"Kindly follow me, please!" The shopkeeper led the way up a wooden staircase.
The dumpling shop was just a small place, with a wooden staircase that could only accommodate two people going up and down. Because they needed to leave room for people coming down from upstairs, everyone lined up to ascend.
Zhao Minhua was at the front, with Xiao'er following behind her, Fu Ranhui afterwards, and Zhao Youwei bringing up the rear.
Zhao Minhua was almost at the top of the stairs when a waiter carrying a large soup basin came down. Seeing the shopkeeper leading people upstairs, he waited at the side of the stairs, planning to go down only after they had all ascended.
Two frolicking children emerged from the second floor corridor and were running down the stairs. One of them, too excited, bumped into the waiter.
The contents of the waiter's basin—a few dumplings and a lot of soup—splattered towards Xiao'er and her company.