"Sister, thank you for helping me and Mom. You and Brother are the best people."
The little girl, Zhuang Jiaxin, looked at Liu Shishi with her innocent, big eyes and thanked her sincerely.
A happy smile appeared on Liu Shishi's stunning face. "Xin Xin, you're such a good girl."
Yu Suqin, standing beside them, was filled with emotion.
She felt that she and her daughter must have done good deeds in their past lives to meet such kind people as Du Fei and Liu Shishi to help them.
Although her husband was no longer around, her illness had been cured by Du Fei, and he had also helped her recover the millions her husband had been scammed out of.
Yu Suqin planned to open a small shop after some time and save the remaining money for Xin Xin's college education.
She believed that as long as she worked hard, her and her daughter's lives would get better and better.
Liu Shishi said, "Sister Qin, everything in the new house is almost settled. Let's go out for a meal to celebrate."
Since Du Fei had helped them recover their money, Yu Suqin had moved out of the dark and dilapidated slum with Xin Xin.
With Liu Shishi's help, the mother and daughter found a two-bedroom apartment in an old residential building. Although the building was old and the space wasn't large, the rent was very affordable.
After the apartment was rented, Liu Shishi accompanied Yu Suqin and her daughter around, buying a lot of daily necessities and things to decorate the house.
After the three of them tidied up, the apartment looked warm and comfortable. Compared to their previous residence, it was like day and night for Yu Suqin and her daughter.
"That sounds good. But we have to agree on this: I must treat you to this meal. You and Du Fei have helped me for so long, and my daughter and I don't have much to repay you with."
Upon hearing Liu Shishi suggest a celebratory meal, Xin Xin clapped her hands happily. Yu Suqin, however, immediately insisted that she would pay for the meal.
She then asked Liu Shishi if Du Fei would be able to join them. Liu Shishi told her that Du Fei had something to attend to and couldn't make it, but they could all get together next time.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Yu Suqin's face, but she quickly recovered.
"Xin Xin, what do you want to eat later?"
The three of them left their cozy little home. Liu Shishi held Xin Xin's hand, her gentle voice comforting.
Zhuang Jiaxin glanced at her mother behind her, then whispered into Liu Shishi's ear, "Sister, can I have fries, a burger, and fried chicken?"
A hint of anticipation appeared on Zhuang Jiaxin's small face.
Fries, burgers, and fried chicken were things ordinary children could have whenever they wanted.
However, due to the drastic changes in Zhuang Jiaxin's family, they sometimes didn't even know where their next meal would come from, making fries and burgers a luxury.
Once, while selling flowers, Zhuang Jiaxin had passed by a KFC. Peeking through the glass, she saw children inside happily eating the food their parents had bought them, and she had been so tempted her mouth watered.
But looking down at the flowers in her hands, she had to hurry away because if she didn't sell them, she and her mother wouldn't have food that day.
Even now, after moving to a new home with much better conditions, her long-ingrained habits made Zhuang Jiaxin hesitant to ask her mother.
Liu Shishi looked at the sensible Zhuang Jiaxin beside her, her heart aching.
"Okay, today I'll take you to eat your fill. Not only fries, burgers, and fried chicken, but we'll also get ice cream and desserts. We'll have a wonderful feast."
Liu Shishi deliberately spoke in a lighthearted tone.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jiaxin's eyes crinkled into happy slits.
The three of them hailed a taxi and headed into the city.
Once in the city, they went straight to the KFC in the mall.
Inside, Liu Shishi first ordered a children's meal for Zhuang Jiaxin and then chose a little princess doll that young children adored.
Afterward, she ordered a large assortment of kid-friendly foods. Seeing the table laden with delicious food, Zhuang Jiaxin's eyes lit up like stars.
"Shishi, we agreed to treat you to a meal, so why are we eating this?" Yu Suqin felt a bit embarrassed. She then frowned at Zhuang Jiaxin and said, "Xin Xin, we can eat these things anytime. Today, we are treating our sister to express our gratitude, so we should choose according to her taste."
Zhuang Jiaxin, who was about to put a french fry into her mouth, stopped her hand mid-air upon hearing her mother's words. She then turned to Liu Shishi and said, "I'm sorry, sister."
"Sister Qin, look how you've scared Xin Xin. I like these things too. Besides, there will be plenty of opportunities for meals. Next time, I'll bring Du Fei along to eat with us."
Liu Shishi quickly patted Zhuang Jiaxin reassuringly, indicating that she could eat as much as she wanted.
Seeing that her daughter wasn't eating the french fry and was looking at her questioningly, Yu Suqin realized she had been a bit too harsh.
She stroked her daughter's head. "Eat, eat."
With her mother's nod, Zhuang Jiaxin finally put the french fry into her mouth.
After eating a few, she didn't forget to offer some to her mother and Liu Shishi.
Perhaps some parents would consider the food in KFC to be oily, unhygienic, and unhealthy if consumed in large quantities.
However, that was because they had the means to provide better for their children. For Zhuang Jiaxin before, having enough to eat was a problem, and these items were simply a luxury.
So, the little girl was eating with immense joy.
"Xin Xin, now that you're full and satisfied, let's go shopping in the mall. Sister will buy you a couple of nice outfits."
After finishing their meal at KFC, Liu Shishi smiled at Zhuang Jiaxin.
However, before Zhuang Jiaxin could respond, Yu Suqin repeatedly waved her hands, saying that Liu Shishi had already helped them too much and they couldn't accept any more gifts.
"Sister Qin, I feel a real connection with Xin Xin, so I've decided to acknowledge her as my sister. These clothes can be a gift from me, her older sister, to her."
Yu Suqin was about to refuse again, but Liu Shishi didn't give her the chance, taking Zhuang Jiaxin by the hand and walking away.
"Xin Xin, what style of clothes do you like?"
Pulling Zhuang Jiaxin to the clothing section upstairs, Liu Shishi turned and asked her.
The little girl's eyes were a bit blank, and then she shook her head.
Seeing this, Liu Shishi instantly understood. The little girl had had a very difficult past. When having enough to eat was a struggle, one had no time to care about their appearance.
In that case, she would try on clothes one by one with her.
At first, when Liu Shishi pulled Zhuang Jiaxin into the clothing store, her eyes immediately lit up at the sight of the colorful and beautiful clothes on the racks. After all, who didn't like new, pretty clothes?
But Zhuang Jiaxin looked down at her own worn-out and old clothes and felt a bit embarrassed, appearing flustered.
"Excuse me, could you please bring us these few outfits to try on?"
Just then, Liu Shishi pointed to the clothes Zhuang Jiaxin had lingered over and said to the sales assistant.