Gao Fusheng was bragging with another young salesperson. When he heard a sound, he turned his head and was startled. When he saw his niece walking in, he thought he was seeing things. It wasn’t until Su Qinghe stood right in front of him that he realized she was really there.
A big smile appeared on his face. "Oh, what brings our Qing Miao’er here? You came from the county? Your mother came to see me two days ago and said you went to work in the county. She was really upset—lots of tears and snot."
Su Qinghe: "..."
She didn’t know if her mother had truly cried or if her uncle was putting on an act. Not knowing how to respond, Su Qinghe simply pulled her uncle aside and said, "Uncle, come out with me."
Gao Fusheng immediately followed her out with a grin. "What’s wrong? You got something to say? Just tell your uncle what you want, and I’ll get it for you."
"It’s nothing like that. I came to give you something." Su Qinghe smiled and pulled a cloth bag from her backpack. Inside were two lunch boxes. "Uncle, I brought back some cooked food for you and Grandma. These are good dishes."
Gao Fusheng took it and asked, "What is this?" He opened one and saw red braised pork inside. He swallowed his saliva and quickly closed the lid again. He pushed it back into Su Qinghe's hand. "Why are you giving this good stuff to your uncle? Take it back to your mom, and eat it slowly yourself."
"I already brought some for Mom. These are for you. I learned to cook these at the restaurant. They taste really good. There’s tofu too—Grandma can eat that. Just enjoy it. Keep the lunch boxes—I’ll come back for them later. I’ll bring more good food next time."
Su Qinghe said it easily and cheerfully.
Gao Fusheng’s eyes turned red, and he began to sniff and wipe his tears. He choked, "What’s wrong with me? I’m such a useless uncle. I can’t give you anything good, and now you’re giving me delicious food. I’m sorry, Uncle—"
And then he really started crying.
Su Qinghe was stunned by his reaction. She had just brought a couple of cooked dishes—was this really necessary? "Uncle, don’t cry. People will laugh at you."
Gao Fusheng wiped his tears and his nose and said, "Let them laugh! My niece gave me food—who dares to laugh at me? Their niece isn’t as good as mine!" Xiulan didn’t lie. Qing Miao’er was truly a filial child. No one else’s child could compare to her.
"Alright, Uncle, I have to go back to see my mom. You get back to work," Su Qinghe said, putting her backpack on.
Gao Fusheng held the bag with the lunch boxes. "Okay, I know. Go ahead. Don’t keep your mom waiting—she must be thinking of you."
Su Qinghe rode her bicycle. "Uncle, I’m leaving now."
She said goodbye and rode off swiftly.
Gao Fusheng stood there watching her, tears still in his eyes. Once Su Qinghe was out of sight, he ran back into the supply and marketing cooperative, put the lunch boxes behind the counter, and started searching.
"Little Liu, do we have anything good in stock this time? Hurry and check for me. Any good ingredients—anything nice."
Xiao Liu said, "Yes, there are some, but nothing without a ticket. Those things only come in at the end of the month."
"Of course I’m looking for the ticket stuff. How can I give my niece some scrap that doesn’t need a ticket?" Qing Miao’er is so good to him—he had to give her something proper.
…
Su Qinghe rode all the way home.
When she reached the yard gate, she saw that the house was locked. It was still early in the day, so they probably went out to do chores.
She stopped the bike and was about to go look for someone when she heard cheers from outside.
"Auntie’s back! Auntie’s back!"
Soon, a few children ran into the yard. When they saw Su Qinghe really standing there, their eyes lit up.
Sanya said, "I told you I saw Auntie! I can ride faster!"
Er Bao ran over and hugged Su Qinghe. "Auntie, Auntie, eat."
Er Bao was now three years old. With proper nutrition, he walked steadily and didn’t seem like other malnourished children who couldn’t even speak at his age.
Just as Su Qinghe was about to take something out of her backpack, Gao Xiulan’s voice rang out from outside. "A bunch of little rascals! The moment they see their aunt, they run faster than mice! Just thinking about getting a bite to eat!"
The children stood in a row. Er Bao hid his little head behind Su Qinghe.
Soon, Gao Xiulan came in. Her face looked stern and dark, like she was angry. But the moment she saw Su Qinghe, her expression lit up like spring. She beamed with a kind smile. "Qing Miao’er is back. Our Qing Miao’er is really back. Oh my, come in and rest quickly. Look at me, if I hadn’t come back in time, you wouldn’t even have been able to get into the house."
Gao Xiulan hurried to open the door.
"Mom, don’t worry." Su Qinghe carried her bag inside, with a line of little ones trailing behind her.
Once inside, Gao Xiulan was about to make some brown sugar water for her daughter, but Su Qinghe stopped her. "Mom, rest for a bit. I just got home and haven’t had a chance to talk with you yet."
"Okay, okay. Let’s talk. Tell Mom, how’s work at the restaurant? Are you tired?"
"It’s not tiring. It’s fine. The masters do most of the cooking. We just shout out the orders. The customers bring their own bowls and chopsticks. And the best part is eating at the restaurant every day—noodles, white rice, even meat."
Gao Xiulan was happy. "Oh, this job is great. It suits you perfectly."
"Exactly. I can handle it. You don’t have to worry about me. By the way, I brought some food for you."
She took out an aluminum lunch box. When opened, it was filled with Kung Pao Chicken and braised pork. She picked up some pork belly and said, "Mom, I’ve learned how to make braised pork. I learned it from the masters. I’ll cook some for you at noon."
"What are you cooking for? I’ll save it for when you come back again." Gao Xiulan quickly packed the food away. Even the lunch box was stored.
Su Qinghe said, "Mom, I eat this all the time. I come back once a week. I’m not coming back empty-handed. I’ll bring more good food next time. You love flavorful dishes. This Kung Pao Chicken tastes great." She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken and put it into Gao Xiulan’s mouth.
Gao Xiulan took a bite, and tears of emotion filled her eyes.
Su Qinghe smiled. "Is it good?"
"It’s good. Really good." Of course it was good. Her daughter still remembered what she liked and brought her favorite food.
"If you like it, I’ll make more next time. Mom, I work in a restaurant—I don’t lack food. I’ll bring some home and let you enjoy it. Come on, kids!" She waved to the children and gave each one a piece of meat.
Gao Xiulan was moved and didn’t have the heart to stop her.
So the kids all took bites, their mouths full of meat and drool.
At noon, Su Aiguo and the others came back from work. As soon as they entered the yard, they smelled the rich aroma coming from the kitchen. It was so tempting they swallowed instinctively.
Just as they were wondering, Su Aihua spotted the bicycle and said happily, "Big Sis is back!"
Gao Xiulan stuck her head out of the kitchen. "What are you shouting about? Hurry and clean up—we’re eating soon."
Soon, a big bowl of meat and a dish of Kung Pao Chicken were placed on the table. It was even better than holiday meals.
The whole family drooled looking at the food.
Su Aiguo looked at Su Qinghe and asked, "Sis, why’d you bring back such good stuff?"
"I work at a restaurant now, so I brought some leftovers. It’s not like I spent money to buy it—this stuff is expensive. I can’t afford much." Even if she brought it back, Su Qinghe didn’t want them to think it was easy for her to take food.
Su Aidang said with guilt, "Us brothers are really useless..."
Gao Xiulan said coldly, "Good that you know. Some people still can’t stand how well our Qing Miao’er is doing."
Tian Xiaomei: "..." She blushed and lowered her head.
Su Qinghe scratched her forehead and quickly picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Gao Xiulan’s bowl. "Mom, eat meat. I made it specially for you."
Hearing this, Gao Xiulan no longer bothered scolding anyone. She picked up the meat and stuffed it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she ate. Oh, this meat was the real deal. "I’ve never eaten such delicious meat in my life..."
The others just watched. No one dared to touch their chopsticks. In the Su family, food was handed out by the mother. Besides, the elder sister brought this back.
After Gao Xiulan had eaten, she used a big spoon to serve everyone meat and rice. Her heart ached terribly.
This kind of delicious food—before, she would’ve left it all for Qing Miao’er to eat.
But forget it. Qing Miao’er was right. Now that she was doing well, let her brothers and their wives see just how good she was. From now on, they’d have to listen to her daughter.
Tian Xiaomei took one bite of meat, then froze. After a few more bites, she suddenly cried. "Boohoo... Big Sister, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have judged you for not working... I'm really sorry... I’m ashamed..."
Su Qinghe: "..." Can someone really cry this much after eating a bite of meat?
...
After a lunch of oily mouths and teary eyes, Su Qinghe went back to her room to rest.
Gao Xiulan personally tucked her into bed. "Qing Miao’er, sleep well. Mom’s home. Just call if you need anything."
Su Qinghe nodded obediently. "Mom, don’t bother me while I sleep. I haven’t had a proper nap for days. I really want to sleep well."
"Okay, Mom will watch the house. No one will disturb you," Gao Xiulan said as she gently closed the door.
After Gao Xiulan left, Su Qinghe quickly locked the bolt from the inside and went into the kitchen—her sister-in-law's kitchen—to cook.