9 Chapter 9: Changing your life starts with meals (4/4)

Luo Hao rolled up his sleeves and walked to Xiao Ying with a smile.

He helped Xiao Ying push the fabric into the dye vat.

"Brother, why did you come?" Xiao Ying looked at Luo Hao and immediately showed a brilliant smile on her face.

"I thought you should be off work soon, so I came early to pick you up," Luo Hao said while pushing the silk cloth. The dye in the vat also floated onto Luo Hao's face due to the pressure of the bamboo pole above.

"Oh, Luo Hao is here. Xiao Ying, you can go back early today," said a middle-aged woman wearing a cotton coat who walked over from behind. "Anyway, there is not much work left."

"Hello, Auntie Liu. Let's go ahead then." Luo Hao greeted the woman in front of him with a smile.

This Auntie Liu was a well-known kind person in the northern street. The women working in the dye shop were usually from families with difficult living conditions. During the Chinese New Year, she would make some clothes out of waste fabric and give them to the people in the slums.

The clothes Luo Hao and Xiao Ying were wearing were also given to them by Auntie Liu.

"Go ahead, and when you have time, give Xiao Ying some good food," Auntie Liu said with a wave of her hand, while urging them to leave.

Luo Hao didn't hesitate, he took Xiao Ying's cold little hand, which was soaked in the fuel, and walked out.

"Hey? Brother, our house is in that direction," Xiao Ying said as they encountered a fork in the street. [1]

"On the street next to the market, I rented a new house, so we don't have to live in the slums anymore," Luo Hao said, realizing he hadn't told Xiao Ying about the move.

He then told Xiao Ying everything he had done today.

"So you mean we don't have to sleep on a straw bed and cover ourselves with a scavenged blanket anymore?" Xiao Ying asked with excitement.

"And do we really have pork to eat at night? Is it true?" she continued.

After hearing Luo Hao's words, Xiao Ying immediately bounced up happily. Luo Hao just smiled and nodded. He was genuinely happy that he could change their living environment.

Luo Hao led Xiao Ying by the hand all the way to their new home. When they arrived, Xiao Ying was excited for a long time before finally calming down. She hugged the rough wooden bed that looked like a normal girl's bed and the warm bedding on top of it for a long time.

It wasn't until Luo Hao went to the kitchen to wash the rice and cook that Xiao Ying reluctantly stood up.

After arriving, Luo Hao couldn't help but bring his face close to the bowl and sniff it with his nose.

A strong aroma of meat accompanied by the flavors of sugar and soy sauce made Luo Hao immediately salivate and take a bite.

Holding a piece of meat and a plate of greens, he walked towards the living room.

As soon as the braised pork was on the table, Xiao Ying immediately exclaimed and was about to pick up a piece with her chopsticks.

But then she quickly put them down again.

"Why put it back? Just eat it," Luo Hao said.

"It won't taste as good when it cools down."

Looking at Xiao Ying, who seemed to be doing something wrong, Luo Hao couldn't help but smile.

"Let me eat first."

Xiaoying smiled slightly and picked up the biggest piece of meat from her bowl and put it in Luo Hao's bowl.

She then picked up some greens while Luo Hao swapped positions to make it easier for Xiao Ying to pick up the meat.

Both of them hadn't had rice and meat for a long time and were completely focused on eating. Even Xiaoying, who was small, ate two large bowls of rice.

After dinner, they went to the well together to fetch water and wash dishes.

"Brother, why do we suddenly have money?"

"We can buy meat and rice, rent a house, and buy bedding..."

While washing dishes, Xiao Ying suddenly remembered something and asked Luo Hao.

"Yesterday, I met a lost wealthy person on the mountain, and I helped him find his way out," Luo Hao said.

"He found me today and gave me ten taels of silver as a reward. There's still some silver left, so we can set up a small stall near the marketplace and do some business. You don't have to work at Aunt Liu's dyeing workshop during the cold winter."

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[1]-In this context, "fork" refers to a point where a road or path divides into two separate directions. It is called a fork because the road or path resembles a forked shape, similar to the utensil used to eat food. So when Xiao Ying says "they encountered a fork in the street," it means they reached a point where the road splits into two directions, and they have to decide which way to go.