09 "Is it fun to put a warm face on a cold butt?"
After the funeral, Tao Wanjia was pushed to the ground by Huang Zheng as soon as he returned to the family building.
The mourning cloth on her body blended into the white snow on the ground, and the girl's uncut nails became sharp weapons.
Huang Zheng scratched her with her hands, her emotions out of control——
"I don't want you in my house! I hate you!"
"Don't try to steal my parents from me!"
Huang Zheng was about the same height as Tao Wanji, who was two years younger than her, but when she was extremely angry, she could be very strong. Tao Wanji, who hadn't eaten for two days, was pinned to the ground and beaten like a piece of light paper. Her frostbitten face felt stinging and hot from being scratched by her nails.
"Stop it!" Huang Zhibiao was furious and quickly grabbed Huang Zheng and said, "Don't bully your sister!!!"
"I'm your biological daughter!" Huang Zheng cried, pointing to a scab-like scar on the side of her face, and said angrily: "She scratched me before. If you want her, don't want me!"
Ever since they could remember, the two of them had been like water and fire. Huang Zheng, who was bullied by Tao Wanji and jealous of her, could not agree to let someone she hated become a part of her family. She also could not allow Tao Wanji, who was more likable than her, to become her sister.
But under her father's strong suppression, Huang Zheng stopped making trouble and just stared at Tao Wanjia with her red eyes like a fighting cock.
At night, the two of them lay in a small bed. Huang Zheng finally found an outlet for her anger and bullied her unscrupulously under the pretext of sleeping.
Tao Wanjia didn't say anything. Even though most of the quilt was snatched away by her, she just huddled aside silently. She knew clearly that she was now living under someone else's roof, and all her previous sharpness had been restrained.
"Hello?"
Huang Zheng became impatient and turned over to look at her in the dark.
"Tao Wanjia!" She kicked her feet. "Call me sister and I'll cover you with a blanket."
"sister."
"sister?"
"Sister Xiao Tao?"
The scattered vision was focused by the sound, and Mai Xiang's face in the sight became clear from blurry.
"Sister Xiao Tao, are you going to the supermarket?"
She looked down at the bag in her hand and asked, "Why did you buy so many steamed buns? Can one person finish them all?"
Tao Wanji was stunned for a moment and didn't know when he walked back. He just felt that this road was slow and long, and so pure white that it seemed as if there was no end in sight.
"I didn't buy it, it was given to me by someone else."
She finally came to her senses, pushed open the door and walked in, "Do you like bean buns? Take some home and make breakfast."
"No need, Sister Tao. I came here to talk to you about something... The club was recently closed for rectification, and I was fired."
Tao Wanjia paused as he was unlocking the door. "Closed? When did that happen?"
"Just two days ago, our manager laid off a lot of people. I guess we won't be open before the New Year."
Having said that, Mai Xiang hesitated at the door, her eyes and movements a little hesitant.
Tao Wanjia put the things on the dining table. Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, he quickly said, "If you need any help, just let me know."
Mai Xiang then smiled and told her the truth about her purpose. It was not easy to find a job at the end of the year. She had been out for the past few days but had not seen anything suitable. She thought of getting more information from more people. It would be great if she found one, but it didn't matter if she didn't.
Tao Wanjia didn't tell her that he had just returned and might not know Rongcheng as well as she did. But when he saw the frostbite on Maixiang's cheeks, he remembered that she said at dinner that day that she didn't even pay the heating bill to save money. In the cold winter, the temperature in the house was barely acceptable after paying the heating bill, but when the heating was cut off, it was like an ice cellar.
Her situation made her soft-hearted, so even though she was not sure about this matter, she still agreed.
The next day was Saturday, and Tao Wanjia got up early to help Old Lady Sun.
It was half past six, and the sky was just getting light. A dim light was on in the small room. Old Mrs. Sun, wearing an apron, was busy in the narrow kitchen where steam was swirling.
Seeing that Tao Wanjia was a little surprised, he took the steamer away and picked up a bun for her.
"You came here by yourself before I even looked for you?"
Tao Wanjia smiled, broke open the bun and started eating. "I've asked around, and I've heard you'll make some extra this weekend to sell at the morning market. You wouldn't mind me coming uninvited, would you?"
Although he didn't know much, Tao Wanjia could more or less guess that the old lady would not actively seek help due to her strong personality. She decided to come on her own. Finding more things to do could also relieve stress.
"That can't be possible. I'm so happy that someone is helping me!"
"You take a rest, I'll do it."
Tao Wanjia finished the buns in a few bites and then bent down to tidy up the foam box on the ground. He took a clean cloth and put it on first, then put the steaming buns in the steamer down.
The morning market was not far from here, but the road was not easy to walk on due to the snow. It was cold, so she wanted to go alone and was going to find a rope to tie the box tightly. However, Old Lady Sun refused and insisted on pushing the box behind her.
They were busy until noon. After selling everything, the old man and the young boy slowly pushed the cart back to the noisy shantytown.
The old lady was in good health and in high spirits. She walked to the door and asked Tao Wanjia what he wanted to eat, and said with a smile that she would treat him.
But before she could finish her question, an old man walking towards her waved and said, "Old Sun, you're back! Hurry up, the food in the cafeteria is delicious today, and the boss is here to serve us personally!"
Tao Wanjia looked along the gathered crowd and saw the conspicuous words on a small bungalow - Community Canteen
“No, no!”
Old Mrs. Sun turned her face away and pushed her bicycle away without even looking.
This was the first time that a community canteen was opened in a crowded and undeveloped shantytown. Out of curiosity, Tao Wanjia followed the elderly people who entered one after another.
The small bungalow is only one floor high but has a large space. There is a sign at the door with today's menu and meal times written in neat chalk. There is an orderly queue in the bright and clean lobby, but all you see are elderly people.
Tao Wanjia stopped at the door, wondering whether to go in or not. When she was about to leave, a voice called her.
"Little girl, please serve a bowl of fish soup to my table."
The old man was sitting at the dining table near the door, with his cane resting on the plastic chair. He probably thought she was a volunteer serving inside.
Tao Wanjia didn't refuse. He followed the team and saw He Yu standing at the end of the food serving area.
He had a relaxed smile on his face, rolled up his shirt sleeves, picked up the rice spoon and helped to serve the rice himself, and answered various questions from the elderly from time to time.
It was rare for a big boss to condescend to him. Tao Wanjia didn't see any cameras when he came in. Just as he was thinking about the opportunity to do this, the line in front of him shortened at the speed of light.
She was forced to stand forward in the crowd and stand opposite him, and she also saw Huang Zheng, who was less than two meters away from He Yu and was also busy getting food.
"What to eat?"
The man's cold voice brought her gaze back.
Tao Wanjia put the bowl on the table. "Fish soup."
He Yu took it, opened the lid of the bucket and poured the soup in. His movements were skillful, as if he was used to doing it all the time.
Tao Wanjia was still in a daze, his wandering gaze covering He Yu like a drawn spider web.
He didn't wear a watch today, and when he handed the soup, a light brown scar on the inside of his wrist was particularly conspicuous.
Tao Wanji's hands were a little slow, and the soup in the bowl spilled out.
Liquid like sparks fell on the back of his hand, and He Yu subconsciously inhaled.
"I'm sorry," Tao Wanjia lowered his eyes, "I didn't notice."
He Yu looked straight at him with sharp eyes, and even the words he said were mixed with some vague hatred.
"You'll apologize too?"
It sounded like mockery and contempt, like she looked down on me. She apologized to me because of such an incident.
Huang Zheng heard the conversation between the two and handed Tao Wanjia a tissue after he walked away.
"So, is it fun to put your warm face on a cold butt?"
He Yu was silent, and Huang Zheng became interested and continued to tease, "Hey, have you noticed that we are quite mean? We were the ones who were abandoned, but now we are the ones who take the initiative to stick to each other. It's so unreasonable." Huang Zheng was originally fussy about Tao Wanji treating her like a mouse seeing a cat, but seeing her weird look at He Yu just now, she felt inexplicably balanced, as if she realized that her position in Tao Wanji's heart was higher than He Yu's, and her mood immediately turned from cloudy to sunny.
She stared at the back and spoke to He Yu: "Why is she so thin now? She's tall and thin, and her hair is done like the men in Japanese dramas. I told you that day..."
When she turned around again, the person standing next to her had disappeared.
Tao Wanjia returned the fish soup to the old man's table. As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of He Yu hurriedly walking towards him from the corner of his eye.
She has been a little nearsighted in the past two years, so she can't see his expression clearly, but she can vaguely feel the gloomy face.
This is good, Tao Wanjia thought that he finally listened to some of what he said, and it would be nice if the two of them could remain strangers and live in peace.
But the next second, the stranger suddenly crossed the line again and pulled her back forcefully.
"What's wrong? You..."
Before Tao Wanjia could finish her words, the plates piled high on the food cart just two steps away from her fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
If she continued walking, the iron plates would probably fall on her.
Although it's not serious, it's still uncomfortable to have the messy food oil stains on your body.
"What do you mean? Are your eyes always on the back of your head?"
He Yu looked at Tao Wanjia's disgusted expression and suddenly felt that he was meddling in other people's business, so his words became sarcastic as soon as he opened his mouth.
Huang Zheng was right, he was indeed a despicable person.
He hadn't learned his lesson after being burned by her, so he ran over to her. It was nothing for a grown man like him to get hit by a food truck, especially since she was always elusive and omnipotent. His worrying was pointless, and reaching out was pure meanness.
Realizing this, He Yu released his grip on the wrist and walked out with a sullen face.
Tao Wanji watched the inexplicable figure walk out of the cafeteria and was also amused by anger.
Huang Zheng came over to help the waiter clean up the mess of plates on the floor. Tao Wanji took a look and simply squatted down to help pick them up.
"He Yu is still annoying, right?"
Huang Zheng leaned in front of her, her face filled with a hint of gloating. She coughed lightly, thought of something, and bumped into her shoulder when she and Tao Wanji went to wash their hands.
"Um, are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?"
Huang Zheng tried her best to get her to stay but pretended to be indifferent. She squeezed two pumps of hand sanitizer for her as if to please her, then looked away arrogantly and told her.
"Anyway, this place was built with He Yu's money, and the food is free, so it would be a waste if you don't eat here."
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