“You… you… why are you here?” Felicity asked in shock, slowly standing up from her chair.
Kayden studied her for a moment and replied, “Didn’t I tell you a long time ago I would come? I’m here to treat your face.”
“What?” Felicity was stunned. Just moments ago, she had convinced herself that he might have lied to her, that perhaps she would never see Kayden again in her lifetime. Yet, here he was-standing before her, and for such an unbelievable reason.
The fact that Kayden came at all was enough to make her happy. She dared not ask for anything more.
Felicity’s face flushed red in an instant. She lowered her head shyly, her eyes glistening, and spoke softly, “I thought you were lying to me.”
Her voice was faint, but Kayden still caught her words. He stepped closer and said firmly, “I never lie. If I promise you something, I will do it.”
Hearing this, Felicity’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. She bit her lip and nodded slightly, murmuring a timid “Mm.” At that moment, she didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m a bit hungry. Why don’t you cook me some noodles?” Kayden said, sitting down across from her.
“Ah! Oh, okay!” Felicity replied, quickly moving to the stove to start cooking.
As she worked, she spoke over her shoulder, “After I came back home, I used that money to open this shop. My mother’s health isn’t good enough for her to work in the fields anymore, so we started this business to make a living. It’s doing pretty well-we make a few hundred a day.”
Kayden responded with a simple “Mm,” saying nothing more.
“By the way, did you come here for something specific, or…” Felicity trailed off, hesitating to finish her sentence. She wanted to ask if he came to see her, but saying it aloud felt too embarrassing.
Kayden, however, was blunt. “I came to see you. Didn’t I promise you I would?”
His words made Felicity’s heart swell with sweetness, as if it had been coated in honey. She lowered her head, silent, stealing a quick glance at him. He was as cold and composed as ever. The more she looked at him, the faster her heart raced.
Before long, the noodles were ready. Felicity placed the bowl in front of Kayden.
The noodles were loaded with ingredients: pig’s feet, pork chops, chicken-everything the shop offered.
Kayden glanced at the bowl but said nothing. He simply lowered his head and started eating.
At that moment, three people entered the shop: a middle-aged couple and a young girl. The girl was short, standing about 5’1″, but extremely overweight, weighing around 160 pounds.
When Felicity saw them walk in, she greeted them cheerfully: “Uncle Leo, Aunt Clara, Annie.”
“Where’s your mother?” the middle-aged woman demanded as she stepped inside. Her expression made it clear she didn’t enjoy speaking to Felicity.
Felicity called out toward the back of the house, and soon her mother emerged from one of the rooms where she had been resting.
“You’re here,” Felicity’s mother said, immediately noticing the three people at the door.
The overweight girl didn’t even bother to greet her. She kept her head down, playing with her phone, occasionally brushing her nails or glancing up to shoot a disdainful look at Felicity, rolling her eyes each time.
Both the girl and her mother were heavily overweight, their figures nearly identical.
The moment the older woman, Clara, saw Felicity’s mother, her already unpleasant expression darkened further.
“I have to say, Mona, you’re becoming more and more shameless, aren’t you? Do we always have to come to you before you think it’s appropriate to address things?” she said, her tone accusatory and angry.
“What’s the matter, Clara?” Felicity’s mother asked, sitting down across from the couple.
Felicity also sat down beside her mother, but before she could even settle, the overweight girl, Annie, snapped irritably, “Why are you sitting here? Did I say you could sit next to me, you ugly freak?”
As she spoke, Annie brushed her hands off, as if afraid of catching something contagious.
Her words cut deep, pouring salt into Felicity’s wounds. Already insecure, Felicity grew even more uneasy.
“I’m sorry, Annie,” Felicity whispered, shrinking back and moving farther away from her cousin.
Annie was Felicity’s older cousin, but she had never treated Felicity as family. To her, having a cousin like Felicity was a source of shame and embarrassment.
“Ugh, you’re so annoying. Just looking at you makes me sick,” Annie muttered under her breath.
Felicity’s mother noticed the exchange but merely smiled faintly, as if she was used to this kind of treatment.
“Leo, Clara, is there something you need?” she asked, still unsure of their purpose for visiting.
“What do you mean, ‘something we need’?” Clara retorted sharply. “I’ve noticed you’re becoming more and more ungrateful, Mona. Tell me, when your husband was sick, who plowed your fields? My husband did that for you, didn’t he? And when your husband passed away, who handled all the funeral arrangements? That was us, wasn’t it?”
It was true that when Felicity’s father was ill, Clara’s family had helped plow their fields. But the crops grown there had all been taken by Clara’s family. And while they had handled the funeral arrangements, the money for the expenses had come from Felicity’s mother and Felicity themselves. The condolence money, however, had been entirely pocketed by Clara’s family.
Felicity’s mother’s face darkened. “But didn’t you take all the crops from those fields? And during the funeral, you also took all the condolence money. We paid for everything, yet in the end…”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Clara shouted, cutting her off. “Are you saying you think we should’ve done nothing? If we hadn’t plowed that land, it would’ve gone to waste, and the fruit company wouldn’t have been interested in leasing it. Do you think your land is worth anything without us?
“And don’t forget, when your husband died, Leo and I worked tirelessly for seven days straight to handle everything. Leo even stayed up every night to greet your guests. That was his older brother-of course, he was entitled to the condolence money. And now you’re trying to argue about that? You’re unbelievable, Mona. Absolutely shameless. Do you have any idea how hard we worked?”
Hearing Clara’s outburst, Felicity’s mother quickly backtracked, trying to calm her down. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I know you’ve always done a lot for us. So, why did you come here today?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb with me,” Clara snapped. “Fine. If you won’t admit it, then I’ll get straight to the point.”