As soon as Xu Changqing entered the courtyard on Xu Qiguang's arm, she smelled the rich aroma of fried food. The fragrance was even more overwhelming when she stepped inside the house, where several old men were gathered around a hot pot.
Apparently, the guests had arrived one after another, so tonight's dinner was naturally going to be a long affair. When she and her father walked in, all eyes turned to them in unison.
Strangely enough, among them was an old man she didn't recognize—or rather, one she had never even seen in her dreams. He was one of Grandpa Shi's old buddies.
Xu Changqing followed her father, greeting each of the men as "Grandpa." Once she saw her dad take a seat, she slipped out to have a quick word with Uncle Gu before going to the kitchen.
There was no need to lend a hand in the kitchen; Ninth Aunt had everything perfectly prepared. She had even minced the pork belly that her grandfather had Uncle Gu bring back and had already wrapped the buns.
