NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Chapter 30 – Peril at the Restaurant
In an era when material life was not yet abundant, McDonald’s and KFC, often featured in TV commercials, were considered by many children as the most revered temples of food. Their burgers, fried chicken, fries, sundaes, and even small toys seemed very upscale. Children dreamed of visiting big cities just to taste KFC and McDonald’s.
Xia Yuan never had such opportunities. These foods, considered junk food by her mother, along with candy and games, were strictly forbidden at home.
Only at Mei Fang’s place could she experience these joys.
Reflecting on it, Xia Yuan’s childhood wasn’t particularly happy when she wasn’t with Mei Fang.
To prevent her from having regrets, Mei Fang naturally wanted to fulfill her wishes.
Without navigation, finding directions wasn’t easy. Fortunately, Mei Fang had studied in Jiangcheng before. They bought a tourist map at the station’s convenience store and quickly found a nearby KFC restaurant within walking distance.
Mei Fang pulled the small suitcase, and Xia Yuan closely followed, lowering her hat to look around. Seeing no one paying attention, she whispered to Mei Fang, “Mom always says there are many bad people near the station, so I shouldn’t run around. But I don’t see anyone paying us much attention.”
“That’s just luck this time. Your mom is right,” Mei Fang said seriously. “Still, be careful and don’t wander off.”
“Okay!”
Xia Yuan nodded forcefully, then linked her arm with Mei Fang’s. “This way, I won’t get lost.”
“Fine.”
The girl…
Mei Fang brought Xia Yuan to the KFC restaurant. It was lunchtime, and many people were queuing to order food. Xia Yuan looked at the colorful menu board, feeling overwhelmed.
“What do you want?”
“First, a burger! I want… um… a crispy chicken burger! But the combo seems good… the toy in the kids’ meal looks nice too, but there’s no burger…”
Seeing Xia Yuan hesitate, Mei Fang decided for her. “I’ll order for you. Go find a seat first.”
“Okay…”
Xia Yuan pushed the suitcase around, eventually finding a small table near the KFC play area. Seeing her seated safely, Mei Fang stopped staring and started thinking about Xia Yuan’s changing behavior.
Her parents’ arguments seemed to have affected Xia Yuan. She began questioning some of her mother’s teachings, a change that might have been brewing for a while but hadn’t surfaced until now.
Mei Fang worried that his indulgence might have triggered her rebellious streak.
Following orders blindly doesn’t lead to growth. But rebelling just to rebel isn’t the solution either.
Fortunately, she still trusted him. To honor that trust, he couldn’t let her go to extremes…
While Mei Fang was pondering, Xia Yuan rested her chin on her hand, swinging her legs impatiently. Just then, a middle-aged man wearing glasses approached her.
“Little girl, you’re not alone, right? Eating with your mom?”
Xia Yuan shook her head. “With my brother.”
Xia Yuan remembered they were supposed to be siblings.
“Who’s your brother?”
“Um… the one up there in line…”
Xia Yuan pointed out Mei Fang in line, only realizing later something was off.
Why would this uncle ask?
“Oh, okay.”
The middle-aged man smiled. “I have extra sundae here. Since you’re waiting for your brother, why don’t you have it? It’s leftover anyway.”
Xia Yuan shook her head. “No need, Uncle. My brother already got me a sundae.”
“Good, I’ll tell him not to order one then. You can save money. What do you think?”
“Um…”
Before Xia Yuan could answer, the uncle placed the sundae on her table.
“Don’t be shy. I just bought it. I can’t finish it.”
The man stood up to call Mei Fang, but Mei Fang had already walked over.
“Uncle, did you need anything with my sister?”
“Heh, saw you sitting alone and thought I’d chat a bit.”
The middle-aged man smiled. “Two kids buying burgers and carrying suitcases, be careful of bad people.”
“My mom and grandma are shopping at the mall. They’ll come find us soon. We’re just keeping watch. Don’t worry, Uncle.”
“You should join the queue. Don’t buy the sundae. I can’t eat it, so give it to your sister.”
“Thank you, Uncle. I appreciate your kindness, but please keep it. My sister is allergic to strawberries. She can’t eat strawberry sundaes.”
“Are you worried I’m a bad guy? Haha! It’s normal to be cautious… No worries, I’ll leave now. Enjoy your meal.”
The man left with his bag, the strawberry sundae still on Xia Yuan’s table.
Mei Fang threw it away without hesitation.
Turning back, he sternly said, “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t talk to strangers.”
“But Uncle didn’t seem like a bad person. He was just worried about me being alone and carrying luggage…”
Mei Fang shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if he’s good or bad. We have to follow our agreement. I need to protect you.”
“I understand.”
Xia Yuan nodded firmly and promised not to speak to strangers again.
Mei Fang ordered a KFC combo meal, including the kids’ meal with a toy Xia Yuan liked. They had chicken nuggets, small fries, and Coke, plus two discontinued crispy chicken burgers. The earlier discomfort was quickly forgotten in the joy of the meal.
“This chicken piece needs to be dipped in this sauce… Mmm… so delicious!”
“Mei Fang, try these fries! So yummy!”
“The burger is huge! I wish we had ordered just one.”
Mei Fang had always suspected KFC’s burgers were getting smaller, but today’s purchase made him feel the portions hadn’t changed much since before.
Maybe his hands and appetite had grown?
Xia Yuan and Mei Fang had a wonderful time at KFC.
After eating, they checked the map to confirm their route to Grandma’s house.
“I remember we take bus 901 and transfer to 304.”
“Bus 901 stops at the next station.”
Mei Fang pointed out the direction of the bus stop. His expression turned serious.
“What’s wrong, Mei Fang?”
“Don’t look around! Just glance to your right, towards the cake shop.”
Xia Yuan followed Mei Fang’s gaze, her body trembling involuntarily.
The middle-aged man who had spoken to her earlier was standing at the cake shop entrance, reading a newspaper.
He hadn’t left.
End of Chapter 30.