Chapter 503 This is what home feels like.

Early in the morning, Cui Xiao had just ladled millet porridge into a bowl when the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, Zhou Mubin was standing there with an insulated bag and a cartoon bag in his hand. "I went downstairs for my morning exercise and passed by the breakfast stall downstairs. I bought Xiao Nuomi's favorite crab roe xiaolongbao and your favorite unsweetened soy milk."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Nuomi ran out of the bedroom and hugged his leg. "Uncle Zhou, do you have magic? You knew I wanted to eat xiaolongbao today."

Zhou Mubin smiled and stuffed the bag into her hand as a snack. He then walked into the kitchen, picked up a bowl, and helped distribute the porridge. "Aunt Zhang said you have to rush to an early meeting this morning, so I bought two extra portions for you to take with you on the way."

Cui Xiao watched him skillfully open the cupboard to get a spoon. Remembering how she had complained about his pink slippers just a couple of days ago, her ears secretly burned, but she didn't stop him.

Such mornings have become the norm.

Zhou Mubin always manages to come downstairs right on time, sometimes bringing freshly baked pan-fried buns, sometimes carrying fresh strawberries, and occasionally even helping Cui Xiao, who gets up late, braid Xiao Nuomi's hair.

His technique wasn't very skilled, but he always managed to braid Xiao Nuomi's little braids in a crooked yet adorable way, making Xiao Nuomi laugh nonstop in front of the mirror.

After dropping Xiao Nuomi off at school, the two would walk side by side for a while, chatting about interesting things at work, and then part ways at the intersection of the office building. "I'll pick up Xiao Nuomi tonight, so you can work overtime without worry."

This phrase gradually became Zhou Mubin's catchphrase.

The nanny was the first to become acquainted with Zhou Mubin.

That day, Zhou Mubin couldn't unscrew the bottle cap after changing the dressing on his left arm. "Mr. Zhou, you need to rest your injury. Just let me know if you need hot meals or groceries in the future."

From then on, the nanny would ask Zhou Mubin's preferences every day when buying groceries. Knowing that he liked light food, she specially stewed pigeon soup for him.

In the evening, Zhou Mubin would pick up Xiao Nuomi from school and take her to play on the slide in the community garden for half an hour before leading his sweaty daughter upstairs.

When Cui Xiao got home from get off work, she often saw Zhou Mubin "supervising" at the kitchen door, while Xiao Nuomi was helping Aunt Zhang peel garlic by the counter, and the three of them would sit around discussing what to eat for dinner.

"Uncle Zhou said he bought a sea bass today and is going to make your favorite steamed fish."

Little Nuomi proudly held up the peeled garlic cloves, while the nanny chimed in, "Mr. Zhou taught me how to make this sauce. He said less soy sauce makes it more flavorful. Try it and see if you like it."

Looking at the three sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, and watching Zhou Mubin pick fish bones from Xiao Nuomi's bones with his uninjured hand, Cui Xiao felt a slight tension ease in her heart.

On weekends, it gets even more lively. Zhou Mubin would take Xiao Nuomi to the flower and bird market and buy her a little hamster.

When he returned, he happened to run into Cui Xiao and the nanny making dumplings. He rolled up his sleeves and joined in. Although the dumplings he made were crooked, they were praised by Xiao Nuomi as "the cutest Yuanbao".

The nanny sat to the side picking vegetables, watching the three of them chatting and laughing around the table. She quietly sighed to Cui Xiao, "This is what a home should be like. Little Nuomi has been laughing more often lately."

Cui Xiao didn't say anything, but she put another cooked dumpling into Zhou Mubin's bowl. Watching him and Xiao Nuomi fighting over the last piece of pickled garlic, she couldn't help but smile.

——

Zhou Mubin's law firm relocation went even more smoothly than expected, with all final matters completed a week ago.

80% of his core employees willingly moved with him from the port city to Shanghai, and several of his long-time partners who had been with him for nearly ten years even moved their entire families.

The remaining 20% ​​of employees are mostly people who have lived in the port city for 20 or 30 years, are married, and have children who are in school and facing the middle school or college entrance examinations.

Zhou Mubin specially retained the independent operation rights of the port branch, not only increasing the salary by 15%, but also promising to provide two round-trip family visit subsidies between Shanghai and Hong Kong every year.

At 4:30 p.m. that day, Zhou Mubin finished signing the last relocation and handover document. His fingertips paused on the document bag, his gaze fell on the memo on his phone, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he pondered his words for half a minute before pressing the dial button.

"Hello?"

Cui Xiao's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of weariness from just finishing a high-intensity job. In the background, one could faintly hear the rustling of colleagues packing their things and the lingering sound of keyboards.

Zhou Mubin immediately softened his tone, as if afraid of disturbing her tense nerves, "Are you done with your work? The relocation of the law firm is completely settled. Your colleagues know that you are also in Shanghai and keep talking about you. They said they wanted to get together and meet up, so they decided on the local Shanghainese restaurant diagonally across from your company."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Zhou Mubin could imagine her sitting at her desk, her fingertips lightly tapping the surface as she hesitated. He quickly added, his tone cautiously probing, "They're all people you know—Sister Wang, Lao Liu, and Sister Li from HR. It's just a simple reunion. If you feel uncomfortable..."

"I'll go."

Cui Xiao's voice suddenly interrupted him, with a hint of gentleness at the end, as if she were recalling the past, "I'll finish this case report and then leave. I should be there around 6:30."

A warm feeling welled up in Zhou Mubin's heart, and his fingers loosened their grip on the phone. He quickly replied, "I had my assistant reserve the parking space closest to the elevator at the entrance, so you don't have to take a detour."

When Cui Xiao arrived, the familiar aroma of meat was already wafting from the private room.

The moment the carved wooden door was pushed open, three familiar voices rang out almost simultaneously, "Cui Xiao is here! We've been waiting for you!"

"It's been five years since I last saw you, and you've become more and more charismatic."

Brother Liu was the first to stand up, still holding half a glass of beer in his hand, and patted the empty seat next to him with his other hand.

Sister Wang from the administration department quickly walked over, affectionately took her arm, and warmed her palm with familiarity. She looked her up and down and exclaimed, "Look at your temperament, you're even more outstanding than five years ago. You're still the pillar of our law firm back then, you haven't changed at all."

Cui Xiao laughed out loud at what was said, and the fatigue from working overtime for days faded away. Without saying a word, Sister Wang pulled her to sit down in the empty seat next to Zhou Mubin.

That spot was clearly reserved on purpose. On the corner of the table was a cup of warm plum juice, the cup without a trace of condensation, the perfect temperature for her sensitive stomach. Next to it was a brand new pair of bamboo chopsticks, the sleeves already removed and arranged neatly.

The dishes were served one after another, with the signature braised pork belly, glistening red and oily, steaming hot, and sprinkled with a few white sesame seeds on the marbled pieces of meat.

The freshly cooked eel paste sizzles as hot oil is poured over it, instantly filling the air with the aroma of garlic and the freshness of eel.

There were also Cui Xiao's favorite stir-fried river shrimp and braised pork intestines, each of which was a must-order dish for gatherings back then.

Zhou Mubin sat beside her. Because his left hand was still injured and he couldn't exert any force, he used his right hand to gently push the braised pork into her bowl, the movement as natural as if he had done it a thousand times.

During the meal, some younger colleagues who had never met Cui Xiao before enthusiastically came over with wine glasses to offer a toast, but Zhou Mubin immediately raised his hand to block them.