The two of them arrived at Wanmin Hall. At this time, Xiangling might not have been born yet, so she wasn't around.
"Order whatever you like. It's my treat today, so don't be shy," Elliot said with a gentle smile.
Hearing this, Ningguang timidly took the menu.
She had never eaten out before, so she looked around nervously, clearly uneasy.
Maybe it was a fear born of poverty, or maybe it was her deep-rooted inferiority complex—but she seemed very timid, feeling as though everyone around was watching her, making her extremely uncomfortable.
She glanced over the menu and its expensive prices.
After flipping through it several times, she finally ordered the cheapest dish: stir-fried vegetables for 300 Mora.
"Ningguang, spending money out in the world is also a necessary part of life.
Most business dealings and conversations happen at the dinner table. Eating puts people in a good mood, and that makes negotiations more favorable."
"The reason we didn't do that today is because I already have the upper hand."
"In business, when you don't fully control the situation, it's best to discuss things over a meal."
Elliot had learned this approach from real life. Most business negotiations happen over food—whether in five-star hotels or roadside barbecue stalls.
That's because eating triggers dopamine release. The higher the calorie content, the more dopamine the body produces.
That's also why many couples who argue often make up after sharing a hot pot or a cup of milk tea.
After hearing Elliot's explanation, Ningguang picked up the menu again and added one more dish—a meat dish, moderately priced, neither expensive nor cheap.
Elliot also ordered something. After they finished their meal, he hired three workers, bought a lot of materials, ingredients, and some daily necessities, then headed home.
He had the workers repair all the places in the house where wind and mold got in.
...
By afternoon, the setting sun had turned the sky golden.
After paying the three workers, they left, and the house was mostly fixed up.
At least it no longer let in wind or rain.
"Elliot, let me make dinner," she offered.
"I'll cook tonight. Let me show you what I can do," Elliot said confidently.
"Then... okay..." she replied, a little disappointed. Then she added, "Can I help prep? I can chop vegetables and stuff."
Her words reminded Elliot of when Eula once nearly begged him to let her wash the dishes.
They were both such good, sensible kids.
He didn't know if being a good, sensible child meant you were doomed to suffer... or if it was suffering that made them become that way.
"Alright, just help me chop these up."
"Okay!"
Given a task, Ningguang lit up with joy.
Before long, the small home was filled with the aroma of cooking.
"I'll serve the rice!" Ningguang excitedly grabbed a small bowl and filled it to the brim.
Elliot brought the dishes to the table.
"Eat more, you need to grow. Look how thin you are." Elliot kindly kept adding meat to her bowl.
"That's enough, really... You should eat too, Elliot." Ningguang was flustered by the attention and didn't know how to respond.
Elliot started eating as well. Every time he noticed her bowl running low on meat, he immediately added more.
"Eat more veggies, and don't rush. Enjoy your food."
Saying that, he placed a few more slices of meat into her bowl.
As she ate, Ningguang's eyes turned red.
Before Elliot could react, tears began to stream down her face.
It had been...
So long.
So long since she'd eaten with someone else at home.
Back in Liyue Harbor, whenever the sun set, she would see mothers calling their children home for dinner, and the children would reluctantly head back.
She'd walk past thousands of glowing windows—but none belonged to her.
In those windows, she saw bustling families, parents nagging their kids.
She could smell the aroma of home-cooked food.
Every time she felt the warmth of someone else's home, envy overwhelmed her.
Because...
No one would ever call her home for dinner again.
There was no warm meal waiting for her.
No one was there, waiting for her to come back.
There was no cheerful chatter to fill the silence.
Every time she returned to that dark, wooden shack, it felt unbearably cold and lonely.
At her age, she had already lost her parents. With no relatives or friends, she was completely alone.
Perhaps only she understood that kind of pain.
Now, with Elliot's arrival, the house felt warm again.
The wind no longer seeped in. The rain no longer dripped through the ceiling. There was warm food on the table.
"Elliot..."
"I miss my mom and dad..."
Tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the wooden table.
One drop, two drops, three drops...
"I'm here. I'm here. It's okay," Elliot gently comforted her.
Ningguang hadn't felt the warmth of a home in so long.
She was still just a child.
But she had endured far too much.
At her age, most kids would cry over a scraped knee or a fall.
But Ningguang never did.
She was like a cold, unfeeling machine—mocked, called a little beggar, her feet frozen in winter, shunned, cursed.
None of it ever made her cry.
Because she knew—no one would feel sorry for her. No one would comfort her. They'd only mock her.
All she could do was curl up in that cold, empty wooden shack, cry herself to sleep, then get up the next morning to make Mora meat to sell.
Now that she had someone to rely on, she finally let go of her guard and broke down in Elliot's arms.
She could finally release even a little bit of the heavy burden she had carried for so long.
She finally let herself feel.
"I'm so sad, Elliot... I'm so sad..."
"I'm so tired... I used to walk barefoot all day... I was so tired... My feet hurt so much..."
"My voice would go hoarse from shouting, but no one ever looked at me... On rainy days, I'd get soaked... and even when I tried to take shelter at someone's door, they'd chase me away..."
"The summer ground was scorching... really scorching... But if I didn't sell Mora meat, I couldn't survive..."
"I feel like... like I forced my way into a world that doesn't want me..."
"I feel like I have no purpose in this world... No place here... No home... I want to die..."
"But... but..."
"Elliot... then I met you..."
"You're so good to me... You gave me hope again... You made me feel warmth again..."
"Wuwuwu... it's so warm... really so warm... No one's hugged me in so long..."