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

The two little ones moved very quickly.

Ding Xiaohu quickly wiped the table until it was spotless. Lin Yulong set out the bowls and chopsticks, his hands trembling—not from nervousness, but from craving.

As soon as the bowls and chopsticks were set out, the two of them stood by the stove, their four eyes fixed on the pot lid.

Lin Qianqian looked at it, a slight smile playing on her lips, and without further ado, lifted the lid and took it off the heat.

The Dongpo pork was served in a rough earthenware bowl, glistening with oil, bright red, and trembling slightly. Where it was bound with straw rope, the fat was stewed until almost transparent, while the lean meat was a deep red like amber, with a layer of glistening oil on the skin.

The rice was served too. It was finely cooked rice, each grain plump and white as snow, without a single grain of husk.

Lin Yulong stared at the bowl of rice, and suddenly his nose stung with tears.

I never dared to even think about it before.

The food was served. Lin Qianqian sat down. The two little ones also sat down.

No one touched their chopsticks.

Lin Qianqian understood at a glance. Without saying anything, she reached out and picked up the largest piece, putting it into Ding Xiaohu's bowl.

Ding Xiaohu was stunned: "Sister Qianqian...this is too big..."

Before he could finish speaking, a "gulp" sound came from his throat.

Lin Qianqian picked up another piece and put it into Lin Yulong's bowl, and finally picked up a piece for herself.

"Eat."

She put the meat in her mouth and squinted slightly.

After being here for so long, I can finally eat meat openly and legitimately.

Beside him, Lin Yulong took a bite—and froze.

"Sister..."

Her voice was choked with sobs.

After the second bite, tears streamed down my face.

He remembered his days at the Lin family's house. One New Year's Eve, he secretly picked up a small piece of meat scraps and was slapped by Wang Hehua, his mouth filled with the taste of rust.

Now, a whole piece of meat is placed in front of him.

He was open and aboveboard, honest and upright. No one hit him, no one scolded him.

Lin Yulong sniffed and shoveled rice into his mouth. The meat juices mixed with the rice, making it so fragrant that one wanted to swallow their tongue.

Lin Qianqian looked at him, her heart ached, but she didn't say anything. She put another piece on his plate.

Ding Xiaohu didn't move.

He stared at the "meat tower" in the bowl, his Adam's apple bobbing several times.

He thought of his family. They rarely ate meat throughout the year, and even when they did, it was just a small piece to share among his brothers. He had never—never once eaten a whole piece of meat by himself.

"Tiger," Lin Qianqian said in a moderate tone, "if you don't start eating soon, I'm going to snatch it from you."

Ding Xiaohu was startled and grabbed his chopsticks to take a big bite.

The moment the meat melted in his mouth, he felt a surge of light—like a light suddenly being turned on in a dark room.

"Oh my god..." he mumbled, his cheeks bulging, "This smells so good! Sister Qianqian, I've never eaten such delicious meat before! Never!"

When he said "never", his voice trembled slightly.

It wasn't because of the meat. It was because this was the first time he had ever been treated like one of his own in someone else's home and had been given the biggest piece of meat.

He lowered his head and ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice to suppress the slight dampness. When he looked up again, he was all smiles.

"Sister Qianqian, I wish we could eat this more often!"

"Dream on." Lin Qianqian rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

With his mouth full of meat, Lin Yulong mumbled, "Brother Hu, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

"Don't you eat like a pig too?"

"You're the pig!"

Lin Qianqian picked up her bowl, slowly chewing on the meat, watching the two teenagers bicker. The setting sun shone through the window, falling on the table, on the bowl, and on the three smiling faces.

The kitchen was small, and the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together filled the air.

But I ate this meal with peace of mind.

She picked up the last piece of meat and divided it in half between her two younger brothers.

"I'm full, you guys clean up."

The two little ones said in unison, "Thank you, Sister Qianqian!" Then they started shoveling rice into their mouths at the same time, making a slurping sound like small bellows.

Lin Qianqian leaned back in her chair, watching them eat. The sunset outside the window was ablaze with color, like perfectly stewed Dongpo pork.

She smiled.

Things will get better and better.