With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

Aunt Zhang led the group into her yard, where an eight-person table was already laden with dishes.

Four-delight braised gluten, poached chicken, stir-fried shrimp, scallion oil broad beans, braised water bamboo shoots, braised pork belly, braised ribbonfish, and shredded vegetables—a table laden with colorful dishes, red and green, that looked incredibly appetizing.

Aunt Zhang walked over, lifted the lid of a clay pot on the stove, and a fresh aroma wafted out.

"Here comes the grand finale—Braised Pork Belly with Bamboo Shoots and Bamboo Shoots!"

The casserole was bubbling away, the rich aroma of salted meat mingling with the sweetness of spring bamboo shoots, the soup was milky white and glistening with oil.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the table full of food and understood—Aunt Zhang had truly emptied her coffers. For an average middle-class family in Shanghai, a meal like this was already quite lavish; it must have taken her several days of saving up her tickets to afford it.

Mr. Jiang glanced at the table, then at Aunt Zhang, and asked, "Sister Zhang, where's Brother Liu? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

"Hey, you mean him!" Aunt Zhang waved her hand as she placed the casserole on the table. "He's away on a business trip these past few days. Let's leave him alone for now. It's been a while since I've been home alone, and it's hard to cook for just one person. If I cook too much, we can't finish it all; if I cook too little, it won't taste good. With you all here today, I can eat a little of everything, isn't that great!"

Jiang Zhiyu placed the gifts she had casually picked up on the corner of the table—a box of Beijing-style pastries and a bottle of Moutai.

Su Wanqing had been thinking that there was another man in Aunt Zhang's house, so Jiang Zhiyu had also prepared a pack of cigarettes and placed it on the table as well.

Aunt Zhang walked over and slapped Jiang Zhiyu's hand.

"Hey girl! Why did you bring so much stuff? I'm so happy you guys are back! We've been neighbors for over ten years, we know each other perfectly! Take all this back, take it back!"

Su Wanqing quickly came over and grabbed Aunt Zhang's arm: "Sister Zhang, please don't refuse. Zhiyu specially brought these from the capital. These pastries won't keep for long, and it's so hot outside; it would be a waste if they spoiled. Please eat them quickly."

Aunt Zhang tried to push him away, but Su Wanqing forced her to sit down, and she gave up, muttering, "This is the last time."

-

Aunt Zhang pulled the group down to sit and served each person a bowl of white rice.

She didn't rush to pick up her chopsticks, but instead looked at the three people opposite her, sized them up from head to toe, and then slapped her thigh.

"You know what! When others came back from being sent down to the countryside, they were all emaciated and looked like they'd been released from prison. But you guys look much better! I think you look even better than when you left!"

She leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Looks like you didn't suffer too much on this trip? That's good!"

Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing exchanged a glance, a complex emotion flashing in their eyes.

If it weren't for their own daughter, they wouldn't have been any different from those people—they almost lost their lives there. But these are things they can't say.

Jiang Boxun smiled and said, "With Zhiyu going over to take care of him, things are going alright."

Aunt Zhang nodded, her gaze falling on Jiang Zhiyu. She immediately picked up a shrimp and a piece of braised pork and put them in her bowl.

"Son, don't just look, eat up! It's been almost a year since I last saw you, you've grown taller, and... you're more mature than before."

She scrutinized Jiang Zhiyu's face, inwardly sighing—this girl was as lively as a little sparrow a year ago, always smiling and sweet-talking. This time, she's much quieter, and seems a bit... how to put it... like she makes you hesitant to joke around with her.

Jiang Zhiyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhang."

Aunt Zhang then turned to Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing, her expression becoming serious.

"You wouldn't believe it—after you left, people kept coming to look at your house every few days. We won't even talk about the petty thugs; the neighbors just chased them away."

She put down her chopsticks, lowering her voice even further: "You all know, right? A while ago, that Revolutionary Committee director—the one who sent you all down to the countryside, Director Wang—with him around, nobody would have bothered with this house. They'd sealed it off; who would dare touch it?"

Su Wanqing nodded.

"Then Director Wang got arrested—good heavens!" Aunt Zhang slammed her hand on the table. "Those people from the neighborhood committee, they came running as soon as they smelled it!"

She said bitterly, "That Zhao Ji, the clerk in our neighborhood committee, takes advantage of his cousin Sun Hongmei being the deputy director of our neighborhood office, and has come to look at your house time and time again! He thinks that since Director Wang was arrested, no one is taking care of him, so he comes here! Everyone knows his family has their eyes on your house!"

Aunt Zhang grew increasingly agitated as she spoke: "Thank goodness you came back! Otherwise, we really wouldn't have been able to control things! If they had used policies as an excuse, and tried to use rules and regulations to stop us, we really wouldn't have been able to stop them!"

Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing nodded knowingly.

Aunt Zhang then realized she had spoken too hastily and quickly softened her tone: "Look at us, we've been so busy talking! Hurry up and eat, try my cooking!"

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Song Yanzhou.

The young man sat quietly the whole time, his back ramrod straight, his movements precise and efficient as he ate; he was clearly from the military. Yet, she hadn't heard anyone introduce him at all—

Aunt Zhang looked at Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing with questioning eyes.

Jiang Boxun then realized what had happened and slapped his forehead: "Oh! We were so busy talking that we forgot about Xiao Song!"

He pointed to Song Yanzhou and said to Aunt Zhang, "This is Zhiyu's girlfriend, Comrade Song Yanzhou, who is currently in the army."

Song Yanzhou put down his chopsticks and politely greeted, "Hello, Aunt Zhang."

Aunt Zhang's eyes lit up instantly.

She looked Song Yanzhou up and down—the young man was upright and honest, sitting there with his back straight like a flagpole, broad shoulders, and heroic features; he seemed like a reliable person.

Then look at Jiang Zhiyu, who is quietly eating her meal next to her—

Perfect match!

Aunt Zhang was secretly pleased, but she didn't ask any further questions. Since the soldier hadn't specified his rank, she didn't inquire further. People from Shanghai know the proper etiquette; they don't ask what they shouldn't.

-

Aunt Zhang then brought up the topic back to the school.

"By the way, ever since your school—after you were sent down to the countryside—a lot of other teachers were also sent down. It was a chaotic and unpleasant time!"

She sighed, "I hear things are much better now. Are you going back to school this time?"

Jiang Boxun nodded: "I'll go back to my original unit."

Aunt Zhang nodded solemnly, "That's good. It's better to go back; school is always safer than outside."

-

The group sat down and ate and chatted.

Most of the talking was done by Aunt Zhang—about the neighbors' affairs, who got married, who had a baby boy, whose couple was fighting so badly that the whole alley knew about it, and whose husband was having an affair.

Song Yanzhou and Jiang Zhiyu did not interrupt the entire conversation.

Song Yanzhou simply ate his meal quietly, listening to Aunt Zhang talk. Occasionally, Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing would exchange a few words, and he would nod in agreement, like a silent gourd.

Jiang Zhiyu listened with great interest.

As she picked up some food, she silently made a mental note of it—

Sun Hongmei, deputy director of the subdistrict office, is Zhao's cousin. These two are the people openly watching her house.

The fact that Officer Zhao came to see the house repeatedly shows that he has figured out the Jiang family's situation—they were sent down to the countryside, have no one protecting them from above, and are unlikely to return in the short term. He's exploiting this time difference.

But they're back today, and it's only a matter of time before Officer Zhao finds out. When that time comes, will he back down, or will he find another way to cause trouble?

And another thing—was that gaze that was watching her yard in the alley just now the same one that Officer Zhao was following?

It's a real shame that Aunt Zhang isn't doing intelligence work; she's such a talented person.

In the time it takes to eat a meal, Jiang Zhiyu has already learned a good deal about the character of the people around her and what has happened in her family.

She picked up a piece of braised water bamboo shoots and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly, a barely perceptible smile flashing in her eyes.

Not in a hurry.

A fox will always show its tail eventually.