mummy

Eva cherished this job deeply.

She needed it too much.

But too many things had happened today, and after receiving her uncle's phone call, her thoughts had become completely distracted.

"Manager Barrett, I…" Eva frowned slightly, looking embarrassed.

Her soft pink lips parted as if she wanted to say something.

She wanted to ask whether she could quickly go home first to make dinner for Rosie before returning to continue cleaning.

But before she could finish—

"Why are you still standing there?" Barrett snapped impatiently, the delicate features on his face tightening with displeasure.

Eva instantly swallowed her words.

"Go bring out all the cups and soup spoons you washed this morning and clean them again."

Eva lowered her head quietly.

But what about Rosie?

The worry in her heart grew heavier and heavier.

"Mummy!"

A childish voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

Eva froze.

That voice sounded exactly like Rosie.

Was she hallucinating because she missed her daughter too much?

She turned around hurriedly—

And there really stood Rosie.

Eva's eyes widened in shock.

"Rosie? How did you get here?"

Rosie stood obediently at the entrance of the coffee shop wearing a light-yellow princess dress. One chubby little hand held an insulated lunch box, while the other was held by a slightly plump middle-aged woman.

The little girl smiled sweetly, her eyes curving into crescents.

"This is Aunt Harris!" Rosie introduced proudly.

"I asked her to bring me here."

Eva looked at the unfamiliar woman in surprise.

"Aunt Harris?"

The woman smiled kindly.

"I live next door to you. I just moved in recently, so you probably haven't seen me before."

Then she explained warmly,

"Rosie came knocking on my door. She said her mommy was busy today and couldn't come home to cook for her. She said she was hungry, so I let her eat at my house."

Aunt Harris looked to be around sixty years old. She was slightly plump and had an especially gentle smile that made people instinctively relax around her.

Eva instantly felt both grateful and guilty.

"Thank you so much," she said sincerely.

"Today's work has been especially busy, and I couldn't get away. I was worried Rosie wouldn't have anything to eat."

Her eyes softened as she looked at her daughter.

"Thank you for taking care of her."

"Please come inside and sit for a while," Eva quickly added politely.

But Aunt Harris waved her hand with a smile.

"No need, no need. Rosie said you probably haven't eaten either, so she begged me to bring her here."

The older woman chuckled softly.

"I was actually busy and didn't plan to come at first, but this child is too adorable. Those big watery eyes of hers looked at me pitifully, and my heart softened immediately."

Aunt Harris genuinely liked Rosie.

The little girl was beautiful, sweet, and unusually sensible for her age.

She had even promised to give Aunt Harris a massage someday to thank her.

Even though it was only childish talk, it still warmed the older woman's heart.

Eva wanted to insist on keeping Aunt Harris for a meal, but the woman said she still had things to do at home and politely refused.

In the end, Eva could only thank her repeatedly while watching her leave.

Afterward, she carried Rosie inside and stared at her seriously.

---

Rosie blinked innocently.

"I was really hungry," she explained softly.

"So I knocked on Aunt Harris's door."

The little girl proudly pointed at her round tummy.

"She thought I was cute, so she gave me a huge bowl of food. Look, I'm super full now!"

Her grape-like eyes sparkled brightly as she looked up at Eva.

In truth, Rosie had been worried her mother would be angry.

Eva never liked her accepting food from strangers.

But Rosie wasn't only worried about herself being hungry.

She knew her mommy was probably too busy to eat too.

Every single day, Eva cooked fresh meals for her no matter how exhausted she was.

But today, she hadn't even gone home.

Rosie guessed her mother was too busy working to take care of herself.

That's why she had gone to Aunt Harris for help.

"Mommy, you probably haven't eaten yet either."

Rosie jumped down from Eva's arms and pulled her toward a chair like a tiny adult.

Then she carefully opened the insulated container and began taking out the still-warm food inside.

At that moment, warmth flooded Eva's exhausted heart.

How could she possibly scold her daughter now?

Eva pulled Rosie into her arms and sat her gently on her lap before feeding her a piece of meat.

"This meat tastes delicious," Eva said softly with a smile.

"Mommy likes it very much."

Then her tone became slightly more serious.

"But you can't do this again next time, okay? What if you meet a bad person?"

Her voice was gentle and crisp, filled with endless love and faint worry.

Rosie pouted immediately and muttered under her breath,

"I'm not as silly as you, Mommy."

Eva blinked.

Sometimes, despite being Rosie's mother, she really could be adorably clueless.