The story begins in Food Wars, when Alice took him home.

"Teacher Bai Yuan is really popular."

As soon as they got on the bus, the two found a window seat where they could see the scenery outside. Tadokoro Megumi looked at Bai Yuan with a smile and said something with a hint of joking.

"Speaking of popularity, isn't Xiao Hui popular too? It seems that the cooking competition between the moon and sky that day has gained you quite a few fans."

Bai Yuan also joked that even he was a little astonished by the fan's frenzied excitement just now.

"This is just a small thing for me. If Teacher Bai Yuan is willing, the whole world will probably be your fan. Of course, the biggest fan is me."

Resting her head on Shiro's shoulder, looking at the sparsely populated train, and feeling the warmth around her, Tadokoro Megumi felt a surge of happiness.

This is the life she wants.

Simple, happy, with loved ones by my side.

Chapter 221 Xiao Hui, who got the "group's favorite" script, has a special fish offal stew.

Gradually, the train started moving, heading towards Tadokoro Megumi's hometown.

The scenery along the way is beautiful. The further you go into the countryside, the less concrete and steel structures there are, and instead, large tracts of forest and countless lakes appear, which look very vibrant.

Because of the early closing ceremony, Tadokoro Megumi felt sleepy after the train had been running for a while, so she leaned on Shirobuchi's shoulder and closed her eyes to rest.

I don’t know how long it’s been…

"Have we arrived yet...?"

The moving bullet train slowly came to a stop, and Tadokoro Megumi opened her sleepy eyes as Shirai swayed, then wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

They have arrived at their destination.

Pulling his suitcase off the car, Bai Yuan took a deep breath as he looked at the beautiful scenery before him.

It's no wonder it's in the mountains; the air has a sweet, refreshing quality, giving you a feeling of swallows returning to their nests—a truly unique sensation.

"Ah! Waaah!"

The tram started moving again, and they were the only ones who got off at this station. Seeing that there was no one around and the whole station was empty, Bai Yuan turned around and shouted in the direction of the mountain to express his emotions.

"what!"

Although it's unclear why Bai Yuan suddenly shouted out, it seems rather foolish for him to do something like that all by himself.

"Hey!"

To ease the awkwardness, Tadokoro Megumi also made a megaphone shape with her hands and shouted towards the other side of the mountain.

In an instant, the dizziness from sitting on the tram for so long, as well as the pent-up frustration in my heart from daily life, were all released.

"Let's go home."

Seeing that Tadokoro Megumi's face was flushed but she was still willing to play along with him, Shiroyuki spoke gently as he took her hand.

"Okay, I'll take you to my house."

Notice how Bai Yuan addressed me: "Let's go home," instead of "I'm going to your house." Although it's only a two-word difference, the meaning is worlds apart!

The former means that Bai Yuan has acknowledged her as his son-in-law, truly accepted her, and bound them together, while the latter means they are still separated.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the fact that Bai Yuan was willing to come here with her already speaks volumes, so she had nothing to complain about or feel melancholy about.

Feeling the warmth from her hands, she realized that Bai Yuan had somehow managed to pick up her luggage, along with bags and bags of gifts, all while maintaining a gentle and considerate demeanor.

"Oh, it's Xiaohui! You're back! Is that your boyfriend next to you? He looks really handsome and dashing!"

With a hint of amazement in her voice, the girl couldn't help but step forward, looking Bai Yuandong up and down as if he were examining the most exquisite treasure in the world.

"Lily! What are you doing here?"

Looking closely at the face of the person in front of her, Tadokoro felt that she was somewhat familiar with her. Then she exclaimed in surprise and ran forward to grab her soft hand.

Lily Yamato, Megumi Tadokoro's childhood friend, attends the local Torikiri High School. She is a beautiful but useless idiot.

"A friend I met on Twitter came to visit, and I just saw her off. Speaking of which, aren't you going to introduce her? Your boyfriend is really handsome!"

As she spoke, she took two steps forward, tilting her head back to look curiously at Bai Yuan, who was clearly a head taller than her. Yamato Lily's face was full of curiosity.

From Bai Yuan's perspective, he could clearly see the figure of this high school girl, but it was too thin, so even though she was very generous, there wasn't much to see.

"This is Bai Yuan, my teacher, and also my boyfriend."

"Mr. Hakubuchi, this is Yamato Lily, my childhood friend. Before I went to Totsuki Culinary Academy, we were classmates and neighbors."

Upon hearing Yamato Lily's words, Tadokoro Megumi seemed to realize something and blushed. She then released her hand and introduced the two of them to each other.

After being introduced by her, Shirabuchi and Yamato Lily shook hands, and then Tadokoro Megumi and Yamato Lily started chatting casually.

"Uncle Mugen has passed away. It's such a pity."

"Brother Lishan got married and had a baby? I should go and congratulate him later."

"Brother Ying and Sister Tao got married!? It's been about time, they started dating in their second year of high school. I wish them a baby soon."

"Grandpa Longcang, he..."

Along the way, Yamato Lily told Tadokoro Megumi many things about the town that had happened during the months she was away.

The town was small, so most of the people knew each other. As they walked from the station toward the town, the first thing the three of them passed was a field.

The fields are golden, and autumn is just around the corner, the season of harvest.

"Xiaohui!"

"Sister Gengye, you're busy."

A slightly unexpected shout came from the farmland, followed by a simple figure peeking out from the field. Upon seeing this, Tadokoro Megumi immediately ran forward.

"Here, this is the first rice stalk of the year, a newly grown ear of rice. I'm giving it to you, wishing you a bountiful harvest in the future!"

Looking at the honest and lovely girl in front of her, the woman called Sister Gengye immediately ran back to the field, cut a ripe rice stalk, and gave it to him.

"Thank you!"

Tadokoro Megumi thanked the rice stalks handed to her by Sister Kōgyō; they were heavy and symbolized the fruits of autumn harvest.

At the same time, the first ear of rice also carries a beautiful meaning.

For her, it meant that Sister Gengye wished her academic success and abundant rewards.

"Xiao Hui, you're back. This year's holiday is a bit early."

"Xiao Hui..."

"Oh, you're back quite early today."

"long time no see!"

Upon hearing Sister Gengye's voice, the busy men and women in the fields all came out to greet her, and Tadokoro Megumi responded enthusiastically.

After passing through the fields, we arrived at the market.

As this is a place where people gather, even more people greeted her here.

The middle-aged man at the fish market, the mature woman selling flowers on the commercial street, the auntie at the vegetable stall, the bespectacled young man at the CD store…

People from all walks of life greeted Tadokoro Megumi warmly. Tadokoro Megumi responded enthusiastically, and they chatted for a bit every now and then.

When they arrived at Tadokoro Megumi's house, which was at the entrance of Shoe-en Garden, the three of them already had their hands full of bags and packages, and could not carry anything else.

If Tadokoro Megumi hadn't kept refusing, saying she really couldn't take it anymore, and made the last old lady give up, Shirobuchi probably would have even taken it by the mouth.

Such enthusiasm left him speechless.

This is a classic tale of a beloved character. If he dares to betray Tadokoro Megumi in the future, he'll probably get a beating from the whole town.

Thinking of the road he had come from, Bai Yuan felt ashamed as he saw many middle-aged men in their forties and fifties and elderly men in their sixties and seventies casting warning glances at him.

The look in his eyes was as if he had kidnapped their precious daughter!

Fortunately, although he likes many people, his love is still pure. He would never hurt any girl he's with.

"Then I will visit again tomorrow. I will take my leave now."

After glancing at Bai Yuan and then at Tadokoro Megumi, Yamato Lily tactfully retreated, leaving the remaining space to them.

"Okay, walk slowly."

Tadokoro waved goodbye to him, then glanced at Shiroyuki beside her, and went inside with him.

"Mom, I'm back."

Megumi Tadokoro's voice wasn't loud, but the whole family was hoping for her return.

Mom was busy in the kitchen, and the waiters were tidying up her room. The moment they heard the sound, they all stopped what they were doing and came out to greet her.

"Xiao Hui, you're finally back!"

With a hint of excitement in her voice, Tadokoro Mieko came out of the kitchen, saw the familiar person, ran forward, opened her arms, and hugged her tightly.

"Let me see if you've lost weight."

As they were talking, Mieko Tadokoro let go of Megumi Tadokoro's hand, pulled her around to look her over, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she hadn't lost weight.

"Welcome back, Xiaohui. This is…"

As they spoke, Tadokoro Mieko glanced at Shiroyuki beside Tadokoro Megumi, her eyes filled with curiosity. Of course, she knew who he was, but since it was her daughter's first time visiting the family, it was natural for her to introduce him.

"Bai Yuan, your son-in-law."

It wasn't Tadokoro Megumi who said this, but Shirobuchi, who introduced himself. As he spoke, he handed the gift he was carrying to Tadokoro Mieko.

Just to be on the safe side, in addition to the gifts he asked Tadokoro Megumi to buy, he also bought two wild ginseng roots and a bag of cordyceps.

These are all things that are very presentable when meeting elders. Normally, just one of them would be very precious, but now he has brought out several of them.

"Oh, you're already here, why bring a gift? It's cold outside, come in quickly."

Seeing the gift Bai Yuan handed over, Tadokoro Mieko's eyes turned into crescent moons. She then bent down to help take the shoes from the entrance and placed them in front of them.

"It smells so good, Mom! What delicious food have you prepared?"

The rich aroma made the girl look pleased. She twitched her nose slightly, quickly changed into slippers, and went into the living room, where she saw the dishes on the table.

"It's fish offal stew! That's great! I love this the most. Teacher Bai Yuan, you should try some too. My mom's cooking is excellent!"

Watching the fish stew bubbling on the induction cooker, Tadokoro Megumi swallowed almost imperceptibly, a look of longing on her face.

The aroma was so intensely rich that it was impossible to look away.