After the family split up, my stepmother and scumbag father begged me to come home.

Tiger and Ah Long entered the house and asked Lin Qianqian if she wanted some water. Lin Qianqian was thirsty, so she asked them to pour her a glass.

Tiger picked up the teapot and poured water. Ah Long handed it to Lin Qianqian, who took it and drank a couple of sips. She leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), her ankles still wrapped in cloth, resting on the neatly folded quilt.

Lin Qianqian thought about what to eat for dinner. After pondering for a while, she decided to have hot pot, with mutton and some vegetables.

"Tiger, go home and pick some more vegetables, then invite your whole family over for dinner. Let's get together tonight."

As Lin Qianqian spoke, she turned to look at A Long, "A Long, you should come along later and invite Dad to eat with us too."

Ah Long responded and followed Hu Zi to the Ding family's house.

I told Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding that we'd all come over for dinner tonight.

The two followed Chunfen's sister-in-law into the vegetable garden and picked a lot of vegetables.

Uncle Ding remembered that he had also bought lamb offal. "It just so happens that I also bought lamb offal. Let's take it with us and have it as an extra dish."

Ah Long went to call Lin Guozhu again.

Lin Guozhu had just returned from the carpenter's house in the same village and was thinking of just having some porridge to tide him over.

"Dad, come over for dinner tonight, Uncle Ding's family too," Ah Long greeted.

Lin Guozhu was somewhat surprised, but quickly replied, "Okay."

He put down what he was holding, brushed the sawdust off his clothes, and followed Ah Long outside.

He took a couple of steps, then remembered he hadn't taken the walking stick he'd made for his daughter, so he went back to get it, closing the door behind him. His movements were slower than usual. Ah Long noticed this but didn't say anything.

Staring at the cane in his hand, was it made for his older sister?

Having taken almost everything, the group headed towards Lin Qianqian's house. Aunt Ding and Sister Chunfen carried baskets in front, while the others trailed behind.

"Girl, how are you feeling today?" Aunt Ding asked as soon as she entered the room.

"It's alright," Lin Qianqian replied, then asked A Long to make tea for everyone. She used dried osmanthus flowers that she had sun-dried, and asked A Long to add more, along with some rock sugar.

Everyone who drank it thought it was delicious.

Ding Dahu and Ding Erhu were instantly envious of Hu Zi. This life is too good!

"Girl, what do you want to eat? Tell us what you want and we'll make it," Aunt Ding asked while sipping her tea.

"Hot pot." As soon as Lin Qianqian said it, everyone was stunned.

"What is hot pot?" Aunt Ding asked first, her teacup hovering near her lips.

Lin Qianqian smiled, placed the cup on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and gestured with her hands: "It's just setting up a pot, lighting a fire underneath, adding broth to the pot, and boiling it. Then you put the sliced ​​meat, vegetables, and offal into it one by one, swirl it around for a few seconds until it's cooked, take it out, and dip it in the sauce. It's hot, spicy, and fragrant; it's the most comforting thing to eat in winter."

"Isn't that just boiled vegetables?" Aunt Ding still didn't quite understand, her brows furrowed.

"It's different." Lin Qianqian shook her head. "Boiled vegetables are cooked in water and then taken out, but this is cooked and eaten at the same time. The meat is tender and the vegetables are fresh, and the soup gets more flavorful the longer it cooks. A whole table of people sit around the pot, cooking whatever they want to eat. It's lively."

As Aunt Ding listened, her eyes slowly lit up: "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"How about we make it spicy?" Lin Qianqian asked.

"Okay, spicy, okay, delicious and satisfying." Tiger was the first to agree, slapping his thigh and his eyes lit up.

"We can both. Girl, can you eat spicy food with your injured ankle?" Aunt Ding reminded her, glancing at Lin Qianqian's ankle.

"Auntie, you don't understand," Lin Qianqian said with a smile, putting down her cup and pointing to her ankle. "Spicy food disperses and improves blood circulation. My sprained ankle is precisely because the blood and qi are stagnant there. Eating something spicy helps to improve the blood and qi circulation, which helps it heal faster. Besides, if I don't have a taste in my mouth, I feel uncomfortable, and if I feel uncomfortable, my ankle heals more slowly. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Aunt Ding was stunned by her words, and clicked her tongue: "You silly girl, you always have such a twisted logic. Fine, whatever you say, spicy it is."

Uncle Ding picked up the sheep offal next to him and asked, "How do you make this offal?" He lifted the hanging sheep offal, shook it, and water droplets dripped from the casing.

"Uncle Ding, you really know me inside and out! I was just about to say that I hadn't bought any offal, and you brought it over. This stuff is clean and cut into pieces, perfect for hot pot." Lin Qianqian smiled and pointed to the offal, her eyes shining.

"Alright, girl, you direct us. Let's start by washing the sheep offal and vegetables." Aunt Ding said, standing up, putting her teacup on the table, patting her clothes, and heading to the kitchen to get busy. Chunfen followed to help.

"Auntie, just slice the lamb I bought thinly, we'll have it for hot pot."

Lin Guozhu spoke up: "Daughter, I'll go with you to change your dressing. It hasn't been changed today." As he spoke, he stood up from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and walked to Lin Qianqian. Lin Qianqian agreed.

Lin Guozhu walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), bent down, and carried Lin Qianqian on his back.

He got up slowly, first kneeling on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), letting his daughter put her arm on his shoulder, supporting him with one hand behind his back, and holding onto the door frame with the other, before slowly straightening up.

He pushed the curtain aside with his shoulder and then gently lowered it, preventing it from hitting his daughter.

Ah Long stood aside, watching the moment his father carried his older sister on his back.

Father bent down, and his older sister lay on his back, her hands on his shoulders and her head resting on the back of his neck.

Dad walked steadily, stepping on the ground in the yard, one step at a time, neither too fast nor too slow, as if afraid of bumping the person on his back.

Ah Long suddenly remembered that year when his mother had just passed away, his older sister had carried him on her back, step by step, as they walked back from the mountain.

Back then, my older sister's back was very steady.

He lay on his older sister's back, listening to her breathing, and felt unafraid even if the sky were to fall. Now, his father's back seemed stable too.

His throat tightened, and he looked away.