Chapter 36 – Showing compassion
She just wanted to eat something delicious and regain her strength so she could work on making their family wealthy. She didn’t mind that Long Hao called her a skinny monkey and hurried to the kitchen to grab a bowl before returning to him.
Long Hao put two eggs in her bowl.
Yan Xiaosi held the bowl of eggs, happily turning and heading towards the kitchen.
Long Hao sat on the wooden bed, holding his bowl, watching her frail figure, and felt that he must be crazy to show compassion for a man. It was really strange.
This morning, Ms. Zhong had cooked a total of nine eggs: one each for her and her daughters Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun; two for Yan Xiaosi; and three for Long Hao.
“Xiaosi, this is for you.”
Ms. Zhong used a spatula to lift two eggs, ready to put them into Yan Xiaosi’s bowl, but noticed that there was already something in it.
Yan Xiaosi grinned, showing her neat white teeth: “Mr. Long said he only needed one egg and gave the other two to me.”
Seeing the four eggs remaining in the pot, Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun could only have one each, Yan Xiaosi couldn’t bear to eat them all by herself.
“Mom, split these two eggs among my elder sisters. Third sister has an injury on her foot and needs to heal, and second sister seems to be growing lately, so she needs more food as well.”
“How can you take Mr. Long’s eggs? He’s injured too.”
Ms. Zhong looked at the eggs in Yan Xiaosi’s bowl, feeling somewhat guilty.
“Xiaosi, Mr. Long has been staying at our house to recover, and he has given us a lot of silver.”
“Mom, you don’t understand. Mr. Long was so eager to give me the eggs; if I refused, I would have hurt his feelings.”
As Yan Xiaosi answered Ms. Zhong, he stretched out his wooden bowl towards her.
“Mom, I don’t want rice, give me a piece of crust.”
The walls between the two bedrooms were thin wooden boards, with no sound insulation. Long Hao, sitting in the next room, almost choked on a mouthful of rice when he heard Yan Xiaosi’s words.
This brat, taking advantage and acting innocent.
Ms. Zhong had prepared rice for Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun, planning to save the crust for herself.
Country people didn’t like the crust, thinking it’s hard on the teeth and not very tasty.
“Xiaosi, can your teeth handle it?”
Yan Xiaosi grinned, showing off his small white teeth.
“My teeth are harder than diamond drills. Mom, just give me the crust. Don’t worry.”
Ms. Zhong scraped out all the rice in the pot, then lifted a whole piece of crust.
The firewood had cooked the crust to a golden color. Yan Xiaosi stared at it, swallowing a few times.
“This crust smells so good.”
Ms. Zhong broke the crust into pieces and put them in Yan Xiaosi’s wooden bowl, reminding him, “If you can’t bite it, soak it in rice soup to eat. The soup is in the basin.”
“I know mom.”
Yan Xiaosi took the bowl of crust to the broken wooden table and sat down across from Yan Shuqin.
Yan Shuqin listened to the sound of her crunching on the crust, feeling her teeth ache, “Xiaosi, is the crust really that delicious?”
“Of course it’s delicious. It tastes amazing.”
The three sisters shook their heads hard and looked at Yan Xiaosi as if she were a monster.
