Mowen jie comforts the old man, "Don't cry. If there's anything you need, just tell me. I'll do my best to help you."
The old man's tears still flowed uncontrollably.
Mowen said, "Mr. Old man, are you unable to find your home? Are you an orphan? If you can't find your home, tell me which place it is. I'll send you back. If you are an orphan, I will also send you back to your hometown and arrange for you to live in a nursing home."
The old man heard this and tears continued to flow, but he shook his head vigorously.
Xu Lipian saw the situation and said, "Could Wenjie be mute? If he is mute at such an old age, I wonder if he can write. If he can't write, it will be a big problem."
Upon hearing this, the old man looked at Xu Lipian and choked out, "I'm not mute, and I can also write."
Hearing this, Mowenjie also felt relieved. "As long as we can communicate, everything else will be manageable. Let's go to the restaurant together, have something to eat, and talk about your story while we're at it."
The old man timidly looked at the restaurant and then at Mowenjie. "I'm not going inside the restaurant. I just need you to buy me a few glutinous rice balls, nice person."
Mowen said, "Old man, it's okay to come inside with us. They are all my family members, and they won't mind you. What are you afraid of?"
The old man looked at Mowenjie, pointed to himself, and said, "I'll be a disgrace to you the moment I step in. Second, the boss won't let me in; it might spoil the guests' appetites. You still just buy me some mantou (steamed buns), and if I can fill my belly, that would be very grateful to me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lipian was suddenly overwhelmed with a pang of sympathy. She recalled her own past. Although she didn't become a beggar, she wasn't much better off than one. At that time, she was still young enough to work, but her poor living conditions meant that she would sometimes pick up vegetable leaves when shopping for vegetables. If she reached the age of seventy or eighty without any economic support and without any children, how much better off would her life be than that of a beggar? She wiped away her tears and said in a decisive manner: "Come and have dinner with us, old man. If anyone thinks you're affecting their appetite, they can just find another place to eat. If the owner thinks he's suffered a loss because of you, I'll compensate him accordingly. Let's go and have dinner together."
The old man looked at Xu Lipian and said with tears in his eyes, "Thank you both! I've been here for over half a year, and I've never met such kind-hearted people before."
Mowenjie wanted to go up and help the old man, but he found that the old man's body was still quite sturdy and didn't require assistance. The old man followed them willingly into the restaurant.
The boss's wife saw the old man behind Mowenjie and scolded, "You dare to run into the shop, old beggar? Get out immediately, or I'll have someone beat you out."
The old man turned to leave immediately upon hearing this, but Mowenjie grabbed him by the arm. Then he said to the boss's wife, "He's my guest. Do you have any right to kick him out?"
The boss's wife was stunned upon hearing this. Was this young man crazy? Who didn't know that this was a beggar who had been here for half a year, picking up things to eat left and right? How could such a person be his guest? She quickly said: "Brother, you don't know the whole story. He is just a beggar who has been here for half a year. I've known him for a long time already. Please don't be deceived by him, I'm just warning you in good faith."
Mowenjie asked, "We are here to have a meal. What does it have to do with your restaurant? I don't think it's your concern!"
The boss's wife replied, "It has nothing to do with your restaurant, but in fact, it's very much related. His presence here affects the guests' appetite, and that reduces my income. Can you say it has nothing to do with me?"
Mowenjie said, "From the moment he walked in, if any of the customers leave because of him, I'll compensate you for the loss."
The restaurant owner saw that Mowenjie's attitude was firm, and knew that he was not an easy person to provoke. She did not say anything else.
Mowenjie supported the old man as they entered the restaurant and sat down. Seeing that the old man's legs were still trembling, Mowenjie didn't pay too much attention to it and casually said, "Boss's wife, bring us a portion of each of your signature dishes."
Upon hearing this, the boss's wife was overjoyed. This was like a godsend! She dared not offend him, so she quickly said, "Okay, just wait a moment. I'll have it served right away."
Mowenjie smiled and said, "Now that you're settled, can you tell me about your situation?"
Upon hearing this, the old man wanted to shed tears again.
Mowenjie comforted, "Don't be sad, old man. Take your time and tell me about your situation. I can help you solve the problem."
