Mai Qiqi felt a sense of disturbance and suddenly stood up with a swoosh, turned into the kitchen, and grabbed a plate. She piled it high with a generous helping of each dish.
"You two have to finish this plate of food, and if you can't, it'll have to be thrown away. You understand the effort it takes to grow each grain, right?" Mai Qiqi said sternly as she placed the plate in front of Xiao Huaili and his sister.
"I understand." Xiao Huaili said blankly; he had learned the phrase "each grain is the result of hard work" when he was in the first grade. After a moment, his eyes reddened, and he murmured, "Thank you... Aunt."
"Come on, men don't cry all the time. Eat your food. Your sister is counting on you to provide for her," Mai Qiqi reiterated.
"Mhm, I got it." Xiao Huaili nodded vigorously, finally picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.
Mai Qiqi was much more at ease. She looked up and asked Wan Chu'er, "How's your situation going?"
