Took us too long.. | LuWei Cheng

Chapter 1. Nasty

English - Flashback

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The clanking of dishes being washed in a distinct corner of their house while she prepares the dumplings made by her grandmother for delivery, it hasn't been so well for them- business and financial-wise, she hummed whilst wrapping the food properly "Mei, once you get home. Please study. I'll help you." Her grandmother reminded her as she came out from their small kitchen after cleaning the dishes, it was early in the morning. Six to be exact, XiuMei pouted while placing the orders in a tote bag. "Yup.." she responded in an unmotivating tone, tying her short hair into pigtails.

Sniffling and wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she skips her way towards her old lady to give her a smooch on her cheek before waving goodbye along with the bag of deliveries on her shoulder. In the past few days, their small dumpling restaurant hasn't been doing well and even then having deliveries the money wasn't enough for ingredients to keep the shop going. It was downing on her grandparents, her grandfather hasn't been well and his medicine was about to run out. One reason for the restaurant's continuous failure was multiple popular restaurants started building it's way up in their city.

The thought of her grandparent's restaurant officially closing due to it not getting anymore customers scared her not only for herself but mostly for her grandparent's well-being, it hurt her to see them mourn. She wanted to stop being home schooled thoroughly to help them full-time but her grandmother did not agree with her idea, she couldn't understand why.

Taking her bicycle out and placing the bag on it's basket she was basically ready to go. But before she could hop on she froze on her tracks along with her grip tightening on the bicycle's handle. "Hey 笨蛋!" the familiar voice called from a distance, she tried not to look but whenever someone called it was an instinct to turn, as so she thought it was Cheng walking at front while his friends giggle as they followed him behind like bulldogs, she clicked her tongue in frustration before turning away with a bad mood replacing her not-so-delighted one already.

Now in a hurry, she hopped on her bike ready to get away. Oh how she wished that Cheng's route to school or anywhere didn't involve where she lived but it did, it was a daily occurrence for them to bump into each other even by the weekends. It had been like that since they were five.

"Where'd you heading?" The boy's voice that was once afar now was too close for her comfort, with a squeal she would've fell off her bike if not for the wall beside her. "Buzz off, Cheng. Don't you have school to attend?" she whispered-yelled therefore her grandmother couldn't hear "Don't you?" Cheng returned the whisper, aggressively pulling her bike as if to help her properly get up. She yelped as both her leg and her bike was pulled forward in a painful manner almost falling toward Cheng but catching herself before so "Oh wait.." Cheng adds with wide piercing stare and devious toothy smile "You can't afford it"

She tried to kick him with the leg that's on his side over her bike, but he leaped backward while his friends oohed by her act. How dare he even comment about how financially unstable they were, he could never understand her shoe. She was always like an animal in a zoo for Cheng, him with his smile of amusement "What's with the ruckus? Why haven't you left yet Mei? Cheng? Why are you here?"

"Auntie!! Grandma.. I was just helping your grand daughter to get up since she... Fell." the two proceeded to glare at each other whilst he made an excuse, "See you around, Xiu" He said devilishly, she gave piercing looks at his behind while he walked away. "Are those boys bothering you again?" Her grandmother interfered with her thought, she was still looking at the group whom was starting to grow smaller and smaller as further they walked "No. They were generous enough to stop and help me up" she reassured with a forced smile before fixing herself up "I'll get going now.."