High-End Restaurant

"We're going to visit your great-uncle's house later. It's been a while since Mommy's been there, so we bought a bracelet to give to your great-aunt," Rachel said, holding Cora's chubby little hand as they walked out of the jewelry store.

"Great-uncle?" Cora tilted her round face up, her big, sparkly eyes full of curiosity. She'd heard her mom mention him before, but never met him.

"Yeah, your great-uncle is Mommy's uncle. I grew up at his place when I was little, and he was always really good to me," Rachel explained, glancing down at Cora with a gentle smile on her delicate face.

Just thinking about how kind her great-uncle used to be warmed her heart a little.

Cora sighed quietly, her pink lips puffed out in a pout.

If her great-uncle was so good to Mommy, why hadn't they visited before? Her mom was super easy to please.

"If your great-uncle's nice to you, why are you giving the bracelet to your great-aunt?" Cora mumbled, thinking to herself that if someone treated you well, you should return it, not bother with other people.

"Great-aunt is great-uncle's wife, so of course I have to give her something too. She's been nice to me as well," Rachel said softly, trying to reassure her daughter, who looked so tiny and helpless.

Truth was, Rachel was nervous.

Her great-uncle was kind and wouldn't give her a hard time. But her great-aunt wasn't blood-related and was always protective of Nora.

If Nora whispered something in her ear again, she might say something harsh. And Cora would be there too… Rachel didn't want her baby to feel bad.

They went to the supermarket again, and Rachel picked out some fresh fruit before heading off with Cora.

After walking a bit, Cora suddenly stopped. Rachel turned to look at her and saw she was staring across the street.

A little kid in front of a high-end restaurant was happily licking a big, creamy ice cream cone that looked really good.

Cora stood there, eyes glued to it, her tongue peeking out and licking her own lips like she could taste it through the glass.

Rachel rarely brought her out to fancy places. She really wanted to treat her daughter to something nice.

But the restaurant looked way too fancy… The decor was really classy, and all the people going in and out were dressed in expensive clothes and shiny shoes.

A waiter walked past the window with a silver tray full of delicate little pastries that looked sooo good, even Rachel was tempted.

She paused, standing there unsure for a moment.

"Mummy, let's just eat at the street corner," Cora tugged on her sleeve.

Even though she really, really wanted those soft-looking, sweet-smelling pastries, Cora knew her mom worked super hard and was saving up to buy a car.

They couldn't waste money on stuff like this… But those treats were just too tempting.

Rachel saw the look in her daughter's eyes and felt a tight squeeze in her chest. Cora had gone through so much with her.

"Let's go in and eat," Rachel said with a soft smile. "We're not gonna save up for the car that quickly anyway. We'll just work harder and take more orders at night. Mommy wants to see you happy."

"Really?! I can really go in and eat?" Cora's eyes lit up with excitement, practically glowing.

Even though she was always so mature and sensible, at the end of the day, she was still just a five-year-old.

"Yes," Rachel said and took Cora's little hand. Carrying their bags, they stepped inside the restaurant together.

"Welcome—" the receptionist was about to greet them but paused as soon as she saw Rachel and Cora's plain clothes and shopping bags.

The smile on her face disappeared, and she sneered, "Miss, this is a high-end restaurant. If you're looking for fast food, the basement floor has more suitable options."

She was basically saying they didn't belong there.

Rachel felt her face flush from embarrassment, but she had promised Cora they'd eat here today.

"I'm sorry, we want to order here," Rachel said, lifting her chin slightly.

Reluctantly, the receptionist led them to a table in the corner, trying to hide them away from the wealthier customers.

She figured they'd leave on their own once they saw the menu prices.

A waiter came over and dropped off the soup without saying a word.

Rachel sat down with Cora on her lap, looking over the menu. She wasn't even fazed by the rudeness.

Cora was excitedly looking at the delicious stuff on the menu, not even paying attention to the waiter.

She had already seen so many people look down on her and her mom, so she didn't really care anymore.

But wow... the food on the menu was seriously expensive.

Some dishes were over 1,000 yuan, and a few even passed 2,000. Just one dish cost as much as Rachel's whole monthly salary. She was literally shocked.

"Our cheapest dim sum is over a hundred yuan. You can stop looking now, there's nothing on there you can afford," the waiter said, watching Rachel's face turn red as she flipped through the menu.

He looked super proud of himself, like being rude was some flex.

Rachel was staring at the dessert page when Cora gently tugged on her hand.

"Mom, let's go. We can just eat downstairs. It's the same as long as we're together," Cora said quietly.

It was honestly just too expensive, and she didn't want her mom to spend so much. She'd rather leave.

But right at that moment, a waiter walked past their table with a plate of mango pancakes. They were for the chubby boy sitting nearby.

The mango had whipped cream on top, and it looked so good. Cora stared at it and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Rachel held Cora in her arms and whispered, "It's okay. We'll eat here."

"Please order quickly!" the waiter snapped. He clearly didn't like them and was super impatient after waiting so long.

"Just... one of those mango pancakes and a raspberry smoothie," Rachel said. But deep down, it kinda hurt.

Just one mango pancake cost over 100 yuan, and the smoothie was over 100 too. Together, it was 300 yuan, the amount she usually used to buy food for the entire week.

But when she saw the excitement in Cora's eyes, Rachel felt like it was all worth it.

More desserts were brought to the chubby boy's table next to them, and Cora glanced over again before her own dessert arrived.

The chubby boy caught her looking and made a mean, mocking face at her.

He smirked and said, "Do you wanna eat some?"

Ugh. That smug look on his face!

"I don't want any, fatty," Cora snapped, tilting up her cute little face and making a face back at him, looking totally unimpressed.

She thought to herself, Our order should be coming soon, and her eyes were already locked on the kitchen entrance, waiting hopefully.

Cora saw several waiters walking toward them, one after another, each carrying a tray filled with the prettiest and most delicious-looking snacks.