"Hurry up, hurry up! We still need 200 more dumpling wrappers. What are you dawdling for? The customers will be here soon. If you don't pick up the pace, I won't give you leave!"
After they shouted, a man's deep, short reply came from inside, "Okay, I got it."
Zeng Hui didn't pay attention and kept eating. Halfway through, the kitchen, which had been quiet, suddenly heard the sound of a heavy object falling, followed by a chain reaction of things crashing down.
The boss and his wife cried out.
"Oh, you're going to die! Can't you watch where you're going? You spilled it all!"
"Oh, you're really going to die! Hurry up and pick it up! The customers will be here soon. You, I'm really fed up with you!"
The man's voice became even deeper, and he apologized in a hurried tone.
There was a lot of commotion inside. By the time Zeng Hui finished the remaining dumplings, the proprietress finally walked out from the back with a grim expression.
"I told you not to keep this kind of person here, but you insisted! Bad luck. All day long, just looking at him annoys me!"
Zeng Hui didn't want to meddle in other people's affairs and asked the proprietress where to scan the QR code. The proprietress quickly changed her expression to a more pleasant one and pointed her to the window.
"Finished eating already? So fast, are you full?"
"Yes, I'm full. The taste is quite good."
"Good that you're full, welcome back next time."
Zeng Hui mumbled an "Okay" as she lowered her head to enter her password.
Just then, that deep voice suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Sister Wang, can I..."
The proprietress's face immediately turned sour again.
"Oh, you still have the nerve to bring it up? Look at what you've done back there. Customers will be here soon, and what if we don't have enough dumplings to sell!"
"You, you only think about your own petty matters all day, and you don't consider that besides us, who else would want you? What good will it do us if our business is bad? Do you think you'll have a good life if you leave us..."
Blah, blah, blah, the woman scolded incessantly, pulling some cash from her apron pocket.
Impatiently, she counted out eight hundred yuan in small bills for him.
"Alright, go, go, go! Come back early tomorrow and make up for what you wasted today. You're really so annoying!"
The man was tall, Zeng Hui estimated about 1.8 meters.
His skin was dark, and his hair was cut very short, almost shaved close to his scalp.
He wore a black sleeveless vest and black trousers, and simple flip-flops on his feet.
Very cheap, very common attire.
But his features were regular, and he was very young. His exposed arms were strong, and on his left bicep, there was a winding scar about ten centimeters long.
He looked like he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
He was a head taller than the proprietress, so why was he so submissive in front of her?
Taking the money, the man nodded gratefully at the proprietress again, glanced at Zeng Hui subconsciously, and walked towards the exit.
Zeng Hui finally understood.
He was a cripple, and he clearly didn't dare to put any weight on his right leg when he walked.
Perhaps it was due to his physical defect that he had lost half of his dignity.
Zeng Hui kept staring at him, seeming very curious about him. The proprietress, in order to win over customers, deliberately said to Zeng Hui.
"Tell me, someone like him, who has been to prison and is also disabled, who else would take him in besides kind establishments like ours?"
"We provide food and lodging, and even pay him a salary, yet he's always causing trouble, either asking for leave or messing things up. Oh, we're practically doing charity."
This man had been to prison?
For others, the first reaction to hearing such a dark history would be to distance themselves from him.
But Zeng Hui was different; she was currently in need of some unconventional resources.
If he had been to prison, he would surely have connections in that area.
Seeing that he was short of money, if she could build a good relationship with him, wouldn't she be able to find someone to help her quickly?
Whether the proprietress was doing charity or not, Zeng Hui didn't know. In any case, she was attracted by this peculiar man.
The proprietress was still rambling, but she followed him out at a leisurely pace.
Zeng Hui walked in the direction of the subway, and it seemed the man was also heading that way.
Summer had arrived, and the sun was still scorching at five o'clock in the evening.
Seeing his muscles gleaming in the sun, Zeng Hui felt a sense of powerlessness for him.
"Hey, hello."
After following him for a few minutes, she finally mustered up the courage to walk up to the man and greet him proactively.
Hearing her voice, the man looked down at her, his expression somewhat guarded.
"Are you calling me?"
"Yes. I just ate at your place."
"What's up?"
"Nothing much, I just thought your proprietress spoke quite harshly and wanted to tell you that you don't need to be like her."
Perhaps the man hadn't encountered such obvious kindness in a long time. The way he looked at Zeng Hui clearly changed, and he stopped walking.
"Thank you. Is there anything else?"
Zeng Hui said no: "I'm planning to take a taxi home. You seem to have some difficulty moving, would you like a ride?"
The man politely replied, "No, thank you for your kindness."
Zeng Hui noticed his sensitivity and smiled, "You haven't even said where you're going, what if it's on the way."
The man stated calmly that he was going to the hospital.
Zeng Hui thought of his meager eight hundred yuan and felt a stir.
"What a coincidence, I'm going to the hospital too. Let's go together."
Perhaps it was because she was so insistent, or perhaps the man was in a hurry, but he didn't refuse too much and got into the car with Zeng Hui.
In the car, Zeng Hui asked him why he was going to the hospital.
"To see my mother."
"Is Auntie hospitalized? What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing much, just a minor illness." The man was reluctant to say more and then asked her why she was going to the hospital.
Zeng Hui said her stomach was uncomfortable and she was just getting some medicine.
The taxi stopped at the hospital entrance. The man thanked Zeng Hui and hobbled inside.
Zeng Hui ran to a nearby fruit stall and bought some fruits, then went inside to find him.
He walked so slowly that she caught up with him again.
As they walked, the man looked surprised to see Zeng Hui with the fruits in front of him again.
"How did you..."
Zeng Hui said, "It's fate that we met. Since I'm at the hospital anyway, let's go see Auntie."
The man was very surprised.
Zeng Hui was very young. Although her attire was ordinary, upon closer inspection, her features were very well-defined, and she was healthy and whole.
Women nowadays were so materialistic and realistic. Logically, she should look down on someone like him, and even talking to him would be a disgrace. Why was she so enthusiastic?
"Miss, you are..."
Zeng Hui lied, "It's nothing. I have a younger brother who looks a lot like you. Seeing you reminded me of him, but unfortunately..."
"If you think I'm being too presumptuous, take these and I'll leave."
Her appearance was like a ray of light in the darkness for the man.
Finally, someone seemed to care about him, so how could he bear to let her leave?
The man instinctively reached out and grabbed her, "Don't go, I didn't mean it like that."