Hua Qingyang said in surprise, "Captain Ye, you brought something again? We haven't finished eating the things you brought last time."

Ye Yifan said, "I can't come here often, so I brought some things with me." He then opened the trunk and handed some of the items to Hua Qingyang.

Hua Qingyang, holding the things, asked, "So many again?"

Hua Kai patted her younger brother on the shoulder: "Hurry up and get it, why are you talking so much? Who's home?"

Hua Qingyang, holding a box, said, "It's just me. My parents and older brother went to bundle corn stalks. They wouldn't let me go and insisted that I stay home to study."

Hua Kai said, "You weren't concentrating on your studies either. We had just reached the door when you came out. You weren't focused at all."

Ye Yifan handed the light snacks to Huakai: "Alright, stop scolding Qingyang. Kids this age are at the age where they're most playful." Then he carried a case of lychee drinks and a case of beer inside.

Hua Kai, carrying some snacks, followed Ye Yifan: "Education in rural areas is poor, so you have to put in a lot of effort yourself. I was able to get into high school because I spent every spare moment studying."

Ye Yifan understood: "Besides academic subjects, you can learn so many special skills. You have to put in several times more effort than the average person." After saying that, he said to Hua Qingyang, "You should learn from your sister in this regard."

Hua Qingyang was particularly convinced by Ye Yifan's words: "Understood, Captain Ye."

After moving everything inside, Hua Kai started preparing lunch, and Ye Yifan came out to help.

Seeing Ye Yifan about to reach out, Hua Kai quickly said, "You should go inside. This is different from how it's done in the city. I can do it myself."

Ye Yifan rolled up his sleeves: "What, are you afraid I can't do it? I did just as much of these things as you when we were kids." As he spoke, he skillfully broke off firewood and put it into the stove.

Hua Kai was indeed surprised: "You really know these things?"

Ye Yifan smiled: "There are many things I don't expect."

Hua Kai looked at Ye Yifan's white shirt, went inside and took out one of Hua Qingyi's jackets, and handed it to Ye Yifan: "Put this on, your white shirt is really not suitable for working."

Ye Yifan put on Hua Qingyi's clothes and cooked with Hua Kai.

Hua Qingyang happily assisted the two of them.

Because we bought a lot of cooked food, we didn't need to cook too many dishes. However, Hua Kai naturally had to cook a few of her signature dishes, since this was Ye Yifan's first time eating at home.

Watching Hua Kai skillfully cook, making dishes that weren't just simple stir-fries—braised, sweet and sour, stewed in soy sauce—each dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Hua Kai, is there anything you can't do?"

Hua Kai smiled and said, "I don't know how to survey."

Ye Yifan smiled after hearing this: "If you're interested, I'll teach you."

Hua Kai joked, "I'd rather not learn it. What if I learn it better than Captain Ye? Wouldn't that make you lose face?"

Ye Yifan jokingly replied, "I finally became the team leader, I can't let you outdo me, so why don't you just give up learning?"

The two were chatting and laughing when they heard voices coming from outside.

Gu Lanyan came in: "Kaikai's back? What delicious food are you making that smells so good?" After she finished speaking, she saw Ye Yifan and said in surprise: "Captain Ye is here? What are you doing in the kitchen? Come in quickly."

Ye Yifan walked up to Gu Lanyan and said, "Auntie, I came back with Huakai to run some errands. I'll have lunch at home. Sorry to bother you."

Gu Lanyan was delighted to hear that Ye Yifan was eating here: "Good, good, good. Um, I'll have your uncle go to the village to buy some wine and meat. You go inside first; it's not proper to let guests do the work."

Hua Kai said to Gu Lanyan, "Mom, we bought wine and food in the city. You can see it when you come in and look at the table. Everything is ready except for this one dish. Let's eat."

Hearing that there seemed to be guests inside, Hua Wanjiang washed his hands and quickly came in. When he saw that it was Ye Yifan, he was also very excited: "Captain Ye is here! Kai Kai, that kid, how can he let the guests do the work? Captain Ye, please come in and sit down."

Ye Yifan said, "Uncle, don't be so polite. I'm the junior, it's only right that I do some work."

Hua Wanjiang said, "You are a guest and a great honor to our family. Don't always listen to Kaikai. She is smart, but not very shrewd. She can also get guests to do chores. Come inside quickly."

Hua Kai smiled at Ye Yifan: "You can come inside now. There's not much else to do. We'll eat as soon as this dish is done."

Ye Yifan took off his coat and followed Hua Wanjiang and the others into the house.

The flowers blooming in the kitchen made me feel quite polite inside, but it was actually quite fun.

Hua Qingyi came in and helped Hua Kai carry the last dish into the house. Hua Kai washed the pot and then went inside as well.

At the dinner table, Hua Wanjiang insisted on pouring wine for Ye Yifan, but Ye Yifan, being the younger generation, insisted on pouring a glass for Hua Wanjiang first, as he couldn't let his future father-in-law pour him wine first.

After drinking two cups, Ye Yifan told Hua Wanjiang and Gu Lanyan not to call him Captain Ye, but to call him Little Ye or Little Fan.

Hua Wanjiang and Gu Lanyan also started calling Ye Yifan "Xiao Fan" to make it more intimate, and they also asked Hua Qingyi, Hua Kai, and Hua Qingyang to call Ye Yifan "Brother".

Hua Kai said, "Mom and Dad, Ye Yifan and I are business partners. What would it be like to call him 'brother' at the factory? Let's just call him by his name."

Ye Yifan also said, "We juniors can order whatever we like. I don't have that many rules."

He quite liked it when Hua Kai called him by his name. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, but it was very comfortable. Also, Hua Qingyi would be his brother-in-law in the future, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to call him "brother." So for now, he could just call him whatever he wanted. Anyway, he would start pursuing Hua Kai next year.

The meal was quite lively, and no heavy topics were discussed.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Hua Kai looked at Ye Yifan and asked, "You've been drinking, so you can't drive this afternoon, right?"

Ye Yifan nodded: "So I'm afraid I'll be staying here tonight."

Hua Wanhe quickly said, "It's no trouble at all. My family's conditions aren't very good, but Xiao Fan shouldn't mind."

Ye Yifan smiled and said, "Uncle, you're being too forward. If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have come. It's just that my coming here is delaying your work."

Hua Wanhe said, "It won't delay. The work is almost done, and the corn stalks are bundled up. We just need to find a truck to haul them back in the next couple of days, otherwise we don't have anything to do this afternoon."

Hua Kai knew that the housework was basically done, otherwise she wouldn't have stopped them from drinking.

Seeing that the weather was nice, Hua Kai wanted to go out and play, so after chatting for a while, she suggested going to the rice paddies to catch grasshoppers.

Gu Lanyan said that since the child rarely comes back and wants to go out and play, then let them go.

Hua Kai, Ye Yifan, Hua Qingyi, and Hua Qingyang, the four of them took plastic bags and went to the rice paddy.

The rice in the paddy fields has been mostly harvested; some is piled up in the fields, while some has already been hauled away.

They found a suitable place to go down and started catching grasshoppers.

After playing for a while, Huakai got a little tired, straightened up, and looked at the surrounding scenery. It was truly beautiful.

The rice paddies are most beautiful in autumn, because they are filled with the scent of harvest. The people harvesting the rice are all smiling and joyful, which makes the fields feel pleasant.

She walked to the edge of the rice paddy, wanting to sit down and enjoy the beautiful scenery for a while.