11 Bai Zhexi (1/2)

After going down the mountain, Wan Chao spent fifty cents to get on a bus. It took her half an hour to reach the south side of the city.

The moment she got off the bus, she saw Bai Zhexi, who was sitting on a small stool, fixing shoes. This place was right near the bus stop, and there were a few people passing by.

Wan Chao stood silently at the bus stop, looking at Bai Zhexi for a while.

Even after so many years, her hair was still in disarray, probably blown by the wind. A few silver threads could be vaguely seen, and some wrinkles had appeared on her face. Her hands, which were holding tools and broken shoes, were extremely rough.

This year, Bai Zhexi was only thirty-six years old, but she looked like she was forty.

Wan Chao felt stuffy for a moment. Then, she raised her head. No matter what, Bai Zhexi was still here!

She walked over, and as she got closer, her hands started to heat up again. Wan Chao looked around and turned around, walking towards a stall selling buns.

”Two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge.” Wan Chao succinctly made the request. Following the price written on the sign beside her, she took out a dollar from her pocket and placed it on the stall owner's cart. Then, she picked up the steamed bun and carried the bowl away.

Anxious, the stall owner shouted from behind, ”Hey, my bowl, you can't take it away.”

”Not far,” she said over her shoulder. ”I'll bring it back to you in a moment.” Then, she pointed to Bai Zhexi's shoe repair stall.

Hearing the voice of Wan Chao, Bai Zhexi looked up in puzzlement. When she saw that it really was her daughter, she immediately stood up, walked over, and asked anxiously, ”Chao'er, why have you come here? What's wrong with your face? Who hit you again? ”Come, Mom will bring you to find the person who beat you up. Don't be afraid, Mom will definitely seek justice for you.”

When Wan Chao saw such an urgent Bai Zhexi, she felt a little uncomfortable and frowned.

Bai Zhexi quickly softened her tone and begged, ”Chao'er, just take mom to find those people. I promise you, they will never dare to bully you again. if you always endure it, they will never stop. Seeing you always getting hurt, mother will feel heartache …”

Wan Chao lowered her gaze, then looked at Bai Zhexi and said, ”I bought you some steamed buns and porridge. You eat first.”

”Huh?” Only now did Bai Zhexi notice the item in her daughter's hand. She looked at the bun stand nearby.

The boss of the steamed bun stall just so happened to be looking at them, so he chuckled, ”Big sis, so this little girl actually bought it for you. Eat it, if it's not enough. I'll add another spoonful of porridge for you.”

He was very familiar with Bai Zhexi's shoe stall. In a day, he had never seen her eat before, she could only drink two mouthfuls of water at most. He had even muttered to his wife that this shoe-mending woman was really tough and could endure hunger.

Now that he saw someone buying food for Bai Zhexi, he was naturally willing to use this opportunity to display a trace of goodwill. To him, taking an extra spoonful of porridge didn't mean much of a loss.

She smiled and thanked him. Feeling a little doubtful of her daughter's actions, she could only take the bowl from her daughter's hands and return to the shoe repair booth.

”Chao'er, you … ”