Tang Huan took the money back and held it in her hand. Smiling sweetly at Xing Cui, she said, “Thank you, Mom.”
“What’s there to thank me for~” Xing Cui stuffed the meal tickets and tuition receipt into Tang Huan’s hands, then held her hand and said, “I treat you like my own daughter! Since when does a daughter need to be so polite with her mother?”
Looking at Xing Cui’s somewhat rough hands resting over hers, Tang Huan placed her other hand on top as well.
Ever since she came here, her father-in-law and mother-in-law had truly treated her like a cherished child.
“Then Mom, take me to buy shoes tomorrow~ These sandals are uncomfortable. They rub my feet.”
Holding Xing Cui’s hand with both of hers, Tang Huan smiled and acted spoiled in a soft voice.
Hearing Tang Huan’s gentle tone, the smile on Xing Cui’s face never faded. “Alright, Mom will buy them for you tomorrow. We’ll get a pair of white sneakers and another pair of leather shoes.”
Even though she felt it was too expensive in her heart, Tang Huan still smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
Xing Cui and Meng Qinghe were her family now, her elders.
Once she earned money in the future, she would properly repay their kindness.
Meng Zeyan finished the tomato in his hand in just a few bites and silently sat nearby watching the touching mother-daughter moment.
When Old Meng came home from work, the first thing he asked about was how Tang Huan’s school arrangements had gone. Hearing that she had scored well in every subject, he happily praised her several times.
Receiving compliments made Tang Huan feel a little inflated with happiness. Even her steps while carrying dishes became noticeably lighter.
Xing Cui rarely saw her emotions displayed so openly. So this girl liked being praised.
From now on, she would praise her more often.
After dinner, Tang Huan returned to her room to do homework while the older couple sat outside in the courtyard with Meng Zeyan, enjoying the cool evening air and chatting idly.
“Zeyan, do you have anything to do tomorrow?” Xing Cui asked leisurely while fanning herself with a palm fan.
Meng Zeyan shook his head. “Nothing.”
He only had two things planned during his week of leave.
The first was to investigate the reason behind Zeyu’s death.
The second was to accompany his parents.
Xing Cui had guessed he was free.
The boys around his age were all busy living their own lives now. Some were married, some already had children.
Only her son had spent all these years in the army without even finding a partner.
Other soldiers dated women from cultural troupes, and Xing Cui had even specially written letters hinting at the idea before.
Completely useless.
Xing Cui shot him a disdainful glance. “Tomorrow you’re coming with me to the state-run store to buy shoes for Xiao Huan.”
She had already asked around and heard there were several unmarried young women of suitable age working there. Tomorrow, she planned to let Meng Zeyan take a look. If he liked anyone, she could ask a matchmaker to arrange a meeting.
Meng Zeyan truly did not understand Comrade Xing Cui’s arrangement. “Mom, why do I need to go?”
They were buying shoes for Tang Huan. What was he supposed to do there?
Surely she was not expecting him to give fashion advice?
“Why are you asking so many questions? If your mother tells you to go, then go. How many times a year does she even get to order you around?” Meng Qinghe immediately sided with his wife.
There was no complicated reason.
He was simply biased toward her.
Meng Zeyan had known since childhood that Old Meng was biased toward his wife, so he was not surprised at all. Helplessly, he agreed, “Fine, I’ll go with you.”
Xing Cui sighed emotionally. “Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d agreed earlier? Your dad had to lecture you first!”
Meng Zeyan lifted his head to look at the moon, not daring to say another word.
How could one person possibly win against an elderly couple who had cooperated seamlessly for most of their lives?
Comrade Xing Cui probably did not trust her own judgment and wanted to drag him along to help give opinions.
By the time Tang Huan finished her homework, it was already past nine at night.
After quickly washing up, she hurried into bed to sleep. She did not own an alarm clock and was afraid of oversleeping tomorrow, so going to bed early was safest.
She still needed to wait until the weekend to buy an alarm clock from the store.
Because school weighed on her mind, she woke up twice during the night and slept restlessly.
The final time she woke up, it was five in the morning.
Tang Huan did not dare go back to sleep and immediately got up to get dressed.
She owned a wristwatch bought at the time of her marriage. Normally she did not wear it and instead kept it beside her pillow to check the time.
The sky outside was already bright.
There was no movement from the main house yet, so everyone was probably still asleep. Tang Huan deliberately lightened her footsteps as she walked through the courtyard.
After washing up, it was only a little after five.
School started at six fifty.
She grabbed some money, then ran into the kitchen and found two aluminum lunch boxes to carry. Quietly, she slipped out through the front gate.
There was a breakfast shop near the house, and she wanted to buy breakfast to bring back.
The lunch boxes were large enough that one could hold two bowls of porridge, making two boxes exactly enough for four people.
There were not many people eating breakfast yet, so she got served immediately after arriving.
Rice porridge with pickled vegetables and freshly fried youtiao.
Just looking at it made her crave it.
Unable to resist, Tang Huan first ordered a single serving for herself to eat there before packing food to go afterward.
The freshly fried youtiao was crispy outside and tender inside. Adding several strips of pickled vegetables into the middle gave it another layer of texture.
Tang Huan lowered her head and focused completely on eating, not even bothering to look up.
Only when someone sat down across from her did she finally have no choice but to glance upward.
After all, there were still many empty seats in the shop. It was nowhere near crowded enough to require sharing tables.
“You’re up this early too?”
Meng Zeyan had long grown used to army routines and woke up early naturally. He had originally planned to buy breakfast and return home, only to unexpectedly catch Tang Huan secretly eating breakfast outside.
“Mm.” Tang Huan still held half a youtiao in her hand and had not expected such a coincidence.
Would he think she was secretly eating alone?
Should she put the youtiao down?
Meng Zeyan reached over and picked up the lunch boxes on the table. “I was wondering where the lunch boxes went. So you brought them here. Go ahead and keep eating. I’ll go buy breakfast.”
Tang Huan nodded and lowered her head to bite the youtiao again.
With the lunch boxes as proof, he should understand she had come to buy breakfast, right?
There were slightly more customers now, and a line had formed at the serving window.
Meng Zeyan lined up to buy food while Tang Huan lowered her head and continued eating.
Secretly, she sped up her pace, wanting to finish before Meng Zeyan bought the food so she could leave first.
Half the porridge remained when a small dish was suddenly placed beside her bowl.
Inside the dish sat a marinated tea egg with a brownish color.
Thinking Meng Zeyan had brought it for her, Tang Huan quickly looked up to refuse. “Ge, I don’t eat—”
But when she raised her head, she realized the man standing beside her was not Meng Zeyan.
He looked somewhat familiar, though she could not remember where she had seen him before.
“Go ahead and eat. Ge’s treating you! I know life’s been hard for you. Just drinking porridge won’t do.” As he spoke, the man deliberately winked suggestively, apparently believing Tang Huan had called him “Ge.”
Tang Huan pushed the small dish farther away and lowered her head to continue drinking porridge. Her voice became very soft. “Thank you, but I… don’t need it.”
The man refused to give up and pushed the dish back toward her bowl again. “Just try it. Their tea eggs are especially good. Ge’s treating you!”
Tang Huan’s hand holding the spoon paused.
She had originally planned to finish the rest of her porridge.
Instead, she set down the spoon, stood up, and quickly walked away by circling around from another direction without even glancing at the man again.
If he looked familiar, then she had definitely seen him before.
The most likely possibility was that he was a nearby neighbor.
No matter what intentions he had, Tang Huan did not want any contact with him.
She knew her own status well enough.
She was a widow whose husband had passed away.
There was always gossip surrounding widows, and she did not want her reputation tarnished, nor did she want to drag down the Meng family’s reputation with her.
Meng Zeyan watched Tang Huan leave in a hurry, then shifted his gaze toward Liang Erban, who had sat down in Tang Huan’s former seat.
Not only had Liang Erban sat down, he had even pulled Tang Huan’s unfinished bowl of porridge in front of himself while smiling and starting to peel the tea egg.