Chapter Eight: Little Sister Takes On Three

Upon hearing this, Jiang Suisui could no longer concern herself with dinner.

"What happened?" she asked urgently.

The teacher shook her head. "I don't know the specifics. Teacher Yu asked me to have you come to her office immediately."

When Jiang Suisui had dropped off Jiang Xingran and Jiang Yueyi for registration that morning, she had taken them to Teacher Yu’s office to handle the paperwork, so she knew exactly where it was. She rose quickly and hurried toward the office.

Fifteen minutes later.

Jiang Suisui entered the office to find Jiang Xingran sitting on the sofa, his left cheek red and swollen, while Teacher Yu gently applied healing ointment. Beside them, Jiang Yueyi’s eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls. Standing against the wall with their heads bowed were three young boys of varying heights and builds.

Seeing Jiang Suisui arrive, Teacher Yu finished applying the ointment to the last of the bruises on Jiang Xingran’s face before speaking. "You're here, Xiao Jiang. Here is what happened."

Soon, Jiang Suisui learned the sequence of events.

It turned out that the crispy fried pork she had made for Jiang Xingran and Jiang Yueyi was so fragrant that it had tempted Yun Zihao from the neighboring Peach Class as he passed by. Being a friendly classmate, Jiang Xingran offered to share two pieces, but Yun Zihao, acting like a bully, demanded the entire box. When Jiang Xingran refused, Yun Zihao tried to snatch it. Failing that, he simply punched Jiang Xingran in the face.

A scuffle broke out. Seeing her brother at a disadvantage, Jiang Yueyi began to wail and rushed in to fight Yun Zihao.

The result was shocking. Despite her delicate and fragile appearance, Jiang Yueyi managed to pin the sturdy Yun Zihao to the ground. Humiliated, Yun Zihao called over two other classmates for backup. Those two boys, also tempted by the aroma of the pork, eagerly joined in to attack the siblings.

Unexpectedly:

"Xiao Jiang, you might not believe me, but your little sister really beat them all to the ground."

Jiang Suisui’s mind went blank.

Who beat whom? Who knocked whom to the ground?

Teacher Yu then showed her the surveillance footage. She had no choice but to accept reality: her little sister had indeed fought three boys and emerged victorious. However, since Jiang Yueyi didn't actually know how to fight, she had simply flailed about with a series of wild, clumsy punches, which looked strangely comical.

From the moment Jiang Suisui entered the office, Jiang Yueyi had been secretly observing her reaction, terrified that her sister would be angry or think of her as a troublemaker. After Teacher Yu finished explaining, Jiang Suisui remained silent.

Jiang Yueyi’s tears welled up even more, and she wept like a little fountain. Suddenly, she felt herself pulled into a warm embrace.

"Yueyue is so amazing! You were able to protect yourself and your brother. You're like a heroic little warrior!"

Jiang Yueyi froze for a moment. Sister... was sister praising her?

Jiang Suisui patted Jiang Yueyi’s head. "Don't cry anymore, Yueyue. Sister will make sweet and sour pork ribs for you tonight as an extra treat! This is a reward for your bravery. What else do you want to eat? Sister will make it all for you."

Jiang Yueyi sniffled. "Sister... I love everything you make. Anything is fine."

Seeing that Jiang Yueyi’s mood had calmed, Jiang Suisui grinned and nuzzled her chin against the girl's head. She then checked on Jiang Xingran’s injuries. Fortunately, they weren't severe, and the high-grade ointment Teacher Yu used caused the wounds to heal completely within five minutes.

Once she confirmed both children were fine, Jiang Suisui discussed the resolution with Teacher Yu. "Teacher Yu, how do you think we should handle this?"

"Based on the surveillance footage and what I’ve gathered, I believe Xingran and Yueyi were the victims acting in self-defense," Teacher Yu said after a moment’s thought. "I have already notified the parents of the three boys. They will arrive soon to apologize, and I have requested that they each write a letter of apology to be given to the children tomorrow. Furthermore, since Xingran was injured, the parents should provide reasonable compensation for medical and nutritional expenses. Does this seem acceptable to you, Xiao Jiang?"

Jiang Suisui considered that the children hadn't suffered any lasting damage and that it was a mutual fight caused by a conflict, not one-sided bullying. There was no need to make things unnecessarily tense. She asked the children for their thoughts, and both agreed that an apology would suffice.

Jiang Suisui confirmed that the arrangements were acceptable.

After a short wait, two sets of parents arrived. They were reasonable people; once they understood the situation, they made their children apologize and transferred 3,000 star coins to Jiang Suisui as compensation.

However, they couldn't understand why their children would fight over something as trivial as fried pork. One parent scolded her child, "Look at you, being so greedy! Haven't I bought you everything you’ve ever wanted? To fight someone over a piece of fried pork—you are being ridiculous!"

The child sobbed, "Mom, that pork is different, it's just different!"

Seeing the child crying, the parent felt embarrassed and said dismissively, "How is it different? It’s just strips of pork coated in batter and fried. It’s nothing special, just junk food that will give you a stomachache!"

No sooner had the words left her lips than a bold, rich, and savory aroma wafted through the air.

The parent couldn't help but swallow hard and turned to look. She saw Jiang Xingran holding chopsticks, picking up a golden, crispy piece of pork. He took a light bite, and a crisp, crunching sound echoed through the quiet office. Just by the sound of it, one could tell how crispy and delicious it was.

"Waaaah, I want some, I want some!" the child who had been crying earlier threw an even bigger tantrum.

In truth, the parent also wanted a taste. She couldn't fathom why such an ordinary-looking dish could be so tempting. But not wanting to lose more face or show that she was just as greedy, she scooped up her child and rushed out of the office as if fleeing. The other parent was much the same, swallowing hard as the aroma grew stronger. Feeling awkward, he muttered a quick goodbye and dragged his child away.

Jiang Xingran silently continued to eat, hiding the look of smugness in his eyes. He casually picked up a piece and offered it to Teacher Yu. "Teacher Yu, have a taste."

The refusal was on the tip of Teacher Yu's tongue, but she swallowed it back. "Alright, thank you, Xingran."

She wiped her hands and popped the warm piece of pork into her mouth. It was fried to perfection; the outer layer was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was bursting with juices. The contrast between the crunch and the tenderness was pure delight. The rich flavor of the meat mingled with the scent of cumin. As she chewed, she thought to herself that it would be even better with a sprinkle of chili powder.

Jiang Suisui had made a full box. Even after sharing half with the class, there was plenty left. She wiped her hands with a wet towel and joined the children, as she hadn't had dinner yet. It was fragrant, crispy, and tender—truly a masterpiece of her own making.

Just as the box was reaching its bottom, the parent of the final child finally arrived.

But... why was it a robot?