Zhou Yan got back late today, just as the factory workers were getting off. He had been so busy he still hadn’t had dinner.

The little one was dead set on going to the banquet, so she’d refused when he offered to get her a bowl of rice earlier.

"Alright, we’ll see if there’s any food left when we get back." Zhou Yan smiled and pulled an orange-flavored hard candy wrapped in colorful paper from his pocket. He unwrapped it and held it to Zhou Momo’s mouth. "Have a piece of candy to tide you over."

"AH-WOO!" Zhou Momo opened her mouth wide and took the candy in one bite. A smile immediately spread across her face, her eyes curving into crescents as she mumbled, "So sweet! Thank you, Brother."

Mrs. Zhao filled a lunchbox with leftovers, put it in a net bag, and placed it in the basket hanging on the back of the bicycle, along with three pairs of shoes.

Zhou Yan slung his cloth bag over his shoulder. It contained all his worldly possessions. He pushed the bicycle out the door.

After locking the door, Mrs. Zhao looked at Zhou Momo and asked, "Do you want to sit in the basket or on the crossbar?"

"I’ll sit in front! I want to have a Dragon Gate Formation with Brother!" Zhou Momo shuffled closer to Zhou Yan.

"Come on, then." Zhou Yan bent down, lifted her up, and set her on the crossbar.

The little one expertly grabbed the handlebars and shouted happily, "Let’s go! Let’s go!"

Zhou Yan pedaled the bicycle along the riverbank, riding into the sunset.

The crimson clouds filled the sky, merging with the river into a single, breathtakingly beautiful vista.

"Brother, look! It’s Yaoyao’s painting!" Zhou Momo pointed at the sunset in delight, her big eyes sparkling.

"Mm, she probably sees it too," Zhou Yan said with a smile and a nod.

...

At that moment, in Room 302 of the women’s dormitory at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, a girl staring blankly at the afterglow of the sunset sneezed.

"Yaoyao, did you catch a cold? You should put on a jacket. It gets a little chilly after the sun goes down," Deng Hong’s concerned voice came from behind her.

"No, I just sneezed all of a sudden," Xia Yao said with a smile, pulling her thoughts back from the horizon. The pencil in her hand skittered across the paper, making a few light strokes.

"Hasn’t Zhou Yan written back to you yet?" Deng Hong leaned in, her face a mask of gossip.

Nearby, Zhu Yuyu, who was braiding her hair, paused and turned her head to look over with concern.

"Mail isn’t that fast. I don’t even know if he’s received it yet," Xia Yao said with a smile. "Besides, he’s so busy, he’ll probably only write back when he has some free time."

"That’s true. It’s a long way, so even a letter would take many days to arrive," Deng Hong nodded.

"Deng Hong! Deng Hong—"

A drawn-out voice called from outside the window.

Deng Hong’s eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed to the window to look down.

Ma Xingye was holding three thermoses above his head, grinning up at her. "I got the hot water for you guys."

"Okay! I’ll be right down!" Deng Hong replied, her smile like a blooming flower. She turned back to her two friends and said, "I’ll go get your thermoses for you."

"We’ll go get them. We don’t want to get in the way of you two holding hands on your walk around the athletic field," Zhu Yuyu and Xia Yao said with a giggle.

"What are you talking about? We didn’t hold..." Deng Hong’s face turned red as she spoke bashfully.

It was a ten-minute walk from the women’s dorm to the cafeteria, and hot water wasn’t always available. Lately, they had been basking in the glow of Deng Hong’s honeymoon phase, which saved them a lot of trouble fetching hot water.

Ma Xingye had also leaped from being the college basketball team captain to the fine arts academy’s famous "warm guy" of the women’s dorm—the great warm guy who could carry three thermoses at once.

...

Under the tree at the entrance to Zhou Village, a group of aunties were still gathered for a Dragon Gate Formation.

Today, the main subject of their gossip was Zhou the Second’s family, who were preparing for a banquet. From their spot under the tree, they could see the steaming baskets in front of Zhou the Second’s house, stacked layer upon layer, taller than a person. There were four stacks in a row—quite an impressive display.

"Zhou the Second is welcoming his daughter-in-law, and he’s really putting on a show. I heard the original village cook, Liu the Eighth, broke his hand, so they hired two other master chefs. One is the head chef from the textile factory, and the other is a master chef from Rongcheng Restaurant."

"Their connections must be something else to be able to hire such amazing chefs at the last minute! I heard Zhou Yan was the one who invited the head chef. They say he’s his master."

"Doesn’t Zhou Yan still have a mountain of debt? Everyone says his restaurant business is good, but I haven’t seen him pay any of it back. If you ask me, he’s just bragging."

"Gao Cuihua, don’t you go spreading rumors. I just went to fetch water, and my cousin’s wife told me that Zhou Yan just finished paying everyone back today. He doesn’t have a single cent of external debt anymore. You should just worry about your own Zhou Liangliang."

A sudden silence fell under the tree. The expressions on the old aunties’ faces became a sight to behold.

"He paid it all back? All of it? Wasn’t it eight or nine hundred?"

"Exactly! Didn’t they say his restaurant had no business, and that it only started picking up in the last half-month?"

"Is it that easy to make money running a restaurant? That Zhou Yan is really something else!"

Gao Cuihua’s face darkened when she heard this. She and Zhao Tieying had never gotten along. They had fought constantly when they were younger, but she had never won an argument, couldn’t beat her in a fight, and was always one-upped by her in everything.

When she heard that Zhou Yan had lost money on his restaurant a while back, she had been overjoyed. It made her own son seem so much more pleasing to the eye; at least he hadn’t squandered her retirement money.

But then, a few days ago, Zhou Liangliang must have had some crazy idea put in his head. He insisted on setting up a stall outside the textile factory to sell noodles and soup pots. The whole endeavor cost him over a hundred yuan, and he even asked her for eighty, which broke her heart.

Now, hearing that Zhou Yan had made money and paid off all his debts, the thought of Zhao Tieying’s smug face was more painful than death itself.

As Zhou Yan rode his bike back to the village entrance, Zhao Tieying glanced at the crowd under the tree. She spotted Gao Cuihua and quickly tugged on Zhou Yan’s shirt, whispering, "Slow down."

"Huh?" Zhou Yan turned his head just in time to see Mrs. Zhao pull two pairs of leather shoes out of the basket and hug them to her chest. He understood in a flash and immediately slowed down.

"Zhou Yan’s back! Haven’t seen you in a while."

Someone greeted Zhou Yan.

Someone with sharp eyes noticed the two oil-paper bags in Zhao Tieying’s arms and asked casually.

"What treasures are you holding there, Tie Ying?"

Zhao Tieying sighed. "Zhou Yan bought me and his old man each a pair of leather shoes. Shanghai brand. They’re soft and breathable, so comfortable to wear. This kid isn’t frugal at all. He makes a little money and just spends it wildly."

As Mrs. Zhao spoke, she even took the women’s leather shoes out of the bag and waved them around for everyone to see. The glittering gold buckles were dazzling even in the evening light.

’Leather shoes! Gold buckles! What a beautiful style!’

There wasn’t a hint of complaint in her voice, only pure showing off.

Beside them, Gao Cuihua was so angry her nose was practically crooked. She turned her face away, refusing to look.

Zhao Tieying took in everyone’s reactions, a grin stretching nearly to her ears. She tugged on Zhou Yan’s shirt again.

"Aunties, we’re going to head back now. We still have to go help out at my second uncle’s place," Zhou Yan said with a smile, then got on his bike and pedaled away.

"Goodbye, Aunties," Zhou Momo added, waving her little hand at them.

Once the bicycle was a good distance away, Zhao Tieying put the shoes back in the bag, laughing so hard she shook.

Today was truly a day to hold her head high!

’So satisfying!’

Seeing Gao Cuihua’s dark face and her nose practically crooked with anger was especially refreshing.

All the pent-up frustration from the past few weeks was released in one breath!

Zhou Yan was smiling too. If he could make Mrs. Zhao happy, he was happy.

"Mama, what are you laughing about?" Zhou Momo asked, full of curiosity.

"Mama’s happy. Life is just so good, better every day," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, tilting her face up to hold back the tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

’I’m the Iron Maiden, for crying out loud. Why do I keep feeling like crying today? How embarrassing!’

"Tie Ying is so fortunate! She’s even wearing leather shoes now!"

"I saw those at the department store! One pair costs over twenty yuan, and he bought two pairs at once!"

"That Zhou Yan is such a filial son, willing to spend money on his mom and dad. Tie Ying and her husband would never be willing to buy leather shoes for themselves."

The crowd under the tree started up their Dragon Gate Formation again, their words filled with envy for Zhao Tieying and praise for Zhou Yan.

"A pair of leather shoes, what’s so special about that?" Gao Cuihua sniffed, getting up and walking toward her house. Her mind was already racing, planning to summon her son and daughter-in-law for a lecture that night and make them buy her a pair of leather shoes too!

"A farting pickle jar—sour gas to high heaven!" one of the aunties commented sharply after she was out of earshot.

A burst of laughter erupted under the tree, and the atmosphere became harmonious and cheerful again.

The bicycle stopped in front of his second uncle’s house.

The people who had come to help today filled four tables and were in the middle of dinner. When they saw Zhou Yan’s group arrive, a crowd of them stood up with a great commotion.

Zhou Yan first lifted Zhou Momo and set her on the ground.

Zhou Momo looked at the crowd, who were already halfway through their meal. Her little mouth pouted, and she sounded aggrieved. "You... you didn’t wait for me? I haven’t even eaten yet."

"Oh, Momo, we didn’t know you’d be arriving so late! I saved a bowl of savory glutinous rice balls just for you."

"Come, come, your uncle has some Tangtang for you. I saved it especially for you."

"Your brother here has an orange. It’s super sweet."

"Momo is so cute! Your little braids look so pretty today."

"Her little face is so chubby. Pinching her cheeks is like squeezing a perfectly risen steamed bun."

Uncles, aunties, brothers, and sisters-in-law all crowded around her. One produced candy, another pulled out an orange.

Zhou Momo’s pockets were soon full. She pulled up the hem of her shirt with both hands, creating a pouch filled with wedding candies, melon seeds, and oranges. "Enough! Enough! It’s full!" she yelled in her high-pitched, childish voice.

’So this is the charm of being the family favorite, huh?’ Zhou Yan watched from the side with a smile.

’Zhou Momo is so lucky.’

Clutching her pile of snacks and candies, Zhou Momo smiled so wide her eyes disappeared. She didn’t forget to nod politely at everyone. "Thank you, everyone. I wish you a happy marriage and that you have a son soon."

Everyone laughed when they heard that.

"You should say that to Hao. He’s the groom," Zhao Tieying said with a helpless laugh. She had spent the whole afternoon teaching her auspicious phrases to say to the bride and groom tomorrow, but the girl was already eager to use them tonight.

Zhou Yan greeted everyone and then went to his master’s table.

Zheng Qiang and Xiao Lei were sitting together. Zheng Qiang had had a little to drink and was clearly getting tipsy, pulling Xiao Lei into a Dragon Gate Formation. "Xiao, your cooking skills are truly amazing! You’re so thorough and organized, I have to learn from you. But my master is also incredible, a national First-level Chef. I think you’re a bit like him, which is why I feel like we’re kindred spirits..."

"Come on, come on, Master Zheng. A toast to kindred spirits," Xiao Lei said with a grin, raising his cup and clinking it against Zheng Qiang’s.

"A... a toast." Zheng Qiang raised his cup, tilted his head back, and drained it. His body swayed, and he slumped directly onto the table.

Zhou Yan had just walked over to see Zheng Qiang passed out on the table. He had a strange expression as he whispered, "Master, did you get Master Zheng drunk? Don’t you guys have to get up early to work tomorrow?"

"Drunk, my ass. He poured himself one liang of liquor, drank it, and passed out. This is what you call pulling a scam." Xiao Lei shook his head with a laugh. "Tell your cousin to get him to bed. With this little alcohol, you can wake him up at whatever time you need to tomorrow, no problem."