sinovels Chapter 90 is sparse
Chapter 90 is sparse
Chapter 90 is sparse
As evening fell, the campus of Jinling University was filled with an increasingly rich and sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.
Security guard Lao Li slowly patrolled the tree-lined path behind the library on his electric scooter.
Under the dim streetlights, the shadows of several golden osmanthus trees near the roadside swayed gently.
"Hmm?" Old Li rubbed his eyes, stopped the car, and walked towards one of the trees with a puzzled look.
He remembered that yesterday the flowers were in full bloom, golden and shining like a golden umbrella, but today they look...
Sparse and scattered?
Especially at the lower branches that are within reach of people, the flowers are noticeably sparser, and some branches even look as if they have been completely stripped bare, leaving only bare branches swaying forlornly in the evening breeze.
"Oh my goodness!"
Old Li slapped his thigh in distress, circling the tree twice. "This—it's like a locust swarm has swept through! They've stripped this beautiful osmanthus tree bare!"
He looked around but didn't see anyone.
He muttered to himself, scratching his head, "Could it have been blown away by the wind? The wind hasn't been that strong these past few days—"
He shook his head, full of doubt, got back on his electric scooter, and continued his patrol.
At this moment, a completely different scene unfolds in the small kitchen behind window number 07.
Wang Sheng looked at the mountain of golden osmanthus flowers piled up on the worktable, emitting a rich fragrance, and his lips twitched. He was truly at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
That's a lot of material; they probably really stripped several trees bare!
Su Weiwei and her three roommates, plus two girls from the next dormitory, stood in a row, their faces showing a mix of embarrassment from doing something "bad" and expectant anticipation.
"Senior," Su Weiwei stuck out her tongue, her eyes darting around, "Look, with so many osmanthus flowers, how many osmanthus cakes can we make?"
""
The other girls nodded like chicks pecking at rice, their eyes sparkling as they looked at him, as if they could already see countless glistening, soft pastries adorned with golden osmanthus.
Wang Sheng pointed helplessly at the pile of "small mountains": "I actually don't want you to work too hard, and I'm also afraid it will affect the campus landscape."
"What have you done—you've practically stripped several trees bare!"
He recalled the furious voice of the logistics guy in the afternoon, which he guessed was the silhouette of those girls "committing the crime".
"It's all for the osmanthus cake!"
A slightly bolder girl whispered her defense, which drew a chorus of agreement.
"Alright, alright," Wang Sheng chuckled, a warm feeling welling up inside him. The popularity far exceeded his expectations. "Since there's enough raw material, let's make more. But don't do it again, take care of the plants!"
He looked at the osmanthus flowers, which exuded an intoxicating fragrance, and his eyes became eager.
The feedback from Su Weiwei and her team was overwhelming: "It melts in your mouth," "It's full of osmanthus fragrance," and "It tastes even better than the time-honored brands in Suzhou and Hangzhou!"
This is enough to prove how appealing his replica of the traditional osmanthus cake is.
He had just picked up a bag to process it when a very faint but high-frequency "buzzing" sound suddenly rang out.
"Huh? Where did these bees come from?"
A sharp-eyed girl pointed to the area near the window screen.
Sure enough, several tiny worker bees were persistently bumping against the mesh, trying to squeeze into the fragrant little kitchen. They were clearly attracted by the fresh, sweet fragrance of osmanthus, which far exceeded the concentration found in nature.
"Close the window quickly!"
Wang Sheng quickly reminded them. Everyone hurriedly closed the kitchen's only window tightly.
The bees circled outside the window a few times, but unable to find the entrance, they reluctantly flew away.
"Wow, the osmanthus is so fragrant it's even attracted bees!" Su Weiwei exclaimed in surprise.
Wang Sheng watched the bees fly away, then looked at the mountain of osmanthus blossoms before him, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:
These natural, top-quality spices, combined with the unexpectedly pure honey, might create an upgraded version of honey osmanthus cake with an even richer flavor.
And today's osmanthus cake.
After the student had eaten his fill, he was allowed to sell the food to other students.
Therefore.
the next day.
At the same time, in the dance classroom of the art building, the atmosphere was as frozen as ice.
In front of a bright full-length mirror, Sun Lu, the department head who is strict about body management, frowned as she held a stack of newly printed weight reports.
His expression was unusually serious.
She paced back and forth, the sound of her high heels clicking on the wooden floor echoing clearly in the quiet classroom, as if striking the very heart of everyone present.
A dozen or so tall girls stood with their hands at their sides, barely daring to breathe, the air thick with apprehension and unease.
"What's going on?!"
Sun Lu abruptly stopped, her sharp gaze sweeping across the young faces, now etched with tension, like a searchlight. "It's only been a short time since school started? Huh? Less than two months! Look at your weight reports!"
She slammed the report onto the bar next to her with a "smack," her voice filled with disbelief and heartbreak.
"Zhang Ya, you've gained 1.2 kilograms! Li Sisi, 1.5 kilograms! Wang Yue, you—you've gained a whole 2 kilograms!"
Sun Lu's voice rose, tinged with sternness, "We are the dance department! We specialize in ballet, folk dance, and modern dance! Your artistic lives begin with your toes, your waists, and your weight control! Tell me, is this extra weight just sandbags strapped to your legs for practice?!"
She walked up to a round-faced girl whose head was bowed the deepest at that moment, and said in an icy tone: "Wang Yue, tell me, how did you gain those 2 kilograms? Was it because of too much pressure and overeating? Or was it because you weren't training enough?"
Um?"
Wang Yue's face flushed crimson, she was so ashamed she felt like she was about to bleed, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a word.
Could it be because of—window number 07 in that cafeteria? The late-night snacks made by that senior student named Wang Sheng—the rich aroma of pig's trotter soup, the smooth texture of rice noodle rolls, the spicy flavor of rabbit heads, the refreshing texture of ice jelly, and that newly made, intoxicatingly fragrant osmanthus cake?
Just thinking about the melt-in-your-mouth sweetness of osmanthus cake made her tongue tremble, but how could she say it? It was practically public torture!
Sun Lu pointed at the report card with a frustrated expression: "Look! It's not just Wang Yue! Several of you are hovering on the edge of failing! If this continues, do you want to roll around on stage during the final performance, or do you want the audience to see your 'spare tires' on your bellies?"
These words were so harsh that the girls' eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Teacher—" a girl named Zhou Xiaowen spoke softly, trying to explain, "We—we just get hungry at night sometimes—"
Are you hungry?
Sun Lu interrupted her rudely, her tone icy and questioning, "You can't control your appetite when you're hungry?! What about your willpower? Dance is a cruel art, a sculpting of the body's limits! If you can't even control your most basic appetite, what makes you think you can stand on stage? What makes you think you can compete for those roles and opportunities?!"
She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the room with an undeniable air of authority: "Starting tonight! Everyone, watch what you eat! Move your legs! Late-night snacks? Absolutely no eating! Especially the cafeteria food—" She paused, seemingly having heard some rumors, and emphasized her point, her eyes blazing as she stared at them, "especially that stuff in the cafeteria that's all oily, salty, and sugary! If I catch anyone sneaking a snack tonight, you'll be standing to the side watching next month's stage rehearsals! Do you hear me?!"
"Listen—I heard it."
The girls responded listlessly, their voices uneven and filled with despair.
Wang Yue bit her lower lip tightly, feeling the sweet aroma of the osmanthus cake still lingering in her nose, and inwardly groaned:
Oh no, my midnight snack! My source of happiness! Goodbye, Shengji's delicious food!