Tutu felt a bit flustered when asked to return the gifts and looked at her sister.
With teary eyes like a little lost bunny, she said, "Mom, the old man across the hall is so pitiful. He lives alone, and his fridge is empty. When my brother and I visited earlier, it was obvious he hadn't eaten dinner. The elders' gifts are not to be refused. If we return what the old man gave us, how sad he would be."
Upon hearing it was an elderly man living alone, Quan Jiu's heart softened. Her parents died in a car accident when she was two, and her grandmother raised her. Sadly, her grandmother passed away from illness when she was fifteen, and only then was she taken in by her uncle. Because of this, Quan Jiu had a particular compassion for the elderly.
Never mind, it was just two figurines. The old man must have given them because he liked children. Returning them would indeed be hurtful. However, she couldn't just take them for nothing.
She quickly opened the refrigerator, took out ribs, soup bones, pork belly, and a pile of vegetables, then began a vigorous operation in the kitchen, much to Mimi and Tutu's astonishment.
"Mom, we made so much, can we finish it?" Tutu asked, swallowing and looking confused.
"We'll give half to the old man across the hall," Quan Jiu said, plating the dishes. She then took out several glass lunchboxes and filled each with a small portion of a dish. "Since we received a gift, we can't just take it without giving back. It's about reciprocity, understand?"
Mimi and Tutu nodded like pecking chicks.
Tutu looked at Mimi: What should we do?
Mimi gave a reassuring look and then said to Quan Jiu, "Mom, that old man is naturally reclusive and dislikes meeting strangers. He has social anxiety and can only see children, not adults. So, my brother and I will deliver the food."
"Social anxiety?" Quan Jiu asked, looking worried. "He stays home alone all day without young people to look after him. It's so dangerous."
"After school every day, my sister and I will knock on his door to see if he's still alive," Tutu promised.
Quan Jiu chuckled and affectionately pinched her son's handsome and cute little face. "You mustn't be so impolite. Just tell him you like him and want to play with him. Old people love children the most, and he'll be very happy."
Tutu reluctantly nodded.
Quan Jiu packed the lunchboxes into a cloth bag and handed it to Tutu. "Alright, now go give it to Grandpa across the hall."
Mimi and Tutu each took a side of the bag. As the siblings opened the door, Tutu saw Quan Jiu wanting to look outside and solemnly blocked the doorway. "Mom, you absolutely cannot peek."
Quan Jiu smiled helplessly. "Okay, okay, I won't look. You go ahead." Then, the sound of the door closing was heard.
...
Chu Rong was working in his study when he suddenly heard the doorbell. After a moment's thought, he realized no one should be coming to see him, so he didn't respond.
But even though he didn't answer, the doorbell kept ringing incessantly.
Annoyed by the noise, Chu Rong frowned and went to open the door. As soon as it opened, he saw two little ones holding a cloth bag.
Mimi placed the lunchbox bag inside the doorway and then looked up, saying in a childish voice, "Uncle, this is what my dad made. It's very delicious. You must eat it all."
Tutu was still surprised by the mention of "dad" when Mimi pulled her along.
Tutu looked back as she was being pulled away and said, "Uncle, thank you for your gift. My sister and I will come to see you again tomorrow."
Chu Rong watched the two children enter the opposite apartment, then stared at the lunchbox bag at his feet. After a moment, as if remembering something, he frowned and closed the door.
He carried the lunchbox bag to the dining table and then quietly observed it. The lunchbox bag was an embroidered cloth bag with a lifelike lily on it. Chu Rong stared blankly. A faint aroma of food wafted to his nostrils. For some reason, Chu Rong took out the lunchboxes one by one. The moment the lids were opened, the rich aroma of food assailed his senses.
His expression tightened slightly, and his heart involuntarily quickened. Sweet and sour pork ribs, garlic stir-fried lettuce, stir-fried pork with green peppers, and kelp and lotus root soup. Each dish looked appetizing, and the aroma made one's mouth water.
Chu Rong picked up his chopsticks with a slight tremor, took a piece of sweet and sour pork rib, and put it in his mouth. Instantly, memories sealed for five years were awakened. He stared at the pile of dishes on the table in stunned disbelief, his limbs stiff and numb, unable to move.
It was her taste. Impossible. Those two children said their father made it. Besides, that household already had two children. It wasn't her. It couldn't be her. But this taste, even after five years without eating it, was still the taste he was familiar with.
Chu Rong took a long time to recover, and his limbs gradually regained sensation. Then, he slowly ate the food in front of him, leaving not a single bite.
...
On the second floor of Babao Street, in front of Xingfa Building Materials Company, a man wearing a low-brimmed hat and a mask rang the doorbell. The receptionist came to answer the door. Upon seeing the visitor's appearance, she asked cautiously, "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm a construction site project manager. I want to talk to your boss about building material cooperation."
The receptionist said "oh" and, without suspicion, invited the man to sit in the reception room before going to find Quan Xingfa.
"Mr. Quan, a construction site project manager has arrived. He says he wants to discuss cooperation and is in the reception room."
Quan Xingfa jolted upright, his face beaming. He quickly put on his suit and went to the reception room. The man in the reception room was wearing a hat and mask and dressed in black. Quan Xingfa found it strange. This person didn't look like a project manager at all; he could easily pass for a thief. With half suspicion and half confusion, Quan Xingfa handed over his business card and then asked with a smile, "May I ask which company's project manager you are, and what is your name?"
The man, however, directly took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from his bag. "One hundred thousand, to buy information about a person." As he spoke, he took out a photograph.
Quan Xingfa immediately knew this person wasn't here to discuss business, but ten thousand yuan! His eyes widened. He picked up the photo and looked at it a few times, then his eyes suddenly widened further. "Isn't this... my niece? What... why are you looking for her? Where did you get this photo?"
"Don't ask too many questions. You just need to tell me where the woman in the photo went in the last five years and what she was doing. I only want her whereabouts for the past five years."
Quan Xingfa sighed heavily, putting on a look of sorrow and grief. "To be honest with you, my niece disappeared mysteriously five years ago. My wife and I were so worried..."
"Slap~" The man took out another hundred thousand from his bag. "Two hundred thousand."
Quan Xingfa's eyes were glued to the money. He appeared increasingly troubled. "If I knew, I would definitely tell you, but I really don't know anything."
He thought the man would offer more money, but to his surprise, the man picked up the money and left. Quan Xingfa, in a hurry, stopped him. While stuffing the money into his clothes pocket, he said, "Although I don't know where she went in the past five years, I'm sure she found a rich man. This little brat, she made us worry about her for five years, and she was living it up outside. Her conscience has been eaten by dogs."
The man was displeased. "That's it? Who is the man behind her?"
Quan Xingfa tapped the table and sighed, "This... I can't say."
The man endured it for a few breaths, then took out another fifty thousand. Quan Xingfa quickly stuffed the money into his pocket. "I used to hear her brag that she hooked up with the CEO of Chu Group."