"Meimei, I'm back." Xia Donghai tucked his black briefcase under his arm, rubbing his hands together, and pushed the door open with a slightly excited expression on his face.
Liu Mei happened to be stir-frying at the moment. Hearing the noise, she poked her head out toward the doorway and said with a smile, "You're off work? Dinner's almost ready." Then she turned back, picked up her spatula, and went right on cooking.
"Hehehe, hard work," Xia Donghai said, setting his things on the sofa and sidling up to her with a slightly ingratiating air.
"Where are the kids? Where are my two boys?" He raised his eyebrows. Though a relaxed smile hung on his face, a trace of anxiety still lingered in his eyes.
"In their own rooms. They seem to love it—haven't come out at all. They're probably in Fanfan's room playing video games."
Without even raising her head, Liu Mei answered the man. Just then, the dish in the wok was done. With quick and practiced movements, she turned off the burner and scooped the food onto a serving plate.
"Dinner's ready! Kids, come out and eat!" After she had set all the dishes on the table, Liu Mei tilted her head back and called toward the inner rooms.
"Coming."
Hu Fan tossed back a reply, then grabbed his younger brother, who was still glued to his game, and pulled him out.
Catching sight of Xia Donghai standing by the dining table, he smiled and called out, "Dad." Liu Xing glanced at his older brother and followed suit with a "Dad."
"Hey, good, good. Come on over and eat," Xia Donghai said, beaming at his two sons as he pulled out a chair for them.
Hu Fan glanced at the spread on the table. He had to admit that his mom's culinary skills were second to none; a whole table of various substantial dishes looked utterly appetizing.
The brothers didn't hold back either. Armed with chopsticks, they dug right in. Liu Mei and Xia Donghai exchanged a smiling look, thinking that the kids were adjusting quite well and must have accepted everything, which finally set their minds at ease.
"Xia Donghai, when are Xiaoxue and Xiaoyu coming over? I need to get ready." Liu Mei bit into a meat pie, suddenly remembering she had two more children to account for, and looked up at the man across from her.
Noticing the slight tension in Liu Mei's tone, Xia Donghai smiled to reassure her, "Xiaoyu's coming tomorrow, and Xiaoxue probably won't be here until school starts. Don't worry, you're so wonderful, they're bound to love you."
Liu Mei shot him a sidelong glance. Who was it that had been so anxious before meeting his own two sons that he couldn't even sleep, only calming down just now? He hadn't considered her feelings at all, and he was awfully laid-back when it came to the other two kids.
"Forget it. Later, you'll have to tell me the kids' preferences so I can properly prepare."
"Alright."
Seeing how much importance Liu Mei attached to it, Xia Donghai readily agreed with a smile.
Hu Fan and his brother didn't butt in from the sidelines; they just buried their heads in their food. Best to let their mom stress over these matters.
After finishing dinner, Hu Fan returned to his room.
He washed up briefly, changed into a fresh set of clothes, sat down at his desk, and booted up his computer. There was just a little bit left of the software project from the past few days to finish off. He needed to tie up the loose ends so he could deliver it early and collect his money.
Out in the living room, Liu Xing was still sitting cheerfully on the sofa watching TV, with Xia Donghai keeping him company and chiming in every now and then—actively working on building that father-son bond.
Once Liu Mei finished clearing away the dishes and saw the father and son getting along so well, she was more than happy to give them some space to bond and headed straight to her bedroom.
Time in the evening always seemed to fly. Before they had watched many TV shows or exchanged many words, it was time for bed.
Hu Fan reached up to knead his aching neck and eyes. Staring at a computer for so long was bound to feel a bit uncomfortable.
After shutting down the computer, feeling a bit thirsty, he stood up and headed outside. Before he even reached the living room, he heard the noise of his younger brother watching TV and his mom scolding him to turn it off and go straight to bed—it was getting rather loud.
He glanced down at his watch and saw it was already eleven or twelve o'clock, which felt like bad news. But then he thought better of it: he was just thirsty and coming out to pour a glass of water, nothing more.
Seeing her older son approach, Liu Mei turned her head with a puzzled look and asked, "What's wrong, Fanfan? Did we wake you?"
"Oh, no, I was just thirsty and came out for a glass of water," Hu Fan replied, feeling rather guilty.
"There's still milk in the fridge. Drink some, it'll help you sleep," Liu Mei said as she walked over to the refrigerator, took out a large carton of milk, grabbed two glasses, and poured two portions.
She handed one glass to Hu Fan, then turned her gaze to her younger son, who was still lingering on the sofa.
"Liu Xing, come over here, drink your milk, and go to bed. You hear me?" Her tone was laced with unquestionable seriousness.
Liu Xing had no choice but to obey. He stood up reluctantly, walked over, chugged the milk in the glass in one breath, snorted, and headed straight back to his room.
Liu Mei shot him another look before turning off the television.
Nearby, after finishing his milk, Hu Fan casually washed both glasses and said, "Mom, I'm going to bed."
"Alright, go ahead."
After watching her son go in, Liu Mei glanced over the living room and kitchen, tidied up what needed cleaning, and hurried off to bed herself—she had to work the next day.
...
Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains, waking the sleeper within. He reached out to rub his eyes, then blinked them open with a groggy expression.
He felt around for his phone on the nightstand, turned it on, and checked the time: ten-thirty. Not bad, still time for a brunch.
Propelling himself up with both arms, he grabbed the clothes nearby and changed quickly. After a simple freshening up, he opened his bedroom door and stepped outside.
Hu Fan first checked Liu Xing's room, only to find him sleeping soundly. Deciding not to wake him, he gently pulled the door shut and left.
Both parents had already gone off to work early in the morning, leaving just the two brothers at home. Not feeling like cooking, Hu Fan decided to just make do. He walked to the living room, opened the refrigerator door, and after a moment of consideration, took out a package of breakfast bread and a bottle of milk.
He turned on the television, sat down on the sofa, and slowly ate his breakfast with his mind completely blank, staring dully at the drama playing on screen without the slightest idea what was actually happening.
After finishing breakfast, Hu Fan pulled his phone out of his pocket, planning to play a few games. He figured he would just take his younger brother out for lunch at midday—he was far too lazy to cook himself.
By the time Liu Xing finally got up, his older brother had already played over a dozen matches and was starting to get bored.
"Morning, Ge."
Hu Fan glanced up at his still half-asleep younger brother and muttered in speechlessness, "What time did you go to bed last night? Waking up this late."
"Aw, it's finally summer vacation, can't I get some decent sleep?" Liu Xing retorted while gulping down some milk.
"Oh yeah, Ge, where are we eating today?"
Liu Xing knew his older brother well. Although Hu Fan was a great cook, he wouldn't lift a finger to cook easily—to put it bluntly, he was just lazy, a fact his own flesh and blood brother couldn't change.
"Let's go have some home-style dishes. I looked it up, there's a pretty good Northeastern restaurant nearby. Let's go try it out." Hu Fan finished his final game, checked the time, and decided it was just right for a spot of lunch.
With that, he began hurrying his ill-fated younger brother along. Luck was on their side; the restaurant wasn't too crowded, and their food arrived shortly after they sat down, allowing them to catch the tail end of lunchtime for their first meal of the day.