Chapter 179 Explanation

The meals were heated up and brought out by someone. Hao Nan took the lunch box, left the cafeteria with her, and returned to the office.

Tian Shangguo was sitting in a rattan chair, reading a newspaper. Hao Nan asked, "Comrade Tian, where did you get that newspaper?"

"Borrowed it." Tian Shangguo did not elaborate. Hao Nan and Zhong Yuxiu gave it no further thought and dismissed it; newspapers were not in short supply at the school, and many professors had them in their offices.

As for the office being left unattended, that was not an issue; simply pulling the door to was enough. It was not strictly necessary to keep a constant watch. In the school administrative building, few idlers ever came by, and stepping out for a brief moment was of no consequence.

Besides, Zhong Yuxiu had just moved in and possessed no important documents or books, so there was no need to fear prying eyes.

"The food is heated, though the cafeteria actually charges for heating meals," Hao Nan sighed softly. "If I had known, I should have gone back and let Goudan pack us something. Heating it up after I brought it back wouldn't have cost a cent."

Tian Shangguo nodded. "Comrade Zhong, if you aren't going back to eat in the future, just go back to pick it up. How much did it cost?"

"Fifty cents."

"Are they robbing people?!" Tian Shangguo's lips twitched.

Finding it amusing, Hao Nan burst out laughing. "Isn't it just robbery? Fifty cents just to heat up some food! Add a little more and you could buy a whole meal. Comrade Zhong, we definitely cannot heat our food in the cafeteria anymore."

"You've got it all wrong. Heating food only costs ten cents; that was for five meals, and they keep a log."

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo were both stunned, realizing immediately that they had misunderstood. Hao Nan asked, "You didn't mention it earlier, and they didn't ask, so I assumed..."

Given the circumstances at the time, it hadn't been appropriate for him to speak up and stop her, especially since it was Comrade Zhong Yuxiu paying out of her own pocket. To blurt something out rashly would have been improper.

"Anyone who has dealt with the Huada cafeteria for years knows that heating food costs ten cents. You pay for however many days you want, and they cross it off day by day whenever you heat a meal." Zhong Yuxiu walked over to the rattan chair and sat down. She took the thermos from Hao Nan's hands and opened it, letting wisps of heat drift into the air.

The aroma of steamed buns and stuffed buns was truly mouth-watering. Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo also opened their food boxes, which contained steamed buns, stuffed buns, dumplings, and dishes in quantities matching Zhong Yuxiu's.

Koudan packed so much for us! No wonder he used such a large food box."

"Goudan packed them according to my appetite. Eat what you can, and set aside whatever you can't finish so Goudan can heat it up for you tonight." Winter food did not spoil as quickly as summer food, and meals prepared on the same day were entirely safe to eat.

In the scorching heat of summer, food cooked in the morning might turn sour by afternoon.

In the biting cold of winter, food was far less prone to fermenting and spoiling. Just like Goudan, one could make extra dumplings and steamed buns and leave them on the balcony to freeze.

"We can finish it all." Hao Nan nodded hastily, taking the food out of the box layer by layer. Each tier held one or two dishes, or stuffed buns, steamed buns, and dumplings. There were a full four tiers, not counting the rice placed at the very bottom.

Zhong Yuxiu focused on eating and paid them no mind. After finishing her meal, she ate the steamed buns, followed by the dumplings, finally satisfying her hunger.

Covering the thermos, Zhong Yuxiu said, "Take your time eating."

"Would Comrade Zhong like a little more? There are still some dumplings here that we haven't touched." Hao Nan pushed forward a layer of the food box, which held a plate of plump white dumplings.

"I'm full." Waving her hand, she stood up and paced around the office to stretch her limbs.

Once Hao Nan and the others finished eating, they washed the plates and the thermos, and packed them back into the food box together.

"Leave the food box in my office. You can take it back when you get off work tonight; it's inconvenient for you to carry it out now." Seeing them about to pick it up, Zhong Yuxiu spoke up.

Hao Nan and Tian Shangguo exchanged glances and obediently put the food box down. "Then we'll head outside. If you need anything, just come out and find us."

After the two men left, Zhong Yuxiu closed the office door and rested her head on her desk for a brief nap. A midday nap of even five minutes was refreshing, provided it was a deep sleep; dozing for just a fleeting moment had little effect.

In the afternoon, the class bell rang once more, and Zhong Yuxiu made a trip to the main auditorium. The freshman orientation was still ongoing. When she asked the person in charge of hosting, she was told it would last until evening.

Zhong Yuxiu simply went to find Principal Guo and borrowed a few collections of difficult physics problems from him to read. Absorbed in her reading, she spent the better part of the day at it, until she went home for dinner in the early evening before returning to school for evening self-study.

Some days seemed busy, yet busy days were not devoid of purpose.

She spent three days straightening out the affairs of her class. The monitor was responsible for assisting with class management and had the authority to reshuffle class cadres, essentially acting as her deputy.

Chen Yuzhu understood this logic and was extremely dedicated in his work. Whatever Zhong Yuxiu instructed him to do, he executed conscientiously. Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he would ask for guidance, and he refused to fall behind in physics concepts, constantly turning to Zhong Yuxiu with questions.

"Classmate Chen, I leave the class affairs in your hands. If something comes up and I'm not around, you can go to Principal Guo. You know Principal Guo, right?"

"I know him, Professor. Principal Guo was the very first person who spoke on stage on the day of orientation." Principal Guo had even introduced himself back then.

Zhong Yuxiu nodded. "Good. I'm going to be quite busy from now on. Aside from giving lectures to you all, I won't be coming to school very often, so I must trouble you to look after the class matters."

"Understood, Professor. Rest assured, I will manage the class well," Chen Yuzhu promised solemnly.

"Just do your best. If you run into issues you cannot resolve, you can also consult Principal Guo. Tonight, I will make this clear to the class. In the future, if you need to find me, it will have to be during my scheduled class hours at the school." She needed to graduate from the medical university as soon as possible; otherwise, being pulled in both directions, when would she ever manage to research the repair fluid?

The medicinal herbs were already in hand, but their combinations, the formulation of the elemental solutions, and all the various experiments still required hands-on execution.

Chen Yuzhu nodded. "I understand."

After giving a few more instructions, she dismissed Chen Yuzhu.

During the evening self-study, Zhong Yuxiu did not bring the matter up immediately. It was only as the third study session was about to end that she briefly explained the situation. She did not specify what she would be busy with, only stating that she had matters to attend to. Knowing they could approach Principal Guo if anything came up, the students felt a sense of reassurance.

The first and second batches of university students were never afraid of being disciplined by their professors; what they feared most was being ignored by them. Though their instructor could not keep a constant eye on them, Principal Guo was still there, which gave them a sense of belonging.

"I can get so absorbed in my work that I lose track of time, so you must all study diligently. When I come to give lectures, you are welcome to ask me about anything you don't understand—and of course, you may also consult other professors. Very well, class dismissed. Go get your late-night snacks a bit early, tidy up, and rest early." Zhong Yuxiu gathered her belongings and left.

Chen Yuzhu stood up and quieted the rising chatter. "The professor has let us out early, so don't make a fuss and disturb the other classes. People might say our professor didn't handle things properly, so don't cause trouble for her."

"Understood, Monitor!" the students chorosed in unison.

"Alright, keep your voices down." Chen Yuzhu sat back down in his seat, packed his things, and followed the students out of the classroom. The sanitation commissar stayed behind to turn off the lights and oversee the cleaning duties, and within moments, only a few people remained in the classroom finishing the cleanup.