I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Hao Mei pressed Xu Zhiyu down by the dining table, then turned around and plunged into the kitchen.

The range hood roared to life, and soon enough, a delicious aroma wafted out.

Two more dishes were served.

One plate contains sweet and sour pork ribs with a glossy, dark red color.

The other dish was golden and tender scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

These are all foods that Xu Zhiyu used to love to eat.

Jiang Ye sat next to her, watching his mother push a full bowl of ribs in front of Xu Zhiyu, and couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Mom, I'm your real son."

Hao Mei didn't even look up: "You still know you're my biological son? A biological son won't starve to death if he eats a couple less pieces."

Jiang Ye: "..."

Row.

In the end, there was no place for him in this family.

Xu Zhiyu picked up her chopsticks, lowered her head, and smiled.

"Fish, eat more."

Hao Mei picked up another piece of pork rib and put it in her bowl. "This was your favorite dish when you were little. Luckily, I made this dish today."

Xu Zhiyu didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, her smile bright.

"Aunt Hao's sweet and sour pork ribs are still the best!"

Hao Mei was overjoyed and put another big piece into her bowl.

"Eat as much as you like!"

Xu Zhiyu felt a warmth in her heart; that familiar feeling of being comforted enveloped her completely.

She left Jiangcheng for two years.

Cheng Jinglan arranged the best school, the best teachers, and the most disciplined life for her.

What time to get up, what time to study, what time to eat, what time to go to bed.

Everything was arranged in advance.

But nobody remembers that she liked sweet and sour pork ribs, and nobody would keep her pink bunny slippers until now.

Waiting for its owner to return.

Indeed, coming back despite everything was the right thing to do.

Two years is still too long for her.

Just then, there was a "clattering" sound of keys at the door, followed by the sound of the lock turning.

Jiang Chengcai is back.

Before anyone had even fully entered, a loud, gruff voice boomed in first.

"Holy crap! Honey, you have no idea what kind of weirdo I ran into today! He insisted that the curls I gave him were missing a bend on the left side compared to the right, and he kept going back and forth three times, but he still wasn't satisfied! Isn't he deliberately making things difficult for me, the number one Tony in Jiangcheng?!"

It had become his daily routine to talk to Hao Mei about the trivial matters at the hair salon as soon as he got home.

In the past two years, Chengmei Hair Salon's business has improved, and they have even hired two apprentices.

With the business on track, Jiang Chengcai was unwilling for his wife to do such physically demanding work, so Hao Mei had much more free time and spent more of her time at home as a housewife, occasionally going out shopping with her girlfriends.

She only helps out at the hair salon when it's busy.

Upon hearing his nonsensical complaints, which included the word "dirty," Hao Mei quickly walked over and gave him a light tap on the arm.

"What are you yelling about! We have guests, watch your mouth!"

"guest?"

Jiang Cheng stood there, his freshly dyed hair a glaring yellow under the light, looking up in confusion. "Who is it?"

Jiang Ye leaned back in his chair, slowly picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in his mouth. He then mimicked his mother's tone and raised his chin at his father.

"Dad, guess."

As soon as Jiang Cheng heard his son's irritating tone, he knew it was no good.

He glanced at the dining table, first seeing his son, then his gaze fell on the girl sitting quietly next to his son.

The girl looked up at the sound and smiled politely at him.

That face was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

Jiang Cheng racked his brains for a while before finally matching the image of a little girl deep in his memory with the pretty face in front of him.

His eyes widened and his mouth slightly opened.

"You...you are Zhiyu?"

Xu Zhiyu stood up and called out obediently.

Uncle Jiang.

"Ouch!"

That shout instantly dispelled the weariness on Jiang Cheng's face. He strode over, sporting a head of blond hair, grinning from ear to ear, and looked Xu Zhiyu up and down.

To an outsider, his expression looked utterly lewd.

"Two years have passed, why are you suddenly back? Hahaha!"

"It hasn't been long, and she's already so beautiful? Tsk tsk tsk, when will she be my daughter-in-law, Little Fish, hahaha!"

Xu Zhiyu pursed her lips slightly, lowered her head, and remained silent, offering no rebuttal.

Hao Mei pushed him in annoyance: "Go away, go away! Zhiyu rarely comes back, what nonsense are you talking about! Wash your hands and eat!"

Jiang Chengcai scratched his head, washed his hands, and sat down. He then adopted the manner of an elder and asked Xu Zhiyu a few questions about her situation in Haicheng.

Xu Zhiyu answered very steadily.

school.

Achievement.

Life.

Each answer is flawless, yet vague.

After being tempered by life in a wealthy family, she became noticeably more talkative with her elders, but this also made it difficult for others to see her true self.

Like a meticulously crafted product displayed in a shop window, beautiful and perfect, yet lacking any real warmth.

Hao Mei noticed it too.

She had originally wanted to ask about Cheng Jinglan.

But the words stuck in his throat.

Some questions are not suitable to be asked at the dinner table, let alone when reuniting after a long separation.

Hao Mei changed the subject, softening her tone: "Yu Yu, how long will you be staying this time?"

Xu Zhiyu put down her chopsticks and smiled, "Auntie, I've transferred back to Jiangcheng. I'll be taking the college entrance exam here, so I'll be staying for a long time."

Jiang Cheng was somewhat surprised: "Why did you suddenly decide to come back? Aren't the schools in Haicheng pretty good too?"

"It's pretty good."

Xu Zhiyu nodded and explained clearly.

"However, the teaching staff of key high schools in Jiangcheng has been greatly adjusted in the past two years. After the integration of resources of competition classes and key classes, it has more advantages than Haicheng. My mother also thinks that it is more suitable for me to come back here to prepare for the college entrance examination."

Hao Mei nodded upon hearing this; it was indeed something Cheng Jinglan would do.

"So that's how it is."

She laughed and said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Jiangcheng is where you grew up, so come visit often!"

Xu Zhiyu nodded obediently, a slight smile playing on her lips. She appeared casual, but her eyes were full of seriousness.

"Yes, I'll definitely come often."

The meal was quite lively.

Hao Mei and Jiang Cheng tacitly avoided mentioning Xu Zhiyu's unpleasant childhood experiences, and did not inquire about her actual life in that so-called wealthy family.

They just kept putting food on her plate and chatting about some interesting things that had happened in the neighborhood in the last two years.