txolops Chapter 91 Accepting the Gift
Chapter 91 Accepting the Gift
At the stove, Lin Chen was stirring the rice in the pot with a large iron ladle when he heard Tangtang's question. He turned around and looked over.
Lin Chen looked at Su Qingxue sitting on the small stool and the plain brown paper bag she had placed in front of Tangtang.
The paper bag is ordinary, without any luxurious brand packaging, and looks like something you'd just bought casually from a street-side stationery store.
Coupled with Su Qingxue's earlier gesture of giving him a bento box as a return gift, a knowing smile flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.
Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at his daughter, who was eagerly waiting for his consent, a gentle expression appearing on his face.
"Since it's a nice auntie who specially prepared this as a return gift to thank you for the rice balls you sent."
"Then Tangtang can accept it."
However, remember to thank your auntie.
Upon hearing her father's agreement, Tangtang's big eyes instantly curved into two little crescent moons.
"Okay!"
Tangtang stretched out her two little hands, hugged the brown paper bag to her chest, then looked up at Su Qingxue with a smile.
"Thank you, beautiful auntie!"
"It's sweet," Tangtang said.
"You're welcome."
Su Qingxue looked at the little girl's bright smiling face.
"Inside the paper bag was a set of children's picture books and a box of washable paintbrushes."
After returning home, Tangtang can read stories while drawing whatever she likes.
"Wow, it's a paintbrush!"
Tangtang hugged the paper bag excitedly, "My favorite class at kindergarten is art!"
Lin Chen continued to tossing the food in the wok with his right hand, controlling the heat, while nodding slightly to Su Qingxue and saying.
"Ms. Su, thank you for spending so much."
"Mr. Lin, you're too kind."
Su Qingxue looked up and said, "The lunchbox I had on Saturday noon, and Tangtang's rice balls, helped me a lot."
"Give and take, that's only right."
Lin Chen didn't say anything more polite, just nodded and refocused his attention on the hot pot in front of him.
"boom--"
Flames flickered gently along the edge of the pot.
Lin Chen lowered his wrist and quickly stirred the rice and egg mixture with the iron spoon, which perfectly blended under the high temperature, releasing an exquisite aroma of caramel and scallions.
The moisture has evaporated, and each grain is distinct.
"Out of the pot."
Lin Chen turned off the stove and scooped the fried rice from the pan into a lunchbox.
Wang Hai, who was in charge of packing and serving the food, immediately picked up the lunchbox.
"Mr. Su, your fried rice is ready!"
Wang Hai carried the plate to a small folding table that had just been vacated, quickly wiped the tabletop clean with a cloth, and then put the fried rice down.
Immediately afterwards, he turned around and walked back to the tricycle, scooped a small bowl of soup from the thermos, and then used a strainer to scoop a small dish of chilled sweet and sour radishes from the large stainless steel bucket next to him.
"Mr. Su, your daily soup."
Wang Hai brought the soup and side dishes to Su Qingxue, and pointed to the plate of radishes with a smile, "And this too."
It was such a hot and humid day, and Boss Lin was worried that everyone would find fried rice too greasy, so he specially brought out some refreshing side dishes today.
It's fresh from the refrigerator, cool and crisp, please try it.
"Thanks."
Su Qingxue sat down on a small stool next to the folding table.
Seeing this, Tangtang also grabbed her brown paper bag, pulled her little stool over, and sat down next to Su Qingxue.
"Pretty auntie, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."
Tangtang is like a conscientious little supervisor.
"it is good."
Su Qingxue looked at the little girl's obedient appearance and responded softly.
She picked up the disposable chopsticks on the table and unwrapped them.
Su Qingxue didn't eat the fried rice right away, but instead focused her attention on the plate of chilled radish.
Su Qingxue picked up a piece of radish and gently put it into her mouth.
"Click."
A crisp sound.
Su Qingxue's eyes brightened slightly.
The moment she entered the room, she felt a cool sensation that instantly soothed the slight heat she had felt as she walked from the office to the sweltering square.
Then, the sweetness of the white sugar and the slight acidity of the rice vinegar blend perfectly, resulting in a juicy and flavorful dish.
The radish was prepared exceptionally well; it had no raw or spicy taste whatsoever, and was incredibly crisp.
Finally, the subtle aroma of chili peppers and ginger spread across the tip of the tongue, completely waking up the somewhat tired taste buds.
"It's delicious."
Su Qingxue swallowed the radish and sighed.
She then picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful of fried rice, and put it in her mouth.
It still tastes the same familiar flavor.
It has a rich egg flavor, chewy rice grains, and is dry without being greasy.
Take a bite of steaming hot fried rice, then pick up a piece of cool, sweet and sour crisp radish.
One hot, one cold; one rich, one refreshing.
The collision of two completely different textures in the mouth sweeps away the summer's gloom.
"Pretty auntie, are the chilled radish slices Daddy made crunchy?"
Tangtang sat beside her, her little hands supporting her chin, watching Su Qingxue eat with curiosity.
"It's very crisp, sweet and sour, and it's especially good at cutting through the richness of other foods."
Su Qingxue put down her chopsticks, gently wiped her mouth with a tissue, turned to look at Tangtang, and spoke softly.
"That's because they added white sugar and white vinegar!"
As if sharing a secret, Tangtang lowered her voice and said, "And also, I helped Daddy wash all those big radishes!"
It's all clean now!
Seeing the little girl's proud look, as if she wanted praise, Su Qingxue's smile deepened.
"No wonder it tastes so good, it turns out Tangtang washed it herself."
Su Qingxue praised in agreement, "Tangtang is so amazing, she can help her dad with so many chores."
"hey-hey."
Tangtang smiled shyly after being praised, and happily swung her little feet in the air.
Su Qingxue took a small sip of soup and felt very comfortable in her stomach.
She turned her head and looked at Tangtang, who was touching the brown paper bag with great affection, and started a conversation.
"What did Tangtang learn in her art class at kindergarten?"
Su Qingxue asked softly.
"I've learned so much!"
Tangtang immediately perked up and started counting on her little fingers, "The teacher taught us to draw the sun, the grass, and the little house."
But my favorite thing to draw is the windmill!
"A big windmill?"
Su Qingxue tilted her head slightly.
"Yes!"
Tangtang stretched out her two little hands and drew a big circle in the air. "It's like a windmill with a very tall pillar and three big leaves on top. When the wind blows, it spins around and around!"
The teacher said that windmill can generate electricity.
"The windmill that Tangtang drew must be very beautiful."
"Yes! My teacher even praised me this afternoon!"
Tangtang's face was full of pride as she said this, "I painted the windmill with red leaves and yellow pillars, and the teacher said my color combination was the best!"
When I get home tonight, I'll use the paintbrushes the pretty auntie gave me to draw an even bigger and better windmill, and give it to her!
"Okay, then Auntie will wait for Tangtang's big windmill."
Su Qingxue smiled and agreed, going along with the little girl's suggestion.
Beside him, Lin Chen continued to slowly toss the fried rice in the wok, while Wang Hai loudly called out to collect money and pack it up.
The diners in line discussed the crispness of the chilled radish on a summer evening.
And next to the small folding square table in the corner.
A sophisticated and aloof female CEO, dressed in a smart business suit, was holding a plate of street-style fried rice. She was eating slowly and patiently listening to the little girl next to her, who was telling her stories about kindergarten in her childish voice.