"Little brother, Grandma made so many delicious dishes. You’re not upset anymore, right? Can we go take a look in the kitchen? It’s not that I want to eat—I just want to see if there’s something we can bring for Mom."
Li Wu swallowed hard, his mouth practically watering. It wasn’t New Year’s, but the spread seemed even more lavish than a holiday feast. The air was thick with mouthwatering aromas.
Li Wen, who had been about to get up, hesitated again. Why was his older brother always thinking about food? When Mom came home, he wanted to be the first to see her. He wondered if she would even recognize him.
He and his brother looked almost identical, and people often mixed them up. But Grandma never did, nor did Grandpa and Grandma Liao, or even Wang Xing and the others—they saw them often enough to tell them apart.
But Mom hadn’t seen them in two years.
"Maybe we should wait by the gate?"
Hu Zhenghao glanced at his father, who was too busy to pay them any attention. It should be fine—if anything went wrong, they could always beg Auntie for mercy.
The children stood up just as the sound of a bicycle bell rang from the courtyard gate.
"That’s Grandpa’s bike!"
Li Wu’s eyes lit up as Dean Hu wheeled his bicycle inside, followed by Qin Nian.
"Auntie!"
"Zhenghao, Dabao, Erbao—Mom’s back."
Qin Nian’s eyes welled up as she took in how much taller and more grown-up her children had become.
Li Wen’s face brightened. Mom had called him "Erbao" while looking right at him—she remembered him! She recognized him at first glance!
Li Wen rushed forward, and Qin Nian bent slightly, arms outstretched to catch him.
"Mom!"
"Yes, it’s me. You’ve both gotten so tall."
She wrapped an arm around each child but realized she could no longer lift them both at once. She had missed so much.
Kneeling down, she found they were already taller than her. Then, a small hand touched her cheek.
"Mom, don’t cry."
Li Wen’s voice was soft, his fingers damp with her tears. So what his brother had said was true—Mom had missed them terribly.
Qin Nian smiled even as tears slipped unbidden from her eyes.
"These are happy tears, sweetheart. Not sad ones."
She shook her head gently and pulled them closer.
"Mom, Grandma made lots of yummy food."
Li Wu sniffed at Qin Nian’s clothes—she smelled sweet, like something delicious. He nuzzled against her.
Shen Xianjun and Hu Jun watched the scene until Shen Xianjun suddenly felt a kick. He turned.
"Aren’t you going to tell Aunt Yang and the others that Niannian’s back?"
Hu Jun said it like it was the most obvious thing. Shen Xianjun had no choice but to head to the kitchen.
"Mother-in-law, Mom, Niannian’s home."
"She’s back? Wonderful!"
Professor Wen set down the firewood in delight.
"You go ahead. I’ll finish stir-frying this last dish."
Yang Yufen tossed the greens into the wok. Vegetables had to be cooked fresh—overdoing them ruined the taste.
"No rush, no rush. The kids are all outside anyway. This is the last one."
Professor Wen quickly added more firewood.
Hu Jun walked in just then.
"Mom, Aunt Yang, leave the rest to us. Let’s set the table and bring the dishes out."
"Good, good."
Yang Yufen nodded with a smile. The greens cooked fast, and by the time they were done, the table was ready. Shen Xianjun took over to scrub the wok.
"Clean it well, then boil some water."
Yang Yufen gave the instruction before untying her apron and stepping out with Professor Wen.
Li Wen and Li Wu didn’t forget to introduce Wang Xing to Qin Nian—after all, they were bed-sharing brothers!
"Auntie Qin, hello! I’m Wang Xing. Li Wu, Li Wen, your mom is so pretty and kind!"
Wang Xing stepped forward without a trace of shyness.
"Hello, Xingxing."
Qin Nian had already heard about the children from Dean Hu on the way. He’d mentioned Wang Xing specifically—a good kid.
"Shimu, Mom."
Qin Nian stood when she saw Professor Wen and Yang Yufen approach.
"You’ve lost weight, but you look well."
Professor Wen spoke with tender concern.
"It’s good you’re back. The food’s ready—take the kids to wash up first."
Yang Yufen glanced at Qin Nian and the two children clinging to her hands, her smile warm.
"Your mother-in-law cooked all your favorites."
Everyone settled at the table while Hu Zhenghao and the younger ones served rice, taking turns placing bowls in front of the adults.
Qin Nian moved to help, but Professor Wen stopped her.
"Let the children do it."
Qin Nian sat between Professor Wen and Yang Yufen, while Dean Hu, Hu Jun, and Shen Xianjun took their places. The kids arranged themselves by age.
"I set aside food and chicken soup for Little Zhou since she’s working."
Yang Yfen said this to Hu Jun.
"Thank you, Auntie. I’ll take it to her later."
Once everyone was served, Yang Yufen urged them to eat, plucking a chicken drumstick straight into Qin Nian’s bowl.
"Oh—shouldn’t the kids have it?"
Qin Nian flushed slightly.
"They take turns having it often enough."
Yang Yufen never skimped on feeding the children well.
Two chicken wings soon joined the drumstick in Qin Nian’s bowl, courtesy of Professor Wen and Dean Hu.
"You haven’t been eating well outside. Have more."
None of the children complained—there were plenty of other delicious dishes to go around.
"Mom, you eat it! We’ve got so much food—if we have drumsticks, we won’t have room for the rest!"
Li Wu eyed the table, torn between every dish.
Today felt like a festival.
"Yeah, Auntie, we’re not jealous. I want the fried loach!"
Hu Zhenghao was still hung up on the loach and eels they’d caught earlier.
Seeing the kids all had their own favorites, Qin Nian finally picked up the drumstick.
"Just use your hands. Xianjun can bring you a towel later."
Yang Yufen noticed Qin Nian struggling with chopsticks.
"No need for formalities at home."
Professor Wen’s voice was equally tender.
Qin Nian nodded, sipped some soup first, then dug into the drumstick.
Home-cooked food was heavenly—the chicken tasted like real chicken, sweet and savory, stewed just how she liked it, with only a hint of red dates.
Every time she lifted her chopsticks, her bowl was refilled.
"Eat more vegetables."
Qin Nian nodded, devouring everything without wasting a bite.
Yang Yufen silently served her three more bowls of rice, her heart aching. How much had her daughter-in-law suffered outside? By the end, she worried Qin Nian might overeat.
Only when Qin Nian finally set down her chopsticks did she realize how much she’d eaten. She should’ve invited Fan Juan—now she just looked like a glutton.
Flushing, she stood to clear the table.
"Let Xianjun handle it. Take the kids for a walk to settle your stomach. I’ll make you some hawthorn tea—it’ll be ready when you’re back."
Yang Yufen stopped her at once. Professor Wen agreed, and Hu Jun and Shen Xianjun took over cleanup duty.
