. Something to Eat
Holding the buns, steamed bread, and twisted rolls in her hands, Su He thought for a moment before grabbing two more cartons of plain milk.
Opening the door, she saw the two children waiting pitifully by the doorway, and Su He nearly burst into tears.
*Oh, previous self, previous self,* you had two such adorable and sensible children—why did you make such a mess of your life?
"Mommy, mommy," the little girl called out.
But she was too hungry, her voice already weak.
"Here, have some buns." Su He didn't care whether they'd question where the food came from and directly handed the still-warm buns to the little girl.
At the sight of the buns, the children's eyes lit up. Without asking any questions, they took the buns and began wolfing them down.
"Eat slowly," Su He said with a sigh. "There's more. No need to rush—what if you choke?"
The children ignored her, either too starved or perhaps having never tasted such delicious meat buns before. They held tightly to the large buns, eating with relish.
Su He sighed. She had originally planned to warm the milk before giving it to them, but worried they might choke, she simply popped straws into the cartons and handed one to each child.
"Mommy, what's this?" the little girl asked curiously as she took the milk.
"It's milk. Drink it to grow tall." Su He couldn't resist patting the girl's head, only to notice how rough her hair was—it probably hadn't been washed for days.
Only then did she realize that although the children's faces were clean, their hair and clothes were a mess. Perhaps because they were still too young to wash their own hair or bathe properly, they had to stay dirty.
Thinking this, Su He seethed at the previous self again.
After taking the milk, the little girl curiously took a sip through the straw, then frowned. It had a slightly tangy taste—not very pleasant. But the packaging looked so nice, and it seemed expensive, so she made herself swallow.
"Don't like it?" Su He, who disliked plain milk herself, knew it wasn't tasty.
"Mommy, it's good," the girl replied. Though the tanginess was unfamiliar, after a few more sips, she began to detect a faint sweetness.
"No rush. There's more if you're still hungry."
Looking at the sweet little girl—now *her* daughter—Su He's heart went out to her completely.
Turning to the little boy, she noticed that although he was eating too, he kept his distance from her more than the girl and still watched her warily.
Well, she'd take it slow. This was all the previous self's fault.
While the children ate, Su He hauled the rice and vegetables into the kitchen.
Seeing so much food, both children stared wide-eyed.
"Mommy saved these up. From now on, I won't let you go hungry," Su He said with a smile.
Being so young, the children naturally didn't doubt their mom.
By now, Su He was starving too. Having grown up in the countryside, she knew how to light the stove. But there wasn't much firewood left at home—only enough to boil water and make instant noodles.
What a life—can't even get the basics.
Su He took a dry piece of wood and whittled it thin with a sickle to use as kindling, then chopped the other wood into smaller pieces. After building the fire structure, she struck a match to light it.In no time, the fire caught quickly. Su He swiftly added a larger piece of wood, set the pot over the flames, and began washing it before adding water to cook instant noodles.
The two children, having just finished their buns, immediately caught the mouthwatering aroma of the noodles and hurried over, spotting the pot of boiling noodles over the fire.
"Mom, it smells so good," the little girl said, swallowing hard.
Hearing this, Su He couldn't help but smile gently. "You can have some once it's ready, but don't eat too much—it's not good for you in large amounts."
She had forgotten to get eggs earlier—being in a rush, she couldn't remember everything.
But it was fine. Su He added some meat and greens into the pot, and instantly, the aroma became irresistible.
Seeing there was even meat in the pot, the children's mouths watered, but they didn't dare reach for it.
Once the noodles were almost ready, Su He washed the bowls again and began dishing out portions.
She gave them mostly vegetables and meat, with only a small portion of noodles.
After filling two bowls, she placed them on the low table and let them choose which one they wanted.
The little boy politely let his sister pick first. The girl glanced at Su He, who was watching her warmly, then without hesitation, took the bowl closest to her and started eating.
"Be careful, it's still hot. Take your time," Su He sighed.
Only after the children slowed down did she serve herself and begin eating.
Her appetite was enormous—even after a full bowl, Su He still didn't feel full.
But for the sake of losing weight, she resisted the urge to eat more.
Probably from overeating in the past, her stomach had expanded.
"Mom, will we get to eat this again?" the little girl asked hopefully after finishing every bit of broth.
"Yes, starting today, Mom will cook delicious meals for you—you won't go hungry anymore."
Such good kids. Su He's friends were all married, and she'd met their kids, but most were quite mischievous—nothing like these two, who were so sensible.
Then the little girl's next words hit Su He hard: "Mom, can you always be this nice? No more hitting or yelling."
Tears nearly welled up in Su He's eyes. Her previous self was truly wicked—abusing children like this!
"Mom swears she'll always treat you this well from now on. Really," Su He said, scooping the girl up into her arms.
She felt so light—barely 20 pounds? Her arms and legs were so thin.
Without memories of her previous self, how was she supposed to handle this? She'd have to learn more from the kids.
The little girl, snuggled in her arms, was overjoyed. It had been so long since Mom held them like this. She clung tightly to Su He's neck—perhaps because Su He was too heavy, she suddenly had trouble breathing.
But she couldn't put the girl down now, afraid she might take it the wrong way.
Turning to the little boy, who was trying to look tough but clearly longed to be held too, Su He smiled at him. "Want a hug too?"