After dinner, Song's father went to clear the dishes. Song Yan lay down on the single bed prepared for her.

This bed was placed next to the large bed, and it was quite sturdy and stable. "Mom, are you looking forward to my return every day? You've even prepared a bed for me."

Song Ma looked at her daughter with obvious contentment, her smile never fading. "Your dad wants to find someone to make a bed for you to stay in when you come back."

Your dad said that when your second brother came over for a visit. He meant well; he got this bed ready in just a few days.

“My second brother is different from them,” Song Yan said.

"Look at all these new stools we've added to the house. Your second brother brought them all. The window shutters weren't working properly, and he fixed them for us," said Aunt Song.

The mother and daughter were chatting casually when there was a knock at the door. Song Yan opened the door and exclaimed, "Second Brother!"

"The little girl has grown taller again." Song Jun raised his hand to measure Song Yan's height.

Seeing Song Jun arrive, Song's mother was also very happy. "Little Jun, have you eaten?"

"I've already eaten." Song Jun just wanted to come up and see Song Yan, then go to work in place of his second uncle. He would sit and talk for a while, then leave.

Song Jun lied. When Song Yan opened the door for him, he heard gurgling sounds coming from Song Jun's stomach. Song Yan's ears are very sharp; Song Jun probably didn't even realize it himself.

Hearing Song Jun's voice, Song's father came out of the kitchen and washed the apples that Song Yan had brought back for him to eat.

Looking at the bright red apples, Song Jun felt particularly uneasy.

Second Uncle and Second Aunt are very frugal; these apples definitely weren't bought by them. Song Yan must have bought them as a gift. Yet, Second Uncle and Second Aunt were willing to give them to him.

He went home once this spring, and there were two apples on the table. He wasn't tempted; he just glanced at them casually. His mother said they were for his little nephew. Song Jun wasn't a glutton, and he would never fight with a child for a bite to eat.

The third brother then came into the house, picked up an apple from the table, and took a big bite. The apple made a particularly crisp, crunching sound as he chewed it. This time, his mother didn't say a word.

"I'm not a child anymore. I'll save the apple for my second aunt to help her recover!" Song Jun didn't have the nerve to come to his second aunt's place to freeload.

At this moment, Song Yan came out of the kitchen. "I steamed the rice for lunch today, and I also stewed the dishes. Come and try my cooking."

As he spoke, Song Yan put down a bowl of rice and a bowl of pork ribs.

He didn't eat lunch at all today; his stomach was rumbling. But he didn't touch it. Rice is so precious these days! This rice might be for his aunt; he can't eat it.

His second uncle shoved the rice bowl and chopsticks into his hands, saying, "Eat up! Why be so polite here? The rice is so chewy, and the ribs are delicious too."

His second uncle, second aunt, and Xiaoyan all looked at him with smiles, urging him to try it.

The aroma of the rice and that warm smile made it impossible for him to resist…

After dinner, Second Aunt asked about Song Jun's girlfriend again. Song Yan had returned, and Second Aunt invited him to bring his girlfriend over for a meal.

Song Jun nodded. This was his second aunt showing that she cared about his girlfriend. Besides, they had been together for so long, it wouldn't be right for the man to never let the woman come to his house, but his parents just pretended not to see it. His second aunt's actions made things much better for her.

"I'm going to have a second sister-in-law?" Song Yan, who had just come out of the kitchen, understood what he meant after hearing only half of the sentence.

Song Jun blushed with embarrassment.

"Xiaoyan, what time is it? Shouldn't I be at work?" Song's father asked.

"Oh dear! I was so focused on eating that I forgot about the important thing. I wanted to tell my second uncle that I'm off today. I'll cover your afternoon shift!" Song Jun's face was still red.

Of course, Mr. Song wanted to stay home with his daughter, but these days it's not easy for people to take time off work. Having his daughter back was no excuse.

“Sure!” Mr. Song said without hesitation. “Perfect timing, it’s Liu Shuying’s shift today too. After work, invite her to come home for dinner together.”

"Okay! Second Uncle and Second Aunt, I'm leaving now!" Song Jun wanted to pat Song Yan's head like before, but when he raised his hand, he realized that Song Yan had grown up and it didn't seem appropriate anymore.

Song Jun withdrew his hand somewhat awkwardly.

Song Yan smiled as she looked at him.

As Song Jun walked downstairs, he felt that his second uncle was smiling, his second aunt was smiling, and Xiao Yan was smiling too. It was so nice!

After Song Jun left, Song's father said to quickly soak the bamboo fungus and morel mushrooms!

Song Yan then taught him how to soak and prepare these two dried goods, especially morel mushrooms. Song Yan used to not eat morel mushrooms when he was out.

It's said that morel mushrooms have a lot of dirt inside their folds, and they can't be cleaned properly when dry, so they need to be soaked first. The water from the first soaking isn't discarded; it's left to settle. Adding this clarified water to dishes makes them even more delicious.

Song Yan really can't accept this.

But this time the morel mushrooms were truly clean and uncontaminated, without a trace of mud or sand.

Song Yan wanted to treat her parents to some nice meals, and with her second brother's girlfriend visiting, it was a perfect excuse. So she went to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if they could add a few more dishes.

When Song's father heard that his daughter was going to buy something, he quickly took out his money and tickets from his pocket. Song Yan accepted them without hesitation.

Song Yan couldn't help but ask, "Dad, does it feel good to be able to pull money and tickets out of your own pocket?"

Mr. Song was taken aback.

Song Yan continued, "Dad, you must hold on, whether it's for my sister or my brother. You must keep the money in your own pocket and not let anyone else take it."

Mr. Song realized what his daughter meant, but he was tongue-tied and didn't know how to express it, so he just nodded vigorously.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!