On the way home, Lin Chaoxi was thinking about how to bring Pei Zhi out in a way that would scare Old Lin.

But when they really reached the door, the courtyard gate was wide open, and Comrade Lao Lin, who was pulling the wires for the electric hot pot, raised his head.

She and Pei Zhi were across the courtyard from Lao Lin. So the plan was shattered, and no one expected that Lao Lin would have this trick.

"Are you back?" Comrade Lao Lin stood in the golden light of the setting sun and greeted us first.

Pei Zhi nodded, stepped over the threshold, and said solemnly: "Master, I'm back."

"Did you go shopping for groceries?"

"yes."

Pei Zhi walked forward carrying the plastic bag. Lao Lin remained very calm, as if three years had passed in a flash without any effect.

Lin Zhaoxi coughed lightly: "Dad, don't shake your hands."

"Clumsy, lumsy." Lao Lin quickly put down the electric hot pot and lowered his head to study it, as if he had no idea how the hot pot suddenly changed.

Pei Zhi put down the plastic bag, walked around the stone table and stood in front of Lao Lin.

Lao Lin raised his head with a smile and extended his hand to Pei Zhi. Pei Zhi honestly took his hand and shook hands with him.

Lao Lin: "Classmate Pei Zhi, we haven't seen each other for many years. Your attitude is inappropriate."

Pei Zhi was at a loss.

Lin Chaoxi smiled, she trotted over, put her hand on Pei Zhi's back, and pushed him forward. Pei Zhi stumbled, and Old Lin opened his arms and hugged the child.

Old Lin hugged him and patted the boy's back with his hands like a palm-leaf fan, his tone full of relief, surprise and emotion.

"That's right," he said.

The wind was soft and gentle. Under the grape trellis, Lin Chaoxi looked at the two people hugging each other and couldn't help but smile. It doesn't have to be too dramatic. It's good to be normal.

After hugging for a few seconds, Lao Lin let go. Pei Zhi had probably never been hugged so suddenly before, and it took him some time to react.

But Lao Lin had already picked up the plastic bag and went to the kitchen to check on the shopping.

She and classmate Pei Zhi looked at each other under the grape trellis, looking at the young man's youthful and slightly stunned eyes——

"What are you looking at me for? Do you want me to hug you?" As if possessed by some strange force, she said out loud what was in her heart.

——

Huajuan and Lu Zhihao went home early, said hello to their parents, and when the pot was boiling, they stepped into the yard on time.

It was dim, Lin Chaoxi walked out of the kitchen carrying an egg dumpling, and saw two more young men in the yard. He turned on the light in the yard with one hand.

"You guys hit the spot very accurately." Lin Chaoxi said.

"I brought braised beef to offer to Brother Pei. My sister also asked me to bring champagne, but I refused, so she might bring it to his door later." Huajuan raised her hand.

"Your brother Pei is so miserable. He has been eating beef for three years and doesn't want to eat it anymore. I have to do it for him." Lin Chaoxi said this and looked at Lu Zhihao. What about you?

"I came with a stomach!" Lu Zhihao said as a matter of course, "I can also do the beef."

"Hey, hey, don't I have any share for what I brought? And why didn't you tell the master to share some?" Huajuan asked.

Lao Lin was walking out of the kitchen with washed vegetables in his hand. "What do you want to give me?"

"There is no such thing as a master." Huajuan changed his words in an instant.

Lao Lin was skeptical, put down the vegetables and started to take charge of the work.

The red oil soup base is bubbling, gurgling, and full of fragrance.

Lao Lin first used chopsticks to scoop it up to prevent the soup from sticking to the bottom; then he scooped out a few pieces of meat from the bottom of the pot and put them in his bowl; finally, he put mushrooms into the hot pot, covered it with a lid, and started eating the meat in the bowl.

He performed his movements smoothly and effortlessly, oblivious to the people around him. The four children were all stunned.

"What's wrong?" Lao Lin chewed the meat twice and looked up, "Eat vegetables."

The dishes on the table are all raw, and the only cooked one has been taken away by you...

Lin Chaoxi thought silently.

Lu Zhihao pointed at Lao Lin's bowl and said, "Master, the meat..."

"I had a hard time pickling it yesterday." Lao Lin picked up another piece of meat, "Luckily I remembered to pick it up in advance, otherwise you guys would have almost eaten it."

Having said this, he started eating again, huffing and puffing, looking very happy.

Under the stone table, Huajuan secretly stuffed the marinated beef into her hand, meaning: hide it secretly, and never give it to the master.

Lin Chaoxi took it and nodded solemnly.

The four of them rested their chins on their hands, watching Lao Lin happily eating the meat slices while waiting for the hot pot to boil again.

For a moment, the courtyard was quiet and the sound of insects could be heard.

In the middle of the stone table, the electric hot pot made a sizzling sound. As dusk fell, the air was indigo-colored and felt misty.

The five people beside Shi Zhuo stared at the boiling hot pot with eager eyes. Although everything seemed to be still, it was vivid and clear.

Steam hit the pot lid with a hissing sound. After the pot was opened, Lao Lin put another batch of mutton rolls in.

He covered the pot again, looked around, and thought he should say something: "It's not easy today. Let's sit together and welcome Pei Zhi..."

Probably brainwashed by the news of the xxth Congress, Lao Lin got stuck at this point.

"It's enough for everyone to understand what I mean. Let's applaud and welcome Pei Zhi."

"Pa pa pa" Huajuan and Lu Zhihao clapped their hands to show their respect.

Lao Lin picked up a large bottle of Coca-Cola from under the table and handed it to Lin Chaoxi. Lin Chaoxi took it, holding the bottle cap with one hand and twisting it with the other. With a click, she directly twisted the cap off.

"Let me do it." Pei Zhi said.

Lin Chaoxi readily followed suit and handed the Coke to him with both hands.

Pei Zhi stood up.

After all, they hadn't seen each other for three years. When Huajuan and Lu Zhihao realized that it was Brother Pei who poured Coke for them, they felt embarrassed and stood up one after another, asking to do it themselves.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Lao Lin put down his bowl and quickly lifted the lid of the hot pot.

It happened so fast that Lin Chaoxi knew that there was something fishy going on when he said this, so he grabbed the chopsticks in advance and grabbed most of the fat on the noodles before Lao Lin.

The hot pot was steaming, and the three boys who were still politely pouring Coke were shocked.

She dipped the mutton roll into the seasoning and said, "Comrade Lao Lin has bad intentions, but I discovered it in advance. I will protect the mutton for you."

Lu Zhihao blinked, a little doubtful about his life.

Lin Chaoxi smiled and placed the dipped mutton slices in front of them.

Huajuan: "No, I don't eat mutton dipped in sauce."

Lu Zhihao: “Me too.”

Lin Zhaoxi: ...

After the previous round of warm-up, everyone finally realized the cruel truth that there are no brothers at the dinner table.

The mutton rolls were quickly gone, while meatballs and crab sticks became popular. For a moment, bamboo chopsticks were flying around in the red soup, forming a mess.

"Mine, mine, mine!" Lin Chaoxi shouted.

"Don't take my beef balls, Lao Lu! You've already eaten one!"

"Respect the elderly, respect the elderly!" Lao Lin shouted as the crab stick he had grabbed was pried away, and he was shocked.

He dropped his chopsticks with a snap, but...

"Who wants the cabbage?" Huajuan asked.

"Here!" Lin Chaoxi handed the bowl over.

Lu Zhihao asked Pei Zhi to quickly pick up the remaining overcooked meat scraps. Everyone was eating enthusiastically and no one had time to pay attention to Lao Lin.

Old Lin was so angry that he stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

None of the four of them chased after him. After a while, Pei Zhicai suddenly said, "Master..."

"Don't worry about him. Eat the meat quickly before he comes." Lu Zhihao said rebelliously.

"There's no meat left. It's all been taken away." Pei Zhi said, pointing at the empty shelves.

"Dad, you're here again!" Lin Chaoxi shouted.

Finally, after much begging, Lao Lin made an exception and opened the door. He took out the meat, himself, and a bamboo basket that he had found from nowhere.

With the bamboo sieve in hand, Lao Lin was invincible in grabbing the meat. He scooped a large spoonful of meat into his bowl.

The area around the stone table fell into silence again.

Lin Zhaoxi: "Dad?"

"What's wrong?"

"Would you like to let us use your colander?"

"I bought this." Lao Lin held it up happily. "The history of human evolution is the history of using tools. When you look at it, do you feel the brilliance of human civilization?"

The four of them looked at each other, and all they felt was a flash of hunger.

The moment the pot was opened and Lao Lin reached into the bamboo basket, Lin Chaoxi quickly poked his bamboo basket.

Huajuan and Lu Zhihao started to pick up things with their chopsticks frantically, and within five seconds they had picked up the most delicious shrimps in the pot.

Lao Lin couldn't move the tools and couldn't help but yell, "Bastard!"

"Pei Zhi." Old Lin looked at his favorite student. "Master has treated you well, right? Have you followed my instructions and studied hard since you went abroad?"

Pei Zhi silently took out his chopsticks, and Lao Lin quietly put his chopsticks into the pot, but was held down by him.

"Evil disciple!" Old Lin was furious.

Finally, in this atmosphere of fierce competition, meat products are about to be successfully sold out.

The last pot of chicken wings is boiling in the soup, bright red and white.

"You guys are fighting so hard, isn't it a bit boring?" Lao Lin said, "Let's combine education with entertainment. I'll ask a question, whoever solves it first gets to eat it?"

"So the person who set the question can't eat it..." Lin Chaoxi bit the edge of the mushroom, wondering why Comrade Lao Lin would dig his own grave.

"Forget it then." Lao Lin quickly changed his words.

"How about rock, paper, scissors?" Huajuan suggested.

"I don't want to play with you." Lu Zhihao said disgustedly.

"21 points?" Lin Chaoxi asked.

Before they finished speaking, they all looked at Pei Zhi, including Lao Lin.

"What?" Pei Zhi was puzzled.

Looking at Pei Zhi, the four of them waved their chopsticks and decided to give up.

It was already completely dark, and the only light in the yard was the yellowish light cast by the bulbs on the grape trellis.

The hot pot was steaming, carrying the aroma of spicy red soup. The moment the lid was opened, five pairs of chopsticks were inserted at the same time.

Lin Chaoxi was sweating profusely while eating. At a certain moment, she sniffed and suddenly stopped.

Lao Lin picked up his chopsticks quickly and fought three enemies at once. Lu Zhihao took advantage of every opportunity, while Pei Zhizhe was extremely accurate.

They were her relatives, her friends, people she had liked for a long time...

If she hadn't had the chance to do it all over again, she wouldn't have known that she had missed out on so many interesting things and interesting friends.

Or to put it another way, life is actually full of infinite possibilities, and as you are moving forward, you cannot see the future, so you often think that those possibilities will never come to you.

But the possibility actually always exists.

Lao Lin laughed and said, "For the last chicken wings, do you think it is possible to show respect to the teacher?"

"No~" they said in unison, with a long tone.