Jiaojiao pressed the doorbell outside the door, and within seconds, footsteps could be heard from inside. The door opened, and it was Mrs. Shen. Seeing Jiaojiao and Lu Xian standing outside, Mrs. Shen was very pleased: "Itâs Jiaojiao! Do you want to come in and sit for a bit?" Then she looked towards Lu Xian standing beside her: "Is this Jiaojiaoâs brother?"
Seeing Mrs. Shen, Jiaojiao also breathed a sigh of relief, shook her head and smiled, saying: "Aunt Su, this is my godmotherâs eldest son, my brother Lu Xian." She handed over the small basket in her hand: "Aunt Su, Iâm not coming in. My grandma is waiting for me at home to have dinner. These are some snacks my grandma made, from our hometown, called wormwood cakes. Please have a taste."
"Oh, thatâs very kind of you." Mrs. Shen was a straightforward person, and in recent days, she had often given some overseas treats to the Ruan Family, so she took the small basket from Jiaojiao and turned around, saying: "Wait here for a moment. Aunt Su will empty the basket for you."
Jiaojiao responded, waiting outside with Lu Xian.
Inside, when Mrs. Shen came in with the small basket, she saw Shen Bai standing by the phone in the living room talking on the phone. She shouted loudly: "Xiaobai, come and taste this snack sent by the Ruan Family. Seems like itâs called wormwood cakes. The name is quite interesting..."
The call was from Shen Ting. Fifty thousand yuan was not a small amount, and withdrawing it not only required a phone confirmation but also an appointment, so Shen Ting first called home, and Shen Bai was the one on the phone.
Fifty thousand yuan was not much to the Shen Family, but why did Shen Ting need so much money for travel? Shen Bai was worried he might be scammed or something wrong was happening, which made his expression a bit serious.
Mrs. Shen saw his expression wasnât quite right, so she walked over and asked: "What is it? Whoâs calling?"
On the phone, Mrs. Shen was asking as Shen Ting on the other end just heard Mrs. Shen shouting, and after a moment of shock, he urgently asked Shen Bai: "Brother, what did Mom just say?!"
Shen Bai looked at Mrs. Shen beside him and then listened to Shen Tingâs urgent question on the phone, simply handed the phone to Mrs. Shen, saying: "You guys talk it over."
Mrs. Shen suspiciously took the phone and didnât forget to tell Shen Bai: "You empty the basket and give it back to Jiaojiao outside, donât keep her waiting too long."
Shen Bai nodded, even though he was a bit wary of the things in the basket, his good manners didnât let that show.
On the phone, Shen Ting was still urgently asking Mrs. Shen: "Mom, what did you just say? What wormwood cakes?" Shen Tingâs heart was racing as he said this.
Mrs. Shen chuckled: "Youâve got sharp ears. You can hear so clearly even over the phone. Itâs the Ruan Family next door making some snacks from their hometown and giving them over, saying theyâre called wormwood cakes."
"Wormwood cakes..." Shen Ting muttered to himself on the other end.
"Yep, the name is quite strange. By the way, what were you just saying to your brother?"
Shen Ting was still muttering about the wormwood cakes on the other end. It wasnât until Mrs. Shen called out to him a couple of times that he snapped back to reality, a bit dazed: "Nothing, Mom, I have other things to deal with. Iâll hang up now."
Shen Ting hung up the phone, sitting by the bed, unable to snap out of it for a long time.