The weather was warm, so the dining table was moved out to the courtyard.

Truth be told, the Tang family didn’t have much space anymore.

For over twenty years, Father Tang had run his mutton soup and noodle business in Fengyuan City—starting with a pushcart stall, then moving to a storefront, and finally purchasing the neighboring shop and courtyard to expand. The front featured two large storefronts, while the east and west wings housed living quarters and a kitchen, all surrounding a spacious, square courtyard.

Since last October, when Father Tang fell ill, the shop has been closed, and the family’s livelihood has dwindled. While still lucid before his constant confusion set in, Father Tang decided to divide the courtyard into two sections for rent. The Tang family now enters and exits through the shopfront door.

The back door leading to the alley is now used by the tenants.

A wall now divides the courtyard, with the persimmon tree serving as the boundary.

When renting out the space, Jiang Yun suggested, “This setup feels cramped. Why not split it east-west? Our courtyard was originally two joined together anyway.”

Father Tang glared at her and scolded her, insisting there was plenty of space and that she shouldn’t even think about using the shop. The east and west wings still had two rooms each. The first, second, and third daughters had all married out. If his fourth son were still alive, things wouldn’t be like this. It was all his fault for being foolish back then and keeping Wu-ger, who had nearly drained the Tang family’s savings…

The west wing was split again. Wu-ger lived next to the stove room, where the light was terribly dim.

The east wing was larger and housed the parents.

When Tang Qiao and her husband Lin Hu were moving the table and chairs, Lin Hu remarked, “Why not just eat in the shop? It’s spacious, empty, and already has tables and chairs. Why bother moving them?”

“What if my father wakes up—” Tang Qiao began.

Lin Hu swiftly moved the furniture. “It’s not like we’re gonna move anything.”

The shop was his father-in-law’s pride and joy. Even though he was bedridden, no one in the Tang family dared to consider using the shop for anything—not even as living quarters. Now, only one door remained open for entry and exit.

“Mmm, that smells amazing.” Lin Hu was about to say more when the aroma hit him, making him inhale deeply. “What did you make? It smells incredible.”

Tang Qiao’s stomach growled at the scent, too. She left her husband fiddling with the table and chairs, saying, “I’ll get the food. Finish up, Mother’s ready to eat.” She headed straight for the kitchen.

Erniang carried a tray of pancakes and placed them on the table, her face beaming with joy. When Lin Hu asked his daughter what they were having for lunch, Erniang was overjoyed. “Father, Fifth Uncle’s cooking smells so good!”

“Stir-fried duck eggs with toon buds, minced pork with pickled vegetables,” Tang Qiao announced as she brought out large bowls of dishes. “There’s also some congee, but today it smells different.”

The dishes were nothing unusual—the same fare they ate at home. Yet strangely, today’s aroma was especially potent. Lin Hu, who’d been only moderately hungry, felt his appetite surge to full capacity upon smelling the food, his stomach growling audibly.

“Let’s eat,” Lin Hu said, clapping his hands. Before sitting down, he remembered his mother-in-law hadn’t arrived yet and added, “I’ll go invite Mother to sit down first.”

Jiang Yun’s voice drifted from the east room: “I’m not hungry. You eat first. I’ll keep an eye on your father.”

It wasn’t that Tang Qiao thought her mother was difficult, but ever since Father fell ill, her mother’s temper had become even harder to handle. She was neither to be taken lightly nor treated with excessive deference. Often, she would compromise herself. The meal was ready, there was plenty to eat, and everyone was waiting for Mother. What did she mean, telling them to eat first?

If their mother didn’t come, who could eat comfortably?

The hot, steaming food was in front of them, but the family members had to keep inviting each other to come. The food would get cold soon.

“Erniang, go call your grandmother.” Lin Hu patted his daughter’s head, soothing his wife, signaling for the child to fetch her.

Lin Erniang, ever obedient, went to the east wing to call her grandmother to dinner.

Jiang Yun: “Grandmother truly isn’t hungry. You all go ahead and eat. I have little appetite.”

Tang Qiao and Lin Hu also came to invite her. Tang Qiao followed her mother’s lead, asking if the food didn’t suit her taste or if she wasn’t feeling well. Lin Hu smiled apologetically beside her, saying that without the mother-in-law seated, the younger generation dared not eat. The father-in-law was asleep and wouldn’t wake anytime soon, so they’d go ahead and eat first.

Tang Xianling, who starved and froze to death in the apocalypse: …

He couldn’t stand their lack of enthusiasm for eating!!!

Meanwhile, Tang Qiao’s family of three continued pleading. Erniang softly and obediently begged her grandmother, saying all the right things. In the courtyard, Tang Xianling quickly piled dishes onto a large bowl, topped them with pancakes, and carried the bowl to the doorway.

“Sis, brother-in-law, take Erniang to sit down.” Tang Xianling placed the bowl of food into Jiang Yun’s hands. “This is what I served. Mother, if you’re not hungry yet, set it aside. Eat when you are.”

“My eldest sister and brother-in-law have come to visit us. They’ve been busy all morning and must be hungry. I’ll serve them first. We can’t let our guests go hungry.”

Tang Xianling’s words were firm and decisive.

According to current customs, Tang Qiao had married into the Lin family, making her a member of the Lin household. Bringing food to the Lin home meant she was a guest. Tang Xianling used this reasoning to silence Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun stood frozen, a bowl of food in her hands. She wanted to protest, but couldn’t find a single word to counter—Wu-ger always went along with her wishes. If she wasn’t hungry, no one needed to feed her.

Given that, what could she possibly argue?

“Come on, let’s eat!” Tang Xianling tugged her eldest sister’s arm and sat down, calling out, “Sit down, brother-in-law! Erniang, you can eat on your own, can’t you?”

Erniang glanced at her parents, hesitating to pick up her chopsticks.

Tang Xianling rolled up a pancake first, filling it with a layer of fragrant toon leaves and salted duck eggs, topped with a spoonful of minced pork and pickled vegetables. He handed it to the little girl. Erniang obediently took it, unable to resist taking a bite. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she began eating heartily.

“Go ahead, eat up. No need for formalities among family,” Tang Xianling said with a smile.

A child who eats heartily is a good child.

Tang Xianling was determined to be the ultimate good kid. He rolled up the second pancake and shoved it into his own mouth, saying, “Sis, brother-in-law, I won’t bother serving you two.”

“Oh, alright, alright. Eat up.” Tang Qiao snapped back to reality, sensing something different about Wu-ger today. But was it rude to ignore their mother? She’d invited her all morning, only for Mother to make excuses not to come. Truthfully, she felt a bit annoyed.

What’s wrong with my eating first when Father hasn’t eaten yet?

But Father lay unconscious day and night, with no sign of waking. Even if he did, he couldn’t eat these greasy pancakes. If she hadn’t known Mother wasn’t trying to drive them away, Tang Qiao would have taken her husband and Erniang back home.

They weren’t the kind to stubbornly cling to her family’s table.

Yet once they sat down, leaving Mother alone, Tang Qiao felt uneasy. She opened her mouth to speak, but seeing everyone else eating, she absentmindedly took a bite of the dish. It was truly delicious.

The strong flavor of the toon buds was reduced to pure fragrance when stir-fried. The duck eggs were soft and rich with egg aroma, lacking any fishy taste. Combined, they created a dish so fragrant it made one devour bite after bite.

The pickled vegetables, ordinarily salty and dry, were stir-fried with minced pork. The pork fat added richness without greasiness, tempering the pickles’ saltiness and dryness. The result was a moist, savory dish that paired wonderfully with congee or flatbread, its flavor deepening with each bite. The minced pork retained a satisfying chewiness that grew more delicious the longer she ate.

She took a bite of the pancake alone.

Though it was a multigrain pancake, the ones she made herself always had a faint earthy bean flavor and were tough on the teeth. But today’s pancake, though slightly dry on the outside and without oil, felt soft in her hands and had a satisfying chew. Its rich wheat aroma filled her mouth.

Especially the rice porridge—she remembered washing only broken and stale grains, yet now it was soft, sticky, and thick, with a rich, fragrant rice aroma, as if made from freshly harvested new rice.

…How could it be this delicious?

Tang Qiao ate this and that, quickly casting aside her earlier unease, soft-heartedness, and self-reproach. The others at the table were no different. Lin Hu, who was usually reserved as a guest, eventually let loose and began wolfing down his food.

Tang Xianling, seated among them, appeared to eat slowly and deliberately, yet his pace matched Lin Hu’s perfectly. He ate with grace and relish, never appearing messy.

From waking up until now, only in this moment, with food in his stomach, did he truly feel alive.

He was alive.

The table was swept clean. The usual polite chatter vanished, replaced only by the sounds of eating and occasional exclamations: “Delicious!” “This is so fragrant!” “Another pancake, please!” “More porridge!” “Go ahead, sister, eat your fill—I’ll save enough for Mom and Dad.”

Every bowl and plate was scraped clean.

Tang Qiao and Lin Hu felt a bit awkward, as if their rationality had suddenly returned.

“As long as we ate everything clean and didn’t waste anything, that’s good enough,” said Tang Xianling. He was so full he felt a bit stuffed, sitting there wanting to rub his little belly. He hadn’t eaten so freely in a long time, and his little face was now filled with a blissful smile. “Have you finished eating, eldest sister and brother-in-law?”

“We’re done, we’re done.” 

“Goodness, we never eat so recklessly at home. Today we really let our eyes get the better of us—how could we have been so careless?” Lin Hu said.

Tang Xianling: “It’s just home cooking, nothing fancy. As long as you’re satisfied, Eldest Sister and Brother-in-law.”

After the meal, Tang Qiao and Tang Xianling cleared the dishes, while Lin Hu carried the table and stools back to the front shop. Left alone in the kitchen, Tang Xianling spoke after a moment: “Sis, I know you feel bad. Earlier, when we ate, we didn’t invite Mother to join us. Actually, I did that on purpose.”

“To give Mother a subtle rebuff.”

Tang Qiao nearly dropped her bowl, staring at Wu-ger in disbelief.

Tang Xianling set down his bowl and spoke calmly, “You know our family’s situation now, eldest sister. When Father was well, he made all the decisions for the household and the shop. Mother was easily swayed and couldn’t make major decisions herself. But when it came to running the shop and the business, Mother never missed a beat. She worked the hardest and toiled the most.”

“Yes.” Tang Qiao nodded. Hearing Wu-ger speak of this stirred memories of the courtyard, and her eyes reddened. She felt for her mother’s hardship and regretted having shown impatience toward her earlier.

Little did she know Tang Xianling would continue: “We all see how hard Mother works. Since Father fell ill, Mother’s temper has grown even stranger—though perhaps ‘strange’ isn’t quite right. After decades of listening to and deferring to Father, now that Mother must take charge and lead the household, she’s afraid.”

“She’s afraid of making the wrong decisions, afraid Father will blame her when he recovers. Something as simple as meals shouldn’t require decisions, but with our livelihood gone, Mother’s been idle at home for so long. She feels useless and restless without work. Of course, I don’t see it that way.”

Tang Xianling paused here, looking at her eldest sister. “Last night I ran a fever, felt like I was dying. I can’t live like this anymore. It’s all that timid, whiny, spineless nature—even eating a meal makes her hesitate and worry.”

“Sister, we must look forward. Since Father arranged my marriage, even though the man surnamed Hu is dead, I still bear the Tang family name. From now on, I’ll take care of our parents. Trust me—things will get better.”

Tang Qiao gazed at her Wu-ger for a moment. Tears welled in her reddened eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. Wiping them away, she said, “Wu-ger, all the past grievances and bitterness are behind us now. I know it hasn’t been easy for you, but as long as you can hold up the family…”

The siblings wept together in the kitchen. It was mostly Tang Qiao crying, and Tang Xianling didn’t know how to comfort her, so he simply stayed with his elder sister and cried with her.

He didn’t want to leave his elder sister alone in her tears, feeling awkward.

Outside the kitchen, Erniang entered carrying an empty bowl. “Mother, Grandmother has finished her meal.”

Tang Qiao glanced at the clean bowl and chuckled. As long as Mother ate well, Wu-ger was right—insisting on polite refusals and invitations over a simple meal would only create distance.

Tang Xianling took the porridge bowl. “There’s still porridge left. Sister, take it to Mother. I’ll clean up here.” He had only served Jiang Yun some dishes and buns earlier.

Tang Qiao carried the bowl to deliver the porridge. She felt it was still warm, showing how thoughtful and filial Wu-ger was—he had considered everything.

Mother and daughter whispered together in the room. When they emerged, Tang Qiao visibly relaxed.

As dusk fell, Lin Hu Tang Qiao, and Erniang went home. Just before parting, Lin Hu remarked, “I saved this full measure of grain from my sales. Half a shi remains for your household—no need to pay for it, it’s all from our own fields.”

Which grain shop collects in exact multiples? No one does business that way. Lin Hu said this simply to avoid his in-laws’ excuses—refusing it, saying it was too much trouble, insisting they couldn’t accept his grain, or offering to pay him back with money. He wanted them to take it without feeling burdened.

Jiang Yun opened her mouth to refuse, but Tang Xianling interjected, “Thank you, Brother-in-law. You should head back early for safety. Once our home is settled, I’ll prepare a feast to treat you.”

“Alright, we know. You and Mother hurry back,” Tang Qiao replied promptly, lifting her daughter onto the oxcart.

Lin Hu agreed immediately, “That’s perfectly fine.” Today’s meal was truly delicious.

With the grain sold and silver in hand, Lin Hu didn’t linger for small talk. He urged the oxcart forward, and the family of three set off swiftly.

They made it through the city gates before closing time. On the dirt road back to the village, Lin Hu hummed a tune. “Are there any more toon buds left? We should stir-fry some tomorrow too.”

“They’re growing everywhere in the fields. You never liked them before, but now you’re craving them,” Tang Qiao teased her husband.

Lin Hu chuckled. “Well, your family does run a food business. Your stir-fried sprouts are different from the village’s. But wait—did your father-in-law teach Wu-ger this skill?”

He knew his father-in-law guarded his culinary secrets closely; his own wife couldn’t even make the family’s signature mutton soup.

“Father can barely get out of bed these days. How could he teach Wu-ger? Even when that Hu fellow came courting, Father never taught him—”

“So he didn’t teach the Hu guy either?” Lin Hu was curious. Logically, since the Hu man had married into the Tang family, he was now one of their sons-in-law. If the father-in-law wouldn’t pass his skills to a daughter’s husband, surely he’d teach his own son-in-law?

Tang Qiao spat out, “That Xiucai Hu flaunted his scholar status. He didn’t care about the family trade and refused to learn.” Only her father treated him like a treasure, believing everything Xiucai Hu said. It ruined Wu-ger’s marriage prospects and destroyed his lifelong happiness.

As she spoke, Tang Qiao grew angrier and angrier, filled with bitter resentment.

Lin Hu heard this and hurried to console her, “But he’s dead now. Dead.”

“He deserved it. It’s just a pity about Wu-ger,” Tang Qiao sighed again, then stroked her own daughter’s hair. “When you pick a husband for Erniang later, we won’t want a scholar. Find a hardworking man with land of his own.”

Lin Hu nodded in agreement. His father-in-law’s family had thrived in trade, appearing prosperous and rooted in the city. But now that his father-in-law had fallen, they had no land to sustain them. In the city, even water and sanitation cost money. How long could they survive on their savings alone?

Farmers were better off—they could never go hungry.

Tang Qiao turned to her husband. “You didn’t sell all the grain. Go back and settle the accounts,” She feared her in-laws would scold her husband.

Lin Hu chuckled cheerfully. “No worries. Father and Mother understand. We’re family now. With your family in trouble, our money’s tight, but the grain in the fields can still supplement things. I’ll handle it later. Erniang, don’t slip up. Keep your mouth shut. Next time we go to town, Father will bring you along.”

Lin Erniang’s eyes sparkled at this. “To see Fifth Uncle? I want to eat Fifth Uncle’s cooking again.” Thinking of the midday meal’s flavors, she couldn’t help but lick her lips.

Both husband and wife chuckled.

At the Tang family courtyard, after lunch was cleared away, Tang Xianling began pondering what to eat for the afternoon. Before he could decide on a plan, Father Tang woke up, and one thing led to another. Perhaps Tang Xianling also harbored some resentment, standing up for the injustice done to Wu-ger.

He laid out his thoughts plainly and openly.