I Am Not the Rice Dumpling God

The school bell finally dispersed the aftermath of this farce.

The resting crowd also gradually returned to the activity room, continuing to battle with the bamboo leaves and glutinous rice in their hands.

However, the atmosphere was noticeably less enthusiastic than before.

Many people's gazes would subconsciously drift towards Lin Mo's corner. Then, they would silently lower their heads, sigh, and the movements of their hands would slow down by half a beat.

There was no comparison. Absolutely no comparison.

On other people's tables, being able to pile up a two-story hill of zongzi was already considered being an expert.

Looking at Lin Mo's side, a four-story-high zongzi tower had already taken shape. It was neat and tidy, with distinct edges and corners, looking almost like an art display.

"Hey, bro, why is your zongzi leaking rice again?"

"Shut up! Yours is almost a glutinous rice pancake, do you have the right to talk about me?"

Although the wailing sounds were becoming fewer and fewer, for some students who were still unskilled, mistakes would still occasionally occur.

This only highlighted how absurdly quiet and efficient Lin Mo's side was.

Even Huang Zhirong, who was patrolling, couldn't help but stop. With his hands behind his back, he walked around Lin Mo's table as if looking at some rare treasure, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Student Lin Mo, this craftsmanship of yours... does your family run a zongzi shop?"

"I just learned it from my mom in the past."

The activity time drew to a close amidst the crowd's complex feelings.

Li Ming walked up to the stage and tapped the microphone lightly, producing two thumps that instantly suppressed the noisy chatter in the hall.

He looked around, wearing a gentle yet powerful smile on his face.

"Thank you all for your hard work. All the zongzi wrapped in this activity will be sent back to our company to be steamed together, and on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, they will be delivered to the children in the orphanage."

Li Ming's voice echoed through the speakers across the entire hall, clear and sincere.

"On their behalf, I express my gratitude to everyone present!"

Everyone felt a shared sense of honor and burst into applause.

As the applause gradually died down, Li Ming's gaze passed over the crowd and landed precisely on the table of Class 8, Grade 1.

"I am especially grateful to Student Lin Mo and Student Chu Miaomiao from Class 8, Grade 1."

Being called out by name, Chu Miaomiao nervously grabbed the corner of Lin Mo's clothes.

"During this period, the two of them wrapped a total of two hundred and twenty-seven zongzi!"

Li Ming smiled slightly and announced the number tallied by the staff.

"Whoa!!!"

It was as if a massive boulder had been dropped into the lecture hall; the place instantly erupted.

"What the heck? Two hundred and twenty-seven? Did I hear that right?"

"Two people? Two hours? Are those freaking hands or robotic arms?"

"Stop talking, I wrapped thirty, and my hands are still cramping up right now, yet it's not even a fraction of theirs."

Exclamations and murmurs of disbelief rose and fell in succession.

If they hadn't watched Lin Mo wrapping zongzi with their own eyes, they would have definitely thought he cheated.

This number had already exceeded the comprehension of everyone present.

If it were the most common triangular zongzi, one could be wrapped in a few dozen seconds.

But these were standard pentagonal zongzi, which couldn't be wrapped that quickly.

So wrapping over two hundred in two hours was genuinely impressive.

Lin Mo just listened calmly, his heart completely unruffled, even feeling the urge to laugh.

Of course, Lin himself had held back; otherwise...

"Although this was not a formal competition, with such an outstanding performance, do you think the previously mentioned reward should be fulfilled?"

A moment later, a male voice shouted, "It should!"

Following that was a flurry of "It should!"

Li Ming smiled and nodded.

"Therefore, I have decided that my Yinsheng Catering Company will specially gift every student in Class 8, Grade 1, a Dragon Boat Festival gift box!"

The moment she heard about getting the gifts, Chu Miaomiao jumped up with joy.

"Yay!" Chu Miaomiao was so excited she almost leaped into the air. She tightly grabbed Lin Mo's arm, pressing it against her soft peaks, her large eyes filled with sparkling joy. "Lin Mo! We got it! The whole class gets a gift!"

Lin Mo nodded indifferently. "Now you don't have to worry, everyone will thank you for your contribution."

Chu Miaomiao's face grew hot, and she retorted in a low voice, "That's not true, this is obviously all your credit. I didn't wrap that many at all."

This statement was not false.

Hearing this, the students from other classes could only sigh in envy.

After all, they were truly intimidated by the sight of that zongzi tower.

But returning to their own classrooms without getting any gifts, they would probably be mocked a few times.

Seeming to have seen through the thoughts of the majority, Li Ming spoke again to comfort them:

"The other students who didn't win don't need to be disheartened. Our Yinsheng Company has also prepared souvenirs for everyone. There is a share for everyone..."

The crowd below the stage immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere at the scene became enthusiastic once more.

With a sweep of Lin Mo's divine sense, the piles of gifts backstage clearly appeared in his mind.

At the very top was a pile of slightly roughly-made zongzi keychains engraved with the word Yinsheng. These counted as the universal consolation prize for everyone.

Beneath the keychains, however, lay the true gifts of this event.

Stacks of beautifully printed half-price zongzi coupons.

A signature zongzi originally priced at eighty-eight would only cost forty-four with the coupon.

A four-zongzi gift box originally priced at three hundred would only cost one hundred and fifty.

Everyone in the two grades, G1 and G2, would be able to receive this half-price coupon.

If they were really handed out, it would actually be quite tempting.

After all, in this day and age, zongzi, like mooncakes, had long transcended the realm of food and become a sort of social currency.

Carrying a zongzi gift box originally priced at over three hundred to visit relatives and friends would definitely make one look good.

Lin Mo even remembered how crazily astronomical-priced mooncakes and zongzi would be hyped up a few years later. A box could easily cost thousands or even tens of thousands. If the authorities hadn't stepped in to regulate things in time, these two traditional foods would have probably been turned into luxury goods.

Sure enough, when Li Ming announced that all the students present could receive a gift, cheers like a tsunami erupted from the audience.

"Holy crap! Zongzi from the Yinsheng Group! Half price!"

"This is awesome! I'll have my parents buy a couple for us to try!"

Amidst the enthusiastic atmosphere, only Jiang Chengyue, who was standing not far from Lin Mo, curled her lips disdainfully.

"Tsk, they're even targeting students for their business."

Her voice was not loud, but it carried a hint of coldness that clearly reached Lin Mo's ears.

Lin Mo cast a sidelong glance at her, only to see her with her arms crossed, her eyes filled with the sobriety of someone who had seen through it all.

Perhaps this was some sort of sense of justice she possessed as a journalist.

Weren't these half-price coupons just meant to make people spend money?

The taste of the Yinsheng Group's zongzi was probably not bad, but the cost price definitely wouldn't be as high as forty-four.

So they were just making a little less profit while increasing their sales volume, making their financial statements look good too.

However, this was also a reasonable marketing strategy and couldn't be considered irregular.

After all, there were also many educators who gave speeches in various schools, and after finishing their speeches, they would start selling "The Education of Love".

Selling books was one thing, but some even made people sing "A Grateful Heart".

Thinking about it carefully after growing up.

Disgusting!