Free Web NovelChapter 363: Chapter 363: Pitiful
Mark Xavier was exceptionally thin, so much so that the bones in his neck jutted out. He chewed the rice stalks with great effort, his face flushing beet red as the veins on his neck bulged. There was a strange, tragic quality to the sight.
Tang Xiao’nan understood. Mark wasn’t playing a prank; he was stealing rice stalks to stave off his hunger.
’Doesn’t he have food at home?’
After swallowing the grains of rice with difficulty, Mark finally noticed Tang Xiao’nan and her cousin. Both girls were staring at him. He was so mortified his face flushed crimson. He had his pride, but it was completely shattered now. ’Tang Xiao’nan must despise me, right?’
"That looks delicious. Amanda, I’m going to get some to try, too."
Tang Xiao’nan placed the lunchbox on Amanda’s lap and trotted over to the edge of the rice paddy, where she forcefully plucked a handful of stalks. It was her first time stealing anything, and her heart pounded in a panic, feeling like it would leap out of her chest. She quickly ran back and grinned triumphantly at the dumbfounded Mark and Amanda, then opened her hand to reveal a handful of green rice grains.
She popped a few grains into her mouth. They weren’t as hard as she had imagined. Since they weren’t fully ripe, they had a faint, grassy fragrance, but the taste was truly awful. It was like eating chaff and was incredibly scratchy on her throat. ’I have no idea how Mark managed to eat so much of it.’
Besides, if he kept eating like this, Tang Xiao’nan was genuinely worried Mark would damage his digestive system. She’d heard of people dying from eating chaff before—they became so constipated they literally bloated to death.
"It’s pretty good."
Tang Xiao’nan forced herself to swallow the grains. They tasted truly awful. ’Mark must be starving to eat this. I wonder what’s going on with his family.’
The embarrassment on Mark’s face lessened slightly. He scratched his head with a small smile and turned to leave, but Tang Xiao’nan’s voice stopped him.
"I can’t finish all this food. Amanda, if you don’t want it, I’m just going to throw it out."
"I’m full, too. Just throw it away!" freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Amanda had gotten Tang Xiao’nan’s hint and was playing along.
Mark couldn’t help but stop. Throwing away such a good meal would be a terrible waste. He turned around just in time to see Tang Xiao’nan about to dump out the lunchbox. It had meat, vegetables, and white rice. Mark blurted out, "Don’t throw it away!"
Tang Xiao’nan stopped and looked at him in ’surprise.’
"It’s such a waste," Mark said in a small voice.
"I can’t finish it, and my cousin won’t help me," Tang Xiao’nan said with a serious expression, pretending to dump it out again. freewebnøvel.com
"I’ll eat it for you!"
The words slipped out, and Mark regretted them instantly. He was afraid that Tang Xiao’nan and her cousin would look down on him, just like his classmates did. They all despised him because he was dirty, poor, and couldn’t even afford to pay his school fees.
A warm lunchbox was pressed into his hands. Mark looked up to see Tang Xiao’nan smiling at him. "Thanks so much!"
After giving the lunchbox to Mark, Tang Xiao’nan took Amanda’s hand and walked away. She knew that if they stayed, Mark wouldn’t be able to bring himself to eat.
They found another spot to sit in the sun. Amanda offered her own lunchbox to Tang Xiao’nan. "Here, eat mine. You didn’t have a single bite earlier."
’Her cousin was just too kindhearted. Even when helping someone, she should have at least eaten a few bites herself. But that Mark kid really was pitiful, even more so than she herself had been back home. At least she had never gone hungry!’
"It’s okay, I’ll have some cookies."
Tang Xiao’nan took some cookies out of her snack bag. She truly wasn’t hungry. And it wasn’t that she was a bleeding heart; she just didn’t want to see Mark starve. ’If you can help, you should.’
Still, Amanda insisted on feeding her a few bites of rice before starting on her own meal. A short distance away, Mark stared blankly at the lunchbox. The long-forgotten aroma of a proper meal made his stomach ache with hunger, and he swallowed hard.
