Chapter 509 A Warm Family
Cui Xiao smiled and did not deny it.
As for the reason, Cui Xiao was actually quite confused.
Perhaps it was the harmonious and heartwarming scene between the father and daughter that healed me.
The early summer breeze had turned the sycamore leaves completely green, and Cui Xiao walked towards the father and daughter.
Zhou Mubin wore a beige casual suit with the sleeves casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing a watch on his wrist that gleamed in the sunset.
The little girl next to him had pigtails and her beautiful eyes formed crescent moons.
Cui Xiao unconsciously slowed her footsteps, as if afraid of disturbing the peaceful scene.
As she approached, her hand instinctively reached out and firmly took Xiao Nuomi's little hand in hers.
The warm, soft touch enveloped her fingertips, and her fingertips could feel the faint lines on the child's palm. In a daze, she remembered when Xiao Nuomi was just learning to walk, she also held her index finger like this, stumbling forward. In the blink of an eye, the child could chatter non-stop.
The next second, a cup of cool milk tea was suddenly placed in front of her. Water droplets condensed on the cup wall slid down the cup and landed on the back of her hand, making her shiver slightly from the cold.
Zhou Mubin deliberately avoided the coolest part of the cup with his fingertips, only holding the bottom of the cup, and said in a voice softer than the evening breeze, "Just bought it, hasn't been sitting for too long."
Cui Xiao looked up and met his gaze.
There was a tenderness in his eyes that she couldn't decipher, like a shattered sunset falling on her heart.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. As she took the milk tea from his cup, her fingertips accidentally brushed against his knuckles, which were warmer than the cup itself.
Little Nuomi shook her arm, "Mommy, Uncle Zhou specially chose this for you."
The little guy puffed out his chest, as if showing off some treasure, "Uncle Zhou can even remember your preferences, isn't that amazing?"
Cui Xiao didn't say anything, but just lowered her head and took a sip of milk tea.
A subtle milky flavor spreads on the tip of the tongue, the sweetness just enough to balance the slight astringency of the tea, and it slides down the throat, dispelling the fatigue of the whole day.
She suddenly remembered that for the past ten years or so, she had always been the first to go to the law firm, to make him a cup of coffee, and to always put his preferences first. She even remembered the small details of his preferences, such as folding his shirt cuffs twice and tying his tie in a Windsor knot.
At that time, she always felt that this was all she could give him, so she tried her best to be good to him.
When did this person, who used to forget that she didn't eat cilantro, start writing down her preferences on paper and even choosing the perfect milk tea?
Cui Xiao didn't say much. She gently patted Xiao Nuomi's head, her fingertips brushing against the child's soft hair, and pulled her towards the car by the roadside. "Let's go, get in the car first."
Zhou Mubin had already gone around to the back seat, placing his hand on the top edge of the car door, so that when she bent down to sit in, he could steadily block her forehead from being bumped.
As soon as I fastened my seatbelt, Xiao Nuomi came over and shook my arm. "Mommy, shall we go eat at that barbecue place? Uncle Wang said last time that he would grill honey-glazed chicken wings for me when I come. I haven't had them in so long."
Looking into her daughter's bright eyes, which seemed to hold stars, Cui Xiao couldn't bear to refuse her.
She came from an ordinary family and grew up in a small town. She didn't have the spoiled air of those rich girls. Even after her career took off and her life became more comfortable, she always preferred these small restaurants with a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere.
Cui Xiao looked at her daughter with doting eyes, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Cui Xiao told Zhou Mubin the address and drove there.
As we passed a roasted chestnut stall on the street corner, Little Nuomi suddenly pointed out the car window and exclaimed, "Wow, chestnuts!"
Zhou Mubin immediately slowed down and stopped on the side of the road, turning back to ask, "Want some food?"
Before Xiao Nuomi could nod, he had already opened the car door and walked over.
Cui Xiao watched his back as he stood in front of the stall, her heart surging with emotion.
Such a self-centered person would one day stop his car to buy hot chestnuts just because his child said he liked them.
It has to be said that Zhou Mubin may really be a good father.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of the barbecue restaurant at the entrance of the old alley.
Evening is the liveliest time. As soon as I got off the bus, I could hear the crackling of oil on the grill, the owner's shouts mixed with the laughter of the neighbors, which was more reassuring than the quiet of a high-end restaurant.
The ceiling fans in the shop hummed loudly, oil splattered on the grill, and the aroma of cumin and chili powder wafted far and wide, filling the air with a warm, smoky atmosphere.
Mr. Wang, wearing a navy blue apron, was flipping over the skewers. His apron was stained with oil, and the iron skewers in his hand clattered against the grill. He waved and called out when he saw them from afar, "Miss Cui is here. Find a place to sit."
As they approached, Boss Wang saw Little Nuomi and his eyes crinkled with a smile. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Oh my, our Little Nuomi is here to patronize Uncle's business again? What would you like to eat today? I'll grill the chicken wings a little crispy for you, and I'll also give you a skewer of grilled rice cakes, okay?"
"Thank you, Uncle Wang."
Little Nuomi climbed onto the plastic stool with practiced ease, grabbed the menu and flipped through it. She then pressed her head against the menu, pointing to the grilled eggplant, and said, "I want two skewers of honey-glazed chicken wings, one skewer of corn, and Mom's favorite grilled eggplant. No chili, and lots of garlic."
She remembered her mother saying that this restaurant gave a lot of garlic on their grilled eggplant, making it especially delicious.
Zhou Mubin sat on the stool opposite, watching Xiao Nuomi's skillful movements, and gently tapped the table with his fingertips, asking Cui Xiao softly, "Did you come here often before?"
“I used to bring her here on weekends when I wasn’t working overtime.”
Cui Xiao picked up the lemon water on the table and stirred the ice at the bottom of the glass. "Boss Wang is a very honest man. The meat for his skewers is always fresh that day. He doesn't use frozen meat. When Xiao Nuomi was little, she didn't like to eat rice, but she loved the chicken wings here. Sometimes she could eat two skewers."
Zhou Mubin didn't say anything more, but just looked at the names of the dishes on the menu and silently remembered Cui Xiao's favorite roasted eggplant and Xiao Nuomi's favorite honey-glazed chicken wings.
When Boss Wang brought the skewers over, he first pushed the grilled corn that Xiao Nuomi couldn't reach in front of her, and then picked up the one that Cui Xiao liked and put it in her bowl.
The two didn't talk much at the dinner table, but there was a lot of subtle warmth between them.
Little Nuomi was so happy eating that she lay on the edge of the table, swinging her legs and singing a nursery rhyme she had just learned in kindergarten. Her off-key singing sounded like a little duck quacking, which made Cui Xiao smile with her eyes crinkling, even the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were tinged with laughter.
Zhou Mubin also smiled, his gaze falling on Cui Xiao. When he saw her smile, her hair was blown by the wind and fell onto her shoulders. He quietly reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
His fingertips brushed against her earlobe, startling Cui Xiao so much that she trembled slightly. When she looked up, he had already withdrawn his hand, pretending to look at the grill next to him.
After dinner, Zhou Mubin drove them home.
The car was playing children's songs that Xiao Nuomi liked, which she had Zhou Mubin download specially that morning. In the past, the car always played financial news that Zhou Mubin liked to listen to, but now it had been changed to the melody of "Two Tigers".
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