tkworld Chapter 14 Anyone who likes rabbits must be a good person.
Chapter 14 Anyone who likes rabbits must be a good person.
Lin Xiaoyu leaned back in the wooden chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Comfortable……"
A warm sensation radiating from her stomach throughout her body felt like a thin blanket, completely enveloping her.
The tension that had been building from staying up late completely relaxed at this moment, and even my eyelids started to feel heavy.
She hadn't felt this peace in a long time.
She turned her head to the side, glanced at the message notifications that kept popping up on her phone screen on the table, and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.
Susu and Yuanyuan are probably already on their way.
Bored out of her mind, Lin Xiaoyu's gaze fell on the wall that had amazed her when she entered the room.
She had been so focused on her work that she now only saw the wall as colorful and full of childlike innocence.
Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the rabbit paintings behind those transparent acrylic panels were actually quite... lifelike.
As a freelance illustrator, Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but deconstruct these lines.
"The brushstrokes are very immature, showing no signs of professional training," she silently commented to herself.
The lines were crooked and twisted, and in some places the pen tip had lingered for too long, leaving a thick ink dot.
Some rabbits have ridiculously long ears, and some have tails that are as round as a table tennis ball.
The use of color is extremely bold, even somewhat arbitrary, with blue rabbits and purple carrots completely defying the logic of reality.
Yet it is precisely these graffiti, which seem to have no rules whatsoever, that exude a purity that is hard to capture.
Each stroke seems to carry a cheerful rhythm, making your heart melt as you look at it.
Lin Xiaoyu's gaze shifted slightly and landed on a painting right in the center.
The rabbit was holding a steaming bowl of noodles, its two beady eyes filled with happiness.
The image of the man behind the bar suddenly flashed into her mind.
Chen Feng was looking down, focused on wiping the table with a white towel, his movements steady and efficient.
His chef's uniform was spotless, and his brows revealed a cool and composed demeanor that seemed detached from worldly affairs. Especially when he was tossing the wok and pinching the pleats, his professionalism was so striking that it was almost impossible to look directly at him.
"This contrast... is a bit too much, isn't it?"
Lin Xiaoyu pursed her lips, a strange and unsettling feeling rising in her heart.
In her world of over twenty years, a man who could create such top-notch cuisine and was so irresistibly handsome must be a perfectionist and a meticulous professional.
But how could such a cool and handsome boss personally decorate such a childlike rabbit wall in the store?
Could it be that he painted these pictures?
Just imagine Chen Feng, such a cool and aloof man, bending over with his butt sticking out, holding colored crayons, and seriously drawing these blue rabbits with ears of different lengths...
Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Surprisingly... cute." She muttered to herself, her gaze lingering on the profile of Chen Feng's face. Suddenly, she felt that this so-called "black shop owner" had come to life.
This interplay of coldness and tenderness reminded her of the steamed bun she had just eaten—a soft dough and a hot, flavorful filling.
Just as Lin Xiaoyu was looking around and imagining things, on the other side of the bar, Mengmeng was going through a difficult internal struggle.
Mengmeng has finished eating her pair of "red-eyed bunnies" and is now sitting obediently on a high stool.
She took the small handkerchief Chen Feng had given her and, imitating an adult, carefully wiped away the dumpling juice sticking to the corners of her mouth.
Her big eyes were fixed on the "pretty older sister".
Actually, Mengmeng had been paying close attention to Lin Xiaoyu ever since she entered the room.
This woman was not only the first customer in the store, but the way she looked at the rabbit wall seemed to resemble the way her father looked at her.
Mengmeng is naturally shy and rarely interacts with strangers, except for her father and godfather Zhang Qiang.
When she was in Beijing, every time the older women saw her, they would praise her for being "well-mannered" and "like a little lady," followed by polite but distant small talk.
Mengmeng didn't like that; she felt that the adults' smiles lacked warmth.
But the older sister in front of me is different.
The way this woman looked while eating the steamed bun was so realistic.
If you get burned, you'll grimace; if you choke, you'll desperately drink soy milk; and you might even stand there and laugh foolishly at the air.
Mengmeng thinks that people who like little rabbits must be good people.
But...should we go over there?
Mengmeng's little hands gripped the wet handkerchief tightly, with extra force.
She slid off the stool and stood on the stone slabs with her short legs, taking turns standing awkwardly.
She glanced at Chen Feng, who was busy preparing ingredients, and then turned to look at Lin Xiaoyu's back.
"Mengmeng, what do you want to do?" Chen Feng asked softly without turning around.
"I...I want to say something to that older sister." Mengmeng's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz, and her eyes were a little evasive.
Chen Feng stopped what he was doing, turned around, and half-squatted down so that his eyes were level with his daughter's.
He didn't urge her or do it for her; he just smiled gently and nudged her back.
"Go ahead and tell her what you want to share."
That lady just ate all the cute little bunnies!
Encouraged by her father, Mengmeng was like a little warrior fully charged with electricity.
She took a deep breath and, with somewhat stiff little steps, shuffled towards Lin Xiaoyu.
Lin Xiaoyu was studying a "rainbow-colored rabbit" card with her head tilted back when she suddenly felt a slight force tugging at the corner of her clothes.
She paused for a moment, then lowered her head.
In that instant, she felt as if she had been struck head-on by a "cuteness" from another dimension.
A little baby was standing next to her table.
The little girl was wearing a light pink cat-themed sweatshirt, and her hair was tied into two fluffy little buns, with a pair of sparkly rabbit hair clips on them.
Her little face was rosy, and her big, dark eyes, like black grapes, were looking at her timidly. Her lips were pressed tightly together, as if she was brewing something.
"elder sister……"
Mengmeng finally spoke, her voice soft and sweet with a slight tremor, instantly filling the barren land of "motherhood" in Lin Xiaoyu's heart with flowers.
Do you like bunnies too?
After saying that, Mengmeng acted as if she had accomplished something extraordinary.
She quickly took half a step back, clutching the hem of her hoodie with both hands, her big eyes fixed on Lin Xiaoyu without blinking.
Lin Xiaoyu was completely charmed.
She prided herself on being a rational woman and had seen countless adorable illustrations, but the real little sprite in front of her made her feel that all her drawings had instantly lost their vibrancy.
"Oh my god..." Lin Xiaoyu unconsciously lowered her voice, sliding off the chair and half-squatting in front of Mengmeng.
"Yes, my sister really loves these little bunnies. Did you draw all of these?"
When Mengmeng heard the words "I love it so much," her tense little shoulders instantly relaxed, and her eyes lit up with surprise.
"Mmm!" Mengmeng nodded vigorously, her two little pigtails swaying back and forth.
"These long ears were drawn by Mengmeng. But the one that changes color was colored by Daddy."
She pointed to the most prominent one on the wall.
"Sister, look, that rabbit with a round belly is full of buns."
Dad said that if we draw it on it, everyone will be as happy as a rabbit after eating the steamed buns.
Hearing this childlike explanation, Lin Xiaoyu finally found the answer to the "sense of incongruity" she felt.
It turns out that this wall is not just the owner's childlike innocence, but a dream jointly created by the father and daughter.
She turned her head and glanced at Chen Feng behind the bar, only to meet his gaze.
Chen Feng's lips curled up slightly as he nodded in thanks.
"Oh, I see." Lin Xiaoyu turned her head and looked at Mengmeng gently.
"So Mengmeng is the designer of this little shop?"
"You draw so well! I'm a professional artist, but I think your rabbits are even more magical than my own."
Mengmeng blushed shyly, her little hands clasped together: "Sister is lying. You're so pretty, your drawings must be super pretty too."
Lin Xiaoyu felt a little embarrassed by the praise.
She simply took out a small paintbrush she always carried with her from her bag, and then rummaged through the bottom of the bag for a piece of sketch paper that she hadn't used yet. She quickly drew a cartoon version of Mengmeng with big eyes and holding a carrot on it.
"As a reward, how about I give you a small gift too?"
With a few quick strokes, Lin Xiaoyu created a lively cartoon character that captured the essence of Mengmeng herself.
Mengmeng took the paper and was completely stunned.
She opened her mouth slightly, looked at the drawing on the paper, then at the beautiful older sister in front of her, and finally excitedly turned her head and waved frantically at Chen Feng.
"Dad! Look! This lady is a magician too! She made me appear on the paper!"
Chen Feng put down what he was doing and came over.
He glanced at the paper, his eyes brimming with undisguised delight.
"Thank you, that's a great drawing." Chen Feng nodded gratefully to Lin Xiaoyu. "It seems Mengmeng has made a great friend."
Surrounded by the two people, one big and one small, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly felt a long-lost sense of security.
Her grumbling about the "shady shop" and "high prices" vanished completely at that moment.
If in this fast-paced world, there are still people willing to open a shop like this in the old street to protect their daughter's childlike innocence, then a serving of steamed buns for 12 yuan is really too cheap.
"Boss, your steamed buns are not only delicious, but the atmosphere is amazing..." Lin Xiaoyu stood up and casually patted Mengmeng's head.
"It really makes you want to live here forever."
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
"Lin Xiaoyu!"
You're such a fickle friend!
Where are the steamed buns? If you dare leave me an empty plate, I'll draw your head like a pig's today!
Su Su and Yuan Yuan have finally arrived.