A woman came out carrying a plate of greens. Seeing the girl with dark circles at the door, she immediately spoke.
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and scoop the rice. Do you want me to serve it and feed it to your mouth for you?"
That one scolding made the dark-eyed girl shrink her neck at once. She hurriedly responded, went into the kitchen, and, as if she'd always known what to do, deftly opened the disinfection cabinet, took out a rice scoop and a small bowl, and filled it with rice.
A mother's role, a younger brother, plus the dark-eyed girl, all sitting together to eat.
An ordinary meal, the standard: one plate of greens, plus something else.
The mother picked up the remote, turned off the TV, and scolded her younger brother.
"Don't watch TV while you eat. Eat your food quietly. Have you forgotten about getting choked by a fish bone last time?"
With that sentence, the "other dish" on the table transformed into a plate of steamed perch.
