A ten-year-old girl wouldn’t attract much attention from others. After hearing his father’s decision, Lu Zhou went to inform Du Hangwu. Although it was just a young girl, bringing someone along wasn’t a small matter.
Du Hangwu didn’t make things difficult. It wasn’t uncommon for family members to accompany exiled individuals, and adding a little girl, who posed no threat, wasn’t a big deal.
“It’s not an issue, but we won’t be able to provide food for her,” Du Hangwu said. Family members traveling with the exile party had to fend for themselves, and the same rule applied to the girl.
Lu Zhou bowed in thanks. “We understand the rules. Thank you.”
Du Hangwu waved it off. “No need for thanks.”
Lu Zhou suddenly remembered the events of the previous night. He was curious about what had happened to the two children, but he decided not to ask.
Meanwhile, Gu Xingzhao, who had been dreaming all night, woke up early. For the first time in a while, she went to the breakfast shop downstairs.
Still half asleep, wearing slippers and a nightgown under her coat, she yawned, “Uncle Li, I’ll take forty orders of soup dumplings.”
Uncle Li, who was about to close up his shop, stared at her in disbelief. This girl is a bottomless pit, he thought.
Reluctantly, he began steaming the dumplings, already contemplating shutting down the shop. Taking care of this girl was a handful—she always ordered so much. At first, it was twenty or so orders, but now she was asking for double!
He had only opened the breakfast shop to pass the time during retirement and chat with the neighbors, not to serve this insatiable customer every day.
Gu Xingzhao suddenly remembered that Aunt Wang had mentioned Uncle Li was considering selling his shop. Curious, she asked, “Uncle Li, are you planning to shut down the shop just because I order too much?”
Uncle Li forced a laugh. “Of course not! It’s a blessing for young people to have a big appetite. Even if you order a hundred, I’ll steam them for you.”
Hearing this, Gu Xingzhao felt warm inside. People in the town were always so kind-hearted. Still, she felt a little guilty and gave him fifty extra yuan when she paid.
Uncle Li chuckled, “No need to be so polite, kid. You’re making me feel like a stranger.”
Gu Xingzhao smiled sheepishly. “I just feel bad for troubling you so often. Please accept it as a small token of my gratitude.”
Uncle Li accepted the money with a grin, thinking to himself that perhaps she might ease up on her massive orders in the future. As long as she didn’t keep ordering this much, he could continue to run the shop for a while. After all, supporting each other was just part of being neighbors.
Gu Xingzhao carried her two large bags of soup dumplings, her face beaming like the warm sun in March. “Thank you, Uncle Li! I’ll be back tomorrow. You can start steaming in advance, and I’ll take whatever’s ready.”
Uncle Li smiled kindly, “Sure, see you tomorrow!”
As soon as she was out of sight, he quickly turned off the stove, packed up everything at lightning speed, and called in help to move his equipment, including the freezer. He promptly slapped a “For Rent” sign on the door.
Aunt Wang, passing by with groceries, saw the commotion and asked, “Li, why are you packing up your equipment? Are you closing the shop?”
Uncle Li chuckled nervously. “I’m getting too old for this. It’s time to enjoy retirement.”
Retire before she asks for a hundred orders tomorrow! he thought. What started as a way to pass the time had turned into feeling like he was working for her.
Unaware of the chaos she’d caused, Gu Xingzhao teleported the two bags of soup dumplings into the bamboo basket.
She was about to ask Lu Qing about them when she noticed a young girl standing beside him. The girl seemed even younger than Lu Youtang. Wait, did they pick up a new kid overnight? Where did she come from?
“Lu Qing, where’d this little girl come from?” she asked.
Lu Qing had been looking for a chance to tell her about the situation, and now that she asked, he explained, “Please forgive me, but last night we had some trouble with the refugees. This child knelt before us, begging for her sick mother. I was going to give her some food, but her mother passed away. The child has no one left, and some of her uncles wanted to sell her off. She seemed so pitiful, so I took her in.”
He explained the situation several times, worried that Gu Xingzhao might be displeased with his decision to keep the girl.
After understanding the situation, Gu Xingzhao looked at the girl named Yuan’er. She seemed like a typical child, quiet—likely because her mother had just passed away.
At her age, she should be as lively as Lu Youtang.
“Taking her in isn’t a big deal. Since you’ve decided to keep her, make sure she’s well cared for. I’ll send over some clothes later—it’s too cold to leave her without proper clothing.”
She glanced at the bamboo basket. “There are soup dumplings in the basket. Eat them while they’re fresh; don’t let them go bad by night.”
Hearing that she wasn’t upset, Lu Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Gu Xingzhao quickly fetched a set of clothes she had originally prepared for Lu Youtang. The two girls were around the same age and size, so the clothes should fit Yuan’er just fine.
Yuan’er seemed surprised by the new clothes and thanked her repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Lu Youtang, being a year older, was thrilled to play the role of a big sister. She eagerly offered to help Yuan’er put on the clothes. Yuan’er, of course, politely refused, but Lu Youtang’s enthusiasm eventually won her over.
Seeing her daughter act like a little adult, Madam Xu couldn’t help but laugh. Just a short while ago, Youtang had been pestering her brothers to take her to the market. Now, she was proudly caring for someone younger.
Lu Yang watched for a while, surprised. “I didn’t realize Youtang was so good at taking care of others.”
Madam Xu smiled. “She’s growing up.”
Lu Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Or maybe she wants a little sister.”
Madam Xu shot him a glare. “…”
Grinning mischievously, Lu Yang leaned in closer and whispered, “Wife, seeing how much Youtang likes Yuan’er, how about we give her a real little sister or brother?”
If there hadn’t been so many people around, Madam Xu would’ve thrown a shoe at him.
Glaring at him, she scolded, “Stick to talking about our daughter. Don’t start going off-topic. You’re a father, for heaven’s sake. Act like one!”
Lu Yang wasn’t fazed at all, still grinning like a fool.
While this was going on, Yuan’er, now dressed in her new clothes, seemed uncomfortable with Lu Youtang’s chatter. Her lips were pressed tightly together, clearly displeased.
Noticing this, Lu Youtang realized that her new little sister wasn’t too keen on conversation. Remembering what her father had said about Yuan’er grieving for her mother, she mustered the courage to take Yuan’er’s hand.
“Yuan’er, tonight, why don’t you join us for reading and writing practice? My grandfather is very knowledgeable, and Mr. Liu can teach you too!”
Yuan’er declined softly, “I don’t know how to read. I’ll just hold you back.”
Lu Youtang was undeterred. “That’s okay! Sister Shunyu knows more than I do, and I’m still learning too!”
Yuan’er’s eyes flickered with interest. “Sister Shunyu?”
Leave a Reply