After a busy day, Yuan Doudou soaked her feet while telling Anji a story, but Anji fell asleep halfway through.
Yuan Doudou covered Anji with the blanket, looked at his round little face, and showed a satisfied smile.
An Rong brought a clean cloth, squatted down, and wiped her feet. When he saw that the smile on her lips disappeared and replaced by a worried look, his heart jumped.
The pregnant woman's emotions fluctuate so much that he doesn't have time to react; one moment she may be laughing happily, and the next she may be crying sadly.
For example, in the afternoon, when he came back from buying groceries, he heard Yuan Doudou laughing loudly outside. But when he walked into the store, she was crying uncontrollably.
Lu Xi was so anxious that she didn't know how to comfort him.
An Rong asked Lu Xi to take the vegetables inside to clean them, while she put her arm around Yuan Doudou and tried her best to calm her down.
An Rong dried her feet, took a stool and sat down, then placed her feet on his knees and gave her a foot massage.
"Anrong, I'm a bad older sister, aren't I?" Yuan Doudou's eyes were filled with sorrow, and she spoke weakly and dejectedly.
This is the first time Yuan Doudou has felt a sense of defeat since she traveled through time.
The day Lu Xi acknowledged her as his older sister, she secretly resolved to be a good older sister, to take good care of Lu Xi's daily life, and to do everything she could to find his family.
In the end, the reality was that Lu Xi served her tea and water, took care of her, worked hard at the shop from dawn till dusk every day, and when she was paid, she refused to accept any of it.
She guessed that it was because she hadn't fulfilled her responsibilities that Lu Xi was thinking of going out to make a living. Just thinking about it made her heart ache so much she could hardly breathe.
An Rong knew she was prone to overthinking. When faced with problems, she would first look for the cause within herself. It seemed she had no other way but to feel guilty towards herself.
"DouDou, don't overthink it. You're a good older sister." An Rong's gaze was gentle yet firm.
Others may not know, but An Rong knows it better than anyone else.
For Lu Xi's new cotton-padded coat, Yuan Doudou specially asked Sister Li Juan to add two extra ounces of cotton, instructing her to make it thicker and the stitches denser, since boys are active and their clothes wear out quickly.
When everyone else is asleep at night, Yuan Doudou will quietly go and cover Lu Xi with a blanket. Lu Xi is very energetic, and the brand-new cotton blanket makes it easier for her to stay warm. She always kicks off the blanket in the middle of the night.
Lu Xi has been in the store for nearly four months and has never been sick, thanks in part to Dou Dou.
During meals, Dou Dou might not serve food to An Ji, but she will always serve the best dishes to Lu Xi first, without fail.
An Rong sometimes felt uncomfortable seeing how much she cared for Lu Xi. Lu Xi was just a younger brother with no blood relation, so she should at least dote on An Ji a little more.
Who would have thought that someone who cares so much about his younger brother would be wallowing in self-pity late at night, feeling that he hasn't done enough?
“An Rong, Lu Xi said he wants to go to Haoqinglai to learn a trade.” Yuan Doudou spoke in a consultative tone. It was An Rong who redeemed Lu Xi from her servitude, and it was also his money that helped him.
An Rong was quite surprised. Lu Xi, this child, never tells anyone what's going on. When did she decide to go out?
No wonder Dou Dou was so sad. He felt bad when he found out. Lu Xi probably wanted to leave because she saw there was no way out here.
Dou Dou was telling him a fact, and also seeking his opinion. In his opinion, Lu Xi was an honest and kind child. If Dou Dou didn't want him to go anywhere, Lu Xi wouldn't go anywhere. He wanted to leave this place, and he must have his own plans.
"It's good that he has ideas, but we can't be with him forever." Boys always have to go out and explore, and whether they succeed or not, at least they won't have any regrets.
Yuan Doudou realized he had agreed, but the problem now was that not just anyone could join Haoqinglai.
Previously, when she delivered oyster mushrooms to Haoqing, she overheard two waiters chatting. They were saying that they came here to work as waiters in order to learn the craft, but without a direct connection, they were not allowed to get close to the stove. The dishes prepared by the head chef were placed on the serving counter, and a special person would come to pick them up.
The head chef has his own rules: he only accepts apprentices once a year, and he personally assesses them. He can only take on a maximum of two apprentices at a time, and usually only takes on one.
I heard that this chef once worked at the Prime Minister's residence in Kyoto. Later, he returned home in glory, and the owner of Haoqinglai, who had a certain status, specially invited him to come out of retirement and become the head chef of the restaurant.
The chef Yuan Doudou had previously worked with was just one of his apprentices; when Yuan Doudou wasn't around, the kitchen was managed by the apprentice.
Just like in modern times, restaurant management is divided into areas. The lobby manager is the head of the lobby, and the head chef is the head of the kitchen. If the head chef says that a dish doesn't taste right, the other chefs have to cook it again. That's the rule.
Lu Xi is pretty and slender, and has a decent talent for cooking. Even so, her chances are slim.
After listening to Yuan Doudou's introduction, An Rong was also very uneasy. This was the first time Lu Xi had expressed her true feelings, and if it couldn't be realized, she would probably be depressed for a while.
Thinking back to that day, Lu Xi accompanied him to buy groceries. When they passed by Haoqing Restaurant, he stopped and only looked at the people coming and going inside.
I was puzzled at the time, assuming they wanted to go in for a big meal, and didn't think of anything else.
Now that I think about it, I realize that Lu Xi had already planned to become an apprentice a month ago.
“Lu Xi has a goal, and we should support her with all our might. I’ll go talk to Hao Qinglai’s people tomorrow.” An Rong didn’t know anyone from Hao Qinglai, so he could only try his best.
Yuan Doudou did not object; An Rong was more suitable to go than she was.
The next day at dawn, An Rong went to the kitchen first and had just lit the firewood when Lu Xi followed him in.
Instead of sitting in front of the stove to watch the fire as usual, he stood in front of An Rong, head down and silent.
"What's wrong, Lu Xi?" An Rong guessed what he was going to say, but pretended not to know.
Lu Xi blushed. He had tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep well. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a bastard who had let Dou Dou down.
"Brother Anrong, I shouldn't have said those things to Sister Doudou yesterday. I know I was wrong, and I will never think such things again." This was the result of his thinking all night. He didn't dare to say these things to Sister Doudou, so he could only tell Brother Anrong, who would then pass it on to Sister Doudou.
An Rong was amused and exasperated by his silly idea; the boy looked honest but was genuinely foolish.
“Lu Xi, listen carefully. It’s a good thing that you want to learn a skill. Your sister and I both support you.”
When An Rong said "your sister," not "Dou Dou's sister," it sounded special to Lu Xi, and a warm feeling flowed through his heart.
Lu Xi looked surprised. He never expected that Sister Dou Dou and Brother An Rong were not angry with him and even said they would support his idea.
After An Rong finished speaking, he went out. Then Huang Rong came in, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Seeing Lu Xi standing there dumbfounded, she couldn't help but slap him in the face.
Lu Xi only came to her senses when she heard a splatter sound.
"You're moved?" Huang Rong teased. "I told you long ago that they would definitely support you, but you didn't believe me."
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