Papa Wang and Mama Wang returned before the sun had set.
Guanjia Village was not far from Wang Family Village. A round trip by bicycle took a little over an hour, and if they rode quickly, not even that long. Since it was Mama Wang’s home village and her relatives were there to help, the arrangements were settled quickly.
His little sister would get off work in another half hour, so Mama Wang had no time to sit around talking and went straight into the kitchen to make dinner. More than half a pot of the fried-fish topping Wang Cheng had made during the day was still left. After reheating, it was not quite as fragrant as when freshly cooked, but it still tasted very good.
Mama Wang paused when she saw it.
She knew her second son could cook, but no one in the family had ever tasted his food. Their relationship had still been somewhat stiff back then, and whenever he came down from the mountain he never stayed home for very long, so they had never had the chance.
“What’s wrong?” Papa Wang came into the kitchen to get something and found Mama Wang standing motionless. He thought something had happened.
Mama Wang turned around. “His dad, we’re having fried-fish noodles tonight.”
Papa Wang glanced at the ready-made pot of fried-fish topping on the stove and recognized the grass carp Mama Wang had bought that morning. She had spent the entire day with him, so there was no possible way she could have made it. Once he thought about who had been home all day, realization immediately dawned. He had never tasted his second son’s cooking either, and now he found himself looking forward to it.
“That smells amazing!” The moment Wang Ziyu stepped through the door, she caught the rich aroma of noodles. At the same time, she saw Mama Wang carrying a large bowl out of the kitchen. She remembered the dish as fried-fish noodles. Her mother had made it several times before, most recently about half a month ago, but this time the smell alone was enough to make her mouth water.
“Xiaoyu, go call your Second Brother out for dinner.” Seeing her sidle closer with her eyes fixed on the bowl as though she wanted to take a bite immediately, Mama Wang promptly sent her off to fetch him.
Wang Ziyu stuck out her tongue playfully. She was only smelling it, not actually trying to eat any. Mom was so stingy. She went to the door of her elder brother’s room, which Second Brother was using now, and knocked. “Second Brother, Mom says it’s time to eat. Dinner smells really good tonight. It’s fried-fish noodles, so you’ll definitely like it.”
“I know. You don’t have to tempt me on purpose.” Wang Cheng’s helpless face appeared from behind the door. Of course he knew what they were eating. He had deliberately left that pot of fried-fish topping behind.
Wang Ziyu stared for a moment, and her cheeks suddenly turned red. She realized that she had never really looked carefully at her Second Brother before. In the instant his face appeared, she suddenly discovered that he was no less handsome than their elder brother. Looking closely, his features were actually very attractive. It was simply that his shiny bald head always seized everyone’s attention first, causing people to overlook his face.
Wang Cheng pinched her cheek. “What are you staring at? Didn’t you just get home? Hurry up and wash your hands. If you’re too slow, we won’t wait for you.”
“I know. Second Brother, stop pinching my face!” Wang Ziyu glared at him indignantly, covered her reddened cheek, and ran off.
A little later, the family gathered around the table for dinner. After only a few bites, Wang Ziyu enthusiastically praised Mama Wang for getting better and better at cooking. Then Mama Wang told her that the most important part, the fried-fish topping, had been made by her Second Brother. Wang Ziyu choked so hard her face turned red, and the admiration in her eyes when she looked at Wang Cheng only deepened. Being handsome was already enough, but his cooking was even better than Mom’s. This was what a model man of the new century looked like. Her future sister-in-law was going to be very happy.
At eight-thirty, once everyone was free, Papa Wang called the family into the living room and brought up his and Mama Wang’s trip to Guanjia Village that day. The house had already been settled, so the only thing left was deciding when to move. Huaying Real Estate wanted the residents of Wang Family Village out as soon as possible, which meant the deadline they had been given was fairly short.
Mama Wang wanted to wait until the final three days before the deadline. Their little sister was still working at the Zhang family’s bun shop, and if they moved to Guanjia Village, she would have to wake up very early every day. The whole family worried it would be too exhausting for her. Wang Ziyu insisted it would be fine, but Mama Wang’s proposal passed anyway.
Wang Cheng took the opportunity to mention what had happened during the day. They were going to find out sooner or later.
Even though they had been somewhat prepared, Papa Wang and the others were still startled by what he told them. The old monk had really been generous enough to give an entire Fengxia Mountain to their second son. There was no way they could hear that without being shocked. Once they learned that ownership of Fengxia Mountain had already been transferred into Wang Cheng’s name, however, they relaxed a little. Whether the mountain brought him any benefit did not matter. What mattered was that it would not cause him trouble.
After everything they had been through, Papa Wang and Mama Wang wanted nothing more than for the whole family to live together safely, happily, and in peace. That alone would satisfy them.