Coming out of the gambling house and standing at the door, Chen Xiaoru's stomach was already rumbling with hunger. She looked down at Xiaoyu, who was hugging her legs tightly, and asked softly, "Xiaoyu, are you hungry?"
Xiaoyu raised her head, her eyes dodged for a moment, and she whispered, "Sister, I'm not hungry."
Before he could finish his words, his stomach growled and his face turned red.
Chen Xiaoru gently touched Xiaoyu's head, squatted down, looked him in the eye, and said softly:
"Xiaoyu, you can't lie to me. If you're hungry, you're hungry. If you starve yourself, you'll have to spend more money on medical treatment later. Do you understand?"
Xiaoyu lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, and nodded gently.
"Well, sister, I won't do it again." The voice was soft, with a hint of grievance.
Chen Xiaoru's heart softened like a pool of water. She stood up and took Xiaoyu's hand.
"Let's go buy some buns, okay?"
"good!"
Xiaoyu's eyes lit up instantly, and her voice was full of anticipation, "Sister, I haven't eaten buns yet!"
Hearing this, Chen Xiaoru felt a pang of sadness. Not only Xiaoyu, but even the original owner had never eaten it. She held Xiaoyu's hand tightly and said, "Then let's eat more today, okay?"
Chen Xiaoru brought Xiaoyu to the bun shop, where the steaming buns exuded an enticing aroma.
"Boss, how much are the buns?"
Chen Xiaoru asked in a clear voice.
"Meat buns are three cents each, and vegetarian ones are two cents each. Which one would you like, young lady?" The boss looked up and greeted warmly.
"Give me four meat buns." Chen Xiaoru said, taking out a few copper coins from her pocket.
"Okay!" the boss responded, and skillfully wrapped four steaming hot meat buns in oil paper and handed them to Chen Xiaoru. After buying the things, Chen Xiaoru took Xiaoyu and set off on the road back to Yundong Village.
On the other side,
Song Zhe was lying in bed when he suddenly heard a heated argument from the kitchen. He frowned slightly, struggled to sit up, put on his shoes, and slowly moved to the door.
When I opened the door, I only had time to see Chen Xiaoru's back as she hurriedly left with Xiaoyu in her arms. The resoluteness of her back made me feel uneasy.
He pursed his lips, tried to steady himself, and moved step by step to the kitchen door, his voice low and hoarse:
"Mom, what happened?"
Song's mother Huang Chunhua was wiping her tears. When she heard the voice, she turned around quickly, with tears still on her face. She looked at Song Zhe, opened her mouth, and finally told him the whole story without hiding anything.
Song Zhe listened quietly, his face becoming increasingly gloomy, and his hands hanging by his sides unconsciously clenched.
After listening, he was silent for a long time before he slowly spoke, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice:
"Mom, don't worry. Xiaoru...should be back soon. After all...ten taels of silver isn't easy to earn."
He tried to make his tone sound calm, as if he was comforting Huang Chunhua, or as if he was comforting himself.
But in fact, he was extremely flustered. He knew better than anyone that Chen Xiaoru was no longer the timid woman she used to be.
If Chen Xiaoru is determined to leave, can he keep her?
Huang Chunhua looked at her son's forced calmness and felt even worse. She sighed, her voice filled with helplessness and worry:
"I hope so! Hey, Zhe'er, let's eat first. You're weak, don't starve yourself."
The food arrived, but the atmosphere was suffocating. Song Zhe had a gloomy face and said nothing, just buried his head in the rice in his bowl, his chopsticks almost poking through the bottom of the bowl.
Song Qingqing lowered her head, her eyes rolling around, and from time to time she stole a glance at Song Zhe's expression, not daring to breathe. She was usually chattering, but at this moment she was as quiet as a quail.
Song Qingshan also remained silent, his brows furrowed, as if he was thinking about some difficult problem. His chopsticks mechanically fiddled with the dish, but he didn't pick up many pieces of food.
Mother Song looked at the lifeless scene, and her heart felt heavy as if a huge stone was pressing on it.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to ease the atmosphere, but the words turned into a heavy sigh.
"Why!"
Normally, if there was some meat on the dinner table, the whole family would be overjoyed. But now, everyone looks as droopy as eggplants hit by frost.
The meat smells good, but why does it taste bland in my mouth?
After dinner, Song Zhe went back to the room and paced back and forth anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan, his heart in turmoil and confusion.
Chen Xiaoru brought Xiaoyu to the Song family again. She pushed the door open and saw Song's mother sitting in the yard doing needlework.
She took out nine taels of silver from her bosom and handed it to Song's mother, her voice cold:
"Auntie Song, please give me my indenture. This is nine taels of silver, plus the one tael I gave you this morning, which makes exactly ten taels."
"Where did you get all that money?"
Song Qingqing rushed out from the inner room, her eyes wide open, and asked in a sharp voice, her tone full of questioning and inquiry.
"Where I get the money is none of your business. Who do you think you are?"
Chen Xiaoru retorted bluntly, her eyes slashing across Song Qingqing's face like a knife.
"you……"
Song Qingqing was choked so much that her face turned pale and blue. She wanted to refute, but she couldn't find the right words, so she could only stomp her feet in hatred.
"Hurry up and bring me the indenture. It's getting late and I need to find a place to live. Don't dilly-dally!"
Chen Xiaoru urged impatiently, her tone revealing a sense of determination.
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