Ouyang Meihua and Li Liguo woke up late. Li Weili had already gone to work.
Li's mother pointed to the clock on the wall, "It's eleven o'clock. Lili will be back for lunch soon. Are you having breakfast or waiting for lunch?"
"Let's wait for lunch," Ouyang Meihua yawned. "It's quiet here to sleep. No roosters crowing, no dogs barking."
Li Liguo felt embarrassed, "We woke up too late."
"It's alright," Li's mother waved her hand. "You were tired from driving all day yesterday. I've already prepared and stewed the chicken and rabbit. You go and call Ouyang Lei over for dinner."
"You go," Ouyang Meihua kicked her husband.
Li Liguo opened the door and saw Ouyang Lei about to press the doorbell.
Ouyang Lei held up the fruit bag in his hand, "I've come to freeload a meal."
Li's mother chided, "You didn't need to bring anything. You're treating us like strangers."
"No, no," Ouyang Lei placed the fruit on the coffee table. "If I treated you like strangers, I wouldn't have come for a meal."
"I thought that since I'll be taking you out to play these few days, the fruit at home would spoil. I brought it over for everyone to share."
"I'm not going," Li's mother shook her head. "I'll stay and cook for the children. I'll ask Renzhi to come for dinner after school. You don't need to worry when you go out to play."
"I'll wait for Lili to have a weekend off, and then take me out for a walk."
"Renzhi lives at school and only comes back on weekends," Ouyang Lei said, rolling up his sleeves as he walked towards the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"No, no," Li's mother got up and went into the kitchen. "I've prepared everything. I'll start stir-frying now. Lili will be back soon. You can chat with your eldest sister."
The sound of the range hood soon echoed from the kitchen.
Ouyang Lei and his eldest sister hadn't said much before the doorbell rang at the main door.
As soon as he opened the door, he was pushed aside by his nephew.
"Mom, you've finally decided to come and see your youngest son!"
Li Weiyu shouted and lunged towards the sofa.
Ouyang Meihua dodged with a roll, and Li Weiyu missed.
"Li Weiyu!" Li Liguo roared at his younger son beside him.
"Dad," Li Weiyu sat up straight. "Dad, you're here?"
"Yes," Li Liguo nodded. "If your dad didn't come, I wouldn't see my son."
"Times have changed. Now the old come to see the young."
"Dad, don't be angry." Li Weiyu took out a bank card from his pocket. "Look, aren't I busy working hard to earn money? This is for you."
"I don't want it," Li Liguo pushed the bank card back. "Keep the money you earn for yourself. Aren't you preparing for postgraduate studies? Save it for your tuition fees."
"Thank you, Dad." Li Weiyu put the bank card back in his pocket. "I'll go see Grandma."
Chen An was already acting spoiled in the kitchen with his maternal grandmother. "Grandma, you're here, coming directly to Lili's place without even telling us beforehand."
"Otherwise, we would have seen you last night. We missed you so much."
"You miss me, but you don't come back to see me?" Li's mother chided her grandson while stir-frying.
"Once you're out, your hearts become wild. Your mother even said she wanted to go to your school to take care of you and let you focus on writing your graduation thesis."
Chen An was horrified, "My mother wants to go to my school?"
Li's mother turned and reassured her younger grandson, "I stopped her. She doesn't have time either. Your sister-in-law is pregnant, and she has to help at home."
"That's good, that's good," Chen An breathed a sigh of relief. "Grandma, after coming out and broadening my horizons, I'm even less willing to follow my eldest brother's path."
"I want to achieve something. Even if I work for Lili for a lifetime, I think it's more promising than staying in Kushan."
"I've dedicated all my time to studying and working. Going back would be a waste of time. My mind can't keep up with Weiyu's, so I can only rely on putting in more time."
"Good, good," Li's mother nodded with satisfaction. "Work hard with your Lili. When your grandmother came, I was stunned by this whole building."
"Before I came, I thought I was quite proud. Kushan is a nationally renowned mountain village."
"Now that I've come out, I realize what it means to be a frog at the bottom of a well."
"Grandma," Li Weiyu rested his head on Li's mother's shoulder. "You were stunned by this building, and we are crushed by our pride by this building."
"I'm proud that my grades are not much worse than Lili's. I'm proud that I'm going to pursue a master's and a doctorate and become a strong figure in academia."
"I secretly mocked Lili for only planning to get a bachelor's degree for a broken company."
"Before the semester started, Lili took us on a tour of the company. I saw the disarray in the company and didn't pay much attention."
"After entering the company and understanding how big it is and how much assets it has, I wished I could crawl into a crack in the ground. I am the frog at the bottom of the well."
"When I was full of ambition, ready to climb the peak, Lili was already halfway up the mountain."
Li's mother pushed his head off her shoulder and scooped out vegetables from the pot.
"The businesses that your Lili took over were all started by your aunt and uncle. What are you comparing yourself to Lili for? Her burden is heavier than yours."
"Grandma, you messed up my hairstyle." Li Weiyu tidied his hair.
"Go to the side and fix yourself. Be careful not to let your hair fall into the food," Li's mother glared at her grandson while washing the pot.
"Don't talk to me about your invisible, intangible pride. Learn from An'an and be down-to-earth. Work with your Lili to manage the company well."
"Grandma?" Li Weiyu suddenly realized. "So, among all the grandchildren, you love Lili the most?"
"Yes," Li's mother nodded. "Just for the fact that Lili is more responsible than you boys and has taken on all the responsibilities of your uncle's family, I should favor her."
Li Weiyu clutched his chest, feeling like a child who was neither doted on by his grandmother nor loved by his mother, and disliked by his father.
Chen An brought dishes out of the kitchen, "Weiyu, wash your hands and get the bowls and chopsticks."
On the dining table, there were two cold dishes, four stir-fried dishes, two stewed dishes, and a soup, all of which were hometown dishes.
Li's mother gestured to Ouyang Lei, "Don't be polite. They are all home-style dishes."
Ouyang Lei nodded, "I won't be polite. I've been craving hometown dishes for so long, especially my in-laws' home-style dishes. They truly taste like home."
Seeing that his grandmother had started eating, Li Weiyu began to stuff his mouth with food without saying a word.
Who wouldn't crave it? Eating cafeteria food and restaurant meals every day was more than enough.
Chen An also ate silently, lowering his head and eating heartily.
Ouyang Lei quickly stopped using the other function of his mouth and focused on eating.
If it weren't for Li's mother serving a bowl of chicken soup specifically for Li Weili, Li Weili wouldn't have even had chicken soup.
Li's mother patted her younger grandson and grandson, "I'll make more tonight. Don't eat so fast, it's bad for your stomach."
Li Weiyu rubbed his belly, "How long is Grandma staying here?"
Li's mother smiled, "Until your Brother Bo gets married. Aren't you happy?"
"Happy," Li Weiyu was ecstatic. "For these three months, I can eat Grandma's cooking."
Chen An was also happy. He could stay in Kyoto until the end of April, which was his internship period.
Li Weili looked at the time and urged her two younger brothers to hurry downstairs, lest they be late.
Ouyang Lei wanted to help clear the table and wash the dishes, but Li's mother wouldn't allow it.
She told him to go and discuss with his eldest sister and brother-in-law where to go and play.
Looking at Li's mother busy in the kitchen, Ouyang Lei said that his eldest sister had married into a happy family, and her mother-in-law treated her daughter-in-law like her own daughter.
Ouyang Meihua burst out laughing. She didn't want her mother-in-law to treat her like her own daughter.
Thinking of the absent-minded Li Min, Ouyang Lei couldn't help but smile.