Gu Linchen returned home to find the three of them having lunch. They had been waiting for him to return so they could eat together, but after waiting for a long time, and it being almost noon, Gu Linchen’s mother said, “We’ll eat first, and leave a portion for him.” Just as they began to eat, Feng Ge’er heard the sound of the door opening and turned to see Gu Linchen coming back. He immediately stood up to greet him.

“Lao Gong.”

“Linchen, you’re back. Why so late?” Gu Linchen’s mother also stood up and brought out the portion that had been set aside for him.

Feng Ge’er noticed the things Gu Linchen was carrying and saw beads of sweat on his forehead. He handed him a handkerchief. Gu Linchen put down what he was carrying and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I got delayed in town for a while.”

“Dad.” Xige’er, seeing him, was about to get off the stool.

“Xige’er, stay seated and eat first.” Gu Linchen’s mother stopped him.

Gu Linchen had been worried that his family would wait for him to start eating, which would have left Xige’er hungry, so he had been running back.

“Mom, you go ahead and eat. I’ll wash up and be right there.” Gu Linchen took the things into the room, placed them on his desk, and went to his space to drink a few bowls of spiritual spring water. He was extremely thirsty, and he couldn’t drink plain water at home. He usually drank this when he was thirsty. He then filled a bag of it before coming out of the space.

Taking a bag of snacks, he entered the kitchen. “Why aren’t you eating? I told you not to wait for me.”

“We ate some already,” Gu Linchen’s mother replied, handing him the chopsticks.

Gu Linchen sighed, opened the snacks he was holding, and placed them on the table. “Here, try these snacks. Mom, this piece is for you.”

“Ah, it’s been years since I’ve had these delicate treats,” Gu Linchen’s mother said, looking at the colorful snacks.

“Then eat more.” Gu Linchen handed her a piece of creamy-colored treat. “Feng Ge’er, here’s one for you.”

“Thank you, Lao Gong.”

Finally, he took a pink piece and handed it to Xige’er, who was watching him with sparkling eyes. “Here, Xige’er, this is for you too.”

“Thank you, Dad!” Xige’er said, taking it with both hands and eating it slowly. It was so delicious, just like the snacks from last time. He didn’t want to finish it too quickly.

Gu Linchen smiled at how polite his son was while eating. Seeing that Gu Linchen’s mother liked the treats too, he handed her another one.

“Keep this, Mom. I just brought it out for us to eat. I still have more in my room.” He didn’t like sweet foods and didn’t know which one tasted best, so he had gotten a variety. These treats could last for several days, so he bought three bags.

Gu Linchen’s mother reached out to take it when he said that.

Gu Linchen placed the remaining snacks on the table in the middle. “These snacks are for our lunch break. Take some if you want, don’t be shy.”

After saying this, he picked up his bowl and started eating. It seemed that since he had said something earlier, the lunch today was quite sumptuous.

After lunch, Gu Linchen sat in the yard to digest. Xige’er, still holding a piece of snack in his hand, walked over to him. “Dad, eat,” he said, holding it up to Gu Linchen’s mouth.

“Xige’er, eat it yourself. Dad doesn’t like it.” Gu Linchen pulled him onto his lap and let him sit there.

Xige’er pouted. Did Das not like such delicious things? He hadn’t eaten any at the table either, and when Grandma was about to put the leftovers away, he took another piece, wanting to give it to his Dad. But his Dad didn’t want it.

Gu Linchen saw his confused expression and gently scratched his little nose. “Xige’er, you just had your meal. Let’s save this for later. If you’re hungry again, eat it. I also bought some candied hawthorn for you.”

As soon as Xige’er heard about the candied hawthorn, his eyes lit up. In a sweet voice, he said, “There’s candied hawthorn too? Thank you, Dad!”

“Wait for a while, and Dad will give it to you. I saw that you just ate a bowl of rice and several pieces of snacks, we can’t spoil my little cutie,” Gu Linchen said, rubbing his son’s little, round belly, making Xige’er giggle.

The two father and son played in the yard for a while, then Gu Linchen told Xige’er to go back inside and take a nap. He promised to give him candied hawthorn when he woke up. As soon as Xige’er heard this, he immediately ran off. Gu Linchen shook his head helplessly. His child was really a little foodie, but he couldn’t blame him. Since he was born, he never had enough food to eat. Now that he could eat his fill, of course, he would eat as much as he could, and he was particularly excited about snacks. “Sigh,” Gu Linchen sighed, standing up to head back inside.

After a while, Gu Linchen woke up, opened the door, and saw Xige’er sitting at his doorstep. When Xige’er saw him get up, he quickly jumped to his feet. “Dad,” he said with eager eyes.

Gu Linchen picked him up and asked, “How long have you been sitting here?”

Xige’er lowered his head shyly. He had been so happy today that he couldn’t fall asleep, so he just closed his eyes and pretended to sleep for a while.

“Lao Gong, he didn’t sleep long before he woke up. He said you bought him candied hawthorn, and he was so happy that he got up and sat in front of your door. We couldn’t get him to stay in bed,” Feng Ge’er said, somewhat helplessly.

The sunlight in the yard was good, so he and Gu Linchen’s mother had moved the fabric and cotton they had bought earlier to the yard to make quilts.

“Children are like that; they love to eat. In the past, we didn’t have money, so we never bought him anything,” Gu Linchen’s mother sighed while sewing the quilt corner, glancing at the little one in Gu Linchen’s arms. She continued, “This child has suffered a lot with us. Our family didn’t have good conditions to provide for him. In the past winters, he had to go with Feng Ge’er to dig wild vegetables at the foot of the mountain, and they would come back purple with cold.”

“Mother,” Feng Ge’er said, his voice trembling slightly.

Gu Linchen’s mother came back to reality, wiping her tears. “Ah, look at me, getting lost in the past. This year, we won’t go hungry, and we’ll have warm quilts to cover us.” Thinking about how they now had enough to eat and drink and a 100-tael silver note in hand, she felt much more secure.

“We’ll get better and better, and we won’t live like that again, with no food and no warmth. Don’t worry,” Gu Linchen reassured them. He looked at Xige’er and said, “Let’s go, Dad will take you to get your candied hawthorn!”

Once inside, Gu Linchen sat Xige’er on a chair by the table. He then took out the candied hawthorn from his bag and handed it to him. “Hehehe, thank you, Dad,” Xige’er smiled so widely that his eyes turned into slits.

Next to the snack shop where he bought the treats, there was a candy store. After buying the snacks, Gu Linchen looked at the candy and thought that, though they weren’t as good as modern candy, his son would probably enjoy them. So, he bought some as well. He took them out now, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and put them in Xige’er’s pocket.

“Xige’er, you can’t eat too many of these candies. If you eat too many, your teeth will get cavities, and if you get cavities, your teeth will rot, and you won’t be able to eat anything anymore. You can take these and share them with your little friends, eat them together,” Gu Linchen said.

Xige’er’s eyes lit up when he saw the candy, but when he heard about sharing it with his little friends, his expression turned sad, and he lowered his head.