Shen Zishan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on the light that was moving forward. After staring at it for a while, he muttered to himself.
"Yes, that's right, it must be the light from a flashlight. I just don't know if the person holding it is one of our two kids."
Standing to the side, Ma Aning followed Shen Zishan's gaze and looked over. When she saw the light, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly calmed down.
She knew that it was unlikely that anyone else would be on the mountain at such a quiet time of night, so the light was most likely brought by her own children.
She said softly, "Why don't we just wait at the door? After all, it's not far from our house. If we rush over there now and accidentally bump into something and get hurt, it will only cause trouble for the children."
Time passed second by second, and after about ten minutes, the light finally got close.
They saw Shen Xiaoxiao's figure rushing towards them as quickly as a happy little deer.
Upon seeing two familiar figures standing at the door, Chen Xiaoxiao quickened her pace, unable to contain her joy and eagerness.
As she ran, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Mom—Dad—I'm home! It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come home so late, making you worry about me. I'm so sorry!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Aning smiled, her eyes full of love and concern, and said gently, "Silly child, don't say that. Your safe return is more important than anything else."
"However, if you go to the mountain to collect herbs again in the future, you must come back earlier. Don't stay up so late like today, okay?"
Shen Xiaoxiao nodded hurriedly and replied, "Okay! Don't worry, Mom, I'll remember!"
After saying that, she took Ma Aning's arm and acted coquettishly. Then she spotted her father and brother standing to the side and put on a flattering smile.
Holding Ma Aning's arm in one hand and Shen Zishan's arm in the other, she said, "Brother, hurry up, let's go inside."
And so, the family of four walked into their home together, chatting and laughing.
When Shen Xiaoxiao arrived at the dining table, she was surprised to find that the food on the table had not been touched at all and had obviously gone cold.
Looking at the untouched delicacies on the table, a warm feeling welled up in Shen Xiaoxiao's heart, and her eyes became slightly moist.
She turned to her parents and brother and said softly, "Mom and Dad, and brother, next time if I come home late, you don't have to wait for me. You can eat first, otherwise the food will get cold, which is such a waste."
"It's okay, it'll get warm again. The feeling of home is when the whole family sits around the table to eat together."
Shen Zishan looked at his family with a face full of doting affection, his voice incredibly gentle.
His gaze swept across everyone's face, his eyes filled with warmth and love.
Shen Xiaoxiao's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she was so excited that she could hardly speak: "Dad, Mom and brother, it's so wonderful to have you all as my family in this life!"
Ma Aning stepped forward, gently stroking Chen Xiaoxiao's hair, and said softly, "Silly child! Go wash up quickly, and Mom will reheat the food. We'll be able to eat soon. You're back so late; you must be starving."
Shen Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously and obediently replied, "Mmm, I'm so hungry! I'll go wash up now, and after we finish eating, I'll show you something really amazing!"
After saying that, she ran back to her room with light steps, like a happy little bird.
A short while later, Shen Xiaoxiao arrived at the bathroom with a change of clothes.
As soon as she entered, she saw Shen Xiaochuan placing a full tub of steaming hot bathwater into the large bathtub.
It turned out that Mom had already guessed that her younger sister would want to take a bath after returning home, so she prepared hot water in advance and had Shen Xiaochuan carry all the water into the bathtub while Shen Xiaoxiao was getting her clothes.
"I knew you'd need a bath as soon as you got back, so Mom had me prepare hot water for you a long time ago. Hurry up and take a bath, then you can eat comfortably!" Shen Xiaochuan said to his sister with a smile.
Shen Xiaoxiao felt a warm glow in her heart, and a sweet smile bloomed on her face as she gratefully said, "Thank you, brother!"
Shen Xiaochuan waved his hand dismissively, then picked up the bucket, carefully placed it back in the kitchen, and turned to walk into his room, leaving Shen Xiaoxiao to enjoy the cozy bath time alone.
When Shen Xiaoxiao finished bathing and stepped out of the bathroom, a fresh fragrance filled the air.
At the same time, an enticing aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, indicating that all the dishes were ready.
The family sat happily around the dining table, the soft, warm light reflecting the happy smiles on everyone's faces.
The table was laden with a sumptuous array of delicious dishes, including braised pork ribs, steamed fish, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables, all of which looked and smelled wonderful and made one's mouth water.
Everyone enjoyed the delicious food and chatted happily, creating a warm and loving atmosphere.
"I happened to see some spare ribs in town today, so I bought some. Although there wasn't much meat on the ribs, they tasted alright when cooked."
Ma Aning picked up another piece and put it in Shen Xiaoxiao's bowl.
After dinner, Shen Xiaoxiao took the initiative to help Ma Aning clear the table and clean the kitchen thoroughly.
She returned to the main room in high spirits. There she carefully took out a tightly wrapped object from her storage space, and then slowly opened it in front of the whole family.
"Mom and Dad, look! What is this?" Shen Xiaoxiao's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Everyone crowded around curiously, their eyes fixed on the mysterious object.
Several oddly shaped roots were visible inside the package, with long, thin, and curved roots covered with some soil.
"Is this ginseng?" Shen Xiaochuan's eyes lit up. He recognized it at a glance and asked, "Little sister, did you come down the mountain so late today to dig for these?"
Hearing her brother guess the answer correctly, Shen Xiaoxiao couldn't help but give him a thumbs up and praise him, "Brother, you're so amazing! You guessed it right away."
Then, she enthusiastically recounted how she discovered the ginseng and the difficulties she encountered during the excavation.
The family listened intently, sometimes marveling, sometimes laughing, sharing in the joy.
"This one, from the 30s, is clearly a premium quality. I'm going to use it to make ginseng beauty pills for my parents!" Shen Xiaoxiao said happily!
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