Fan Juan also got out of the car to greet everyone.
"Hello, Dean Hu. I'm Fan Juan."
"Hello, Comrade Fan Juan."
Since Fan Juan was in a hurry to get to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she didn’t stay long. Qin Nian and the others watched the car drive away before Dean Hu spoke up.
"Good, it’s good that you’re back. Let me take you to the office first. Go and tell your mother and Aunt Yang that Nian Nian has returned."
"Alright."
Hu Jun nodded and led Shen Xianjun away.
"Actually, big brother, I can go tell my mom myself. I’ll bring Nian Nian’s things back with me too."
"I’ll go with you. They might both be in the same place."
As it turned out, Hu Jun guessed correctly—Professor Wen and Yang Yufen were indeed together.
"What are you kids doing? Huddled by the door like little troublemakers."
The moment Hu Jun spoke, the children instinctively straightened up.
"Dad, why are you back already?"
Hu Zhenghao’s heart sank as soon as he finished speaking. Oh no, oh no, he was going to get scolded again.
Hu Zhenghao wasn’t the only one thinking this—all the kids tensed up.
"Looks like you’ve been up to no good if you’re this nervous. All of you, go stand in the corner and reflect on your actions."
At Hu Jun’s command, the children obediently shuffled to the corner.
"Mother-in-law, Mom."
"Mom, Aunt Yang, Nian Nian is back. She’s at the institute now, handling the handover."
Hu Jun was a step slower than Shen Xianjun in greeting them, but he blurted out the news first.
"Nian Nian’s back?!"
Yang Yufen immediately stood up, her face lighting up with joy.
"Yes, but she probably won’t be back for another hour or two."
Hu Jun replied with a smile.
"That’s plenty of time! Come on, sister-in-law, let’s have dinner at home today. You pick the vegetables, and I’ll catch a chicken."
Yang Yufen completely ignored Shen Xianjun—she saw him every month anyway—and instead linked arms with Professor Wen, heading straight for the backyard.
After catching the chicken, Yang Yufen returned to the front yard and saw Shen Xianjun still standing there like a lost puppy.
"Go see if you can buy some fish or meat. There’ll be a lot of people for dinner tonight. If you can’t find any, check the canteen. What are you just standing around for?"
"Brother-in-law already went. I couldn’t stop him."
Shen Xianjun had only taken a moment to put down his luggage when Hu Jun tossed out a quick "I’ll go buy meat," pushed his bike, and left without giving him a chance.
"Your wife is coming home, and you’re just standing there like a block of wood? Your brother-in-law had to go buy the meat for you—how useless can you be? Never mind, just kill the chicken. I’ll go tidy up Nian Nian’s room."
Yang Yufen shoved the chicken into Shen Xianjun’s hands.
"Oh, and soak a piece of cured meat too."
She called out the reminder while washing her hands.
When Professor Wen returned with the vegetables, she found Yang Yufen laying out a new bamboo mat and hanging a mosquito net in Qin Nian’s room.
"Does Xianjun not stay in this room when he comes back?"
Professor Wen noticed there was almost nothing of Shen Xianjun’s in the room.
"When Nian Nian’s not home, he only comes back once a month. He just sleeps with the kids—gives them more time together, and I have one less room to clean."
Professor Wen helped out, smoothing out pillow covers for two pillows.
"We’ll have to make do with a quick tidy-up for now. I’ll go start cooking."
Yang Yufen gave the room a satisfied once-over before opening the window to air it out.
"I’ll help you with the cooking."
Once Hu Zhenghao was sure his father was gone, he perked up immediately.
"Li Wu, Li Wen, your mom—my aunt—is back! I heard it!"
"Mom?"
Li Wu froze for a second, but Li Wen took off running toward Yang Yufen faster than he ever had before.
"Grandma, is Mom really coming back?"
"Yes, your mom’s coming back. Aren’t you happy?"
Yang Yufen ruffled the boy’s hair.
Li Wen didn’t answer. Yang Yufen didn’t press him—their mother had been gone for so long. At first, there were phone calls, but then even those stopped. Li Wen was the more sensitive of the twins, unlike Li Wu. He needed time to process it.
Li Wen walked back outside. The other kids were still in the corner, but Li Wu was busy grilling Hu Zhenghao.
"Brother, is Mom really as pretty as you say?"
"Not just pretty—she’s amazing! Like, super amazing!"
"Wow… Do you think she’ll be disappointed in me?" Li Wu looked down at his clothes, which were a little dirty.
"There’s no way she’d be disappointed! She’s probably missed you guys so much. She might even cry when she sees you. She’s really gentle."
"Mom would cry?"
Li Wen looked at Hu Zhenghao, who nodded firmly.
In the office—
"Professor, I met an incredible scholar while I was away."
Qin Nian spent the next while detailing everything she’d learned over the past two years to Dean Hu.
"Professor, I plan to compile everything I’ve studied into a report as soon as possible so we can integrate it into experiments."
"Good. I’ll approve you working from home for a while. A comfortable environment will help you work faster."
Dean Hu was deeply pleased. Just from her descriptions, he could tell how crucial this data was—exactly what they needed right now. He wished they could extract every bit of knowledge instantly, but he knew that wasn’t possible. Even a small error could mean wasted resources and delays.
Back at home, Yang Yufen had already killed the chicken and steamed the cured meat, but she wasn’t done. She cleaned the eels and loaches the kids had brought home, frying some and stir-frying others. Hu Jun returned with a big fish—no meat available—but Yang Yufen threw it into the pot to stew anyway.
"Nian Nian still isn’t back… Let me see what else I can make. She likes lighter flavors—I’ll shred some potatoes for stir-fry. Oh, and some pickled vegetables for appetite."
Yang Yufen buzzed around the kitchen, too happy to feel tired. Surprisingly, Li Wu—usually the first to sneak into the kitchen—didn’t budge. Instead, he poked his brother.
Li Wen didn’t seem unhappy, but he wasn’t exactly happy either. The twins had a strange connection, and for the first time, Li Wu resisted his usual food-driven impulses, squatting beside his brother instead.
Soon, they were all squatting together.
Wang Xing seemed to sense something and scooted closer to Li Wen.
"Li Wen, your mom definitely missed you guys. But grown-ups have so much work. Look at me—I live with you now. My parents used to come home when they could, but now they avoid it if possible. I haven’t seen them in ages."
Busy, busy, busy—so busy they vanished. Every rushed return came with vague explanations about how long they’d be gone, some money, and sometimes not even a shared meal. When his clothes didn’t fit anymore, it was Grandma Yang who took him shopping.
"Honestly, most kids in the compound are like this. Our parents are so busy that we end up in the nursery. Half the kids there barely see theirs either."
They weren’t alone in this. Li Wen took it in, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed.
"And your brother says your mom’s really gentle and pretty. I can’t wait to see how pretty Aunt Qin must be!"
Wang Xing’s eager expression was contagious. Li Wen didn’t remember much about his mother, but he remembered she was good—really good. And Grandma always said she was incredible.
