He Zifeng brought his son home, while Qiu Yu was cooking at home.
The courtyard was filled with delicious aromas.
Fang would go to He Zifeng's shop to help out during the day, and after returning to the village, she would continue to go to the grain drying yard to weave baskets with the elderly. She was not at home most of the time.
He Zifeng said, "Qiuyu, look who's here?"
As soon as Qiu Yu came out, she saw her son, and her eyes immediately lit up with surprise. The little boy was also happy to see Qiu Yu, and like an untamed little animal, he kept struggling to break free, calling out, "Little Daddy." His voice was sweet.
He Zifeng put his son on the ground, then ran over and grabbed Qiu Yu's leg.
Qiu Yu asked He Zifeng, "Why did he come back?"
He Zifeng said, "I miss my son!" He said this so confidently that Qiu Yu was speechless. But she couldn't help but scold him, "The child is studying away from home, don't keep bringing him back, it's just causing trouble."
He Zifeng saw that although Qiu Yu said that, she couldn't hide the joy on her face when her son suddenly returned. He Zifeng didn't argue with her and asked, "What smells so good today?"
Qiu Yu said, "Someone delivered a five-pound fish to the shop. I took it home and stewed it, and also made some flatbread."
Little He Ran never gets to eat this well at the private school; he was immediately tempted when he heard there was fish. He said, "My little father is so kind."
Qiu Yu kissed her son and said, "I just steamed a pot of red beans yesterday. I'll mash them up, mix in some powdered sugar, shape them into balls, coat them in batter, and fry them into red bean squares." A sweet little snack, perfect for her son.
He Zifeng said, "Ranran can do this job. Go wash your hands and start pounding the beans."
Qiu Yu was reluctant to let He Zifeng do chores, as he told her son would only be back for a day and would be sent back early the next morning. But He Zifeng said, "What's the big deal? Even Chang'e's rabbit in the Moon Palace can do this kind of work. My son will definitely be fine." Then he turned to Xiao He Ran and said, "Right?"
The little brat immediately agreed, puffing out his little chest.
Seeing that her father had made clear arrangements for the child, Qiu Yu didn't say anything. Then, under He Zifeng's arrangement, she washed Xiao He Ran's hands. She brought out a large basin from the house, found a pestle, and brought a small stool for her son. Next to it was a pot of steamed red beans; she had him mash the beans and put them in the clean basin.
If you don't have enough beans, add another spoonful. Don't add too many at once.
The little guy started working with a pestle in both hands.
The two fathers stood by, their faces filled with pride. They thought back to when he was just a soft, cuddly baby. Now he's all grown up.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, He Zifeng turned his head and secretly kissed Qiu Yu. Qiu Yu was a little embarrassed, afraid that her son would see. She glared at He Zifeng and then went to the kitchen. There was fish stewing in his kitchen, and he really couldn't leave it unattended.
He Zifeng followed him inside.
I just washed my hands. Qiu Yu said she was going to make some snacks for her son, so it's perfect that he can knead the dough. The two of them used to run a business selling savory pancakes, and He Zifeng is very good at kneading dough.
Qiu Yu said, "Don't bring the child back next time. Learning is the most important thing." If the child misses home and doesn't study hard, the teacher will spank him.
He Zifeng said, "I know." This was the only time he would do this.
He Zifeng saw that Qiu Yu was clearly happy, yet she still had to put on a stern face and lecture him. This hypocrisy tickled his heart. He quickly kneaded the dough, knowing it would need to rest for a while, washed his hands, and hugged Qiu Yu. Usually, Qiu Yu was very well-behaved, letting him kiss and hug her. But with his son back, she had put on airs again. She struggled for a moment and said, "Stop it."
He Zifeng was a bad boy too. He said, "How could I not make a scene? Then kiss me and I'll forgive you."
Qiu Yuteng blushed and said, "You're a scoundrel."
He Zifeng said, "Hurry up, don't let our son see."
Qiu Yu had no choice but to tiptoe and give him a light kiss.
When He Zifeng was kissed by his wife, his blood boiled. He originally wanted to punish his wife, but he didn't expect that he would be the one to suffer in the end. He had to exert a lot of self-control to let her go.
A moment later, Fang's happy voice could be heard. She returned to find her grandson working on a small stool. Seeing how well-behaved the child was, how could the old woman bear to part with him?
She helped with this task.
He Zifeng came out and said, "Mother, don't worry about it. This child needs more practice. I heard that in our village, there are still some children who can cook on small stools at a very young age."
Fang said, "He is only four years old."
Little He Ran obediently told his grandmother, "I'm a four-year-old big boy." The more she tried to stop him from doing something, the more he would try to show off.
He Zifeng then moved the dough and work surface outside, and Qiuyu helped her son make the red bean paste, holding his hand as she added sugar. The red bean paste wasn't very smooth; it had a slightly bean-like texture. He Zifeng liked it that way.
Then they rolled the filling into pill-sized balls. He Zifeng kneaded the dough into small portions and rolled them into thick wrappers. Fang Shi washed her hands and helped wrap them, filling three trays in total.
Qiu Yu still had to watch over the fish and cornbread on the stove, so He Zifeng used the family's small stove. He put oil in the pan and placed the round, bun-like pastries in one by one. He flipped them on all four sides, and after a while, they turned into square cakes. Soon, all four sides were golden brown before he took them out. While they were still hot, he broke them in half and gave one half to his son and half to Fang Shi.
He took another one and gave it to Qiu Yu. Qiu Yu took a bite just as she was about to take it off the stove and said it was delicious. He Zifeng then ate the half of the pastry that Qiu Yu had taken in two bites. The outer skin was chewy, and the filling wasn't too sweet but was very fragrant. After eating one, you wanted to eat more, but it was a bit oily, so you could only eat three at most.
Soon everyone was gathered around the table eating stewed fish and flatbread. The five-pound fish was stewed until very flavorful and tasted delicious. Qiu Yu was picking out bones for her son, Xiao He Ran, who was enjoying his meal immensely, eating large mouthfuls of fish and flatbread. He Zifeng loved watching his son enjoy his meal.
Qiu Yu thought her son was eating too fast and was being impolite. She said, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
Seeing that Qiu Yu hadn't eaten much, He Zifeng fed him from time to time. The five-pound fish was eventually eaten clean, and the remaining fish soup was used to dip flatbread.
That evening, Qiuyu packed up all the snacks. She picked out two hundred to take to Master Lin, so that if he couldn't finish them, they could be given to the children as a snack. These snacks, after being fried in oil, wouldn't spoil for four or five days.
In the evening, He Zifeng usually shooed the child to his own room, but tonight was different; he let his son sleep with them. He even kissed his son.
Qiu Yu said, "I've never seen you so affectionate before."
Children are the most sensitive. Sensing He Zifeng's affection, they were so excited at night that they couldn't sleep. They cuddled with their dad and acted like they were three years old!
Qiu Yu finally managed to coax the child to sleep, and looked at He Zifeng.
He Zifeng said, "My child, how could I not cherish him?" He Zifeng said, "I cherish you too."
In the candlelight, Qiu Yu's cheeks were tinged with a faint blush. She deliberately changed the subject, saying, "Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to take the children to school."
He Zifeng extinguished the oil lamp, then put his arm around Qiu Yu.
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