stjorthotic Chapter 50 A Warm Feeling in My Heart
Chapter 50 A Warm Feeling in My Heart
The sound of rushing water from the bathroom stopped, and a short while later, Mengmeng, dressed in dry clothes and having finished washing up, rushed out in a flurry.
When Mengmeng saw Lin Xiaoyu still sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through that thick photo album and grinning foolishly, her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.
Mengmeng strode over quickly with her short legs, and enthusiastically stretched out her chubby, soft little hand, grabbing Lin Xiaoyu's index and middle fingers.
"Little Fish Sister, Daddy's noodles must be ready! Let's hurry downstairs, or Godfather will take all the good food!"
He made a move to take Lin Xiaoyu, his older sister, away.
The moment Lin Xiaoyu's hand was grasped, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her body instantly stiffening. Then, an unprecedented feeling of happiness spread from her fingertips throughout her entire body.
She looked down at the small hand, its skin as delicate as the finest mutton fat jade, with plump little dimples on the back of its hand.
This was the first time she had been trusted and relied upon so completely by a little girl. For Lin Xiaoyu, who had spent years locking herself in her art studio and was used to "punching her way out" online but was actually socially anxious, this feeling of reliance was like a baptism of the soul.
"Is this...is this what it feels like to be led by a cute little girl?" Lin Xiaoyu screamed inwardly, feeling as if something in her chest was being melted away by a warm current.
She let Mengmeng lead her, feeling dizzy as she walked towards the door. When she reached the dressing mirror and saw the two people, one big and one small, reflected in it, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly stopped.
"Mengmeng, wait a minute."
Lin Xiaoyu loosened her grip and nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes. She remembered that she had given Mengmeng a drawing as a souvenir yesterday, but hadn't kept anything for herself. At this moment, she suddenly wanted to leave something for herself.
"What's wrong, Sister Little Fish?" Mengmeng turned around, tilting her little head, her big eyes full of curiosity and confusion.
"Um... Mengmeng, can I take a picture with you?" Lin Xiaoyu's voice was soft, with a hint of expectation and even a little nervousness about being rejected. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to invite a cute girl to take a picture.
"Take a picture? Okay, okay!" Mengmeng wasn't reluctant at all; on the contrary, she clapped her hands excitedly, swaying her body with great joy.
"Mengmeng loves having her picture taken. Daddy always takes her to take pictures. Mengmeng wants to take one with her sister too. Mengmeng will definitely ask Daddy to develop the photos!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu's tension instantly dissipated. She took a deep breath, took out her phone, and slowly squatted down.
Seeing this, Mengmeng naturally came over and enthusiastically pressed her chubby little face directly against Lin Xiaoyu's cheek.
Lin Xiaoyu was completely bewildered.
"Click."
The moment the shutter clicked, the image was frozen in time forever.
In the photo, the background is a pink little house filled with rabbit-themed decorations. Lin Xiaoyu is wearing a bright yellow hoodie, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile, her eyes radiating a healing glow, and her face beaming with delight.
Beside her, Mengmeng wore a pink and white dress. Their faces were pressed close together, one big and one small, one yellow and one pink. Mengmeng grinned, revealing a row of neat, white teeth, her eyes curving like crescent moons, her innocence and joy seemingly overflowing from the screen.
This moment was also frozen in Lin Xiaoyu's memory.
Lin Xiaoyu stared blankly at the photo on her phone, her fingertips gently tracing the screen.
This is the photo she is most satisfied with in recent years.
"Let's go, my cute little bunny, let's go downstairs for dinner." After admiring the phone for a while, Lin Xiaoyu finally put it away, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy.
The two walked down the stairs one after the other, their hands tightly clasped together.
By this time, the aroma of scallion oil in the kitchen had subsided considerably, replaced by a mild, wheaty fragrance.
Chen Feng was mixing the last bowl of noodles. Seeing Lin Xiaoyu bring Mengmeng down, he looked up and gave her a warm smile.
"Little Fish, would you like to sit down and have some more?"
Lin Xiaoyu stared at the bowl of noodles, glistening with oil and topped with a perfectly browned, runny egg. Her throat involuntarily tightened. To be honest, even after eating so much, seeing such delicious food made her really want to stay and have another bite.
But after glancing at the time on her phone, she sighed and joked:
"Brother Chen, I really want to eat here, but I have to clock in before 9:30, otherwise my perfect attendance bonus for this month will be gone, and then I won't have any money to patronize you guys."
Before Chen Feng could reply, Lin Xiaoyu spoke again:
"Brother Chen, let's add each other on WeChat? Mengmeng and I just took a really cool photo upstairs, I'll send it to you."
Mengmeng just said she wanted to take a shower.
Chen Feng paused for a moment, then wiped his hands on his apron, took out his phone, and opened the QR code.
"bite."
The two exchanged contact information. Lin Xiaoyu promptly sent the photo, then slung her painting bag over her shoulder and waved to Mengmeng and the others.
"Mengmeng, I'm leaving now! Remember to eat a few extra bites of noodles for me, okay? Just pretend you're eating them for me!"
Mengmeng stood by the chair, waving her little hand reluctantly, "Goodbye, sister! Come back and play with me soon!"
Lin Xiaoyu stepped out of the store, and the cool morning breeze invigorated her.
As she walked towards the alley entrance, she opened the group chat.
The group chat has exploded with excitement. Rabbit enthusiasts are deeply moved by the "dedicated" photo, while a large number of people are asking about the specific opening time, and another group is already on their way.
Lin Xiaoyu's eyes darted around, and with a mischievous grin, she typed out a line of text:
"Everyone! Brother Chen and the others have already started breakfast. We'll open the door promptly at nine o'clock!"
I see there's not much food left in that basket; if we're too late, we might not even get a lick of the plate! Everyone—hurry up!
Time is running out!
After sending this message that "added fuel to the fire," Lin Xiaoyu put away her phone and left briskly.
Inside the shop, the sounds of swallowing and chewing that had been rising and falling gradually subsided.
Chen Feng glanced at the remaining customers in the restaurant and politely greeted them, "Everyone, please make yourselves at home. We'll go eat now!"
The diners looked up and waved their hands, indicating that they didn't mind.
Four people sat around a round table: Chen Feng, Zhang Qiang, Xing Ruo, and Meng Meng.
Four large bowls, four servings of scallion oil noodles.
Chen Feng first poked open the poached egg in Mengmeng's bowl, and the golden yolk instantly enveloped the chewy noodles. He skillfully stirred it with chopsticks, making sure the scallion oil and sauce were fully mixed, before handing it to Mengmeng.
"Eat Mengmeng slowly, don't burn yourself."
"Okay, Dad!"
Mengmeng obediently took the chopsticks and hurriedly slurped up a big mouthful of noodles with a "slurp". After finishing, her little face was full of satisfaction.
Zhang Qiang had already started eating. He was a rough and unrefined man, and he ate his noodles in a flash, his cheeks bulging out.
Seeing Zhang Qiang wolfing down his food, Chen Feng ignored him and turned to look at Xing Ruo beside him.
Xingruo was still a little reserved; her fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the chopsticks. She looked at the bowl of noodles piled high in front of her, and at the beautifully poached egg, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Master... I can do it myself." Xingruo blushed like a tomato when she saw Chen Feng was going to help her mix the noodles.
"It's alright, Xingruo, don't be shy, I'll take care of it," Chen Feng said gently, stirring Xingruo's noodles in his hands. "You've worked hard this morning, if you don't eat more, you won't have any energy later."
Xingruo nodded, picked up the bowl, and took a sip like Mengmeng. The salty and savory flavor of the scallion oil instantly overwhelmed her taste buds.
She kept her head down and ate heartily.
The diners who had finished their meal and were resting looked up and saw this scene, and felt a little embarrassed and uneasy.
Zhao Dafa put down his water glass and saw Chen Feng carefully mixing noodles for the two children, and Zhang Qiang wolfing down his food with a happy expression. Seeing the harmonious scene of these four "family members," he recalled Lin Xiaoyu clearing away the dishes earlier.
In his imagination.
Chen Feng and his friends raced against time to buy things at the market. Before they could even have breakfast, they were begged for food by the others. To let them taste the first bite of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce), they endured their hunger and worked hard for nearly two hours.
And now, they are finally sitting there eating breakfast.
This is all their fault.
"I deserve to die!"
Zhao Dafa cursed inwardly and fell silent.
He stood up without saying a word. The bowls and plates in front of him were neatly stacked.
Not only Zhao Dafa, but also the "glasses-wearing young man" sitting at the next table and the other two diners seemed to have reached some kind of silent agreement when they saw this scene.
No one spoke; everyone moved their chairs very quietly.
"Tap, tap."
That was the sound of bowls and plates gently clinking together.
One by one, everyone stood up and wiped the tabletops until they shone. As Zhao Dafa passed the round table, he nodded slightly to Chen Feng, giving him a somewhat simple but embarrassed smile. Then, he quietly walked to the empty table at the front and carefully placed the stack of cutlery he was holding down.
Within minutes, a small mountain of bowls and plates had been piled up on the front table.
The other tables were so clean that it looked as if no one had ever sat on them.
Chen Feng put down his chopsticks and looked at the neatly stacked bowls and plates, a warm feeling flowing through his heart.
He didn't stand up to thank them politely; he knew that it was enough to silently accept their kindness at this moment, and there would be plenty of opportunities to thank them later.
He nodded slightly to the crowd leaving through the door.
"Fengzi..." Zhang Qiang lowered his voice.
Chen Feng put a big mouthful of noodles in his mouth: "Qiangzi, this is fine, let's keep eating."
Xingruo raised her head, looking at the departing figures, then at the neatly stacked plates, and gripped her chopsticks even tighter.
She didn't quite understand why these people would help them clear the dishes, but she felt a warm feeling in her heart.