"It's fine, just let them go out and warm up," Deng Jing said, hugging her two daughters who had run toward her and checking their sleeves.
Su Pei and Su Yao obediently waited for their mother to finish checking. The two little girls then walked hand in hand into the living room.
Su Jue took a step forward. "Xiao Jing, I..."
"Go out and eat first. Mom, Dad, and the others are all waiting outside," Deng Jing said quickly.
She had a feeling about what Su Jue wanted to say.
Probably something along the lines of an apology.
But she didn't want to hear it right now.
Deng Jing's own mother always said she had married well.
Her parents-in-law were reasonable and often helped out their small family. Aside from not being able to help take care of the children, they were considered very good in-laws.
Although Su Jue wasn't by her side, she collected his salary every month, so she never had to worry about money.
Deng Jing felt her mother was right.
Compared to many women around her, her life was indeed not bad; in fact, it was better than most.
However, Deng Jing still harbored resentment in her heart.
Both of her children were born via C-section. After the surgeries, once the anesthesia wore off, it felt like a knife was twisting inside her stomach.
Her mother came to take care of her temporarily, helping to wipe her body, turn her over, and bring her water and food.
Her sister-in-law had a problem with this. When she came to visit her in the hospital, she made some snide remarks, saying that her nephew had to eat cold food when he came home from school.
Fortunately, her mother-in-law later sent Auntie Yu to help.
Deng Jing then told her mother to go back, but her mother stubbornly waited until she was discharged and back home before finally agreeing to leave.
Auntie Yu worked very diligently, but no one could share Deng Jing's physical and mental exhaustion.
Sometimes, when the pain was unbearable, Deng Jing would bite her quilt, stare at the ceiling, and wonder what Su Jue was doing at that moment.
Deng Jing wanted to write him a letter to tell him he had another daughter.
But she didn't even have his address.
After her postpartum confinement ended, Deng Jing let Auntie Yu go back.
Unable to take care of two children by herself, Deng Jing made the tough decision to send her eldest daughter to her parents' house while she took care of the younger one.
Feeding, changing diapers, coaxing to sleep, washing clothes, and cooking...
None of it was heavy labor, but it was so exhausting that it made her want to cry.
When her daughter grew a bit older and could be sent to daycare, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But sometimes the child would get sick, and those were the most agonizing moments.
At those times, when the child cried, she cried along with her, feeling that the night was so long it would never end.
Deng Jing's love for Su Jue had turned into resentment through these trivial but taxing matters.
If Su Jue apologized to her, could she forgive him so easily?
Deng Jing knew her answer was no.
But she wasn't good at confrontation; she habitually avoided conflict. Besides, deep down, she knew she still had feelings for Su Jue.
It wasn't that Su Jue didn't want to come back; he simply couldn't.
When she saw Su Jue's white hair, her heart ached for him. But to lie and say it was fine felt like a betrayal to herself.
She might as well just give him the cold shoulder for now.
Deng Jing thought to herself.
Su Jue also felt that mere words were too light. He didn't force the issue and followed his wife out.
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt," Jiang Chengzhou swallowed hard. "Hurry up, the food is getting cold."
Su Jue and Deng Jing sat separately beside their two daughters.
"Grandma, Grandpa?" Jiang Chengzhou waited for the two elders of the family to announce the start of the meal. He swallowed his saliva and clutched his stomach, feeling as if a swarm of hungry bugs were frantically stirring inside his belly.
"Let's eat." As soon as Xu Yueyun spoke, everyone hurriedly picked up their bowls and chopsticks.
The dishes were hot, billowing with white steam.
It wasn't just Jiang Chengzhou who was craving it; everyone else wanted a taste too.
Su Bingcheng took a bite of the braised pork, and his eyes widened.
The braised pork was tender and soft, fatty but not greasy. The moment it entered his mouth, a rich, savory sauce flavor exploded on his tongue.
The salty and sweet flavors were perfectly balanced. The luscious aroma of the fat mixed with the gelatin, and the lean meat wasn't tough or dry in the slightest.
Paired with a mouthful of rice, the taste was simply spectacular.
Although both were a mix of fat and lean meat, the twice-cooked pork was different from the braised pork.
Its complex aroma was even more overpowering. The rich scent of the fat and the savory umami of the fermented black beans were fully unleashed, while the garlic sprout leaves perfectly balanced the richness. The meat was firm but not tough, making people want to eat two more bowls of rice.
Xu Yueyun and the other female relatives preferred the pork spine and kelp soup and the stir-fried celtuce.
Yao Yao was a very picky eater and had to be coaxed at every meal.
This time, seeing her younger sister continuously drinking the soup, she carefully tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mom, I want some soup too."
Deng Jing looked at Jiang Chengzhou and Lin Lin eating and felt incredibly envious.
Her biggest worry was her two daughters' eating habits.
Hearing her younger daughter ask for soup on her own, she quickly served her a bowl.
Yao Yao took a sip and her eyes widened, a look of astonishment appearing on her tiny face.
She took the spoon from her mother's hand on her own initiative and quickly scooped another spoonful into her mouth.
After two consecutive spoonfuls, finding it too slow, she actually picked up the bowl directly and gulped down half the bowl of soup.
You didn't even have to ask to know how delicious this soup was.
"Mom, I want more."
Deng Jing said happily, "Eat some rice first. After you eat some rice, Mom will serve you more soup."
Yao Yao was about to refuse, but Deng Jing quickly popped a piece of stir-fried celtuce into her mouth.
The celtuce was crisp, refreshing, and sweet, instantly capturing the little girl's taste buds.
Yao Yao obediently started eating her rice. Usually requiring someone to feed her, seeing her younger sister eating by herself prompted her to pick up her spoon as well.
Seeing his elder daughter looking enviously at her mother taking care of her younger sister, Su Jue took her bowl. "How about Daddy serves you a bowl of soup?"
Su Pei nodded gently.
Mom already worked so hard taking care of her little sister every day. If Dad was around, he could help Mom.
Lin Zhilan never worried about her two children's eating habits. Her in-laws' table was large, and Su Lang helped serve soup and pick up food for their daughter, so she only had to sit and eat.
As for her parents-in-law, Su Bingcheng didn't need their attention, and Xu Yueyun was taken care of by her husband, so there was no need for the younger generation to worry about them.
Xu Yueyun also drank the soup first.
"What a fresh and delicious soup!" she praised.
Salty with a hint of sweetness, the aroma was rich, and the taste was incomparably savory. It didn't just cleanse the taste buds; it felt as if it cleansed the very pores of the body.
With one sip, her entire stomach felt warm.
Jiang Chengzhou and Su Lang were long past the tasting stage and had begun sweeping up the food like a whirlwind, piling dishes into their bowls.
This made everyone else nervous, and the pace of the meal quickened.
There weren't many different dishes today, but the portions were large.
Deng Jing had initially thought her sister-in-law might have made too much, but by the end of the meal, even the sauce from the braised pork had been scraped clean by Jiang Chengzhou to mix with his rice.
The table was wiped clean; not even a single garnish was left.
The elders and children all sat down on the living room sofa. Deng Jing wanted to help in the kitchen but was pulled into the living room by Lin Zhilan.
"Just let Su Lang and Second Brother wash the dishes and clean up."
Deng Jing said, "Your second brother is clumsy. I'm afraid he'll drop all the bowls."
