Chapter 241: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse – 46

Su Mingyue waved with a smile. “No need to be polite. Now’s the time for everyone to work together and share the load.”

“Well, alright then.” Aunt Niu rubbed her hands sheepishly, then sat back down with a smile to continue eating her noodles.

Of course, A Cai had seen the whole exchange.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. The Su Family really had kind hearts. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have offered money to help treat his father’s illness back then. These were people truly worth repaying.

The noodles were ready in no time. Mother Su brought over a bowl for Shen Xiuyan.

“I made quite a bit. There’s still more in the pot. If anyone wants more, help yourselves.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Young Master Huo dashed over like lightning.

Father Huo jumped in surprise and scolded him with a laugh, “You little rascal, leave some for your Uncle Su.”

Father Su laughed heartily. “It’s fine. Let the kids eat first. They’ve had a long, hard day. If it’s not enough, I’ll cook more later.”

“You’re always spoiling them.”

“How is this spoiling? We old folks can’t help much with the real work. Letting them have a little more in the small things is the least we can do.”

Father Huo chuckled. “You’re right.”

Shen Xiuyan, sitting off to the side, polished off two large bowls of noodles in a row.

He wiped his mouth, finally full.

Then he leaned back comfortably on the sofa to rest.

Just then, a small rubber ball came rolling over.

Following its path, Shen Xiuyan saw a child with bright, sparkling eyes staring at him nervously.

When the child noticed his gaze, he jumped in fright and ran to hide behind an elderly man nearby.

The old man gave Shen Xiuyan an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Kids don’t know any better. Hope he didn’t bother you.”

“It’s fine,” Shen Xiuyan replied. He didn’t dislike well-behaved children—especially the quiet, polite kind who didn’t cry or throw tantrums.

He picked up the ball and waved with a smile. “Here, your ball.”

The child looked at his grandfather, then at Shen Xiuyan. Only after the grandfather nodded did he trot over.

Hugging the ball tightly, the boy mumbled shyly, “S-Sorry, big brother.”

Aww, what a good kid.

Shen Xiuyan ruffled his fluffy head. “It’s alright. What’s your name?”

“Sun Miao Miao~” The boy tilted his head up and stretched out his little arms. “I’m five years old!”

Just as he finished, his stomach let out a loud “grrrrowl~.”

The boy clutched his belly with one hand and covered his mouth with the other, looking embarrassed.

Shen Xiuyan chuckled. Must’ve been the smell of meat from up close that tempted him.

“Hungry?”

The boy nodded shyly, then suddenly shook his head quickly as if remembering something.

“N-No, I’m not…”

Shen Xiuyan ignored the fib. He stood up and saw there was still a bit of chicken soup left in the pot.

After confirming no one else wanted it, he ladled it into a bowl.

“Here, take this.” He handed the bowl to the boy.

The boy’s eyes lit up, but then dimmed again.

“No, I don’t want it…”

Shen Xiuyan looked at the elderly man behind him. “It’s just leftovers anyway. Let him have it.”

The old man glanced at his thin, small grandson. His heart ached. After a long moment of hesitation, he didn’t refuse.

His voice trembled slightly with emotion. “Miao Miao, take it. Listen to your big brother.”

Even then, the boy didn’t dare reach out right away. Only after seeing the firm encouragement in his grandfather’s eyes did he finally accept the bowl, blushing furiously.

“Th-Thank you, big brother~” he said in a crisp, sweet voice.

Shen Xiuyan waved it off. “No need to thank me. Go eat~”

The boy turned excitedly to look at the meat in the bowl, then stumbled back toward his grandfather, clutching the soup.

The old man quickly steadied him with one hand and took the bowl with the other.

From a short distance away, the boy’s cheerful voice rang out. “Grandpa, hurry! Let’s bring it to Daddy so we can all eat together!”

“Alright, alright.” The old man’s voice was full of warmth and affection.

Brother Lei was setting up their sleeping area for the night. When he turned around, he saw his son running toward him with a flushed, excited face.

“Daddy, Daddy~”

Brother Lei caught him in his arms. “What’s got you so happy?”

“The big brother gave me meat! We can all eat together!”

Brother Lei blinked. “Big brother?”

The old man walked over and explained, “Just now, Miao Miao accidentally rolled his ball over to Young Master Shen. He saw it and gave him a bowl of chicken soup. Here, take it and let Miao Miao eat.”

Brother Lei quickly took the soup and, seeing the generous chunks of chicken inside, was overjoyed. This was a rare treat.

Holding the bowl in one hand and steadying Miao Miao with the other, he said, “Come, sit down. Daddy will feed you the meat.”

Miao Miao shook his head firmly. “No, I want to eat it with Daddy and Grandpa.”

The old man was touched. “I’m just an old bag of bones. I don’t need it. You two eat.”

Miao Miao pouted. “If you don’t eat, I won’t eat either.”

Brother Lei chuckled and patted his head. “We’ll all eat. Dad, don’t be shy. One piece each, and the rest is for Miao Miao.”

The old man sat down, a little embarrassed. “We’re grown men. How can we fight a child for meat?”

Brother Lei laughed heartily. “That’s because our Miao Miao is so thoughtful. Even at his age, he already knows to care for his elders.”

“Filial. Miao Miao is filial,” the boy echoed between slurps, his words a bit garbled.

“Hahaha, you little glutton. Here, have a sip of soup first.”

Watching his son devour the food, Brother Lei once again felt a pang of guilt.

No, tomorrow he had to work harder to find better supplies. At the very least, his son should be able to eat well.

Right now, Brother Lei was truly grateful to Shen Xiuyan. And it wasn’t just because of the meat.

It’s easy to add flowers to a brocade, but offering help in a snowstorm? That’s rare.

He asked himself if he could’ve done what Shen Xiuyan did. The answer was no.

In times like these, even a single piece of meat was hard to part with.

Shen Xiuyan’s generosity earned his sincere admiration.

*

By the sofa.

Shen Xiuyan looked at Su Mingyue, who had walked over with a mysterious air, and raised an eyebrow.

“Wife, what’s up?”

Su Mingyue leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Do you know whose kid that was just now?”

Shen Xiuyan shook his head, puzzled. “Whose?”

“Sun Lei’s. I passed by and heard the kid calling him ‘Daddy.’”

“What?” Shen Xiuyan hadn’t expected that.

There were several kids on their bus. How was he supposed to know who belonged to whom?

Su Mingyue said enviously, “That kid is so, so sweet. Even when he got the soup, he didn’t drink it himself. He insisted on sharing it with his dad and grandpa.”

Shen Xiuyan asked curiously, “What about his mom?”

“How should I know? Either divorced or passed away. I haven’t seen her around.” Su Mingyue stomped her foot and raised her voice. “That’s not the point! The point is that kid—is—so—adorable—got it?”

Seeing the fire practically blazing in her eyes, Shen Xiuyan nodded like a pecking chicken. “Got it, got it, got it.”

Then he added, “But it’s not safe right now. Once we find a secure place where we can settle down long-term, we’ll definitely have a baby even cuter than him.”

Su Mingyue finally smiled in satisfaction. “Now that’s more like it.”

— Translator’s Notes —

• add flowers to a brocade: This is a Chinese idiom meaning to make something already good even better, often used to describe unnecessary embellishment.

• offering help in a snowstorm: This is a Chinese idiom meaning to provide timely assistance during difficult times, highlighting the value of genuine help when it’s most needed.

• nodded like a pecking chicken: A Chinese expression describing someone nodding repeatedly and eagerly, often used to show enthusiastic agreement.