The next morning.

Su’s mother got up to make breakfast for the whole family, and Su Ermei woke to a rich, fragrant aroma.

It was as if she had returned to the old days, when she didn’t have to get up before dawn to cook breakfast.

For the first time, she truly appreciated how wonderful it was to have her parents around.

Before, she had always taken their efforts for granted, as if they were nothing special.

Su Ermei saw that her three children were still sleeping soundly. She got out of bed and left the bedroom. The fragrance grew even stronger as she approached the kitchen.

Seeing the time, she went back to her room to wake up her two daughters for breakfast before school.

After waking her daughters and helping her son get dressed, Su Ermei led the three children into the main hall. Just then, she saw her older brother walk in from outside. Despite the dead of winter, he was wearing only a thin, long-sleeved crewneck shirt, and beads of sweat dotted his face.

"Big Brother, what were you doing out so early to get all sweaty?" Su Ermei called out in surprise.

"Exercising."

"Big Brother, hurry and wash your hands so you can eat. I’ve already gotten breakfast ready for you," Su Ermei said enthusiastically.

In reality, she hadn’t even been in the kitchen, but she figured that since her mom made it, it was her credit to take.

"Thank you," Su Shuochi said politely.

"Oh, don’t be so formal with your own sister!" Su Ermei gave him a mock-reproachful look and pushed the three children toward him. "Quick, say hello to your uncle."

The three children immediately and obediently called out, "Hello, Uncle!"

"Mm," Su Shuochi acknowledged. He then crouched down and patted one of the girls on the head.

His niece’s hair felt like withered pine needles, scratching uncomfortably against his hand.

His own palms were usually rather rough, but they had become much smoother over the past six months, nourished by his wife’s spiritual spring water.

Still, he smiled gently. "You’re the eldest, right? How old are you this year?"

"Seven..." the little girl said shyly, lowering her head.

"How cute!" Su Shuochi praised, then turned to the little boy. "You must be Old Three. How old are you?"

"I’m two." Old Three looked simple and honest. He took after his father, being rather reserved and shy around strangers.

He was especially afraid this uncle would dislike him, because his younger aunt hated him, but he still answered obediently.

"Old Three is so polite," Su Shuochi continued with his half-hearted praise. After all, this was his own nephew.

"Uncle, I’m the second oldest! I’m six this year!" Erya chimed in, eager to speak.

"Erya is certainly brave," Su Shuochi continued to praise his niece, not wanting to show favoritism.

’If Jiaojiao and I had a daughter,’ he thought, ’I would definitely raise her to be much more delicate. Her hair would never be this coarse.’

Su Ermei shot Erya a glare, then said to Su Shuochi, "Big Brother, hurry up and put on a jacket. We’ll wait for you to eat breakfast."

"Mm," Su Shuochi grunted and headed for his room. He still wasn’t used to bedrooms without an attached bathroom.

He had to take his clothes to the open space behind the house to take a quick, cold shower before getting dressed.

Meanwhile, Su Ermei pulled her three children over to wash their faces, then had them sit down at the table.

Hu Yungeng had been in the kitchen since early morning helping his mother-in-law. Now, he emerged carrying a large steamer basket of hot, fluffy meat buns, which he placed on the square table.

He turned back to the kitchen to bring out the century egg and lean pork congee, then invited everyone to sit down for breakfast.

Mr. Su and Su’s mother took the seats of honor. Su Shuochi sat to their right. Hu Yungeng didn’t dare to sit on the same bench as him, so he took his eldest daughter to a lower-ranked seat.

Su Ermei sat across from Su Shuochi with her precious son. This worked out perfectly for Erya, who had been wanting to sit with her awesome uncle.

"Mom, what is this? It smells so good and looks so pretty!"

Su Ermei couldn’t help but swallow as she looked at the steaming congee on the table, continuing,

"Haha, I’ve never seen anyone make congee like this. Mom, you’re amazing!"

Hearing her daughter’s praise, Su’s mother beamed and said, "Your sister-in-law taught me how to make this. Give it a try and see if you like it."

When Su Ermei heard it was taught by the sister-in-law she had never met, she felt a pang of resentment.

Her parents’ faces always lit up with smiles whenever they mentioned her sister-in-law, and she was very jealous.

"Okay! Thank you, Grandma!" Hu Er Ya excitedly grabbed a spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and swallowed it right down.

"This is delicious! Mom, can we have Grandma’s congee every day from now on?"

"Of course, we’ll have this congee every day," Su Ermei readily agreed, lost in a daydream of living at her parents’ house from now on.

But Su Shuochi shook his head and said, "If you want to eat it, have your mother learn to make it herself. Your grandpa and grandma are going back to the city today."

"What?" Su Ermei and Su’s mother stood up in unison, shocked. "Why so suddenly?!"

Su Shuochi shrugged. "Mom and Dad have to go back to the city to earn money to renovate the house. Hu Laosan left this place a filthy mess. How can anyone live here?"

’Of course, I can’t tell them the truth,’ he thought. ’Having Mom and Dad here is an added risk. Criminals have no morals, so it’s better to be cautious.’

"Little Three, you don’t have to go to school yet. Do you want to go to the city and have fun with Grandma and Grandpa?" Su’s mother asked warmly.

"Grandma, of course I do!" Hu Yungeng’s young son said gleefully.

"Don’t you go causing trouble. You’re too young, and the city is too dangerous. What if you run into bad people?" Su Ermei quickly stopped him.

"We’ll talk about it later." She couldn’t bear to let her precious son out of her sight.

"I want to go too! I’m so big now and I’ve never even been to the city," Hu Er Ya said, looking pleadingly at her uncle.

"Then you should go with them," Su Shuochi said with a smile.

’It would be even better to take them to the city,’ he thought. ’They’re so young. I can’t let them be ruined by my sister.’

"Yes! Mom, don’t worry, my uncle will protect us," Erya argued, desperate to go.

"Your uncle is a very busy man. How would he have time to protect you? Besides, you have to stay home and help with chores. Stop making a fuss and eat."

Su Ermei’s face grew stern as she scolded her daughter. She knew perfectly well that the girl only wanted to go to the city with her grandparents to avoid doing chores at home.

But she wouldn’t allow it. The idea of slacking off in the city at such a young age was out of the question.

The little girl didn’t dare defy her mother, so she obediently sat back down and continued eating her meat bun.

This was the first time she’d had a meat bun since her grandmother had left.

Seeing this, Su Shuochi didn’t press the issue. He wasn’t a man of many words to begin with, so he just lowered his head and focused on his congee.

Noticing the tense atmosphere at the table, he remarked casually, "Dad, Mom, after you finish eating, Zijie will drive over to take you back to Qing City."

Last night, Song Zijie had driven the two of them to stay at a guest house in town, as the Su family didn’t have enough rooms for them.