"Brother, thank you so much for your help with Shiyi," Xue Yue said earnestly.

Xue Xingzhou looked at her. "So you found out?"

Xue Yue nodded.

Xue Xingzhou patted her on the head. "Don’t mention it. The important thing is that the kid is okay. You’re not angry with your mother-in-law, are you?"

Xue Yue pursed her lips. "No."

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "That’s good. She’s an elder, after all, and she does try her best to take care of the child. You can’t let one mistake sour things completely. He Lang has probably already spoken to them, so don’t let on. Just act like you don’t know."

"I know."

Xue Yue was angry, of course, but the child was fine now. And besides this one incident, Mrs. He was truly dedicated and responsible in every other way. She couldn’t just ignore all the good she’d done.

Zhang Qian said to Xue Xingzhou, "You probably haven’t heard, but Yue’er got promoted. She’s the deputy team lead in her department now."

Xue Xingzhou smiled and nodded. "That’s great. Then let’s consider today a celebration for you."

Xue Yue and her brother cooked lunch. It had been a while since Xue Yue had last set foot in a kitchen.

Watching her brother’s practiced movements, Xue Yue teased, "Looks like you’ve been cooking quite a bit at home."

Xue Xingzhou shot her a look. "Why don’t we train your He Lang next?"

Xue Yue laughed. "Forget it. I don’t ask for much. As long as he’s capable of making money, that’s good enough for me. Can’t be too greedy."

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "True. It’s good that he contributes in his own way. Besides, with your mother-in-law around, she probably couldn’t stand to see her precious son cooking."

That was true. Xue Yue could easily imagine it: if He Lang were to step into the kitchen to cook, the first person to object would almost certainly be Mrs. He. Although Mrs. He’s mindset wasn’t completely old-fashioned, Xue Yue had never once seen Mr. He cook, so that told her everything she needed to know.

"Doesn’t Uncle Zheng give you any grief about it?"

Xue Xingzhou chuckled. "Grief about what? He cooks himself, though his skills are just so-so."

"Hahaha."

Hearing the laughter from the kitchen, He Lang walked in.

"What are you two talking about? You sound so happy."

Xue Xingzhou glanced at He Lang. "My sister here wants me to turn you into a master chef."

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Hey, not a bad idea. Brother, where do you think I should start?"

He Lang rolled up his sleeves as he spoke. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Xue Yue told him, "Alright, we were just kidding. Don’t get in the way. With your level of skill, we’d probably end up having to clean up your mess."

Now He Lang was really offended. "You’re underestimating me. I’ll whip up one of my specialties for you for lunch."

Seeing how serious he was, Xue Yue asked, "You really know how to cook?"

"Just you wait and see," He Lang said with a confidence that actually made Xue Yue start to have second thoughts.

When it was time to eat, Zhang Qian smiled as she watched the three of them emerge from the kitchen. "So, who cooked all this?"

Xue Yue smiled. "Why don’t you take a guess, sister-in-law?"

Everyone sat at the dining table, gazing at the spread of dishes.

"Dad, which dish did you make?" Ruanruan asked.

He Lang pointed to the only dish on the table he had made. "Dad made this *guo bao rou*. Give it a try."

Ruanruan looked at the plate of *guo bao rou*. The color looked quite nice. She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite.

He Lang looked at his daughter expectantly. "How is it? Is it good?"

With the piece of meat, so sweet it felt like her tongue might fall off, still in her mouth, Ruanruan met her dad’s hopeful gaze. She really didn’t want to crush his spirits.

"It’s—It’s okay."

Xue Xingjun also grabbed a piece. "Let me try my brother-in-law’s handiwork."

Then, in an instant, Xue Xingjun froze solid.

"Brother-in-law, did you dump the entire household’s supply of sugar in here?"

He Lang froze for a moment. He picked up a piece, tried a bite, and then spit it out.

Then he gave a weak laugh. "Ahem, maybe a bit too much sugar. Just pretend you’re eating candy."

Xue Xingjun said, "Brother-in-law, you can’t compare this to candy! Who can eat meat that’s this sweet?"

The moment he said it, he met He Lang’s murderous glare, and a frightened Xue Xingjun quickly changed his tune. "Actually, it’s fine! You just need to eat something else to balance out the sweetness."

Great. That was even worse than saying nothing. He Lang’s expression darkened further.

Xue Yue gave He Lang a nudge. "Why are you giving Xing Jun such a hard time? Here, let me try it."

He Lang quickly stopped her. "No, don’t. Eat the other dishes. I’ll make it for you again when I get it right next time."

"It’s fine. I just want to try a bite."

Xue Yue took a bite and savored it thoughtfully. "Actually, it’s not bad. It’s cooked perfectly, and the meat isn’t tough. You just put in too much sugar. Just use a little less next time."

Xue Xingzhou tried a bite and also nodded. "It’s actually alright."

The corners of He Lang’s mouth curled up. ’See? I told you. There’s nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.’

Xue Yue asked him, "Still, where did you learn to make this dish?"

"I saw someone make it once back in Harbin City. I more or less remembered the steps."

Xue Yue nodded. "That’s impressive."

In the end, the dish was left uneaten.

There’s always plenty to talk about when people of the same age get together, and evening arrived in the blink of an eye.

Xue Yue and the others ended up staying for dinner before leaving.

Mrs. He had been waiting anxiously. Seeing them return, she asked, "Have you eaten?"

He Lang said, "We’ve eaten. We were planning to come back for dinner, but the kids wanted to play, so we stayed a little longer."

Mrs. He nodded. "As long as you’ve eaten. Go on back to your room and rest. I’m going back to my room too."

"Okay."

「One day in mid-April」

Gu Yuwei suddenly appeared at their door again. This time, she wasn’t alone; two police officers followed behind her.

Xue Yue was the one who opened the door.

Gu Yuwei wasn’t surprised, though. ’This must be He Lang and Xue Yue’s house in Beijing City,’ she figured.

"I’m looking for my daughter."

Xue Yue glanced at the police officers behind her but let them in anyway.

The moment Mrs. He saw Gu Yuwei, she instantly bristled.

"What are you doing here?"

But then she saw the police officers behind Gu Yuwei and recoiled slightly.

Gu Yuwei said to Mrs. He, "I’m here for my daughter. I’ve already transferred my household registration back. My name is Gu Yuwei, and I am Xiao Yu’s biological mother. Legally, I have custody of my child, and I’m taking my daughter with me."

Mrs. He exploded, "Impossible! In your dreams! So what if you transferred your household registration back? You were the one who abandoned her! Now you want her, and we’re just supposed to hand her over? How can you be so shameless? Coming here again and again to cause trouble, and this time you brought the police! What in the world are you trying to do?"

Gu Yuwei said coldly, "Weren’t you the one who kept threatening to call the police? Well, now I’ve brought officers from the police station right to you. You can take it up with them. Ask them: Am I or am I not Xiao Yu’s biological mother? Is Xiao Yu’s biological father dead or not? So tell me, shouldn’t the child be living with me?"

Mrs. He was practically apoplectic. "Then where the hell were you all that time? Officers, don’t listen to this woman’s nonsense! Back then, she’s the one who seduced my second son, who then abandoned his own wife and child to marry her! Then, after she gave birth, she took off, abandoning her husband and her baby. All this time has passed, and now she suddenly shows up wanting the child back? How can you possibly trust a woman like that?"