The children roasted sweet potatoes and corn.
Finally, they also roasted a beggar's chicken in the campfire.
Jiang Nan Fang, meanwhile, cooked a pot of Eight Treasure Congee.
Soon, everyone sat down for dinner.
There was only a very small folding table in the house, and no stools at all.
Jiang Nan Fang remembered how she used to squat on the open ground in the yard to eat when she was young, so she said to the children.
"The air outside is cool and pleasant at night. Since it's too crowded inside, why don't we go outside?"
"Using stones as tables and eating on the ground feels quite nice too."
The family of six, big and small, then went downstairs to the yard, carrying their food and drinks.
The six of them huddled together, looking at their father, who was a head taller than them, also with a mottled face, but incredibly down-to-earth.
Rui Rui couldn't help but sigh.
"This is the first time I've seen Dad laugh so happily and play games so wildly. Today is truly unforgettable."
"Everyone stay still, I'll take a photo to commemorate this."
As he spoke, he grabbed the phone Jiang Nan Fang had placed nearby, stood up, and snapped a picture of everyone.
Jing Yu said, "If I take the photo like this, you'll be missing, so it won't be a family portrait."
"Let's call Uncle A Cheng to come and take a few pictures with us, that would be more fun."
The brothers said this and ran off to call A Cheng.
Watching their cheerful backs and listening to his daughter's chatter, Zhan Bei Jue felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
He couldn't help but steal a glance at Jiang Nan Fang.
But she seemed unimpressed.
She was diligently squatting in front of the Eight Treasure Congee pot, spooning out servings for everyone.
Although her expression was serene and her actions were virtuous, such a calm attitude truly made Zhan Bei Jue feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, what else could he say?
The children scrambled to eat. This simple meal of ordinary food tasted more delicious than ever before.
In less than 20 minutes, everyone had finished eating.
Ge'er was still not satisfied.
"I want to eat like this again tomorrow! One chicken isn't enough, I want two! Beggar's chicken is too delicious! I declare it the best food in the world!"
"Daddy, can we stay here for another night tomorrow?"
Zhan Bei Jue subconsciously looked at Jiang Nan Fang again.
She was lowering her head, wiping Tian Tian's hands.
Seeing that she didn't intend to respond, Zhan Bei Jue patted Ge'er's head.
"We'll talk about tomorrow tomorrow. Look at how greasy your mouth is, go wash up quickly."
The children ran ahead chattering.
Jiang Nan Fang lowered her head to tidy the serving basins. Zhan Bei Jue pretended to wipe his hands nearby, dawdled for a while, and then walked back with her.
However, Jiang Nan Fang continued to act as if he didn't exist.
Apart from the necessary conversation during games, the two of them hadn't spoken a word all day.
This couldn't go on.
After walking a few steps, Zhan Bei Jue had to shamelessly offer a gesture of goodwill.
"Later, you can wash the two daughters, and leave the son to me."
"You three go wash first, and then I'll take the two boys once you're done."
Jiang Nan Fang walked on expressionlessly and mechanically, "Okay."
"There's no place to hang clothes in the bathroom, so I installed a hook behind the door. You can hang your clothes there later. I've already cleaned and disinfected it."
Jiang Nan Fang didn't seem to be listening.
Her gaze was on the children, and she was saying as they climbed the stairs not to fight and to be careful not to fall.
She left him behind by two steps.
"..."
By the time Zhan Bei Jue returned to the room, Jiang Nan Fang had already taken the two daughters to the bathroom.
Tian Tian, as she walked, playfully said to her two brothers.
"Girls are showering, boys are not allowed to peek, you are not allowed to follow!"
Jing Yu scoffed, "Who wants to watch you shower, you're so ugly."
"Daddy, look! Brother says I'm ugly! Hit him for me!"
Since the bathroom was shared, and others might need to use it while they were using it.
Zhan Bei Jue was afraid of anyone disturbing Jiang Nan Fang, so he took his two sons to guard the hallway.
"Now, the three of us will play the 'statue' game."
"Whoever is the quietest and stands the longest wins. The winner can ask me for a gift, anything they want. Are you willing to play?"
Boys are born to love challenges, and since their father wanted to play, they naturally obliged.
The three of them stood like statues in the hallway until Jiang Nan Fang came out with the two daughters.
After the three of them returned to the room, Zhan Bei Jue announced.
"You two have both won first place in the competition. Tell me, what do you want?"
To his surprise, the two children's wishes were so simple.
They didn't ask for toys or money.
They both said in unison, "I want Daddy and Mommy to accompany us like this every day. Can you promise us?"
The wooden bed was very narrow. Jiang Nan Fang could barely fit with her two daughters on one side.
Zhan Bei Jue was not so lucky.
The bed board was not long enough for his legs, so he had no choice but to take the two children to sleep on the floor.
He was almost 30 years old, and this was the first time he was sleeping on the floor in such unhygienic conditions.
He shuddered to think if bugs or mice would crawl on him at night.
However, his two sons were very excited, feeling that the day of adventure should end with sleeping on the floor to be cool.
In comparison, Zhan Bei Jue felt inadequate.
After some tidying up, the father and sons finally lay down.
When the lights were turned off, the children wanted Jiang Nan Fang to tell them bedtime stories.
Jiang Nan Fang gently patted her two daughters, told stories with expressive tones, and coaxed them.
Soon, all the children fell asleep.
Jiang Nan Fang lay on the bed with her eyes open, thinking about the day's events and what the children had said, but she couldn't fall asleep.
The old house had no air conditioning, only a fan that swung its head noisily.
Listening to the sound of the children sleeping soundly and the whirring of the fan, Zhan Bei Jue, like Jiang Nan Fang, was in no mood for sleep.
He looked at the sleeping faces of the children and touched their little hands.
His heart felt like it was swelling like the tide, a mixed feeling of regret and satisfaction surging and receding, rising and falling again...
When a person becomes quiet, the mosquitoes start to get restless.
There is always a mosquito that loves to buzz around people's ears.
While sleeping soundly, the children would wave their little hands in their dreams to ward off the annoying mosquitoes around their ears.
Even the mosquito repellent bracelet didn't help.
Since she couldn't sleep anyway, Jiang Nan Fang sat up and started to swat mosquitoes manually.
A moment later, hearing the sound of her swatting mosquitoes, Zhan Bei Jue also sat up.
Two dark figures exchanged glances in the darkness.
Jiang Nan Fang almost blurted out, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Can't you sleep because the conditions are too poor?"
But then she thought, "What does it matter to me whether he can sleep or not? He's being fussy, what does it have to do with me?"
Zhan Bei Jue imitated Jiang Nan Fang, waving his hands to fan the air above the children's heads, and initiated a conversation with her.
"Why aren't you asleep yet? Are you not asleep at all, or have the mosquitoes woken you up again?"
What's the difference?
Asking this question seemed meaningless.
Jiang Nan Fang chose not to answer him.
Zhan Bei Jue just sat there watching her. After a while, he propped himself up with his arm and stood up.
He walked to the table, touched it a couple of times, then went around to the side of the bed and handed her a mosquito repellent bracelet.
"I bought this for you, wear it. Go to sleep now."