CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 299: CINDERELLA’S COMEBACK 44

Zhu Xiumei was almost driven mad.

What could she possibly do?

Could she really stoop to arguing with a child?

She hurriedly took out the juicer to make fruit juice for Anning, while urgently cooking the meal.

When the meal was almost ready, Liu Yu and Liu Lingling also came back.

Seeing Anning, both were momentarily stunned.

Liu Yu laughed: "Ningning is here."

"Second Uncle."

Anning quickly stood up and called out, then glanced at Liu Lingling: "Lingling, do you want some fruit juice? It’s freshly squeezed."

"No thanks."

Liu Lingling’s expression was subtle, probably feeling a bit guilty seeing Anning.

She greeted them and went back to her room to do homework.

It wasn’t long before the meal was served, and Zhu Xiumei called Liu Lingling out to eat.

During dinner, Anning said to Liu Yu with a smile: "Second uncle, I’ll probably come over to freeload dinner every day for a while. You know my parents are busy and don’t have time to cook dinner for me. I’m sick of eating buns, and ordering takeout doesn’t feel sanitary. We don’t have other relatives here, so I can only shamelessly come here and let my second aunt cook me some delicious food to nourish myself. You guys don’t mind, right?"

What could Liu Yu do?

He could only give a dry smile: "Don’t mind at all, just come over."

"Then I really won’t be polite."

Anning dove into her meal and ate quite a lot.

After finishing, she even ordered for the next day: "Second aunt, can you make some crab for me tomorrow? I’m really craving it. Oh right, you didn’t cook abalone for me today, let’s make up for it tomorrow. Don’t make rice tomorrow, make some noodles instead, and not too greasy in the evening, just plain noodles and stir-fry a couple of vegetarian dishes."

Zhu Xiumei kept a straight face and did not speak.

Anning even made excuses for her: "Second uncle, look how happy my second aunt can’t even speak knowing I’ll come for dinner. I know you love me. Tomorrow you’ll definitely cook as I asked. Alright, I won’t stay long, I’m leaving now."

She didn’t go far before turning back to the kitchen to find a thermos and lunchboxes, packed up all the leftovers: "My parents are really tired, they have no energy to cook when they come back, and since these are leftovers, I’ll take them back for them."

She really wasn’t shy.

While looking for lunchboxes in the kitchen, Anning also found some snacks and helped herself without hesitation.

Finally, Anning left fully loaded. At the doorstep, she even teased Zhu Xiumei: "Don’t bother seeing me out, we’re family, no need for formalities. I’ll be coming every day, you can’t be too courteous all the time."

Who said anything about seeing you out.

Zhu Xiumei wanted to curse.

But it was Liu Yu who ended up seeing Anning to the door.

Once Anning left, Zhu Xiumei burst out: "Look at what kind of person she has turned into, my sister doesn’t care at all, what kind of child is she raising."

Liu Yu sat on the sofa with a sullen face: "I always told you not to take small advantages and you wouldn’t listen. You insisted on letting Lingling go to your sister’s to eat those buns. Now you see? They also sent their daughter here to eat. Can’t you see what’s really going on? This isn’t your sister not caring, she’s doing it on purpose. Otherwise, what would Ningning know as a kid."

"I was just thinking since my sister is making money now, maybe she could give us a hand too, just wanted to catch some breath of relief."

Zhu Xiumei really was thick-faced; back when she had money, she hadn’t seen her helping Mrs. Gu either.

Yet Liu Yu had more pride: "Alright, don’t let Lingling go to the bun shop anymore. We have everything we need at home, why bother going there? Eating buns all the time, don’t you feel sorry for the child?"

Indeed, she felt sorry.

Thinking about it, Zhu Xiumei felt something was off: "Alright, we won’t go again. If we keep going, Ningning might as well empty our house. How has this child changed like this?"

Of course, Anning didn’t bring the leftovers back home.

She fed them to stray cats and dogs halfway home.

When she returned, she bumped into Xiao Yuan in the neighborhood.

The two didn’t say much, just held hands and walked home.

Xiao Yuan escorted Anning to her doorstep and watched her enter before returning to his own home.

Anning went home and shared today’s events with Mrs. Gu, who was delighted.

"Our Ningning can now stand up for her mom, that’s really great."

Mr. Gu was also quite happy.

Well, that’s just it, dealing with someone like Zhu Xiumei really requires using their own tactics against them, and it had to be Anning to step in.

Anning is, after all, just a child. I mean, who can fault a child for visiting her aunt’s home for a few meals? If Zhu Xiumei didn’t allow it, others would call her petty, thinking she couldn’t even accommodate her own niece.

Now, Zhu Xiumei could only grit her teeth and swallow her frustration in silence, yet still had to keep a smiling face.

Mrs. Gu thought about it and found it quite amusing.

Following this act by Anning, Liu Lingling never went to the bun shop again, and Zhu Xiumei stopped going to pick up buns as well.

Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu finally enjoyed some peace.

In a blink of an eye, it was almost New Year’s.

Anning’s school had the final exams on the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month.

After the exams, they rested for two days, went back to school to get their grades, and then it was time for the holiday break.

They officially started the holiday break before the twentieth.

The bun shop closed on the twenty-sixth.

After several months of hard work, when the holidays came, Mr. and Mrs. Gu generously gave red envelopes to every employee and distributed some New Year goods, so everyone could have a joyful celebration.

Once the bun shop closed for the holiday,

Mr. and Mrs. Gu went back to calculate how much money they had made these months, and also discussed plans of starting a factory after the New Year.

On the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month, the family started preparing for the New Year goods.

Mr. Gu sent some money to Grandma Gu, then told her that it was for her New Year’s expenses and that their family wouldn’t be visiting this year.

Grandma Gu scolded Mr. Gu on the phone.

Mr. Gu just listened, not responding, and firmly refused to agree to visit for the New Year.

Eventually, Grandma Gu reluctantly hung up the phone.

At this time, Anning was frying meatballs with Mrs. Gu in the kitchen, the fragrance filling the entire house.

It happened that Xiao Yuan came by, lured by the scent, he also entered the kitchen.

Mrs. Gu then asked Xiao Yuan, "Dr. Xiao, when are you going home?"

Xiao Yuan smiled, "I’m not going back. There aren’t many people at my home, and I would be alone anyway; better to stay here where it’s lively."

Mrs. Gu was startled for a moment, "What about your parents? They should still be young, why are they..."

Xiao Yuan gave a wry smile, "My parents divorced long ago, and I was assigned to my mom, taking her surname. But these past few years, she’s mostly been out traveling and hardly pays any attention to me. She could be vacationing in any country right now. As for my dad... never mind, let’s not talk about it."

Mrs. Gu immediately imagined a melodramatic soap opera.

Her look towards Xiao Yuan was full of sympathy.

For Mrs. Gu, children of divorced parents were particularly unfortunate, especially someone like Xiao Yuan, whose parents were unreliable.

"This is really unfortunate, adults divorce so decisively, but it’s the children who suffer."

Mrs. Gu sighed, "Since you’re not going back, come over for New Year’s Eve. We’re not going home either, we can gather here and it’ll be merrier."

"Sure."

Xiao Yuan agreed promptly, "I actually have some gifts given by patients, I’ll bring them over in a bit."