It was almost noon, and Qiao Chu went out to eat at the mutton soup stall that he often went to. The owner of the shop saw Qiao Chu coming and diligently served a bowl of mutton soup. His teenage daughter also brought two pancakes.
.
Qiao Chu said thank you, and the little girl smiled in surprise, grinned her chapped black lips, revealing her neat white teeth, and then ran away shyly.
Seeing that he was almost done eating, Qiao Chu asked the shop owner to pack another portion, ready to take it back to Dongfang Shuyuan, who was competing with him.
The shopkeeper filled half a basin of mutton soup in a large soup basin, and wrapped two pancakes in straw paper for Qiao Chu.
Looking at Qiao Chu's white and tender little hands, the shop owner hesitated for a moment: "Cao Ya, please deliver the mutton soup to this little lady's home and then come back."
The little girl agreed, picked up a basin bigger than her head, put the pancake wrapped in straw paper in her arms, and walked happily to Qiao Chu.
"Sister, please lead the way. I'll take you there." Qiao Chu was infected by the smile on this little girl's face and couldn't help but miss Qiao Xiaofu.
My little niece always smiles like this, and she always smiles so cheerfully and kindly.
"Okay." Qiao Xiaofu had just walked a few steps when a loud voice from a woman came over: "Old Ge, are you secretly giving cakes to your short-lived niece again?!"
"What are you talking nonsense about? That little lady bought a lot of food. I thought it was difficult for her to take it, so I asked Caoya to deliver it to her home." The shop owner hurriedly explained, his tone full of compromise and forbearance.
Qiao Chu couldn't help but stop and look back, just in time to see the cursing woman with her hands on her hips and the shop owner who was eager to calm down the trouble.
When the shop owner saw Qiao Chu looking over, he hurriedly apologized: "Madam Chen, it has nothing to do with you, you just go home... Caoya, come back after you finish delivering."
"Hey." Cao Ya agreed and took two steps to keep up with Qiao Chu's pace.
It seemed that she was a little afraid that the woman would take her back.
Qiao Chu was still surprised: Isn't this Caoya the stall owner's daughter?!
When they got home, they changed the bowls of mutton soup to free up the bowls, and Cao Ya was about to leave.
But Qiao Chu stopped her: "Caoya, aren't you the daughter of Boss Ge?"
Cao Ya hesitated for a moment, shook her head, and smiled: "Sister, that's not the case. I am Boss Ge's niece, and my father is his brother. My parents were killed during the war two years ago.
It was my uncle who adopted me."
"Then...can you eat enough?" Qiao Chu thought of the woman's words.
Are you saying that Boss Ge secretly eats pancakes for this Caoya?!
The pancakes are just filling, and they don't necessarily taste delicious.
Does that mean this idiot can’t get enough to eat?!
Cao Ya smiled: "There are not many people in this place who can have enough to eat every day. My uncle has three children at home, all younger than me. He works alone and has to feed the whole family. How can I have enough food?"
?”
Qiao Chu was surprised: "Then you don't complain?"
"What's there to complain about?" Cao Ya really laughed this time, "My uncle has to spend food to raise me, and my aunt will also feel sorry for her own child, worried that if I eat too much, her biological child
I just eat less, isn’t that normal?”
"..." Qiao Chu didn't know what to say for a moment.
For such a young child, his parents died and he was adopted by his uncle. He didn't have enough to eat all day long and had to work at a mutton soup stall.
Ordinarily, this kind of life experience seems to be very difficult, but she does not complain about others, but understands her uncle and aunt very well...
"You help at the mutton soup stall every day, do you know how to cook?" Qiao Chu remembered that every time she went to the mutton soup stall before, she would see Cao Ya's busy figure.
"Of course I will." Cao Ya nodded.
"Then are you willing to come to my house to do some work? I'll pay you, just help me make some food, and then you can leave."
Qiao Chu wanted to help this child.
Cao Ya was stunned for a moment: "I...I have to help my uncle in his stall every day."
"It's okay. You can help me cook some food and do the laundry. You don't need to be here with me the rest of the time." Qiao Chu explained.
"Then... I'll ask my uncle and aunt when I go back." Caoya hesitated for a moment and didn't finish her sentence.
Qiao Chu couldn't help but sigh: This girl is only ten years old, but because she has been dealing with people at the stall all year round, she looks very mature and sensible in her behavior.
Sure enough, life is the best teacher!
Dongfang Shuyuan was a little surprised when she saw the food Qiao Chu packed for her: "I'm not hungry, what did you eat for lunch?"
Qiao Chu pointed to the mutton soup and pancakes in front of him: "Eat this."
Dongfang Shuyuan felt very guilty: "It's my fault. I was so confused that I forgot to cook."
"Why is it your fault? You owe me?" Qiao Chu said with a smile.
Dongfang Shuyuan was stunned for a moment: "But you can't cook..."
"It's my fault that I can't cook, and it's not something you owe me. I can't cook, so I can just figure it out myself!" Qiao Chu continued to smile.
In fact, Qiao Chu is not picky. It's good to have delicious food, but if no one makes delicious food, she doesn't care if she just eats whatever she wants.
But Dongfang Shuyuan was a little unable to turn around. She looked at Qiao Chu for a long time to make sure that Qiao Chu was not sarcastic, and then she looked down at the mutton soup in front of her blankly.
"Although I can't cook, I can't starve myself to death. I can always find a way to fill my stomach. I'm not your responsibility. You have no obligation to cook for me."
Qiao Chu felt that she couldn't say too much. If she said too much, Dongfang Shuyuan would get dizzy again.
While Dongfang Shuyuan was dizzy and eating, Qiao Chu went back to her room to sleep.
In the evening, Dongfang Shuyuan cooked a sumptuous dinner for just two people, but Dongfang Shuyuan cooked three dishes and one soup.
Qiao Chu was a little stunned when he saw the sumptuous dishes in front of him: "Why do you cook so many? What's wrong with you?"
Dongfang Shuyuan laughed, and then said seriously: "I don't think you are right."
"Um?"
"You protected me. Without you, if I lived here alone, I would have been eaten to the bone. It was precisely because you wanted to come here that I dared to follow Ah Qiu here."
"If Ah Qiu comes alone, I won't dare to follow him!"
"I cook for you, but you also provide such delicious fruits and vegetables, and you also do the daily shopping..."
"We need each other. You don't owe me anything, and I don't owe you anything." Dongfang Shuyuan finished speaking with a smile on her face.
Qiao Chu couldn't help laughing: After thinking about it all day, it's not bad to be able to figure it out.
After all, you know where your own value lies. This is great progress.
So the two of them ate happily.
Who knew that before the meal was finished, there was a knock on the door.
Qiao Chu went to open the door and found a man and a woman standing outside the door, both with flattering smiles on their faces.
It was actually Boss Ge and his wife...
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Continuing with four updates today.
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