Chapter 63

Back in the car, Zhang Tan drove, and he decided where to have lunch. The children had no objections, and Huang Meimei left it entirely up to him.

"Put your bags down, you don't need to carry them in the car," Huang Meimei said to the two children behind her.

These two had been carrying their bags since they got in the car, their little feet resting on the seats, whispering excitedly to each other.

For them, today was a very special day.

Hearing Huang Meimei's words, the two put their bags down. Xiao Bai leaned against the car window, her big eyes fixed on the outside.

"What are you looking at, Xiao Bai?" Xiao Mi, noticing that Xiao Bai had stopped talking and was intently watching outside, asked curiously, also looking out the window, but seeing nothing special.

Xiao Bai pointed to a tall building outside the car and excitedly told Xiao Mi, "Look, such a tall building, it reaches up to the sky."

Xiao Mi looked and nodded in agreement, but she wasn't particularly excited. In Pudong, tall buildings were everywhere.

Xiao Mi yawned, leaned back in her seat, and started to doze off. She was feeling sleepy.

Xiao Bai, excited, turned to talk to her, wanting to share the large cartoon sculptures outside, but saw that she was sleepy and held back, turning back to continue staring at the outside world.

This colorful world.

Tall buildings, shops, people walking by, a bustling and unfamiliar world unfolded before her, captivating her.

Seeing this, Huang Meimei asked, "Xiao Bai, have you ever gone out to play?"

Xiao Bai shook her head, didn't say anything, and continued to stare outside.

Huang Meimei asked again, "How about this weekend, let your aunt take you out to play?"

"My aunt has to work to earn money," Xiao Bai said without turning her head.

"Does she work on weekends too?" Huang Meimei asked, puzzled.

Zhang Tan, who was driving, glanced at her. Though he didn't speak, his eyes told her not to ask further.

Huang Meimei silently moved her lips, saying "Oh."

"Big sister, don't you earn money on weekends?" Xiao Bai asked.

Huang Meimei replied, "Weekends are for resting. Like today, these uncles and aunts are all resting at home, not working, so they have time to participate in our activities."

"What?" Xiao Bai asked, her face full of confusion.

Huang Meimei loved hearing her speak in Sichuanese, finding it very cute and adorable. She smiled and said, "Everyone rests at home on weekends, didn't you know?"

Xiao Bai shook her head, puzzled.

Huang Meimei continued, "Don't you notice that on weekends, many children don't come to Little Red Horse Academy in the evening? That's because their parents don't have to work and can take them out to play."

Xiao Bai shook her head and then nodded. She remembered that there were always a few days when fewer children came to the academy. Sometimes Liumu and Chengcheng wouldn't come, and even Xiao Mi would be absent.

She tilted her head, thinking hard. Among the children she knew, it seemed that each one would sometimes not come to the academy, and some children, once they didn't come, never came back. She had several good friends who had left without saying goodbye, and each time, she would be sad for days.

She didn't know that true farewells are always without goodbyes.

Xiao Bai held her head, thinking for a long time, forgetting to look at the scenery outside.

Thinking and thinking, it seemed that among all the children at the academy, only she and Luo Zikang came every day.

She had been at Little Red Horse Academy for half a year, not a long time, but she was one of the children who had stayed the longest.

The turnover at Little Red Horse Academy was high. The fees were charged weekly, and children who came one week might not come the next.

Seeing Xiao Bai lost in thought, Huang Meimei asked, "Xiao Bai, what's wrong? Are you sleepy?"

Xiao Bai looked up at her, her big eyes filled with confusion. After a while, they gradually focused, and she said, "My aunt works so hard."

In her mind, her uncle and aunt worked every day, even on weekends. Though she didn't understand what weekends meant, she thought they were like Monday and Tuesday, not rest days.

Because her uncle and aunt worked every day, they naturally had no time to take her out to play. Since the beginning of the year, she had been living a two-point line life, traveling between the rental apartment and the academy.

During the day, she played alone in the rental apartment. In the evening, as the sunlight slipped away from home, the sun set outside the window, and people started passing by the door, talking. She knew that the neighbors' adults had come home, and her uncle and aunt would soon return.

And she, would prepare to go to Little Red Horse Academy, the happiest time of her day. Her small backpack was already packed at noon, checked countless times, and she could count the pages of the picture books inside.

Xiao Bai leaned back in her seat, staring at the children's straw cup in her hand, lost in thought, not paying attention to the scenery outside the car, and not responding to Huang Meimei's attempts to talk to her. She looked deep in thought.

Zhang Tan quickly noticed the change in Xiao Bai's mood, drove into the reserved restaurant, parked, and said, "We're here, let's eat."

He opened the back door, saw that Xiao Mi was asleep, and gently carried her out of the car. Xiao Mi woke up in his arms.

On the other side, Huang Meimei tried to carry Xiao Bai out, but the child pushed her hand away and climbed out on her own.

This restaurant served authentic Pudong cuisine. When asked what the two children wanted to eat, they both shook their heads, not knowing, so Huang Meimei ordered the dishes.

Huang Meimei was not only good at chess but also at eating. Her plump and juicy figure was shaped in various restaurants.

Xiao Bai looked at the table full of dishes and sighed, "So many dishes."

She had never seen so many dishes. Every morning, she ate buns, steamed buns, eggs, or noodles left by her aunt. For lunch, she ate the leftovers from the morning. Only in the evening did the meals become more substantial, with her aunt cooking two or three dishes, and her uncle bringing out his peanuts and a bottle of beer, sipping it contentedly and often teasing her, offering her a sip.

She had only tried it once, taking a sip, finding it extremely unpleasant, her little face wrinkled in disgust, and she threw the plastic cup against the wall. Her aunt scolded her uncle, who laughed heartily.

Because of this, when she visited Zhang Tan's home, seeing his abundant dinner and drinks, she would say, "You take such good care of yourself."

Zhang Tan said, "We have many people, come, before eating, have a bowl of soup. I'll serve you."

He picked up Xiao Bai's small bowl, served her a bowl of Yanduxian, stirred the soup, and the aroma spread, making a child's stomach growl.

Xiao Bai covered her little stomach and laughed embarrassedly.

She had eaten breakfast early and was now hungry.

Zhang Tan served a bowl to Xiao Bai and placed it in front of her, then served another bowl to Xiao Mi.

Xiao Bai looked curiously at the bowl of soup and asked, "What is this?"

Yanduxian is a representative stewed soup of Pudong cuisine.

"Duxian" in Wu dialect means to stew, cook, or simmer. "Yan" refers to cured meat, and "Xian" refers to fresh meat.

Yanduxian is cured meat stewed with fresh meat.

Both the cured and fresh meat are fatty and lean, and sometimes it's pork ribs. Today, he specifically requested fatty and lean meat because the children couldn't chew ribs.

The Yanduxian served to Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi had both meat and bamboo shoots.

The meat included large and small pieces, with the large pieces being cured meat and the small pieces being fresh meat, each with its own characteristics.

The bamboo shoots were spring bamboo shoots, which couldn't be replaced. Without them, it wouldn't be Yanduxian.

The name doesn't mention spring bamboo shoots, but they are the soul of the dish. Spring bamboo shoots are light and tender, perfectly balancing the saltiness of the cured meat and the freshness of the fresh meat.

Yanduxian is a home-style dish in Pudong, with each family having its own recipe. Besides the three main ingredients, some families add other ingredients like lettuce or tofu skin.

Zhang Tan's grandmother used to like adding lettuce, which became especially delicious after absorbing the soup.

The soup is slightly salty, perfect for replenishing salt after sweating in the summer.

"Smells so good~" Xiao Bai inhaled deeply, almost drooling.

Zhang Tan knew her favorite was the meat, which she called "gaga." Every time she visited his home, she would ask if they were eating "gaga" today. This child was a little carnivore.

"Since it smells good, eat quickly, but be careful not to burn your mouth."

After a busy morning, the children were hungry, and Xiao Bai proved again that she could eat a lot, more than Xiao Mi.

There were two plates of bee-shaped steamed buns, which the children especially liked. To show their love for the bees, they ate them all! Meow meow meow~~~

Zhang Tan gave Huang Meimei a look, and her face changed, thinking he wanted her to pay the bill, so she pretended not to see.

Ordering dishes was fine, but paying the bill? No way.

At the same time, she was annoyed, thinking she had seen through Zhang Tan's trick. He deliberately let her order the dishes, so now he wanted her to pay. Good people aren't always smart, but bad people are always cunning.

Zhang Tan kicked her under the table and mouthed something.

Huang Meimei pulled out her bag, pretending to be broke, indicating she really had no money.

Zhang Tan sighed, leaned close to her ear, and said, "Aqua~rium~"

Huang Meimei suddenly understood, reflecting on herself. Although Zhang Tan was a bit of a scoundrel, he was a good friend and generous when treating others. Though he was down on his luck, the Zhang family had been wealthy, and even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. Besides, he had relatives in high places.

Glancing at the children drinking from their straw cups, they were playing and laughing, not drinking properly.

"Ah, Zhang Tan, I want to visit the aquarium, take me there."

Zhang Tan saw Xiao Bai's head lift up curiously at the mention of the aquarium, quickly looked away, and casually said, "That's not a good idea, what's so fun about the aquarium? Do you want to eat fish?"

Huang Meimei said, "The aquarium is so much fun, with dolphins, salamanders, whales, sunfish, penguins, polar bears, and chubby seals. Whatever you want to see, it's there."

Xiao Bai, holding her straw cup, stared at her, then secretly glanced at Zhang Tan, hearing him say hesitantly, "But I don't have time, I still need to take Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi back."

Huang Meimei looked down and met Xiao Bai's gaze, asking, "Xiao Bai, do you and Xiao Mi have time?"

Xiao Bai, with the straw in her mouth, nodded quickly.

Huang Meimei said disappointedly, "Really no time? I really want to go to the aquarium."

Xiao Bai shook her head, took out the straw, and seized the opportunity, saying, "Yes, yes, yes~ I have time."

Huang Meimei asked in surprise, "You have time?"

Xiao Bai nodded and quickly pulled Xiao Mi, reminding her to say the same.

Xiao Mi also said, "I have time too."

Huang Meimei, amused, said to Zhang Tan, "You heard that, Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi both have time."

Zhang Tan said, "Even if they have time, if Xiao Bai and Xiao Mi don't want to go to the aquarium, we shouldn't go. Today, we're here to accompany the children."

Without waiting for Huang Meimei to ask, Xiao Bai spoke up first.

"I like it~ Uncle, I like pandas."

Huang Meimei asked Xiao Mi, "What about you, Xiao Mi?"

Xiao Mi said, "I like giraffes."

Zhang Tan, frowning, looked at the two girls, feeling they were a bit silly. There were no pandas or giraffes in the aquarium, were they drowning?

Staring at the three girls, he seemed to struggle with a decision before finally agreeing, "Alright, let's go to the aquarium."

Xiao Bai, stunned, watched him, her hand loosening, and the straw cup fell to the floor.

This child quickly jumped off her seat to pick it up, then bounced in place, and seriously told Huang Meimei, "Big sister, the aquarium has dogs~ and big cats."

When Huang Meimei listed the animals earlier, she had wanted to speak up. How could she leave out these two adorable creatures?