The little guy, hearing his mom’s words, finally obediently closed his mouth and touched his round little belly. Indeed, he couldn’t eat anymore.
But he was reluctant to give the remaining half of the bun to others.
Relieved upon hearing Yun Qinghuan’s words, he happily exclaimed, “Mom, I’ll have it for dinner!”
“Okay.” Yun Qinghuan smiled as she watched him. He devoured the bun quickly, with bits of meat clinging to the corners of his mouth. She reached out to wipe it off, but the little guy looked at her warily.
“What are you doing, Mom?” He even scooted back, thinking she wanted to take the half of the bun in his hand.
Yun Qinghuan was speechless. “Could it be that Mom can’t even have a bite of your bun?”
She feigned a sad expression and wiped away nonexistent tears from the corner of her eye.
The little guy instantly panicked. In great conflict, he quickly reached out to hold his mom’s hand.
His hand, greasy from eating the bun, caught Yun Qinghuan’s attention, and she couldn’t help but twitch her eyebrow. However, since it was her own act, she endured it.
Thinking that she would take a bath later, and the clothes would need washing anyway, she let it go.
Beside them, Bai Naihan was munching on a bun, smiling as he observed the interaction between the mother and son.
The greasy little hand finally touched Yun Qinghuan’s clothes, leaving a handprint. The innocent big eyes looked at her, “Mom, don’t feel bad; An’an gives you the bun to eat.”
It was evident that he had been struggling for a long time, but he still endured the pain in his heart and handed over the remaining half of the bun, saying, “Mom, eat.”
Yun Qinghuan teased him, and seeing him like this, she felt soft-hearted, smiling as she said, “Mom won’t eat. An’an, you’re so good. I just wanted to tell you, An’an, you got some meat sauce on your mouth. I wanted to wipe it for you.”
As for the bun he had bitten with saliva, greasy and remaining, she had no intention of eating it.
Yun Qinghuan’s smile was particularly gentle, but the little An’an somehow felt that Mom was expressing some disdain.
Hesitatingly, he took the bun back, earnestly looking at Yun Qinghuan and said, “Mom, in the future, just tell An’an what you want to eat. An’an will work hard to earn money to buy it for you.”
Oh my!
These tender words genuinely touched Yun Qinghuan’s motherly heart! It felt like the few traces of motherly love were about to overflow!
She smiled, intending to take out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, but the little guy evaded her. He quickly said, “Mom, you can eat the meat sauce; wiping it off is wasteful!”
Disagreeing, he gave her a glance, then ran to the nearby basin, used his hand to wipe off the meat sauce at the corner of his mouth, and then put it in his mouth.
The way he cherished food made Yun Qinghuan feel a bit self-conscious.
She realized she was being shallow; apparently, there were other perspectives.
Bai Naihan, on the side, finally couldn’t help but chuckle. Yun Qinghuan glared at him, and he stifled his laughter.
“Brother-in-law, eat quickly.”
She pushed the remaining braised pork with potatoes toward him.
He was a grown man, and compared to her, a girl, and little An’an, he could eat more. Therefore, she left him with four buns and a small portion of the meat.
“Sure.” Bai Naihan smiled and responded, eating the buns at a faster pace.
Yun Qinghuan: “…”
She just casually mentioned it and didn’t really mean to urge him to eat faster. After all, it was still early, and it wasn’t even two in the afternoon. There was no rush to finish eating, and it would be better to sit in the store for a while longer.
Quietly, she pushed a glass of water towards him, “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”
Feeling a bit guilty, she avoided looking at him and lazily surveyed her surroundings.
Suddenly, she noticed the chubby chef’s eyes light up. He stood up, no longer leisurely, but directly walked to the door, happily saying, “Director Che, why did you come?”
At the entrance of the state-owned restaurant, several imposing figures were standing. The slightly plump middle-aged man in dark green military uniform should be the Director Che mentioned by the chef. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, “Chef Bai, today I brought a few friends to eat. Do you have braised fish and braised pork ribs?”
Chef Bai’s eyes narrowed with a big smile, “As long as Director Che is here, even if we don’t have it, I’ll find a way to make it for you. Quickly find a seat; I’ll go prepare for you.”
Director Che, upon hearing this, was also delighted, “Chef Bai, you know how to get things done. But you don’t need to make it specifically for me. Just serve whatever your restaurant has.”
Although he said so, he felt quite face-conscious. After all, in this era, being able to dine in a state-owned restaurant was considered prestigious. Bai Chef wasn’t someone who would give face to anyone! Especially when he brought several friends, Bai Chef was undoubtedly giving him face!
Chef Bai chuckled, “Rest assured, Director Che. We have them in our restaurant. Just wait for a moment.”
On the other side, a table of people turned pale when they heard this. One of them, wearing a black Zhongshan¹ suit, directly questioned Chef Bai, “I just asked if you had braised pork ribs and braised fish a while ago, and you said no. How come now, with him here, you suddenly say you have? This is treating people differently!”
The man in the black Zhongshan suit felt his face burning. He came here today specifically to save face and ordered the signature dishes of braised pork ribs and braised fish. But Bai Chef, with a gloomy face, said they weren’t available today and he could eat whatever they had. The man in the black military uniform could only endure, thinking that maybe the restaurant really didn’t have these dishes today. Little did he expect that after sitting down to eat, Bai Chef would blatantly slap him in the face in front of his friends. How could he endure such humiliation?
Suddenly being questioned, Chef Bai couldn’t help but burst into laughter, looking at the man in black military uniform with a mocking smile. “Who are you? Just because you want to eat it, I have to make it for you? Look at how capable you think you are! Director Che is the director of the steel factory, can you compare to him?”
Director Che, with a good-natured smile, walked over after Chef Bai finished speaking as a peacemaker. “Alright, don’t let my presence ruin the atmosphere.”
He looked at Chef Bai and said, “Chef Bai, today I’ll take charge. Prepare an extra serving of braised pork ribs for this comrade, and I’ll cover the cost.”
The man who caused the commotion, upon hearing that the middle-aged man in green military uniform was the director of the steel factory, immediately became less aggressive. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he quickly waved his hand, “Director Che, it’s my fault for not recognizing you. We’re already full; we don’t need pork ribs.”
Several men sitting with the man in black military uniform also stood up, showing extra courtesy to Director Che.
Director Che insisted that Chef Bai serve them another plate of braised pork ribs. “Don’t blame Chef Bai; he is in a difficult position. After all, the amount of meat supplied daily is limited, and once it’s sold out, there’s none left.”
The man in black military uniform could only awkwardly smile and didn’t dare to respond. He couldn’t question why there wasn’t enough meat, but he couldn’t help feeling unjust. He arrived first, yet there were no braised pork ribs for him, while Director Che, who came later, could have whatever he wanted. It was evident that they were treating people differently.
Watching this spectacle, Yun Qinghuan’s mouth twitched; this was clearly favoritism when serving dishes.
KNOWLEDGE CENTER
[>1< Zhongshan Suit
“Zhongshan suit” in Chinese is 中山装 (Zhōngshān zhuāng). It is a traditional Chinese-style suit named after Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan in Mandarin), the founding father of the Republic of China. The Zhongshan suit typically consists of a jacket with four pockets and five buttons, representing the five branches of the Nationalist government. It is often worn on formal occasions or as a symbol of national identity.
Are you guys okay with the name Bai Chef? I thought it sounded cool in some sentences but I didn’t keep it consistent. Let me know what you guys think so I can change it or leave it.]
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Translator Note
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