In the new year, Yu Xifeng learned how to play mahjong.

At first, it was just her, Aunt Hu, Xu Yun, and Hu Qiangyong.

When it came to mahjong, Zhao Yao was quite good at it too. Hu Qiangyong played poorly, so she often came over to offer tips here and there.

Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore, kicked Hu Qiangyong back to the kitchen to cook, and rolled up her sleeves to join the game herself.

As for Xu Yun, there was no need to even mention her—she could count the tiles and win against all three opponents by herself.

They didn’t bet real money, just played for fun. They opened a bag of sunflower seeds—each seed counted as one unit.

It wasn’t unusual to end up eating some of the “currency” mid-game, making it hard to keep track of the score.

Yu Xifeng got addicted to the mahjong table and skipped her workouts for several days, comforting herself at night:

It’s the holidays, after all.

On the third day of the new year, they had a meal at Aunt Hu’s house.

It was Yu Xifeng’s first time inside.

The vegetables on the balcony were dazzling.

Zhao Yao complained but couldn’t help showing off: “The bamboo, spider plants, and pothos I used to grow all got dug up. My mom’s taking care of the place now, and it’s all vegetables. That’s sweet potato. She already harvested some shepherd’s purse earlier and planted more. Over there, she buried potato chunks.

All the potting soil and urea fertilizer were my stockpile. My husband used to complain that I was wasting space with all that stuff.”

Xu Yun looked at the lush greenery with obvious envy.

Aunt Hu brought out a bowl of small tomatoes, red with a tinge of green.

This time of year, they were rare and precious.

A bit sour, though.

“There’s only one plant at home. We save them for the kids to get their vitamins,” Zhao Yao explained.

Aunt Hu’s two boys were in their teens—tall and burly like their father.

If not for that magical flowerbed space, Yu Xifeng wouldn’t have been able to grow vegetables nearly as well.

Aunt Hu was quite capable, and her family had some luck on their side too.

They made dumplings filled with mushrooms and cured meat.

There was a crispy sweetness to the flavor—Aunt Hu said she’d added water chestnuts.

They were really delicious.

Returning kindness with kindness.

Yu Xifeng prepared a meal at her home to host Sister Yun and Aunt Hu’s family in return.

She had quite a stash but didn’t want to flaunt anything too openly.

So she stuck to a standard dish—Lamb Paomo (a traditional bread-and-lamb soup).

She added vermicelli and wood ear mushrooms to the broth, and the pancakes were deep-fried until crispy and golden.

Zhao Yao had missed out on Xu Yun’s lamb hotpot and had regretted it ever since.

Although they’d had a small falling-out over the rice-buying incident, a few days of playing mahjong together had smoothed things over.

So Zhao Yao came along to eat as well.

Yu Xifeng made several large bowls of lamb paomo, calculating the portions carefully.

Zhao Yao ate heartily and earned a few side-eyes from her mother-in-law because of it.

“There’s plenty. Aunt Hu, eat as much as you’d like,” Yu Xifeng said with a smile.

But Aunt Hu didn’t move. She felt ashamed.

For a whole family to be fed by a single young woman—it just didn’t sit right.

The same thing had happened at Xu Yun’s place. Her family was big, and Aunt Hu felt like they were always taking advantage.

Zhao Yao ate happily. “Mom, why do you care so much? Look at her cat—fat and well-fed. Clearly living a good life. It’s not your concern.”

“I just happened to buy discounted cat food before—it’ll last the whole year,” Yu Xifeng explained.

Aunt Hu held on to her old-fashioned beliefs. She thought when it came to favors and hospitality, both sides should contribute equally.

But Yu Xifeng and Xu Yun only needed one portion each, while Aunt Hu’s side had five people. That was unbalanced.

So, that same night after Yu Xifeng’s meal, Aunt Hu gritted her teeth and gave both Xu Yun and Yu Xifeng one jin of sweet potatoes and half a basket of sweet potato vines.

When she delivered them, Zhao Yao looked reluctant to part with them. Though she said nothing, her eyes clung to the basket, making Yu Xifeng chuckle helplessly.

Under Aunt Hu’s insistence, she eventually accepted.

Aunt Hu’s sense of propriety was admirable and made people feel comfortable.

The sweet potato vines, stir-fried in oil, were refreshing and appetite-whetting.

Yu Xifeng really liked them. She got a cutting from Aunt Hu and planted it in her flowerbed.

Sweet potato vines were great, and sweet potatoes even better.

In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Yu Xifeng stepped on the scale and realized that all that eating and no exercise had caused her to gain five full pounds.

Such a guilty pleasure of a life.

When the knock came at the door, Yu Xifeng assumed it was Sister Yun—only to find Yang Rong instead.

Yang Rong’s house couldn’t withstand the floods. That they were only coming now was much later than Yu Xifeng had predicted.

They must’ve suffered in the shelter for a while.

The whole family looked like different people.

Yang Rong had always cared about appearances, and Xu Qingrou had always been immaculately dressed and soft-spoken.

But now, their clothes were filthy, their jackets had huge holes, and their hair was matted and greasy.

Their cheeks were visibly sunken.

When Xu Qingrou saw Yu Xifeng open the door, her eyes lit up.

“Xifeng, seeing you doing so well really puts your dad and me at ease.”

Behind Yu Xifeng, the living room was dry and tidy. The sofa looked so spacious.

Before the storm, she might not have cared for a modest two-bedroom place like this.

After all, Yang Rong was a businessman. Their family had lived in a 300+ square meter flat.

But now? Who knew how long it had been since they’d had a good night’s sleep?

When the flood came, they had no choice but to go to a shelter.

The first night, half the food Yang Sizhu bought was stolen.

Some even snatched it openly.

Complaining to the staff did nothing. Once registered, there was no follow-up.

They couldn’t get the stolen food back. They had to sleep with one eye open, constantly on edge.

It was Yang Sizhu who reminded Yang Rong of his ex-wife’s apartment.

Yang Rong found out this place wasn’t badly damaged in the disaster and had since shot up in price.

Not to mention, it was a top-floor unit.

As soon as the rain stopped and kayak prices dropped, they rushed over.

After the initial surprise, Yu Xifeng’s face went cold: “Go back to wherever you came from. My house doesn’t welcome you.”

“Your father has had a tough time recently… Even if you don’t like me, are you going to turn away your own father?” Xu Qingrou said gently.

Yu Xifeng smiled, looking at the woman hiding behind Yang Rong—her stepmother.

“You’re right, I really don’t like you. Two-faced as always. Looks like my so-called dad’s lost some weight, but you and your kids seem to be doing just fine.”

Xu Qingrou looked haggard, but not as thin as Yang Rong.

From what Yu Xifeng knew of her dear stepmother, she had probably been sneaking extra meals behind Yang Rong’s back for her and her kids.

Serves Yang Rong right.

Blind to the true face of the woman beside him, lost in a fantasy of false tenderness.

Xu Qingrou’s expression didn’t change, but Yang Sizhu and Yang Silong looked uncomfortable.

Xu Qingrou sighed deeply. “Child, you’re biased against me.”

Yu Xifeng didn’t bother to play along. She cut her off coldly: “Get lost.”

Yang Rong snapped, “Is that how you talk to your mother?”

“My mother’s long dead. That thing? She’s nothing to me. You wanted to remarry and have more kids? Not my business. You haven’t lifted a finger for me all these years, so don’t show up now trying to play the doting dad.”

Yu Xifeng raised her chin slightly, sneering. “You’re not qualified.”

Her boldness stung Yang Rong deeply.

So much like her real mother—never once taking him seriously.

Just because she put in a little money and pulled a few strings, did she think she was all that? He might be a live-in son-in-law, but he was still a man!