Heh.
Taking a glance at the darkened phone screen, Mi Jing suddenly smiled, thinking: Mrs. Su is really too polite. I didn’t help her much, but she keeps being so grateful. Compared to those ruby earrings, this box of seafood is more practical.
"Xin, call another part-time helper to come by later, I need to go home for something."
She hadn’t been back to her parents’ house for almost half a month. Mi Jing planned to take the seafood home to honor them and maybe get a nice meal out of it, feast for lunch!
It had been a long time since she had her dad’s cooking. Just thinking about that delicious home-cooked food made Mi Jing swallow her saliva, and she felt an even stronger urge to go home.
After arranging things at the store, Mi Jing energetically lifted the styrofoam box. Although the box itself wasn’t heavy, it was filled with water, big lobsters, hairy crabs, scallops, and sea fish, making it quite hefty. Just as she walked out of the store, Mi Jing felt her arms aching.
"Jing, do you need a hand?" The staff saw Mi Jing putting down the styrofoam box outside the store and immediately showed concern, loudly asking through the glass.
"No need."
Mi Jing shook her hand while saying this, then took a few deep breaths. After regaining her composure, she picked up the styrofoam box again and walked briskly towards her car.
It was rush hour, and the road was a bit congested. While waiting at the traffic light, Mi Jing called Ruan Pianran, specially inviting her to have a big meal at her parents’ house for lunch.
Actually, Mi Jing wanted to call Shen Lingxing too, but considering how busy he was with work, she changed her mind and planned to bring lunch to the hospital instead.
The journey took twenty minutes, but due to traffic, it took a bit longer. When Mi Jing got home, half an hour had passed.
"Jingjing, what’s wrong?"
As soon as the door opened, Fang Qingru heard heavy breathing and looked down to see Mi Jing bending over, panting heavily. Instantly worried, she instinctively walked over, gently patting Mi Jing’s back and anxiously asking while helping her catch her breath.
"Nothing, nothing, the box is just a bit heavy, it took some effort getting it up here. I’ll be fine after a short rest." Mi Jing wiped the sweat off her forehead and explained to Fang Qingru with her head tilted.
Hearing this, Fang Qingru’s gaze fell on the styrofoam box by the wall and curiously asked, "What’s inside?"
"Good stuff." Mi Jing stood up straight and took a step to the side, intimately linking arms with Fang Qingru and said with a giggling smile.
"Food?" Fang Qingru asked with certainty.
Suddenly, Mi Jing exaggeratedly gasped and pretended to be surprised, "Mom, do you have x-ray vision? You knew it was food without even opening the box, that’s incredible!"
"Stop being dramatic. I’ve raised you this long, don’t I know you? Every time it’s about food, you’re happier than seeing your own mom!" Fang Qingru’s face was stern, but there was a hint of resentment in her tone.
"No way!" Mi Jing pouted in mock grievance and said in a cutesy voice, "I’ve missed you and brought back some good food to honor you."
"Hmph, sounds nice, but I think you just want to eat something good and come back to exploit your dad’s labor." Fang Qingru gave Mi Jing a sideways glance.
"Haha, doesn’t dad love cooking?" Mi Jing held Fang Qingru’s hand and chuckled dryly, "Mom, are you mad at me for not coming back to see you and dad for so long?"
"What nonsense! Get inside, I’ll move the stuff inside." Fang Qingru glared at Mi Jing, took her hand away, and shooed her inside.
She was a strict mother, disciplined Mi Jing strictly since childhood, and often spoke harshly. But Mi Jing never doubted her love.
In truth, she just seemed strong on the surface, but she was actually a gentle and loving woman. Like now, her warm care showed unintentionally.
"You go inside first, I’m as strong as an ox, moving a box is no effort." Mi Jing gently held Fang Qingru’s shoulders, trying to push her inside while stopping her from moving the box.
"Jing, back to see your parents?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. Mi Jing turned around and saw Mrs. Chen from upstairs. She immediately smiled, "Yes, Mrs. Chen, just finished your workout?"
"Not in the mood for exercise." Mrs. Chen smiled bitterly, the wrinkles on her face revealing her hardships, "Oh well, let’s not talk about it. You should visit your parents more often; people get lonely as they age."
"Sure, I will." Mi Jing nodded woodenly, feeling a pang of sympathy for the melancholic and lonely Mrs. Chen.
Sigh!
Mrs. Chen sighed, turned around, glanced at Fang Qingru over Mi Jing’s shoulder, a fleeting look of envy in her cloudy eyes, which quickly turned to sorrow as she walked away, her solitary figure retreating upstairs.
"Mom, what’s going on with Mrs. Chen?"
Mi Jing and Fang Qingru stood still for a few seconds, watching Mrs. Chen go upstairs until her thin figure disappeared at the corner of the stairs. Only then did Mi Jing retract her gaze and intentionally lowered her voice to ask Fang Qingru.
"Let’s talk inside." Hearing her question, Fang Qingru sighed and led the way inside.
Mi Zhihong wasn’t home, and the TV was off. The house felt cold and empty; only when Mi Jing returned did it feel a bit more lively.
After moving the seafood into the kitchen, Mi Jing went to the bathroom to wash her face, then poured water for herself and Fang Qingru, ready to discuss Mrs. Chen’s situation.
"Mrs. Chen’s son died in a car accident." Fang Qingru said heavily once Mi Jing sat down.
Died?
Hearing the news, Mi Jing was shocked and hesitantly asked, "When..."
"Yesterday."
"Just like that, how..." They had lived in the same building for over twenty years. Of course, Mi Jing knew Mrs. Chen’s son. Although they hadn’t interacted much as adults, they had grown up bickering together, so this bad news saddened her.
"Sigh." Fang Qingru sighed deeply, with a mix of sympathy and sorrow. "I watched Hua grow up. Though he was mischievous and rebellious, he wasn’t a bad person. Sadly, he fell in with the wrong crowd, gambling with them and getting addicted to drugs, accumulating a ton of debt."
"..."
"Hua was under the influence of those substances and got into the car accident..."
"Mom, do you think Mrs. Chen...might do something drastic?" She hadn’t been a mother, but she had experienced the pain of losing a close one. When her grandmother passed away, she was heartbroken for a long time, though she had her family’s constant support, and her sister counseled her daily. Mrs. Chen, now alone, had lost her husband years ago and now her only son. With such heavy blows, if she couldn’t bear it... The thought made Mi Jing’s heart race with worry that Mrs. Chen might do something drastic.