248: It's so delicious

The ultimate wok hei, the aroma of egg, and the fragrance of rice, mixed with an indescribable fresh scent, like an invisible storm, forcefully occupied all the olfactory space.

Zeng Yue's eyes instantly widened, her small face filled with disbelief, and she subconsciously gasped.

“Wow! Brother! It just heated up a bit, how did it suddenly get so much more fragrant? What kind of fried rice is this?!”

Zeng Yu himself was surprised.

He hadn't expected that after heating it in the microwave, because the heat was fully activated, the aroma was no less than what he had smelled at the stall at noon.

He quickly took out the heated fried rice and served it into a bowl.

In the bowl, the fried rice grains were distinct, each grain of rice coated in golden egg liquid, and under the slightly dim light of the rented room, it seemed to glow on its own, adorned with emerald green scallions and pink ham cubes, steaming hot and fragrant.

He held his sister, who had difficulty with her legs, and helped her sit at the head of the dining table, placing the bowl and spoon in front of her.

“Quick, try it, the divine fried rice Brother found today!”

Zeng Yu's tone carried a hint of proud offering.

Zeng Yue looked at the bowl of fried rice before her, which seemed to contain light and magic, and smelled the captivating aroma, she couldn't help but swallow, and her stomach began to rumble.

She picked up the spoon, carefully scooped a small amount, blew on it, and then, with anticipation and curiosity, brought it to her mouth.

The next second, the girl's chewing motion suddenly stopped.

Her eyes were wide, clearly reflecting the golden glow of the fried rice in the bowl, and then, a layer of moisture quickly welled up, blurring her vision.

She lowered her head, silently eating small bites, but her shoulders began to tremble slightly and uncontrollably.

Immediately after, large tears, like broken pearls, rolled down from her eyes without warning, hitting the tabletop with a “pat-pat” and also falling into the golden fried rice.

At first, she tried her best to suppress it, only shedding silent tears, but soon, faint, uncontrollable sobs escaped her throat, finally turning into uncontrollable, sad and wronged cries.

“Wuwu… wuwu…”

Zeng Yu was startled by this sudden situation, immediately flustered, and quickly squatted down, looking at his sister nervously.

“Xiao Yue? Xiao Yue, what's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Do your legs hurt again? Or is the fried rice not good? If it's not good, we won't eat it, Brother will make you something else…”

He was anxious, his heart filled with self-reproach and doubt.

Zeng Yue shook her head vigorously, her tears falling even more fiercely.

While crying, she picked up the spoon again and continued to stuff fried rice into her mouth, mixing with tears, eating somewhat messily.

“Wuwu… No… Brother… it’s delicious… really… too delicious… wuwu…”

She choked, speaking intermittently, her voice filled with indescribable complex emotions.

“It’s just… it’s just because… it’s too delicious… that… that I couldn’t help it…”

Zeng Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized that his sister's strength and optimism these days were all feigned… She was afraid he would worry, afraid of becoming a burden to him, so she suppressed all the pain, grievances, confusion, and fear for the future deep in her heart, showing him the brightest, most carefree smile every day.

And this bowl of extremely delicious, heart-warming and stomach-warming fried rice, was like a key, inadvertently opening her tightly locked heart, causing all her feigned strength to collapse instantly, and her emotions to burst forth.

This fried rice was so good that it made her unable to use “I’m fine” or “It’s good” to hide her inner fragility and grievances.

Zeng Yu's heart felt as if an invisible hand had tightly squeezed it, aching intensely.

He reached out and gently patted his sister's back, his voice hoarse.

“Silly girl… just cry it out if you want to… in front of Brother, you don’t have to hold back… Brother is here…”

After a while, Zeng Yue's emotions slowly calmed down.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her nose and eyes red, but she showed Zeng Yu a genuine smile, still tearful.

“It’s really delicious… Thank you, Brother… for caring about me so much…”

Her voice was still choked with sobs, but it was much lighter than before.

Seeing that she finally stopped suppressing herself, Zeng Yu felt both heartache and relief, wiping away the tear stains on her cheek with his thumb and patting her head.

“If you like it, Brother will bring it to you tomorrow, no, every day from now on.”

Zeng Yue's eyes lit up at the words, but then she hesitated.

She looked at the fried rice in the bowl, which was generously portioned, extraordinarily fragrant, and tasted heavenly, and asked softly:

“Brother, this… is it expensive? The eggs are so fragrant and fluffy, the rice grains are distinct and chewy, and the oil used is also especially fragrant… All the ingredients are so good, and the boss’s craftsmanship is even more amazing… It must not be cheap, right? How… how much does it cost?”

Zeng Yu's heart skipped a beat, he hadn't expected his sister to be so perceptive.

He kept a straight face, smiled casually, and told a white lie.

“Not expensive, just thirty or so yuan. Prices are high in Modu, isn’t it this price for a casual fast food meal outside?”

He deliberately understated the price; if he said it was too high, his sister would be reluctant, and if he said it was too low, it wouldn't seem real. Thirty-something yuan, this price, wouldn't make her feel suspiciously cheap, nor would it give her too much psychological burden.

Indeed, hearing “thirty-something yuan,” Zeng Yue’s small face still wrinkled slightly, clearly feeling that for a portion of fried rice, it was not cheap.

But seeing her brother's affirmative gaze, she finally nodded obediently.

“Oh… then… alright then.”

But she immediately pushed the bowl towards Zeng Yu and said seriously:

“Brother, you eat too. You work so hard, you should eat more.”

With that, she picked up a clean spoon without question and insisted on giving Zeng Yu more than half, leaving herself with less than half in her bowl.

Looking at his sister's thin, pale face, filled with concern, and seeing how, even though she was craving it herself, she instinctively cared for him first, Zeng Yu's heart was once again filled with warmth and a pang of sadness.

He no longer refused, took the bowl, and said softly:

“Okay, we’ll eat together.”

Under the dim, yellowish light of the energy-saving lamp, in the small but tidy rented room, the siblings silently shared their food.

The light projected their figures, leaning against each other and sharing, onto the wall, casting long, warm silhouettes.

In the air, the tempting aroma lingered, mixed with the scent of family love, adding a warm splash of color to this poor but resilient family.