Volume 1 / Chapter 15: Shuǐ Zhìshī's Home Economics Class

A cool breeze brushed Zhōu Yǒng’s face, jolting him awake.  

He swallowed hard, stammering, "Wh-what… is it?"  

"Do you have a group yet?"  

"N-not yet…" Zhōu Yǒng’s eyes widened. This has to be a dream. How could such a lucky break happen in broad daylight? It felt unreal.  

"Have you found two others?"  

"Y-yes…"  

"Then let’s team up." Mò Xuěyáo said straightforwardly.  

To her, this felt completely normal—just like when she was a boy.  

Zhōu Yǒng’s flustered reaction puzzled her. He didn’t seem socially awkward. Why was he tongue-tied now?  

Of course, Mò Xuěyáo wasn’t clueless. She quickly realized the reason, especially after noticing the envious stares from other boys.  

Being seen as a girl…

She sighed inwardly. It was inevitable, but still uncomfortable. Interactions with boys used to feel natural. The old Mò Xuěyáo, though delicate-featured, had kept a crew cut. At first glance, people might hesitate, but a closer look confirmed "boy."  

Now?  

A hairstyle really could change everything.  

"So?" she asked, a bit resigned.  

"N-no problem! Absolutely!"  

Mò Xuěyáo nodded toward the still-stunned Wáng Jiālè and Mo Xiào Xiào. "Let’s go over there."  

"Okay…"  

"Once groups are formed, choose your table. Remember which one you pick—it’ll be yours permanently," the teacher at the podium announced while writing on the blackboard.  

Zhōu Yǒng followed Mò Xuěyáo to the first table in a daze, then suddenly snapped to his senses. He turned and called to his friends chatting with other groups: "Liú Xiǎowěi! Lǐ Hóngrǎn! Over here!"  

Lǐ Hóngrǎn was the tall, burly boy from lunch. Liú Xiǎowěi was the skinny, slightly shifty-looking one. Flakes of dandruff dusted his hair like he hadn’t washed it in weeks.  

Mò Xuěyáo instantly regretted her choice. Liú Xiǎowěi looks… grubby.

But she’d made her bed. Backing out now would be humiliating. She hated going back on her word.  

Wáng Jiālè looked at the trio of boys, her expression pained.  

Mo Xiào Xiào, however, remained unfazed. "Well, three’s three. We’ve got a full group."  

"Ugh—" Wáng Jiālè’s face fell. "I thought you’d find three handsome guys, Mò Xuěyáo… Mr. Xuě  would’ve been nice…"  

"Ahem!" Mò Xuěyáo coughed awkwardly, pretending to study the view outside.  

The boys caught Wáng Jiālè’s implication but seemed amused rather than offended. Finding humor in being disliked? What kind of mental fortitude is that? 

"Nice going, Zhōu Yǒng," Liú Xiǎowěi elbowed him, whispering. "What’s the deal? You know her?"  

"...No." Zhōu Yǒng shook his head vigorously, equally baffled. "She seems aloof, but… uh… pretty bold?" His vocabulary failed him.  

"‘Direct’ is the word," Liú Xiǎowěi corrected scornfully.  

"Or ‘forthright’," Lǐ Hóngrǎn offered pedantically.  

"Both of you, zip it… don’t make us look bad.” Zhōu Yǒng hissed, plastering on a cringe-worthy sycophant’s grin, like a palace eunuch fawning over an imperial consort.  

Mò Xuěyáo’s eyelid twitched. She fought back a laugh, her expression strained.  

"Most of you are experiencing Home Ec for the first time, I imagine. I’m also new to Yǔkōng High this year. I’ll be your Home Ec teacher. My surname is Shuǐ (水) – like river water. Given name Zhìshī (稚诗), as written here." Shuǐ Zhìshī tapped the blackboard. "Home Ec is quite different from academic subjects. We focus on hands-on practice. Today, we’ll get acquainted with the class. Next time, we begin properly."  

The room buzzed. Un-grouped students scrambled to find partners. Formed groups chatted amongst themselves. Successful groups usually involved compatible boys and girls.  

Except Mò Xuěyáo’s group.  

An awkward silence hung over them. No one knew how to start.  

"In Home Ec, we’ll learn cooking, baking, and making various handicrafts—some practical, some decorative." Shuǐ Zhìshī raised a hand, quieting the chatter. "Groups settled? Please take seats at your tables and settle down."  

Most sat. The truly embarrassed were the few still ungrouped.  

Every group looked cohesive—except Mò Xuěyáo’s.  

Lǐ Hóngrǎn was tall but plain. Zhōu Yǒng was utterly unremarkable. Liú Xiǎowěi had character—the skinny, slightly creepy kind.  

Contrasted with the girls: Mò Xuěyáo’s striking looks, Wáng Jiālè’s lively charm, Mo Xiào Xiào’s delicate grace. The mismatch was glaring.  

"Today, though primarily an introduction, I’ll still teach you something." Shuǐ Zhìshī began distributing cardstock, one sheet per student. "We’ll learn to fold a simple trash box for scraps like paper bits or candy wrappers."  

"So Home Ec is like elementary school crafts class?" Lǐ Hóngrǎn mused, stroking his sparse stubble.  

"Pfft, this is just basics. Crafts class didn’t teach cooking, did it?" Liú Xiǎowěi retorted. "Pay attention!"  

"Damn, you’re lecturing me?" Lǐ Hóngrǎn glared.  

"Too cocky!" Liú Xiǎowěi smacked Zhōu Yǒng’s head. "Contradict me again, and I hit Zhōu Yǒng!"  

"You contradict me, I hit Zhōu Yǒng too!"  

"Damn it!" Zhōu Yǒng yelped. "Take your fight elsewhere! Why am I the punching bag?"  

"Ahem, boys over there, quiet please," Shuǐ Zhìshī gently reprimanded.  

Mo Xiào Xiào covered a laugh. "They’re actually quite funny," she whispered to Wáng Jiālè.  

"But they’re not handsome…" Wáng Jiālè pouted.  

Mò Xuěyáo cringed beside her.  

"Who cares about looks? What really matters is stamina..." Liu Xiaowei chimed in with a not-so-subtle innuendo.

The innocent Wáng Jiālè didn’t grasp it. Only after Shuǐ Zhìshī had lectured for a while did she blush furiously and glare at Liú Xiǎowěi, leaving him bewildered.  

The three-boy, three-girl grouping was a good idea, fostering social skills during formation. Naturally, popular kids had an easier time.  

But being grouped didn’t guarantee smooth interaction… as this group proved.  

The girls stayed quiet. The boys clowned around energetically, but the girls’ silence left them feeling oddly lonely.  

At least their antics earned some laughs. So, for the entire class, the trio focused solely on amusing the girls.  

"You guys are fun!" Mo Xiào Xiào remarked as the bell rang.  

Zhōu Yǒng perked up instantly, his earlier deflation vanishing. "Haha—just doing our best!"  

"I’m the fun one!" Liú Xiǎowěi claimed credit for the laughs.  

"Damn, she said ‘you guys’! Stop hogging glory! Too cocky! Hóngrǎn, get him!"  

"On it!"  

Amidst the chaotic scuffle and ringing bell, students filed out.  

Mò Xuěyáo held the paper trash box she’d folded—a simple, square container like an ashtray, perfect for small scraps or trinkets. She decided to keep it on her desk; it might come in handy.  

Wáng Jiālè and Mo Xiào Xiào whispered together, heading to the bathroom and "abandoning" Mò Xuěyáo.  

Left alone, Mò Xuěyáo lingered at the back, strolling slowly toward the classroom.  

"Uh… hey." Zhōu Yǒng’s voice—as ordinary as his looks—came from behind.  

"Yeah?" Mò Xuěyáo turned.  

"Ahem… why… pick me?" He fidgeted.  

Mò Xuěyáo felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment. He’d definitely misinterpreted her earlier approach. She needed to clarify.  

"No reason. You just seemed easy to talk to."  

"Oh—right." His face was unreadable.  

"Also, you sat next to me at lunch. I knew your name, so it was easier to ask you."  

"Oh—right." Same reply. Like a broken record.  

Mò Xuěyáo rolled her eyes, ignored him, and walked back to class alone.