I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Wu Dan became famous at school, though in an undignified way, she became famous nonetheless.

Qiaoqiao was extremely upset. She was a gentle woman. If she hadn't heard Wu Dan say that she was going to have a baby and not stay at home to take care of her husband and children, why would she bother taking the college entrance exam? Qiaoqiao wouldn't have gone so far as to pick up a stool and hit someone.

Can't women who have children have aspirations?

fallacy.

Qiaoqiao disliked Wu Dan, but the boys liked her. She heard that the boys in the philosophy department often sought out Wu Dan to discuss life.

Wu Dan shamelessly declared that she would only associate with men from wealthy families, and would ignore men from rural areas, working-class families, or families with low social standing.

Qiaoqiao couldn't help but tease her: "Did you come here to study or to find a man?"

Wang Min gave a precise answer: "No wonder she did. Marriage is a woman's second life, and who doesn't want to climb the social ladder? If I hadn't gotten married in the countryside, I wouldn't have had such a difficult life."

The school subsidizes each student with 17 yuan a month for living expenses. Wang Min saves every penny and always manages to save a few yuan for her children in the countryside.

Wang Min may be able to eat her fill, but her children may not. She seems to have a deeper understanding of marriage.

After a fight and a special letter of apology, Qiaoqiao became famous. More girls stood by Qiaoqiao's side. Female college students, the darlings of the times, the backbone of social construction, how could they use their looks to please others?

Personal conflicts were quickly dispelled by the intense study.

The teacher assigned homework: students should choose their favorite dynasty and write a paper. If their insights are outstanding, the paper will be published in a local history journal in Huailin City and will also be counted as part of their graduation grade.

This assignment is to be completed in teams; you may form your own teams.

Qiaoqiao and Wang Min are naturally a couple. Wang Min proposed to use the Tang Dynasty emperor Wu Zetian as the background to discuss the politics, economy, and military of the Wu Zhou Dynasty.

Good heavens, this is blatant feminism! Qiaoqiao doesn't want to study Wu Zetian; she wants to study the Ming Dynasty. Unfortunately, since they are friends, she has no choice but to support Wang Min.

Most of the other students chose the Ming Dynasty, the Song Dynasty, and the more controversial Yuan Dynasty. They quickly formed teams, and even Wu Dan went to study Yang Guifei. Wang Min and Qiao Qiao's team still only had two people.

"Does your team need more people?"

Persistence pays off, and finally an ally arrived.

"Yes, yes, but our topic is the Wu Zhou Dynasty, is that alright?" Qiaoqiao asked worriedly.

"Okay, I'll study anyone, as long as you want me."

My ally is Yao Xing. He is eighteen years old, thin and small, and always smiles at everyone he meets, but there is always a strange shrewdness in his eyes.

"You...you don't have your own ideas?" Wang Min asked.

"I... Wu Zhou was fine, which emperor was it again?"

Wang Min and Qiaoqiao looked at each other in bewilderment. He studied history and didn't even know about Wu Zetian. Did he get in through a proper exam?

Wang Min didn't want Yao Xing, but their team was short of players.

The teacher said that we must work in groups of four. In addition to academic studies, university students also need teamwork skills.

Reluctantly, I accepted it.

"Sisters, now that we're a group, I'll treat you to lunch."

Well, although he's not good at studying, he has pretty high emotional intelligence.

"Then I want to eat braised pork with potatoes," Wang Min teased.

"No problem, take your pick of whatever you like from the cafeteria. And if you need any errands, just let me know."

Yao Xing noticed their disdain and volunteered to do the hard labor.

"Okay, then we'll be a group from now on, but we're still missing one person." Qiaoqiao fell into worry again.

"Why don't you ask Gu Tong'an? He doesn't have a team yet," Yao Xing suggested.

"Gu Tong'an? No way, no way. He's such a good student, he never even glances at us slackers. He won't join us." Wang Min and Qiaoqiao both refused.

"You guys don't dare invite him, and other teams don't dare invite him either, so he's all alone. Being too outstanding is also a disadvantage."

Yes, Yao Xing is right.

"Wang Min, why don't you give it a try?"

"I'm not going. I'm too old for that. If I get humiliated, how can I save face?"

Qiaoqiao, also concerned about her image, refused to go, and the two of them turned to look at Yao Xing.

"Okay, I'll go." Yao Xing accepted the task without hesitation.

I don't know how Yao Xing persuaded Gu Tong'an, but anyway, the four of them sat at a table at lunchtime.

Wang Min cooked braised pork with potatoes, scrambled eggs with chives, stir-fried bok choy, and four ounces of rice—a large bowl full.

Qiaoqiao ordered a plate of fried tofu, a plate of green beans, and two ounces of rice.

It wasn't that she didn't like eating meat; judging from Yao Xing's clothes, he must be from the countryside, and she didn't want him to spend money on her.

Gu Tong'an ordered a serving of small fish, a serving of eggplant, and four ounces of rice.

Yao Xing's dish also included braised pork with potatoes, chili oil, and four ounces of rice.

The meals for the four of them were all paid for with Yao Xing's meal tickets.

The young people quickly became familiar with each other, and Qiaoqiao asked Gu Tong'an, "You also like Wu Zetian?"

Gu Tong'an frowned slightly and said, "I don't like it."

"Don't you like it? Why are you sitting with me if you don't like it?"

"It was Yao Xing who invited me to lunch. We're all classmates, so it wouldn't be right to refuse so abruptly, would it?" Gu Tong'an looked bewildered.

Qiaoqiao's expression changed: "Yao Xing, why don't you explain clearly?"

Yao Xing chuckled: "Gu Tong'an, you're too outstanding. Nobody dares to team up with you. Since nobody wants you anyway, why don't you join us?"

"He doesn't like Wu Zetian, how can we appease him?" Qiaoqiao was furious.

Gu Tong'an cleared his throat and said, "Yes, that's also an option."

"Then why don't you like Wu Zetian? What a great politician she was! Her reign was also the golden age of the Tang Dynasty. Are you prejudiced against women as emperors?" Wang Min stopped eating her braised pork and asked aggressively.

"No, no, we can't deny Wu Zetian's achievements. She was an outstanding politician, military strategist, and economist. I don't like her, yes, because she used any means necessary to get to the throne, even killing her own son," Gu Tong'an hurriedly explained.

"Oh, right, even tigers don't eat their cubs. However, our topic is the politics, economy, and culture of the Wu Zhou period, not her family issues." Wang Min immediately became more amiable; she was also a mother of two.

"Since we're already sitting at the same table, let's join in."

The four-person team was reluctantly assembled.

After Gu Tong'an and Yao Xing finished their meal, they went back to their dormitory to rest. Qiao Qiao didn't go home for lunch; she went back to her classroom to rest for a while.

Wang Min only ate half of her food before saying, "Then I'll go back to my dorm and eat too. Qiaoqiao, see you this afternoon."

Qiaoqiao didn't pay attention and didn't know that the half-eaten box of food that Wang Min had left was her dinner.

It's very cold, and there's braised pork on the menu. What should we eat for dinner?

Wang Min soaked the lunchbox in boiling water for half an hour. The oil melted, and although it was a bit hard, it was still edible.

This braised pork was the first meat dish Wang Min had eaten since the start of the school year.