Xiao Douzi sat nervously at the hot pot table, looking anxiously at Ma Hehua and the others across from her.
The hot pot restaurant was filled with a rich, spicy aroma, and the broth was bubbling and churning, but this lively atmosphere did nothing to ease Xiaodouzi's nervousness.
The three women, Ma Hehua, Ma Linghua, and Ma Lihua, were devouring the delicious food in front of them.
They ordered only meat: tender slices of beef, succulent lamb rolls, and crispy pork belly, which were poured into the boiling pot one plate after another.
The chopsticks stirred the pot quickly, picked up the cooked meat slices, dipped them in the special sauce, and then stuffed them into their mouths with great relish.
Little Bean glanced furtively at the menu; the ever-increasing numbers seemed to weigh heavily on his heart like stones.
He unconsciously touched his pocket, where a thin wad of banknotes lay, the result of his frugal savings. He had hoped to make it all today, but he never expected things to turn out this way.
Fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, and his eyes kept glancing towards the door as he pondered what to do if he didn't have enough money.
Perhaps he could excuse himself to go to the restroom and then secretly call Yunzhi for help? But wouldn't that be too embarrassing? Xiaodouzi hesitated, forcing a smile as she tried to blend into the seemingly cheerful atmosphere.
"Little Bean, why aren't you eating? Don't be shy, we're going to eat our fill today!" Ma Hehua said indistinctly as she stuffed slices of meat into her mouth. Her lips were greasy, and her eyes were full of satisfaction and excitement.
Little Bean smiled awkwardly, picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of green vegetable, and gently put it into the pot, saying, "I'm eating, you guys eat more." But in her heart, she was secretly groaning. The green vegetables were cheap, but how could they possibly fill their stomachs? Besides, these people didn't even eat green vegetables, which was outrageous.
Ma Linghua looked up at Xiaodouzi, seemingly noticing his unusual expression, and said, "Xiaodouzi, are you troubled by something? Let's eat our fill today, don't worry about the money."
Little Bean; "……………………"
You're not worried at all, but I'm the one who's paying the bill!
Little Bean quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I'm just not very hungry." But in his heart, he was thinking, how could he not worry about money? This meal would probably cost him more than half a month's living expenses.
Ma Hehua took a sip of her drink and said, "Little Bean, don't spoil the fun. It's rare for you to get together with the Ma family, so you should enjoy the meal." As she spoke, she put another plate of beef into the pot.
Little Bean nodded, trying to appear calm, and said, "Okay, okay, let's eat." But his eyes never left the constantly changing numbers, and his heart was in his throat.
The noise in the hot pot restaurant seemed to gradually fade away, leaving only the alarming amount of money spent and the three women enjoying their meal in Xiaodouzi's world.
He began to regret why he had suggested eating hot pot, why he had to treat everyone. If they had gone to a snack stall or a simple restaurant, he wouldn't have ended up in such an awkward situation.
"Waiter, another serving of tripe!" Ma Hehua shouted.
Xiao Douzi's body trembled slightly; the tripe seemed to have become a mountain, pressing down on him and making it hard to breathe. He couldn't help but say, "That's enough, let's not order too much."
Ma Hehua frowned and said, "This is just the beginning. We haven't had our fill yet."
Little Bean lowered his head helplessly, his fear growing stronger.
He didn't know how to face the exorbitant bill when it came time to pay, nor did he know how to explain his predicament to the three women.
Time passed second by second, and every second felt incredibly long to Xiaodouzi.
Finally, Ma Hehua and the others, having eaten and drunk their fill, leaned back in their chairs, patting their bellies contentedly.
"Waiter, the bill!" Ma Hehua called out.
Little Bean's heart clenched, and she watched nervously as the waiter approached with the bill.
His palms were sweaty, and his heartbeat was clearly audible in his ears.
The waiter smiled and said, "Hello, the total bill is 888 yuan."
When Xiaodouzi heard the number, his head buzzed, as if the world was spinning. Trembling, he pulled the stack of banknotes from his pocket, counted them, and found only 600 yuan. His face instantly turned pale, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"What's wrong, Xiaodouzi? Don't you have enough money?" Ma Linghua asked.
Little Bean bit her lip, nodded with difficulty, and said, "I... I didn't expect it to cost so much. I only brought 600 yuan with me."
Ma Hehua's expression also turned somewhat grim, and she said, "What should we do?"
Ma Lihua's expression lit up. "How about we ask Uncle Douzi to wash the dishes?"
Little Bean; "……………………"
Haha! You really are my wonderful niece!
Little Bean blushed and said, "Why don't we all chip in?"
In the end, Ma Hehua took out some money and managed to pay the bill.
Little Bean felt incredibly ashamed and guilty. He lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, I've disappointed everyone today."
Ma Hehua patted Xiaodouzi on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. Let's discuss it in advance next time so that this situation won't happen again. By the way, remember to transfer 288 to me later! It's okay if you don't know how. Yunzhi has my WeChat on her phone. You can ask Yunzhi to transfer it to me."
Little Bean; "……………………"
Sure enough, we shouldn't be too happy yet. His aunt and her family are such stingy people, it would be a miracle if they actually spent any money.
Little Bean nodded emphatically, secretly vowing never to treat anyone to a meal again. Who could stand such a meal? He certainly couldn't.
After leaving the store, all three of them were full and decided not to go back.
"Little Bean, goodbye for now. If you need any orders in the future, just give me a call! It would be best if you could send a private car to pick me up. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a refrigerator and air conditioning will do, and most importantly, there's food." Ma Linghua's words made Little Bean tremble.
A private car? A refrigerator? Air conditioning? Food? Don't you need to make these too fancy?
This is going to kill him! He can't afford it anymore. He's afraid he'll never be able to afford to invite that aunt again. It seems he can't invite her again unless it's absolutely necessary.
However, Xiaodouzi was quite relieved because at least he wasn't asked to pay for the ride.
"Ding ding ding..."
The old telephone rang, and Li Panmei immediately stood up.
I picked up the phone, glanced at it, and then answered the call.
"Hey! Mom, how's it going? Are you done with your work? You've worked so hard." Li Panmei was incredibly obsequious.
His wife, who was standing nearby, almost got goosebumps listening to this.
Panmei has never been so gentle with her before. What's so good about her mother-in-law? She's fierce and domineering. I don't know what Panmei is afraid of!
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