“Jiao Jie, I don't need it, I've already started doing it,” Luo Chuan mumbled with a toothbrush in his mouth.
“Why so much nonsense?” Da Li Jiao glared with her big eyes, shouting,
“Hurry up, don't make me hit you.”
She even swung her fist towards Luo Chuan, the threat in it was self-evident.
Facing the tough Da Li Jiao, Luo Chuan cowered without hesitation. His current small frame couldn't withstand a punch from Da Li Jiao.
He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, then turned off the gas stove before following Da Li Jiao towards their small restaurant.
Da Li Jiao's family ran a noodle shop called "Screaming Eyewear Noodles". It was well-received in the village for its affordable prices and delicious food.
The restaurant was just across the street from Luo Chuan's house. In two or three minutes, Luo Chuan saw a bespectacled, somewhat humorous, bearded middle-aged man.
“Old Man, I brought Xiao Chuan over.”
“Uncle, I'm here.”
Seeing Luo Chuan, Da Li Jiao's father immediately put down the spoon in his hand and said with a smile,
“You look a lot more energetic today.”
Luo Chuan knew what he looked like the past two days. He smiled awkwardly and said,
“Yeah, I worried Uncle. I've finally let go of everything now.”
“It’s good that you’ve let go. Your life is just beginning, the road is long,” Da Li Jiao’s father patted Luo Chuan’s shoulder, speaking earnestly. Then he remembered something and immediately shouted to the back,
“Jiao Jiao, quickly get Xiao Chuan a bowl and chopsticks.”
“Uncle, I'll get it,” Luo Chuan quickly said.
Before he could take a step, he heard Da Li Jiao’s impatient voice,
“Does he not have hands or feet?”
Although she said that, Da Li Jiao still took a bowl and chopsticks from the cabinet behind her and placed them on the table. Then she left without looking back.
Da Li Jiao’s father chuckled and said,
“Xiao Chuan, don’t mind her, my Jiao Jiao is just a tough talker.”
“No problem,” Luo Chuan smiled.
Then Da Li Jiao’s father filled a large bowl of noodles for Luo Chuan, with two poached eggs on top.
“Uncle, this is too much…,” Luo Chuan laughed as he looked at the noodles in front of him.
“You’re at that age, you should eat more. Look at how thin you are, you look like the wind could blow you away.”
Luo Chuan couldn’t refute that. Although he did look a bit handsome, he was very thin, like a skinny bamboo pole. This was something Luo Chuan wasn’t satisfied with.
I should take advantage of this winter break to work out, Luo Chuan thought, taking a large bite of noodles, he said fiercely in his heart.
“Burp~.”
After finishing the large bowl of noodles, Luo Chuan’s bulging stomach made him burp involuntarily.
“Xiao Chuan, are you full?” Da Li Jiao’s father asked with a smile.
Luo Chuan nodded and said,
“Full, Uncle’s cooking is still so good.”
“Xiao Chuan, you see, your grandmother has also passed away. We neighbors can’t really help much. From now on, you can have your three meals a day here. What do you think?”
Da Li Jiao’s father’s sincere and caring tone almost made Luo Chuan cry. It was these neighbors who helped him handle his grandmother’s funeral, and now they were concerned about his life. Where could he find such caring neighbors?
After holding back for a long time, Luo Chuan finally said,
“Uncle, no, I’m already grown up. Don’t worry, I can take care of myself.”
Hearing Luo Chuan’s refusal, Da Li Jiao’s father quickly said,
“Xiao Chuan, we’re running a restaurant, so having one more person to eat really doesn’t matter. You don’t have to feel any pressure.”
“Really, no need, Uncle. I can really manage. If I really can’t make it in the future, I will definitely come to you for help.”
Luo Chuan didn’t completely refuse.
Seeing Luo Chuan’s determination, Da Li Jiao’s father didn’t force him. It wasn’t until he saw Luo Chuan leave that he told his wife,
“Don’t you feel like Xiao Chuan is different from before?”
Da Li Jiao’s mother sighed, lamenting,
“Such a big thing happened at home. It must have affected Xiao Chuan. I hope this child can get through it.”
“Right, did Xiao Chuan’s father come back this time?”
“Who knows, he said he’d come back, but we haven’t seen him.”
While Da Li Jiao’s mother was still grumbling, Da Li Jiao’s father noticed a strange figure flashing past their restaurant.
“That person looks a bit familiar…。”
After returning home, Luo Chuan lit three incense sticks and placed them in front of his grandmother's portrait. He bowed respectfully, then sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
He was thinking about how he would live in the future. He had not only spent all the little savings left in the family due to the funeral, but also owed the neighbors quite a bit of money.
Although they didn't mention it, it didn't mean that Luo Chuan didn't know. He wasn't a person who acted that way.
Owing debts and paying them back was only natural.
And if he couldn't make money during this winter break, his tuition for the next semester could become a problem.
Luo Chuan never intended to give up his education. Going to school was the easiest way for him to get ahead, and the system's existence was just speeding up the process.
Just as Luo Chuan was thinking of ways to make money, the tightly shut wooden door opened again. A well-dressed, charming middle-aged man stood at the doorway.
Luo Chuan turned his head to look at the man. The strange yet familiar face made Luo Chuan unconsciously shout,
“Dad?”
Luo Chuan’s father was called Luo Ning. When he was young, he was considered a handsome guy in the surrounding villages. Then he met Luo Chuan’s mother, got married and had children.
However, when Luo Chuan was very young, his mother couldn't stand the poverty of the family and chose to divorce. After that, Luo Chuan never saw her again.
After the divorce, Luo Chuan’s father, Luo Ning, had an epiphany. He went north to work and decided to make a fortune. But as he worked, he went astray.
As the saying goes, men become more handsome as they age. Luo Ning, relying on his still decent appearance, successfully lived a comfortable life. He wouldn't come back for years, only sending money back occasionally as living expenses for himself and his grandmother.
Ignoring Luo Chuan, Luo Ning saw the black and white photo of his mother. His eyes immediately turned red, and he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times, his voice tinged with a sob,
“Mom, I’m back.”