Qin Hongmei stroked her son’s round little head, her heart aching. "Taotao is older now, anyway. I’ll make his lunch before I leave in the morning and leave it in the pot for him to heat up. I’ll just lock the door when I head out!"
As she spoke, Qin Hongmei’s eyes reddened, and her gentle voice turned slightly hoarse.
Taotao tremblingly extended a thin little finger, tentatively touching Uncle Zhou’s pinky. "Uncle Zhou, you gave Mom and me a place to live, and now that Mom can earn money, we are already so grateful to you!" He paused, then whispered, "When you talk to Auntie Sutan in a moment, please don't argue with her!"
*Gurgle, gurgle…*
Taotao’s stomach let out a few growls. He lowered his head, embarrassed, and covered his belly with his small hands, quickly hiding behind his mother.
Qin Hongmei hugged her son, the corner of her mouth twitching as she explained self-reproachfully, "I was in such a rush this morning, I didn't get a chance to make Taotao anything to eat."
"Mom, I think I smell dumplings! It smells like celery and pork," Taotao said, wrinkling his nose and sniffing the air deeply, saliva trailing down the corner of his mouth.
Qin Hongmei had already caught a faint scent of meat, and hearing her son say this, she peered into the crack of the door. "Jianfeng, the smell is coming from your house. It must be that Sutan is trying to coax you after realizing she shouldn't have taken that five-hundred-yuan compensation today, so she made dumplings."
Zhou Jianfeng smelled the meat as well. When he returned from the factory this morning, he had come straight home, buying a few meat buns on the way to eat. He had merely mentioned offhandedly to Sutan that he bought them for her, and she had gone and eaten them all in one go, not leaving him a single bite. Thinking of Sutan wolfing down the food, Zhou Jianfeng’s brow furrowed, and the mild expression on his face suddenly cooled.
Qin Hongmei felt a secret sense of triumph; she was certain she could make Sutan spit out that five-hundred-yuan. She raised a pale, slender finger and brushed a leaf off Zhou Jianfeng’s left shoulder.
"Mom, I’m hungry," Taotao said, tugging gently on his mother’s hand, his big, damp eyes looking at her expectantly.
Zhou Jianfeng’s dark eyes fell on Taotao’s thin little face, and he said gently, "You’ll be able to eat dumplings soon."
Outside, the nauseating voices did not affect Sutan’s appetite in the slightest. She calmly dipped her dumplings into her special vinegar sauce, taking three small bites for every single dumpling. She had finished half the dumpling soup when, hearing Zhou Jianfeng making enough noise to tear the front door down, she finally rose to open it.
Just as Zhou Jianfeng raised his foot high, ready to kick the door, it swung open from the inside.
"Watch out!" Seeing Zhou Jianfeng about to lunge forward onto Sutan, Qin Hongmei quickly grabbed his arm. Zhou Jianfeng fell into Qin Hongmei’s embrace, and she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his waist, pressing her ample chest against his.
"Tsk, tsk. Are you two planning to put on a show where the mistress forces the original wife to file for divorce?" Sutan stood with her arms crossed, her expression indifferent.
Qin Hongmei reluctantly released her grip, pulling away from Zhou Jianfeng’s embrace. "Sutan, we haven’t met many times. I don’t understand why you harbor such hostility toward me, always saying such nasty things!"
Zhou Jianfeng scolded her with a dark face, "It was you who suddenly opened the door, causing me to almost fall! Hongmei was just helping me up. How did I never notice before that your mind was so dirty? Do you think that just because you got five hundred yuan today, you’ve gained some confidence and now you dare to pick a fight with me?"
Qin Hongmei quickly tugged at Zhou Jianfeng’s sleeve, signaling him not to escalate the conflict.
"Move aside!" Zhou Jianfeng felt disgusted even looking at Sutan now. He cast a disdainful glance at her, then half-crouched to scoop Taotao into his arms and strode into the house.
As Qin Hongmei looked at the tall man ahead of her, she shot a smug, triumphant look at Sutan.
Sutan had heard the voices in the alley for a while, along with the intermittent jingling of bicycle bells. Anticipating the upcoming battle, she had simply left the front door wide open. If Zhou Jianfeng cared so much about his image, then she would tear his dignity to shreds and grind it into the dust.
Taotao stared at the dumpling soup in the pot, swallowing repeatedly. "Uncle Zhou, I’m hungry. Can I drink some of the dumpling soup?"
"Hongmei, did you find the dumplings? Hurry up and cook some for Taotao!" Zhou Jianfeng commanded.
Qin Hongmei followed him in and opened the wooden cabinet against the wall. She had seen it on her last visit; it held bowls and chopsticks, and Zhou Jianfeng had told her that Sutan cooked and ate here when the weather was cold. She searched through every bowl and dish turned upside down in the cabinet, and even rummaged through the rice bin on the floor.
There were no leftovers, not even a bit of dumpling filling. Qin Hongmei almost thought she had misjudged the smell. Yet, there was dumpling soup in the iron pot on the stove, along with the bowls, chopsticks, and vinegar sauce Sutan hadn't yet cleared away.
Qin Hongmei’s expression turned sour. "Jianfeng, we must have been mistaken. Sutan didn't steal the dumplings; the smell must have come from somewhere else."
She gave her son a look, and Taotao began to cry. "Mom, I’m hungry..."
A fierce, icy intensity flared in Zhou Jianfeng’s eyes. As he turned around in a rage, his heavy wool coat caught the bowls and chopsticks by the stove, knocking them to the floor.
Sutan walked in just in time to see the dishes she had used lying on the ground.
Zhou Jianfeng suppressed his anger, his gaze fixed on Sutan with a sinister intensity. "Hongmei has to work and has no one to look after Taotao, so starting tomorrow, you will take care of him!"
"Taotao has had a weak stomach since he was little, so you must be careful with his food. He must eat three meals a day on time, and at least one of those meals must contain meat!"
"Taotao’s clothes are getting too small. You take him out to buy several sets tomorrow!"
"He’s never really had any toys as he’s grown up. You go buy him some toys, too!"
Sutan acted as if she had heard a hilarious joke. Her lips, which finally had a touch of color, curled into a faint, mocking sneer. Her large, round eyes were filled with coldness.
"Sutan, I am talking to you! Answer me!" Zhou Jianfeng roared, his eyes wide with rage. He looked at her as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Seeing Sutan unmoved, Qin Hongmei stood behind her son and kicked the back of his knees. Taotao fell to his knees with a thud.
"Auntie Sutan, don't listen to Uncle Zhou! I don't need you to buy me clothes or toys—just give me a bite to eat and don't leave me all by myself, that’s all I need!" Taotao cried loudly, bowing his head repeatedly to Sutan. "Auntie Sutan, you’re the kindest person, I beg you!"
"Hongmei, help Taotao up. Sutan is nothing more than a beast!" Zhou Jianfeng stripped off his coat, threw it onto the sofa, and rolled up his sleeves in a fury.
Sutan felt the heat of Zhou Jianfeng’s rage and shivered violently. From his posture, it looked as though he intended to beat her.