Today, I Have Yet to Become a Doll

At night, Tan Xiao, Pan Xiaoxin, and Teacher Cheng played cards on the mattress.

Pan Xiaoxin wasn't very good at first, but later he and Teacher Cheng took turns winning.

Tan Xiao lost every hand.

Bai Youwei listened to the shuffling of cards, Tan Xiao's complaints, and the crackling of the bonfire… slowly drifting off to sleep.

Shen Mo looked at her peaceful, carefree sleeping face and also closed his eyes.

…

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Teacher Cheng bustled about preparing breakfast.

He first opened two cartons of milk and cooked a pot of milk porridge.

Worried that just porridge wouldn't be enough for Tan Xiao and Shen Mo, he mixed flour into a thin batter, added salt and MSG, then cracked two eggs. He put a little oil in a frying pan, poured the batter in, and rotated the handle, slowly making a thin egg pancake.

It could be eaten directly, dipped in sauce, or rolled up with scallions or shredded cucumber.

While making breakfast, Teacher Cheng muttered, "The milk will expire in a few days. It doesn't matter if it expires, don't throw it away. It's best for steaming buns, making them fragrant and fluffy…"

These were experiences accumulated over decades of life.

Tan Xiao and Pan Xiaoxin, their hair resembling two bird's nests, one large and one small, squatted by the roadside brushing their teeth.

Shen Mo accompanied Bai Youwei to the hotel to wash up.

The other five-person camp, seemingly influenced by them, decided not to just make do. They started a fire, set up a pot, and wanted to have a proper breakfast.

Ingredients were plentiful, but skills were limited.

Lü Ang wanted to cook a pot of porridge, but ended up with a pot of rice, half of which was burnt.

Finally, Zhu Shu took over, scooped out the unburnt rice and set it aside. Then she boiled two potatoes, mashed them, seasoned them with salt and pepper, added diced sausages, and finally mixed everything with the rice and formed it into balls. These were then pan-fried.

Fry one side, press it down, flip it over, and you have a fragrant rice patty.

Golden yellow, crispy on the outside, soft and glutinous on the inside, with a savory and salty taste.

Li Li took a bite and praised, "Zhu Shu! I didn't know you could cook!"

Yan Qingwen took a couple of bites and was also a little surprised. He looked at Zhu Shu, "A celebrity's schedule must be very tight, right? Do you have time to cook?"

Zhu Shu smiled, "I wasn't famous from the start. When I was just an extra, I always cooked for myself."

Su Man ate silently.

Perhaps because she was enjoying the food, she didn't say anything sarcastic this time.

After a while, Yan Qingwen stood up and called Lü Ang, saying they should go talk to Shen Mo. They were going to move the congested vehicles. To avoid triggering the game, only two people could do this at most, so they needed to inform Shen Mo's group to avoid accidentally running into each other and getting caught up in the game.

Zhu Shu patted the crumbs off her clothes and stood up as well, smiling, "I'll go with you. I'm used to having a cup of black tea every morning. The hotel should have tea bags."

Su Man glanced at her coldly, about to call her pretentious.

But seeing Li Li glaring at her, she pursed her lips and held back.

She didn't want to spoil everyone's mood early in the morning.

…

Yan Qingwen led his teammates to the hotel entrance.

There was leftover milk porridge in the pot, a deck of cards scattered on the mattress, Tan Xiao was holding Pan Xiaoxin up a tree to pick loquats, Bai Youwei was sitting under the tree directing them, and Teacher Cheng was watering the scallions and cilantro in the flowerpots.

Even though he was somewhat prepared, seeing this scene, Yan Qingwen couldn't help but admire their relaxed attitude.

It was like two channels on TV: one showing a survival show, the other a leisurely vacation.

Shen Mo was inspecting the car. Seeing them approach, he lowered the hood and asked, "Something the matter?"

Yan Qingwen smiled faintly, gestured towards the congested road, and said, "That road isn't easy to navigate, so we came to ask about your departure time. We'd like to avoid overlapping with you."

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