“Dad!” Xige’er touched his face where Gu Linchen had kissed him.

“My Xige’er is so well-behaved! Dad loves you so much!” Gu Linchen ruffled his little head again before getting back to work.

Feng Ge’er came in from the backyard and saw Gu Linchen busy in the kitchen again. After understanding what he was doing, he asked Xige’er to step aside, noticing that the child had gotten dust all over himself. Feng Ge’er patted the dust off Xige’er and brought over a stool for him to sit on.

The five jin of pork fat had been rendered down into a large bowl of lard, which could now be used for cooking. Gu Linchen placed the bowl on the table to let it cool and solidify. The leftover crispy pork bits filled half a bowl. Since they were fresh from the pot, both Feng Ge’er and Xige’er enjoyed eating them. To make them tastier, Gu Linchen mixed some white sugar into a bowl of the cracklings for them, though he knew too much could be overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Aunt Zhang Cuihua, Gu Linchen’s second aunt, was about to sweep the yard when she heard someone knocking at the door.

“Cuihua, are you home?”

Recognizing Gu Linchen’s mother’s voice, she opened the door and saw her standing at the entrance with a basket.

“Sister-in-law, you’re here! Come inside and sit for a while,” she said, setting down the broom and going to fetch a stool.

“Cuihua, no need to fuss. I’ll only stay a moment.” Gu Linchen’s mother pulled out a bowl from the basket and handed it over. “Chen’er made this dish. It’s just pork offal, but it tastes good. Steam it with your rice, and it’ll be ready to eat.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law! It looks so golden and appetizing! I’m sure it’ll taste great.”

Taking the bowl, she added, “By the way, has Chen’er fully recovered from his injuries? I heard his second uncle mention yesterday that he seems more mature and steady lately.”

Gu Linchen’s mother sighed, then nodded. “Yes, he has fully recovered. After his brush with death, he seems to have figured things out. He understands now where he went wrong and won’t act recklessly like before.”

“That’s wonderful! Looks like you’ll have an easier life from now on.”

“Haha, thank you for the kind words.”

Gu Linchen’s mother felt truly comforted seeing the positive changes in her son.

“Well, Cuihua, I still need to drop by his third uncle’s house. Let’s catch up properly next time.”

“Of course! Take care, sister-in-law.”

Gu Linchen’s mother shared a good relationship with both her second and third sisters-in-law. When Gu Linchen’s grandparents were alive, the whole family had lived together, and though there were occasional disagreements, they were never serious. After the grandparents passed away, the three brothers divided the household but still supported each other when needed.

With a light step, Gu Linchen’s mother reached the third uncle’s house within minutes. Before she could knock, the third aunt, Xiao Tao, came out holding a basin of laundry.

“Sister-in-law!”

“Xiao Tao, you’re off to do laundry? Perfect timing. Chen’er made something tasty yesterday, and I brought you a bowl to try.”

She handed over the last bowl from her basket.

Xiao Tao quickly set down her basin. She had heard from her husband last night that Chen’er had found a ginseng root in the mountains and sold it in town for a hefty sum—so much so that he returned home in a carriage. She assumed whatever Gu Linchen’s mother brought must be something special.

However, when she peeked into the bowl and saw it was just pork offal, her face shifted slightly, though she masked her disappointment.

“Oh my, you really shouldn’t have! By the way, I heard that Chen’er found ginseng in the mountains. That’s incredible! How much did he sell it for?”

Gu Linchen’s mother felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this. She replied with a calm smile, “Not as much as you’d think. He already spent most of it buying supplies in town yesterday.”

Xiao Tao was known for being a bit stingy and sharp-tongued, but she wasn’t a bad person at heart.

“This was made by Chen’er? Wow! I never expected he could cook too. Not only can he find ginseng, but he can also make delicious food. Impressive!”

“Hehe, don’t praise him too much. Your two daughters are very sensible too. I just saw them out in the garden tending the vegetables early this morning.”

“Well, since there’s not much work to do at home right now, I let them learn how to help out a bit.”

The two sisters-in-law continued chatting casually.

Meanwhile, Gu Linchen had been busy all morning and was starting to feel hungry. He asked Feng Ge’er if it was time to prepare lunch. When Feng Ge’er said it was, Gu Linchen eagerly asked Xige’er to help him pick a head of cabbage and a large bunch of garlic sprouts from the vegetable garden.

Gu Linchen planned to make stir-fried cabbage, sautéed pork liver, and steamed egg custard since he had noticed a basket with about ten eggs in the kitchen earlier.

Feng Ge’er washed the cabbage while Xi ge’er sorted the garlic sprouts. Gu Linchen sliced a piece of pork liver and cleaned it thoroughly.

“Lao Gong, that’s not very tasty. It has a strong gamey smell,” Feng Ge’er warned, knowing that his husband had become more particular about food lately. He worried Gu Linchen wouldn’t like the taste.

“If not prepared properly, it’s definitely unpleasant. But trust me, I’ll cook it well this time, and it’ll taste great,” Gu Linchen reassured him.

Pork liver can be tricky—it tastes terrible if the blood isn’t fully rinsed out or if it’s cooked with too little oil. After slicing it, Gu Linchen washed the liver several times in clean water to remove all the blood. Then he soaked it in a bit of white liquor to neutralize the odor. The liquor was something he had found while rummaging through his storage and decided to use a small amount.

Once Feng Ge’er finished preparing the vegetables, he rinsed the rice and set it to steam. Meanwhile, Gu Linchen cracked two eggs into a bowl, whisked them, and placed the bowl in the steamer along with the rice.

Xige’er sat quietly on a stool, watching his parents work together. He was so obedient and well-mannered that Gu Linchen couldn’t help but smile. He sat beside the child and played with him for a while.

“Our Xige’er is truly a good boy! Feng Ge’er, you’ve taught him so well,” he praised.

Hearing this, Feng Ge’er was reminded of the past. When Xige’er was just a tiny newborn, he had always been quiet and rarely cried. Although Feng Ge’er’s mother didn’t dislike him, she also wasn’t particularly affectionate, as ger (a third gender with lower societal standing) were often undervalued compared to sons or daughters.

Back then, Gu Linchen also didn’t care much for Xige’er. During the busy farming seasons, Feng Ge’er and his parents would leave the baby home while they worked in the fields. One day, he returned to find Xige’er lying on the ground, crying so hard that his voice had gone hoarse. Gu Linchen was home and had punished the child so severely that his body was bruised purple, taking over half a month to heal. From that day forward, Feng Ge’er never left Xige’er alone, keeping him by his side no matter what.

Seeing his face darken with these painful memories, Gu Linchen gently asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Lao Gong… Will you truly be good to Xige’er from now on?” Feng Ge’er suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with hope as he looked at Gu Linchen.

Understanding immediately, Gu Linchen approached and wrapped his arms around Feng Ge’er, patting his back softly in reassurance.

Looking into his eyes sincerely, he promised, “Xige’er is my son. From now on, I will treat him well. I will do everything I can to ensure he grows up happy and loved.”

“But… But he’s a ger. You won’t despise him anymore?” Feng Ge’er asked, still uncertain.

“I won’t despise him. To me, there is no difference between a ger and a boy now. Besides, our Xige’er is such a precious and well-behaved child. I like him very much. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful treasure.”