Chapter 31

Zhang Tan took the peanuts Xiao Bai handed over and asked, "Were you waiting for me?"

Xiao Bai nodded repeatedly, p~~~ her little mouth didn't stop, and she bit into the peanut that had been delayed for two seconds. She sucked it in, and the peanut kernel was gone, leaving the shell, which she threw on the ground.

"Did you wait for me for something?"

Zhang Tan passed by her, put the shopping bag on the ground, found the keys, and opened the door.

Xiao Bai got up, patted the peanut shells off her clothes, and patted her little bottom. She held the fish-belly glass bottle and followed behind Zhang Tan, saying, "I came to chat with you."

Click, the door opened, and Zhang Tan stopped, lowering his head to ask Xiao Bai, "What? What does that mean?"

"Let's chat."

"What does that mean?"

Xiao Bai scratched her head, mumbled something softly, and then said loudly, "Chat!"

Zhang Tan: "……"

Well, you could have just said chat, you made me think it was some big deal.

"Come in." Zhang Tan invited, "These are your slippers."

"My slippers are cuter now." Xiao Bai praised her slippers.

"Ha ha~" Zhang Tan laughed dryly, not knowing how to respond unless the slippers had come to life.

"Uncle, give me the broom, I want to sweep the peanut shells."

Xiao Bai didn't come in but stood at the door.

Zhang Tan said, "I'll clean it up."

"I ate them."

"Alright."

It was good that she had this awareness. Zhang Tan found a broom and a dustpan for Xiao Bai, and watched as she neatly swept the peanut shells into the dustpan, her movements熟练, indicating she had done this a lot at home.

After cleaning up, Xiao Bai finally entered the house, first admiring her slippers for a while, and then followed Zhang Tan to the kitchen, curiously watching him cook.

"Uncle, haven't you eaten yet?"

Zhang Tan took out the ingredients he had bought and prepared to make cold noodles.

"No, I'm making dinner now. Have you eaten?"

This was purely a polite question; the children had already eaten before coming to the school, and Little Red Horse School didn't provide meals.

"I'm already full~" Xiao Bai patted her little belly and said, "I'll give you some peanuts."

She reached into the jar, grabbed a few, and handed them to Zhang Tan.

Zhang Tan wiped his hands, took them, and peeled one to eat. They were boiled peanuts with salt, very fragrant.

"Very tasty. You've already eaten, but you're still eating so many peanuts?"

"I eat peanuts for dinner."

"Ah?"

Zhang Tan asked and learned that the half jar of peanuts Xiao Bai was holding was her dinner for the night.

"Doesn't your aunt make dinner for you?"

Zhang Tan was a bit angry; he had never seen such neglect of a child, not even making dinner, just eating half a jar of peanuts.

Xiao Bai peeled another peanut and ate it, saying, "My aunt and uncle had an argument, so she didn't make dinner."

Zhang Tan sighed, took the fish-belly glass bottle from Xiao Bai, and said, "Don't eat this anymore. I'll make dinner, and we'll eat together."

"I'm already full."

"Then go play soccer for a while, you'll get hungry soon."

Xiao Bai didn't go to play soccer but stayed in the kitchen, watching Zhang Tan cook, helping to pass things, and assisting. It was quite handy to have her help.

Cold noodles look simple, but they are actually quite complex, mainly because the cold noodle broth is complex, and the key to their taste lies in this.

"Are the garlic cloves washed?" Zhang Tan asked.

"Coming, coming, in a minute." Xiao Bai stood on a small stool and washed the garlic cloves.

Zhang Tan crushed and minced 6 cloves of garlic, added sugar, rice vinegar, salt, monosodium glutamate, and beef powder. He then juiced a pear, giving the juice to Xiao Bai, who was thirsty, and mixed the pear flesh with the minced garlic, stirring it well. He poured in the beef broth, let it sit for a few minutes, and then filtered it through a fine mesh, discarding the residue. The cold noodle broth was ready and placed in the refrigerator to chill. Finally, he prepared the toppings, such as shrimp, beef, and squid.

"Are the tomatoes washed?" Zhang Tan was slicing the beef and looked back at Xiao Bai, who was washing the tomatoes.

"Done, done, don't rush me, this is my strong point."

Xiao Bai quickly turned off the tap, jumped off the stool, and brought the bright red tomatoes over.

Zhang Tan took them, washed the knife, and started slicing the tomatoes.

Xiao Bai stood by his feet, tilting her head, and asked if there was anything else she could do.

"Nothing else, it'll be ready soon."

Xiao Bai said "Oh" and wandered around behind him, tiptoeing to peek at the shrimp frying in the pot, sniffing the delicious aroma.

About 5 minutes later, the cold noodles, which were colorful and fragrant, were ready. Zhang Tan felt a great sense of accomplishment, took a few photos with his phone, and then brought them to the dining table, setting out two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks, one large and one small, one long and one short. Considering that Xiao Bai might have trouble using chopsticks, he also prepared a fork.

Xiao Bai stood on a small stool, gently turned on the tap, and a thin stream of water flowed out. She quickly adjusted it to a thinner stream, put her hands under it to wash, turned off the tap, and dried her hands on her clothes. She held the sink, got off the stool, and as she passed the dining table, she quickly glanced at it, chuckled, and walked to the living room.

In the living room, there was a small stool she often sat on. She squatted down, picked up the fish-belly glass bottle from the stool, and held it in her arms.

Zhang Tan thought she was going to get the bottle, but saw that the child didn't come back. Instead, she walked to the door, gently placed the bottle on the ground, bent down to change her shoes, and looked like she was about to go out.

He asked curiously, "Xiao Bai, where are you going?"

Xiao Bai, while changing her shoes, opened the door and looked up, surprised, saying, "I'm going home."

Her little face looked puzzled, thinking it was obvious, why ask? Wasn't it clear that she wasn't staying for dinner?

"Bye, Uncle, you must be very hungry. Eat quickly, being hungry is very uncomfortable, your stomach will keep growling."

Without waiting for Zhang Tan to respond, she picked up the fish-belly glass bottle again, went out the door, turned around, tiptoed, and turned the doorknob, showing her white little teeth in a smile, and closed the door.

Zhang Tan: "Wait, that..."

He hurriedly followed, opened the door, and saw Xiao Bai already at the stairwell, holding the fish-belly glass bottle, the lid open, and a peanut in her mouth.

"Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, don't go, let's eat together."

"Huh?" Xiao Bai looked up at him in surprise, the peanut still in her mouth.

"Have dinner, it's ready, why are you leaving?"

The sound of the peanut being crushed echoed, and Xiao Bai chewed, wiped her mouth, and said frankly, "I don't have any money."

Zhang Tan found it amusing.

"Who said I wanted your money? It's free!"

Xiao Bai emphasized again, "I really don't have any money."

The poor don't speak in riddles.

Zhang Tan: "I said it's free. You're just a child, what money do you have? Come on, don't you want to eat the shrimp?"

Mentioning the shrimp, Xiao Bai couldn't help but swallow, unable to resist the temptation. Her head nodded uncontrollably, but her mouth stubbornly said, "What do you want?"

Zhang Tan asked, "What do you want? I'm inviting you to eat dinner. Didn't you eat yet?"

Xiao Bai patted the fish-belly glass bottle in her arms and said, "The peanuts are very tasty."

Zhang Tan thought, no wonder you're so small and thin, at 4 and a half, you don't look much bigger than 3 and a half-year-old Meng Chengcheng.

"Peanuts can be a snack, but not a meal. Otherwise, children won't grow properly."

Xiao Bai put the peanut shell in her pocket and hesitated, "Is that not good??"

Zhang Tan understood that the child was already tempted. He walked to Xiao Bai, patted her head, and said, "You helped a lot just now, and we made dinner together, so you're not a guest. Come on, I can't finish it alone."

As he spoke, he held Xiao Bai's hand and led her back.

Xiao Bai still said hesitantly, "But, I really don't have any money."

Zhang Tan: "You've already paid by helping, so you don't need to pay again."

Xiao Bai, while being led back, kept mumbling, hesitating, and in a daze, when she realized it, she was already back in the living room. Shovel! Let's eat then.