Chapter 20 – Insatiable Desires

But what Xu Shiqi didn’t expect was that ever since that conversation, she started meeting that girl more frequently.

It was already Friday again after two days. Around 7 p.m., Xu Shiqi received a call from Wen Baohua while she was tearing off the calendar. It turned out that Xiabang had gone on a business trip again, leaving her alone at home feeling bored, so she wanted someone to go out with and talk to.

Xu Shiqi had heard that pregnant women might suddenly change their temperament and act differently from usual. On the phone, Baohua’s voice indeed sounded gloomy. Normally very optimistic, she seemed to be enduring some trouble. Since Baohua’s pregnancy was still under three months and resting seemed better, Xu Shiqi told her to stay at home and not come out, then got ready to leave.

When Wang Yuan saw her daughter going out, she casually asked where she was going. Xu Shiqi naturally wouldn’t tell the truth to avoid upsetting her, so she just said she was meeting some classmates and left.

When she arrived at Wen Baohua’s house, the woman didn’t seem much different from usual. However, as soon as she entered, the large house with only one person inside did feel quite desolate. Xu Shiqi first turned on the TV in the living room, a habit from when she lived alone, just to bring some liveliness.

Wen Baohua’s appetite seemed better than before; she brought out a huge pile of snacks to eat while talking with Xu Shiqi. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Xu Shiqi got up to open the door.

She saw Wen Jialuo standing outside.

Xu Shiqi widened her eyes and blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

Wen Jialuo gave her a sidelong glance, pushed past her to take off her shoes, and said, “Is this your house or my sister’s house?” She walked in and placed a box on the coffee table, “Sis, I brought you a mousse cake.”

“Jialuo, you’re so sweet,” Wen Baohua said happily as she opened the package and began eating in small bites.

Wen Jialuo collapsed on the sofa, rubbed her neck, and asked tiredly, “Is there any food? I haven’t had dinner yet.”

The effect of her words was startling; both Wen Baohua and Xu Shiqi, who had just walked over to the sofa, were stunned, staring at her in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

Wen Baohua quickly swallowed the dessert that was supposed to melt in her mouth and said, “There is some, I’ll heat it up for you.”

“I’ll do it,” Xu Shiqi stopped her with a hand, smiling, “No reason to let a pregnant woman do it.”

Indeed, there were some dishes and rice left in the kitchen. Xu Shiqi put them in the microwave to heat, thought for a moment, then turned on the gas to fry an egg, and finally plated it like a covered rice dish.

When she brought the plate out, she saw Wen Jialuo already sitting at the dining table, waiting. Xu Shiqi handed her a spoon and placed a cup of water by her hand.

Wen Baohua came over too, smiling, “This egg smells so good, Shiqi, did you add vinegar?”

Then she saw Xu Shiqi staring blankly at the person eating at the table. She looked over and was equally stunned. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw her sister eat like this, each spoonful filled to the brim, her mouth puffing up quickly but swallowing just as fast, devouring half the plate in no time. Wen Baohua felt goosebumps on her arms, watching her sister eat the runny yolk of the egg, which usually she wouldn’t touch, mixed with the rice.

Wen Baohua suddenly felt she might have eaten too many snacks today, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with indigestion.

Xu Shiqi’s expression mirrored hers, both women looking at each other, feeling something strange but not daring to say it aloud in front of the girl.

Wen Jialuo quickly finished her meal, pushed the plate away, and burped contentedly.

“Have you… not eaten in a long time?” Xu Shiqi joked tentatively.

“I didn’t eat much for lunch,” Wen Jialuo seemed to savor something, her eyes half-closed, not noticing the odd looks from the two women.

Xu Shiqi silently pointed at her. Wen Jialuo followed her gesture, licking her lips with her tongue, revealing a bit of runny yolk.

Xu Shiqi withdrew her hand as if scalded, then took the plate into the kitchen. When she came back out, the two sisters were already chatting in the living room, the TV now turned off.

“TV has radiation,” Wen Jialuo remarked.

“Microwaves have a lot of radiation too,” Xu Shiqi nodded, “Baohua, maybe you shouldn’t use it anymore.”

“Okay,” Wen Baohua smiled. Though her husband wasn’t around, having friends, family, and the baby inside her made the world seem perfect.

While they talked, Xu Shiqi learned that Wen Jialuo had hurried over after hearing Baohua mention craving the mousse cake she had brought home before. No wonder she looked so tired.

As the three of them sat there, most of the conversation was Baohua’s. Maybe being alone too long made her talk non-stop. She mentioned that Xiabang’s mother, upon hearing of her pregnancy, wanted to come and take care of her. Xiabang, feeling he couldn’t be there for her, had also asked her opinion. But Baohua felt it was hard for an elderly person to travel so far and adapt to their lifestyle differences, worrying they might not get along. Moreover, she privately preferred not having anyone, even her mother-in-law, intrude on her small family for too long.

Xiabang, who usually listened to her, turned down his mother this time too, though he seemed a bit silent about it.

Xu Shiqi laughed, saying the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was notoriously difficult, and Baohua wasn’t the first or the last to feel this way, so there was no need to be upset.

Baohua sighed, saying this was something she only realized after getting married and that Xu Shiqi would understand someday.

Xu Shiqi felt Wen Jialuo watching her intently. She felt a bit helpless, thinking it was better in the past when no one knew her well, and her words’ underlying meaning remained hidden. But now it felt like her carefully maintained mask had been pierced, letting in a chilling draft.

Though complaining, when Xiabang called, Baohua’s face lit up with joy as she moved aside to answer the call.

Xu Shiqi started eating snacks, a mix of sour and salty plums that twisted her face slightly, thinking indeed, pregnant women had strange tastes.

“Does your family still sell porridge?”

“Huh?” Xu Shiqi looked up.

“Can I still get porridge tomorrow?” Wen Jialuo rephrased.

“Yes,” Xu Shiqi spat out a plum pit, “… I think we also steamed golden cakes today, want one?”

“Sure,” Wen Jialuo nodded, settling breakfast for the next day.

After Baohua finished her call, she seemed very satisfied and began yawning, feeling sleepy. Wen Jialuo reminded her to limit phone use and suggested getting a landline instead, then left with Xu Shiqi.

“You seem knowledgeable,” Xu Shiqi teased as they went downstairs.

“That’s what an aunt should know,” Wen Jialuo smiled, holding her car keys, “Much closer than a godmother.”

Xu Shiqi glared at her but felt they were closer than many real sisters.

In the car, Wen Jialuo handed her a small box from the back seat. Inside was the same kind of mousse cake with a ring of strawberries, looking deliciously sweet. Xu Shiqi noticed more boxes in the back and raised an eyebrow, “Why the sudden appetite?”

“Those are for my grandmother,” Wen Jialuo started the car, “She’s been having trouble sleeping and lost her appetite.”

“Then I can’t eat this,” Xu Shiqi turned to put it back.

Wen Jialuo pulled her back with one hand, “It’s fine, just one piece won’t matter.”

Xu Shiqi settled back, but didn’t eat immediately, feeling something off about eating cake in Wen Jialuo’s car. She realized she had gotten used to Wen Jialuo driving her around. This time, Wen Jialuo dropped her off at the store without a word and left. Xu Shiqi stood at the door for a moment, then smiled and went inside.

She left the cake for her sweet-toothed mother, checked the kitchen to confirm the next morning’s menu for Wen Jialuo, and went to bed.

The next morning, she was woken by the phone ringing. In the winter, no one wanted to get out of bed. Xu Shiqi had a habit of burrowing into the blankets while sleeping, making it hard to tell where her head or feet were from the outside.

With great effort, she poked her head out and reached for the phone.

“Hello…” her early morning voice was a bit hoarse.

“It’s me.”

Xu Shiqi looked at the phone, “Wen Jialuo, what time is it?”

“Seven,” there was a pause, “Didn’t you say breakfast is from seven to nine…”

Xu Shiqi sighed, “I meant seven is fine, eight is fine, even nine is fine, a minute past doesn’t matter.”

“The early bird gets the worm, hurry up, I’m waiting at your store.”

Xu Shiqi glared at the phone, the girl had hung up without a goodbye. Xu Shiqi retreated under the blanket, thinking if Wen Jialuo wanted to wait, let her. Her store didn’t open that early. But after a while, she realized she was fully awake and couldn’t fall back asleep, so she sighed.

You win.

Half an hour later, Xu Shiqi appeared at her store’s door, panting. She saw Wen Jialuo’s car, undoubtedly with the heater on, and the girl inside comfortably reading a newspaper.

As she approached, the car door opened. Xu Shiqi got in, her breath visible in the cold, “What’s your deal, so early in the morning…”

She was cut off by a warm cup of milk tea in her hands, clearly bought from a supermarket.

Xu Shiqi held the cup, dazed.

“I was starving while waiting,” Wen Jialuo put away the newspaper, “but I saw you were cold…”

Xu Shiqi sighed, the warmth from the milk tea easing her mood. She took a sip, the sweet warmth spreading from her tongue to her stomach, making her feel better.

Wen Jialuo drove away from the store. Xu Shiqi kept looking back, “Weren’t we going to have porridge?”

“Your store is lazy, it’s not even open yet,” Wen Jialuo said casually, “We’ll eat somewhere else today.”

What a princess attitude, Xu Shiqi thought. Does she think my store is a breakfast joint? Those items are just side products. But she didn’t say it out loud, busy drinking her milk tea.

Wen Jialuo drove them to a breakfast-only restaurant. Despite only serving breakfast, it had two floors, decorated like a luxurious hotel, with well-dressed staff.

When Wen Jialuo presented a card from her bag, the manager appeared, smiling, and led them to a small private room upstairs. Without asking what they wanted, a cart was pushed in, various small plates placed on the table.

Black truffle foie gras, vinegar egg tarts, cod rolls, green tea shrimp dumplings, crab roe buns, blood glutinous rice and bird’s nest porridge…

It was a colorful array of dishes. Xu Shiqi propped her chin, watching. Wen Jialuo signed a receipt, then nodded at Xu Shiqi, “Eat up.” Seeing Xu Shiqi’s curiosity, she added, “My mom is a regular here. She called to order this for me. See what you like.”

“You wanted breakfast,” Xu Shiqi tilted her head, “What did your mom think?”

Wen Jialuo was expressionless, “Same reaction as you and my sister.”

Xu Shiqi laughed, “So you noticed.”

“You’re the strange ones, not me.”

“Why did you suddenly start eating normally?” Xu Shiqi asked carefully.

Wen Jialuo seemed to ponder, her face showing a strange expression like a wolf starving for two weeks, eyes gleaming, tongue licking her sharp canine teeth.

“I suddenly got hungry,” she finally said. Even if she filled her stomach, it still felt empty. “Very hungry.”

Alright, it was too cruel to let a very hungry person stare at a table of food without touching it. Xu Shiqi started eating, then saw Wen Jialuo eat elegantly yet voraciously. She felt it wasn’t her business, but couldn’t help worrying that Wen Jialuo might swing from anorexia to binge eating.