Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Table Nine had a great location. Outside the glass wall was a ginkgo tree, and across the cobblestone street was the park’s lake. Sitting here allowed one to enjoy the outdoor scenery and the warm sunlight, making it an excellent spot for coffee.

Shan Ling placed the cake on the table and looked up, meeting Shen Jiaojiao’s eyes.

“Sister Xiao Ling, it’s so nice to see you,” Shen Jiaojiao said in an adult tone. “Jiejie hasn’t taken me to the amusement park recently. I thought I wouldn’t see you again.”

Shan Ling asked in confusion, “Didn’t Shen Qingyi take you recently?”

“No,” Shen Jiaojiao picked up a small fork, cut a small piece of cake, and offered it to Shan Ling’s mouth. She said, “Sister Xiao Ling, the first bite is for you.”

Shan Ling didn’t hesitate, opening her mouth to take the bite.

The red velvet cake was rich and dense. The sweet flavor, mixed with a slight bitterness, stimulated the taste buds, making both flavors more pronounced. It was exceptionally delicious.

“Is it tasty?” Shen Jiaojiao blinked and asked curiously.

“It is,” Shan Ling commented. “All cakes are delicious.”

Shen Jiaojiao nodded, cut a small piece for herself, and the sweet taste made her very satisfied.

After eating the cake, Shen Jiaojiao continued the previous topic.

“Jiejie gave the amusement park card to my mom a while ago, asking her to take me when she had time, but my mom prefers me to focus on my studies, so she gave the card away,” Shen Jiaojiao said.

The amusement park card wasn’t registered by real name. Refunds might be difficult if one didn’t want to play anymore, but transferring it to someone else was fine.

Shan Ling told Shen Jiaojiao, “I don’t work there anymore. I’m helping your sister here now.”

“Then I can see Sister Xiao Ling often from now on. That’s great!” Shen Jiaojiao was very happy. She liked Shan Ling a lot and especially enjoyed spending time with her.

“Do you and your dad come to the shop often?” Shan Ling asked her.

Shen Jiaojiao nodded: “My dad brings me here once a month to remind Jiejie about coming home for dinner.”

“Coming home for dinner?”

“Yes. Jiejie doesn’t like living with us, so she lives alone, but she comes back to eat with us every month. My dad is afraid Jiejie won’t come, so he always brings me here a day or two in advance to remind Jiejie about coming home for dinner.”

So that was it.

Shan Ling looked back at the stairs to the second floor, thinking that Shen Hongjun and Shen Qingyi must be discussing coming home for dinner up there.

Previously, Shan Ling only knew that Shen Qingyi lived alone, but she never knew anything about her family. Now, she suspected that the Shen family’s affairs might be much more complicated than she thought.

Shen Jiaojiao sat on the sofa bench, swinging her short legs, and said, “Sister Xiao Ling, are you my sister’s friend now?”

Shan Ling didn’t understand why she asked that.

“Because my sister doesn’t have any friends,” Shen Jiaojiao chewed on the small spoon and told Shan Ling, “I’ve only seen Sister Nuonuo all this time. Dad said Jiejie has no friends, so he wants me to spend more time with her.”

Shen Jiaojiao then said worriedly, “But Jiejie doesn’t seem to like me.”

“No, I think Yiyi likes you very much,” Shan Ling touched Shen Jiaojiao’s little head and comforted her, “If she didn’t like you, why would she take you to the amusement park so often?”

“Then does Jiejie like Sister Xiao Ling too?” Shen Jiaojiao asked, drawing a parallel.

Shan Ling was instantly speechless. Thinking about the time with Shen Qingyi on the balcony this morning, her naked gaze towards her was indeed… a sign of liking, right?

Shen Jiaojiao looked at Shan Ling and suddenly said, “Jiejie, your face is red.”

Shan Ling sprang up instantly and told her, “Don’t talk nonsense. I’m going to take care of something else.”

Shen Jiaojiao watched her leave, then moved her bottom and continued to eat her cake. While eating, she wondered, “Why won’t she admit her face is red? Sister Xiao Ling is so thin-skinned.”

Hanging her head, Shan Ling hurried back to the counter and rubbed her cheeks to make herself look less flushed.

Nuonuo had just finished a takeout order and was packing it. Seeing Shan Ling return, she said, “Hey, you…”

“My face isn’t red. The heating is just turned up too high,” Shan Ling quickly explained.

Nuonuo paused: “I was just asking you to hand me a straw.”

Shan Ling was stunned for a moment, then blushed and gave her two straws.

Nuonuo tucked the straws into the takeout bag and leaned over, smiling slyly: “Oh, what happened? Why are you blushing?”

Shan Ling pushed her away: “Stop it, stop it. We’re at work.”

“I am working properly. It’s your face that’s red. Tell me, tell me, why are you blushing at work? Hurry up and tell me!”

“No, no, it’s too hot!”

Nuonuo didn’t believe her. She nudged Shan Ling, trying to get information: “Did little Jiaojiao say something to you? Don’t let her age fool you. She’s very clever. Nothing escapes her notice.”

Shan Ling shook her head furiously, blushing: “No, don’t ask anymore.”

“Alright, alright,” Nuonuo let go of her but still smiled: “But you and the Boss dating is going to happen sooner or later, so a few weeks doesn’t matter.”

Shan Ling stopped Nuonuo’s nonsense and quickly went to take a customer’s order.

About ten minutes later, Shen Qingyi and Shen Hongjun came down from upstairs. Shan Ling didn’t know what they discussed, but Shen Qingyi’s expression remained calm.

Shen Hongjun glanced at Table Nine, saw his younger daughter eating cake, and smiled. He turned to Shan Ling and said, “I’ll take a cup of coffee, please.”

“Certainly,” Shan Ling took his coffee order. Nuonuo went to the back kitchen to make the coffee.

While waiting for the coffee, Shen Hongjun turned to Shen Qingyi and said, “It’s settled then. Come home for dinner tomorrow night.”

Shen Qingyi nodded.

Once the coffee was made, Shan Ling put on a heat-resistant sleeve and handed it to Shen Hongjun.

“Thank you,” Shen Hongjun politely took the coffee from Shan Ling’s hand, glanced at her, and smiled slightly.

Shan Ling noticed that Shen Qingyi’s chin was very similar to this man’s, but other features were not, especially her eyes. Shen Hongjun had handsome, heroic eyes, but neither of his daughters seemed to inherit that; both daughters had very gentle eyes.

She figured both daughters likely resembled their mother more.

Shen Hongjun took the coffee and walked over to his younger daughter, sitting across from her, watching the view outside the window with her. He took a few pictures of Shen Jiaojiao with his phone, and the little girl posed cooperatively. They looked especially harmonious.

But Shan Ling turned around and saw Shen Qingyi watching the scene calmly, looking a little… out of place.

It was as if she were observing a stranger’s father and daughter.

“Yiyi?”

Shan Ling suddenly called Shen Qingyi’s name, which brought her back to attention. She turned to Shan Ling with a puzzled look.

“Mhm…” Shan Ling thought for a moment, stood on her toes, leaned over the counter, and whispered to Shen Qingyi, “Let’s go grocery shopping after work. I’ll make you delicious coconut chicken soup.”

Shen Qingyi’s normally cool eyes suddenly brightened. She looked at Shan Ling and smiled slightly: “Okay.”

After Shen Jiaojiao finished her cake, Shen Hongjun took her and left the coffee shop.

It wasn’t long before it was time for the coffee shop to temporarily close. After the last customer left, the three of them began tidying up the tables and chairs, preparing to close.

Nuonuo changed out of her clothes, said goodbye to the two of them, and left. Shen Qingyi locked the door and walked with Shan Ling toward the parking lot.

“Yiyi, are you going out to dinner tomorrow?” Shan Ling added, “Jiaojiao told me today.”

Shen Qingyi looked at her, nodded, and didn’t hide anything.

“I go home for dinner once a month,” Shen Qingyi said. “This time is set for tomorrow evening.”

Shan Ling said, “Oh,” and said, “Then I’ll take the subway home tomorrow. I can ride with Nuonuo.”

After learning that Shen Qingyi was going to the Shen family’s house tomorrow, she had checked the route home and found that it was very convenient, just one subway ride.

“I’ll take you home first tomorrow, and you can change your clothes, and then I’ll go to dinner,” Shen Qingyi told Shan Ling. “Dinner there is quick. I’ll be back in just over an hour. If you don’t want to cook, you can order some takeout. I should be back around 8 PM.”

“That early?” Shan Ling was a little surprised. “You don’t want to spend more time with your family?”

Shen Qingyi shook her head and said, “You saw it yourself. My dad remarried and has a wife and daughter. It’s already troublesome for me to go to his house for one meal a month. There’s no need to stay longer at someone else’s house.”

His house, someone else’s house.

These words sounded strange to Shan Ling. She asked in confusion, “But isn’t that your home too?”

“Not anymore,” Shen Qingyi stopped in the evening breeze. A gust of wind scattered her black hair, making it dance in the cold air. She turned to Shan Ling and whispered, “From the moment he decided to remarry, it stopped being my home.”

In fairness, Shen Hongjun had never treated Shen Qingyi poorly. He gave Shen Qingyi the best education and let her do whatever she wanted, supporting his daughter with both money and power.

However, Shen Hongjun had found a new love and had a young daughter. From that moment on, he and Shen Qingyi’s worlds became separate.

He was not only Shen Qingyi’s father but also Shen Jiaojiao’s father.

Shen Hongjun, Tao Wanyue, and Shen Jiaojiao.

They were the perfect family of three, and it had nothing to do with Shen Qingyi.

Shan Ling didn’t know how to comfort her. She just felt that this kind of thinking was wrong—it was negative.

She could see that Shen Jiaojiao liked her older sister very much, and she could also see that Shen Hongjun loved his daughter very much. These were things Shan Ling saw clearly with her own eyes.

However, Shan Ling couldn’t be sure about what happened in places she couldn’t see, so she didn’t know how to comfort the other person.

The cold air of winter carried a chill. Shan Ling slowly reached out and took Shen Qingyi’s hand.

Both of their hands were cold. Shen Qingyi looked down at their clasped hands, trembling slightly as she squeezed back.

“Don’t be sad,” Shan Ling told her. “Shall we go home? Look, your hands are so cold. Let’s go grocery shopping first, and then I’ll make you coconut chicken stew when we get back, the sweet kind. It’s perfect for winter.”

Shen Qingyi nodded slightly: “Okay, let’s go home.”

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