The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Meat is very expensive; the price of one pound of meat at the market is enough to buy several pounds of vegetables.

Therefore, meat almost never appeared on their dinner table.

The only meat dish was some not-so-fresh eggs and small pieces of fatty meat that others didn't want.

Xu Nian herself didn't care, as long as she had something to eat.

But whenever he saw Xu Xi's sickly thin body, he felt very uncomfortable.

Xu Xi had just saved up some money to buy clothes, so Xu Nian decided to use the money to treat her to a better meal.

"Welcome, are you two?"

The waiter quickly came to greet them and attend to them.

Xu Nian nodded. It was his first time entering a self-service restaurant, and he didn't know how to proceed with the meal, so he could only follow the waiter's lead.

"Yes, both of you."

The waiter led the two to the front desk and spoke to Xu Nian.

"Sir, the original price of our tickets is 99 yuan per person, but now we have a grand opening promotion and they are only 49 yuan per person. The deposit is 30 yuan per person. Please pay here."

Xu Xi was startled when she heard the price.

She tugged at Xu Nian's sleeve, signaling him to leave.

That much money... if you buy groceries yourself, it could easily last a week.

"49 + 30, that's 79 yuan per person, right?"

Xu Nian was a little confused. He didn't know what a deposit was, and only understood it as part of the ticket price.

Upon hearing this, the waiter realized that Xu Nian might be eating at a buffet for the first time, so he patiently explained.

"Sir, the ticket is 49 yuan per person, and you have two hours to eat. During this time, you can choose any ingredients in the restaurant without any limit."

"However, to avoid you wasting food, we will collect a deposit of 30 yuan before you dine. After you finish your meal, we will check and find that you have not wasted any food, and we will refund the deposit in full."

Xu Nian suddenly realized that he understood after this explanation.

After paying their tickets and deposits, the waiter led them to a seat.

"This is the raw meat section, that's the cooked food section, and this is the drinks section. Enjoy your meal."

"Sister, is it really true that I can eat as much as I want?"

Xu Xi blinked her big eyes and asked.

Although she still felt a pang of heartache for her brother at the price of 49 yuan, Xu Xi was determined to get her money's worth since she had already paid.

The waiter smiled and said, "Yes, you can eat as much as you want as you can, but remember to take small portions frequently and avoid waste."

Xu Nian walked to the ingredients section and looked at the dazzling array of ingredients, feeling like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.

Pork, beef, lamb... all kinds of snacks and fried skewers were piled up on the shelves as if they were free.

He remembered what the waiter said, took a little of each, returned to his seat, and followed the actions of others to put the raw meat into the oven, turning it over and over.

After Xu Nian had grilled several pieces of meat, Xu Xi returned with the ingredients.

"Little Stream, why did you take so much?"

Xu Xi was seen holding a plate in one hand and another plate between her little fingers.

"Brother, isn't it true that we can eat as much as we want?"

That's one way of saying it...

Xu Nian looked at the three plates she brought over, each plate piled high with meat.

If he were to eat all that meat, he probably wouldn't be able to finish it all.

"But you're taking too much; it's bad to waste food in the end."

Xu Xi shook her head and straightened her chest.

"It's okay, brother, I can finish it."

Xu Nian was both amused and exasperated; it seemed the 60 yuan deposit was not going to be refunded.

He shook his head, thinking to himself, "Never mind, we've finally managed to get out for a nice meal, so I'll just make sure my sister is happy."

At first, Xu Xi hadn't mastered the method of grilling meat and burned several pieces.

After getting used to it, she was able to find a way to bake it just right, without burning it or leaving it undercooked, so that it would taste the best.

"Eat slowly, be careful not to choke."

Xu Nian poured Xu Xi a glass of juice and watched her enjoy it, so she couldn't help but urge her to drink it.

Before long, Xu Nian was somewhat frightened by her.

The three plates in front of Xu Xi were now empty.

"Have you finished eating?"

Xu Xi nodded happily, her mouth greasy.

Xu Nian was completely stunned.

Those three plates were piled high with meat; each plate must have weighed at least two pounds.

That's six pounds of meat! Even Xu Nian herself felt nine-tenths full after eating two plates of meat, which was almost three pounds.

This little girl has such a big appetite?

Xu Xi wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth, then picked up the plate and went to the ingredient area to get the ingredients.

A little while later, she returned carrying two large platters full of ingredients.

Xu Nian had already eaten quite a lot. He sat in his seat, occasionally sipping his juice.

He fell silent as he watched Xu Xi, who still had a hearty appetite and was eating meat with gusto.

"Brother Xu Nian, I'm full."

"I'm really full, brother. I'm quite thin, and my stomach is small, so it can't hold much food."

"Brother, I can't eat that much..."

He recalled that when he first brought Xu Xi home, all the money he had was enough to buy a boxed lunch.

Xu Xi ate only half of that small boxed lunch before insisting that she was full.

He was so stupid, really, he actually believed Xu Xi's words.

"Brother, why are you crying?"

Xu Xi noticed a tear rolling down her brother's cheek and asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Nian quickly wiped her reddened eyes and waved her hand.

"No, you were just a little irritated by the smoke. Keep eating."

She wasn't actually full; she just didn't want him to go through the night hungry.

Xu Nian forced back her tears and started grilling meat for Xu Xi, coughing loudly every now and then, pretending to be uncomfortable from the smoke.

During the two-hour meal, Xu Xi's mouth was practically never stopped.

The empty plates piled up in front of her proclaimed her impressive record.

It wasn't until the last ten minutes, when the waiter came to remind her that it was almost time, that Xu Xi reluctantly followed Xu Nian back to the front desk after taking a few more pieces of cake from the dessert area and stuffing them into her mouth.

"Thank you both for not wasting any food. Here is your deposit, please keep it safe."

......

"Are you full?"

Stepping outside the store, a summer evening breeze was blowing in her face, and Xu Nian asked.

Xu Xi nodded slightly: "I should be able to eat a little more..."

After saying that, she rubbed her belly, which was already stretched to a round shape.

Xu Nian squatted down and gently wiped away the remaining oil stains from the corner of her mouth.

"Xiaoxi, were you faking it when you ate so little before?"

Xu Xi was puzzled by this sudden remark, but soon she remembered that when her brother first brought her home, she only ate half a box of lunch and gave the other half to her brother under the pretext that she was full.

Her face instantly flushed crimson with embarrassment, and her toes couldn't help but twitch inside her newly bought shoes.