A week passed faster than either of them had expected.
Every morning, Shen Jia opened Miracle with fresh energy, adjusting chairs, wiping tables, and placing the daily placard outside. Ding Feng worked in the kitchen with growing confidence.
She handled the front.
He handled the kitchen.
And somewhere between long workdays, shared meals, quiet late-night cleanups, and small conversations, they had grown closer.
It did not happen dramatically, nor did everything change at once.
But enough that the silence between them no longer felt awkward.
It was another busy afternoon at Miracle.
The lunch rush had already begun, and nearly every table was occupied. The bell above the entrance chimed constantly as customers came and went. Shen Jia moved gracefully from table to table, taking orders with her usual polite smile.
At one corner table, four high school girls sat together, giggling excitedly as they looked over their menus.
Shen Jia approached them.
"Are you ready to order?"
