The children were surprised when Xu Yinchen called them for dinner. Since they started living with him, it might be the first time they were actually sitting down to eat with him.
Xu Yinchen always left home before they woke up and only returned long after they had gone to bed.
They knew he worked hard, and that only made them feel more guilty.
It was Xu Yinchen who had given up his promising military career just to take care of them. Because of them, no woman wanted to marry him, as everyone saw them as a burden, calling them unlucky.
This was one of the reasons why Xu Shen, who understood all of this far too well, felt even more distant from Xu Yinchen.
Why did he even take them in? Why did he ruin his own life for them?
Did he pity them?
However, suppressing all these emotions, they were also curious about the woman who was going to live in the house from now on and would be their so-called stepmother.
They followed Xu Yinchen downstairs silently to see what the woman was planning, and when they arrived, what they saw left them stunned.
The woman was arranging dishes on the dining table. There were four chairs around the round table and a stool, which looked odd among the chairs.
Five bowls were neatly placed on the table, with a steaming pot of porridge in the center and a simple vegetable dish beside it.
Noticing the extra stool, Xu Yinchen said, "I'll add another chair tomorrow."
Qin Lian smiled and nodded. "Okay! Since we're five people now, it's good to have one more chair."
She turned to the children standing behind Xu Yinchen and said gently, "Everyone, go wash your hands now. We'll eat together."
The youngest, who was being carried by Xu Shen, and the second couldn't help but drool at the sight of the steaming porridge and veggies.
While they were upstairs, the tempting aroma had already reached them, but they didn't dare to complain.
Their gaze shifted to Xu Shen, who stood frowning at the woman, his expression wary.
Was she being genuine, or was this just another act, like the aunt who came daily to care for them?
That woman whom Xu Yinchen had hired to look after them always acted sweet and attentive in front of him, pretending to treat them like her own children.
But the moment he steps out of the house, her entire attitude changes.
She barely cleaned, cooked hastily, and always served them bland, unappetizing meals; watery vegetable soup made from scraps, stale cornmeal pancakes, and never a trace of eggs or meat.
Sometimes, she didn't even cook at all, and if they were hungry, she would toss them a few roasted sweet potatoes and tell them to eat those with water.
The groceries and supplies from the house slowly disappeared, taken away by her under the guise of being 'leftovers.
Xu Shen had noticed everything. But he never dared to complain.
That woman's harsh words still lingered in his memory: 'You're a burden on your Father. Be grateful he hasn't abandoned you.'
When Xu Yinchen's engagement was fixed, the Aunt's behavior grew even worse. She would often warn them in a low, threatening voice, 'You should consider yourself lucky that I even come to take care of you.'
'If I leave, no one in this village will take on the job of looking after troublemakers like you. You'll only bring more trouble to your father this way.'
'Just wait until your stepmother comes. Then you'll know what real hardship feels like. Do you know what stepmothers are like?'
'They're scary witches. They'll beat your brothers, complain to your father about you, refuse to feed you, and make you do all the housework.'
'Once she arrives, you'll finally realize how kind I've been to you all along.'
Those words had stayed with Xu Shen, fueling his fears and uncertainty about their new life. He had seen other children in the school suffering under their stepmothers, being beaten, separated from their fathers, or even locked in dark rooms as punishment.
To protect his siblings, he had taken on the role of their guardian, determined to shield them as much as he could.
That's why he didn't dare lower his guard around Qin Lian.
But as he looked at the food on the table now, a doubt crept into his mind. Was this just another act? Would this woman, too, show her true colors once their father left for work tomorrow?
….
Just like his brothers, Xu Shen's stomach growled with hunger, having eaten only a single sweet potato since morning. The Aunt had refused to cook lunch for them in the afternoon and had even warned them not to complain to Xu Yinchen.
If they did, she threatened them to tell Xu Yinchen that she had cooked food, but they had thrown it away and misbehaved with her.
Xu Shen doesn't care about her threats, but he didn't want to create more trouble for their father.
But despite his hunger, Xu Shen looked at Qin Lian with a frown and said coldly, "There's no need. We've already eaten."
Qin Lian stared at the little boy, who was holding his sibling's hand tightly, like a small cub baring his teeth to protect his siblings. Her heart softened at the sight.
She knew this look all too well.
After her parents' death and having been abandoned by her relatives, Qin Lian remembered wearing the same expression when she first arrived at the orphanage; guarded, defensive, and full of mistrust.
Over time, she had slowly warmed up to the other children and the director, who treated them like her family.
Xu Shen reminded her of her past self.
She was only 10 years old when her parents died. At first, she was sent to her aunt's house, but after being tossed from one relative to another, she eventually ended up in an orphanage; because, to the relatives, her existence was nothing more than a burden.
The feeling of living in someone else's house like an unwanted guest… she knows this emotion all too well.
That's why she found Xu Yinchen even more admirable. Not many people would willingly take on the responsibility of raising someone else's children, but he did.
And more than that, he was doing his best to fulfill that role, quietly and without complaint.
Knowing the children's situation from the novel, Qin Lian felt her throat tighten with emotion. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and smiled gently.
"I know that," she said softly. "But this is just porridge and some vegetables. Also, I called you down because I cooked extra. I don't want all this to go to waste."
She clapped her hands lightly and added, "Now go and wash your hands. Otherwise, the food will get cold." Without waiting for their response, she pulled the odd stool among the chairs out for herself and sat down, serving herself first.
Xu Shen frowned, still on guard.
But when he noticed the woman starting to eat without hesitation, he decided it was safe. She wouldn't dare add anything suspicious with Xu Yinchen here.
He sighed inwardly. At least we can eat one meal in peace.
Reluctantly, he took his brothers to wash their hands and then returned to join the meal at the dining table.
Xu Yinchen silently observed the way Qin Lian interacted with the children. He was initially worried about how the children would react to having a stepmother, but seeing her take charge so naturally left him quietly impressed.
The things he hadn't been able to do all this time, she was doing without hesitation.
Could this woman really be the change their family needed?