Study Monster Cultivation System

Chapter 195: Being young is great at 19.

Next, as everyone was setting up the dinner table, Tao Feifei hastily finished grading the papers.

"15 points, provincial third place is hopeful," said Tao Feifei, eyeing the thick slices of meat with alternating layers of fat and lean and adding, "However, from now on... (swallowing saliva)... we should focus on the preliminary competition questions... (swallowing saliva)..."

"Ah... I’ve also met the standard..." Jiang Qinghua said with some surprise as she looked at her test paper.

Li Zheng, who was arranging dishes alongside, also offered encouragement, "Yes, the content of the preliminary competition overlaps with that of the college entrance exam, so it’s worth giving math a special push as well."

"Okay!" Jiang Qinghua, holding the test paper with 15 points, finally regained some confidence in her studies after many days.

Before long, the barbecue feast was ready, with lunch boxes covering the office desk.

Steak, beef ribs, beef tongue, lamb tendons, thick pork belly, squid tentacles, potatoes, leeks...

This was truly extravagant.

Barbecuing is something that normally requires everyone’s participation, but Yu Hong didn’t trust others to manage the heat properly, insisting on doing it herself.

So, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yu Hong methodically set up the grill, connected the power, poured the oil, and once a faint white smoke arose, gently placed two thick slices of beef ribs on it.

Sizzle—

As the bubbles of oil emerged from the meat, the entire office was filled with a delicious aroma.

Yu Hong, already fully armed with an apron, wielded tongs in one hand and scissors in the other. In the span of a few dozen seconds of flipping and roasting, she snipped the large pieces of meat into small, evenly-sized strips.

And each strip had both fat and lean, with no one’s share larger or smaller than another’s.

A few seconds later, the meat began to turn golden.

Yu Hong, with quick eyes and quick hands, in the blink of an eye, picked up several pieces of meat and placed them into each person’s dipping sauce.

"Thank you, Teacher Yu!"

"That’s some impressive skill."

"Teacher Yu, how come you have such a complete set of tools in your office..."

"Mmm, delicious!"

Amidst everyone’s praise, Yu Hong meticulously placed six slices of potato on the grill to roast before finally sitting down to savor her own rib strips.

At that moment, the other four people had already finished eating, all staring at her with eyes wide open.

For Li Zheng, after more than a dozen hours of engrossing problem-solving, having a barbecue meal was truly delightful, but why so slow and so little?

For Jiang Qinghua, biting into the meat and tasting the oil, it must be expensive; it was nice to take advantage and nourish her body, but why so slow and so little?

For Tao Feifei, having someone to spend Christmas Eve might help forget the sorrows, just like the sweet and sour dipping sauce perfectly masking the slight greasiness... but why so slow and so little?

For Lin Yujing, why so slow and so little?

Shortly after, Yu Hong also finished her portion and, seeing the others swallow saliva in anticipation, laughed and said, "It’s been a long time since I had this feeling of rushing to eat meat; it tastes better this way."

Only Tao Feifei could truly understand this sentiment.

During the era when she and Yu Hong were students, it was an event to visit restaurants together occasionally. They could not afford to order much, and they had just enough to go around.

But when young people have something tasty to eat, when is it ever just enough?

Thus, every dish served was devoured like a tornado, and in less than a minute, the plate would be empty.

The group could only wait wistfully for the next dish to be brought to the table.

Was this way of dining satisfying?

Not satisfying.

Was it delicious?

Truly delicious!

Conversely, in recent years people have become more affluent. Those former classmates, now occasionally reconvening at someone’s wedding banquet, facing a table full of exquisite foods, find it hard to muster the same appetite, only picking at the food symbolically.

Putting down their chopsticks, they reminisce about the past.

It’s unclear whether the craving was for the taste, or for the memories of youth.

…

By eight o’clock, the meat had been devoured and the table had been tidied up neatly.

Yu Hong and Tao Feifei chatted happily about "that flavor" and "those youthful days," seemingly very satisfied with the barbecue.

But Li Zheng, Jiang Qinghua, and Lin Yujing were not satisfied at all.

In their minds, there were only two words.

That’s it?

Enough to eat?

Having tasted the delicious food, they

had had their hunger stirred even more.

Finally, when picking up their bicycles at the school gate, Li Zheng couldn’t hold it in anymore.

"Qinghua, you still want to eat?"

"Yes..." Jiang Qinghua nodded firmly.

"I know where the shop is," Li Zheng said with a lift of his lips. "Come on, it’s on me."

"Ah? Is it appropriate? Barbecue is pretty expensive, right?"

"No problem, it’s my birthday, I have a budget," Li Zheng said with a smile, pulling out his bicycle.

"Ah!" Jiang Qinghua also quickly pulled out her bike, bumping into Li Zheng’s bike, "Happy Birthday!"

"Don’t be so polite, let’s go, off to eat meat," Li Zheng chuckled and got on his bike.

"Let’s go!" Just as Jiang Qinghua climbed onto his bike, he saw Lin Yujing not far away, putting on woolen gloves.

She was staring over here, and even in the darkness, one could see those unwilling pupils flickering.

Like a cat that had seen meat from afar, but it was in the mouth of a dog.

Jiang Qinghua thought to himself, could it be... Lin Yujing also craved this bite?

He quickly pedaled and moved closer to Li Zheng, suggesting, "Since we’re celebrating a birthday, why not invite Lin Yujing as well?"

"If you want to invite, you invite," Li Zheng grunted.

"Hey, it’s just one exam," Jiang Qinghua said with a smile, without much thought, quickly pedaling over to Lin Yujing and said, "Come on, let’s go together to feast on barbecue on Li Zheng’s dime."

He had thought Lin Yujing would refuse, or at least play coy.

Unexpectedly, she instantly brushed aside her previous reluctance, fluffed up in excitement, and transformed into an eager face.

"Great! Great!"

Lin Yujing’s face lit up with excitement, and she hopped onto her bike, looking towards the road ahead, "Come on, lead the way you loser!"

"Got a new nickname for me now?" Jiang Qinghua could only respond with a wry smile.

He didn’t know that Lin Yujing actually had quite an appetite, and moreover, it was quite large.

However, Yu Hong thought that the young girl didn’t eat much, so he gave more meat to Li Zheng and Jiang Qinghua instead.

That’s why Lin Yujing was the one who had the least satisfying meal.

She was too embarrassed to show it, and it was even less convenient to ask Yu Hong which restaurant the food was ordered from.

Now that Li Zheng was leading the way and offering to treat her, it was naturally wonderful to eat a satisfying barbecue under the guise of celebrating a birthday.

In Jiang Qinghua’s eyes, however, that wasn’t the layer he saw.

Having known each other for over a year, it was the first time he had seen Lin Yujing so excited, so out of character.

In the end...

He was just a messenger...

Perhaps even a third wheel.

The three cycled in silence to the barbecue restaurant.

As soon as Li Zheng and Lin Yujing had parked their bikes, they caught the scent wafting from inside the place, and couldn’t help but rub their hands together in anticipation.

By that time, Jiang Qinghua had already lost all his appetite.

Things had come to this.

He chose to complete it.

Watching the two eagerly lock up their bikes and dash toward the BBQ restaurant, Jiang Qinghua didn’t get out of the car but instead took out his phone on the spot and managed to squeeze out a slight smile, saying, "Ah, my dad wants me back home soon. You two go ahead and eat."

"Don’t be like that," Li Zheng looked back and said, "Give me the phone, I’ll talk to your dad."

Lin Yujing had no intention of leaving him behind either, "Turn off your phone and come eat."

"Forget it, forget it..." Jiang Qinghua put away his phone, waved his hand, lifted the front of his bike on the spot, and smashed it down in the direction of home. With his back to them, he silently raised his right hand, forced a smile, and said, "Happy birthday. Eat my share too, see you tomorrow."

Once he finished, he ignored their pleas to stay, put his head down, and pedaled away, becoming more and more distant.

Leaving behind only a dashing silhouette and fluttering hair...

In front of the BBQ restaurant, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing stood still for a moment and then suddenly looked at each other.

It was at this moment that they realized something.

The two of us eat alone?

Instantly, both of them turned their backs to each other with the wind.

"The feeling of fullness really is delayed..." Li Zheng swallowed blankly, "I guess I’m already full."

"Um..." Lin Yujing also rubbed her stomach, feeling ashamed of her earlier loss of composure, "Actually, I eat very little..."

In the silence, they reluctantly approached their bikes and hung their heads to unlock them.

Jiang Qinghua had no idea that his presence was very important.

Without him, the friendly atmosphere of the class gathering would instantly become strange.

He, in the past, had tried every way possible but could never join in.

Only this time, his turning away fulfilled everything, but it broke up the dinner he could have had.

Such is the irony of fate, isn’t it?

...

Even though the barbecue was missing, Li Zheng still intended to take Lin Yujing home; after all, it was already late.

The two rode their bikes side by side at a leisurely pace.

One was thinking about the barbecue.

The other one too.

And so they thought all the way, thinking into the neighborhood, up to the front of the building.

Li Zheng realized that Lin Yujing also lived in an old, unnamed neighborhood.

Even the people walking at night were old, with old men and women wearing impressive-looking glasses, who must have been very studious in their youth.

Li Zheng casually asked while pedaling his bike, "This is also a residential area for some system, right?"

"Yeah," Lin Yujing quickly locked her bike, stood up, and dismissed with a wave of her hand, "Get lost, you scum."

"Tsk, wait for next time, when it’s my turn to call you scum," Li Zheng turned his bike around, then paused and looked back.

Lin Yujing was still seeing him off and hadn’t left. When she saw Li Zheng look back, she turned to the side and waved again.

After a moment of internal struggle, Li Zheng still asked, "I heard from my dad that your mom is a very important engineer... I’m guessing... an aerospace engineer?"

Lin Yujing also struggled for a while before nodding her head, "Yeah..."

"I see..." Li Zheng scratched the back of his neck, stammered, and said, "With your level, participating in physics competitions, you could easily get a contract... You wouldn’t be... never mind, never mind..."

At this point, Li Zheng couldn’t continue and put his head down, ready to take off.

"Say it!" Lin Yujing, on the other hand, chased after him.

"It’s just..." Li Zheng hesitated, "If you’re in aerospace, then... you’re going to Ji Hang, right?"

"Yes."

"Oh..." Li Zheng gripped the handlebars tightly, "Never mind... I’m leaving."

He had been thinking about this matter for a long time, but had never dared to ask.

Lin Yujing’s love for physics was genuine, and her passion for space exploration was beyond doubt.

Despite the myriad connections between the two, they were, after all, distinct disciplines.

If one wanted to pursue space exploration, Jijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics was the only choice.

Now it seemed,

She would probably go there.

He felt a slight disappointment.

Just as Li Zheng was about to pedal away,

Lin Yujing suddenly said, "I didn’t say I was definitely going into the space industry."

"Huh?" Li Zheng swallowed and turned around, "But your face is practically screaming rocket science."

"No matter how impressive rockets are, they can’t fly very far," Lin Yujing said softly, her head tilted slightly upward as she gazed at the starry sky and sighed, "Have you forgotten? Even the fastest rocket can only cover 0.002 light-years in a lifetime."

"Right..." Li Zheng also looked up, absently sighing, "There are so many stars tonight."

Lin Yujing casually pointed at a star: "No matter how hard we try, we can’t complete even one billionth of this journey."

"Right..."

"So, although the space station must be fascinating, the real wonders are in the telescope, right?"

"Right..."

"You blockhead." Lin Yujing turned to look at Li Zheng, who was staring up at the sky, and chuckled, "Not everyone gets to look through an astronomical telescope, so try to score within 10 points below me first."

"Piece of cake." Li Zheng did not look down; he kept gazing upward, "So, you’re being lazy again, dodging the hardest task and only wanting to enjoy the most beautiful results, right?"

"I can’t be bothered with you, blockhead." Lin Yujing snapped back to reality, her head slightly drooped as she murmured, "Solving problems has a time limit, life has its length; what’s the point in struggling to turn 0.002 into 0.004? Being lazy isn’t terrible; being dumb is."

"Right..." Li Zheng stared at the starry sky and said, "But this fool will get stronger, much stronger than you think, and will surpass everyone one day... these stars are distant, and human life is indeed limited, but as long as we fly fast enough, even time will freeze for us, and millions of light-years will be but an instant, right?"

At this, Li Zheng suddenly looked towards Lin Yujing: "That’s it, I know what I want now."

"..." Lin Yujing turned away, her voice trembling a bit as she spoke, "The Theory of Relativity... is still too simple... even a blockhead like you can bluff with it..."

"Ha, everything I’ve got is real; your problem-solving approach is more like a scam."

"You’re still talking? Beat my score first, then talk."

"Heh, next time for sure." Li Zheng then pedaled off, "Remember, once I’m better than you, you’ll listen to me obediently and stop your nonsense."

"We didn’t agree to that! And I won’t listen even if we did!"

Lin Yujing shouted for a while, then turned around to find that Li Zheng had long disappeared.

She stomped her foot.

"Dumb blockhead!"

An elderly man walking by at night tugged at his wife’s arm.

"Ah, youth is wonderful, isn’t it?"

His wife took a closer look: "Oh, isn’t that Jingjing? Jingjing actually..."

"What about Jingjing? Can’t Jingjing be young?" the old man said with a laugh.

"Um..." Lin Yujing turned and, seeing them, her face flushed, "Good evening, Grandpa Zhang, Grandma Zhao..."

"Good, good," the old man said with a rosy glow, "Hurry home, don’t catch a cold."

But the old lady leaned in to ask, "Jingjing, that young man, is he your classmate? He seemed spirited."

"Um..." Lin Yujing hung her head, "Not spirited at all, but please don’t tell my mom..."

With that, she turned and ran into the apartment building.

Watching her dash into the stairwell, the old lady couldn’t help but laugh as well.

"Youth is really wonderful..."