nashuaworldcup Chapter 175 Xiaoqiao's Younger Brother
Chapter 175 Xiaoqiao's Younger Brother
The brother and sister stood side by side, as the bustling crowds passed by them, their voices filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and haggling over prices.
They can feel that as the New Year approaches, no matter where they are, they are rushing home to celebrate.
People come to the market with their families, and everyone's face is filled with happiness.
They stopped in front of the stall, where the owner, an elderly man in his sixties, greeted them warmly with a big smile, "Young ladies, look at these big radishes, they're so beautiful, would you like some?"
"The weather has been good this year, and the crops in the fields have yielded a bumper harvest. So I planted some radishes to sell and make some money so I can have a good New Year."
"Uncle, give me five big radishes."
"Hey!"
Shen Chen took the radish and put it into the basket behind him. The two waved goodbye to the old man and walked forward.
"Cao'er, although our Great Xia Kingdom is not the richest or the most powerful, it is the land that gave us birth and nurtured us."
"I hope to change this land with my own abilities."
"Moreover, what I saw and heard in the capital further solidified my belief."
"Our Great Xia Emperor is a wise ruler."
"I believe there will be more places like this in the future."
“Even if it’s not spread throughout the entire Great Xia Kingdom, as long as it’s more than it is now, then what I’m doing will have meaning.”
Shen Cao held her older brother's hand tightly. "Big brother, I believe in you."
"Go ahead and do it if you want to. I support you."
"Thank you, little sister."
"Family, you're welcome."
She also believed that the emperor, who could raise such a good-natured princess as Wanyue, deserved his elder brother's help in doing so.
The two quickly caught up with Shen Qing and his group. Shen Qing, Shen Wan, and Xiao Qi were buying candied hawthorns from the old man who sold them.
Xiaoqiao stood alone, looking at something with a strange expression.
Shen Cao walked up to her and touched her. She trembled and seemed a little awkward.
"What are you looking at, Xiaoqiao?" Shen Cao asked, following her gaze.
Xiaoqiao quickly looked away and put on a smile. "Sister Cao'er, I didn't see anything. I just saw that they were selling osmanthus cakes."
"My younger brother used to love osmanthus cake. Thinking of my younger brother, I was momentarily stunned."
Shen Cao kept watching her, not missing a single expression; she was lying.
She didn't pursue the matter further. By this time, Shen Qing and the others had returned after buying the candied hawthorns.
Xiaoqi handed a candied hawthorn to Xiaoqiao, saying, "Xiaoqiao, here you go."
Xiaoqiao accepted the candied hawthorns without any problem, and then led them to continue strolling around.
The group strolled from one end of the market to the other, filling their baskets to the brim with the things they bought.
Everyone was satisfied.
As soon as Shen Qing and the others returned, Shen Chen took them into the study to test their studies.
Xiaoqiao accompanied Shencao in the kitchen as they sorted through the things they had bought.
"Here you go!" Shen Cao handed Xiao Qiao a package wrapped in oil paper.
"Small bridge?"
“Osmanthus cake, your brother likes to eat it, so you must like to eat it too.”
"Try it, I wonder if the osmanthus cake from Xin'an County is as delicious as you remember it."
Xiaoqiao stood there, stunned, and hesitated to take the osmanthus cake from Shencao's hand.
Shen Cao pushed her hand forward a little, "What's wrong? Try it quickly."
Xiaoqiao hurriedly wiped her face with both hands and took the osmanthus cake.
With a choked voice, she said, "Thank you, Sister Cao'er."
Shen Cao took a clean handkerchief and wiped away her tears. "Why are you still crying?"
Missing your younger brother?
Xiaoqiao nodded.
How did you and your brother get separated?
Xiaoqiao briefly recounted her past relationship with her brother to Shencao.
"That day, when we finished begging for food and were about to return to the dilapidated temple, someone asked us for directions. The place was at the end of the street."
“An old lady fell down, and I went to help her up. My brother took the person to the end of the street, intending to give him directions and then come back.”
“I kept staring at him, but as soon as I helped the old lady to sit down, my brother and that person disappeared from my sight.”
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't wanted to eat osmanthus cake that day, my little brother wouldn't have been lost."
"I told my brother that the osmanthus cake was cheaper after the stall closed, so he waited with me."
She lowered her head, looking at the osmanthus cake in the oiled paper, and tears dripped onto the osmanthus cake.
"Sister Cao'er, I miss my little brother so much. He loves osmanthus cake the most."
Shen Cao wiped away the tears on her cheeks, walked to Xiao Qiao's side, hugged her, and gently patted her back.
"Your brother will be alright."
"You will definitely find your younger brother again."
Xiaoqiao nestled in Shencao's arms and cried bitterly for a while.
After she had finished crying, Shen Cao looked at her and said, "Xiao Qiao, if anything happens to you, you must tell me. Sister Cao will definitely help you."
"Never try to shoulder everything alone."
Xiaoqiao was taken aback by Shen Cao's words, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded without saying anything. "Yes, I will."
Shen Cao told her to wash her face and get some rest.
She watched Xiaoqiao's departing figure and sighed.
"Oh! This child."
After hearing that Xiaoqiao had cried, Shen Qing and the others went to her room to comfort her.
They shared some of the toys and snacks they had bought that morning with Xiaoqiao.
With the comfort of the children, Xiaoqiao felt much better.
When Shen Cao asked Xiaoqiao about her parents, Xiaoqiao said she didn't remember.
She told Shen Cao that she and her younger brother had relied on each other for survival since she could remember.
She didn't know where her home was, and her parents didn't remember either. Finding Xiaoqiao's relatives was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
When Wei Siyu and the others arrive, ask him to help inquire. The Wei family's businesses are all over the country, so there might be a glimmer of hope.
After my older brother came back, the countdown to the Lunar New Year officially began.
These days, restaurants are much quieter.
Shen Cao prepared some fried food, and bought the braised food from the store.
Surprisingly, I've made more money selling cooked food these days than selling whole meals.
Shencao buys affordable prices and uses very high-quality materials.
Many people buy it, try it, and then buy a lot more to prepare for the Chinese New Year.
Fried meatballs, fried tofu, fried meat balls, braised pig's head, braised pig's liver, braised pig's heart, braised pig's large intestine, and braised pig's lungs are the best-selling items.
These were originally pig offal, so they weren't expensive to begin with.
The herbs are washed very clean, and there is no unpleasant smell at all. They are almost sold out as soon as they are put on the shelves every day.
Uncle Li's pig offal, which he planned to sell before the Lunar New Year, was all bought up by her long ago.
Some people arrived late, and only some more expensive braised meats like pork hocks were left.
The price is higher than that of pork offal, but many people thought that since the Chinese New Year was approaching, they would buy some to try.
Especially the regulars at the dock. Before the Lunar New Year, the dock paid out all the wages owed for the year. The workers had money and wanted to treat themselves, so they all came to Shen's restaurant to buy cooked food.
"Miss Shen, I haven't had your cooking for the past few days, and I've really missed it."
"Give me five pounds of pork knuckle."
"Your braised pork knuckle smells really good. You can eat it on its own, or you can slice it up and stir-fry it, and it makes the dishes taste even better."
Shen Cao smiled and weighed out five catties of pork knuckle for him.
Shen Cao casually made him some fried meatballs and let him try them.