He found his wife’s hand delicate and soft, perfectly fitting in his big hand.

He was somewhat enamored and instinctively rubbed her hand gently with his thumb.

When Lin Shu was held by his big hand, she was a bit nervous, fearing he might suddenly do something.

But he simply held her hand, which made her heart relax.

As they were walking, he suddenly asked, “Are you tired?”

Lin Shu quickly shook her head. “Not tired.”

Lu Shaotang said, “Oh.”

Did he sound a bit disappointed?

He thought if she were tired, he could carry her.

Why isn’t she tired?

When they reached downstairs, he hesitated for a moment. “I’ll go book a room at the guesthouse.”

Lin Shu immediately refused. “It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival and you haven’t been home.

The kids have been missing you terribly, waiting for you day and night.

Now that you’re finally back, you want to go to a guesthouse?

The kids will probably tear the roof off crying by tomorrow morning.”

Lu Shaotang laughed at her words, his eyes shining brightly with youthful energy, as if the picture of him as a young man was overflowing.

“And you?” he asked.

Lin Shu looked at him in surprise.

This silly man can flirt too!

You’re such a clueless man who doesn’t even know how to kiss!

She cleared her throat, pulled her hand back quickly…

They went upstairs.

Lin Xia was sewing her work clothes while listening to the radio.

Seeing the young couple return so early, she was surprised, “You’re back so soon?”

Lin Shu replied, “He was tired.”

Lu Shaotang nodded, “Yes.”

If his wife said he was tired, then he was indeed tired.

Although Lin Xia repeatedly offered Lin Shu and her family of four the big bed in the bedroom, Lu Shaotang declined.

He preferred to sleep on the small bed outside.

The bed was wide enough, though a bit short.

But for someone used to sleeping outdoors, having any bed was good enough.

He never fussed about his environment.

Early the next morning, before dawn, Lin Shu and Lin Xia were still asleep, but Panpan and Tiantian woke up simultaneously and called out, “Daddy, where’s my tall, big daddy?”

Lin Shu, still groggy, took out their clothes and mumbled, “He’s in the other room.”

Lin Xia was about to get up, but Lin Shu told her to stay in bed as it was still early.

The kids went to bed early and woke up early too.

Once the kids were downstairs, Lin Shu rolled back to the center of the bed and cuddled up with her sister, sleeping more soundly.

Panpan and Tiantian, barefoot, grabbed their clothes and ran to the other room.

They jumped onto the small bed in the south and called out, “Daddy, daddy!”

Lu Shaotang was about to get up but found that the kids had already jumped onto the bed, each lying on him to continue sleeping.

Lu Shaotang noticed something unusual about Panpan and reminded him, “Son, you need to go to the bathroom.”

Panpan instantly turned into a three-month-old who couldn’t take care of himself, whining, “Daddy, carry me, I need to go.”

Lu Shaotang was speechless.

He got up and lifted Panpan, but Tiantian clung to his back, wrapping her arms around his neck like a sloth.

Lu Shaotang carried both kids to the dining room where Lin Xia had prepared a chamber pot for them.

The cool weather made it convenient for them to use the pot during the night.

After the kids finished, Lu Shaotang brought them back and tucked them into bed.

The kids were only interested in having fun and didn’t care that the bed was too small for them and their father.

They insisted on having Lu Shaotang lie down so all three of them could sleep together.

If the bed had been bigger, they would have called their mother to join them for a four-person cuddle.

When they got back home and could sleep on their big kang (heated platform bed), all four of them could sleep together comfortably.

As soon as the kids were awake, they excitedly started telling Lu Shaotang about their home and the village.

They shared everything they knew, talking over each other and filling in the gaps.

The kids seamlessly filled in the gaps.

Lu Shaotang listened with great interest, as if he were enjoying a children’s comedy performance.

“Dad, our yard is so beautiful now.”

“There are sunflowers, hibiscus, chrysanthemums, lotus flowers, and oleanders…”

The children listed everything they could think of about their home, sharing all the names they knew with Lu Shaotang.

There was truly no end to what they could say.

When you’re with someone you like, how could there be nothing to talk about?

Only when you’re unwilling to speak, lazy to speak, or disdainful of speaking would there be silence.

Lin Shu and Lin Xia, hearing the children chattering away, eventually had to get up.

Lin Shu said, “Kids, you can save some stories for later. You don’t have to tell everything in one day.”

Tiantian and Panpan started laughing.

Tiantian said, “Then I’ll save some for after dinner. Dad, I’ll sing you a song.”

Lu Shaotang agreed.

Tiantian began to sing, “Little girl, early in the morning, carrying a school bag to school…”

These were songs Lin Shu used to sing to them when putting them to sleep, sometimes making up the lyrics if she didn’t know them.

Tiantian and Panpan had learned them and sang them to other kids too.

Lu Shaotang listened with delight, continuously praising his daughter for her beautiful singing.

After Tiantian got tired from singing, she rested and said, “I also have some nice stories. The first one is about Panpan fighting off bad guys, the second one is about Mom getting another award, and the third one is about Dad coming back.”

Lu Shaotang, feeling sorry for his daughter, said, “Have some water and rest your voice.”

Tiantian leaned in and whispered in Lu Shaotang’s ear, “Dad, you don’t know, but Mom misses you so much when you’re not here. She often cries at night thinking about you.”

Although he knew rationally that his daughter was just teasing him and that Lin Shu wouldn’t cry over him, thinking about Lin Shu’s watery eyes made his heart feel warm and prickly.

Panpan immediately nodded, “I can testify that it’s true. Even Lu Ping, Lu An , Lu Cuicui and Xiaoyou knows.”

To prove his point, he loudly asked, “Mom, Mom, did you cry at night because you missed Dad?”

Inside the house, Lin Shu thought, “This child is hopeless.”

Lin Xia put her arm around her sister’s shoulders and whispered, “What’s there to be shy about? It’s normal for newlyweds to miss each other and think about their kids.”

Outside, Lu Shaotang had already dressed and was putting clothes on the kids.

He planned to take them out for a walk to get some fresh air and stretch their legs.

Lin Xia reminded him, “It’s cold outside, so be careful not to catch a cold and come back early for breakfast.”

“No more dining hall food.”

Lin Xia said he would make noodles in the morning, but Lin Shu looked at it and thought it wouldn’t be enough.

Since there was still cornmeal at home, she decided to make a pot of corn porridge, put corn cakes on the edge of the pot, and add some dumplings into the porridge.

Later, she would make some dough and steam buns.

Lin Xia was concerned that Lin Shu’s big pot of porridge might be too much.

Lin Shu told him that Lu Shaotang had eaten four big buns again last night.

Lin Xia: “!!!

My brother-in-law really can eat. It’s a good thing he’s in the army.

If he were in the production team, the whole family would be eaten poor.

When they went out, Tiantian and Panpan naturally climbed onto Lu Shaotang again, as if they were trying to make up for the days they didn’t get to be held by their father when they were little.

Lu Shaotang indulged them, letting one cling to each arm.

They could play around on him, and he wouldn’t let them fall.

Tong Xiaojun and the two kids saw this and felt both envious and jealous.

Although Grandpa and Grandma stopped them last night, he still got a beating from his mom.

He stamped his foot in frustration: “Showing off, what’s so great about it? Their father doesn’t even have a job, isn’t working!

He was afraid Lu Shaotang might beat him, so he didn’t dare approach.

Lu Shaotang went to the steel factory’s dining hall with food stamps and bought a bunch of buns and steamed buns.

Usually, large factories don’t accept food stamps directly but exchange them for internal meal tickets to prevent outsiders from getting free buns.

However, Lu Shaotang and Chen Yanming had work permits that allowed them to eat at any unit, so the unit wouldn’t refuse.

Besides, they paid for the food stamps and money, so it wasn’t free.

Panpan continued with her old trick, comparing whether her mother’s pickles were better or the dining hall’s, so she asked for more.

On the way, Panpan, with a judging expression, said, “Mom’s cooking is still the most authentic.”

After breakfast, Lu Shaotang carried the two kids to the Jiang family.

Lin Xia and Lin Shu packed gifts: tea eggs, canned goods, milk powder, and pickled cucumbers made by Lin Shu herself.

Jiang Weidong was waiting for them at home and had prepared a variety of snacks for Panpan and Tiantian, such as sugar cubes, dried fruits, and fruit leather.

Grandma Jiang had gone to buy meat.

When their meat coupons were gone, she rode her bike to her younger son’s house to get meat coupons and buy some meat.

Despite having once bound her feet and being quite old, Grandma Jiang wasn’t at all old-fashioned.

Lu Shaotang chose this time just to visit and thank Grandma Jiang for taking care of the kids, so he naturally wouldn’t stay for a meal.

At the Jiang family’s home, Tiantian and Panpan, being well-behaved, didn’t cling to their father and sat on either side, like little guardians.

The two kids repeatedly thanked Granny Jiang, saying that if it weren’t for her help, the old witch from the Tong family would have beaten them.

After chatting for a while, Lu Shaotang and the kids said their goodbyes.

Jiang Weidong refused to accept gifts but left some tea eggs and pickled cucumbers, adding a bit of sugar for the kids to take home. “My mother and I are quite fond of these two children. Take these back for them to eat.”

Lu Shaotang didn’t insist and took the items, leaving with the kids.

In a bid to show off that their father had returned, Tiantian and Panpan had Lu Shaotang carry them around the steel plant’s residential area.

They felt proud that their father was finally back and wanted to show the world, making sure no one would dare say their father was gone or that their mother would find a stepfather for them!

Lin Shu watched from upstairs and felt a bit embarrassed by their high profile.

However, she didn’t want to restrain them.

The kids had missed their father so much, and it was only natural for them to be excited.

It would be cruel to dampen their spirits and tell them to be low-key at this time.

Lu Shaotang only played along with the kids and didn’t think they were too boastful.

He felt that his children were perfect, and even the dirt between their toes was charming to him.

At noon, Lin Shu and Lin Xia prepared a lot of food, worried that Lu Shaotang might not have enough to eat.

In the afternoon, Lu Shaotang didn’t go anywhere but stayed home to spend time with his children and wife.

However, Lin Shu seemed uninterested in his company and continued to busy herself with Lin Xia making pickles.

Lin Shu had learned how to make Sichuan pickles in her previous life, and also knew how to make Northeast sauerkraut, Korean kimchi, and fermented tofu.

When her elder sister and brother-in-law didn’t have children, their expenses were low, and they often ate in the canteen.

But once they had kids, their expenses increased, so they needed to cook more at home.

She taught her sister the simpler methods of making pickles and sauces, especially pickled cucumbers, kimchi, and salted duck eggs.

In the countryside, people usually just threw things into pickle jars without much fuss, but in the city, with smaller quantities, they made them more delicately.

Salted duck eggs are made by soaking in boiled and cooled Sichuan pepper and star anise water, then sealing in high-proof liquor.

This method makes the eggs more oily and the yolks richer and sandier.

Lin Xia had Tiantian help write down the recipes and post them on the wall.

In the afternoon, while they were busy, Mrs. Qian came over.