The next day, Li Hehua still set off just before dawn. She went to yesterday's location, placed two basket of cakes in front, and began shouting.
Based on yesterday's number of customers, the pastries will definitely sell soon. These include those who wasn't able to buy it yesterday and those who bought it but came back again for their families that still want more after eating it. With that, although she made an extra basket of cakes today, they were sold out as fast as yesterday and nothing remains before noon.
Li Hehua took the money from selling pastries and went to buy the materials needed to make pastries tomorrow. Going back, she saw a hawker standing on the street selling candied haws. She thought of the little guy at home for the first time and walked over involuntarily. She bought one for two we and planned to take it back for the little guy to eat.
After taking two steps, Li Hehua paused again. She looked at a stall selling pork not far away. She hesitate for a while but walked over relentlessly and spent fifteen wen to buy a pound of pork belly.
It's not that she wants to eat pork belly very much. The purpose of her buying this meat is actually to cook braised pork and eat it with the Zhang family. It is a thank you gift for the Zhang family for keeping her, allowing her to live under their roof. After all, she had been divorced, already not a member of the Zhang family.
Of course, the more important point is that she hopes to take this opportunity to brush some goodwill in front of them. With that, everyone can get along peacefully and feel comfortable in the following days. She didn't want to be stared at by all kinds of hatred whenever they saw her after all. It's still necessary to bribe the landlord properly when living under their eaves. Who told her to not have the ability to leave now?
It was already afternoon when Li Hehua got home, and her stomach was rumbling with hunger. After looking at the sky however, she persisted until it was almost dusk before entering the kitchen to cook.
In the kitchen, the first thing Li Hehua did was to find the little guy behind the stove and gently put the candied haws she bought for him on his lap, "Here baby, this is the candied haws I bought for you. Children likes to eat it. You can also try it. If you like it, I will buy it for you often in the future, okay?"
The little guy didn't move, nor did he eat immediately and happily like ordinary children and kept his head down.
A trace of regret flashed in Li Hehua's eyes.
This child just come into contact with the world, but it was as if he didn't feel it. He refuses to communicate and refuses anyone that wants to enter his world. How much suffering did he experience that he become like this?
Li Hehua knows that this child is already on the verge of being closed. If she doesn't work hard to pull him out now, then one day, he will completely shrink into the world he made. He will be cut off from the world and become a complete autistic person, which will be destroyed in his life.
She has seen too many such children in the modern times, so she can't bear to see such a child destroyed like this. She wants to do her best to save this child.
She is not a doctor and she doesn't know if this little guy can listen to what she has to say. However, she still wants to try it by her own method which is to communicate with him as much as possible.
"Little darling, do you know? I went to town to sell cakes today, the same kind of cakes I gave you yesterday. The business is very good and I was able to sold them all. I can make money every day from now on. I'll bring you delicious food more often, okay?"
"Also, as long as I cook something delicious in the future, I'll keep a copy for you first, okay? What I make is delicious, don't you think so? Hehe, I'm a bit narcissistic aren't I baby?"
"Little darling, I also bought pork today. I plan to make braised pork for you, as well as your father, your uncle, and your grandma. I've never seen meat at home. How are you going to gain weight? Look at you, you're so thin. However, you have to make up for it so that you can grow strong, just like... as strong and tall as your father."
Li Hehua told the little guy everything that happened today. It was not until she had nothing to say that she stood up, "Little baby, I'll cook then. You'll have meat to eat later!"
Although the little guy didn't respond, Li Hehua had a feeling that this little guy could actually hear what she said. It doesn't matter if he doesn't respond, as long as he's listening, it will be good for him if she talks to him more.
Li Hehua wanted to lose weight, so she didn't plan to eat the braised pork that she made today. She only cooked a little white rice porridge for dinner tonight. When the porridge was almost cooked, she cleaned the meat she bought, cut it into pieces, and then started to make braised pork.
After a while, the aroma of the meat wafted out of the kitchen. In an instant, the whole room was filled with alluring aromas, which attracted Zhang Lin to the kitchen. Seeing that Li Hehua was cooking again, she glanced at the pot and let out a light hum, then turned and walked away.
Li Hehua glanced at Zhang Linshi's back, shook her head gently, and continued to cook the dishes.
After the last step of collecting sauce (T/N: 'juice' in direct translation), Li Hehua put the meat in the pot on a plate and extinguished the fire. She added some water to the pot to wash it and then filled a bowl of porridge for herself. She walked to the back of the stove to sit with the little guy.
"Baby, I'm eating porridge tonight. It's delicious, do you want to some of it?" After speaking, she scooped a spoonful and handed it close to the little guy's mouth.
Seeing that the little guy didn't open his mouth, Li Hehua coaxed softly: "Baby, take a sip. You can eat some porridge first. When grandma comes to cook later, you can eat the fragrant braised pork then."
But the result was naturally disappointing. The little guy just ignored her. Li Hehua couldn't force him, so she had to eat by herself. She talks to the little guy while eating. It was not until she had finished two bowls of porridge that she said goodbye to the little guy and took the braised pork into the main room.
***
TN: Here's the photo of the dish.
*Braised Pork
Next part will be posted tomorrow. See yah!!!