Chapter 217: Making Kimchi

Chapter 217

Su Xiaoqi's roommates each got a large green mangosteen.

Xiaoqi had eaten this kind of mangosteen many times before, her family would buy them often.

Wei Cheng had never eaten one before. She thought they smelled very fragrant and was reluctant to eat it, placing it on her bedside table instead.

Mi'er had eaten lots of mangoes before, but not this kind. They were still quite hard. She thought they needed to soften first before one could eat them. These mangosteens were very big, over a pound each.

Upon hearing they could be eaten directly, Mi'er, who could never make it through the night without a late-night snack, was the first to cut into the large mangosteen.

Since Yunshu liked to eat fruit in the dorm, they had a full assortment of fruit peeling and slicing tools.

Mi'er sliced up a large bowl full from just one mangosteen.

The dormmates sat together and ate, chatting about their days over the fruit.

Xiao Qi just took Subject One of an exam today, and talked about her impressions of wandering through the Meng City marketplace. There was so much stuff there, she said they should all go together next time.

Wei Cheng spent the morning in the dorm studying. In the afternoon she went to the Film Society and they screened an old foreign classic film called "Big Fish". She also worked a part-time job there, very simple, just tidying up the screening room after the movie ended. The students were all very considerate, rarely leaving garbage behind, so she just had to sweep up a bit. Fifty yuan for one screening.

Mi'er's External Liaison Society had an event today that kept her running around all day, including a trip to Meng City. She got to witness the legendary corporate sponsorship hunting - with her wit, she was kept by the upperclassman's side the whole time. Xiaoqi was amazed to see how the upperclassman secured 8,000 RMB in sponsorship just by having a few banners up for their school event. It opened Mi'er's eyes to a whole new world.

Yunshu also spent the morning in the dorm studying. In the afternoon she went to the Tea Art Society and was now browsing Taobao on her phone, preparing to buy a tea set.

Xiaoqi glanced at the price of that tea set...starting at four digits...and silently looked away.

Yunshu's hobbies were a bit pricey.

Since the weather had cooled slightly, Xiaoqi had been thinking of going to Meng City to get some warmer clothes, but today had been too rushed - after finishing at the vegetable market it was already quite late, and the electric scooter wasn't suitable for the winding mountain roads at night either, so she headed back early.

The next day, Xiaoqi wore the somewhat ugly blue uniform pants from high school that all her former classmates unanimously agreed were hideous.

The New District was right on the bay, so the winds were stronger and it felt cooler than the old district.

The blue uniform, both jacket and pants, had two white stripes down the sleeves and pant legs. When selecting uniforms, Xiaoqi had deliberately chosen a size up, worried they'd look too short when she wore them. She'd directly selected size L back then, since it was the same winter uniform, and she could layer sweaters underneath.

She'd maintained them well - just a bit of pilling at the cuffs, which her mom carefully trimmed off each time she was home. They were washed very clean, the white still white, the blue only slightly faded.

Xiaoqi's current proportions were quite decent, and her spirits were good too, so even in this rather tacky uniform she didn't look bad per se.

Of course it didn't make her look stunning either - the uniform was quite loose, giving her a bit of a hip hop vibe. Her hair was simply tied back in a little ponytail, the most convenient style. She wasn't patient enough to grow out long hair; when short, it would easily fall into her eyes, so she'd always preferred this very casual look.

The high school uniforms weren't differentiated by gender, the only difference in the stripes - narrower for boys, wider for girls.

Xiaoqi had figured there would be work involved in making kimchi and whatnot, so no need to wear anything too nice that she'd feel bad about dirtying.

The yard was nicely maintained, with a sun umbrella and table with two chairs underneath. The table was decorated with a simple tea set.

Seeing the furnishings inside the apartment like the tablecloth and such, all delicate patterns, and her clothes neatly folded...contrary to Jin's tomboyish exterior, inside the home was fully girly-girl, even sweetly scented from perfume. The yard plantings were also neatly tended.

The yard would be a nice spot to work, with the gentle breezes and sunny brightness. Jin had earnestly asked her family how to make kimchi, even taking notes on the method, but she was helpless in the kitchen - even with the theory she had no idea how to actually make it happen. Xiaoqi was just the opposite.

She herself was quite interested in cooking. Following Jin Zaiyan's method, she started cooking, rolling up both sleeves and first washing the cabbage, since there was a sink in the yard.

Jin Zaiyan assisted, following along as Xia Qi cooked.

After a while, Grace also came over, because Jin Zaiyan had taken a photo of Xia Qi making spicy cabbage kimchi and sent it to their party chat group.

Grace had not expected Su to actually be able to make Korean food. Carrying a dessert she had made at home yesterday, she came downstairs.

She had learned it from TikTok, but it was not very successful. It was originally meant to be a large bread loaf, but when she made it, it turned out like a pancake, hard as a brick, but the taste was still ok, sweet, really sweet, cloying.

Grace also pitched in to help.

They were all following Xia Qi's movements to learn. Xia Qi actually did not have any special tricks, her hands just moved smoothly by feel, and she had a good sense of how much salt and seasoning to use.

Grace took out her video camera again, planning to learn it herself later when she went back.

Korean kimchi pickles are very famous in their country, because it is said to be a dish Koreans eat every day, which is quite incredible.

After working on it for a morning, they initially made something in the proper shape and put it in jars to ferment for 10-15 days before it could be eaten.

In addition to the kimchi, Xia Qi also pickled some radishes and bamboo shoots, making both sweet and spicy versions.

Pickled bamboo shoots are unique to Jingnan Province, since there is plenty of bamboo here that sprouts shoots.

Upon learning that this stuff grows into food that pandas love to eat, Grace and Jin Zaiyan were quite curious.

They may not know much else, but they both knew about pandas. Xia Qi felt that domestically raising pandas had been very successful in China—the cultural export was quite powerful, if nothing else.

While Xia Qi was making kimchi pickles over here, Wu Xinyue and Li Taiping had made it to the Bagua Temple over there.

Li Taiping circled around the Bagua Temple as if he were a headless fly. Seeing his pimply face, Wu Xinyue felt a little impatient. They had gotten up early and it was still making her feel somewhat sleepy, but thinking of his well-off family background, she endured and kept him company.

She heard Li Taiping say, "What's so special about this place that the young master actually said it was beautiful?"

Wu Xinyue had already integrated herself into their circle for a period of time and knew who Li Taiping was referring to as the "young master", so she was also rather curious. She circled around a few more times herself but truly did not see anything special about this place.

She then heard Li Taiping continue, "It seems like the young master has taken a liking to a girl. He's finally opened his eyes."

Wu Xinyue's heart started thumping rapidly, while her expression remained as calm as ever. Her inner emotions surged as she casually asked, "Oh? Who is she?"