CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 103: RETURN JOURNEY, FAREWELL, ARRIVAL IN JIANGDU_2

Granny’s skills in the kitchen are naturally impressive; rural women, especially from the older generation, generally know how to make many snacks.

As a girl born after 2005, Ning Yuhuan can also make them, and she looks very good at it, with a highly skilled appearance.

An’an watched from the side and also joined in.

She made a piece of sticky rice cake and used her small hands to present it to Xu Lin, "Brother-in-law, look at what I made, is it tasty?"

"It’s not ready to eat yet, but An’an made it very nicely!"

Xu Lin couldn’t help but tap her little nose.

Her nose was exactly like Ning Yuhuan’s, very beautiful, a typical high-bridge nose of a beauty.

"Brother-in-law, you have to eat what I made!"

An’an stood there and said.

"I know, I’ll eat what An’an made once it’s steamed!"

"Mm-hmm!"

An’an was so lively, it was amusing.

They made sticky rice cakes for over half an hour, totaling forty-seven cakes, about the size of a child’s fist, wrapped in banana leaves, and placed on a bamboo steamer, then put inside a large pot to steam.

This process took about two hours.

Until it was past five in the afternoon.

"Brother-in-law, time to eat rice cakes!"

She ran over, pulling on Xu Lin’s hand, urging him to eat the sticky rice cake.

"Brother-in-law knows." Xu Lin said with a laugh.

"Brother-in-law, you have to eat the one I made!"

"Brother-in-law remembers!"

"Lin, still very hot, be careful!"

Granny reminded in her dialect, as she couldn’t speak Mandarin.

"Granny, I know." Xu Lin nodded with a smile.

Wu Xiulin helped Xu Lin take out two sticky rice cakes, wrapped together in banana leaves.

The steamed color was green, just like the banana leaves, well-shaped but definitely sticky.

Wu Xiulin also reminded, "Lin, be careful, it’s hot."

"Thank you, Auntie."

"Mom, is this the rice cake I made?"

An’an looked up and asked.

"It is the one you made for your brother-in-law!"

Wu Xiulin patted her youngest daughter’s head.

"Hmph!"

An’an huffed proudly.

"Brother-in-law, is what I made delicious?"

"Delicious, An’an should eat too."

Xu Lin offered the sticky rice cake, and An’an opened her little mouth to take a bite.

"Brother-in-law, I want to eat too!"

Suisui also ran over, trying to get a bite.

"Suisui, you can’t eat this, it’s the one I made for my brother-in-law!"

An’an was unwilling.

"An’an, why can’t I eat it?"

"Because it’s the one I made for my brother-in-law!"

An’an blocked in front of Xu Lin, not letting Suisui eat.

Xu Lin laughed, "You two need to get along, okay? No conflicts allowed."

Xu Lin continued, "This rice cake, let brother-in-law take a bite, An’an take a bite, and Suisui take a bite, how about that?"

"Mm-hmm, brother-in-law takes a bite, I take a bite, Suisui takes a bite!" An’an said.

"What about Suisui?"

Xu Lin asked Suisui.

Suisui nodded.

Xu Lin took a big bite from one rice cake, leaving half, and the two siblings shared the rest.

Xu Lin advised, "No conflicts in the future, okay?"

"We know!" An’an said.

"Brother-in-law, I will remember!" Suisui nodded seriously.

In the afternoon, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom and Dad, Ning Yuhuan, Suisui, An’an, and Xu Lin were all eating sticky rice cakes, and later, Uncle and Aunt came down to join in as well.

Because Xu Lin was leaving tomorrow, a big rooster was also slaughtered tonight.

Additionally, Ning Haifeng bought a big fish from someone with a fish pond in the village.

So there was fish meat tonight as well.

Besides vegetables, there were also home-made pickled long beans and sauerkraut from Ning Yuhuan’s family.

This kind of pickled long beans and sauerkraut is made by uniformly rubbing with salt and putting it in a sauerkraut jar sealed for at least a month; the flavor is very strong, unlike the roadside or alleyway pickled snacks in the city, which might not be prepared for over three days, and their hygiene is totally unknown.

The dinner was very sumptuous, and those eating together tonight were the same as last night, with Uncle and Aunt also present.

"Honey, what time are you leaving tomorrow?"

At night, Ning Yuhuan nestled in Xu Lin’s arms.

"Around nine."

"Mm, but be careful while driving, okay?"

"Don’t worry about my driving!"

Xu Lin chuckled.

"I trust your driving, but not others; some people’s driving, you know, so be mindful of the surrounding cars."

"Ok, I’ll be careful."

The two of them talked for quite some time tonight, not sure exactly when they fell asleep.

Xu Lin was leaving tomorrow, so Ning Yuhuan couldn’t help but feel a bit reluctant.

The next morning.

Xu Lin got up early and was just about to have breakfast when Granny came over with two red envelopes.

"Lin, these are from Grandpa and Granny, wishing you a smooth journey!"

"Thank you, Granny and Grandpa, wishing you both good health!"

Xu Lin accepted the red envelopes, which are blessing envelopes given by elders to younger ones about to travel far. They carry a lot of good meanings, so Xu Lin accepted them; how much money inside isn’t important.

Subsequently, Ning Haifeng and Wu Xiulin also each took out their red envelopes for Xu Lin.

"Lin, Auntie and Uncle also give you a red envelope, have a safe trip!"

"Thank you, Uncle, thank you, Auntie!"

Xu Lin accepted the red envelopes.

"Lin, drive safely, it’s getting close to the end of the year, traffic is high, and we have many big trucks around here, be careful."

"Rest assured, Uncle!"

Breakfast ended quickly.

Because they knew Xu Lin was leaving, talkative Suisui and An’an were quiet.

A child’s world is simple; as kids, they hope for adults to return home, crave their parents’ company, and yearn for relatives to be around. Xu Lin is now a vital part of their world.