“He seems to really like children,” Liu Guixiang casually remarked. “I noticed he often looks towards the bamboo couch, and since he doesn’t seem to mean any harm, I didn’t say anything.”

Dad Chen chuckled, “From the way he talks, he definitely likes children, especially our Cao ger.”

“Our Cao ger is quite adorable.” Chen Yuping picked up Cao ger and affectionately rubbed his soft little face, feeling warm inside as he smiled, the two resembling each other closely.

The young man from the Chen family was striding up the mountain with a braised pig trotter and red-braised meat, moving particularly fast and quickly disappearing into the woods.

“Brother Jiu, why did you take so long? Nothing happened, right?”

“It’s fine.” Cui Yuanjiu handed over the pig trotter and red-braised meat, “I saw Bao ger. The Chen family treats him very well, raising him plump and healthy, and dressed in new clothes. They’ve given him the nickname Cao ger, but they haven’t thought of a proper name yet.”

The young man eagerly unwrapped the oil paper, his eyes shining, “They say the third son of Second Chen makes delicious braised pig trotters and red-braised meat, and it really does smell good! Cao ger isn’t as nice a name as Bao ger.”

“Cao ger is good, giving him a common name makes him easier to raise. From now on, there’s no Bao ger,” Cui Yuanjiu said as he turned to look down the mountain towards the Chen family, his eyes deepening, “If Cao ger is living well with the Chen family, let him stay there.”

“Can you bear to do that?” The young man wiped his hands on his clothes and took a piece of red-braised meat to eat. “Wow, this is delicious! Brother Jiu, you have to try it, it’s really good! No wonder it costs two wen a piece, it’s worth it!”

After finishing the red-braised meat and pig trotter, the young man licked his fingers, sighing, “It’s really tasty, I want more.”

“The pig intestines from their place are even better, and the shrimp paste buns and five-spice tea eggs are good too.”

“Why didn’t you buy me some pig intestines?”

Cui Yuanjiu replied confidently, “I forgot.”

“I knew it! You only have eyes for Cao ger. I’ll go down the mountain to buy them myself tomorrow.” As he spoke, the young man’s eyes darted around, “Brother Jiu, how long are you planning to stay here? When will you go back to the escort agency? They can’t do anything without you, and don’t dare take jobs.”

Cui Yuanjiu thought of Cao ger’s smiling face and his stern brows softened, his voice warming up, “I won’t be dealing with the escort agency for now. I want to stay here for a while longer. I want to see Cao ger more. I don’t know when I’ll be back to see him.” He paused and continued, “I need to find a way to build a good relationship with the Chen family. My master has been so kind to me, yet I’ve let Cao ger suffer through this misfortune. If I don’t do something for the Chen family or for Cao ger, I won’t be able to ease my conscience.”

“Good! Good! Good!” the young man echoed excitedly, “I’ll go with you to the Chen family tomorrow.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“You’re too naive, you’ll easily give yourself away.”

The young man instantly became unhappy but didn’t dare to say much. Cao ger was Brother Jiu’s master’s only bloodline, entrusted to him in his final moments. Brother Jiu promised to look after him before he passed away, and when he learned that Cao ger had been abandoned by his stepmother, he lost it, beating the couple badly. His father and stepmother were still half-conscious in bed.

They deserved it! Brother Jiu had clearly told them to take good care of Cao ger, giving them a full tael of silver, and yet when he returned, he found they had thrown the child into the mountains!

“I want to eat pig intestines.”

“Okay.”

“Five pieces.” The young man held up his hand, “I want shrimp paste buns, five-spice tea eggs, red-braised meat, and pig trotters too.” He quickly finished speaking and pulled out a piece of silver, “Here, money. I won’t eat for free. You won’t let me go to the Chen family, so don’t forget to buy them later.”

Cui Yuanjiu took the silver and tucked it away, nodding to acknowledge the matter.

Just around noon, Chen Yuanjiu returned from the fields, driving the ox cart to pick up his older brother and nephew to bring them back to the Chen family.

Dr. Shen had prescribed medicine, so they didn’t need to go to the Shen family’s house in the afternoon. They would prepare the medicine and feed it to An Ger. There was another dose for tomorrow, and after taking the medicine, he would surely recover quickly.

Seeing that the meal was about to be served, Zhang Zhiwei came over.

“Father, Dad.”

Dad Chen, who was simmering with anger, saw him arrive at mealtime and angrily slammed his chopsticks down, “You finally know to come? Why are you here? Open your mouth to eat and your hands to hold the bowl?”

“I came to see Chun ger and the two children.” Zhang Zhiwei set down the slaughtered chicken on the stove. “These past few days, I’ve been grateful to have Father and Dad here.”

“Is the child better?” Zhang Zhiwei asked Chun ger, turning his head.

Chen Yuchun replied softly, “Dr. Shen prescribed medicine, he’ll be better after taking it.”

“Why are you still standing there? Do I need to invite you to sit down?” Dad Chen was very angry, and his attitude was a bit too dismissive.

Seeing this, Chen Yuping took out another pair of bowls and chopsticks, “Brother Zhiwei, sit down.”

“The seedlings in the fields have a problem. I’ve been busy with that these past few days. Knowing that Chun ger and the children are here, I feel more at ease.” Zhang Zhiwei said awkwardly, picking at his food and only taking from the dishes in front of him, eating very cautiously.

If it weren’t for his eldest son and the two children, Dad Chen would have loved to give him a piece of his mind, but the words were swallowed back down, “For now, Chun ger and the children aren’t going back, you handle it yourself. The three of you can go back whenever you’re feeling better.”

“Alright.”

After finishing the meal, Zhang Zhiwei hurried back to the fields. Chen Yuandong spotted him halfway and stopped him, “Zhiwei, did you eat lunch at the old house today?”

“It’s Second Brother,” Zhang Zhiwei nodded.

“Eldest Brother’s husband is stable.” Chen Yuandong gave a thumbs up, but there was no smile on his face, “An ger is seriously ill, and Dazhuang keeps coughing. Eldest Brother is anxious and worn out, and the family is busy helping. But Eldest Brother’s husband is steady, and only today thought to visit them at the old house.”

Zhang Zhiwei awkwardly smiled, tugging at the corner of his mouth, then lowered his head.

Seeing him like this, Chen Yuandong didn’t say much more, patting his shoulder, “Eldest Brother’s husband is busy, I need to go work in the fields too. Everyone is busy in their own homes, after all, this year’s harvest is crucial.”

In the evening, Zhang Zhiwei brought a fish weighing about three pounds into the house. He placed it on the stove, noticed two bundles of firewood in front of the wood shed, and quickly grabbed an axe and a stool to start chopping wood.

“The cow shed hasn’t been cleaned in several days.” Father Chen, returning from the fields, opened his mouth as he arrived at the door, not sure who he was speaking to.

After finishing the wood, Zhang Zhiwei sensibly went to clean the cow shed.

Father Chen, behaving unusually today, sat down holding Cao ger at the back of the house. Seeing the cow shed was clean, he commented, “The pigpen hasn’t been washed in some days, it stinks.”

Great, Zhang Zhiwei grabbed a bucket of water and went to the pigpen, going back and forth to fetch water and clean it, sweating profusely.

“It’s time to eat.” Chen Yuping called out.

Father Chen, leisurely carrying Cao ger back into the kitchen, glanced at the bowls and chopsticks, and smiled broadly, thinking his old man was truly loved.

Chen Yuchun placed An ger in the basket, while Dazhuang sat quietly at the table.

“Is he asleep?”

“Just fell asleep.”

Cao ger, however, was awake, and Father Chen didn’t let his third son hold him, finding it easy to eat while holding the baby with one hand.

Chen Yuping was a bit shocked, “Father, did you hold us a lot when we were young?”

“I held you the most,” Dad Chen said, laughing again.

Chen Yuchun remembered clearly, “Ping ger had a phase where he loved to cry, and someone had to hold him, or he couldn’t be put down. It was impossible to leave him in the basket. Dad would hold him, then Father would hold him, taking turns all day long, not even managing the farm work inside and outside. Luckily, it only lasted a while.”

“What about me? Was I particularly good when I was little?” Chen Yuanqiu asked enthusiastically.

“You? You were just a little rascal.”

“Right, jumping around and causing trouble, almost tearing the roof off. You used to get beaten every three days.”

Chen Yuanqiu scratched the back of his head, “No wonder Father disliked me from a young age.”

Seeing that he truly believed it, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

After dinner, Zhang Zhiwei returned home. The next morning, he came by again, carrying some meat and a big bone, placing them on the stove before heading back to the fields.

“Don’t talk about him, he acts like nothing’s wrong. After a few words, he actually knows to be a bit modest.” Dad Chen grumbled, no longer angry but still lectured his eldest son a bit, “Your man, you can say he’s heartless but look at his behavior these past few days. If you say he’s sensible, he only thought to come after two days. It’s not that I care about what he brings, it’s just that, no matter how busy he is, he should at least spare some time to say a few words. If he had come earlier, even if he hadn’t brought anything, I’d feel better knowing he cares about you three.”

Chen Yuchun didn’t know what to say, after all, he had chosen this person himself, “That’s just his nature.”

“Fine, keep being naive.” Dad Chen didn’t want to waste breath, “When he comes for lunch, you should tell him not to bring these things. An ger is sick, and your hands are already tight. You can’t empty your pockets.”

“If he wants to buy or bring something, let him, that’s what he should give. I’m here with the two kids, eating and drinking, adding so much trouble at home. What has he done?”

Dad Chen looked at him, “You can be stubborn. If you don’t say it, I will. Our family doesn’t lack this little bit of food.”