009 The encounter
“Brother, I promise never to do it again. I will prove it with my actions.”
Tao Zheng looked at Tan Rou warily and ordered coldly as he walked off. “Then eat more. You are as thin as a monkey!”
Tan Rou burst into laughter. How come she never notice in the past that her brother was a little prideful?
Mother Tao’s meal was ready in no time. It was a few simple home-cooked dishes with an extra dish of braised prawns.
It was intentionally placed in front of Tan Rou and Mother Tao purposefully nudged the plate closer to her while saying, “Rou Rou, eat this. This is mom’s specialty!”
Tao Zheng complained, “Mom! You’re biased. Am I still your biological son or not?!” When he said that, he winked at her. Tan Rou knew that he was deliberately trying to tease Mother Tao. He was afraid that she would not appreciate her kindness.
Tan Rou smiled sweetly, “You’ve tasted mother’s cooking for so many years. I am the one who is at a disadvantage. In the future, I’ll eat more to make up for what I have missed out on!”
With that said, she began to gobble down the food.
Tao Zheng did not expect Tan Rou to say that. He even left the chopsticks in his mouth as he looked at Tan Rou incredulously. It was very comical.
Tan Rou savored every bite. This was the taste of home. Everything was as surreal as a dream.
Mother Tao nudged Father Tao, who had just returned home, and whispered, “Look, I told you our daughter has changed right?”
Father Tao was also a little confused. “What’s going on?”
Mother Tao patted him lightly, “This is a good thing. Our daughter has matured. Our family is finally reunited!”
Father Tao smiled and nodded, “Yes, it’s a good thing. Let’s eat, let’s eat!”
After dinner, Tan Rou returned to her room. She had been busy all day and was dead beat.
Father Tao and Mother Tao were still discussing what had happened today, “I suspect that our child has been bullied. We shouldn’t vex her any further. We have to take good care of her.”
“Yes, I’ll go buy some expensive herbs tomorrow and make her a good tonic.”
Tao Zheng listened on the side and smiled. Although he still didn’t believe that Tan Rou had changed so quickly, after seeing how happy his parents were, should he give her a chance?
The following day, Tan Rou got up early and prepared to go out.
Mother Tao asked in surprise, “Rou Rou why are you up so early? Don’t you usually sleep in? Did mom wake you up?”
Tan Rou shook her head. “No, Mom. I want to go out for a walk. Just take it as I’m going for an exercise. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m leaving.”
“Okay, take care of yourself, ” Mother Tao replied.
Ever since Rou Rou came back last night, she has been exceptionally obedient and sensible. Mother Tao originally thought that it was just a spur of the moment but when she saw that her daughter was still so obedient this morning, she was reassured that there was nothing to worry about.
After leaving the house, Tan Rou went straight to the local herbs market. The collection of herbs here was far more complete and they were also much more professional.
Moreover, there were also quite a few good spice shops. These are all things that Tan Rou needs right now.
She didn’t know if she was overthinking things or not but she felt that there was a faint gaze staring at her. Her intuition was particularly strong but there were tons of people coming and going in the market and it was hard to pinpoint what was wrong. Tan Rou didn’t dare to let her guard down. She was ready to head home once she got what she needed.
However, when she passed by the entrance of an alley, a man immediately caught her attention.
Unlike the rowdy environment around her, the man was dressed in white. He sat alone in a wheelchair, and he was a stark contrast to the world around him. He sat there alone expressionlessly, and his eyes were slightly drooping down. His lips were slightly pursed, and he sat there without saying anything. That made people want to get close to him but at the same time, they were afraid of disturbing him.
The eyes of the people around him were all glued to him, but no one dared to approach him. He was a head-turner. It was as if they were looking at a painting that should not be there.
Tan Rou watched from not far away. The man had an extraordinary charisma. He was no ordinary person, but it was not difficult to see that his state of health was not very good. He had a weak and sickly look on his face. But why was he alone in this place when his body was clearly not well?
That was just a passing thought in Tan Rou’s mind and she did not intend to meddle in other people’s business. Her current situation was also very complicated. Just as she was about to pass him, the man who was originally looking down and looked like he was thinking about something suddenly raised his head and their eyes met.
In that instant, Tan Rou’s feet were rooted to the ground. He was really too handsome to ignore.