Shen Yi brought over a large piece of beef, a can of food, and a box of mooncakes—a different kind from the ones he had given Qin Jiao earlier.

Su Yun said, "Oh, you should have just come over. You didn’t need to bring anything! Besides, Xiao Jiao already brought some mooncakes from your house earlier."

"There aren’t many people in my family. Besides, it’s more lively eating together here." Shen Yi was never a man of many words, but Su Yun was quite fond of the boy. Her heart ached for him, especially after hearing about his childhood experiences.

So she shooed Shen Yi out of the kitchen. "Our kitchen is small, so you can go on out. Your uncle and I can handle the cooking."

Shen Yi nodded, turned, and walked out, just in time to see Qin Jiao—and the surprise in her eyes.

Of course she was surprised.

In her past life, even though she and Shen Yi were married, he had barely spoken a single word to her parents. Eventually, seeing that he had no respect for them whatsoever, Qin Jiao gave up on trying to make him treat them better.

’But now, we’re just classmates and neighbors, yet he’s acting so well-behaved in front of my parents...’ Qin Jiao stiffly averted her gaze, finally chalking it up to the butterfly effect of her rebirth.

’Still, this effect isn’t half bad.’

Qin Zhonghui was an excellent cook. He quickly stir-fried a plate of shredded potatoes and also brought out a dish of napa cabbage with cured pork.

The dining table wasn’t large, and the six of them were squeezed around it. Qin Jiao and Shen Yi’s arms were pressed together, and when they felt the warmth, both of them froze for an instant.

Qin Jiao quietly pulled her arm back. She snuck a peek at him and saw that he didn’t seem to react at all; he had already started eating. She let out a sigh of relief.

She knew that in her past life, Shen Yi hated being touched. Once, when Qin Jiao had accidentally bumped into him, he had forcefully shoved her away.

Qin Jiao lost her balance and fell to the floor.

Luckily, it was a wooden floor. If it had been tile or concrete, the fall would have surely left her bruised.

’Besides, it’s not like I was throwing myself at him. Did he really have to react so dramatically?!’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

After that, while living under the same roof, Qin Jiao made sure to give Shen Yi a wide berth, determined not to touch a single hair on the young master’s body.

’And just now, I didn’t just brush against his arm hair, I touched his whole arm...’

’And he didn’t react at all?’

Meanwhile, the adults started talking business. Mr. Du said, "You two are excellent cooks. Have you ever thought about opening your own restaurant?"

Qin Zhonghui glanced at his wife and daughter, then nodded. "We’ve thought about it, but we don’t have enough money right now. We plan to save up a bit more. Besides, Xiao Jiao has her college entrance exams next year. We’re thinking that whatever university she gets into, the whole family will move there and settle down."

Qin Zhonghui understood. The situation with their extended family was too complicated and messy to sort out, and he didn’t have the heart to make a clean break.

Moving far away was the best solution.

Seeing that Qin Zhonghui seemed to be alluding to a sensitive topic, Mr. Du didn’t press him. He was a knowledgeable and witty man, and he deftly changed the subject in no time.

After dinner, they all had mooncakes. As evening fell, Qin Jiao and her sister, Xiao Shi, walked their two guests downstairs.

"Grandpa Du, if there’s anything you’d like to eat in the future, we can make it and bring it over to you. I’m so sorry our apartment is on such a high floor, otherwise we’d invite you over for dinner all the time."

Mr. Du thought for a moment. "Actually, it must be tough on your parents, running up and down the stairs to carry things every day. Have you considered moving?"

"My parents said we need to focus on saving money for now. If that means enduring a little hardship, then so be it."