Mrs. He quickly finished buying groceries and returned to see He Jinxia busily working in the supermarket, not at all flustered, so she confidently went into a small dark room to stir-fry dishes.
The supermarket did not hire employees; everything was managed by Mrs. He herself. During busy tis, she didn't even have ti to eat, let alone go back to her place to cook, so Mrs. He simply started cooking als inside the supermarket.
The place they lived in was used purely for living.
A al with all kinds of at and fish was sowhat challenging to make, but by the ti Mrs. He had finished everything, it was nearing noon and just in ti for lunch.
This ti, Mrs. He insisted on closing the supermarket for the al. She had no other concerns in life; her most precious thing was He Jinxia. The supermarket was just a place for making money, and closing it for a few hours didn't bother her.
Seeing this, He Jinxia stopped trying to persuade her and closed up the supermarket.
After shutting the door, she imdiately removed the mask from her face, revealing her smooth, tender, and chubby cheeks.
Mrs. He looked her over carefully and nodded with approval, "Hmm, you look pretty healthy."
As she spoke, she picked up a tender piece of fish for He Jinxia's bowl, "Eat more of this, you've always loved this type of fish. Fish is rich in collagen, good for beauty and skin care."
He Jinxia nodded and started to eat without saying another word.
She thought to herself that what her mother must want to see most was her daughter eating happily and smiling joyfully.
Out of the corner of her eye, she stole glances at Mrs. He's reaction, and sure enough, her face was full of contentnt.
"Co on, don't just eat the at, have so vegetables too. They're full of vitamins!"
"This braised eggplant is also delicious; it's one of my specialties."
...
Every ti He Jinxia finished a bit of the food in her bowl, more would be added. As she kept on eating, her rice was running low, but the pile of dishes seed to be getting even higher!
After finishing the last bite of rice, He Jinxia put her bowl down, took a deep breath, and said, "Mom, I'm full!"
Mrs. He happily brought over a new bowl filled with steaming rice, saying affectionately, "Silly child, do you think your mom hasn't seen you in so long that she'd forget how much you eat? You used to need two bowls of rice."
He Jinxia looked at the bowl of rice and swallowed hard, searching her mory. Did the old He Jinxia always eat two bowls of rice?
That didn't seem right. She rembered that in the staff canteen, He Jinxia always had just a small bowl of rice, always that way!
How co it was different when she ca ho...
Unfortunately, the tis He Jinxia ate at ho were too few to count, and it seed the last al at ho was last year, her mories fuzzy, she couldn't be sure how much she actually ate.
So, she took hold of the bowl of rice and was coaxed into eating another one.
In the end, she lay back in her chair, rubbing her round belly, and said, "No more, I really can't eat any more."
Mrs. He smiled with satisfaction, "That's good, eating well is good. If you eat well, you'll have the energy to work!"
Seeing Mrs. He like this, He Jinxia suddenly felt a sourness in her heart. She turned and started to serve her mother, "Mom, you should eat too. Why have you only had half a bowl? You've been busy serving and haven't eaten yourself."
Mrs. He smiled, "It's okay, I find I get a good appetite just watching you eat."
He Jinxia felt a bit embarrassed and hastily served her mother several dishes.
Once they had finished lunch, and everything, including the table and dishes, had been cleared away, Mrs. He reopened the doors for business.
He Jinxia sat next to Mrs. He, lazily leaning back in her chair, with a mask on, chatting about everyday family matters with her mother.
The afternoon heat was scorching, and there were far fewer custors than in the morning. Only a sporadic few ca in to buy water. He Jinxia looked at herself, with no star quality at all, and she wasn't afraid of being recognized, sharing her plans with her mother.
"My current agent is pretty good, ten years older than , I call him 'Bro'. His choice of shows for is so sharp; I just finished recording a show yesterday, Mom, I'm telling you, when the show airs next week, I might beco an overnight sensation!"
Mrs. He responded, "Good, what's the show? I'll watch it when it's on."
He Jinxia ntioned the show "Letter to Future Self", and also cautioned her not to be too surprised when she watches it, assuring her that her daughter had thought everything through.
Mrs. He, hearing her daughter speak like this, did get a bit curious and started asking questions.
He Jinxia didn't want to reveal too much, so she changed the subject, saying:
"Mom, you'll know by next week. Oh, right, didn't I say I'm planning to switch to acting? Last week I perford in a play and had my agent record it. I forgot to send it to you earlier, let show you now."
She took out her phone, opened a video, and handed it to Mrs. He.
Mrs. He took it and watched several tis, each ti saying, "Good."
He Jinxia watched along with her. During the performance, she had been completely engrossed, not paying attention to the expressions of the people around her, even less distracted by thoughts of whether she looked good or bad.
Now, seeing herself in the video, it felt strange; her expressions, emotions, and movents all seed off. After watching the whole thing, she saw many areas she could improve.
Mrs. He again complinted, "You acted really well."
He Jinxia snapped back, blinking as she looked at her mother, "Mom, did you understand what I was acting out?"
Mrs. He shook her head decisively.
He Jinxia: "...If you didn't understand, why did you keep praising ?"
Mrs. He smiled and said gently, "I may not understand what you were acting, but, I saw your eyes, there was a light in your eyes!"
He Jinxia was taken aback.
Mrs. He sighed, "When you were little, every ti you ca across sothing you liked, your eyes would shine bright and sparkly. I can tell, you really love the acting industry."
He Jinxia, in a low voice, said, "Mom, stop praising , I don't even know if I love acting or not. It just feels interesting, and I think that if I pursued this career, I could do really well."
As she said this, a touch of confusion passed through her eyes. In her previous life, she acted every day, masking herself, always on edge. After acting so much, it had beco an instinct.
She couldn't even tell if that was the real her or just a façade anymore.
Mrs. He patted He Jinxia's shoulder, offering encouragent, "Since you've decided to pursue acting, give it your all. I can see that you are happier acting than when singing or dancing."
He Jinxia snapped back to reality, ward by her mother's encouragent, as if her whole body had been subrged in warm water. She nodded emphatically.
Mrs. He seed to rember sothing, hesitated for a mont, then said, "Jinxia, I have a friend whose son is also in the entertainnt circle. It seems he holds a significant position. Maybe you could et him soti?"
He Jinxia frowned, "Mom, are you sure your friend isn't fooling you?"
Mrs. He shook her head, smiling, "Don't worry, if anyone would deceive , it wouldn't be Aunt Rui!"
Aunt Rui?
A flicker of vague recollection crossed He Jinxia's mind, "Oh, the sa Aunt Rui whom you always talked about? The bestie you said who had a son while you had a daughter, about setting up a betrothal for us when we were kids?"
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