"Oh, I see. Thank you, Auntie. I’ll go find my mother first."
Shen Xianjun felt a pang of bitterness but obediently shouldered his bag and followed the tracks left by the cart wheels.
"Mom, Auntie, so you’re here! I didn’t know. I left Xianjun at the doorstep. Had I known you were here, I’d have brought him along."
Hu Jun hadn’t expected Yang Yufen to be at his house.
"It’s fine. He has legs and can walk on his own. Dinner will be ready soon. I’ll make some more noodles."
With that, Yang Yufen returned to the kitchen, leaving the living room to Professor Wen and her son.
"Your studies are over? Go wash up first. I’ll help your aunt in the kitchen. Be quick—you’ll need to watch Little Baby later."
Seeing her son in good health, Professor Wen felt relieved. The children would be back from school soon, and she didn’t want to delay anything.
Hu Jun watched his mother’s retreating figure. Ever since he’d gone to the Party School, it felt like she’d grown distant. Was it because of his brother-in-law’s influence? Yes, that must be it.
Hu Jun hurried upstairs to freshen up. When he came back down, he noticed how much the house had changed. Little Baby was playing inside a fenced-off mat, already able to stand with support.
Shen Xianjun was there too.
"Maybe you should go wash up?"
Hu Jun shot Shen Xianjun a disapproving glance—the man was covered in dust.
"No, I’ll wash up when I get back."
Just as he finished speaking, the children returned.
"Grandma, Grandma! Look, I got a little red flower!"
Dabao’s loud voice rang out as he dashed toward the kitchen, completely oblivious to the two adults in the room.
"Dad! You’re back?"
Hu Zhenghao was the first to notice.
"Hah, from the way you say it, it sounds like my return is an inconvenience. Have you been up to no good?"
Hu Jun immediately slipped into his stern fatherly demeanor.
"No, it’s just so sudden! You didn’t call to say when you’d be back. I was just surprised. Hello, Uncle."
Hu Zhenghao didn’t overlook Shen Xianjun standing beside his father.
"Dad!"
Dabao, who had already rushed into the kitchen, came running back out.
"Good boy, let me see your little red flower."
Shen Xianjun bent down, arms outstretched to pick up Dabao. But the mention of the red flower reminded Dabao that he hadn’t shown it to Grandma yet. Seeing that Erbao had already been rewarded with fruit by Grandma, he turned and ran back.
"Grandma, me! Me!"
Dabao proudly displayed his red flower and was rewarded with a grape, beaming with delight.
Hu Jun smirked at Shen Xianjun. He hadn’t missed the man’s earlier attempt to make a fool of their father-son moment—only to end up the fool himself.
"Second Brother, this is my dad, and this is my uncle."
Hu Zhenghao introduced Wang Xing, just as Professor Wen stepped out.
"Xingxing, greet Uncle Hu and Uncle Shen."
Professor Wen prompted the boy.
"Hello, Uncle Hu. Hello, Uncle Shen. I’m Wang Xing."
"Mm, hello."
Both men responded, though they weren’t sure whose child he was. Still, it was clear the boy was close to the family.
"Dinner’s ready."
Yang Yufen emerged, having hastily prepared an extra serving of fried noodles—she hadn’t expected the two men to return so suddenly.
The children, already accustomed to the routine, lined up neatly as Hu Zhenghao portioned out the food. Hu Jun watched with approval.
After dinner, Yang Yufen handed Shen Xianjun a key.
"Go back and tidy up yourself. The kids and I won’t be home for a while."
Shen Xianjun, who had been about to call the children to leave with him, froze.
"Uh, I’m in no hurry."
"If you’re not in a hurry, then don’t disturb the children."
Yang Yufen’s tone left no room for argument. Meanwhile, Professor Wen addressed Hu Jun.
"I’ll be tutoring the children later. Do whatever you want, but if you’ve got nothing to do, take Little Baby out for a walk. Just don’t make noise."
The two grown men ended up squeezed together on the sofa, watching Little Baby, curious to see what was about to unfold.
Hu Zhenghao was still finishing his homework.
"Go wash up. We’ve got plenty of water here."
Once again, Shen Xianjun found himself on the receiving end of his brother-in-law’s disdain. Borrowing the bathroom, he quickly showered and changed—thankfully, he’d brought his backpack along.
By the time Shen Xianjun came back down, Hu Zhenghao had finished his homework.
"Let’s review what we’ve learned so far. The cartoon starts in fifteen minutes."
Professor Wen glanced at Little Baby, who was tugging at his father’s hand. Satisfied that the child was safe, she ignored them and began the day’s lesson.
When Professor Wen started speaking in fluent English, Shen Xianjun was stunned. And when the children responded in kind, Hu Jun was equally dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Yang Yufen was brewing pear soup. Professor Wen had been teaching during the day, and the dry weather had left her throat sore.
The children chatted animatedly for fifteen minutes before the cartoon began right on schedule.
Just as the two men thought the session would end after the cartoon, the children launched into another round of discussion—this time blending Chinese and English so seamlessly that Hu Jun and Shen Xianjun could barely follow.
"My mother-in-law is incredible," Shen Xianjun muttered in awe.
"My mom didn’t teach me like this," Hu Jun admitted with difficulty. Neither he nor Niannian had been taught this way.
Yang Yufen brought out the pear soup, refilled Little Baby’s water bottle, checked that the child hadn’t soiled himself, and handed him back to Hu Jun.
The children sipped their sweet soup while watching the news, occasionally interjecting with comments. Professor Wen patiently answered their questions, and Yang Yufen listened attentively.
When the news ended, Hu Jun and Shen Xianjun stood up, assuming the evening’s activities were over. One shouldered his bag, ready to leave, while the other prepared to see him out.
But no sooner had they stepped outside than another group of children arrived, clustering around Professor Wen as they strolled and chattered about the news and the evening’s cartoon—still mixing languages in a way that made no sense unless you knew the context.
Yet the children understood each other perfectly.
"Feels less like we’ve been away for training and more like the world moved on while we were locked up," Shen Xianjun mused, suddenly self-conscious about the bag on his back.
"Now you see why? If we don’t keep up, even these kids will surpass us," Hu Jun said grimly, finally grasping the higher-ups’ intentions.
A sudden foul odor hit them, and the child in Hu Jun’s arms burst into tears.
Having cared for children before, Hu Jun knew immediately what had happened.
"I’m heading back. You should go home too."
With that, he left Shen Xianjun behind and hurried inside.
Yang Yufen, hearing the cries, moved to help, but Professor Wen stopped her.
"Let the child bond with his father. Xiao Zhou should be back soon anyway."
Yang Yufen nodded in understanding.
Professor Wen’s teaching method—guiding the children, encouraging them to speak, fostering healthy competition—made learning enjoyable. The children didn’t need coaxing; after their baths, they fell asleep quickly.
"Mom, tomorrow I’d like to visit Uncle and the others."
