Chapter 2: Tofu Dregs

Li Hong looked at the apple in her hand, then at this disheveled woman, and really felt the urge to cover her face and cry. Forget it, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger; she wiped the apple a few times on her own clothes.

*Crunch.* She took a bite. Hmm, although it had been sitting for a while, it was still edible and even tasted sweet.

After finishing the apple, she still felt hungry.

"Xiaoxiao, is there anything to eat?"

Wang Xiaoxiao gathered her knotted hair, which she wasn't even sure could be combed out. The gesture was alluring, but her appearance was sloppy.

"You know how it is," she spread her hands. "I'm not very good at cooking. All I have at home is instant noodles. If you want to eat, make them yourself, and wash the bowl when you're done." After saying this, she managed to find a spot to sit down with some difficulty. She sat there, her eyes narrowing as if she were about to fall asleep.

Fine. Li Hong stood up and stretched, then headed to the kitchen. But the moment she stepped inside, she immediately rushed back out. However, seeing Wang Xiaoxiao in that half-asleep state, she could only roll her sleeves back down.

Entering the kitchen again, she truly didn't know how a woman like Wang Xiaoxiao had managed to grow up. The kitchen was as dirty as a pigsty. How many days had the bowls on the table gone unwashed? How many days had the floor gone unswept?

She ran a finger across the table, and sure enough, her fingertip was covered in a layer of dust.

"Lazy woman, dirty woman. Look at you, how are you ever going to get married?" she muttered while cleaning up. She felt like an old lady, becoming more and more prone to nagging.

"Mmm..." A lazy female voice chimed in. "You're not lazy, you're not dirty, and you can make money, but you haven't managed to get married either, have you?"

Li Hong’s hand paused. When she turned around, she saw the same disheveled woman standing outside, looking just as unkempt as before. Furious, she threw the rag at her.

"Wang Xiaoxiao, are you looking for a beating?"

Wang Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes. "No, I'm just hungry. Is there anything to eat?" After saying this, she turned around and sat back on the sofa, slumping over listlessly and drifting off to dreamland, even though her stomach kept growling. She didn't want to get up.

Li Hong held her breath for a long time, nearly suffocating herself.

Once again, she picked up the rag from the floor and started scrubbing and cleaning. After wiping the table and mopping the floor, she organized everything in the refrigerator, throwing away anything that was spoiled, rotten, or inedible.

She went out to buy groceries and rice. By the time she finished everything, she felt sore in her waist and legs. She really was getting old. She pounded her legs; she couldn't even handle a little bit of work without feeling exhausted. If that wasn't old, what was? She looked at her waist, pulled at the skin, and saw it was already losing its elasticity.

A thirty-year-old woman is like dregs of tofu.

The two women finished dinner well past ten o'clock. Wang Xiaoxiao was still dressed the same way. According to her, she spent enough time putting on an act outside; couldn't she be casual at home? Besides, she was the only one there—who was she supposed to dress up for?

"What, hiding out here again?" Wang Xiaoxiao had eaten until she was round and full, and now she lay on the sofa, motionless. Li Hong looked at her lazy posture, yet still-slender body, then looked at her own. She really wanted to strangle her. They were the same age, so why did she gain weight just from drinking water, while Wang Xiaoxiao, as lazy as she was, could eat as much as she wanted without gaining an ounce?