The two brothers ate lunch and went straight home, then spent a rather decadent afternoon curled up on the sofa watching TV and playing video games.
When Liu Mei opened the door after work and saw her two sons lying limply on the couch like the living dead, she was somewhat speechless. "Did the two of you really spend the entire day on the sofa? Now that it's the holidays, you've completely thrown your studies to the winds."
Of course, the last remark was aimed directly at Liu Xing. One could only say that being a good student came with genuine privileges; no matter how much you played, it was fine—at most, people would just worry it was bad for your health.
Liu Xing was already used to it, of course, and remained completely unfazed even when scolded. Whenever his old lady brought up studying, it was directed solely at him. After all, his older brother was a top-tier scholar, and as the younger brother, he still felt quite proud of that.
"Oh, Mom, it's finally the holidays—you don't have to keep going on about studying, do you?" Liu Xing flipped over and sat up, hugging a throw pillow to his chest and protesting weakly. "Right, Mom, is that new little brother of ours coming over today?"
Seeing that his mother was gearing up to bristle and discipline Liu Xing, Hu Fan quickly changed the subject to bail his younger brother out, otherwise a frantic commotion would be inevitable.
"Yes, he is. Your dad is going to pick him up from the child's grandfather's place after work. Remember not to bully him, you hear?" Liu Mei instructed her two sons with some lingering concern.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely get along and play with him," Liu Xing said, dodging a bullet as he happily patted his chest in assurance, looking rather grand about it.
"Alright then, I'm going to make dinner." Liu Mei glanced up at the clock on the wall; it was getting late, so she quickly rolled up her sleeves and got to work.
"Mom, I want braised prawns," Liu Xing said, poking his small head up from the sofa and looking longingly at Liu Mei, who was busy sorting vegetables. He had been craving them for days. Even though the meals lately had been very good, they just didn't include his beloved braised prawns. It was truly heartbreaking.
Seeing him like this, Liu Mei rolled her eyes speechlessly. "My, haven't you eaten enough feasts and banquets these past few days? All you can think about is prawns. Your old lady doesn't have enough money to keep up with your appetite."
Sensible to the situation, Liu Xing pulled his head back in, though he still shouted defiantly as a parting shot, "My brother has money."
Hu Fan had wisely slipped back to his room the moment the two of them started bickering; the Monkey King was never going to escape the Buddha's palm anyway, and he had no desire to subject his ears to torture.
"If your brother has money, that's your brother's own money! Cut the chatter—eat whatever is served!" Liu Mei brandished her spatula angrily in Liu Xing's direction, successfully cowing him into silence.
The newspaper office was exceptionally busy today, and Xia Donghai got off work much later than usual. Glancing down at his watch, he saw it was already nearing seven o'clock. Not daring to delay any further, he headed straight for his father's house.
*Knock, knock, knock...*
"Who is it?"
"Dad, it's me, Xia Donghai."
"Coming, coming."
Xia Xiang had been about to start cooking, but upon hearing the knock, he knew it was likely his son and hurried out of the kitchen to open the door.
"How come you're so late? The child is already hungry."
"Ah, the newspaper office was just so busy today. By the time I got off work, it was almost seven." Xia Donghai offered an apologetic explanation, then cast his gaze into the room. "Dad, where is Xiaoyu? I'll take him back now; Liu Mei is probably already cooking and waiting at home."
"Alright then." Xia Xiang glanced at his son, knowing full well that returning with his father was best for Xia Yu. "He's in the room eating biscuits. Go get him. Remember, you're a father now—you can't shortchange the child." His tone was full of warning toward this unreliable son of his.
"Dad, don't worry, I will," Xia Donghai assured the old man before heading into the room to find Xiaoyu.
Xia Donghai knocked on the closed bedroom door, then softened his voice. "Xiaoyu, Daddy is here to take you home. Open the door."
Hearing his father's voice, Xia Yu ran over and opened the door. "Dad, why did you take so long? I thought you didn't want me anymore." His tone was thick with grievance.
"Oh, how could Daddy not want Xiaoyu? It's just that Daddy was so busy with work today that I got off very late. Look, the moment I got off work, I came straight to pick you up." Xia Donghai crouched down and pulled the little fellow into his arms to comfort him, smiling slightly at the half-eaten biscuit still wedged in the boy's mouth.
"Alright, we need to get back quickly too. Your new mother has made lots of delicious food for us at home." Xia Donghai took the half-pack of biscuits from the boy's hand, placed it on the nearby table, and stood up, sweeping Xia Yu up into his arms.
"Dad, then I'll have to trouble you to help carry Xiaoyu's things down," Xia Donghai said, looking down at the little fellow snuggled in his arms and helplessly seeking help from his father standing nearby.
"Fine, let's head down," Xia Xiang nodded, grabbing the packed suitcase and the schoolbag resting on top of it, and walked toward the door.
Xia Donghai flagged down a taxi by the roadside, placed the child and the luggage inside, and called out, "Dad, we're off."
"Take good care of the child," Xia Xiang said, standing by the roadside and waving goodbye.
***
At home.
Looking at the table full of prepared dishes, Liu Mei frowned deeply, unable to stop muttering to herself about what on earth was going on with Xia Donghai—why hadn't he returned yet at this late hour?
She glanced up again at the clock on the wall, and the worry in her eyes involuntarily deepened. It was already past eight o'clock, and he hadn't even called to let them know.
"Hey, Brother, do you think that little brother didn't want to come, and Dad is just standing there constantly coaxing him?" Liu Xing whispered, sidling up to his older brother as he watched their mother's anxious state.
To be fair, if he didn't already know the original plot, Hu Fan might have actually believed Liu Xing's guesswork.
"Cut it out, stop guessing wildly. It's probably just that Dad got off work late and got held up by something," Hu Fan said, reaching out to pat his younger brother. If their mother heard talk like that, there was no telling how distressed she would feel.
Liu Mei looked at the completely cold dishes on the table. Figuring the two boys must be starving already, she decided not to wait any longer, stood up, and prepared to reheat the food so they could eat.
Xia Donghai and his son picked a fortunate moment to arrive; the very moment they opened the door, Liu Mei had just finished reheating the meals, and dinner was ready to be served.
"Meimei, we're back. The newspaper office was just too busy today, and it was already very late by the time I got off work. I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting." Being quick-witted, Xia Donghai pushed open the door, sensed the abnormal atmosphere in the house, and immediately began apologizing.
"It's fine, as long as you're back," Liu Mei said, still somewhat angry upon Xia Donghai's return, though seeing the new son standing beside him, she could only force a smile and greet them.
"My, is this Xiaoyu? He looks so well, you can tell right away how sensible he is." Feeling at a loss for how to introduce herself, Liu Mei shot a pleading look at the man beside her.
"Xiaoyu, this is the new mother I told you about. We'll be living together from now on, and these are your two new brothers. Let's get acquainted."
After Xia Donghai introduced them one by one, Xiaoyu obediently spoke up, greeting them in turn: "Hello, Mother. I'm Xiaoyu, you can call me Xiaoyu. Hello, brothers."
"Good, good, good, let's hurry and eat! It's so late, you must all be starved." That single word—"Mother"—dispelled much of the unease in Liu Mei's heart, leaving her beaming from ear to ear.