, living together meant mutual consideration. For example, Qiqi lived in the attic, and hadn't she agreed to buy a mat so her footsteps wouldn't make noise upstairs?

Wang Qiqi knew Zhang Yan wasn't entirely satisfied with the soup. If it were a side dish, there was nothing to be done, but soup was manageable. She took a pot from the cabinet and transferred about two-fifths of the soup and ribs. Zhang Yan watched her action, slightly confused—why split a perfectly good pot of soup? "From now on, when we make soup, we can split it into two pots: one for your taste, one for ours." That way, no one felt slighted and everyone could enjoy the flavor they liked. More importantly, since salt was added toward the end, it wouldn't waste much gas.

Zhang Yan certainly had no objection to this arrangement. "Being bland is healthy, it's just that my mouth feels flavorless," she said cheerfully. "Won't this be too much trouble?"

"A little trouble," Wang Qiqi admitted. There was extra hassle, like washing another pot, but it was acceptable. "As long as everyone eats happily, that's what matters." Wang Qiqi truly admired herself; she was such a good person, unable to bear seeing others unhappy with their meals.

Zhao Rongrong walked in carrying a bedsheet and noticed a second pot on the stove. "Huh? Wasn't there supposed to be only one soup today?" Why were there two pots cooking? Was Qiqi planning to make something else? "Oh, Qiqi, are you planning to simmer some red dates?" That girl Qiqi knew a bit about wellness and didn't mind the effort of simmering sweet, soupy concoctions, which were good for health but came with the side effect of needing daily walks, or the scale would immediately register the change. Jujubes and white fungus soup were common.

"No." Zhang Yan saw Zhao Rongrong’s eyes light up and thought, here’s another foodie. She quickly explained the reason for the extra pot.

Zhao Rongrong, hearing the purpose of the second pot, just replied with an "Oh," unimpressed. "By the way, Qiqi, are you washing sheets?"

Wang Qiqi nodded, noticing Rongrong was only holding one large sheet. "Bring mine too." Wang Qiqi had already placed the sheets needing washing next to the washing machine. Zhao Rongrong just needed to put them in the machine.

Zhang Yan looked at the single sheet Zhao Rongrong held, anticipating that the bed covers tomorrow would be filled with sheets of all colors. "Tomorrow, people will realize the covers are filled with various colors." That thing was quite nice; even though you could vaguely see the contents, it wasn't obvious, and drying underwear this way felt safer. "It would be even better if it had a top cover," Zhang Yan mused, "then even if it rains, we wouldn't worry about them getting wet."

Zhang Yan’s suggestion was good, but Wang Qiqi thought it wasn't their own place, so it wasn't worth spending that much money—buying materials and hiring someone to install it. The labor costs wouldn't be cheap. "How about we get some glass instead?" Zhao Rongrong thought this might be simpler, involving climbing up to install it and sealing the edges with sealant. Although it was a significant amount of work, it was something the few of them could manage.

Shi Man walked into the kitchen carrying her laundry, hearing Zhao Rongrong’s suggestion, and was quite confused. "Whose glass broke?" Why would they suddenly need glass when everything was fine?

"To put a roof over the drying cover," Zhang Yan explained why they needed glass.

Shi Man understood it was for the roof, but in her opinion, why bother with all that effort? "What if the morning sky looks bad? Just don't hang the laundry out then. Besides, we don't all have classes at the same time; whoever is home when the weather is good can hang the clothes out. Why make it so complicated?" The issue could be explained simply, but they were overcomplicating things. Her idea was much better—no cost, and it saved a lot of effort. "If you're worried, some clothes can be hung near the windows in your own rooms."

Shi Man’s initial reasoning was sound, but her subsequent suggestion struck everyone as unreliable. If everyone hung their clothes in their own rooms, why bother with a cover at all? They were clearly overthinking things. "Then whoever is home is responsible for hanging and collecting the clothes," Zhao Rongrong announced after looking at everyone.

"Agreed." Wang Qiqi and Zhang Yan naturally had no issues.

Shi Hongrui was diligently cleaning the staircase. When she finished, she realized she was the only one working. She felt unhappy. Following the sound of voices, she walked to the kitchen and found the other four huddled there. With Qiqi and Shi Man present, she felt it was somewhat reasonable, as public areas weren't their responsibility, but why were Rongrong and Zhang Yan there too? Weren't they slacking off? Hmph, they must think I’m easy to push around.

Shi Hongrui coughed a few times. "What are you guys talking about?" She didn't directly ask why they weren't working.

"We're discussing hanging laundry. Oh, and I finished cleaning the downstairs bathroom," Zhao Rongrong said, knowing Shi Hongrui was wondering why she wasn't working.

Zhang Yan picked up the rag in her hand. "I already wiped down the downstairs cabinets, the sofa, and the dining table." They weren't slacking; they had finished their tasks. As for Shi Hongrui, she had been dawdling over such a small job for so long; her work efficiency was terribly slow.

Upon hearing that their tasks were done, Shi Hongrui immediately stopped complaining. "Can we eat now? I'm hungry." Her motivation for working earlier was purely the thought of food.

Wang Qiqi poked the ribs a few times with her chopsticks. "Ten more minutes and it’ll be done. Alright, those who need to shower, hurry up. We eat in twenty minutes." With so many people, even showering required queuing.

As soon as Shi Hongrui heard the food would be ready in twenty minutes, she threw her cleaning tools aside and rushed upstairs. "I'm going to shower first." Taking a nice, clean shower, eating a good meal, and then going to bed—for Shi Hongrui, this was pure happiness.

Zhao Rongrong watched Shi Hongrui abandon her cleaning tools the moment food was mentioned and could only help by picking up the mop she had tossed aside. "Yan Yan, do you want to shower first?" She knew Wang Qiqi usually showered before bed, but Zhang Yan’s timing was less fixed; she showered whenever she felt dirty.

Zhang Yan certainly wanted a shower. She had been busy with the big clean-up since getting home; it was undeniable that she was tired and longed for a bath. But the thought of eating curry rice afterward stopped her. "I'll shower after I eat." Otherwise, smelling like curry all evening wouldn't be pleasant.

Wang Qiqi gave Zhang Yan an understanding look. "Today’s curry rice isn't just a new taste test for you all. If the flavor is acceptable and you can live with it, perhaps we'll be eating this dish often in the future." Wang Qiqi gave them a subtle warning. Her intention was clear: regardless of whether they liked the dish, they needed to accept it.

Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong were startled by Wang Qiqi’s assertive tone. “We have to eat this often from now on?” They had heard Qiqi could cook quite a bit, but the way she said it suggested this dish would be a frequent visitor to their table. Zhang Yan mused that she had never known Qiqi to particularly like curry; back in school, Qiqi had only ordered dishes with curry a few times. Why the sudden change...?

“One batch of curry lasts a long time,” Wang Qiqi offered as an explanation. “Once classes get busy, I’ll only be able to manage simple meals.”

Hearing Wang Qiqi explain it that way, Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong understood immediately. After all, she was here to study, not to run a kitchen; academics had to take priority. “If classes aren't too demanding later on, could you make other things?” Zhang Yan inquired.

“Mmm,” Wang Qiqi thought, Of course I can switch it up. She certainly didn't want to reach the point where the sight of curry made her nauseous. Though, even now, the thought of curry dominating their future meals brought on a slight wave of queasiness.