Hearing the commotion, Huang Tao looked up and saw his beloved daughter leading a girl who had clearly been crying into the shop.
He was a bit puzzled!
He couldn't figure out what his beloved daughter was up to.
He observed the situation quietly.
He decided to act based on the situation.
He lowered his head and took out the beef bones and old hen that had been slow-cooking for an hour, skimmed off the floating fat from the soup, and set aside the fresh broth for later use…
"Sister, come sit here!"
Xuanxuan pulled out a chair, patted the seat lightly with her small hand, and gestured for Cai Jiajia to sit.
Being absent-mindedly pulled into the shop, Cai Jiajia looked at the delicate little girl with bright eyes and a caring, enthusiastic spirit, and felt a warmth rising in her heart despite her current low mood.
She blurted out, "Thank you."
Xuanxuan was pleased with her response and smiled at her with curved eyes, "Sister, you sit here for a bit, I'll get you something to eat."
After saying that,
She moved her little legs quickly and ran to the kitchen door, grabbing the door frame with her small hand, poked her head inside, and gave Huang Tao a sweet smile, "Daddy..."
"Yes, what's up?"
"I want to give the steamed buns Daddy saved for me to the sister over there, is it okay?" she blinked her big watery eyes, asking in a seeking tone.
"Of course, it's okay."
Huang Tao respected her decision and nodded in agreement, "Once Daddy heats it up, I'll bring it over to you."
"Thank you, Daddy..."
Xuanxuan was very pleased with her dad's answer and giggled as she ran into the kitchen.
"Daddy, bend down..."
Huang Tao cooperated obediently and bent down.
Smack~
She approached and gave her dad a sweet little kiss as a reward.
Then she quickly ran out again to entertain Cai Jiajia.
Huang Tao touched his cheek, a sweet curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, then swiftly went to heat up the steamed buns.
A moment later,
He came out of the kitchen with a plate of steamed buns.
He walked to Xuanxuan's table and placed the plate in front of Cai Jiajia, "Enjoy."
"Sister, this is my Daddy..."
The little girl finished introducing, proudly leaning her little head towards Cai Jiajia, "Sister, let me tell you, my Daddy makes the best steamed buns, and the porridge too, you should try it..."
"Thank you... but I'm not hungry..."
Cai Jiajia, at the moment, wasn't in the mood to eat at all.
However, the enticing aroma constantly present in the shop and the fragrance from the steamed buns made her swallow her saliva, and her stomach inconveniently growled as well.
Cai Jiajia: (′Д`)
"Sister, your stomach is tells me it's hungry, don't neglect it..." Xuanxuan said with curved eyebrows.
"No matter what setbacks you encounter or whether you lose your appetite or mood, you should always eat well, because every meal not only meets the needs of your stomach during hunger but also acts as a remedy during low spirits."
Huang Tao explained, "Moreover, your health is your most important asset; don't use your body to argue with yourself, others, or intangible pressures. Even if your life is terrible, your baseline should always be to eat well."
That's right!
When no one loves you, you should love yourself even more.
Eat well!
She looked at the steamed buns the size of a baby's fist, golden and stuffed full.
They looked so appetizing!
She picked one up and took a bite.
The juicy broth flooded her mouth.
Rich and flavorful!
Combined with the soft yet springy dough and the crispy yet not hard bottom, there's also the fragrance of sesame and scallions during chewing.
One can feel the unique warmth of handmade delicacies.
With just one bite, her mood began to lift.
Love that felt like an act, let it go then.
Losing a worthless man, there's nothing sad about it.
If she got dumped, so be it; the next one will be better.
Consider it as avoiding a landmine.
The more she ate, the more she could savor the deliciousness of the steamed buns.
All bad moods were healed by the sumptuous steamed buns, and all unhappiness vanished in its presence…
Feeling content from eating, her mood improved too!
Xuanxuan, almost hungry from watching, couldn't help licking the corner of her mouth. But upon noticing the change in Cai Jiajia's expression, she curiously and caringly asked, "Sister, do you feel better now?"
"Mm~ I'm feeling better... thank you..."
Cai Jiajia flashed Xuanxuan a bright smile, then looked toward the kitchen and called out to Huang Tao, "Boss, how much is it? I'll scan to pay you."
"No need, my daughter said she's treating you."
"How could that be...?"
Xuanxuan mimicked Huang Tao's tone, "Sister, this time I'm treating you, no charge. Next time you come, we'll charge you."
Oh my!
Who would've thought, you're the real boss around here!
Huang Tao was amused.
Cai Jiajia couldn't help but laugh too, covering her mouth to stifle it.
After thanking them once more, feeling it was getting late, she got up to leave.
"It's so late, be careful going back alone!" Huang Tao kindly reminded.
"My school's very close, just a ten-minute walk away, I'll be careful."
Cai Jiajia gladly accepted his kind reminder with gratitude.
Before leaving, she patted Xuanxuan's little head and smiled sweetly, "Xuanxuan, I'll come play with you another day, okay?"
"Okay, okay!"
After seeing Cai Jiajia off, Xuanxuan returned to her seat, opened her sketchbook, and continued drawing.
"What is Xuanxuan drawing? Can Daddy take a look?" Huang Tao curiously leaned over, watching her concentration.
"Daddy, look!"
Xuanxuan happily showed her drawing to Huang Tao.
In the upper right corner of the sketchbook was a big yellow star with a radiant smile.
Below were simple houses lined next to each other, each with a rectangular sign-like panel above the door.
In front of one house stood two stick figure-like little people.
Huang Tao sat down on a chair beside her, and Xuanxuan immediately climbed down from her chair, snuggling into her daddy's embrace, finding a comfortable posture to lean back.
Worried that her daddy might not understand her drawing, she thoughtfully pointed with her finger and introduced each part one by one, "Daddy, look, here is West City Old Street, this is our shop, this little person is Xuanxuan, and the tall little person next to it is Daddy."
"Daddy, this big star is Mommy, Mommy is watching me and Daddy from the sky, watching over our shop."
"Mommy knows Daddy's business was good today, she's very happy, Daddy, look, Mommy's smiling so sweet and happy..."
The child's words brought silent tears to Huang Tao's eyes.
For over a year now, he hadn't allowed himself to cry in front of Xuanxuan, fearing it would negatively impact her personality, fearing she might become introverted or pessimistic like many children from single-parent families.
He always brushed things off lightly.
He was relieved that Xuanxuan remained optimistic and cheerful.
There was a time when Xuanxuan cried for Mommy.
He told Xuanxuan, "We can't see Mommy anymore, and if you cry, Mommy won't be able to see us either; think how lonely Mommy would be."
Xuanxuan nodded, snuggling into his arms.
He secretly wiped away tears from his eyes, comforting Xuanxuan.
"When Xuanxuan misses Mommy, just look at the stars in the sky. The brightest one is your Mommy."
"Mommy hasn't gone anywhere, she's always up there!"
Xuanxuan looked at the starry sky outside the door, searching for the brightest star.
Mommy, Xuanxuan will be good, you take care too!