Stewed snacks!
This term circled around in Chu River's original memories, and her Spiritual Body quickly perked up.
Her expression also became much more animated.
At this moment, her eyes lit up as she asked:
"Is it spicy duck neck?"
Chen Xinyue laughed gently:
"Not just that, there's duck head, duck tongue, duck neck, duck wings, duck liver, duck gizzard, duck frame, duck intestines..."
If Chu River's Spiritual Body had substance, it would have rolled into a pretzel from one end of the classroom to the other by now.
She nodded vigorously, her expression solemn yet excited, as if making a wedding vow:
"I like it!"
After thinking about it, maintaining the dignity of a general, she reluctantly added with a patriotic tone:
"These ducks are too pathetic."
Her tone was filled with compassion, yet her expression was solemn, as if she would rise at any moment to lead a duck uprising against human tyranny—
"Puhahaha—"
Little Curls and Little Glasses laughed heartily from the back, attracting the attention of the remaining students in the class.
—After all, they were holding precious notes penned by the class genius; they really couldn't afford to provoke the crowd, so they swiftly quieted down.
Chen Xinyue's laughter became increasingly sweet:
"Alright then, Chu River, we have to go back now, we'll bring it for you tomorrow."
Both of them were day students, and their parents were probably waiting at the school gate by now.
Meanwhile, Little Curls and Little Glasses, who were boarding students, said while holding their notes:
"We should head back to the dorm too."
The lights in the classroom would be turned off at 10:40, so it was better to head back to wash up while there were still fewer people and maybe squeeze in some extra study.
Turning off the lights at 10:40 indeed delayed many overachievers, and the number of people tidying up their notes was steadily increasing.
With 36 days left until the college entrance exam, everyone was fighting against the clock. Even if they couldn't do exercises after lights out in the dorm, they could at least memorize vocabulary.
The classroom was noisy.
Chu River looked at Zhao Yue, who was still sitting obediently in her seat, and smiled meaningfully:
"I need to head back to the dorm to prepare too."
...
The dorm building was already brightly lit.
Actually, Tianshui Second High School's boarding conditions were among the best in Tianshui's public high schools.
It was an 8-person dorm, with a large storage drawer at the bedhead, independent bathrooms, and wash basins.
Since the school was in the suburbs, the dorms were still quite cool in May, so the ceiling fan wasn't on.
Chu River slept in the lower bunk in the corner, with only a thin mat and a sheet on the bed board, and the quilt haphazardly folded at the bed's foot was quite worn out.
The pillow was a simple bamboo one that she vaguely remembered costing 10 yuan at the beginning of the term.
The decent accommodation conditions were due to the fact that the new campus took over from a previous private school. Renovating the dorms would require additional funds, which the stingy principal was unwilling to spend.
The school had plenty of space anyway, so students were just housed as is.
It was called: Improving lodging conditions so that students from nearby counties who passed the exam could live without worries.
┐(´-｀)┌
…
Chu River touched the quilt, her spiritual power spreading layer by layer, and soon detected the traces of another person lying on the bed.
Without further thought, she figured out the situation—
Last night, when "she" silently floated in the water, someone lay on her bed, buried their head in the quilt, and slept soundly through the night.
When the morning wake-up bell rang, the girl buried in the quilt would groggily say:
"My stomach hurts, Zhao Yue, help me ask for leave."
…
"Chu River" wasn't exactly the smartest.
But she was truly hardworking.
Poverty taught her that studying was her fastest path forward.
Therefore, throughout her academic life, she constantly pushed herself to the limit.
She had no time to engage much with other students and no money to exchange tokens of affection with friends.
Even swapping snacks was a luxury for her.
She didn't want to owe anyone any favors, so she restrained herself even more.
As a result, in a dorm of 8 people, 4 held grudges against her, and even though she was aware of it and had long sensed conflict, she believed she could endure it.
As for the remaining three—their final year was already stressful enough, why spend their limited time on the always aloof and silent class genius?
So no one had any objections if the class genius asked for leave.
Nor did anyone step forward to show concern or ask questions.
The person buried in the quilt easily replaced her last bit of voice.
…
Chu River's spiritual power gradually retracted.
This story wasn't perfect, and had plenty of loopholes.
But for a group of young girls who had just committed a crime, it already demonstrated their calmness and courage.
And their smart minds.
She had been stationed at the Third Guard Satellite for years; the Star Sea Federation had severe internal strife and couldn't strictly control the poor, remote surroundings.
So it wasn't uncommon to see young offenders.
Sometimes Chu River even felt—young offenders often had psychological resilience that far exceeded adults.
Because teenagers hadn't formed a complete worldview or understood the preciousness of life, naturally lacking reverence.
To them, good and evil had their placements.
They were utterly unaware of life's frailty and vulnerability.
Before she took office on the Third Guard Satellite, riots and criminal acts frequently occurred on the streets.
And in a relatively minor case that Chang Geng selected as a deterrent to establish authority,
—In a pioneer village on the Guard Satellite, a young woman was beaten to death by three boys only 15 years old.
They picked their target during a joke, grabbed some alloy frames casually, and started hitting.
Afraid of causing death, they deliberately avoided the head.
However, after the one-sided beating, the victim's skin was swollen all over, with the flesh beneath already pulped.
And the three young boys, seeing their victim lying there barely alive, laughed and ran away—
They never considered that beating someone like this could actually lead to death.
This was the cruelty of youth.
…
Chu River touched the back of her head—just like that poor girl.
As her consciousness was about to fade, she could still hear peers laughing casually beside her.
At that time, the assailants didn't actually think she would die.
Memories kept reminding her that this brand-new life and body cost someone else their life.
In the depths of her mind, spiritual power slowly surged into a storm.
When she lifted her head again, she had already locked onto the traces on the upper bunk diagonally above.
The faint traces on her bed came from the same person.
But… no rush.
Only when it's late at night, won't others be disturbed.
She watched the three girls by the washbasin doing their laundry, silent at this moment, and closed her eyes.