Xu Minglei returned to his hometown and brought along the tape recorder. Several kids were very earnest in learning spoken English.

Xu Mumu wasn’t too worried about them, thinking they’d still achieve good grades, though unfortunately, they could only participate next semester.

The weather was getting colder, and the little ones didn’t like going out anymore.

Madam Chen went out to buy several pounds of yarn, and whenever she was free, she started knitting, already making two sweaters for the little ones.

Right now, Madam Chen was knitting a sweater for Xu Mumu, in a pale yellow color that looked quite nice.

"Nai, you really can’t stay idle," Xu Mumu said helplessly.

Every day, Madam Chen was either knitting clothes or playing with the little brother, while Old Xu spent his days tending to the vegetables growing in the garden and flower beds, attending to them very meticulously.

It might still take a few years for land distribution to households in the hometown, it’s not that quick, but Old Xu enjoys farming. Even the vegetables growing atop the racks at the house in the provincial capital, he attends to very carefully.

Whenever Yin Yang had time in recent days, she would call, making Xu Mumu relieved.

While speaking with Madam Chen, Xu Mumu unexpectedly received a call from Du Yu.

Du Yu got her phone number from Li Caixia and others, the two didn’t communicate much, only exchanged letters twice.

Xu Mumu knew well about Du Yu’s situation, aware that he’s doing quite well.

"What made you think of calling me?" Xu Mumu asked with a light laugh.

"I went to your house to look for you guys, but couldn’t find you. Finally, now with the New Year around the corner, my mom has talked about you several times at home. Didn’t expect you wouldn’t be coming back this year," Du Yu feigned a complaint.

"How is Mrs. Qin and the others?" Xu Mumu asked with a smile. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"They’re well, pestering me about getting married all the time," Du Yu said, slightly troubled, "By the way, have you married your partner yet?"

"Not yet, soon," Xu Mumu said with a faint smile; Yin Yang had already prepared everything for the wedding.

"That’s great, you must invite me to your wedding; I can be your partner’s best man," Du Yu said excitedly, he’d never been to the Imperial City, hoping to have a few days to explore when Xu Mumu gets married.

"Sure, Yin Yang would definitely be happy," Xu Mumu said with a smile. Yin Yang had mostly arranged the bridesmaids and groomsmen: for bridesmaids, it’s the sister duo Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Wan from the hometown; for groomsmen, he planned to choose Huo Qingze, with Du Yu added, Yin Yang would surely be pleased.

"That’s settled then, when are you getting married?" Du Yu asked excitedly.

"Probably right after the New Year, in the Imperial City, the exact date isn’t set yet; we need to wait until my parents come to finalize it."

Li Caixia and the others would need some more time before their vacation, while Xu Hai could take an early holiday. Li Caixia planned to take leave to come to Imperial City first. Yin Yang had already arranged for someone to buy their train tickets, just waiting for them to arrive.

After chatting with Du Yu for a while, Xu Mumu hung up the phone, having not heard from Du Yu for almost a year; now suddenly hearing his news, she felt a bit nostalgic, after all, she had earned quite a bit of tutoring fee from him back then.

Thinking of Du Yu, Xu Mumu smiled faintly; everyone’s living quite well these days.

At the hometown, Xu Minglei was already packing things up, with Xu Jiaojiao and the others all envious; they wanted so badly to visit their eldest sister but didn’t have the opportunity.

"Second brother, when you see eldest sister, you must give her the gift I prepared for her," Xu Jiaojiao gazed at Xu Minglei, eyes filled with envy.

"Got it, got it, I wouldn’t even think of keeping what little you’ve prepared. I’m leaving the tape recorder at home; sis said if we don’t get eliminated from this competition, we can participate in the Imperial City tournament, and then we’ll be able to see her," Xu Minglei, though somewhat reluctant, decided to leave the tape recorder at the hometown.

"Really?" Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes brightened, and the other kids’ eyes shone too; participating in the Imperial City tournament would mean seeing their eldest sister.

"Of course, it’s true. Sis never lies," Xu Minglei said proudly, enjoying the admiration from the other kids.

The kids, who were originally pressured by their grandmother to achieve good rankings, now had a bigger goal — to work even harder to see their eldest sister in the Imperial City.

The wedding arrangements were known only to the adults; the wedding date wasn’t set yet, so they didn’t notify the hometown people.

The kids were completely unaware that when their elder sister gets married, as direct relatives, they would naturally go to the Imperial City — they wouldn’t have to wait long to see her.

No one mentioned such things, as nothing was finalized yet.

Yin Yang’s work had been wrapped up mostly; the industry over there was clearer now, having gotten rid of the disloyal. It could at least stabilize for a while, maybe two years until the industry could be moved back — no more running back and forth.

Knowing Yin Yang would return soon, Xu Mumu was filled with joy.

She began preparing New Year’s goods with Madam Chen daily, and at Mrs. Liu’s side, Xu Mumu decided to let her take an early vacation as she had two kids.

After Mrs. Liu left, Madam Chen felt a bit unaccustomed; the dishes Mrs. Liu made tasted exceptionally good, and without her, all the tasks fell to Xu Mumu.

Now, even though their dishes didn’t lack meat and such, which were considered quite good at the hometown, eating them felt awkward — the taste difference between theirs and Mrs. Liu’s was indeed vast.

"Alas, without Liu, I’m not used to this," Madam Chen said, as she ate a piece of meat she cooked, feeling her steps similar to Liu’s while the resulting taste fell short.

"Liu truly has a knack for cooking," Professor Song couldn’t help but remark, "Your cooking isn’t bad either; Mumu’s spicy chicken tasted great."

"Having meat to eat doesn’t stop you from talking," Old Xu said helplessly; such good days couldn’t have been imagined by the Old Xu Family decades ago.

Madam Chen pursed her lips, saying nothing further. Though Old Xu’s words weren’t pleasant, they were true; she had been spoiled during her time in Imperial City. These are indeed fortunate days; she never thought she’d have such a day, not even in dreams.

Xu Mumu merely smiled without saying anything; it’s truly an eternal truth — transitioning from frugal life to luxury is easy, but reverting to thriftiness is hard. Even her grandmother felt this way, but they had the ability to provide better for the family. There’s no need to be as frugal as before.