The letter and remittance slip were sent by Lu Xiaotang. Xu Ning quickly opened the letter and read that he had returned from his mission and would come by next month.

Joyfully, she jumped around the ground twice and then picked up the letter to read it again.

When Xu An came back from school, he found Xu Ning pickling cucumbers. The drying rack in the yard was filled with green beans; this year’s harvest had been particularly good, and they had already dried more than half a bag of beans.

He dropped his backpack, ran to the garden, picked a tomato, and said while eating, “Sister, the cucumbers have produced well this year. We should make more pickled cucumbers for winter.”

Xu Ning nodded with a smile and then recalled Lu Xiaotang’s letter, saying, “Brother Lu wrote to say he’ll be back next month.”

Xu An’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really, Sister? Where’s the letter?”

“On the kang table. Go grab it! Make sure to show it to Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu tonight as well.”

Xu An finished reading the letter and said regretfully, “It’s a pity Elder Brother Xu can’t come this year; otherwise, they could meet each other.”

Xu Ning replied, “There will be opportunities in the future.”

She placed a jar of pickled cucumbers on the kitchen shelf and then grabbed a basket to collect ripe red tomatoes, planning for Xu An to take them to the cow shed when he delivered the letter that evening.

There were many green beans and cucumbers planted at the cow shed. Mother Xu and Aunt Lu were preparing to pickle them for winter, so they hadn’t planted many tomatoes.

Xu Mo loved eating tomatoes mixed with sugar, so the siblings often delivered some to the cow shed in the evenings.

Xu An poured the dough he had prepared that morning onto the countertop, ready to make steamed buns. He had learned to make several types of dough, and his buns turned out even better than his sister’s.

This wasn’t just him bragging; it was something Xu Ning had said. She acknowledged his cooking talent, and now she mostly left the kitchen affairs to him, allowing him to manage everything.

Lu Xiaotang arrived the day before the autumn harvest. Xu Ning was at home simmering meat sauce while Xu An and a few male youth from the production team, along with Jianmin and Da Lin from the village, had gone fishing.

She was busy watching the pot and tending to the fire, so she didn’t notice when someone entered.

Lu Xiaotang stood at the door, gazing at the young girl in the kitchen. Her hair was longer now, tied in a braid that hung down her back, and she seemed to have matured a bit since two years ago. This silhouette had appeared countless times in his dreams, haunting him.

Xu Ning added mushrooms to the pot and stirred, feeling the kitchen grow dim. She looked up and saw Lu Xiaotang standing there, his gaze warm and tender.

Setting down the spatula, Xu Ning exclaimed happily, “Brother Lu, you’re back!”

Lu Xiaotang placed his luggage down and walked over, wrapping his arms around the girl before him. “Xiao Ning, I’m back.”

Xu Ning hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. She caught a whiff of an unpleasant odor; after sitting on a bus for four or five days in this heat, it was no surprise he smelled a bit off.

Realizing that he had just gotten off the bus and probably hadn’t eaten all day, Xu Ning quickly pulled away from his embrace. “Brother Lu, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles. The bucket outside has some water; you can wash up first.”

Lu Xiaotang suddenly remembered that after several days on the road, his smell might be off-putting to her. He quickly opened his suitcase, grabbed a change of clothes, and prepared to head out to take a shower.

Xu Ning walked into the courtyard and pointed him in the direction of the bathing area before returning to cook the noodles.

As soon as he entered, he noticed the changes in the courtyard. A tall wall surrounded it, enclosing a lush garden filled with various vegetables.

Once Xu Ning finished simmering the meat sauce, she ladled it into a bowl and prepared a plate of tomato and egg noodles for him. She also went outside to pick a watermelon, placing it in the water tank to cool.

After Lu Xiaotang finished his shower and came out, he was greeted by the sight of a generous bowl of tomato and egg noodles on the table. Feeling hungry, he remembered how he had rushed back without eating since he got off the train that morning; it was already past two in the afternoon.

Sitting at the table, he picked up chopsticks and started eating. Xu Ning eagerly scooped a few spoonfuls of meat sauce into his bowl.

After Lu Xiaotang finished his meal and washed his bowl, he asked, “When was this wall built? Did something happen?”

Xu Ning replied, “It was built earlier this year. A new girl from the capital came to the camp; she’s a classmate of Gu Wenping. I feel like she’s not very friendly and I don’t really want to interact too much with the folks at the camp, so I had Uncle Hongjun help me put up this wall. He also helped build the shower room.”

After a moment, she recounted the incident with Liu Fang and Wang Daqiang.

Lu Xiaotang’s expression turned serious. “How long did they get sentenced? Do you know where they’ll be sent for labor reform?”

Xu Ning shook her head. “Not yet. A few days ago, I went to town and asked. Brother Jianshe told me it should be decided soon.”

With a cold smile, Lu Xiaotang said, “It’s good that they haven’t been sentenced yet. I’ll head to town tomorrow.”

As they were talking, Xu An entered barefoot, holding several fish he had caught. Spotting Lu Xiaotang sitting there, he exclaimed with joy, “Big Brother Lu, you’re back! I caught a few fish today, and I’ll show you how to cook them tonight!”

Lu Xiaotang stood up and patted Xu An’s shoulder, grinning, “Xiao An, you’ve grown taller! You really are becoming quite the young man.”

Xu An rubbed his head, shyly smiling as he asked, “Big Brother Lu, how long can you stay this time?”

“This time I have a month off. Besides the time spent traveling, I should be able to stay here for over twenty days,” Lu Xiaotang replied.

Xu Ning let the two chat while she took the fish from Xu An’s hands, preparing to clean them.

Lu Xiaotang urged Xu An to wash his feet and put on some shoes, then took the fish from Xu Ning and went outside to clean them.

That evening, Xu An took charge in the kitchen, cooking braised fish, cucumber salad, stewed eggplant, stir-fried bean sprouts with meat, and steaming rice. Lu Xiaotang praised Xu An’s cooking skills repeatedly.

“Xiao An, this tastes amazing! No wonder your sister doesn’t cook anymore. Your culinary skills are better than hers! With a bit more practice, you could surpass the chefs at the state-run restaurants,” he complimented.

Xu An beamed with pride, saying, “Big Brother Lu, then you should eat more! In a couple of days, I’ll make you some fried tofu balls. Xiao Mo says the ones I make are also really good.”

Xu Ning glanced at the two, a smile creeping on her face, before lowering her head to continue eating.

After dinner, Xu An washed the dishes in the kitchen while Xu Ning packed the food that Lu Xiaotang had brought to take to the cattle shed.

Lu Xiaotang rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small pouch of money, handing it to Xu Ning. “This is my salary from the past two years and some allowances from my assignments. You should take it.”

Xu Ning glanced at the pouch in his hand and replied, “Brother Lu, you should keep it for yourself! The money you gave me last time hasn’t even been used.”

Ignoring her, Lu Xiaotang placed the pouch directly in her hands. “You take it! Buy whatever you want; you don’t have to hold back. I can earn more.”

After saying that, he took the items Xu Ning had packed and headed toward the cattle shed. Xu Ning walked him to the door.

As Lu Xiaotang took a few steps, he turned back and said, “I’ll tell the elders about us shortly.” Without waiting for her response, he quickly walked toward the cattle shed.

Xu Ning stood at the door, stomping her foot in frustration. That scoundrel was really too cunning!