The blind young woman asked the waiter for only two bowls of thin rice porridge and a plate of the most ordinary pickled vegetables.
The porridge was little more than watery rice broth, and the vegetables were pickled mustard tubers, blackened from the brine.
Just as she picked up her chopsticks, a seven- or eight-year-old girl in red came bouncing over, holding a skewer of candied hawthorns.
"Big Sis! I bought the candied hawthorns!"
The little girl had a clear, bright voice. But when she spotted the bowl of porridge as watery as clear soup and the pitiful plate of pickles on the table, her little face immediately fell, and her lips stuck out in a pout. "Why are we eating this again? It's so watery, and there isn't a bit of meat or oil in it... Big Sis, can't we have one proper meal?"
The Blind Girl smiled faintly and gently reassured her. "As long as it fills our stomachs, that's enough."
The girl in red wasn't having it. Her bright, black eyes darted around, and she spotted the neighboring table's plates of glistening food, their fragrance faintly wafting over, as well as the pot of warmed wine. She blinked, secretly swallowed, and the longing was practically written all over her face.
A faintly wry smile touched the Blind Girl's lips. Turning to Lu Chen, she said apologetically, "My little sister doesn't know any better. Please forgive her."
Lu Chen shook his head and said nothing. He simply drained the last of the wine in his cup, took out some copper coins and set them on the table, then got up and left.
The girl in red watched him go, wrinkled her small nose, and muttered, "What a strange man! He looks like a martial artist, too. If we