Only After I Was Reborn Did I Realize That I Had Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 30: Danger in the RestaurantIn an era where material wealth was not yet abundant, McDonald’s and KFC, which frequently appeared in TV advertisements, can be said to be the most revered food temples in the hearts of many children.
Their hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, and even small toys all seemed very high-end. Children would often yearn to visit a big city just to taste the flavors of KFC and McDonald’s.
However, Xia Yuan never had the opportunity to do so. These foods, which her mother considered junk food, were treated as prohibited items at home, just like candy and games.
Xia Yuan only had the chance to experience these pleasures when she was with Mei Fang.
In fact, upon careful consideration, Xia Yuan’s childhood life was not particularly happy when she wasn’t with Mei Fang.
In order to prevent this child from having any regrets about her childhood, Mei Fang naturally wanted to fulfill Xia Yuan’s wishes.
In a time without navigation apps, finding directions was not convenient. Fortunately, Mei Fang had previously attended university in Jiangcheng, and they could buy a tourist map at the convenience store in the train station. They quickly located a nearby KFC restaurant that was within walking distance.
Mei Fang walked ahead, pulling a small suitcase, while Xia Yuan followed closely by his side. She intentionally lowered her hat and looked around. Seeing that no one paid attention to them, she whispered to Mei Fang.
“My mom always tells me that there are many bad people near the train station and not to wander around. But it seems like no one is paying attention to us.”
“That’s just because we got lucky this time. Your mom is actually right.”Mei Fang said seriously, “So, don’t let your guard down and don’t wander around.”
“Okay!”
Xia Yuan nodded vigorously and then linked her arm with Mei Fang’s, saying, “Is this okay? This way, I won’t get lost from you.”
“Alright.”
This girl…
Mei Fang brought Xia Yuan into the KFC restaurant. It was lunchtime, and there were many people lining up to order. Xia Yuan looked at the colorful array of dishes on the KFC menu and felt a bit overwhelmed.
“What do you want to eat?”
“First, a hamburger! I want to eat… um… the Crispy Chicken Burger! But the combo seems like a good deal… the toy in the kids’ meal also seems nice, but it doesn’t come with a hamburger…”
Seeing Xia Yuan struggling to make a decision, Mei Fang decided for her, “I’ll help you order. You go find a seat first.”
“Okay…”
Xia Yuan pushed her suitcase and looked around. She found a seat at a small table next to the KFC Kids’ Playground.
Seeing Xia Yuan sitting down safely, Mei Fang stopped staring at her and focused on the menu, contemplating the changes that were gradually happening to Xia Yuan.
The argument between her parents seemed to have had some impact on Xia Yuan. She used to trust her mother unconditionally, but now she started to question some of her teachings.
These doubts may have silently formed in her mind a long time ago, but they had not been expressed due to various factors.
Mei Fang began to worry that the promise he made to spoil Xia Yuan might have become the cause of her awakening rebelliousness.
It is true that blindly following her parents’ arrangements does not lead to growth.
However, going from one extreme to another, opposing her parents just for the sake of opposing them, is not a solution either.
Fortunately, she still trusts me. In order not to betray this trust, I also have an obligation not to lead her towards extremes…
While Mei Fang was contemplating, Xia Yuan was sitting with her chin in her hands, swinging her legs, waiting for the meal with boredom. At this moment, a middle-aged man with glasses sitting next to her suddenly struck up a conversation.
“Little sister, are you alone? Are you having a meal with your mom?”
Xia Yuan shook her head, “I’m with my brother.”
Mei Fang and Xia Yuan had set their outing as siblings, and Xia Yuan firmly remembered this.
“Who is your brother?”
“Well… he’s the one in front…”
Xia Yuan just pointed out Mei Fang, who was in line, when she suddenly realized that something was not quite right.
Why is this uncle asking about this?
“Oh, I see.”
The middle-aged man with glasses smiled, “Uncle ordered too much sundae and can’t finish it. Since you’re waiting for your brother to order, how about I give this to you?”
Xia Yuan shook her head and waved her hand, “No need, uncle. My brother also bought me a sundae.”
“Great, since your brother hasn’t arrived yet, I’ll go tell him not to order, so you can save some money, right?”
“Um…”
While Xia Yuan was struggling with how to respond, the uncle had already handed over the sundae and placed it on her table.
“Don’t be polite, I just bought it and really can’t finish it.”
Saying that, the man with glasses was about to get up and greet Mei Fang, but at this moment, Mei Fang, who was still in line, had already walked over.
“Uncle, do you have something to say to my sister?”
“Haha, your sister was waiting alone and bored, so I just chatted with her.”
The middle-aged man with glasses smiled, “You two little ones came here alone to buy hamburgers, carrying suitcases. Be careful of bad people.”
“My mom and grandma are shopping at the mall now, they will come find us soon. We’re just helping to watch the luggage, no need to worry, uncle.”
“You should go line up quickly. You don’t need to buy the strawberry sundae anymore. I can’t finish it, so I’ll give it to your sister.”
“Thank you, uncle. I appreciate your kindness, but you should eat it yourself. My sister is allergic to strawberries, so she won’t eat the strawberry sundae.”
“Are you afraid that I’m a bad person? Haha! It’s normal to worry about that… It’s okay, I’m leaving now. Enjoy your meal.”
The man said and left the restaurant, leaving the strawberry sundae on Xia Yuan’s table.
Without hesitation, Mei Fang took the sundae and threw it into the trash can.
After turning around, he solemnly said to Xia Yuan, “What did I tell you when we went out? Don’t talk to strangers.”
“But uncle doesn’t seem like a bad person. I think he was just worried about me being alone and carrying a suitcase…”
Mei Fang shook his head. “Regardless of whether he is good or bad, we must follow our agreement before going out. I have to protect you.”
“I… I understand.”
Xia Yuan nodded vigorously, promising not to speak to strangers anymore.
Mei Fang bought a combo meal from KFC, including a children’s meal with toys that Xia Yuan liked, which consisted of popcorn chicken, small fries, and cola, as well as a portion of original recipe chicken and two discontinued country crispy chicken burgers. The unpleasant incident before the meal was quickly forgotten in the face of delicious food.
“Do we dip the chicken nuggets in this sauce… Mmm… It’s so delicious!”
“Mei Fang, try these fries! They’re so good!”
“The burger is so big! If I knew there would be so much, we should have just ordered one.”
Mei Fang had often suspected that KFC’s burgers were getting smaller and smaller, but even after buying another one today, he vaguely felt that the portion was not much different from his previous life.
Could it be that his hands and appetite had simply grown bigger?
Xia Yuan and Mei Fang had a great time at KFC.
After eating their fill, they looked at the map together and started to confirm the route to Grandma’s house.
“Let me see… I remember we should take bus 901 and then transfer to 304 to get there directly.”
“For bus 901, it’s marked on the map. We just need to go to the bus stop ahead.”
Mei Fang pointed out the direction of the bus stop to Xia Yuan, but his gaze paused in a certain direction, and his expression immediately became serious.
“What’s wrong? Mei Fang…”
“Don’t look around! Just glance to your right, towards the direction of the cake shop.”
Following Mei Fang’s gaze, Xia Yuan’s whole body trembled involuntarily.
At this moment, Mei Fang also held her hand tightly.
The middle-aged man with glasses who had struck up a conversation with her earlier was now standing at the entrance of the cake shop, reading a newspaper.
He hadn’t left.
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