Luo Huian didn’t know that the old r had thought so much in just a matter of a few seconds; if she had, she would have told him that he was thinking too much. He was so old that even the human traffickers would refuse to take him and sell his organs. So how could she, a face lover, fall for him?
She brought him to a small noodle shop that she had seen on her way when she hopped down from Xiao Hei’s back.
"Boss, two bowls of beef noodles," she called to the r who was cooking in the kitchen. When the boss raised his head and saw the old r, he frowned lightly but his frown disappeared when he saw Luo Huian.
The woman was dressed in brands from head to toe, and he had seen Luo Huian on television. Thus, she knew that Luo Huian was the younger sister of the famous guild leader Luo Qingling. Naturally, she would have enough money to cover the old r’s al.
"Two bowls of beef broth noodles and ribs coming right up."
While the boss was preparing for their order, Luo Huian turned to look at the old r who looked embarrassed and kept fidgeting as he looked around the shop. The old r was not used to sitting in such a shop and eating noodles; back in the countryside, he would eat with his friends or maybe at the farm.
Though he had gone to small shops, they were not like this one.
He had never gone to a shop or restaurant to eat, for he never had enough money to waste.
Thus, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable when he saw the chic and classy restaurant that looked way too expensive compared to the clothes and empty pockets that he was carrying.
"Don’t think too much," said Luo Huian when she saw that the old r was fidgeting around. "You are just here to eat and not rob, as long as you can pay, no one will look down at you."
"But I don’t–"
Luo Huian smiled upon hearing his response. She said to him, "That’s because you were too honest and were scamd by others. There is no need for you to feel upset or ashad because of this. If you t with good people, then you too could have paid for this al."
The old r was a bit relieved when he listened to Luo Huian’s take. He nodded and then muttered a quick thank you.
Soon, the boss brought the two bowls of noodles that he had cooked and placed them in front of Luo Huian and the old r.
Though the old r wanted to eat only a little, he had been hungry for more than three days. Thus, the second the bowl was placed in front of him and the tantalising scent erupted in front of him, he couldn’t hold back anymore and started eating in a hurry.
For three minutes, neither of them spoke, and it was only when the old r was half full that his expression eased a little. He then raised his head and looked at Luo Huian with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry."
"There is no need to apologise," Luo Huian said to the old r as she pushed her own bowl toward him when she saw that his bowl was already half empty. "You can eat mine as well; I am not really hungry, as I ate earlier."
The old r wanted to refuse, but when he thought about how he was so hungry that he could eat another bowl, he agreed and pulled the bowl toward him.
Luo Huian watched the old r eat. She waited until he was half full and carefully began, "What are you doing here, Grandpa? I don’t think you are from around here."
When the old r heard Luo Huian’s question, two streams of tears started to flow down his eyes at once. When Luo Huian saw this, she was so startled that she wanted to slap herself in the face. What was she thinking by questioning the old r about his problems so quickly?
"What? What is it?" she asked the old r when she saw that the old r had started crying. "Did soone wrong you? Or did you get scamd big ti?" She handed him a tissue when she saw that his bulbous nose was twitching crazily; she was afraid that his snot would fall into the bowl of noodles.
The old r sniffed and took the tissue paper from Luo Huian and then wiped his nose with it. He threw the tissue down the trash can and then said to Luo Huian, "It’s nothing...." He paused, and then, before he knew it, the old r started speaking, "I ca to the city because of my poor daughter...." He took another long breath and blew his nose into the tissue once again. He then said to her, "That foolish girl, she was really—really foolish. She married this old widower from our village, who was known for his bad luck."
"Every ti he got married, his wife would die. He married three tis, and his wives died three tis."
The old r rubbed his reddened eyes and said to Luo Huian, "Do you believe that such a case could happen just because of bad luck?"
"Not really." Luo Huian, as an immortal, knew that there were many cases of karmic punishnts, but the death of three wives seed a bit too unrealistic.
The old r sniffed. "That’s what I told my daughter. I told her that the r was not a good person, but she didn’t listen and told that the r was good at taking care of children. I was not hopeful regarding this r from the start, but my daughter had always been optimistic. She was fooled by the charms of that scheming r and agreed to marry him."
"If that r was a good person and treated my grandchildren and daughter well, then I would have never breathed a word. But... my biggest fears ca true when my daughter suddenly fell sick, and then ... and then she passed away."
The expression on the face of the old r turned excruciatingly painful, and Luo Huian handed him another tissue as the pile that he had taken was already over. She then heard the old r say, "I ca to the city because I knew that evil r would never treat my grandchildren well. I wanted to take them with , but that beast!" The old r gritted his teeth angrily. "That beast refused to let take them and said that he would raise them, but I know for a matter of fact that he would never take care of the two children well."
"That’s why I ca to the city. I thought that I would just take my grandchildren with and then raise them in the village. Even if they live a poor life with , at least they will be loved and stay alive. But who would have thought that evil r would refuse to let take them away? He said that they were the children of his late wife, and he had their custody as their lawful guardian."
"So I went to the lawyer. I hoped that she would show a way to bring my grandchildren away... but...but..." The old r blew his nose in the tissue and cried even harder, "But she told to give up. She sent a few people to investigate, and when these people returned, she scolded for causing trouble. She said that Ye Jinglan was a really good person, and I was just being too much by asking him to hand over the children when he was taking such good care of them!"
Luo Huian arched her brow. She questioned, "You an to say that the r is not as good as he is making himself out to be?"
"Exactly!!" the old r nodded. He then took out his phone and showed the blurry photo that he had taken from far away. He said, "Look at them. These two are the poor kids of my late daughter. They are as thin as a stick and look like they have never eaten a good al for ages." he swiped and then showed the image of the r whom his daughter had married to and spoke, "And this is the r whom my daughter, Nian Liusheng, married. He looks so rosy and happy. Do you think he is suffering from the sa trouble as those kids? Clearly not!"
He wiped his eyes furiously and said to Luo Huian, "However, everyone believes him. They think that he is truly a nice person, and he is doing everything that he can to give those two kids a good life. Only I can see his true face but it’s such a sha that no one believes ."
"I do believe you."
Reviews
All reviews (0)