visiting great uncle

"We're going to visit your great-uncle's house later. It's been a while since Mom has been there, so we bought a bracelet to give to your great-aunt," Rachel said, holding Cora's chubby little hand as they walked out of the jewelry store.

"Great-uncle?" Cora lifted her chubby face, her big, bright eyes curious. She had heard her mom mention him a few times before, but had never met him.

"Yes, your great-uncle is Mom's uncle. Mom grew up at his house when she was little, and he's always been good to me," Rachel explained, looking down at Cora with a gentle smile on her delicate face. Thinking of how good her great-uncle had been to her when she was younger made her heart feel warm.

Cora sighed softly, her pink lips pursed. If her great-uncle was so good to Rachel, why had they never come to visit before? Her mom was such an easy woman to please.

"If your great-uncle is good to you, why did you buy a bracelet for your great-aunt?" Cora wanted to say that if someone was good to you, you should be good to them in return, and not worry about anyone else.

"Great-aunt is great-uncle's wife, so of course I have to buy something for her. Besides, she's been good to me too," Rachel coaxed Cora, who looked helpless. In fact, Rachel was worried. Her great-uncle was kind to her and wouldn't give her a hard time, but her great-aunt wasn't related to her by blood and was protective of Nora. If Nora whispered something in her ear, she might say something hurtful. Cora would be there too, and Rachel didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

They went to the supermarket again and Rachel bought some fruit before leaving with Cora.

After walking for a while, Cora stopped and Rachel turned to look at her. Cora was looking at a high-end restaurant across the street, where a child was happily licking an ice cream cone that looked delicious.

Cora stood there watching, her tongue unconsciously licking her lips as if she was eating too.

Rachel rarely took Cora out, so she wanted to take her somewhere nice to eat. But the restaurant they were standing in front of seemed too luxurious, with a unique decor and mostly wealthy patrons dressed in fine clothes.

The waiter carried a silver tray with exquisite and delicious pastries, the sight of which made Rachel's mouth water.

Rachel hesitated, standing there for a while.

"Mummy, let's go eat at the street corner," Cora tugged at her mother's sleeve.

Although Cora loved the exquisite pastries that looked so delicious and melted in her mouth, she knew her mother worked hard to save money for a car. She couldn't spend money recklessly, but the pastries were too tempting to resist.

Rachel saw the longing in Cora's eyes and felt a pang in her heart. Cora had suffered too much with her.

"Let's go in and eat. We can't save enough for a car in a short time anyway. We'll just have to work harder and earn more orders every night," Rachel smiled at Cora. She wanted to make her daughter happy.

"Really? Can I go in and eat?" Cora asked excitedly, her eyes shining brightly. Although she was a good girl, she was still only five years old.

"Yes," Rachel took Cora's hand and led her into the restaurant, carrying their bags.

"Welcome..." The receptionist was about to greet them, but when she saw Rachel and her daughter dressed plainly and carrying bags, she stopped smiling and sneered. "Miss, this is a high-end restaurant. If you want fast food, please go to the basement."

She meant they were in the wrong place and this was not where they should be.

Rachel felt embarrassed, but she had promised Cora to eat here today.

"I'm sorry, we want to order here," Rachel insisted, looking up at the receptionist.

Reluctantly, the receptionist led them to a corner table so as not to disturb other diners. She thought they might leave when they saw the prices on the menu.

The waiter brought the soup and placed it on the table without a word.

Rachel held Cora in her lap and looked at the menu, unfazed by the poor service.

Cora was excitedly looking at the delicious items on the menu, paying no attention to the waiter. She had encountered many situations where people looked down on her and her mother, but the food on the menu was just too expensive.

One dish cost over 1,000 yuan, and there were even more expensive ones that cost over 2,000 yuan. One dish was equivalent to Rachel's monthly salary, and she was stunned.

"Our cheapest dim sum costs over a hundred yuan. You don't need to keep looking, you won't find anything you can afford," the waiter said, looking at Rachel flipping through the menu with a red face, feeling proud of himself.

Rachel was looking at the dessert page when Cora pulled her mother's hand.

"Mom, let's go. We can eat downstairs. It's the same as long as we're together," Cora said. It was really too expensive, and she wanted to leave with Rachel.

Just then, a waiter walked past Cora with a plate of mango pancakes, which had been ordered by the chubby boy at the next table. The mango was topped with sweet whipped cream, and it looked really tempting. Cora couldn't help but look at it and swallow her saliva.

Rachel hugged Cora and said, "It's okay, we'll eat here."

"Please order quickly!" The waiter didn't like them and was getting impatient after waiting for so long.

"Just order one of these mango pancakes and a raspberry smoothie," Rachel ordered. But she felt a bit painful, as one mango pancake cost over 100 yuan, and a raspberry smoothie also cost over 100 yuan. They spent 300 yuan on just two small desserts, which was their food budget for a week.

However, seeing Cora's expectant eyes, Rachel felt that it was worth it.

Several more desserts were served on the chubby boy's table next to them, and Cora couldn't help but glance at them before her dessert arrived.

The chubby boy noticed Cora's longing gaze and made a mocking face at her. He sneered, "Do you want to eat some?"

Look at his smug look!

"I don't want any, fatty," Cora said, raising her cute face and making a face at him, looking very disdainful.

She thought to herself that her mother's order should be coming soon, and her eyes eagerly looked towards the kitchen.

Cora saw several waiters walking towards them one after another, each holding a tray filled with exquisite and delicious snacks.