Chapter 2

Hearing Meng Yingying’s cold words, Zhan Tingxu froze for a moment, then quickly caught up to her and grabbed her wrist.

“Yingying, don’t you remember me? I’m Zhan Tingxu!”

But Meng Yingying forcefully shook off his hand, took her child by the hand, and went home.

“Mom, who is he?” Tingting asked curiously.

Meng Yingying gave the same answer as before: “He’s a stranger.”

At least to her, he was a stranger.

Zhan Tingxu found it hard to accept. He’d always been the one who treated others coldly, yet now he was the one receiving cold looks—and from his own wife.

Still, when he thought about it, it wasn’t surprising. He hadn’t been home for four years. It was only natural that Meng Yingying would resent him.

Back home, there was no meal prepared, so Zhan Tingxu made do with some dry rations.

When the children saw that he had followed them back, they couldn’t help chattering to Meng Yingying.

“Mom, why did that uncle follow us home?”

“Yeah, isn’t he a stranger? You said strangers aren’t allowed inside!”

Meng Yingying just glanced at Zhan Tingxu but didn’t tell him to leave. She let him stay—after all, this was his home.

Noticing her glance, Zhan Tingxu quickly softened his tone and apologized:
“Yingying, I was wrong before. Can you—”

Before he could finish, Meng Yingying went to the well to draw water and carried it to the kitchen to heat for bathing.

“I’ll do it,” Zhan Tingxu said, quickly taking the bucket from her and starting the fire himself.

Meng Yingying didn’t refuse and simply let him work.

“Why is that uncle helping us boil water?” the children whispered.

Hearing them, Zhan Tingxu turned and saw the three kids peeking at him from the kitchen doorway. When he tried to greet them, they scurried away.

From past letters, Zhan Tingxu already knew he and Meng Yingying had three children. These must be them—and they’d grown so much. At a glance, the youngest girl, Tingting, looked the most like him.

That night before bed, Meng Yingying wiped the children’s hands and feet and got into bed with them. Tingting lay on her left side, while A-Ming and A-Liang quarreled over who got to sleep next to their mother.

“I want to sleep next to Mom, or I can’t fall asleep!” A-Liang pouted.

“You slept next to Mom yesterday! It’s my turn today!” A-Ming protested.

To stop the argument, Meng Yingying mediated: “All right, A-Ming sleeps next to me tonight. Tomorrow it’s A-Liang’s turn.”

Satisfied, A-Ming nestled beside her, while A-Liang sulked. Meng Yingying soothed him with a gentle pat on the head.

Just then, Zhan Tingxu came in.

He saw there was no space for him on the bed and stood there awkwardly, like an outsider.

“Uncle, what are you doing in here?” A-Liang asked curiously.

“I’m your father,” Zhan Tingxu corrected.

“Dad?!” The three little ones gaped in shock.

Zhan Tingxu turned to the silent Meng Yingying. “Yingying, where am I supposed to sleep?”

“Sleep in the next room,” she replied coolly.

With no choice, Zhan Tingxu left. As he stepped out, he heard her voice again:

“Remember to close the door.”

Obediently, he shut the door and went to the next room—a cluttered storeroom. After tidying a small space, he lay down among the piles of odds and ends.

Then he heard Meng Yingying next door singing a gentle lullaby to the children. His heart ached. Four years away, and his wife now felt like a stranger.

The next morning, eager to win back his wife and children, Zhan Tingxu rose early and bought two jin of pork, two jin of ribs, and several jin of eggs from nearby villagers. Everyone knew him and greeted him warmly, even trying to give him the eggs for free—but he insisted on paying.

At the village well, he ran into several sisters-in-law.

“Oh! Fourth Brother, you’re back? Why didn’t you tell anyone?” the eldest sister-in-law exclaimed.

Second Sister-in-law Ye Li smiled warmly. “Come visit my house when you have time!”

Third Sister-in-law Bao Xiuxiu whispered gossip, “I heard your wife’s illness is getting worse. She spends a fortune on medicine every month.”

Zhan Tingxu’s brows knit sharply. “She’s sick?”

Li Fang added, “Yeah, it costs a lot of money.”

Ye Li said carelessly, “The money you’re spending on her could buy you another pretty, capable wife!”

But Zhan Tingxu answered coldly, “I will never remarry. If Yingying is ill, I’ll spend whatever it takes to cure her.”

The sisters-in-law exchanged puzzled looks.

“Even if you spend money, she might not get better. Why waste it?”

“Exactly! She was coughing up blood the other day. She might not have long to live!”

Anxious, Zhan Tingxu hurried home to check on Meng Yingying.

When he pushed open the door, he found her and the children still peacefully asleep. Looking closer, he saw her skin fair and smooth, her lips rosy—not at all like someone gravely ill. Relieved, he quietly shut the door and went to make breakfast.

Soon, the smell of pork and egg congee filled the air, making the children’s mouths water.

A-Liang sniffed eagerly. “Smells so good! It’s pork congee!”

Tingting inhaled deeply. “We haven’t had pork congee in so long!”

The three little ones tumbled out of bed and ran to investigate.

In the kitchen, they saw Zhan Tingxu busy cooking.

“Uncle, why are you cooking in our house?” they asked.

“I’m your father,” Zhan Tingxu corrected again.

“Dad?” The children looked at one another. “But Mom said you’re a stranger!”

“That’s just your mom speaking out of anger,” he explained.

The three whispered among themselves.

A-Liang asked, “Do you believe him or Mom?”

Tingting replied without hesitation, “Of course I believe Mom!”

A-Ming agreed, “Me too. Mom would never lie to us!”

Then they all shouted in unison: “Uncle, you’re lying!”

Zhan Tingxu could only smile wryly. Carrying the steaming pot of pork and egg congee to the table, he looked at the three eager little faces and said:

“Call me Dad—if you don’t, you’re not getting any.”