In the quiet living room, Lin Li put down his phone, opened the food-delivery app, and swiftly scrolled through the page. He ordered sweet-and-sour spare ribs, boiled pork slices, stir-fried pork kidneys, and lightly stir-fried seasonal vegetables, adding two bowls of rice.
His stomach was growling with hunger, and even his phone could clearly record the sound.
He patted his stomach and muttered, "The delivery will still take dozens of minutes. I'll eat some fruit first to tide me over."
Several red apples sat in the fruit platter on the coffee table, their skins bright and vivid.
Lin Li bent down, picked one up, wiped it casually, opened his mouth, and took a huge bite. The crisp crack rang especially clearly through the quiet living room.
At the same time, he picked up the television remote and pressed the power button. The screen lit up, and he tuned it to a variety show. Laughter and music instantly filled the room.
Lin Li leaned back into the sofa, chewing his apple while half-heartedly watching the show.
By the time he finished the apple, the emptiness in his stomach had finally eased somewhat.
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang with a crisp ding-dong. The sound pierced through the music in the living room and reached his ears.
Lin Li immediately stood up and walked toward the door in his slippers.
His hand had just touched the doorknob when he heard a familiar childish voice from outside.
He opened the door and, sure enough, saw Zhou Tongtong standing outside. The little girl had her hair tied into two buns and was holding a white porcelain plate filled with dozens of freshly wrapped raw dumplings.
"Brother Lin Li." Zhou Tongtong tipped up her little face, her eyes curving into crescent moons from smiling.
"Good