Su Bing patted his brother gently and reminded him, “Why are you crying? Look inside.”
On the low table in the living room, there were peanut candy, letter biscuits, crispy candy, and other snacks, which looked very tempting.
Su Li’s tears continued to flow, and he blurted out, “She didn’t run away. She just took her sister- ”
Su Bing facepalmed, realizing that Su Li wasn’t using his brain.
But before he could intervene, he heard babbling sounds and saw Gu Zi coming down the stairs, carrying Su Le.
Su Li held back his words about trading his sister for snacks.
Su Bing shook his head and picked up his school bag to start on his homework.
Gu Zi, noticing Su Li’s worn-out school bag, remembered something. She called out to him, “Wait here.”
She placed Su Le in front of Su Bing and said, “Take care of your sister for now.”
Gu Zi turned and went upstairs. Su Li looked at Su Bing. “Brother, she won’t punish us for coming home late, will she
Su Li was taken aback, saying, “Our little sister has completely betrayed us!”
Su Bing, grabbing Su Le, told his brother, “Come to the sofa and do your homework.”
“But!” Su Li was still worried about potential punishment.
Su Bing looked at him and said, “Just be quiet.”
Su Li was utterly perplexed. His sister was still very young, so it was normal for her to be swayed by treats. But why did his brother appear to be influenced too?
After all, Big Brother had said it himself: beautiful stepmothers were all bad people.
Su Li couldn’t figure it out, but he didn’t dare to ask. He could only follow his brother to do his homework.
He glanced at the snacks on the table, biting his lower lip.
“I bought too many things on the way back, so I purchased two backpacks to store my things. I don’t need them now, so each of you can choose one,” Gu Zi said, placing two brand new backpacks and a black bag on the sofa.
She continued, “Oh, there are also some clothes in the black bag. I picked them up at the stalls, and they were quite affordable.”
She knew that these two children were especially cautious of people who were kind to them for no apparent reason, so she mentioned the affordability on purpose.
Su Li put down his pen, unable to believe what he had heard and seen. Their stepmother had bought them new school bags and new clothes!
“Can… can we really use them?” Su Li’s voice quivered, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Gu Zi picked up a piece of crispy candy and handed it to Su Le, asking, “Do you want this?”
She then offered another piece of crispy candy to Su Li. Su Li almost blurted out a “yes” and reached out to accept it.
As he bit into the sweet treat, a delightful blend of sweetness and rice fragrance filled his mouth.
As he savored the snack, tears streamed down his face. Su Le, who had walked over, extended her crispy candy toward her brother and exclaimed, “Big brother!”
It was as though she was saying, “Don’t cry, brother. I’ll share mine with you.” Unable to hold back any longer, Su Li burst into tears.
Su Bing swiftly handed him a handkerchief to wipe his tears, while he, too, was too embarrassed to look up.
Gu Zi stated, “You can have some snacks, but only after you finish your homework. I’ll go start cooking now.”
She hadn’t explicitly said they could have the snacks, so the siblings didn’t dare to take them without permission. historical
They understood the unspoken rule.
With that, Gu Zi headed to the kitchen. She removed the roast duck from the paper bag and placed it in a large bowl.
It was a bit late, so she decided to prepare a simple meal.
Gu Zi opened the fridge and spotted a bowl of sliced pork.
She remembered she hadn’t cut the meat earlier.
Did Su Shen cut this? A mischievous smile formed on her lips as she took out the bowl of meat.
In that case, she decided to make a meat soup and stir-fry some cabbage.
There was quite a bit of meat, so she also made sweet and sour pork, a dish she knew kids enjoyed.
Gu Zi planned out her menu and set to work.
She started by steaming the rice, washing the cabbage, and letting it drain.
She also stir-fried the sweet and sour pork. Finally, she added the cabbage to the wok.
After a brief stir-fry, the last dish was ready.
The delectable aroma filled the entire kitchen, wafting out into the living room.
In the living room, Su Li donned his new clothes and marveled at his wardrobe change.
The mouthwatering scent drifted over, and Su Li excitedly looked toward the kitchen. “It smells amazing! Brother, guess what’s for dinner tonight?” Su Bing glanced at his brother but remained silent.
Su Bing bowed his head and observed the crispy candy in his hand. A faint sweetness warmed his heart. He hadn’t expected to enjoy such snacks, especially when now wasn’t the New Year celebration.
The whole situation felt surreal to him.
Su Bing stood up and walked to the kitchen.. He asked Gu Zi, “Is there anything I can help with?"
Xoxo 💋
~ shimmer ✨