Shen Dage also brushed wood shavings off his clothes as he walked in. Shen Dasao helped him clean up. “I told you Ning-ger was coming today. I told you not to work, but you just had to do it.”

Shen Dage gave a simple, honest smile. “Well, I was just sitting around with nothing to do.”

Shen Dasao poured Zhou Ning a bowl of red date tea. “You must be tired from the journey. Have some water.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Ning took the bowl and sipped a couple of mouthfuls to moisten his throat. Shen Dasao sat beside him, bustling about to attend to his needs—offering him roasted melon seeds one moment, then roasted rice puffs the next. Her warmth was so overwhelming that Zhou Ning found himself stealing a glance at Shen Linchuan.

Shen Linchuan chuckled softly. “Sister-in-law, you don’t need to fuss over Ning-ger. Let him feed himself.”

Shen Dasao ignored Shen Linchuan. After all the turmoil at home, she didn’t believe he’d changed a bit. She felt even more sorry for Zhou Ning—this father and son from the Zhou family were just too straightforward. She was worried her good-for-nothing younger brother-in-law might take advantage of him.

Shen Linchuan’s attempt to intervene failed. He could only wink at Zhou Ning discreetly, signaling his helplessness.

Shen Dasao remained seated beside Zhou Ning, chatting away like a mother. “Had I known you’d be back today, I’d have sent your eldest brother to buy a fish yesterday. I’d have cooked it for you at noon.”

Zhou Ning nodded obediently. His sister-in-law’s enthusiasm was overwhelming, and he felt a bit flustered.

The two kids squeezed against the doorframe, grinning. When relatives visited, they got to eat meat!

Last time they’d eaten meat at their uncle’s house, bringing back plenty afterward. But their mother couldn’t bear to eat meat every meal, so she sealed it in the lard jar, saying it should be saved for later. Today, with their second uncle and Uncle Ning visiting, they’d get to eat lots of meat again!

Shen Huzi had a keen nose. He caught the scent of something in the basket—the aroma of cooked meat, so delicious it made him swallow hard.

Shen Huzi turned to speak with his younger brother, only to see Shen Xiaoyu also swallowing hard as he stared longingly at the basket. Shen Huzi slurped his saliva. “Xiaoyu, what did Uncle Ning bring that smells so good?”

Shen Xiaoyu nodded eagerly. “It smells so good.”

The adults sat drinking water and chatting, the basket placed on the table. Shen Huzi wanted to peek at what his second uncle had brought, so he crept over to touch the basket.

Before he could even touch it, his hand was smacked hard. The slap echoed loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. Shen Dasao glared at him. “How rude!”

Shen Huzi’s hand turned red from the slap. Clutching it, he looked a bit wronged. “Mom, I didn’t want to eat anything. I just wanted to see what was inside.”

“You haven’t remembered a single thing I taught you about manners. All you think about is eating! Go play outside!”

“Okay.”

Shen Huzi covered his hand and started to leave. His mother had told him yesterday that his second uncle and his Fulang would be coming over for dinner tomorrow. She’d warned him not to be greedy, not to rummage through anything good they brought, and to wait until after they left if he wanted to eat something. He remembered.

Shen Linchuan pulled him back. “Where are you off to? Dinner’s almost ready. Your Grandpa Zhou specially bought some pastries for you two. Go ask your Uncle Ning which one is yours.”

Zhou Ning was feeling overwhelmed by the warm hospitality. Hearing Shen Linchuan mention the pastries, he hurriedly reached out and grabbed the basket. “Both these packages are pastries. Come over and have some, Xiaoyu.”

Only after being called did Shen Xiaoyu come running over. Shen Dasao remarked, “Ning-ger, don’t spoil them. Kids get bolder the more you indulge them.”

“Not at all. Huzi and Xiaoyu are both well-behaved.”

Zhou Ning gave each of them a piece of jujube flower pastry to eat. Shen Huzi stared at the oil-wrapped paper and asked, “Uncle Ning, what’s that? It smells so good.”

“Oh, that’s pork head meat your second uncle specially prepared yesterday, asking me to bring it today.”

Zhou Ning casually unwrapped the paper, drawing both children’s heads closer. Shen Dasao gave Shen Huzi a tug—he’d been leading Xiaoyu around playing all day, forgetting everything she taught him yesterday, growing increasingly undisciplined.

“Take your snacks and go play outside.”

Shen Huzi really wanted to try it—it smelled so good—but he feared his mother would scold him. Instead, he grabbed Shen Xiaoyu’s hand and dragged him out to play in the courtyard.

Shen Dasao gave an embarrassed smile. “It’s getting late. I’ll go prepare dinner for you all.”

Shen Linchuan stood up. “Let me do it, Sister-in-law.”

Shen Dasao looked at Shen Linchuan with surprise. Was the sun rising in the west today? Back home, even when the household was busy, she’d never seen this younger brother-in-law lend a hand. How come she didn’t know Shen Linchuan could cook?

She assumed he was just being polite. “You’re our guest today. You stay with Ning-ger. I’ll handle it.”

“Sister-in-law, let me do it. Try my cooking—Ning-ger says it’s delicious.”

Shen Linchuan wanted to prove himself, to show his elder brother and sister-in-law he’d changed. Besides Zhou Ning and his father, the Shen family was the closest to him now.

Zhou Ning fidgeted restlessly on his stool. At the mention of chores, he sprang to his feet. “I’ll help you.”

Shen Dasao refused to let them cook. Even if she disapproved of Shen Linchuan, today’s guests deserved better than to prepare their own meals.

Shen Linchuan insisted they taste his cooking. After much refusal, his sister-in-law finally relented, “Then I’ll assist you.”

She feared Shen Linchuan would overreach. If he botched it, she could take over and prevent a good meal from being ruined.

“Alright, thank you for your help, Shen Dasao.”

Shen Dasao gave Shen Linchuan a couple of curious extra glances. Was he being this polite on purpose to impress Ning-ger, or had marriage finally made him more sensible?

Zhou Ning also wanted to help. “Shen Linchuan, I’ll tend the fire for you.”

This time, Shen Dasao firmly refused. “How could I let you tend the fire? You’re wearing new clothes—heh—you’d just ruin them. Let your brother do it. He doesn’t have much else to do right now.”

In the end, the three Shen family members headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Shen Dasao swiftly cleaned the fish and brought it out. Shen Linchuan also changed into his brother’s short coat before joining them to cook.

The kitchen was well-stocked with ingredients—fish, tofu, lettuce, eggs—clearly bought specially from town. It showed how much his brother and sister-in-law valued their return.

While Shen Linchuan bustled about in the kitchen, Zhou Ning played in the courtyard with Shen Huzi and Shen Xiaoyu. Shen Huzi dragged over a small puppy from somewhere to show Zhou Ning. “Uncle Ning, look at my little dog!”

Zhou Ning enjoyed playing with children. He always felt a bit awkward around elders, perhaps because his family had always just been him and his father, leaving him unsure how to interact with older generations.

Zhou Ning petted the puppy. “My family has one too. His name is Dahuang. He’s a bit bigger than this one.”

“I saw him the day Uncle Ning got married. He was tied up by the kitchen door.”

Shen Xiaoyu joined in, grinning as he crouched down to play with Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning really liked the Shen family’s two children. He wished his own home could have a little one someday, too—it would be so lively. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy for him to conceive, and the birthmark on his forehead was rather faint. He wondered when he might finally be able to have a child.

Shen Linchuan bustled about in the kitchen, occasionally peeking out to watch the courtyard. Seeing Zhou Ning happily playing with the two children, he smiled. He’d worried Zhou Ning might feel awkward—that shy guy.

With children in the house, Shen Linchuan sliced meat and fried a plate of crispy pork strips. Shen Huzi, drawn by the aroma of frying oil, came running over and peered inside from the kitchen doorway. Shen Dasao, afraid he might be rude, nudged him away. “Go play somewhere else. I’ll call you later.”

Shen Huzi’s mouth watered greedily. His family never splurged on fried food during the New Year, and Shen Linchuan knew this well. The Shen household had lived frugally to support his education, skimping on oil even for cooking. But today, with Zhou Ning visiting, Shen Linchuan didn’t mind using extra oil.

Shen Linchuan had already fried up a bowlful—golden and crispy. “Here, share this with your Uncle Ning and Xiao Yu.”

Shen Huzi cheerfully nodded, scooped up the bowl, and dashed off.

The three of them ate in the courtyard, Shen Huzi especially, his hands greasy from handling the food.

A few kids near the gate came running over, sniffing the aroma of meat. They knew Shen Huzi’s family had guests today—it smelled way too good.

Shen Huzi held up his fried pork with pride. “Gouwa, we’re having meat at my place today too!”

The kid called Gouwa snorted. “So what if you’re eating meat? Like anyone else can’t afford it!”

With that, the boy dashed off. Shen Huzi snorted and complained to Zhou Ning, “When they have meat, that kid always brings some over to tease me. I never give him any!”

“Well, if you ever want meat, come get some at my place. My family slaughters pigs—we’ve got plenty.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, your grandpa’s a butcher. He’s never short on meat.”

The moment Shen Huzi heard that butchers got meat every meal, he immediately shouted, “Dad! I’m not learning carpentry from you anymore! I’m going to learn butchery from Grandpa Zhou!”

“You good-for-nothing brat! Carpentry is our family’s ancestral craft. If you master it, you’ll never go without meat!” Shen Dage retorted from the kitchen.

“I don’t care! You said carpenters never get meat—you lied!”

“When did I ever lie to you?!”

“But you said no meat! I’m quitting!”

Shen Dage was flabbergasted. “You’re just itching for a beating!”

Shen Linchuan knew his elder brother was right. Carpentry was a valuable skill—some people begged to learn it but found no teacher. How could his brother, a seasoned carpenter for so many years, ever go without meat? It was all because of the expenses of supporting his education.

Shen Linchuan bustled about in the kitchen, cooking with deft efficiency. His sister-in-law assisted in chopping vegetables. At first, she’d thought he was just putting on a brave front, but now she saw his stir-fry smelling so delicious—it looked even better than hers.

“Who knew you could cook, Linchuan?”

“I picked it up when I cooked for myself back in town,” Shen Linchuan casually lied.

Shen Dasao retorted with a sigh, “Now that you’re married, you’ve finally grown up a bit.”

Back then, he never cooked a single meal at her family’s house. During the busy farming season, the whole family would head out to the fields to harvest rice. Shen Linchuan refused to go, insisting he needed to stay home and study. He claimed working in the fields would only distract him from passing the imperial exams. The family worked themselves to the bone, only to come home and cook for him.

“Sister-in-law, I’m sorry for how I was before. I was immature.”

“Good to know. Though you’re a son-in-law by marriage, I see the Zhou family as decent folk. They won’t mistreat you. Life’s good there—stop fussing over trivial matters.”