Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The warm atmosphere between the two of them instantly became strange.

Shen Qingyi stroked Shan Ling’s head, and the touch was as good as she had imagined.

“I can come and find you often from now on,” Shen Qingyi said softly, looking at her with her dark pupils. “What do you say?”

What could Shan Ling say? She couldn’t say anything right now. Her ears turned red, and she didn’t know where to look. This ambiguous posture should have been very awkward for two people who were “not close,” but Shan Ling was longing for Shen Qingyi’s touch.

It was just like the month they lived together. Shen Qingyi would always stroke her feathers and back, or pat her head.

The warm touch was overwhelming and made Shan Ling feel captivated.

Perhaps sensing the scrutinizing looks around them, Shen Qingyi didn’t want Shan Ling to be the subject of gossip, so she put her hand down.

She liked girls and had fallen in love with Shan Ling at first sight, but the other person might not feel the same way.

Shen Qingyi usually didn’t bother girls who were different from her, but Shan Ling was different. Shan Ling was the person she had dreamed of for a month. Shen Qingyi couldn’t bear to let her go.

“Do you want to get a card?” Xu Wentao suddenly appeared out of nowhere, breaking the strange atmosphere between the two of them. She said with a smile, “If you get a card, Xiao Ling will get a commission, and the more you top up, the higher Xiao Ling’s commission will be.”

“Is that so?” Shen Qingyi responded indifferently, her eyes still fixed on Shan Ling. “Then get me one.”

“How much do you want to top up first?”

“You decide.”

Xu Wentao looked at the two of them with a smile. She reached out and pulled the still blushing Shan Ling, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “She’s interested in you~”

Shan Ling’s face instantly turned bright red. She subconsciously glanced at Shen Qingyi, not knowing if she had heard their whispers. But she was still very nervous and held onto Xu Wentao, stammering, “Don’t, don’t say that! It’ll cause a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding about what? Let’s just get Miss Shen a card. Otherwise, it won’t be convenient for her to come and see you later.”

“!!!”

In the end, Shan Ling still got a card for Shen Qingyi, upgrading her to a premium member. Shen Qingyi was also very generous and topped up ten thousand yuan on the card. It was probably enough for Shen Jiaojiao to play until the end of time.

An hour later, without anyone prompting her, Shen Jiaojiao obediently came out of the playground. She put on her shoes and found Shen Qingyi.

“Older sister,” Shen Jiaojiao said, obediently holding onto Shen Qingyi’s trench coat. “I’m done playing.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the time. It was exactly one hour, not a minute more or less.

“Why did you come out so fast?” Shen Qingyi said, sounding a bit displeased. “You can keep playing inside.”

Shen Jiaojiao shook her head and said seriously, “My mom said that I shouldn’t play too much. One hour of relaxing is just right.”

Tao Wanyue wouldn’t let Shen Jiaojiao study all the time, but she also wouldn’t let her relax too much. She believed that combining work and rest would lead to more efficient learning. Although Shen Jiaojiao didn’t fully understand this, she knew her mother wouldn’t harm her. So, even when she was out, Shen Jiaojiao remembered her mother’s words.

“Did your mom teach you that?” Shen Qingyi sat in her chair, propping her head up, and looked down at her.

Shen Jiaojiao nodded. “My mom also told me not to cause you any trouble.”

Shen Qingyi lowered her eyes. After a while, she said, “If you don’t want to play, then don’t. What do you want to eat in a bit?”

“Can we eat KFC?”

“Sure.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the time. It was almost dinner time. She got up and walked to Shan Ling, asking, “Want to eat together?”

Xu Wentao was currently taking stock with Shan Ling. At the question, both of them looked up at her.

“Are you inviting our Xiao Ling to dinner?” Xu Wentao looked at Shen Qingyi with a smile, her eyes crinkling. “You two have such a good relationship~”

Shan Ling quickly said, “No, no. I’m the one who should treat Miss Shen to dinner. She treated me last time, and I haven’t paid her back yet.”

Xu Wentao said “Oh” and looked back and forth between the two of them with suspicion.

“Alright then,” Xu Wentao said magnanimously. “Xiao Ling, you go have dinner with Miss Shen. You don’t have to worry about this.”

“How can I do that?” Shan Ling looked at Shen Qingyi. She thought that if she was going to treat her to dinner, she couldn’t just eat anything. She thought for a moment and said, “I’ll take a two-hour break. We’ll eat in the mall and come back after we’re done.”

Xu Wentao waved her hand dismissively. “Just enjoy your meal. What can you do in two hours? Eat well, eat slowly, and come back early, okay?”

Shan Ling insisted on taking a two-hour break and left with Shen Qingyi and Shen Jiaojiao to have dinner.

“Do you want to eat at KFC?” Shan Ling had never had KFC before, but she saw many adults liked to take children there. It was all fried chicken and burgers, so it must be delicious.

Shen Jiaojiao looked at the unfamiliar older sister. She looked up and said, “I didn’t know you were coming, older sister. We don’t have to eat at KFC.”

In her mind, adults didn’t eat this kind of food, so she was worried that this unfamiliar older sister wouldn’t like it.

“It’s okay. I can eat anything,” Shan Ling said, leading the two of them through the mall. She followed the path she remembered and found the KFC in the mall. She pushed the door open and went in.

KFC was packed with people. Shen Qingyi looked around and found that there were no empty seats.

Shen Jiaojiao also noticed. She was holding onto Shen Qingyi’s trench coat, not knowing what to do.

“There are so many people,” Shan Ling said, looking at the packed place and the long line of people waiting for their food at the counter. She didn’t know why there were so many people today.

She glanced at the “Crazy Thursday” advertisement on the side and said with a troubled expression, “How about we get it to go and find another place to eat?”

“Okay,” Shen Qingyi nodded. She then looked down at Shen Jiaojiao and asked, “Is that okay with you?”

“That’s fine with me,” Shen Jiaojiao said, looking up. “I want to eat the new kids’ meal. It’s fast to make, and then we can go find another restaurant. You two can order what you like.”

Shan Ling looked at the well-behaved and sensible Shen Jiaojiao. She felt that this child was not as mischievous as the children she had met. She had a calm demeanor that was surprisingly similar to Shen Qingyi’s.

“You two really look alike,” Shan Ling said with a smile. “I’ll go order first then.”

Shen Qingyi was stunned by her words. She looked down at Shen Jiaojiao and saw that the little girl was also looking up at her.

“Older sister?” Shen Jiaojiao looked at her, confused.

“It’s nothing.”

Shen Qingyi looked away. She looked at Shan Ling in her brownish-red uniform and thought she might have been mistaken. She and Shen Jiaojiao didn’t even have the same mother, so how could they look alike?

The kids’ meal also came with a small toy. Shan Ling let Shen Jiaojiao choose one herself, and then the three of them left the restaurant together, planning to find another place to eat.

There were a lot of people in the mall, especially during dinner time. It was visibly more crowded.

Although Shan Ling had been working here for almost a month, she had never really eaten here. She walked with Shen Qingyi and stopped at a porridge shop in a corner.

The porridge shop was called “A Bowl of Porridge.” The storefront was pitifully small, with only three tables. There were some braised dishes at the counter.

Shan Ling remembered that Xu Wentao had brought porridge from this place before. It wasn’t expensive, but it tasted very good. However, the shop was too small for dining in, so most people were more willing to order takeout.

Behind the glass counter, a woman in an apron was busy cooking porridge. Various ingredients were being chopped on the cutting board, and when the porridge in the pot was ready, she would add them in batches.

Shen Qingyi saw her stop in front of the small porridge shop and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to eat here?”

Shan Ling thought for a moment and said, “Actually, this porridge is very delicious, and it looks very hygienic since the kitchen is open. But I can’t just treat you to porridge. You treated me to so much food last time.”

“That’s fine,” Shen Qingyi said with a gentle smile. “If you want to eat, let’s go in.”

With that, Shen Qingyi turned to look at Shen Jiaojiao and asked, “Do you want to drink porridge?”

“Yes,” Shen Jiaojiao said brightly.

Since two of the three people had agreed, there was no reason to argue anymore. Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi went into the shop and sat down.

The woman in the glass kitchen heard someone come in, so she turned around and came out from the back.

“I’m so sorry. I’m the only one in the shop today, so I’m a bit busy,” the woman said politely to the three of them. “There’s a QR code on the table. You can just order yourselves.”

The woman was pretty and looked very gentle. Her face was covered by a mask, so her exact age couldn’t be seen, but she looked very young. Her black hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head and was completely covered by a hat.

Shan Ling asked curiously, “Why are you the only one? Can you handle it?”

“It’s okay,” the woman said with a gentle smile. “The shop is just mine. The girl who does the cashiering took the day off. You can go ahead and order.”

Perhaps because she was the only one, the takeout orders were turned off, so it wasn’t too busy.

Shen Jiaojiao already had her KFC kids’ meal, so Shan Ling and Shen Qingyi ordered the porridge they wanted. Shan Ling also ordered a few braised dishes. The porridge in this shop wasn’t expensive. The cheapest one was only 8 yuan, and the portions of the braised dishes were also generous, unlike other shops where a small plate would cost thirty or forty yuan.

After the dishes were served, the woman also gave them a small plate of sweet shredded pork, saying it was for the child.

The three of them drank the porridge. Just as Shan Ling had said, the porridge tasted very good. It was one of the few good porridges Shen Qingyi had ever had.

After they were full, Shen Qingyi pulled out a few tissues and told Shen Jiaojiao to wipe her hands clean.

“Your sister is so well-behaved,” Shan Ling said, looking at Shen Jiaojiao without blinking. She smiled and said, “I haven’t even asked for your name yet.”

“My name is Shen Jiaojiao,” the child said in a muffled voice. She was carefully wiping the oil from between her fingers and said softly, “Older sister can call me Jiaojiao. That’s what my dad, mom, teachers, and classmates all call me.”

“Jiaojiao. That’s a very cute name.”

Shen Jiaojiao was still diligently wiping her hands. She looked up at Shan Ling when she heard her words and then lowered her head shyly.

Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling and was silent for a moment before asking, “When is your day off?”

Shan Ling looked at her, confused.

“You can’t not have a day off in a week, can you?” Shen Qingyi looked at Shan Ling and said, “The cafe recently launched some new drinks. I was thinking that on your day off, you could come and sit at my cafe.”

Shen Qingyi was afraid that Shan Ling would think it was coffee, so she added, “It’s flower tea and fruit tea. I’m sure you’ll be able to get used to the taste.”

“Is that so?” Shan Ling looked at the empty bowl in front of her and thought for a moment. Then she looked up and said, “Then… how about tomorrow?”

Shen Qingyi nodded. “It’s okay if you’re not free. We can do it next… huh?”

She didn’t expect Shan Ling to agree so readily. She looked at her in confusion, but then she smiled. “Okay. Then I’ll wait for you at the entrance of your community at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning.”

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