Volume 1 / Chapter 45: A Few Signature Dishes
Saturday afternoonâthe sun even seemed a little lazy.
MĂČ XuÄyĂĄo had just finished her homework and was now intently teasing SĆ«tĂĄng, but the little furball didnât seem all that responsive. No matter how she played with him, there was barely a reaction.
So well-behaved, he might as well have been a toy cat.
Even when MĂČ XuÄyĂĄo grabbed Su Tang's tail and gently tickled her cheek with it, he wouldn't try to pull his tail back
âMeow meow meow?â she poked at his little face, waiting for any sort of response.
But all SĆ«tĂĄng did was slowly tuck his tail in and cradle it with his front pawsâjust like a kid hugging their blanket, ready to doze off again.
XuÄyĂĄo, however, wasnât about to let him sleep that easily. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she leaned in and blew softly into his ear. His ears twitched and trembled, until at last he had enoughâstanding up with a sudden shake that made his fur fluff out everywhere. Then, satisfied, he flopped back down.
The sun outside was perfect. Staying home felt like a waste.
XuÄyĂĄo thought for a moment, packed her homework back into her schoolbag, scooped up SĆ«tĂĄng in her arms, and walked out of her room.
Her father, MĂČ WĂ©nlĂŹ, was crouched beside the trash bin picking through vegetables. On top of the TV cabinet, their small color television was playing Animal World. Just as XuÄyĂĄo walked past, it was showing a cheetah chasing prey.
âDad, Iâm taking SĆ«tĂĄng out for a bit.â
âOut where?â MĂČ WĂ©nlĂŹ asked, surprised.
âNo real destination. Itâs such a nice dayâIâd feel bad just staying in. Just taking a stroll.â
âAlright, but be back before sunset,â her father said, uncharacteristically wordy today. âDonât go anywhere too quiet, and donât talk to strangersâŠâ
âOkay, okay, got it! Geez, you sound like Iâm three years old. Whatâs gotten into you, Dad?â XuÄyĂĄo cut him off, half-laughing. âIâm just walking around the neighborhood, alright? Heading out now.â
âTch, canât a father be concerned?â he sighed dramatically. âMy own daughterâs stopped listening to me.â Then he fished a five-yuan bill out of his pocket. âHere.â
âHuh? Whatâs this for? Pocket money? That canât be rightâyou never give me allowance. And itâs almost dinner anyway, Iâm not buying snacks.â
âWhat kind of nonsense are you thinking?â He rolled his eyes. âJust grab me a pack of smokes while youâre out. Keep the change.â
âHongmei? Or Daqianmen? Maybe Mudan?â XuÄyĂĄo knew his go-to brands by heartânothing fancy, just the cheapest smokes.
âHongmei. The three-fifty pack.â
âGot it.â XuÄyĂĄo happily pocketed the five yuanânot because she cared about the errand, but because that leftover 1.5 yuan was her running fee.
That meant three bags of crispy noodles. If she rationed, itâd last three whole days.
Or she could go for candy.
Like cola candyâten cents for two pieces. With 1.5 yuan, she could get thirty of them. More than enough for a proper sugar binge.
Humming to herself, she clutched Sƫtång and headed downstairs.
---
At home, Sƫtång was always calm. But the moment they stepped outside, he grew visibly nervous.
When XuÄyĂĄo set him on the ground, his legs trembled, and he didnât dare move.
âSĆ«tĂĄng? Whatâs wrong? Scared?â She crouched to comfort himâbut SĆ«tĂĄng suddenly clung to her sleeve, then launched himself up her arm and scrambled onto her shoulder in a flash.
Apparently, it was only on her shoulder that he felt safe.
âSuch a scaredy-cat, huh?â XuÄyĂĄo tilted her head toward him, gently smoothing out his ruffled fur. âDonât worry, Iâm right here.â
Lots of people walked dogs, but a girl with a cat on her shoulder? That was rare.
Add to that XuÄyĂĄoâs striking looks, and she naturally drew plenty of curious glances.
Just then, a golden maple leaf drifted down and landed on Sƫtång. He tried to shake it off, but it got stuck between his claws.
SĆ«tĂĄng, perched on XuÄyĂĄoâs shoulder, didnât dare make a big fuss. He shyly extended his paw toward her, practically begging for help.
To XuÄyĂĄo, it looked like he was offering her the leaf as a gift. She blinked in surprise, then smiled helplessly and plucked it free.
There was a tiny tear in the leaf where his claw had caught it. Just an ordinary maple leaf, but somehow⊠charming.
âStill soft. Not totally dried out yet⊠Might make a nice bookmark,â XuÄyĂĄo murmured, slipping it into her pocket and mentally noting which book to press it in.
---
It was only around three in the afternoonâway too early for the night marketâbut some vendors had already set up their tricycles on the sidewalk. With most people off for the weekend, it was prime time to catch some early sales.
Business was businessâearn what you can, while you can.
Since it was still early and space was limited, most vendors were selling directly from their carts. Everyday knick-knacks like nail clippers, vegetable peelers, and scissors.
There were some toys too, though they looked cheap and poorly made.
XuÄyĂĄo slowed her pace, window-shopping as she walked.
But even if she liked something, she couldnât really afford it.
Eventually, she stopped in front of a small corner shop.
The shop sold cigarettes on the side. Not a huge selection, but good enough for regular folks.
âOne pack of three-fifty Hongmei,â she said, adjusting her ponytail and standing straight.
The shopkeeper lady eyed her suspiciously. âYouâre buying cigarettes?â
âYeah.â
âFor you?â
ââŠFor my dad.â XuÄyĂĄo sighed with an innocent face.
âWeâre not supposed to sell to minors,â the woman said. But after a pause, she fetched the requested pack anyway. âStill, you donât seem the smoking typeâespecially not as a girl. Iâll sell you this once. But next time, have your dad come himself.â
âMm-hmm.â XuÄyĂĄo nodded, though in her head, she was already planning to hit up a different store next time.
She thought the woman was way too nosy. Other shops didnât give her this much hassle.
And seriouslyâdid she really look that young? She was already sixteen! Just two years away from adulthood.
Sheâd thought about buying some other things here, but changed her mind. After paying for the smokes, she left.
---
With the remaining 1.5 yuan, she bought fifteen XÄ«ngqiĂș BÄiâlittle snack cups with jelly-like packaging, filled with chocolate paste and cookie crumbs. Sweet, crunchy, and best eaten with the tiny plastic spoons they came with.
The shop owner mustâve found her cute or polite, because he threw in two extra cups and three spoons for free.
XÄ«ngqiĂș BÄi were a classic student snack. Dirt cheapâjust ten cents a pieceâand fun to eat slowly. One cup could last a while.
Still, XuÄyĂĄo rarely bought them.
Not because she disliked them. And not because she was watching her figure or anything like that.
Just⊠because she was broke.
Unlike most kids, she never had a steady allowance growing up.
Whether she had pocket money at all depended on her parentsâ moodâor whether she could save a bit of change from doing errands for them.
Walking along and eating her snack, XuÄyĂĄo felt the uneven weight of SĆ«tĂĄng on her shoulder, making her steps a bit awkward.
He sniffed at her treat but seemed uninterestedâmaybe cats didnât like sweets.
XuÄyĂĄo scooped up every bit of chocolate with her spoon, even licking the edges clean with her little tongue.
Though the chocolate tasted a bit offâoverly sweet, almost artificialâit left her feeling a little queasy by the third cup.
In the end, her grand outing was just a cigarette run for her dad, a short stroll around the block, and a snack.
She headed back home for a drink of water.
---
âYouâre back already?â Her dad looked surprised as she walked through the door.
XuÄyĂĄo glanced over at the TV out of habit. It was now showing a beauty pageant.
Models in swimsuits strutting down the runwayâŠ
Wasnât he watching Animal World when she left?
âAhem, hahaâŠâ her dad quickly flipped the channel back and stood up. âCome on, let me make you a few of my best dishes tonight.â
âIsnât it a bit early for dinner?â
âOnce Iâm done cooking, your mom should be home.â
âSheâs coming home early today? Whatâre you making?â
âHeh, just waitâitâll be a feast,â he said, tying on his wifeâs pink apron and twirling a kitchen knife with practiced flair. XuÄyĂĄo winced, half-afraid heâd cut himself. âWeâve got fried chicken legs, stir-fried intestines, Mapo tofu, Dragon Well shrimp, sweet-and-sour perch⊠And finally, a loofah egg soup.â
XuÄyĂĄo counted on her fingers, stunned. âFive dishes and a soup? Weâre not running a restaurant! Thatâs way too muchâwhat if we canât finish it all?â
âAnything we donât eat today will be great cold tomorrow with porridge!â
âHey hey hey, weâre not exactly rolling in dough here. Why the sudden âbig spenderâ act?â she grumbled, half-joking.
âHaha⊠of course not,â her dad laughed. âBut todayâs specialâitâs your momâs birthday. You didnât know?â
âHuh?!â
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