"They really moved out—I saw it with my own eyes. Oh, Yang Yufen, you remember that family who copied your idea of making a little cart, right?"
Yang Yufen shook her head. "I’m too busy taking care of the kids every day to pay attention to such things. When it comes to gossip, you’re the expert."
"True. Listen, but don’t spread this around—I heard Professor Lin got involved with one of his students..."
The morning was filled with juicy rumors, far more entertaining than staying at home. Before she knew it, the peanuts were all shelled and ready to be planted later.
"Dabao, Erbao, let’s go home with Grandma. How about noodles for lunch?"
"Yay! Grandma!"
Dabao, ever the foodie, forgot everything else at the mention of food and nearly ran off. Erbao, however, carefully gathered his belongings.
"Dabao, aren’t you taking your little cart?" Yang Yufen called out.
Dabao quickly turned back, scooped up his things, and trotted after her.
When Yang Yufen got home, she found the door wide open. Peering inside, she exclaimed,
"Qin Nian’s back! Dabao, Erbao, say ‘Mom’—come on, say ‘Mom’!"
She immediately took the bags from Qin Nian’s hands and urged the children to greet her.
The two little ones stared curiously at Qin Nian. At their grandmother’s prompting, they both spoke up.
"Mom."
"Mom."
Qin Nian’s eyes welled up. She longed to hug them but hesitated, afraid of startling them.
Yang Yufen set the bags down, then picked up Erbao and placed him in Qin Nian’s arms.
"This is Erbao. Erbao, say ‘Mom’ and give her a hug."
Erbao glanced between his grandmother and Qin Nian.
Qin Nian stretched out her arms, forcing a warm smile to appear gentle and approachable.
"Mom."
Erbao reached out, and Qin Nian eagerly took him into her embrace.
Even though the child was covered in dirt, Qin Nian didn’t mind—she was just overjoyed.
"Alright, Dabao, say ‘Mom’ and let her hold you too. Then Mom can watch you both wash your hands and faces while Grandma makes the noodles."
"Okay!" Dabao answered loudly.
"Don’t overdo it—the hot water’s in the thermos, and their towels are right there."
Yang Yufen took Erbao back and set him down, then handed Dabao to Qin Nian, pointing out where the children’s things were kept.
"Got it. Thank you, Mom."
Qin Nian gazed at her two healthy children, their little faces smudged but still soft and fair.
Yang Yufen didn’t reply and headed into the kitchen.
Soon, the noodles were ready—egg noodles with tender green vegetables.
"Come eat!"
At the call, the two children, who had been playing happily with their mother, immediately rushed to their little table and pulled out their stools.
"Mom, let me feed them," Qin Nian offered, standing up to help.
"No need, they can eat on their own. Kids shouldn’t be spoiled too much. Dabao and Erbao are big boys now, aren’t you?"
The children nodded eagerly at their grandmother’s praise, then picked up their little spoons with practiced seriousness.
Qin Nian watched as they scooped up their food, spilling some but managing to get most of it into their mouths.
Yang Yufen soon returned from the kitchen with another bowl of noodles—this one different from the kids’, with whole strands and a full egg on top.
"Come, eat quickly. You must be starving. You've lost weight. I didn’t know you were coming back today. If you're not too tired after eating, play with the kids for a while. Later, you can all take a nap together—the children are used to napping. The bedding in your room was aired just a few days ago, so it’s ready to use."
"Thank you, Mom."
Qin Nian took another bite of the egg noodles. The steaming broth warmed her stomach—her mother-in-law’s noodles were the best she’d ever tasted.
Though Yang Yufen had suggested Qin Nian play with the children, the little ones grew drowsy soon after eating. They were quickly carried to bed, each clutching a small pillow, and fell asleep in no time.
"If you’re not sleepy yet, go take a bath first. The hot water should be ready."
Qin Nian nodded. She did want to wash up—even though she’d taken a sleeper train, the journey had left her feeling grimy.
After her bath, Qin Nian watched the two children, her own exhaustion creeping in. She lay down beside them instead of returning to her own room and soon drifted off.
Yang Yufen noticed and draped a quilt over her before heading to the backyard to catch a rooster—one of the last two she’d been saving. The remaining three couldn’t be slaughtered yet.
The chicks were still young, just a month old, hatched under an electric blanket. Several families in the compound had placed orders with Yang Yufen for the chicks, waiting until they were a bit older to take them home.
When the children woke and saw their mother beside them, they were full of curiosity. But after a little coaxing from their grandmother, they followed her out to play under the big banyan tree.
"You look radiant today, sister. Did something good happen?"
In the afternoon, the usual gathering of elderly women had assembled under the tree.
"My Qin Nian is back—of course I’m happy! Though she’s gotten much thinner."
"Ah, Qin Nian’s returned? That’s wonderful! A little weight loss is nothing—she’ll regain it. Life outside just isn’t as good as here in the research institute."
Amid the congratulations, Yang Yufen only stayed briefly. She had chicken soup simmering at home and didn’t want Qin Nian to wake up alone.
When she returned with the children, Qin Nian was already awake.
"Mom, I was just about to come find you."
"Good, you’re up. Have some soup—it’s ready. Professor Wen and his wife should be off work soon. We can take the children to visit them later. Sister-in-law Hu is also expecting, so we’ll bring some extra eggs."
Professor Wen wasn’t the type to raise chickens—he was far too busy.
"Alright. I didn’t bring much back, but here—this is my salary and bonus from the past few months."
Qin Nian quickly rummaged through her belongings and pulled out a cloth bundle, retrieving a savings book and an envelope stuffed with thick, black-inked ten-yuan bills.
"This much for a bonus?"
Yang Yufen glanced at the money—it had to be over a thousand.
"Keep the savings book for yourself. Raising children costs money. But we’ll use this bonus—we’ll take it to your teacher’s wife later. I borrowed two thousand from her to buy the house and have already repaid half. This will clear the rest."
As she spoke, Yang Yufen turned to open her chest, pulling out the property deeds from the bottom.
"You hold onto these. When the children are older, pass them on. The three houses are all rented out now, and the income covers our household expenses."
Qin Nian hadn’t expected her mother-in-law to manage renting out the old family home while raising two children—let alone purchasing two additional properties.
"Mom, we can't possibly live in all these houses."
"If we can't live in them, we can rent them out. One for each child isn't too much. If we can't find ones of the same size, hurry up—finish eating and start packing. These two little rascals still need to be taken out to play, or they won’t sleep soundly tonight."
