At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

"What are you standing there grinning like an idiot for?"

"Come on, follow me to the kitchen and chop up the other old hen. We'll stew some chicken and wine for Yu Shu tonight. The jar of rice wine that Xu Wengui gave us will come in handy."

"These two old hens were given to Xiaoyu by her family. Her second uncle and third uncle each gave her one, and said they would send more if they found them."

"You must remember these favors; you're the ones who need to repay them. As for the neighbors in the courtyard, we'll do it."

Yi Zhonghai patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Okay, I got it."

"Brother, I can take care of it. You should rest for a while. You've been taking time off work and riding your bike back and forth with your wife since early this morning."

Yi Zhongding nodded and said.

"No need to rest, I'm happy! Our Yi family has gained two more sons, and as their eldest uncle, I'm bursting with energy!"

Yi Zhonghai rarely showed an undisguised smile, his eyes were bright, and he even shrugged his shoulders to show off his muscles.

Seeing his elder brother's appearance, Yi Zhongding felt a warm glow in his heart and didn't refuse any longer, following his brother into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the fire in the stove was still burning, and a pot of water sat on top, bubbling and steaming.

On the cutting board was a slaughtered old hen, and next to it was a piece of ginger wrapped in straw paper.

"Hmm, not bad, it's genuine old rice wine. Xu Wengui is always generous when it comes to these social niceties."

Yi Zhonghai rolled up his sleeves, broke the mud seal on the jar of rice wine, poured out a bowl, smelled it, and said with a smile.

"The Xu family is flawless in their interpersonal skills, and even that kid Xu Damao has learned them perfectly."

Yi Zhongding smiled as he took the knife and flattened the ginger for later use.

"I can't stand that old Yan. He's always scheming for a pittance. He's shrewdly taken away all our goodwill."

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, his hands didn't stop moving as he rinsed the chicken clean, preparing to put it in the pot.

While busy working, he said:

"You see, he gave a gift this time, which is a huge favor. But wait, when he opens his mouth, you'll be shocked."

"So it's not easy to keep things from Old Yan's house. I'll bring him a bowl of chicken soup later."

Yi Zhongding smiled and nodded.

The two brothers were busy in the kitchen, their faces glowing red from the firelight.

In the courtyard, the sun was shining brightly, and several sparrows hopped around on the branches of the jujube tree, chirping away.

The sounds of a baby babbling and adults laughing came from inside the house, weaving together a simple yet touching melody of life.

Yi Zhongding patted the ginger and looked up at the window.

On the window paper of the west room, the red paper-cut of a chubby baby holding a carp shone warmly in the sunlight, and a thought suddenly came to his mind.

In this life, he must preserve this warmth and the spirit of family life.

Yi Zhongding washed his hands and followed his older brother out of the kitchen.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I heard a burst of clear laughter coming from the west room.

"Wow, this little guy is pretty strong! He's grabbing my fingers and won't let go!"

Tan Xiulian's excited laughter followed immediately.

Yi Zhongding and Yi Zhonghai exchanged a glance, smiled, and pushed open the door to go inside.

The room was warm and cozy. Tan Xiulian was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), holding out one of her fingers for Sijin to grasp.

Although the little one's eyes were still closed, his little hands were clenched tightly, and he kept smacking his lips, as if he was eating something delicious in his dream.

Two liang lay quietly beside them, their big, dark eyes staring curiously at the roof beams above them.

Bai Yushu leaned against the headboard, holding the empty bowl in her hand. A few drops of chicken soup oil remained at the bottom of the bowl. Her complexion was much rosier than a few days ago.

Seeing Yi Zhongding and Yi Zhonghai come in, she put the empty bowl on the table and greeted them with a smile.

"Big brother."

"Hey, stay lying down, don't get up."

Yi Zhonghai quickly waved his hand, walked to the bedside, bent down and carefully examined his two nephews. After looking at them for a while, he straightened up with satisfaction.

"Great, wonderful! If our ancestors were alive, they would be overjoyed to see these two grandsons."

Yi Zhonghai sighed with emotion.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room momentarily froze.

Yi Zhongding knew that his elder brother was thinking of the relatives who had been swept away in the flood, and he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

"They're watching from heaven, and they must be happy too."

Yi Zhongding smiled and patted his elder brother on the shoulder.

"That's right, that's right. Sister-in-law, go get that bottle of old Fenjiu that I've been storing for several years. I need to have a couple of drinks today."

Yi Zhonghai sniffed, quickly composed himself, and turned to Tan Xiulian.

"Why drink alcohol in broad daylight?"

Tan Xiulian rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm happy! I won't drink too much, just two small cups!"

It was rare for Yi Zhonghai to reveal a bit of his childlike stubbornness.

Tan Xiulian shook her head helplessly, but still got up and went to the inner room. A moment later she came out with a dusty wine bottle with a faded label on it.

"This is the last bottle. Once you finish it, there won't be any left."

Tan Xiulian rolled her eyes and laughed while cursing.

"That's enough, that's enough. Just a little tonight."

Yi Zhonghai took the bottle, carefully wiped the dust off it like a precious treasure, and grinned.

He has been abstaining from alcohol for over a year since his children were born.

I'm so happy today that I wanted to have a drink.

Looking at his elder brother's appearance, Yi Zhongding felt both touched and amused.

He turned to look at Bai Yushu and found that she was also looking at him, with a gentle smile in her eyes.

Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word.

Just then, a series of staggering footsteps came from the courtyard, along with the tense voices of He Yuzhu, Ye Wutong, and He Yushui.

Then a chubby little hand lifted the curtain a crack, and a round little head peeked in.

It is nine taels.

Then four more round little heads gradually poked their heads into the room.

Six ounces, three ounces, three catties, and small pieces of wood.

All five little radish heads came running.

Behind them were He Yuzhu and two others, who were hunched over.

The little ones have only recently learned to walk, and their steps are still a bit unsteady.

With one hand holding onto the door frame and the other clutching a half-eaten, soggy rice cake, Jiu Liang chewed it with his mouth bulging.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw so many people in the room, and then his gaze fell on his parents.

"Father, Mother."

The old woman, wagging her breath, loosened the doorframe and staggered toward the bed.

"Oh dear, my little darling, slow down!"

Tan Xiulian reacted quickly and caught Jiu Liang, who was about to trip.

Jiu Liang steadied himself and looked up at the bed, but unfortunately he was too short to see anything.

He got anxious, stuffed the rice cake in his hand into his mouth, freed both hands to grab the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), stood on tiptoe and tried his best to reach up, his little face turning red.

Yi Zhongding found it amusing, so he bent down and picked him up, letting him see his two younger brothers on the kang (a heated brick bed).