"If that girl is Cong Nanxue, why would she appear in your father's office? And suddenly disappear into thin air?"
Shen Jingqi rested his chin on his hand.
"I walked an entire lap around Shen University, memorizing every location at the university."
"You really want to meet Cong Nanxue, don't you!"
"I need to meet her to further help you explore your 'illusion' topic!"
"Anyone who has met Cong Nanxue would be interested in her. She is incredibly intelligent, has her own perspective on issues, never just parrots what others say, is very beautiful, and polite."
"She's a perfect person."
"I bet that guy was attracted to her too."
Li Baiyu tapped the cup.
The sound was crisp and delightful.
"That guy was indeed attracted, but what he cares about the most is achievement. He wants to get inspiration through conversation to write a paper that will make teachers and classmates look at him in a new light."
Shen Jingqi explained.
"Then his wish should come true. Cong Nanxue possesses intelligence far beyond the ordinary; she rarely speaks, but whenever she does, it's always crucial and valuable."
Li Baiyu's gaze revealed her profound experience.
"That guy went mad because of it. After he and I entered your father's office, he made a connection, and his eyes changed, saying he found his topic, called mirror neurons."
"However, when I was with him, I hadn't seen Cong Nanxue. It's also possible that since it was Saturday and there were no classes in the biology building, Cong Nanxue didn't appear."
Shen Jingqi pondered.
"Alright. I'll have Zhao Xin'an keep an eye on this person."
Li Baiyu picked up a dumpling.
"Why do we eat dumplings on the winter solstice?"
"It's a custom, I suppose. In northern cities, whenever there's a festival, people like to eat dumplings."
Shen Jingqi also picked one up.
This dumpling was clearly handmade, plump, with a thin skin and plenty of filling, juicy and delicious.
The wrapping method seemed to involve cupping the dumpling skin in the palm, pinching it with the thumb and forefinger.
Shen Jingqi couldn't wrap dumplings ; he knew three methods: the dumpling style, the wheat ear style, and the sun style.
The edges of the dumplings extend upwards and stand like layers of ingots. When there are several fillings, one might pinch a design into them to distinguish the types.
The wheat ear style is quite cute. Starting from one end of the skin, alternately pinching with two fingers forms a symmetrical shape. Lined up, these wheat ears are round and plump, like little piglets.
The sun style involves placing two sheets together, pressing the edges starting from one end, creating a circle around it that looks like rays of sunlight.
These wheat ear and sun styles are rarely seen in stores.
"Can you wrap dumplings?"
Li Baiyu scrutinized the dumplings.
"I can! I can make the dough, roll out the skin, prepare the filling, and then wrap the dumplings seamlessly."
Shen Jingqi was a bit proud.
"You are good at making dumplings. Have you ever thought, from the initial flour, just adding water turns it into dough, and then you can place the filling inside, forming these shapes? Yet, dumplings made by different people taste different. Why do you think that is?"
"That's the principle of material structure. Different materials result in different reactions."
"As for varying tastes from different methods, I understand; I think it's the difference in soul."
Li Baiyu looked at Shen Jingqi with a flicker of intense flame in her eyes.
"People from the north like to drink, right? Eating dumplings with alcohol."
"It's just a saying. People who like to drink will drink regardless of whether they eat dumplings."
"But drinking adds a certain atmosphere."
"It indeed does. But we don't have alcohol today."
"We have Qianlong Cabbage, which goes with the dumplings."
Shen Jingqi felt like he had a strong stomach, capable of accepting various cuisines from all over and across cultures.
This dish of Qianlong Cabbage, due to its name, became a kind of signature.
"Senior, everything we ordered today is Beijing Cuisine, right?"
"Today is the winter solstice, after all; when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so of course, we eat Beijing cuisine here."
In reality, she heard this from Zhao Xin'an. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴovᴇl(F)ɪre.ɴet
Zhao Xin'an invited everyone to gather for a winter solstice dinner in the lab group chat.
They ordered roast duck and other dishes.
Watching their lively expressions, Li Baiyu suddenly felt an impulse.
Regarding dumplings, Li Baiyu and her father would always spend the winter solstice together when living at Shen University.
Her father said the winter solstice calls for dumplings.
He would personally buy vegetables and flour, then make the dumplings by hand.
Li Baiyu would sit beside him, helping to stuff the filling into the dumpling skins.
After wiping off the flour from their clothes and hands, Li Baiyu would start observing the pot where the dumplings were being cooked.
One by one, the dumplings floated up, and they were ready.
Her father would take out a bottle of Fenjiu, pour it into a small wine cup, and drink it alone.
The wine was slightly spicy, with a mild fragrance.
Li Baiyu accidentally took a sip, finding it sharp on the tongue.
Yet, she still looked forward to and cherished the arrival of each winter solstice.
"Happy winter solstice!"
Shen Jingqi suddenly said.
"Thank you, and spending the winter solstice with you."
Li Baiyu brushed a strand of hair from beside her ear.
"Before, when I was with Cong Nanxue, we'd also spent the winter solstice together. At that time, we ate dumplings in the Shen University cafeteria."
Shen Jingqi recalled that scene.
Every time a festival arrived, the cafeteria would have extremely long lines.
The dumplings there were cost-effective, only one yuan for six dumplings, but they didn't taste like handmade ones.
"I wonder if Cong Nanxue will go to the Shen University cafeteria for dumplings today?"
Shen Jingqi suddenly thought.
"How many times has Wang Zhichen met Cong Nanxue in total?"
"Five or six times. The first was in your father's office. The second was in the biology building's classroom; Wang Zhichen was very afraid, rushed to the rooftop, and unexpectedly, Cong Nanxue followed him. Because of that, Wang Zhichen became unstable and almost jumped. After that, people from the psychology center came for crisis intervention. In the subsequent instances, it was in the biology building during classes when Wang Zhichen met Cong Nanxue. He began to have mental shadows and felt fear, leading to him skipping classes, with Xia Kang supervising him in the dormitory."
"Oh, right, senior. You said Cong Nanxue's words are crucial; Wang Zhichen said that when he was on the biology building's rooftop, that girl told him something. It felt strange to him. I'm also a bit confused."
"'The weather cleared up; let's go out and play on the slide.'"
Li Baiyu's eyes suddenly knitted tightly.
Under Shen Jingqi's gaze, she clutched her chest and fainted.