Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

That worried little face of his made him look like a little adult.

Mo Ye's heart melted at the sight, and he couldn't help but squat down again, looking her straight in the eyes:

"Tongtong, you're not old enough to earn money yet. Wait until you're older, then you can earn your own money, okay?"

Now, just tell Mom and Dad what you want. Your job is to grow up happily, okay?

Tongtong blinked and thought seriously for a few seconds.

Then she nodded, a smile returning to her little face: "Okay!"

She stood up, stuffed the money back into her pocket, then tilted her head back, staring at He Wanqing with her large, watery eyes:

"Mommy, Tongtong wants to go buy some snacks! Can I?"

He Wanqing couldn't help but laugh when she saw her daughter's "I'm being good, I want to eat" expression:

"Go ahead, Tongtong earned the money herself, she can decide how to spend it."

"Yay!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little figure ran out with a "thump thump thump," the small pocket in the front of her overalls swaying back and forth, containing her hard-earned thirty-nine yuan.

Mo Ye and He Wanqing quickly followed.

Not far away, Tongtong stopped in front of a cotton candy stall with a cart.

The stall owner, a man in his forties, was tidying something up when he suddenly felt something moving beside his legs.

He looked down and saw a tiny dumpling, its little face tilted up, its eyes sparkling as it looked at him.

"Uncle!" Tongtong asked in her childish voice, "How much is the cotton candy?"

The man paused for a moment, then laughed: "Little kid, cotton candy is one yuan each, and the big ones are two yuan."

Tongtong looked down at her little bib, then looked up at the fluffy cotton candy that resembled a cloud, and a domineering expression appeared on her little face:

"Tongtong is a rich girl! If Tongtong wants to eat, she can eat the big ones!"

The tone and expression made it sound like he was saying, "Give me the most expensive one."

The older man burst into laughter, amused by her: "Alright! Give the rich lady the big one!"

He poured a spoonful of sugar into the machine and turned it on.

The machine hummed as it started to turn, and thin strands of sugar floated out like a spider web.

The uncle held a bamboo skewer and skillfully turned it inside the machine, wrapping the sugar strands layer by layer, making them bigger and fluffier, until in no time they turned into a pink cloud bigger than Tongtong's head.

The middle-aged man squatted down and handed her the cotton candy: "Here, this is a rich woman's cotton candy."

Tongtong took the cotton candy, then took out two yuan from her pocket with her other hand and carefully handed it over: "Uncle, here's some money for you."

The uncle took the money, looked at her with a smile, and wondered whose little darling this was, so cute and so sensible.

Holding the cotton candy, Tongtong turned and ran to Mo Ye, holding it high: "Daddy, eat some!"

Mo Ye looked down at the pink cloud, then at his daughter's expectant eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He bent down and took a small bite.

The marshmallow melts on the tip of the tongue, leaving a sweet taste.

"It's so sweet," he said.

My heart is even sweeter.

Tongtong ran up to He Wanqing again: "Mommy, you eat too!"

He Wanqing also lowered her head and took a small bite, smiling as she patted her head: "Tongtong is such a good girl."

Tongtong then ate her food with satisfaction.

She took small bites, and with each bite, the happiness on her face increased. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she muttered, "Tongtong has always been a good girl..."

Mo Ye couldn't help but laugh as he looked at his daughter's blissful expression.

He reached out and picked Tongtong up: "Come on, let's find a place to have lunch first."

Tongtong nestled in his arms, holding a cotton candy in one hand and wrapping her arms around his neck with the other, her little face still covered in a few strands of candy.

He Wanqing walked beside him and suddenly asked, "What good food is there around here?"

Mo Ye looked around, his eyes searching through the shops on both sides of the street.

Then his gaze settled on a sign.

"Spot the Difference Ramen Restaurant".

Mo Ye's lips twitched.

He Wanqing followed his gaze and saw the signboard.

She paused for a moment, then turned to look at Mo Ye, a hint of doubt in her eyes: "This name..."

"It's quite unique," Mo Ye finished her sentence for her.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thing in each other's eyes: this shop is interesting...

The three of them entered the ramen shop, and Mo Ye habitually glanced around.

The shop isn't big, with about ten tables, and it's fairly clean.

But for some reason, every table had some bumps and scratches on the edges, and some even had several cracks, as if they had been violently overturned.

The tables and chairs were quite new, but the scratches gave the whole store an inexplicable eeriness.

He Wanqing's gaze fell on several shop assistants. Two were dozing off on the table, one was leaning against the wall playing on his phone, and another was lying back in a chair with his face covered by his hat, his snoring could be heard.

A sense of foreboding inexplicably welled up in her heart.

At that moment, a cough came from the kitchen, like some kind of code.

Several shop assistants instantly snapped to attention, jumped to their feet, and plastered professional smiles on their faces. Their change of expression was so fast that one wondered if they had been trained.

A middle-aged man wearing an apron poked his head out from the kitchen. Seeing customers, his eyes lit up, and he greeted them with a beaming smile.

"What a misunderstanding... No, no, handsome guy, beautiful girl, what would you like to eat? Would you like to try our signature ramen?"

Mo Ye raised an eyebrow: "What kind?"

"We have knife-cut noodles, ramen, pulled noodles, and stretched noodles!" the chef said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together. "What would you three like to order?"

Mo Ye looked at He Wanqing and Tongtong: "How about ramen?"

He Wanqing nodded, and Tongtong nodded in agreement, patting her tummy to indicate that she was hungry.

The chef asked with a smile, "Alright! How about three large bowls?"

Mo Ye nodded.

The chef then asked, "Do you want a large or small stool? Soft or firm?"

Mo Ye: "???"

He Wanqing: "???"

The air was silent for two seconds.

Mo Ye opened his mouth, but swallowed back the "Holy crap" that was about to come out.

He took a deep breath and kept smiling: "Boss, let's skip the ramen and get some of our signature dishes instead."

The driver wasn't disappointed and nodded, "Okay, take any seat you like."

The three of them found a table by the window and sat down. He Wanqing looked around; the restaurant was empty except for their table of customers. She frowned slightly. "Why is it so deserted?"

Mo Ye scratched his head, trying to explain, "Maybe it's because it's almost Dragon Boat Festival, and everyone's eating at home."

He Wanqing nodded, reluctantly accepting the explanation.

A moment later, the waiter came over with a tray. He placed the dishes on the table with practiced ease, and as he put down the last plate, he said with a smile:

"Guest, all the dishes are ready. Please let me know if you need anything."

Then he turned around and left.

The three of them stared at each other, looking down at the dishes on the table.

No.

Why is this dish so vegetarian?

A plate of tomatoes?

A plate of cabbage?

A plate of stir-fried greens and cabbage?!

There's also a plate of white rice...