Sold for 300, I Fight Back with Superpowers

”Oh my God, Li Huan, this courtyard of yours is absolutely gorgeous!”

”I’ve never even seen a courtyard this beautiful in Hai City.”

Over the weekend, several of Su Qing and Li Huan’s roommates came to visit the two-courtyard siheyuan at Beijing University as invited. The moment they stepped inside, they couldn’t stop praising it.

In the flowerbeds of the first courtyard grew Scarlet Sage, which Shang Yuqi had asked someone to find. Their natural blooming season was from September to November, but with the help of Su Qing’s superpower, they were now blooming brilliantly.

Ye Qingqing and Sun Xiaowen were both from Yun Province and had been accustomed to seeing all sorts of flowers since they were young, but they were still stunned by this patch of Scarlet Sage. ”Su Qing, Li Huan, how did you two manage this? They’re just too beautiful.”

Li Huan smiled smugly. ”It wasn’t much effort. We just water them once every three or four days and don’t do much else.”

”That’s amazing!” Sun Xiaowen said with a laugh. ”You’ve done a fantastic job with these flowers.”

Hearing Sun Xiaowen’s praise, Li Huan grew even more pleased. ”Come on, let’s go sit inside. Qingqing is in the kitchen preparing the meal.”

”We’ll help.” Upon hearing that, the girls couldn’t possibly let Su Qing work in the kitchen all by herself. They hurried into the courtyard to help her prepare the food. Of course, after entering the second courtyard, they were once again struck by the scenery and couldn’t help but shower it with more praise.

”Su Qing, just tell us if there’s anything we can do.” The girls crowded into the kitchen, speaking with a smile to a busy Su Qing. It was a good thing the kitchen in this siheyuan was relatively large; otherwise, with all of them piling in, there would have been barely any room to stand.

Su Qing said with a smile, ”No need, everything is almost ready. You all go sit in the house for now.”

Then, Su Qing added to Li Huan, ”Cousin, please pour the fruit tea I brewed for Liu Juan and the others.”

”Alrighty.” Li Huan smiled at Liu Juan and the others. ”Let’s go. I told you Qingqing wouldn’t need your help. She just brewed some fruit tea, and it’s delicious. It’s cooling in the main hall, so it should be perfect to drink now.”

”Oh my God, fruit tea!” Ye Qingqing exclaimed. ”Su Qing, Li Huan, you two are really going all out today!”

The ingredients in the kitchen had stunned her. Pork belly, ribs, chicken wings, lamb, eggs, and even a whole fish, not to mention all the fresh, vibrant vegetables.

There was also fruit. In this day and age, fruit was a rarity, and even in Beijing, opportunities to buy it were limited.

Su Qing laughed. ”You all better save some room. We still have the meal to eat in a bit.”

”You got it! Don’t worry, just for this spread, I’m definitely going to save my appetite and feast!” Sun Xiaowen and Chen Meizhen said, laughing heartily.

Niu Wenying stood to the side, covering her mouth as she giggled.

Su Qing worked quickly. Before long, she was calling for Li Huan and the others to bring the dishes to the table one by one.

There was Braised Pork Belly, Scallion-Stir-fried Lamb, Stir-fried Tomato and Egg, Braised Chicken Wings with Shiitake Mushrooms, Steamed Fish, Braised Ribs with Potatoes and Green Beans, Stir-fried Cucumber with Sliced Pork, and Sautéed Corn with Pine Nuts. There was also a large tureen of Red Date and Tremella Soup. The entire table was laden with food.

”Wow, these dishes smell incredible!” Liu Juan’s mouth fell open. There were several dishes she had never even eaten before; today was truly an eye-opener.

Chen Meizhen said to Su Qing with a smile, ”Su Qing, with skills like these, I bet even the master chefs at the state-run restaurants can’t cook as well as you.”

”It’s just some home-style cooking,” Su Qing said, encouraging them. ”Hurry up and eat. Don’t be polite, there’s more than enough food.”

”That’s right, dig in!” Li Huan declared with a grand wave of her hand, laughing heartily.

”Alright, we won’t be polite then!”

The meal was a delight for both the hosts and the guests.

Liu Juan clutched her stomach and wailed, ”I’m doomed, I’m doomed! Am I going to lose my appetite for the cafeteria food next week? Su Qing’s cooking is just too delicious. The cafeteria chefs can’t compare at all.”

Ye Qingqing chuckled and gently poked Liu Juan’s cheek. ”I don’t believe that for a second. You rush to the cafeteria faster than anyone else after class every day.”

Her words made everyone burst into laughter.

”Oh, right. Yesterday, the class president mentioned that it’s been over half a month since school started, and the National Day holiday is coming up soon. They’re planning an autumn outing before the holiday. Do you all want to go?” Liu Juan asked, remembering what the class president had said.

The class president was organizing this autumn outing to help the classmates bond, but participation was voluntary. After all, the cost would be split equally among the attendees, coming out to at least one yuan per person. Some students from less well-off families would probably be unwilling to spend that money on an outing.

”Has the class president decided where we’re going yet?” Li Huan asked.

”I asked,” Liu Juan said. ”It’ll probably be a mountain hike. You know Yunshan Scenic Area here in Beijing? The scenery is supposed to be the most beautiful this time of year, with the mountains covered in maple leaves. It’s gorgeous.”

Chen Meizhen nodded. ”I’ve been to Yunshan Scenic Area once. The admission ticket alone is forty cents. Add in the round-trip bus fare and a box lunch inside the park, and yeah, it comes out to nearly one yuan.”

”That’s really not cheap!” Ye Qingqing came from the poorest family among all the roommates. Before, she definitely wouldn’t have participated in this kind of activity. However, she had recently received fifty yuan from the Song Family as compensation for emotional distress, so she had some money on hand. While she hadn’t changed her frugal habits, she was no longer so short on cash that she’d have to miss out on an event like this.

”It’s definitely not cheap,” Liu Juan said. ”I guess almost half our class won’t be going.”

”Qingqing and I are both going,” Li Huan said, raising her hand. ”It’s the perfect season to see the maple leaves.”

”I’ll go too.”

”Me too.”

Laughing and chatting, the girls all decided to join the class autumn outing. They never expected that when the class president was taking a headcount during the break on Monday, Zhao Xiaohui would directly start trouble with Su Qing.