Rebirth: The Comeback of the Girl
Chapter 71: Bringing Lunch By Myself

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Bringing Lunch By Myself

Chapter 71 Group Lunch

The bell for the end of PE sounded, and the students of Junior High School First Class split into two groups.

One group rushed to the cafeteria along with the students from the other classes, and the other charged into the classroom.

"Hey hey! That’s my lunchbox!"

"Sss! It’s so hot, so hot!"

"Tsks! Hold on a second! Your lunchbox is at the bottom, what’s the rush? Wait until the ones on top are taken!"

"Hurry up, I’m starving to death!"

Zhen Yu arrived neither early nor late in the morning, her lunchbox sandwiched in the middle. She didn’t want to jostle with the boys, so she waited on the side.

Over the weekend, she purposely marked her lunchbox distinctly at home so that her classmates wouldn’t take the wrong one.

Qian Duoduo arrived earlier than her, with her lunchbox even lower, so she also waited quietly.

The boys finished jostling, and then the girls gracefully stepped forward, picked up their respective lunchboxes, and left.

"Zhen Yu!" Fu Yu started calling her before she could sit down: "Come over and eat with us!"

"No, thanks." Zhen Yu placed her lunchbox on the table and sat properly.

"Bang bang!" Fu Yu resorted to his trump card, "Hurry and come over! Otherwise, I’ll keep kicking!"

"Are you annoying or what! You’re a boy, why would you eat with us girls!" Protecting her food fiercely, she turned her head and yelled.

It was agreed that Zhen Yu would eat with her, but if they brought Fu Yu, this boy along, she was sure she wouldn’t get much to eat!

Definitely can’t let him join!

"We’ve often eaten together since we were kids! What’s it to you!" Fu Yu retorted without backing down.

"How is it none of my business? We’re in junior high now, don’t you know there’s a difference between boys and girls? Go find your male classmates!"

"I won’t go,"

"Stop!" Zhen Yu said annoyedly, "Fu Yu! If you want to eat, go to the third grade tomorrow to find my brother, stop bothering me!"

Fu Yu didn’t make another sound, and Qian Duoduo took the chance to open Zhen Yu’s lunchbox.

Half rice, half dish, a simple scramble of tomatoes and eggs, just like what Qian Duoduo brought.

Tasting her own and then trying Zhen Yu’s, for some reason Zhen Yu’s cooking was just tastier than what Mrs. Qian made.

Even though Mrs. Qian used more eggs...

Can’t figure it out? Don’t think too much; eating is what matters most! Qian Duoduo ’nom nom nom’ took one bite after another.

Zhen Yu glanced at her indifferently and swapped the positions of the two lunchboxes.

Qian Duoduo immediately happily picked up Zhen Yu’s lunchbox, even giving her a grateful look.

Liu Ting, who sat in front, was attracted by Qian Duoduo and Fu Yu’s quarrel and occasionally turned back to take a peek.

Seeing this, she couldn’t help but ask: "Qian Duoduo, if the food’s the same, why must you eat Zhen Yu’s?"

Qian Duoduo immediately clutched her lunchbox even tighter, swallowed the food in her mouth before saying, "Zhen Yu’s cooking is tastier!"

Liu Ting in surprise, "Zhen Yu cooked the food herself?"

"Uh-huh!" Qian Duoduo nodded while eating.

Liu Ting looked at Zhen Yu, who was chewing slowly, "Zhen Yu, you’ve changed!"

Zhen Yu’s hand that was scooping rice paused imperceptibly for a moment, she continued to eat without a word.

Qian Duoduo curiously continued, "What’s changed about her?"

Liu Ting said while eating, "You weren’t in the same elementary class as us, you don’t know. Zhen Yu used to be only slightly better in her studies and couldn’t do anything else in the class! She couldn’t even clean the blackboard properly!"

"Really?" Qian Duoduo turned and looked seriously at Zhen Yu, "I thought you only improved in your studies!"

"Yeah! If you hadn’t mentioned her cooking, that’s what I would’ve thought too!" Liu Ting chimed in.

Suddenly, a sharp voice came from the front, "What’s so amazing about being able to cook! She’s not the only one who can!"

Without even looking up, Zhen Yu knew who it was and felt the food in the box had lost its flavor.

So, she listlessly put down her chopsticks and covered the lunchbox.

-

Qian Duoduo and Liu Ting looked toward the source of the Voice, seeing that it was Mou Jingjing speaking, they both were grossed out and turned their heads back to eating their meal toward the stove.

It wasn’t that Mou Jingjing had incurred the wrath of the entire class.

Neither was it the case of hating one because of another.

Mou Jingjing had only offended Zhen Yu since the start of school.

The reason the two girls turned their faces away was still that same old reason.

The odd smell from Mou Jingjing’s body was not concealed by the thick winter clothing; on the contrary, her cotton-padded jacket hadn’t been washed for, who knows, how many years, shiny enough to strike iron on it.

The odor it emitted was no less than that of her own.

And with the classroom being closed in the winter, warmed by the stove fire,

a circle around her was constantly shrouded in the stench of dead fish all day long.

It’s that kind of smell that not even the scent of the third period’s food could counter.

Wu Qiong lived on campus and ate in the cafeteria, so she was not in the classroom at the moment.

The closest to Mou Jingjing was Qiao Xian, who was only one table away, wolfing down his food as if he couldn’t hear people talking around him.

Zhen Yu glanced at the back of the class president and couldn’t help but pay mental tribute to his fortitude.

-

Qiao Xian could actually smell it.

He was scarfing down his food while hypnotizing himself.

Eat quickly, eat! Usually, I can bear the smell! Why does it become unbearable when eating...

I must talk to my mom tonight; I have to eat in the cafeteria tomorrow!

Damnit, eating with this smell gives me the constant illusion my mom added shit to the food!

Ah damn! Ginger!!!

I’ve already told mom not to add ginger...

-

After Qian Duoduo finished her meal, Zhen Yu packed up her lunchbox.

It was then that Qian Duoduo, feeling a bit embarrassed, said: "Xiao Yu, about that..."

"Tomorrow you bring the rice, I’ll bring the dish," Zhen Yu cut her off, commanding directly.

"That’s great!" Qian Duoduo immediately tossed her slight guilt of ’because she hogged Xiao Yu’s dish, Zhen Yu didn’t get enough to eat’ to the back of her mind, and excitedly whispered.

Zhen Yu glanced at Qian Duoduo, who had a triumphant expression on her face, and laid her head down on the desk, wanting to take a quick nap.

Qian Duoduo immediately fell silent.

-

From that day on, Zhen Yu would wash and sometimes cut the vegetables the night before every day.

Because she wasn’t only preparing for herself and her brother, but also had Zhen Yan help to deliver lunch to the Han Family Brothers.

With Fu Yu and Qian Duoduo’s portions now included, she naturally took Bai Xue’s lunchbox as well.

Zhen Yu’s vegetable preparations were so extensive that Mrs. Zhen noticed after only two days.

Zhen Yu pushed all the responsibility onto Fu Yu and Bai Xue, and added Qian Duoduo to the mix.

In earlier years before Mr. Zhen’s layoff, the Zhen siblings had greatly benefited from Grandpa Fu’s care.

Sometimes, when the parents went to unload train carriages late into the night, Zhen Yan and Xiao Yu would be called to have their meals at the Fu Family’s.

Distant relatives are not as good as near neighbors.

Considering her daughter’s good cooking skills, Mrs. Zhen believed it immediately.

If her daughter was lying, a casual chat between her and Mrs. Fu would have exposed the lie.

Thus, Mrs. Zhen not only did not stop Zhen Yu, but also asked her to prepare even more! She mentioned how Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu had eaten a lot of Mrs. Fu’s cooking when they were younger, and now it was an opportunity to return the favor doubly.

-

The Han Family Brothers had paid their food fees, Zhen Yu would secretly increase the amount when buying and preparing food, turning the portions for five people into seven; Mrs. Zhen simply assumed the kids had grown bigger appetites.

As for Fu Family’s cousins, there was a debt of gratitude. After hearing about it from Fu Yu, Mrs. Fu would sporadically come to bring some vegetables or meat. Mrs. Zhen would try to decline, but she would leave it there and go.

After a week of adjustment, the dining circle became set in stone.