4 Running (2/2)
The control panel remained unchanged.
Experience points and levels are useless?
Jiang Feng felt that it was impossible, and it was probably just that his level was too low to make any differences.
He still had to go for a run with Chen Xiuxiu the next morning. So Jiang Feng didn't continue to explore the control panel. He set the alarm clock for 6:30 a.m. and went to sleep with his head turned to the side.
The next morning, Jiang Feng changed into his sportswear and opened the door blearily.
Chen Xiuxiu was standing at the door, wearing relatively loose fitted clothing and a pair of trainers.
In order to run, she had specially put her hair up into a ponytail.
Upon seeing her, Jiang Feng paused.
”Why didn't you knock and get me to rush when you're already here?”
Chen Xiuxiu looked at her watch: ”if you hadn't come out at seven, I'd have knocked on your door. How should we run?”
Chen Xiuxiu appeared ready and primed for action.
Running in this area would give her a sense of pride.
It was similar to a sweet victory that said I am no longer the 102Kg woman I once was, the 72Kg me has returned.
Not even losing one kilogram after three days of starving herself could warrant this kind of feeling.
”Run all the way to One Middle School.” One Middle School was the alma mater of Jiang Feng and Chen Xiuxiu. The food vendors around One Middle School might not know who the principal was, but they would know who Chen Xiuxiu was.
After all, she used to be the person who had tried all the food in the area.
”Nice, we can go to the back of the school for breakfast as well.” Jiang Feng suggested as if he had done it unintentionally.
”Breakfast?” Chen Xiuxiu frowned. She was running today to burn away last night's bowl of porridge. The loss would outweigh the gain if she were to eat breakfast.
The word breakfast did not exist in the dictionary of dieters.
”With such a large amount of exercise, you will faint without breakfast.” Jiang Feng said, the distance to One Middle School from their location was almost three kilometers, which was not a short distance for Chen Xiuxiu, a new runner, even if she jogged there.
”I'll just have a cup of soymilk.” Chen Xiuxiu chose to compromise.
Jogging sounded easy, but it was not really easy on new runners.
Just like how Wang Hao had set his goal to run 10km on his first day of running, he had just run four laps before heading to the canteen to reward himself with some sweet and sour pork.
It took a full hour to finish that short distance of three kilometers.
Chen Xiuxiu was drenched with sweat as she sat in a little eatery in Sha County, the back door of One Middle School, enjoying the cool wind from the electric fan.
After slimming down to 72Kg, she had never sweat so much.
”Would you like something to eat?” Jiang Feng's voice sounded like the devil's whisper to Chen Xiuxiu in that instant.
Of course, she wanted to eat. She wanted to drink the freshly ground soybean milk with two spoonfuls of sugar sold by grandma Zhang at the gate of One Middle School, she craved for the tea leaf eggs that had fully absorbed the flavors of stew that was sold in the inner streets, the noodles with soybean sauce with toppings of cucumber strips and scallions, and salivated for the steamed dumplings in this Sha Country eatery.
”Just a bowl of soymilk will do, without sugar.” Chen Xiuxiu almost doubted that Jiang Feng was doing this intentionally, ending the run here.
”Don't you want to try the steamed dumplings in our shop, little girl? They're delicious. There was a little girl in One Middle School who would eat several baskets every day!” The owner's wife recommended her steamed dumplings to new guests as per usual.
”Jiang Feng, you should advise your girlfriend as well. Young girls nowadays exercise without eating and their bodies can't handle it.”
”Madame, she is Chen Xiuxiu.” Jiang Feng said with a smile and ordered two baskets of steamed dumplings and a bowl of mung bean soup.
”Xiuxiu?!” The owner's wife's voice right then could compete with Wang Xiulian's.
”Xiuxiu has become beautiful! A girl does indeed change a lot before reaching adulthood. Auntie can't even recognize you. How can you not have the steamed dumplings when you're here? Come and have a basket. Don't starve yourself. How can a young girl not have breakfast? If it's not enough, I still have six baskets left. Auntie will even make them fresh for you if that's not enough! ”
Under the enthusiasm of the owner's wife, Chen Xiuxiu could only be defeated step by step, relenting from the original bowl of soy milk to a basket of steamed dumplings with a bowl of soy milk.
Chen Xiuxiu picked up a steamed dumpling and glared at Jiang Feng fiercely: ”You did this intentionally, you tricked me here to eat.”
”Why, aren't their steamed dumplings delicious?” Jiang Feng's face was a picture of innocence. ”I was young and ignorant, and used to think that their steamed dumplings were the best in the world.”
Jiang Feng stuffed a steamed dumpling into his mouth and swallowed after chewing it several times.
”Later I went to university and out into the world to discover that their steamed dumplings are indeed the best in the world.”
Chen Xiuxiu could not respond to that. After exercising, her blood was circulating well, insulin had been secreted, and her empty gastrointestinal tract had begun to wriggle rapidly, constantly protesting to her body.
After starving herself for a year, she thought that she was used to it.
Feeling that Chen Xiuxiu no longer ate with the slow and unperturbed manner she had when she was eating the cucumber salad last night, but ate the steamed dumplings in a hurry, Jiang Feng took advantage of the victory and pursued: ”Shall we continue tomorrow?”
”Mmm.”
Chen Xiuxiu took another ferocious bite of the steamed dumplings.