"With the way you eat, I need to ask my uncle Steven for more living expenses,"
Sana Woods looked at her round belly and the empty plates on the table, giggled, and didn't look at Yigol Novak.
Suri Drew almost burst out laughing at the sight of the siblings.
"I'm off to deliver packages. Take care of my sister, please," Yigol said after cleaning up the dishes and putting on his delivery uniform before leaving.
It was agreed between Yigol and Suri that she would take care of Sana, while he would help the two of them.
After Yigol left, Suri quickly said to Sana: "You see, your brother is such a talented cook, and now you've seen it with your own eyes."
Sana subconsciously wanted to badmouth Yigol, but she just couldn't bring herself to say such unscrupulous words.
Her brother's cooking was indeed very good.
It was the best meal she had ever had since she was born.
She knew Yigol was good at housework, but she didn't expect him to cook so deliciously.
"Now, can you take back your prejudice against your brother? Don't think less of him just because he delivers packages. In fact, he's quite amazing."
"Just take cooking as an example. If he wants, he can get a job at any high-class restaurant, and he would be quite coveted there, earning hundreds of thousands dollars a month. Don't you think?" Suri asked.
In her heart, Sana acknowledged Suri's words, but she didn't want to admit it so quickly.
"Sis, I think you're exaggerating. My brother's cooking is delicious, but not to the extent you're saying!"
"You don't know how good those senior chefs are. I've never had their food, but the dishes they make look so delicious just by appearance. My brother's cooking can't compare with them."
Although Yigol's dishes were not as visually appealing, they were not terrible either.
He pursued taste, not appearance.
For family dinners, why bother with the unnecessary?
He understood how to make dishes visually appealing, but in his opinion, it was a waste of time, and his cooking looked very home-style.
But although it looked home-style, it tasted great, and no matter how skilled a chef was, they might not be able to make a dish better than his.
"I think you're just being stubborn and unwilling to admit your brother is impressive," Suri could see the young girl's determination.
At this age, they tend to be competitive and care about their reputation.
"Little sister, if you think he's just a delivery guy, you're wrong."
"He isn't delivering packages for a few bucks. You haven't had senior chefs' dishes, I have. I can say without hesitation that, with his cooking, if he claims to be the second best, nobody dares to say they're first."
"He could have had better treatment, but he didn't take it. Haven't you ever wondered why?"
"And, look at my good conditions, do I really need to share a place with someone else? Or should I have found someone more capable to share a place with? But I didn't, I found him. Why do you think that is?"
Sana was dumbfounded by Suri's barrage of questions.
She stared blankly at Suri, unable to say a word.
Her perception of Yigol was deeply ingrained, and she was truly reluctant to overturn her previous judgments.
Suri was no longer a little girl, but she had been one, and she could understand Sana's thoughts.
To change Sana's views on Yigol would take time, and it wouldn't happen after just one or two sentences.
"Let's go for a walk, we've eaten so much, it's perfect for digestion. Let's go shopping?" Suri suggested.
"No, I don't want to go." Sana refused without hesitation.
"Why?" Suri was puzzled.
"Don't all girls like shopping? Your brother said you lived in the countryside all your life. I don't mean to look down on the countryside, but there are indeed many things in the city that the countryside doesn't have. Aren't you a little curious?"
Sana spoke truthfully: "I'm curious, but I don't have money to buy anything, and going to see it is just asking for trouble. I don't want to be looked down upon."
She then resumed playing with her phone.
"If you like something, I'll buy it for you, as a gift for our first meeting," Suri offered.
"No, I really don't want to go." Sana refused again.
Now, Suri was a bit at a loss.
She knew that the girl must have her own self-esteem and didn't want to accept Suri's things without earning them.
"So, what would it take for you to accept my gift?" Suri seemed to be out of options.
"No matter what, I won't accept it. Sis, I'm only staying here for a few days. I'll be going home in a few days. You don't have to worry about me so much," Sana said, and then continued to play with her phone.
But Suri noticed her mood had suddenly fallen.
Did this girl have something on her mind?"
"Do you have any problems? Can you talk to me about it?" Suri tentatively asked.
Sana shook her head, not saying anything.
"I can tell that you must have something on your mind. You can talk to me about it. Maybe I can understand you and help you?" Suri placed her hand on Sana's shoulder.
"Talk to me about it. Keeping it inside isn't doing you any good. Just tell me how you feel, okay?"
"Don't you feel like nobody truly understands you? Everyone thinks you're disobedient and rebellious, but that's not your real self, right?" Suri had heard from Yigol that this was how the family always viewed Sana.
"You know what? At first, your brother thought of taking you to deliver packages together to see how hard it is to make money. But after he heard from me, he gave up on that idea, because it seemed pointless."
"That's how I see it, but I don't know what your real thoughts are. Want to share with me?"
Sana hesitated for a moment, looking at Suri.
After Suri nodded encouragingly, she finally spoke.
"My family always thinks they know what's best for me and arranges various things for me, without ever caring about what I really want," Sana finally opened up.
"When I was in middle school, my parents told me to stop going to school after middle school, and go to work instead. They couldn't afford to send two children to school, but my grades were even better. Maybe it's just because I'm a girl."
"Later, after I graduated, I didn't start working as they wanted, so they hoped I could get married. Sis, do you know? Even my marriage partner has been arranged for me."